The real way to melee in PnP aka Kobolds Do It Better

[Aspenor]

Having a lot more time to do things like this now that I'm not playing DDO, I put together a little project that makes melee actually a good idea.

Skippy the Dancing Venerable Dragonwrought White Dragonspawn Loredrake Desert Phrenic Magic-Blooded Kobold

4 Sorcerer/1 Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian/2 Swiftblade/2 Abjurant Champion/1 Spelldancer/+2 Abjurant Champion/+8 Swiftblade

Spells as 19th level sorcerer (Caster Level 21)
Manifester Level 20
BAB: 17

Ability Scores: 32 PB; adjusted for races & templates
STR - 9 (3)
DEX - 16 (4) --> 22
CON - 16 (6) --> 22
INT - 16 (3)
WIS - 12 (3) +6 (Enhancement) = 18
CHA - 26 (13) + 5 (Levels) + 5 (Inherent) + 6 = 42 + 4 (Unlisted: Inner Beauty) + 4 (Moral: Snowsong) = 50

Familiar: Rat

1 - Sorcerer: Dragonwrought, Expeditious Dodge (flaw), Mobility/Divine Sorcery - Destiny [size=8pt](Psyref Mobility out after armor below obtained)[/size] (flaw), Draconic Rite of Passage
2 - Sorcerer
3 - Sorcerer: Draconic Reservoir
4 - Sorcerer: +1 CHA
5 - Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian
6 - Swiftblade: Combat Casting, Greater Draconic Rite of Passage
7 - Swiftblade
8 - Abjurant Champion:, +1 CHA
9 - Abjurant Champion: Endurance
10 - Spelldancer
11 - Abjurant Champion
12 - Abjurant Champion: Arcane Strike, +1 CHA
13 - Swiftblade
14 - Swiftblade
15 - Swiftblade: Extend Spell
16 - Swiftblade: +1 CHA
17 - Swiftblade
18 - Swiftblade: Persist Spelll
19 - Swiftblade
20 - Swiftblade: +1 CHA

Spells Known at 20: (19th level sorcerer)
1 - (5) Nerveskitter, Shield, True Casting, True Strike, Unseen Servant, Detect Secret Doors (3x/day - Runestaff), Identify (3x/day SLA - Draconic Rite of Passage + Draconic Reservoir)
2 - (5) Wraithstrike, Resist Energy, Web, Wings of Cover, Rope Trick, Locate Object (3x/day - Runestaff)
3 - (4) Haste, Dragonskin, Slow, Greater Magic Weapon, Tongues (1x/day - Runestaff), Battlemagic Perception (3x/day - Runestaff), Spellcaster's Bane (1x/day - Runestaff), Shrink Item (Knowstone)
4 - (4) Greater Mirror Image, Celerity, Ruin Delver's Fortune, Greater Luminous Armor, Inner Beauty (Drake Helm), Greater Invisibility (Drake Helm), Locate Creature (3x/day - Runestaff)
5 - (4) Arcane Fusion, Draconic Polymorph, Greater Dimension Door, Telekinesis, Prying Eyes (3x/day - Runestaff), Duelward (3x/day - Runestaff)
6 - (3) Starmantle, Ruby Ray of Reversal, Greater Dispel Magic, Snowsong (Drake Helm), True Seeing (1x/day - Runestaff)
7 - (3) Limited Wish, Arcane Spellsurge, Elemental Body
8 - (2) Ghostform, Mystic Shield, Avascular Mass
9 - (1) Shapechange, Shades, Choose Destiny (Destiny Domain)

Spells/Day
0 - 6
1 - 6 + 5 = 11
2 - 6 + 5 = 11
3 - 6 + 5 = 11
4 - 6 + 5 = 11
5 - 6 + 4 = 10
6 - 6 + 4 = 10
7 - 6 + 4 = 10
8 - 6 + 4 = 10
9 - 4 + 3 = 7

Psi-Like Abilities - Manifester Level 20, augmented as though spending ML in power points for each
3/day - Defensive Precognition, Empty Mind, Mind Thrust, Intellect Fortress, Psionic Teleport
1/day - Force Screen, Body Adjustment, Brain Lock, Aversion, Psionic Blast, Psychic Crush, Psionic Dominate, Energy Current, Tower of Iron Will, Fission, Ultrablast

HP: 252 (max hit points per level)

Power/Spell Resistance: 30

Speed: 30 (Base) + 30 (Haste) + 10 (Slippers) + 5 (Armor enhancement) + 20 (Swift Surge) = 95 Land/Flight (Perfect), 190 (Flight: Average)

Initiative: 6 (Dex) + 5 (Insight/Scimitar) + 25 (Arcane Reflexes/Competence) +5 Nerveskitter (Untyped) = 41

AC: 10 (Base) + 6 (Dex bonus) + 12 (Armor Bonus) + 12 (Natural Armor Bonus) + 20 (Deflection from Ghostform) + 8 (Shield) + 3 (Dodge) 1 + 1 (Size) = 72 + 4 (Mobility vs. AoO) = 76 + 8 (Wings of Cover) = 84

Touch AC: 10 (Base) + 6 (Dex) + 20 (Deflection) + 3 (Dodge) +1 (Size) = 40

Attack: 17 (BAB) + 20 (CHA) + 5 (GMW) + 1 (Haste) +1 (Size) = 44/39/34/29 against Touch AC before Arcane Strike (add 20 when using True Strike)

Damage: 1d4 + 5 (GMW) + 20 (CHA) + 20 (Fire/CHA) + 2d6 (Swiftblade) = 1d4 + 45 + 2d6 before Arcane Strike

Saves:
Fort: 1 1/3(Sorc) / 2.5 (Barbarian) / 1/3 (Spelldancer) / 1 1/3 (Abjurant Champion) / 3 1/3 (Swiftblade) = 8.833 Base + 6 (CON) + 5 (Resistance) + 20 (RDF) + 2 (Familiar) = 41.833 = 41
Ref: 1 1/3 (Sorc) / 1/3 (Barbarian) / 2.5 (Spelldancer) / 1 1/3 (Abjurant Champion) / 7 (Swiftblade) = 12.5 Base + 6 (DEX) + 5 (Resistance) + 20 (RDF) +2 (Swift Surge) = 45.5 = 45
Will: 4 (Sorc) / 1/3 (Barbarian) / 2.5 (Spelldancer) / 4 (Abjurant Champion) / 7 (Swiftblade) = 17.833 Base + 4 (WIS) + 5 (Resistance) + 20 (RDF) = 46.833 = 46

The Morning Spelldance
Persisted/Extended Spells via Spelldance:
Shield, Ruin Delver's Fortune x3, Greater Mirror Image, Mystic Shield, Ghost Form, Dragonskin, Wraithstrike, True Seeing (Runestaff), Arcane Spellsurge, Choose Destiny, Inner Beauty, Snowsong, True Seeing, Greater Invisibility, Shapechange, Greater Luminous Armor, Elemental Body, Tongues, Greater Magic Weapon, Duelward, Battlemagic Perception, Spellcaster's Bane

After resting to recuperate spells, Skippy wakes up in the morning and dons his "dancin' shoes." The DC to spelldance is 10 + Modified Spell level, so the highest DC I have to hit is 25, which is impossible for him to fail. First, perform a spelldance for 7 rounds and apply Extend and Persist to Shapechange. Next, Shapechange into a construct form that lacks magic immunity or spell resistance (such as a homunculus, or animated object) making Skippy immune to fatigue, exhaustion, and ability damage. Next, spelldance and use extend and persist on any spell he wants, since the fatigue and exhaustion cannot affect Skippy. Enjoy the effects of all buffs for 48 hours.

Effects of Spelldance:
By persisting the above spells via spelldance, Skippy gains an extraordinarily high armor class and saves. He gains Greater Mirror Image for 24 hours. Ghostform grants him a deflection bonus to AC, incorporeality, touch attacks for melee (can attack corporeals due to ghost touch weapon), immunity to non-magical attack forms, and the other typical ghost defenses. Mystic Shield grants him immunity to spells 6th level and below, and causes all weapons that attack him to be treated as non-magical. In this way he basically become immune to melee, especially coupled with my high AC and miss chances granted by Ghost Form, Greater Mirror Image, and Swiftblade class features. He gains perfect flight at his land speed, 60 ft. Darkvision, immunity to flanking, critical hits, and poison from Elemental Body. He gains +8 to his charisma score, which governs initiative, to-hit, bonus spells, DC's, saves, and damage. He gains the ability to attack as a touch attack. He may speak any language. He can be invisible, even while attacking. All his spells are cast as 1 step faster than they are listed. He has permanent true seeing. He automatically identifies spells cast in combat, and may choose to counterspell as an immediate action without readying an action. Skippy may roll twice for any attack roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check and take the better result.

Skippy utilizes Shades to create a Contingency, which activates Greater Dimension Door when he is in the area of effect of area dispel that he has not counterspelled. The Greater Dimension Door moves him to the nearest square outside the area of effect.

Just in case Skippy's contingency were to fail, he wears a shrunken, lead lined 5 foot diameter and 5 foot deep basket on top of his head. He instructs his familiar to speak the command word if his counterspell and contingency fails. This blocks line of effect to Skippy for purposes of spells like Mordenkainen's Disjunction or any other spell he wishes to avoid that requires line of effect.

Skills:
1 - Concentration (4) [4], Spellcraft (4) [4], Perform (Dance) (4) [2], Tumble (4) [2], Profession (Basket Weaving) (1) [1]
2 - Concentration (1) [5], Spellcraft (1) [5], Perform (Dance) (2) [3], Profession (Basket Weaving) (1) [2]
3 - Concentration (1) [6], Spellcraft (1) [6], Perform (Dance) (2) [4], Profession (Basket Weaving) (1) [3]
4 - Perform (Dance) (4) [6], Swim (1) [1]
5 - Concentration (2) [7], Spellcraft (2) [7], Knowledge (Arcana) (2) [1], Tumble (2) [4]
6 - Concentration (2) [9], Spellcraft (2) [9], Tumble (4) [8]
7 - Concentration (1) [10], Spellcraft (1) [10], Knowledge (Arcana) (4) [5], Tumble (2) [10]
8 - Concentration (1) [11], Spellcraft (1) [11], Knowledge (Arcana) (2) [7], Ride (1) [1]
9 - Concentration (1) [12], Spellcraft (1) [12], Knowledge (Arcana) (2) [9], Ride (1) [2]
10 - Concentration (1) [13], Spellcraft (1) [13], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [10], Perform (Dance) (2) [8], Tumble (2) [12]
11 - Concentration (1) [14], Spellcraft (1) [14], Knowledge (Arcana) (2) [12], Ride(1) [3]
12 - Concentration (1) [15], Spellcraft (1) [15], Knowledge (Arcana) (2) [14], Ride(1) [4]
13 - Concentration (1) [16], Spellcraft (1) [16], Knowledge (Arcana) (2) [16], Balance (1) [1]
14 - Concentration (1) [17], Spellcraft (1) [17], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [17], Spot (1) [1], Balance (1) [2]
15 - Concentration (1) [18], Spellcraft (1) [18], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [18], Spot (3) [4], Balance (1) [3]
16 - Concentration (1) [19], Spellcraft (1) [19], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [19], Spot (1) [5], Tumble (2) [14], Balance (1) [4]
17 - Concentration (1) [20], Spellcraft (1) [20], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [20], Spot (1) [6], Tumble (2) [16], Balance (1) [5]
18 - Concentration (1) [21], Spellcraft (1) [21], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [21], Spot (1) [7], Tumble (2) [18], Balance (1) [6]
19 - Concentration (1) [22], Spellcraft (1) [22], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [22], Spot (1) [8], Tumble (2) [20], Balance (1) [7]
20 - Concentration (1) [23], Spellcraft (1) [23], Knowledge (Arcana) (1) [23], Spot (1) [9], Tumble (2) [22], Balance (1) [8]

Skill Totals:
Concentration - 23 + 6 + 5 (Tunic) = 34
Spellcraft - 23 + 3 + 10 (Goggles) = 36
Knowledge (Arcana) - 23 + 3 = 26
Spot - 9 + 3 + 10 = 22
Tumble - 14 + 6 + 5 (Slippers) = 25
Perform (Dance) - 8 + 14 = 22 + 5 (Dancin' Boots) = 27
Profession (Basket Weaving) = 3 + 4 = 7
Ride = 4 + 6 = 10
Balance = 8 + 6 = 14

Wealth (760,000 gp to spend)
+1 Keen (+1) Ghost Touch (+1) Everbright (2000) Transmuting (+2) Warning (+1) Sudden Stunning (2,000) Scimitar (78,315)
+1 Twilight Mobile Called Quickness Leather Armor (15560)
+1 Spiked (+1 Spellblade: Chain Dispel) Mithral Buckler (11475)
Slippers of Battledancing (33,750)
Tome of Leadership and Influence +5 (137,500)
Dexterous (+6) Bracers (36,000)
Spiked (+1 Spellblade: Reaving Dispel) Gauntlets of Heartfelt Blows (20,305)
Charismatic (+6) Cloak of Resistance +5 (61,000)
Boots of Perform (Dance) +5 (2,500)
Heward's Handy Haversack (2,000)
Wise (+6) Necklace of Health (+6) (72,000)
Ring of Arcane Might (20,000)
Ring of Negative Protection (36000)
Belt of Battle (12,000)
Tunic of Steady Spellcasting (2,500)
Spellcraft (+10) Goggles of Draconic Vision (16,000)
Orange Ioun Stone (30,000)
Jade Circlet (focus for Shapechange) (1,500)
Ruby (focus for RRR) (500)
4 x Eye Ointment (mat Comp for True Seeing) (250x4=1,000)
5 x Clear Gem (mat comp for Mystic Shield) (400x5=2,000)
20 x Pinch of Pixie's Wing Dust (mat comp for Starmantle) (20x20=400)
Skippy's Runestaff of Divination and Counterspelling (24,100)
Knowstone (Shrink Item) (9000)
Eternal Wand of Knock (4,420)
Three-slotted Drake Helm (Inner Beauty, Greater Invisibility, Snowsong) (116,000)
Field Provisions Box (2,000)
3 x Spell Component Pouch (3 x 5 = 15)
Small Steel Mirror (10)
Silk Rope (50)
Magic Bedroll (500)
Lead Lining for Basket (10 gp)
590 gp in gems

Skippy is an extremely accomplished assassin. A typical strategy is to penetrate a stronghold while invisible and incorporeal and find his quarry. He casts haste while still in the wall. Then he casts Avasculate to weaken his foe and stunning him, followed by a pouncing charge utilizing both Arcane Strike and Arcane Boost with level 8 spell slots. He full attacks in his charge with his ghost touch scimitar, dealing 1d4 + 45 + 2d6 + 16 + 8d4 damage per strike. Assuming he only misses on a 1 (and this is a fairly safe assumption, he also may reroll any 1) he deals, on average: (0.9975*(2.5+45+7+15+20) + (0.3*(2.5+45+7+15)))*5 = 550.6313 damage before his opponent has even reacted.

If his opponent lives through the first round, he full attacks again for 550.6313 damage, and activates his sudden stunning effect on his scimitar as a swift action and the opponent (if he's not dead) makes a DC 40 reflex save on each strike or be stunned for 1d4+1 rounds.

Skippy is almost entirely immune to everything. He is incorporeal, immune to all spells below level 6, he has extraordinarily high saves, armor class, and touch armor class. He is completely immune to negative levels. All spells have a 40% chance to fail entirely on him. He has evasion. Weapons that attempt to strike him lose their magical enchantments, and are destroyed completely and turn into motes of light if they hit him, doing no damage. He has spell and psionic power resistance 30. He may roll any attack roll, save, skill check, or ability check twice and take the best result. He is completely immune to Chain Dispel and Reaving Dispel. He has a contingency in place for avoiding area dispels such as Greater Dispelling Screen and Mordenkainen's Disjunction. He may counterspell as immediate actions without readying actions. If he is the target of a spell he wishes to avoid, he speaks the command word for his basket hat to have it grow, encapsulating him and cutting off line of effect.

FYI: group uses fractional BAB and saves.

[Aspenor]

updated with contigency protection from MDJ. Also, now Skippy isn't just immune to melee, any weapon that strikes him is completely destroyed and turned into motes of light. Monks that attack him find that they are missing limbs.

[Cratecrusher]

That reminds me of something...

Wasn't there a (banned ^^) previous version of Skippy ?

[Aspenor]

That reminds me of something...

Wasn't there a (banned ^^) previous version of Skippy ?

I assume you're talking about Pun-Pun?

Pun-Pun is something else entirely, and isn't really "banned" so much as he is just a thought exercise. Pun-Pun was created never to be a playable character. Pun-Pun can be accomplished at level 1 by any wizard, he doesn't have to be a kobold (even though the archetypical Pun-Pun is a kobold for the lulz).

[Cratecrusher]

I assume you're talking about Pun-Pun?

Yep, that should be him.

At least they are male and then cannot reproduce with each other

[toughguyjoe]

Did I mention I was going to observe the XP penalty rules for multiclassing?

[Aspenor]

Did I mention I was going to observe the XP penalty rules for multiclassing?

That wouldn't matter. My favored class is sorcerer, and prestige classes don't apply for purposes of XP penalties for multiclassing.

As a side note, XP penalties for multiclassing are stupid. No DM should ever observe them. They penalize weaker characters more than strong ones. Penalizing a fighter, monk, or paladin for multiclassing is bad, especially when a caster can just go wizard, druid, or cleric 20 and still make the multiclassed melee look like a schmuck.

[toughguyjoe]

That wouldn't matter. My favored class is sorcerer, and prestige classes don't apply for purposes of XP penalties for multiclassing.

As a side note, XP penalties for multiclassing are stupid. No DM should ever observe them. They penalize weaker characters more than strong ones. Penalizing a fighter, monk, or paladin for multiclassing is bad, especially when a caster can just go wizard, druid, or cleric 20 and still make the multiclassed melee look like a schmuck.

The absolute best part is handled well on the GiantITP forums by the community there with this statement:

"Make whatever you want for my game! Its up to me whether you get to play it"

Penalizing Weak classes for Multi classing, yes, is a bad Idea.

house ruling in all sort of XP penalty for taking one frivolous level of a totem barb JUST for the raw mathematical benefits should be penalized into the ground in my eyes *shrug*

I do love the character though. In a no holds barred game it would tear things up.

[Aspenor]

The absolute best part is handled well on the GiantITP forums by the community there with this statement:

"Make whatever you want for my game! Its up to me whether you get to play it"

Penalizing Weak classes for Multi classing, yes, is a bad Idea.

house ruling in all sort of XP penalty for taking one frivolous level of a totem barb JUST for the raw mathematical benefits should be penalized into the ground in my eyes *shrug*

I do love the character though. In a no holds barred game it would tear things up.

Meh, there are ways to RP and fluff out the reasons for taking the barb level. I will grant it's for the pounce ability, but the fact that all my full BAB casting classes follow the barb level can be RP'd away as Skippy realizing he likes to carve stuff up, and since he likes to carve stuff up and get in people's faces, he likes to move fast (Haste/Swiftblade) and worries about his defenses (Abjurant Champion). Spelldancer can be RP'd away as Skippy already knows he likes to dance, and realizes that his supernatural dancing ability can augment his spellcasting.

Interestingly enough, I was considering making a section where I explain that Skippy takes a break from adventuring to craft items upon reaching level 20. He'd start by using Limited Wish to mimic Psychic Reformation and change his metamagics to Crafting feats, then craft the stuff from those feats, Limited Wish/PsyRef again to other crafting feats, craft those, repeat until all his gear is crafted at ~1/2 price. He'd also be able to almost double how much gear he has. This would take a long time (possibly years), and he'd do it incognito and in isolation. I'd pick up another tome or two, replace some +6 items by slapping Magnificence (+6 to all stats) onto his Belt of Battle, add some goodies to his scimitar and possibly armor, etc. Maybe even pick up a fi****l of knowstones for access to more spells.

Now THAT'S cheesy.

EDIT: lol F I S T F U L is filtered because of the 4 letter acronym in the middle. hiliarious!