Tips for a party ready to take on the World's Largest Dungeon (No spoilers!)

[PhaedrusXY]

Let me pimp the warforged psion (shaper) here. 1. Astral Constructs aren't summoned. 2. The ability to make buckets of poison for free + poison immunity is nice. 3. Not sleeping is also nice, when you're stuck in a hostile dungeon. Here is a link to some stuff on building and playing one. I've played two so far, and had fun both times.

[fliprushman]

OH, someone should play the artificer as well so that you don't get jipped on items.

Ideal Party IMHO

Binder
Dragonfire Adept
Artificer
Factotum

With this group, you should have all your bases covered.

[JaronK]

I'd throw a Crusader in there for endless healing... I mean, sure, the Binder can do it, but not THAT well.

Another fun option would be Warlock, Factotum, Factotum, Spelltheif.  All of them are incredible stealthy, and the Spellthief/Factotum synergy is of course incredible in action... it's not as powerful as some options, but it's a lot of fun.

JaronK

[Alastar]

Out of curiosity, how does the crusader do endless healing?

[Callix]

Out of curiosity, how does the crusader do endless healing?

Martial Spirit stance + punches. The punches deal 1d3 nonlethal, heal 2, and whenever you heal damage you heal that much nonlethal damage. So they deal 1d3-2 (no min) nonlethal per hit, which averages to 0. They're healing you for 2 each hit, so you come out of your boxing match all better.

[Alastar]

Don't you have to punch a creature that is both a threat to you and of a different alignment?  In this scenario, yes you would heal whenever you punch your party members, but he would have to punch you back, thus increasing the damage you take to be ABOVE what you heal.  Unless your fighting the rachitic gnome wizard of the party, and he may not agree!  And even then, he deals 1 non lethal per hit, so you have good chances of not healing at all!

Just saying, as a DM i would not allow it, nor do i sense would most DM's allow it.

[JaronK]

Don't you have to punch a creature that is both a threat to you and of a different alignment?

Not for the stance.  For the strikes, yes, but for the stance you only need an "opponent."  By the way, minimum damage is 1, so you'd be doing 1 subdual damage while healing 2 regular damage (and note that when you heal normal damage, you also heal the same in subdual, so the subdual damage effectively disappears.  If your opponent hits back for 1 subdual on you, that's fine too... you come out ahead either way.

JaronK

[skydragonknight]

I wouldn't knock a good Knockback Fighter(Crusader, whatever). I think there's a two-level racial class for Goliath...if not you can make one.

[RobbyPants]

When using that crusader trick for healing, can you voluntarily pull your Str damage from your unarmed strikes (or any attack for that matter)?

[carnivore]

Maybe it's not the best strategy, but a Warlock would do well for a replacement Dread Necro.
The Dead Walk is Onyx-free, but without onyxes they only last 1 min/CL.
Still, take the corpses you want and line them up in a fishing net(or tensar's floating disc if you have one) and drag them around with you. I can't imagine you ever running out of bodies?

Sounds iffy? Keep in mind that's only a single invocation. The Warlock will have more things to do, including infinite eldritch blast and UMDing every single thing you randomly find.

+1

what level do you start?

if 5th lvl.... Pixie Warlock 1 is lots of fun

 

[JaronK]

When using that crusader trick for healing, can you voluntarily pull your Str damage from your unarmed strikes (or any attack for that matter)?

You can pull it down to 1 damage, yes, and that's enough to get the job done.

Personally, I love the idea of the team tank sparring with everyone until they're ready to fight again.  "Walk it off!"  *punch*

JaronK

[Tshern]

Brand new information: No psionics allowed, the DM doesn't like them. Sigh, I knew something like this was going to come up.

Carnivore: I think WLD starts at level one. Actually, I am fairly sure it does.

So we are relatively dead set on Dread Necro, Cleric (archer), Beguiler and Dragonfire Adept. The last one would probably be breathweapon oriented, possibly a Dragonborn Mongrelfolk for tasty CON 24 and, with Ability focus, that would mean the save DC would be 19. Not too shabby?

[Straw_Man]

  If your doing the whole dungeon, definitely starting at level 1.

[Tshern]

  If your doing the whole dungeon, definitely starting at level 1.

What I thought.

[Straw_Man]

From personal experience, an artificer is hard pressed to craft anything without the party's support, this goes triple in the WLD. A Warforged covers up some problems, work while everyone else sleeps; but the biggest problem is making your party understand that the treasure they give the Artificer is for their own benefit in the long run.

[woodenbandman]

Maybe consider a Dungeoncrasher Fighter6/Warhulk or some such like that. I believe that the Optimized Shield Use thread covered it (it's either on here or at 339), and if I remember it had pretty respectable damage, not to mention a fine ass battlefield control for a nonmagical dude.

[jameswilliamogle]

I wouldn't knock a good Knockback Fighter(Crusader, whatever). I think there's a two-level racial class for Goliath...if not you can make one.

I had an idea for a straight fighter focused on this... I forget some details, but the straight Fighter was pretty necessary for all the feats...

Power Attack, Leap Attack, Imp Bull Rush, Shocktrooper, Improved Sunder, Combat Brute

Weapon Focus: Morningstar, Three Mountains Style, Weapon Specialization: Morningstar, Weapon Mastery: Piercing, Weapon Mastery: Bludgeoning, Brutal Strike, Driving Attack, Crushing Attack,

Mageslayer

Shield Specialization, Shield Ward

and Dungeon Crasher x2.

19 feat slots taken out of 19 available if playing a Human Fighter 20.  Lots of options, but the main trick uses combining the bludgeoning and piercing special attacks w/ bull rushing options to knock enemies into each other and such.  Its another form of battlefield position manipulation (honestly, I don't see many people at all using Bull Rush just to set up enemies for their friends; its always about getting Dungeon Crasher damage out more so than anything).

Not specific for WLD, though... someday I'll try out this build.

[skydragonknight]

Not specific for WLD, though... someday I'll try out this build.

Though it deserved mentioning in an environment where you will ALWAYS have walls nearby.

[RobbyPants]

Weapon Focus: Morningstar, Three Mountains Style, Weapon Specialization: Morningstar, Weapon Mastery: Piercing, Weapon Mastery: Bludgeoning, Brutal Strike, Driving Attack, Crushing Attack,

Why take Weapon Mastery twice?  It shouldn't apply twice to the morningstar, should it?  Even though it's a typeless bonus, doesn't that count as the same source?

[jameswilliamogle]

Weapon Focus: Morningstar, Three Mountains Style, Weapon Specialization: Morningstar, Weapon Mastery: Piercing, Weapon Mastery: Bludgeoning, Brutal Strike, Driving Attack, Crushing Attack,

Why take Weapon Mastery twice?  It shouldn't apply twice to the morningstar, should it?  Even though it's a typeless bonus, doesn't that count as the same source?

These are prereq's for Crushing Blow and Driving Strike. 

Its a unnamed bonus, BUT its chosen for two weapon types (shrug).  I leave it up to the DM; I think its reasonable that they should stack.  RAW, I'm not sure.  Anyone?