good build ideas

"Challenge: What's the coolest trick you can pull at level 11?"

http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/20564149/Challenge_Whats_the_coolest_trick_you_can_pull_at_level_11

wizard/bloodmage build

First you obtain uranium-238 and then....
gotten from wotc forums. posted by Xantos000.
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http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19641590/How_to_Build_A_Nuclear_Bomb
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First you obtain uranium-238 and then....

Just kidding. This build focuses on the all around killer wizard. His goal is to have huge damage spells that hit tons of people, produce lingering and highly debiliating effects (radiation) and do all this from near invincibility (AKA flying like a plane).

He really becomes a nuke at level 25, and then can do it multiple times a day at level 26, but he's still extremely effective once he's in paragon. NOTE: All wizards are weak during heroic. The basic goal is to try and keep him alive and kicking.

Eladrin is perfect for him because he is a wand mage (secondary orb mage), although elf is good as well. He need's a fully buffed int, and nearly fully buffed dex, and a decent wis, so unfortunatly, he suffers a bit from MADness.

Although the entire build is called the Nuke, my sample nuke will be called God-Killer, as he does everything a God does and then can actually damage them.

Thanks to TreantMonkLevel20 for the guide to Wizards because it was through his guide that I learned that Bolstering Blood pulses every time a creature moves with Blood Pulse up. Thanks also to Subedei who really got me thinking about how awesome Wizards really are.

Edit: As has been pointed out to me on the second page, the Bigby's Icy Hand trick does not work.

[sblock=Races]
Out of ****
Elf (****): +2 to Dex and Wis, two of the key abilities for this build. Wish it had a +2 to Int, but it's racial more than makes up for it.
Eladrin(****): +2 to Int and Dex, the two MOST vital abilities for this build. I think it's slightly better than Elf, but just slightly. The bonus skill is also great, as we will be saving a feat on either Stealth or Perception. I will be using the Eladrin for my build.
Githanki(***): +2 to Int is great, as is +2 to Con. Unfortunatly, we aren't going the staff route, so this is slightly wasted. Racial is decent as well.
Human(***): Humans gain an extra at will, and a +2 to Int. Not as good as Eladrin or Elf for this build.
Tiefling(***)- Bonus to Int and Hellfire Blood is awesome. No as good as Eladrin or Elf
[/sblock]
[sblock=Level One]
God-Killer, Level 1 Eladrin Wand Wizard
Str: 8
Dex: 18 (16+2)
Con: 10
Int: 18 (16+2)
Wis: 12
Cha: 12

Skills:
Whatever 3 you want from Class List
Arcana (Required)
Stealth (From Eladrin Training)

Feat:
Toughness

At Will: (Difficult Choices....)
Illusionary Terrain
Scorching Burst (Switching to Thunderwave at 11)

Encounter: Force Orb (As much as I hate to say this, damage is your primary concern at this level. Your debuffs are weak, so this or burning hands is best for you.)

Daily: Flaming Sphere (Add Sleep to your spellbook. Sleep is great, but we don't have Orb mastery yet :()
[/sblock]
[sblock=Levelling to 10]
Level 2:
Feat: Armor Prof (Leather)
Util: Shield

Level 3:
Encounter: Freezing Rays

Level 4:
+1 to Int/Dex
Feat: Skill Focus(Stealth)

Level 5:
Daily: Bigby's Icy Grasp (add Web)

Level 6:
Util: Levitate (Hurray! Your first "fly" spell)
Feat: Skill Training (Perception)

Level 7:
Encounter: Winter's Wrath

Level 8:
+1 to Int/Dex
Feat: Alertness

Level 9:
Daily: Wall of Fire (Add Ice Storm)

Level 10:
Util: Blur
Feat: Improved Init
[/sblock]
[sblock=Level 11]
God-Killer Level 11 Wand Wizard/Blood Mage
Str: 9
Dex: 21
Con: 11
Int: 21
Wis: 13
Cha: 13

Vital Skills at:
Stealth at +18
Perception at +13

Feats:
Toughness, Improved Init, Skill Focus(Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Arcane Reach (replaces Alertness), Armor Prof (Leather), Resounding Thunder

At Will:
Illusionary Terrain
Thunderwave

Encounter: Blood Pulse, Force Orb, Freezing Rays, Winter's Wrath
Util: Shield, Levitate, Blur
Daily: Bigby's Icy Fist, Flaming Sphere, Wall of Fire

This is the level you start getting really good. Here's some ideas:
Blood Pulse (with Bolstering Blood), AP, Thunderwave--> Next turn Thunderwave.

Or Icy Grasp, AP, Blood Pulse(with BB), Move Hand 6--> Move hand 6, Move Hand 6
Each square your enemy leaves deals him d6+2d10(But same value every time). That means that each move 6 deals on average 14.5*6=87 damage.
[/sblock]
[sblock=Levelling to 20]
Level 12:
Util: Soul Burn
Feat: Spell Focus

Level 13:
Encounter: Replace Force Orb with Thunderlance

Level 14:
+1 to Dex/Int
Feat: Danger Sense

Level 15:
Daily: Replace Flaming Sphere with Bigby's Grasping Hands(add Wall of Ice to spellbook though)

Level 16:
Util: Displacement
Feat: Seize the Moment

Level 17:
Replace Icy Rays with Ice Tomb

Level 18:
+1 to Str/Dex
Feat: Great Fort

Level 19:
Replace Wall of Fire with Evard's Black Tentacles

Level 20:
Daily: Gain Destructive Salutation
Feat: Pact Initiate
[/sblock]
[sblock=Level 21]
God-Killer Level 21 Wand Wizard/Blood Mage/Demigod
Str: 10
Dex: 24
Con: 14
Int: 26
Wis: 14
Cha: 14

Vital Skills at:
Stealth at +25
Perception at +17

Feats:
Toughness, Improved Init, Skill Focus(Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Arcane Reach, Armor Prof (Leather), Resounding Thunder, Spell Focus, Danger Sense, Seize the Moment, Great Fort, Pact Initiate, Spell Accuracy

At Will:
Illusionary Terrain
Thunderwave

Encounter: Blood Pulse, Winter's Wrath, Thunderlance, Ice Tomb
Util: Shield, Levitate, Blur, Soul Hunger, Displacement
Daily: Bigby's Icy Fist, Bigby's Grasping Hands, Evard's Black Tentacles, Destructive Salutation

At this level, your big short range nuclear Bomb is Thunderlance. It hits a 6x6 area up to 2 squares away, and assuming you have Blood Pulse up, deals, 4d6+Int+4(2d10+1d6), average damage 80.

Bigby's Graping Hands hits two people, and if you have blood pulse up, you can deal 2d10+7 when you grab them, and then move them up to 20 squares to slam into each other. Even if they're only 6 squares away, they each move 6. Assuming a distance of 10, you can deal 2d10+7+10(1d6+2d10). Average damage 163.

Bigby's Icy hand is easier to use. Again average damage is 87 per 6 squares. You can move him up to twice per turn (3 times with an AP)(And 3 times with an easy to get and inexpensive, encounter use item).
[/sblock]
[sblock=Levelling to 29]
Level 22:
Util: Timestop (or Mass Fly if you're the only person in your group with the ability to get it)
Feat: Arcane Mastery

Level 23:
Encounter: These powers are a little... meh. Replace Winter's Wrath with Acid Storm

Level 24:
+1 to Int/Con
Feat: Acolyte Power(Replace Acid Storm with Spiteful Darts)

Level 25:
Daily: HERE IT IS! Elemental maw! Decimate everything within Burst 2 once per day! (2 times if you burn an action point) Replace Bigby's Grasping Hands (unless you can house rule it to allow you to move the hands 6 squares like Icy Grasp) with Elemental Maw.

Level 26:
Util: Divine Regen
Feat: Second Implement (Staff)
*Note* This level is where it gets insane. Get Solitaire (Violet), and burn the AP to get your Daily back every encounter.

Level 27:
Encounter: Replace Ice Tomb with Confusion

Level 28:
Feat: Combat Anticipation
+1 to Int/Con

Level 29:
Daily: Replace with Evard's Black Tentacles with Legion's Hold
[/sblock]
[sblock=Final Stats]
God-Killer Level 30 Wand Wizard/Blood Mage/Demigod
Str: 10
Dex: 24
Con: 16
Int: 28
Wis: 14
Cha: 14

Vital Skills at:
Stealth at +30
Perception at +22

Feats:
Toughness, Improved Init, Skill Focus(Stealth), Skill Training (Perception), Arcane Reach, Armor Prof (Leather), Resounding Thunder, Spell Focus, Danger Sense, Seize the Moment, Great Fort, Pact Initiate, Spell Accuracy, Arcane Mastery, Acolyte Power, Combat Anticipation, Second Implement (Staff), Lightning Reflexes

At Will:
Illusionary Terrain
Thunderwave

Encounter: Blood Pulse, Spiteful Darts, Thunderlance, Confusion
Util: Shield, Levitate, Blur, Soul Hunger, Displacement, Time Stop, Divine Regeneration
Daily: Bigby's Icy Fist, Elemental Maw, Legion's Hold, Destructive Salutation

Elemental Maw is the nuke here: once they get caught in the "eye", teleport them 20 squares up, dealing 9d6+9+10d10 (from falling)+20(d6+2d10). Average damage 385.5 to all within burst 2 (without any items).

Bigby's Icy hand is your solo killer. While in the hand he can't do anything, and it's quite easy to cast Bigby's Icy Hand--> next round, Blood Pulse, Move 6, Time Stop, Move 6, Move 6, Burn AP gain Time Stop back, Move 6, Move 6, Use belt with Extra Move action, Move 6. 522 damage in 1 turn. Now, assuming your Ref is sky high like Gkers is, you'll probably hold him for a while. Next turn, Move 6, Move 6. Next Turn (soul hunger if you aren't 30 yet), Blood Pulse, Move 6. Next turn Move 6, Move 6. Over those turns, the monster is totally helpless, and you delt 957 damage. You can go on for a while like this if you're demigod. And if the monster DOES hit you, use displacement.

[/sblock]


The Equipment Guide and Updates and Final Number Crunch are below Subedei's Post

demogorgon

given his position as first--arguably--among demon lords, i feel that demogorgon has not been given enough worshippers among the natural humanoid races. baphomet has the minotaurs. yeenoghu has the gnolls. gruumsh (a demon lord, in my view) has the orcs. so, what does the monster manual 2 say about demogorgon?

troglodytes worship him as a deity, and colonies of kuo-toas appeal to him for aid. this is both a problem and simply not enough. the trogs' principle patriarch is torog, so demogorgon is getting second scraps, at best. and the kuo-toa have been overtaken by, and now serve and worship, aberrant races, principally the aboleths. if any deific figure still were worshiped by the kuo-toa, it would be torog, who is most closely associated with both aberrations (in my view) and the underdark. that leaves demogorgon with no natural race over which he holds dominion. this just does not seem right for the "prince of demons".

so, what do we do about this? well, we give him a race of his own, just like yeenoghu and baphomet. gotta keep up with the joneses, you know. now, which race will it be? it should be a prominent race, so as to better reflect demogorgon's dominant position among demon lords. i still am not entirely certain which race is best, but i am thinking . . .

orcs. why? they are a prominent race. and gruumsh is, in my opinion, arguably expendable. he nature is a better fit as a demon lord than as a god. and as a demon lord, he is just yet another demon lord that is principally little more than a power that is thematically associated with a known race. so, give the orcs to demogorgon. and throw in an aquatic or amphibian race as well, to better play up demogorgon's amphibian nature (not the sahuagin. they have been taken, see my prior post for more on that), perhaps bullywugs ("bullywugs say they were created by the original primordials, not by the gods").

sahuagin worshippers

the monster manual describes sahuagin as worshipers of sekolah, great demonic shark, who is an exarch of melora. however, given their chaotic evil alignment, i instead would have them worshipping the demon lord, dagon.

i supposed that i am inclined to see most, if not all, chaotic evil races worshipping demons rather than gods because, in my view, none of the gods are chaotic evil, with one explainable exception--tharizdun. originally, tharizdun was not chaotic evil. he became chaotic evil when he was overwhelmed by the shard of evil. anyway, he is locked up and largely out of the picture now, despite what his looney worshippers might believe. orcus, in my view, is a demon lord, not a god. so that leaves no chaotic evil gods.

so, who among the demon lords would best serve as the patriarch of sahuagin? well, an aquatic oriented demon would be fitting. dagon is an aquatic demon lord. also, from the monster manual 2, we know that dagon's temples are underwater. what else do we know?

i) dagon's [land-based] cultists reside in isolated seaside towns and villages;

ii) sahuagin dwell along coastal waters;

iii) villages prone to [dagon's] cult descend into savagery;

iv) sahuagin slaughter and devour anything they can catch, raiding coastal settlements in the dead of night;

v) a sahuagin kingdom can stretch along an entire seacoast, and the sahuagin sometimes trade for goods, but they are more inclined to take what they want by pillaging coastal communities and merchant ships; and

vi) dagon's temples include air-filled chambers and caverns for his terrestrial followers.

although not a completely compelling argument, i do think that the above information makes for a good fit between sahuagin and the demon lord, dagon.

edit

i just remembered a great little adventure in dungeon 156 called the last breaths of ashenport. i think that the fish men of dagon easily could be re-skinned as sahuagin.

my spin on orcus

looking at the h-p-e adventure series, i very much like the orcus/raven queen conflict. however, i see the conflict and goals somewhat differently:

we know that the raven queen is quite powerful because, among other reasons, almost all creatures die and the raven queen is the god of death.

orcus is the master of undeath (as a side note, in my world, vecna is only an exarch of orcus). not surprisingly, orcus wants more power than he already has. he knows that the more undead that exist throughout the planes, the more power he acquires.

here is where the conflict arises: each additional undead creature means one less creature that dies; the consequence of which is (i) an incremental increase in orcus' power and (ii) an incremental erosion in the raven queen's power.

in other words, the mere existence of undead is a direct assault on the raven queen's principle basis of power--death. so, while orcus strives to increase his power base by populating the planes with undead, the raven queen strives to protect her own power base by eradicating all undead (as another side note, pelor, the god most closely associated with life, becomes an unlikely ally of the god of death because of his own, separate reasons for opposing undeath).

in the h-p-e series, orcus seeks to usurp the raven queen's power over death. in contrast, in my view, orcus does not seek power over death. rather, he seeks to supplant death entirely by making all living creatures into undead. thus, making death . . . extinct (and the raven queen with it).

witch class

i am hoping for a primal witch class.

perhaps, the witch could have with a noticeable amount of natural poison powers (poisons that weaken, slow, stun, etc.) and a good use of primal-type reagents, elixirs, potions and alchemical items.

maybe the witch could be a leader class whose powers grant allies various primal transformations. this would be consistent with the theme of the primal source (druid, warden and barbarian each have its own version of this. okay, shaman really doesn't.)

perhaps, similar to the barbarian class, the transformations could be only partial at lower levels and complete transformations at higher levels. that would be neat. nonprimal classes would get a chance to experience having claws, vines, fangs, wings, etc. that would allow them to (i) augment an attack, (ii) immobilize an enemy, (iii) bite as a minor action, (iv) burrow, (v) fly, (vi) enjoy a close burst 1 zone of difficult terrain, etc.

as i think of a witch class, i can't help but think of hags, both in and out of d&d, but in a player-useful sort of way.

pelor symbolism

i see pelor's symbol as a lion's head, sometimes with its mane aflame.

the appearance of elves (as i see them)

Elves are slender, athletic folk about as tall as humans. Their range of complexions tend more toward tan or brown hues. A typical elf ’s hair color is dark brown or mossy green. Elves’ ears are long and pointed, and their eyes are vibrant blue, violet, or green. Elves have little body hair, but they favor a wild and loose look to their hair.

Elves mature at about the same rate as humans, but show few effects of age past adulthood. The first sign of an elf ’s advancing age is typically a change in hair color, usually taking on more autumnal hues--with dark brown hair turning autumn orange and mossy green hair turning deep gold. Most elves live to be well over 200 years old and remain vigorous almost to the end.

why why why why why

tiefling (cha)

hellock/hellbringer (con)

prince of hell (cha)

kostchtchie

obvious though it may seem, it has only recently occurred to me that for 4e kostchtchie should be a primordial, not a demon.

p.s., kostchtchie, thrym, whatever.

frustration

i am feeling frustrated, almost discouraged, by two incidences where material i am developing gets preempted by published material by wotc.

the first case is an adventure i have been writing. in this adventure, i incorporate a unique adaption of a wotc game mechanic. i was quite proud of myself, and i hope to make the adventure publishable. then, several months into my development of this adventure, wotc produces an adventure, in dungeon magazine, using an adaption that is effectively identical to my own. after seeing this, i was tempted to scrap the entire project, but there are other good ideas in this adventure that simply must see the light of day.

the second case involves a new race that i have been developing. again, some interesting ideas (if i do say so, myself). and then, BAM!, wotc announces revenants, with allusions to the raven queen and how revenants can derive from any humanoid race. my scream got choked in my throat.

for now, i intend to persevere with these two projects. i know i have good ideas and i do want to write. time will tell. *sigh*

at least wotc still hasn't usurped my deity idea. MUAH AH AH AH !!!

totems worn

someone in the wizards forums once suggested that totems should be wearable in addition to wieldable, similarly to divine holy symbols.

i second this idea.

it is not too late to for wotc make this modification. currently, only 2 classes use totems: druid and shaman. the change likely would not make a big difference to druids (except, perhaps, for those who make very little use of wildshape), but it would benefit shamans, particularly those seeking to use longspears or other two-handed weapons, considerably.

this modification could be implemented easily in adventurer's vault 2 or phb3.

Ruler of Winter / Maximizing Wizard Save Penalty

Originally Posted by Adslahnit on wotc forums:

"The moment you hit epic, with the Ruler of Winter epic destiny, you don't even need the Orb to get your save penalty up to -16. Consider a level 21 eladrin wizard/cleric/Divine Oracle/Ruler of Winter with Arcane Admixture (Evard's Ebon Bindings: Cold), Arcane Admixture (Face of Death: Cold), Arcane Admixture (Soul Puppets: Cold), Arcane Implement Proficiency (Heavy Blades), Dual Implement Spellcaster, Eladrin Sword Wizardry, Spell Focus, a +4 Cunning Longsword, a +4 Earthroot Staff, and a level 17 Phrenic Crown.

-5 Ruler of Winter
-2 Spell Focus
-2 Phrenic Crown
-4 Earthroot Staff
-3 Cunning Weapon
Total save penalty: -16

There. Your Face of Death (level 9 daily) now makes an enemy permanently helpless, your Soul Puppets renders enemies in the area permanently immobilized, and your Evard's Ebon Bindings turns an enemy permanently dominated. All without the orb."

favorite sayings #1

a favorite saying among black and red dragons:

"troll means never having to say you are hungry"

staff of the serpent and druids

Originally Posted by whitishknight on wotc forums:
I'm making a snake themed druid/poisoner and I came upon something. The Staff of the serpent implement staff enhancement from Adventurer's Vault has a property which adds +1d6 poison damage to "any melee attack made with this staff". A druid in beast form uses implement melee touch attacks. Therefore, all melee attacks in beast form add the +1d6 poison damage, yes?

Originally Posted by Belile on wotc forums:
Melee touch attacks are melee attacks (as opposed to area, close or range attacks). In beast form you can use the properties (and powers) of implements". The +1d6 poison damage to melee attacks is a property of the implement and therefore you do get that bonus to your beast form powers that are melee touch.

If they had wanted the property to apply to only melee weapon attacks (see blurring claws feat), they would have specified that. And there are no "melee implement" attacks.

Originally Posted by Taenia on wotc forums:
After [level 10], a Staff of Ruin will out pace the dps bonus of the staff [of the serpent] and apply it to all your powers. The staff daily is ok, but I like the flexibility of the staff of ruin esp since you can shift in and out and play controller both at range and in melee.

Originally Posted by alien270 on wotc forums:
The Staff of Ruin is widely cited as a great way to boost a Druid's damage. And I would recommend it; it's a very good item. However, I'd like to point out an alternative: Staff of the Serpent + Iron Armbands of Power. The Staff of the Serpent adds +1D6 poison damage to all of your melee attacks (so most of your beast form attacks). Since the average damage of 1D6 is 3.5, the Staff of Ruin outstrips it once you get up to a +4 implement. But the Staff of Ruin's bonus damage is an item bonus, and this is important because so is the bonus to Iron Armbands of Power. Thus, your armbands will not stack with the Staff of Ruin, but they will stack with the Staff of the Serpent! The armbands are a 6th level item, and that extra +2 means that the Staff of Ruin will only outstrip the serpent/armbands combo when you get a +6 Staff of Ruin. It should be noted that the staff of ruin will apply to ALL of your attacks, while the Serpent/Armband combo only applies to melee attacks (which is why the Staff of Ruin is often preferred). However, at levels 16 and 26, you can upgrade your armbands to a +4 and +6 bonus, respectively. So if you use melee attacks the majority of the time, the combo is a better choice. Especially considering that when you're focusing on being a striker, you're in beast form (because you can charge).

detect magic (trained only)

i suggest a change to the following use of the arcana skill:

sense the presence of magic

(i) change this from "1 minute" to the following entry:

No action required—either you notice something or you don’t. Your DM usually uses your passive Arcana check result. If you want to use the skill actively, you need to take a standard action.

i believe that this change provides characters trained in arcana to be more dynamically involved with encountered magic items and magic effects.

remember, a character who has successfully sensed the presence of magic likely will then want to identify it, which is a separate use of the arcana skill.

here is a thread on the wizards forum discussing this topic:
http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=1165694
the discussion fleshes out the particulars

bane vs kord vs bahamut

bane is the god of war
kord is the god of battle
bahamut is the god of protection

active vs. passive skill checks

in any circumstance where a passive skill check is permitted, if the creature making the skill check instead makes an active skill check, then a d20 result of 9 or less must be valued as 10 because an active skill check result cannot be worse than a corresponding passive skill check result. why? because focusing on something cannot be worse than not focusing on that same something.

for example, some encounters provide for a passive perception check when entering the encounter area. if, for whatever reason, an adventurer with a passive perception check result of 15 (10 plus 5 from skill modifiers) instead chooses--and is able--to make an active perception check, then that active perception check result must be 15 or greater.

EDIT

it has been generously pointed out to me on the wizards forums that since the passive skill check automatically occurs, any active skill check result that is lower than the passive skill check result can be ignored. *smacks forehead*

racial floating stat bonus

gotten from en world forums:

Rechan

Yes. It's one thing I'm looking to combat by allowing a race to have one floating ability score.

evilbob

I liked this idea and have tried it. You end up with a slightly higher power curve (since players are slightly more optimized), but players can play the characters they -want- with less of a "penalty.

The way I did it was to allow one +2 bonus to change to whatever you wanted, but the second one had to stay the same. So a half-elf could be +2 Str and +2 Cha, but not +2 Str and +2 Int, for example. Honestly I think it's pretty reasonable.

Alt Boy!

I assume you give humans two floating scores then?

me likes.

races and favored weapons

in a previous post, i wrote:

"dwarves should specialize in hammers and picks, not hammers and axes (dwarves are a race of miners. what do you use to mine? hammers? yes. picks? yes. axes? a big no.)"

in continuation of this theme, here are some other thoughts:

(i) orcs should specialize in axes, a la dwarves and hammers;
(ii) urgrosh should be an orc weapon; and
(iii) goblinoids should favor scimitars and falchions.

trolls

trolls should be fey creatures instead of natural creatures.

correlon and gruumsh

as i mentioned in a prior post, i have long envisioned corellon using a bow to pluck out gruumsh's eye, and i was happy to see wotc change the story from a sword to a bow. but now, i am having some trouble with this new rendition of the story. i will explain.

d&d has long associated certain races with the favored weapon of its creator god--for example, dwarves/hammers/moradin and gnolls/flails/yeenoghu.

in 4e, gods do not have official favored weapons, however, i believe that the tradition of certain gods being associated with certain weapons persists. we still have dwarves/hammers/moradin and gnolls/flails/yeenoghu. here is where it gets tricky: in 4e, eladrin are proficient with swords and elves are proficient with bows. if we assume (and i know, we are assuming) that these proficiencies have something to do with the favored weapons of their patron deities, then that might suggest that corellon, in fact, favors the sword (wotc has not yet done a write-up for corellon). now some may say that elves and eladrin were of the same race. but i say that eladrin remained closest to corellon. elves moved to the natural world and adopted the bow over the sword. so i deduce that correlon favors a sword rather than a bow. and if he favors a sword, then most likely, corellon was wielding a sword when he fought gruumsh, and used a sword to pluck out gruumsh's eye.

sadly, i do not like this sword rendition of the story. i believe that gruumsh is the greater melee warrior of the two.

so, what am i to do?

well, i have considered reshuffling the god/primordial rivalries (in a prior post, i mentioned that gruumsh should be a primordial). perhaps melora, who i see as the elves' patron deity, favors the bow among weapons and perhaps she plucked out gruumsh's eye. replacing corellon with melora as the eye-plucker would be killing a sacred cow, but hey, new editions of d&d are precisely when such changes are best considered.

another hiccup is the fact that melora already has a rivalry with baphomet, just as the raven queen has a rivalry with orcus. i want to maintain the rivalry between elves and orcs, two natural races, so the patron deity of elves would be a good choice, but i do not want to clump too many rivalries onto a single god. also, who then would serve as a foil to corellon? perhaps demogorgon. that would be a wonderful myth/story to create. yum.

mual-tar was fought by three gods: pelor, moradin and bahamut. perhaps, in similar fashion, melora assisted corellon in his battle with gruumsh. perhaps, she plucked out gruush's eye with her bow, thus giving birth to the enmity between orcs and elves. baphomet's rivalry with melora, on the other hand, pertains to the power over nature.

improving the warlock class

from a game fluff standpoint, i think it is weird--in fact, inappropriate--that a warlock can select powers from pacts other than his designated pact. why would a warlock who has aligned himself with a fey spirit be able to access powers that are bestowed by an infernal entity?

although it would be a significant shift in the rules regarding warlocks, i think that warlocks should be limited to powers granted by their own pact. i acknowledge that currently, relying only upon the phb, this is impractical. however, wotc could utilize such additional sources as arcane power and dragon magazine to fully flesh out each existing pact to make this change possible.

currently, the strength-based paladin is not a completely independent class (e.g., see level 9 paladin powers), but i anticipate that divine power will correct this shortcoming. in similar fashion, the warlock pacts could, and should, be made entirely independent of each other.

again, i emphasize that a warlock's powers derive from a source. the warlock makes a pact with an entity that is capable of bestowing certain powers upon the warlock. that should be the extent of the warlock's class powers, no cross pollination allowed.

on a separate warlock topic, i think that the star pact was a failed experiment of MAD. the wonderful dragon article on star pact warlocks helped them considerably, but what we now have are essentially two pacts called star pact, one that is charisma-based and one that is constitution-based.

lastly, i still think that mechanically it was a mistake to make fey pact a better fit for tieflings than infernal pact.

Functional Template - Drider

Drider
A drider was a powerful drow priest of Lolth whose devotion was satisfactorily tested by Lolth and who was gifted with a semblance of her god’s spider form. Most, although not all, matron mothers are driders. Drow believe that a drow house that does not have a drider for a matron mother is experiencing the displeasure and punishment of Lolth. Such houses face stigma and some prejudice from the greater drow community. A drow house with two or more driders is regarded as blessed by Lolth. As the favored of Lolth, all driders, whether matron mother or not, enjoy considerable power and authority in drow society. Since all drow priests are female, a male drider is a rare and socially complicated circumstance for drow society. Driders often dispense with weapons, instead relying upon their two blade-like front claws and their bite for melee.

Drider is a template you can apply to any drow priest and, rarely, other drow who have dedicated their lives to the service of Lolth. If you are modifying a nonplayer character, this template works best with the cleric.

Prerequisite: Level 11, Drow Priest or drow worshiper of Lolth
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Drider
Elite Soldier
Large fey humanoid (spider)
XP Elite
Defenses +2 AC; +4 Fortitude, +2 Reflex
Resist 5 + 1/2 level poison
Saving Throws +2
Speed 8, climb 8 (spider climb)
Size Large
Action Point 1
Hit Points +8 per level + Constitution score
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POWERS

M-B Claw (standard; at-will) Poison
Level +4 vs. AC; 1d8 + 7 damage, and the drider makes a secondary attack against the same target. Secondary Attack: Level +2 vs. Fortitude; target takes a –2 penalty to attack rolls (save ends). First Failed Save: The target is also weakened (save ends). Second Failed Save: The target falls unconscious until the end of the encounter.

M Double Attack (standard; at-will) Poison
The drider makes two claw attacks.

M Quick Bite (minor; at-will) Poison
Requires combat advantage; Level +2 vs. Fortitude; 1d4 damage, and ongoing Constitution modifier + 1/2 level poison damage (save ends). If applicable, REPLACES Drow Priest Bite of the Spider.

R Web (standard; recharge 4 5 6 )
Ranged 5; Level +2 vs. Reflex; the target is restrained (until escape). Escaping from the web requires a successful DC Level +12 Acrobatics check or Level +12 Athletics check.

Spider Link (minor; at-will) Healing
The drider can transfer up to its healing surge value of points of damage she has taken to a spider or a drow within 5 squares of her. She cannot transfer more hit points than the creature has remaining. If applicable, REPLACES Drow Priest Spider Link.

monster manual stats

gotten from en world

someone named DerekSTheRed did a very nice job of compiling useful stats from the monster manual:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-4th-edition-rules/229092-lots-statistics-monster-manual.html

driders revisited

here is a post i made on the wizards d&d forums back in 3e:

"driders are now favored by lolth, not unfavored (don't ask. she IS chaotic.). ;-)

at first, the drow have a hard time adjusting to this. they have always held disdain for the driders. now, lolth has deemed that driders are favored because to be more "spider" is to be better. the pre-existing driders have returned to their houses, to be treated--begrudgingly--with honor and respect, even above priestesses. the pre-existing driders continue to bear much resentment towards the drow. they repeatedly exploit their newfound power and authority to exact various incidences of revenge upon their family members and other drow. however, they know that an excess of this behavior will be disfavored by lolth. now, a new drider is created only as a reward by lolth to an exceptional priestess, who, upon becoming a drider, assumes the role of matron mother of her house. not all houses are blessed with a drider matron mother. it is a cause for political strife and manipulation among the houses. now, new driders are almost exclusively female. the rare creation of a new male drider is a source of confusion and consternation amoung the drow society ("what does lolth mean by this? a male favored?"). driders have spider reproductive organs and have spider offspring (note to self - create a large spider that has an intelligence score of 10 and, perhaps, special abilities). any remnant sexual urges that drider may still feel towards drow are satiated only through violence. this is an aspect of lolth's blessing that is cruel both to the drider (sexual frustration and adjusting to having sex with spiders) and to the drider's "sexual" victim (obviously)."

i am happy to see wotc implement this change from disfavored to favored.
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here is how driders have evolved from 3e to 4e:

3e driders disfavored
driders are created by the drow's dark goddess, lolth. when a dark elf or above average abililty reaches 6th level, the goddess may put him or her through a special test. those who fail the test become driders. because they have failed their goddess's test, driders are outcasts from their own communities. drow and driders hate one another passionately.
3.5 monster manual, page 89
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4e driders favored
driders are servants of lolth gifted with a semblance of their god’s grotesque form.
4e monster manual, page 93

in drow society, the strongest and bravest can take the test of lolth. those who succeed become driders, members of a privileged caste. those who fail usually die.
4e monster manual, page 93

driders are common among drow
4e monster manual, page 93
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4e shunned replace driders as lolth's disfavored (see chwidenchas below)
Lolth is a fickle mistress. Drow who serve her but fail in their efforts sometimes suffer terrible consequences. These unfortunates become creatures known in the Underdark as shunned.
demon queen's enclave, page 18

shunned are creatures spawned by the spider queen whenever she is angered by one of her servants. in all cases, they are grotesque fusions of spiders and drow, mockeries of the perfect union the drider embodies. most candidates for this transformation are those drow who seek to gain the goddess’s favor by testing their devotion in the hopes of being raised up to become a drider themselves. most who fail are killed outright, but a few are cursed to walk the Underdark as shunned.
demon queen's enclave, page 18

drow society doesn’t tolerate shunned in their presence and kill them on sight.
demon queen's enclave, page 18

most [shunned] hunt drow and drider alike, longing to vent their frustration and hate on the ones they blame for the state they have been reduced to.
demon queen's enclave, page 18

chwindenchas--one of the shunned--continue to be lolth's disfavored (from 3e to 4e)
chwidenchas are created when drow fail one of of the many tests set by their deity lolth.
3.5 fiend folio, page 34

chwindenchas particularly despise drow, who have cast them out of society, just as the drow have done with driders.
3.5 fiend folio, page 34
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driders as matron mothers
driders are [. . .] subservient to lolth’s priests
4e monster manual, page 93

perhaps, the test of lolth should be limited to lolth's priests. so, instead of being subservient to priests, they would be the priests. more precisely, they would be the elite among the priests. perhaps, either (i) all matron mothers are required to be driders or (ii) most matron mothers are driders and those few drow houses that do not have a drider for a matron mother face a bias (at best) or an actual power disadvantage of some sort (at worst).
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test of lolth involves a ritual
i envision the test of lolth being conducted by the drow clergy, with a ritual that the testee must submit to; a ritual that would allow the presiding head priest to transform the testee into either a drider or a shunned. this method, as opposed to a divine intervention, would be more consistent with the notion that drow society actually has cast out the testee, notwithstanding the fact that lolth's power and will ultimately is the source of the transformation.
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driders as elite monsters
imo, all driders should be elite monsters.
here are a couple of reasons why:
(1) from a metagaming perspective, incorporating their previous drow priestly powers into their new drider forms likely would involve adding a template, such as cleric or demagogue or some such, to the existing drider stat block, which converts a normal monster into an elite monster; and
(2) as is intended with elite monsters, driders could continue to appear in encounters with drow (who are mostly nonelite monsters), while increasing the drider's power, presence and impact on the encounter.
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driders cannot reproduce
lolth chooses every drider, always.

divine homes (not the hgtv kind)

correlon resides in a demesnes in the feywild.

moradin and pelor rule hestavar.

melora resides in the natural world and has achieved compatibility with the primal forces of the natural world.

bahamut resides in celestia. kord calls celestia home, but spends most of his time battling in avernus.

avandra maintains no permanent residence. she delights in travelling throughout the planes. no place can permanently bar her from travelling to it--no plane, no fortress, nothing. whether blatantly or subtly, she has gone and can go anywhere she wishes.

more on evil gods and devils

it is my opinion that wotc does not give asmodeus his due.

consider that asmodeus sent an underling, graz'zt, to invade the abyss. now that underling is one of the most powerful of demon lords, reigning over three layers of the abyss and rivaling demogorgon. so, if an underling can accomplish that much, then of what could his master, asmodeus, be capable? remember, even before he became a god, asmodeus succeeded in stealing a shard of the evil seed embedded in the heart of the abyss.

i envision a merger of several evil gods with certain arch devils. i do this in order to (i) remove perceived redundancies, (ii) elevate the primacy of devils as the principle source of immortal evil, and (iii) more prominantly than has been done, place asmodeus at the top of the heap.

what results from these mergers is an implication that the nonevil gods have done a very good job of containing the physical presence of the evil gods, if not their influence. aspects of these evil gods can appear outside of hell, but if you want to fight the real mccoy, then you must pay a visit to hell (which is a good thing for gaming, right? it means that the high end of epic level play must occur, to some extent, in hell, assuming that archdevils serve as the bbegs in the campaign).

other results of these mergers are that archdevils become more powerful and more important than before and, consequently, asmodeus becomes commensurately more powerful. i mean, come on, he IS the prince of EVIL. all those other guys are just stewards of certain aspects or manifestations of evil (e.g., war, avarice, treachery, etc.)

asmodeus, prince of evil (that says it all, imo)
manual of the planes, page 105
__________

bane gives up his claim on tyranny:

asmodeus is THE tyrant. bane is not so much a tyrant as the epitome of a general; granted, a very evil general. bane is not so much concerned with tyranny as he is with military success, and everything that goes with the latter-- which is where the confusion with tyranny creeps in. think of conan, who was, for a time, a king. but, he grew bored of being a king and gave up his crown. think of the generals of attila the hun, who conquered may nations. these generals were motivated by conquest. if given the choice between (i) remaining in a conquered land with the responsibilities of monarchy or (ii) the opportunity to conquer more nations, they would choose the latter. attila, on the other hand, was interested in rulership, conquest was merely a means for him to attain rulership.

make no mistake, asmodeus is the tyrant, above all others. this is illustrated by his domination of such powerful beings as bane, tiamat and lolth (note, this is as i envision the d&d universe).

asmodeus is the evil god of tyranny and domination
power, domination, tyranny
dungeon masters guids, page 162

bane, the god of war and tyranny
manual of the planes, page 92

graz’zt is the dark prince, a demonic patron of tyrants and despots (okay, so graz'zt is a demon lord now, but you never know about that guy)
manual of the planes, page 130
__________

bane and bel merge. bane becomes asmodeus' general, charged with leading the armies of hell in their assault on the divine seals and wards throughout avernus that imprison the devils in hell. kord leads the opposition forces in battles throughout avernus to protect and maintain those divine seals and wards. this makes avernus the largest and most perpetual battlefield in all creation (note, neither the battle between gods and primordials nor the blood war was confined to a single battlefield). it's an ugly job for kord, but somebody's gotta do it ("man, this job is hell"). bahamut sometimes provides support, as needed.

bane is the evil god of war and conquest
dungeon masters guids, page 162

bel, chosen by asmodeus for his loyalty and his military genius
manual of the planes, page 99
__________

tiamat and mammon merge:

mammon, the king of greed.
given to insatiable lust and avarice,
he seeks to corrupt powerful mortals through avarice and lust
manual of the planes, page 100-101

tiamat is the evil god of wealth, greed, and envy
dungeon masters guids, page 163
Wealth, greed, vengeance
dungeon masters guids, page 162

tiamat is the evil god of wealth, greed, and envy. she is the patron of chromatic dragons and those whose lust for wealth overrides any other goal or concern.
she urges her followers to hoard wealth and to take vengeance for every slight.
draconomicon - chromatic dragons, page 244
__________


lolth and glasya merge:

the archdevil glasya, daughter of asmodeus, rules malbolge. she is brilliant, seductive, manipulative, and thoroughly wicked. she delights in playing with those who fall into her power by mixing subtle mockery and cruel teasing with queenly hauteur.
manual of the planes, page 103

lolth is the chaotic evil god of shadow, lies, and spiders.
scheming and treachery are her commands
dungeon masters guids, page 163

lolth is a capricious goddess who revels in betrayal and blood. (note, i recognize that forgotten realms tends to put its own spin on deities, but this description seems consistent with that of the default setting)
forgotten realms player's guide, page 152
__________

torog acquires, to some extent, the far realm and insanity as parts of his portfolio:

torog is the evil god of the underdark, patron of jailers and torturers (meh)
dungeon masters guids, page 163

rats are sacred to torog, the king that crawls.
their presence signifies plague, decay, and collapse in decadent cities.
monster manual, page 219

similar to graz'zt, torog was sent by asmodeus to explore and conquer the far realm, perhaps seeking a way to escape the divine confinement of hell.. unlike graz'zt, torog did return to hell and his foray was not so successful (granted, graazt did not actually succeed in his original pursuit, but he did conquer three layers of the abyss). [insert language from prior post] suffice it to say, that
asmodeus has since seemed to have backed away from his initial interest in the far realms.
__________

bye bye vecna:

orcus is known as the demon lord of undeath, the demon prince of the undead, and the blood lord. he is worshiped by undead and living creatures that do not fear undeath. (one lord of undeath is enough; as one lord of death is enough. bye bye vecna. that sacred cow has been slaughtered.)
monster manual, page 206

it's all fun and games, until someone loses an eye

when gruumsh and correlon fought, it was not a sword that plucked out gruumsh's eye, but an arrow. both gods knew that correlon could not defeat gruumsh in melee combat, so correlon instead used his intelligence to fight gruumsh. during their historic battle, correlon kept, and fought from, a distance. it was gruumsh's arrogance regarding combat that was his flaw. when faced with a mere bow, gruumsh stood dismissively in the face of correlon's bowshot. he underestimated the power of correlon's bow and his accompanying magic. thusly, did gruumsh lose his eye.

gruumsh's ensuing rage was, in truth, directed more toward's himself than toward's the puny correlon: that he allowed such a combatively inferior foe to harm his person was a greater blow to his ego than to his eye.

although gruumsh, as a god (or, imho, a primordial), was fully capable of replacing or restoring his eye, he refuses to do so. instead, he chooses to remain one-eyed, as a sort of badge of honor--or, perhaps, a badge of dishonor--until such time as he annihilates the very existence of that cowardly creature, correlon.

evil gods, as revised by me

key to revisions:
added
removed

Asmodeus (evil) power, domination, tyranny

Bane = Bel (evil) war, conquest

Gruumsh = primordial (chaotic evil) turmoil, destruction

Lolth = Glasya (chaotic evil) spiders, poison, darkness, shadows, lies, secrets

Tiamat= Mammon (evil) wealth, greed, envy, vengeance, dragons, serpents

Torog (evil) underdark, imprisonment, insanity, aberration

Vecna (evil) undeath, secrets

Zehir (evil) darkness, poison, serpents

Drizzt Do'Urden novels

gotten from forgottenrealms.wikia.com
______________________________________

Listed in the chronological order of the events in the books:

Dark Elf trilogy
Homeland (1990)
Exile (1990)
Sojourn (1991)

Icewind Dale trilogy
The Crystal Shard (1988)
Streams of Silver (1989)
The Halfling's Gem (1990)

Legacy of the Drow
The Legacy (1992)
Starless Night (1993)
Siege of Darkness (1994)
Passage to Dawn (1996)

Paths of Darkness
The Silent Blade (1998)
The Spine of the World (1999)
Servant of the Shard (2000)*
Sea of Swords (novel) (2001)
*Servant of the Shard (2000) has been removed from this series and placed within the Sellswords series, which follows Jarlaxle and Artemis Entreri.

Hunter's Blades trilogy
The Thousand Orcs (2002)
The Lone Drow (2003)
The Two Swords (2004)

Transitions
The Orc King (2007)
The Pirate King (2008)
The Ghost King (2009)

elsir vale

replacing prestige multiclass (PMC) powers

gotten from wizards forum:

"It's the difference between an 11th paragon path (PP) encounter power and a 13th level class encounter Power; or more accurately, a 7th level and a 13th level, at level 27. And this doesn't kick in until level 27 anyway, so it's only for the last 4 levels of the game.

At level 27+ a PP has : 11 PP, 17 Class, 23 Class, 27 Class
At level 27+ PMC has: 13 Class, 17 Class, 23 Class, 27 Class

Before level 27 it's just extra flexibility on which level 7 enounter power you replace at level 23, the Class power or the Multiclass power."

power swapping

from wizards forum:

"Assume you are a strength based paladin... compare the cleric daily 9 - Divine Power to any paladin encounter from that level.
Assume you are in a party with dragonborn paladin, dwarf warlock, dwarf staff bloodmage and dwarf beast ranger. Now imagine what someone with Cleric Utility 6 - Divine Vigor will do in this party.
Imagine you are swordmage with lasting frost and winter touched. Compare the warlock daily 1 - Armor of Agatheus with any swordmage daily of that level.
Imagine you are a bow ranger with Cleric Daily 5 - Weapon of the Gods. Splintering shot kind of compares in fight vs. solo, but in any other situation - WofG reigns supreme.

Power Swaps are not 100% benefit, in fact they can hurt your character if not done with planing, but they can be very useful.

Healing power - made for healing character is much stronger in the hands of a character without access to healing.
Point blank sustainable power - made for squishy ranged character who has other uses for his minor actions and can't last long at the front lines is much more useful for a fighter who is always there and is never using his minors."
________________________________________

"If you don't have a concept in mind, you won't have much use for the power swap feats. I believe they are more for experienced players (=have actually played a lot), who have a better overview of the classes and their powers, and who also know from experience what they would like to change on their class.

Unless you are masochistic and really want to pick weaker powers than those from your own class, these hold true:
- you want better damage than your powers give you at a given level (e.g. you are a warlord and load up some ranger, rodue or warlock powers to add a little more DPR to your character)
- you want to have an effect your powers just don't provide (e.g. you are a fighter, but you want some wizard utility powers like Fly, Expeditious Retreat or Arcane Gate - in which case INT doesn't come into play)
- you need to make up for a deficiency of the party (e.g. no healer is present, but people can MC into cleric or warlord to make up for it)."
_______________________________________________

"Multiclassing used to be a really easy way to make broken characters. You can still do some powerful things, but multiclassing is no longer the raison-detre of lazy optmizers.

Now the main advantage of multiclassing is for players who actually want to play multiple classes. There are some powerful things that keep the optmizers happy though:

1) Utilizing class specialities. Some classes have a unique collection of powers that no other class has access too. For example, warlocks have several teleport powers that other classes can never get. Grabbing Otherwind Stride, Ethereal Stride, or Infuriating Elusiveness can give a rogue, or even a fighter, something they would never otherwise have.

2) Filling build deficiencies. A strength paladin does not have a lot of options at level 9. Multiclassing fixes that problem.

3) Overcoming build weaknesses. A warlock or bow ranger may want to grab a few paladin or rogue powers in case they get stuck in melee."
___________________________________________

"Eyebite w/ Divine Challenge"
___________________________________________

"Or if you really feel silly and or confident charisma based paladin who multi-classes into a star pact warlock for dire radiance + divine challenge. If the target moves closer to you it takes radiant damage from dire radiance, and if it doesn't try to close with you it takes damage from divine challenge. All the while you keep blasting with dire radiance thus fulfilling the requirement of divine challenge of you having to make an attempt at attacking the target."
___________________________________________

"FIGHTER/Cleric: Healing Strike (2W+Str, Spend Surge)
ROGUE/Ranger: Cobra-Spitting Stance"

downloading DDI content

from wizards forum:

"There's also the issue that some of us have had with being able to actually download and view Insider content. This is briefly acknowledged in Digital Insider #12, as a problem that WotC is aware of and being looked into. WotC no longer employs the fellow who wrote this however, so that particular issue may have fallen by the wayside; I don't know. In any case, fixing the problem does not appear to be a priority, it's on the backburner for now.

The work-around I use is pretty straight-forward once you know about it: Right-click on "See It Now!", right-click on "Save Target As". This brings up an option to save a html page, so I close the menu. Then, I right-click on "See it Now" (yes, again ), right-click on "Save Target As" (again). This time, an option comes up to save an actual PDF file. Good to go. In brief: Open, click, then close, then open (again), and save. This gets me past the "asp" page (whatever that is).

If I don't use the work-around, all I see is a page of gibberish. Insider PDFs are the only ones I've ever had trouble with. It's not just me, several others have posted similar problems. As already mentioned, it is acknowledged as a genuine problem in Digital Insider #12.

So, for those who don't know about this work-around then, it's possible for them to subscribe to Insider. Then, they find out that they're one of the unlucky ones, who can't actually see the stuff they've paid for."