Dragon Shaman for Aftercrescent's Game

[jameswilliamogle]

http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/view.php?id=54204

Basically, moderate Con and Cha, Copper totem, mobility style (later). 

Also I'm not sure whether or not going Dragonborn is worth it; I'm considering the wing aspect for the jump bonus (which would give me a +16 at 1st level, and +20 at 2nd, which I think is fairly awesome, but I'm not sure what to do with it).  Right now its just setup as a standard human.  I'll be getting the Presence aura later (swiftness at 3rd, tho).  I'm just not sure...

I'm having some problem picking out feats / flaws.  I haven't picked any, but I was considering Long Reach from UE to attack things 15' away w/ a Longspear (which I'd likely be using most of the time, but wouldn't threaten that far).  I don't like the DS handbook on CO, so I'm kind of ignoring that advice; looking for fresh ideas for low-level survivability.

This is the new place for optimization, so lets do it!

edit: I misread the Long Reach prereq; I thought it was a regional feat as well, so nix that. 

I'm considering going funky: Abberation Blood and Inhuman Reach.  This would allow me to threaten creatures 10' to 15' away, give me +3 to climb checks (for +9 total), but give me a -1 to all melee attacks.  The idea is that once reaching 3rd level, I'd be able to use Spider Climb from the ceiling and walls, staying out of reach of opponents, yet still be able to hit them.  I don't think its worth the two feats though; 10' should be enough already.

Battlejump seems to be the way to go: having such a high jump at low level should amplify the damage quite a bit, and flaws can get me Power Attack and Improved Bull Rush, setting me up for Leap Attack and Shocktrooper later.  Much later, I'll take Quicken Breath to get some serious 1st round capability.

Thoughts?  I'd definitely have to go Dragonborn w/ the Wing Aspect to make this effective.  I'd probably add a Barbarian level in their too, for Lion Totem, Rage, etc. (maybe even the Empirious Command trick).

[ksbsnowowl]

Psst! You forgot the "/" between your ".com" and your "sheets" in your link.  It might make it hard for less internet savvy folk to look at your build.

What? Take a level of Barabarian and nix the +10ft movement and subsequent +4 bonus to Jump checks?!?!? 

I had a Goliath Barb in my Eberron game that had an insane jump mod, though the only outlandish thing he really did was just jump high enough to attack people 15 ft in the air with a non-reach weapon.

Are you looking at taking the fast-healing aura with the Dragonshaman?  Just curious what kind of healing will be in the party (parties?)  I'm thinking of playing a Hellbred Eldritch Disciple/Hellfire Warlock who would be a good back-up healer.

[jameswilliamogle]

Yeah, I was going to take the Vigor aura; should help a lot at low level.

I've switched the build around to be a Barbarian L1 then into DS later.  Dragonborn (Wing) Aquatic Dwarf w/ the Lion Totem variant aiming for Copper Totem for Climb, Swim, Fly speeds.  Battlejump, Power Attack, Extra Rage at 1st (w/ 2 flaws that nix ranged combat and make it easier to hit me), and a Longspear.  Low Cha, but fairly insane Str and Con.  Will be boosting Cha w/ leveling, and aim at Leap Attack and Shocktrooper, and that Imperious Command Trick later, maybe Quicken Breath.

Should work well for a low-level frontliner, and get some nice tricks later on.  It seems like we have enough trapfinders, otherwise I'd go for the trapkiller variant w/ more Barbarian, as well.

[JanusJones]

Is Aftercrescent's game the new one?  The one I'll be in?

Soooo excited . . .

Dragon Shaman, huh?  Gotta play the DFA's sorry younger brother?   

I have a build I've been playing with I might want to try out.  Not sure if it's worth it, but it'll be interesting.  Based around using Lesser Drow, Drow Fighter sub levels, and Shadowblade to get double Dex mod to damage, then ramp that up with charge multipliers.  The problem becomes getting your enemy to be flat-footed constantly, of course.

But then again we're going from level 1 and it's a CO game.  I'm thinking of all sorts of evil-ass shit.

Mwa ha haaa!

Have I said how much I like that this forum has no filter?  It lets me be utterly extreme and hyperbolic in my expression!  LOVE it.

So what are the chargen rules in this new game?  Pt. buy?  Flaws/traits?  All books and Dragon allowed, I assume?

<hyperventilates in excitement!>

[AfterCrescent]

Just for you, JJ. Incase you missed it
http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=175.0

[JanusJones]

I lurve you, mang.

Surriously.

[Surreal]

I don't like the DS handbook on CO, so I'm kind of ignoring that advice; looking for fresh ideas for low-level survivability.

There's a handbook? I only have the random discussion thread and my weird healing battery.

[JanusJones]

You're here too, Surreal?

I done died and went to CO heaven.  Sweet.   

[Tshern]

So you guys think we three are going to be in the same group? At the moment it looks like all the regulars are going to game together and I think we qualify for that. Make sure you protect my Illusionist!

[JanusJones]

Dude.  I iz prolly gonna play a DFA.

No worriez.

And if someone is feeling it, a harpoon-wielding Scout with Hinder (hit to halve speed AND remove 10 ft. from it!) would go WONDERFULLY with an Entangling Exhalation DFA (halve speed, can't run or charge).

REEEELY!   

Throw in a guy with a Rope Dart (15 ft. reach two-handed special monk weapon for the low-low price of an EWP!) and Stand Still, and you've got the ultimate battlefield control combo.  Low-level PWNAGE.

This forum gets me so geeky, I speak in lame l337.  Wow.

[Nunkuruji]

Here's an idea, along a similar vein

Dragonborn (wing) Lion Totem Barbarian 1 / Copper Dragon Shaman 9 / Dragon Lord 10

Feats: Quicken Breath, Entangle Breath, Double Draconic Aura, Improved Bull Rush, Shock Trooper, Imperious Command
Flaw Feats: Power Attack, Battle Jump
(Would be nice to be able to squeeze in a Leadership feat of some sort, Dragon Cohort, etc)

Rage 1/day
Skill Focus (Jump)
Spider Climb
Draconic Resolve
Touch of Vitality
Skill Focus (Bluff/Hide)
Natural Armor +1
Breath Weapon 4d6 Acid Line
Immunity to Acid
Draconic Aura Bonus +6
Dragon Shaman Auras Known: 6
Dragon Lord Auras Known: 4
Draconic Invocation: Beguiling Influence
Reckless Devotion 3/day
Divide and conquer
Dragon Leadership
Crushing Defeat

BAB 17 / Fort 15 / Ref 6 / Will 9

Let's forget about Breath Weapon as a vehicle for damage. It's simply a means to debuff via Quicken + Entangle. Entangle nerfs damage by 1/2 anyhow.
Maximize + Clinging is probably one of the better ways to just do straight damage with breath weapon anyhow.

I'd like Dragon Lord to work out thematically, with the intimidate/demoralize bit. However, it's fear/mind-affecting, and it just painfully limits versatility. Depends on the campaign I guess.

[JanusJones]

Fear/mind-affecting is absolutely DEVASTATING against undefended targets.  A DFA I've been running in Shackled City (in which I've taken a group of "normal" players and, over 12 levels of development, cultivated them into a tightly-drilled CO NIGHTMARE of a team!) nuked a room with more than 20 evil NPCs (with levels and everything!) so that almost every one was frightened, entangled, and sickened.

Gorgeous.

But there's always going to be a defense - it's why "one-man army" builds are so rare.

Side Note: Dragon Lord?  Where's that from?  I'm thinking of the PrCs I know, and I'm coming up blank (Dragonheart Mage, Dragon Descendant, those Bahamut/Tiamat PrCs . . .).

How much should I break things?  I have some sick ideas that would be pretty sweet (and, in all honesty, not as broken as a caster . . . casters get all the nicest things, dagnabbit!).

[Tazendra]

As long as you have something to fall back on when it doesn't work, fear effects can be pretty cool. In a group, someone else can do the heavy lifting on the occasions that you run into something immune, and you more than make up for it in otherwise.

[Nunkuruji]

Janus! You don't know!? It's in Dragon Magic, of course! 

[jameswilliamogle]

Janus! You don't know!? It's in Dragon Magic, of course! 

yeah, geez, JJ!   

I'm not interested in it that much, per se, but will look into it a bit more.

@ surreal: it was a halfhearted attempt, didn't have any info we didn't already cover between us.

[JanusJones]

Oh.  Yeah.  Right.

That's the sucky aura-based one, right?

I'm sorry.  I have a tendency to forget certain classes exist.   

[Shigunaru]

Oh.  Yeah.  Right.

That's the sucky aura-based one, right?

I'm sorry.  I have a tendency to forget certain classes exist.   

Is not that bad for a Dragon Shaman if you don't value the breath weapon that much.

[JanusJones]

Don't . . . value . . . breath weapons?   

[Stratovarius]

There are strange and unusual beings that can survive without plague-causing halitosis. However, they are so rare as to be almost mythical. :wink

[Nunkuruji]

As I noted, it works out ok if you're just using breath weapon to quicken+entangle, since your damage is nerfed 1/2 by using entangle anyhow.

So you quicken breath-entangle your target to soften them up, then do the usual obscene damage pounce/battle jump/leap attack/shock trooper/power attack thing.... hope that you kill them, triggering a Crushing Defeat + Imperious Command, so everyone failing an intimidate check craps their pants and runs from you. Since they've run from you, they've set you up with distance to do it again. If they don't run from you, and they start dogpiling you, you've got Divide & Conquer to work with, and probably the skill trick Never Outnumbered to aoe escalate fear / try again if you care to.

10th level of Dragon Lord should probably be replaced. Reckless devotion is meh.
9th level is still nice to bump up aura to +6.

General Concept. Does it work in practice... /shrug.