AC 11 naked, 22 in mundane plate and tower shield 460 max hp Fort 29 Reflex 16 Will 25, +8 vs spells
AB +41 +9 strength damage +7d6 sneak attack
Casts up to 7th level cleric spells. Rage 2/day +4 str/con -2 AC +will save Barbarian speed (10% bonus)
The FAQ: Q: Well this is an odd duck of a build... what's the idea behind it? A: I've been building a lot of epic blackguards lately, and have been enjoying making them. I wanted to combine blackguard with a "battle cleric" sort of build to produce a build that's even more of an anti-paladin, filled with hatred for the world and channeling evil power to buff their melee. This is why I used barbarian to add Rage to the build, though the AB boost also allows for early Blackguard, and the speed boost is pretty useful too.
The very first basis of the build, however, was "I want to make a blackguard who can cast Harm."
Q: Why not take your cleric levels higher instead of using barbarian or quite so much blackguard? A: I wanted the character to be an epic blackguard, and blackguard is one of those classes that, while it's not super impressive with few levels, really brinsg some great things to a build with a lot of levels because of its sneak attack dice coupled to its good epic bonus feat progression.
Since I was planning to use 19 or 22 blackguard, and since the level 8 and 9 divine spells didn't really seem attractive to me for this character, I decided to focus on getting to level 6 divine spells. The extra cleric levels give more spells per day and open up level 7 spells, and allow me to put spellcraft at 40.
I could have gone cleric 11/barbarian 4/blackguard 25 had I wanted and maintained my "requirements" but I think it turned out better this way.
Q: What cleric domains do you recommend? A: It depends on your environment, but Trickery is a great domain regardless. Travel is hard to pass up for a buffed-melee cleric unless haste items are available, in which case War could be quite attractive (cat's grace, war domain power).
Q: Why no divine feats? A: I felt the benefit with only 14 charisma - and that only because of the saving throw bonus - didn't justify spending feats on it in a feat-starved build like this one.
In fact you could get the same reflex save and a point of AC by going 12 dex and 10 charisma, and lose two points from Fort and Will. I consider the Fort and Will saves most important however... reflex saves are generally against damage and can be reduced with energy buffer and countered with healing, while fort/will is generally against debilitating attacks or instant death.
Q: Why not have a higher Con? Maybe be a dwarf? A: You can change the stats around for 14 con as a human, either sacrificing saves or skill points. But being a dwarf means sacrificing both a skill and a feat, and the build is feat starved and skill starved. In fact it wouldn't really have any extra feats as a dwarf - both extend spell and knockdown are listed as expendable, but I think they bring more to the build than 40 extra hitpoints from +2 con would. _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
Edited By griphook on 11/18/05 16:08
Three adventurers stumbled out of the darkened staircase, dust billowing out of the opening around them as a passageway beneath collapsed, sealing the dungeon beneath forever. The intrepid party had braved many dangers and survived, battling powerful undead and fiendish outsiders, facing a maze of deadly traps and riddles, and finally recovering the incredible - and incredibly evil - artifact still locked within the ruined temple's hidden treasurevault.
Terjan and his two comrades were elated. They'd found an obviously powerful relic, and despite its evil nature they knew that it would be worth a fortune in reward money from the goodly lords of the land in order to have it destroyed. A week before, the adventuring trio encountered a strange woman, a Seer who gave them an ancient map that purported to lead to the lost temple of an ancient, evil God whose cult had been all but eradicated. Therein, the legend she spun for them said, lay relics and treasures protected by foul guardians and deadly traps.
It was their destiny, she said, to be the ones who would master the ruins and claim the treasures, and ensure the destruction of the evilly enchanted magic items that remained. And now they were shocked - and dismayed - to see that same Seer standing above them, but now wearing armor and flanked by pair of powerful demons.
"Give me the Sceptre," Zazindra Fellblade demanded, "And since I am feeling generous today I will let you live." She was, in fact, in quite a good mood: her years of searching for the Sceptre of Grz'ar'zach were at an end. All that remained was to to take it from Terjan and claim its power for her own. After so much time searching ruins, studying lost texts and maps, and puzzling over cryptic riddles and legends she had succeeded where so many others - her Master included - had failed. The artifact was recovered, and it was as good as hers.
That she was in a good mood didn't mean she would actually let Terjan, or his companions live. She would show them no more mercy than she showed her Master when his disgraceful defeat at the hands of Tormite crusader made it clear that he was to weak to be allowed to live. The adventurers were fools, completely taken in by her ruse, eager to "fulfill their destiny as champions of good." Now in addition to being stupid they were wounded, exhausted, their magics and magic items depleted. Weak, and therefore undeserving of life.
To their credit, Terjan and his allies were able to recover the Sceptre. Three other parties of would-be heroes had not done so well, following her faked map and false prophecy to their deaths in the dungeon. But this was exactly why Zazindra had used them... though she was confident she could have made her way through the dungeon, she had no intention of taking such a big risk herself when the world was so full of willing dupes.
"Hand it over!" She demanded as the trio hesitated. As she had hoped, the realization that they had been used dawned on them. In a helpless rage, knowing he could not survive a conflict with the deadly infernals under Zazindra's control, and his spirit weakened by the evil artifact's influence, Terjan flung the artifact at her with a curse. It wanted to be wielded by one of evil persuasion, it wanted to be in Zazindra's hands, and in his exhausted state the good fighter had no chance to resist it.
Picking it up, the evil priestess felt a rush of power surge through her. She was meant to have the artifact. She could feel it approving of her evil, joining its unfathomable might to her own great unholy powers. With this in her hands, none could hope to stand against her. It was with the merest act of will that she invoked a dark blessing that empowered her demonic allies far beyond anything the adventurers might have bested in the ruins. It scarcely took a moment's concentration to envision her lair, her unholy sanctum, and then she was gone.
The last thing she said, the last thing Terjan ever heard, was a casual order to her minions. "Kill them." _________________ Experience is the mother of good judgement; bad judgement is the father of experience.
Nice unique BG build. Great RP possibilities. And great story! (Reminded me of old Pen & Paper D&D.)
Kaliban _________________ What I'm reading now: The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer.