INTEREST CHECK: City of the Drow (reboot) 3.5 DnD [14/?? spots filled]

[TheGlyphstone]

So now that the feats thing is worked out, can I be sneaky and use my companion's feat slots to take them since my main build is so feat-starved?


And your description seems like exactly the sort of person who would claw for any source of power - divine, arcane, both...though in your GM's eyes, which would be more likely to survive - a socially despised half-drow with personal power, or a more socially acceptable full-blooded drow with less personal capability?

[Snake]

OR be born with it like my char was :3

[Kunoichi]

Or my Sorceress character, Antimony, who has managed to rise to a position of prominence due to her incredible arcane power.


Hmm.  Anyway, before I start going overboard with this cohort character, I think I should ask permission for this concept, first. ^^; Zaer, Savage Species has a template in it known as the Tauric template on page 132.  LA+2, you basically take a humanoid creature and replace the bottom half of its body with everything but the head of an Animal, Magical Beast, or Vermin.  Like a centaur, only with other animals available to choose from.

Now, a common optimization trick for this template centers around the fact that you get all of the non-humanoid half's abilities added to the finished character, but only the racial hit dice are added to the total ECL.  As a result, by the rules as they are written, it's possible to add a number of templates onto the non-humanoid half before combining the two of them, and essentially get them for free so long as they don't change the creature's type to anything other than Animal, Magical Beast, or Vermin.

Now, the type limitation should keep this from getting utterly ridiculous, as most of the best templates for an Animal, Magical Beast, or Vermin would change its type to something like Native Outsider or Undead or what have you, thus preventing it from being valid for the Tauric template, but at the same time, I can understand if you think it would be too powerful an option.

...I won't lie, I've got about 3-6 templates in mind for adding onto a chosen animal or magical beast, one of which is the Lolth-Touched template from Monster Manual IV. ><; The basic idea is to create an arena champion who was formally inducted into the Matron's house after it became clear that the character had received Lolth's blessing, and who now balances fighting in the arena with bodyguard duties for higher-ranking members of the house.  The character should also have a rather interesting visual appearance...

[Xerial]

I'm so tempted to take Leadership just so that Elim can be the warden of the underclass in the city, a kind of Champion for the half-blooded and the outcast. He's pure blooded himself, but given he's spent centuries on the surface I see him as being treated as an outsider.

[PaleEnchantress]

I'm so tempted to take Leadership just so that Elim can be the warden of the underclass in the city, a kind of Champion for the half-blooded and the outcast. He's pure blooded himself, but given he's spent centuries on the surface I see him as being treated as an outsider.

A chapion of the outcasts, sounds like someone the mage-tyrant house would like to violate, decimate and rend slowly.

[Kunoichi]

Yeah, he'd probably have to be the Drow version of Batman or something to survive.

Edit: Which could be a cool character concept, admittedly...

[Zaer Darkwail]

Also as wizard/druid he could survive by taking shape of spider .

Anyways what comes to your companion feat slots; as he counts as both familiar and animal companion he is smart. So I allow your animal companion had been 'trained' for those feats which increase teamwork between you two.

Kunoichi; I allow tauric template and Lolth touched feat to work together. Also undead also works as tauric creature had been alive before turned skeleton/zombie or vampire. But for some wicked background I could allow example half-drow half-fiend tauric creature. Anyways ask first and then I judge when it comes templates. Tauric creature is one more interesting templates around :). However I could think Lolt touched drider to be quite interesting and suitable companion for high level paladin of Lolth. As altough drider is shameful state but if drider is blessed by Lolth then it means it's divine creature in itself (comparable to draegloth perhaps).

[ShadowFox89]

Are you still accepting characters?

[Zaer Darkwail]

Yes, we do :)

[Kunoichi]

Kunoichi; I allow tauric template and Lolth touched feat to work together. Also undead also works as tauric creature had been alive before turned skeleton/zombie or vampire. But for some wicked background I could allow example half-drow half-fiend tauric creature. Anyways ask first and then I judge when it comes templates. Tauric creature is one more interesting templates around :). However I could think Lolt touched drider to be quite interesting and suitable companion for high level paladin of Lolth. As altough drider is shameful state but if drider is blessed by Lolth then it means it's divine creature in itself (comparable to draegloth perhaps).

I was more thinking something overtly-monstrous, actually. ^^; Something admittedly less connected to the drow, but consequently more likely to be made a gladiator due to being exotic and bizarre.  Here's the two basic choices that I've been thinking of for the past several hours, and which I am honestly not expecting you to approve:

For option one, begin with a 9-headed Pyrohydra.  Add the Chimeric template (MMII), choosing a Red Dragon for the dragon head.  Add the Dungeonbred Monster template (Dungeonscape), shrinking the size from Huge to Large and improving the flight maneuverability by one step.  Add the Guardian Monster template (also Dungeonscape), granting the creature a number of extra sensory abilities.  Add the Lolth-Touched template for +6 to Con and Strength and immunity to fear.  Add the Tauric template (Savage Species), replacing the Goat head with a sexy human body.  The end result is nine 1d10 primary bite attacks, one 2d6 secondary bite attack, nine jets of fire usable as a standard action every 1d4 rounds, one 20-ft. cone of fire usable every 1d4 rounds, immunity to fire and fear, fast healing 19, 50 ft. fly speed with average maneuverability, combat reflexes and multi-attack as bonus feats, absurd physical stats, and the whole thing is just generally one scary, scary monster with 10 HD and no class levels.

The main downside is that I have a hard time picturing this one visually.  Ten heads and a humanoid torso?  It's like a creature out of Greek mythology.

For option two, begin with a Dire Lion.  Add the Magebred Animal template (Eberron Campaign Setting).  Add the Horrid Animal template (also Eberron Campaign Setting).  Add the Chimeric template, selecting a Black Dragon for the dragon head.  Add the Arcane-Blood template (Dragon #350), forcing anyone who makes a successful melee attack without benefit of reach to make a reflex save vs 1d6 acid damage.  Add the Guardian Monster template.  Add the Lolth-Touched template.  And finally, add the Tauric template, once again replacing the Goat head with a sexy human body.  End result is two claws, two bites, pounce, improved grab, rake, improved natural attack with all natural weapons, multi-attack, other bonus feats, 40 ft. line of acid usable every 1d4 rounds, 2d6 acid with primary bite attack, acid immunity, absurd physical stats, and the whole thing is a scary monster with 10 HD and no class levels.

The downsides for this one are the clumsy flight speed and the lower number of natural attacks, though the pounce-grapple-rake routine could still be pretty deadly with that bonus acid damage.  Lack of combat reflexes and the only ranged option being the line of acid leaves this one with less of an ability to deal with large groups of foes, as well, though acid is less commonly resisted than fire.


I can't help but want to play the first one, especially since I'd be taking all sorts of monstrous feats and just generally making it a badass and deadly monstrous arena champion.  At the same time, though, I fully realize how utterly bizarre such a character would be, so again, feel free to say no. ><;

[Zaer Darkwail]

I agree, I wil say no to first one  . Second one I do not know some templates at all; Guardian, Chimeric, Arcane/blood.

Simply said; you use too much templates. Limit it to 3 templates max to single creature, otherwise things go way whacky side. Also use templates which I know about 

[Kunoichi]

Well, I did list the sources on the list. ^^; Guardian is in Dungeonscape, Chimeric is in Monster Manual 2, and Arcane-Blood is from Dragon Magazine.

3 templates sounds like a good limit, though.  Is that in addition to Tauric, or counting it?

Either way, it's way past my bedtime at the moment, so good night.

[Xerial]

Yeah, he'd probably have to be the Drow version of Batman or something to survive.

Edit: Which could be a cool character concept, admittedly...

Challenge accepted.

...now if only I had a way to make him a billionaire with a cool mansion.

[Zaer Darkwail]

The tauric is counted in the limit, so tauric + two others besides base creature (or two with tauric). Anyways I do not got have the listed sources so I do not allow those templates. I got MM III, Libri Mortis, Savage Species, Legions of Hell and Hordes of Abyss when speaking generic sense what monsters/templates what to use (besides core MM book).

[Xerial]

Working away at Elim. A class decision I just made makes me grin all the more at the idea that he's tolerant, if not a champion, of mix-blooded types.

[Zaer Darkwail]

What class in mind? Or build overall?

[Xerial]

I guess the build, as it stands at the moment, hinges upon my ability to use one other book. If you've got Unearthed Arcana, the class decision was to take all three levels of Drow Paragon. I like the idea that he'd be a shining standard of Drow evolution, but (not-so) secretly harbor those of lesser station in the walls of the Silent Swordsman.

That would him a Rogue/Drow-Paragon/Swordsage/Warblade/Shadowdancer... with one level yet to be determined. I was going to throw Wizard in the mix, as Drow Paragon gives two effective Wizard levels to Drow males, but that'd throw the level balance for his classes off. The second level of Shadowdancer is outright useless to him, and adding another level of Rogue would again throw the balance off, so I'm thinking maybe another PrC.

I just gave the Stronghold Guide a quick look-over, and I'm also thinking of taking Landlord, despite being a wee bit more than a little feat starved if I take it and Leadership. It'd rule out Knowledge Devotion, which I was hoping to add in there to reflect a lifetime spent killing all manner of things, but it seems fitting if he's running a bar.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Note; Wizard is favored class for drow males so they do not count for multiclass penalties.

[Xerial]

I thoroughly forgot about that...

...and it is mighty tempting.

I may ditch Shadowdancer entirely, though. Hide in Plain Sight is sexier in a campaign where not everyone had Darkvision. If I ditch it, I'll add in two levels of Fighter, because Feats are good.

EDIT: Forgoing the two levels in favor of Elim being an Afflicted Were-Tiger is kind of tempting, too. It would explain the slightly softer than steel spot on his heart for mix-bloods.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Just note that hide in plain sight works vs darkvision. darkvision is white/black only but you hide kinda between the zone of 'gray'.

[Xerial]

So it's kind of a toss-up, really... there were-Tiger thing is tempting, but Hide In Plain Sight is daaaaaamned, useful. Especially for a guy with a not so shabby +4d6 Sneak Attack with only three levels in Rogue.

[TheGlyphstone]

Don't forget a Ring of the Darkhidden, from MIC. 2,000GP, and you don't show up on Darkvision, period (though are fully visible to normal lighting of any kind).

[Xerial]

Oh snap, I forgot about that one.

Seriously, that ring, and Hide in Plain Sight, would make Elim into the Drow Batman.

...well, if Batman cut the shit out of things with a Bastard Sword.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Hehe, indeed. Also to avoid Batman ambushed he has also blindfold of true darkness (60'ft blindsight).

[Xerial]

Where's that one from? That's just sexy.

I'm torn here... without fighter levels I'm feat starved, but Landlord just makes so much sense... even if the starting wealth is 150,000 (which it is, right, I'm not insane).