The Duskblade's Handbook

[Nuntius Mortis]

Personally, I think that because duskblades can channel any spell they know it is important to sacrifice some levels as a level adjustment in order to get good spells without multiclassing into another spellcasting class. My favourite built is the following:

Take a gray elf and apply to it the Tauric template (+2 adjustment). The tauric template combines a small or medium base humanoid (a gray elf in this case) with a medium or large animal, magical beast or vermin (called base creature). My favourite selection as a base creature is a chronotyrym (FF pg 33). Chronotyryms have great spell-like abilities (teleport without error at will, time stop 3/day, iron body and temporal stasis 1/day etc.) and they can also cast spells as a 12th-level sorcerer. Their spells are the following:

0-dancing lights, detect poison, flare, ghost sound, mage hand, mending,
ray of frost, read magic, resistance
1st-expeditious retreat, grease, magic missile, obscuring mist, shield
2nd-cat's grace, endurance, fog cloud, Melf's acid arrow, web
3rd-displacement, lightning bolt, sleet storm, slow
4th-Evard's black tentacles, improved invisibility, polymorph other
5th-cloudkill, hold monster
6th-disintegrate

Plus, they have great natural armor (+22) so I won't face any problem with my AC, great ability adjustments (+16 Str, +10 Dex, +10 Con), 4 natural attacks, SR 31, DR 20/+3, good resistances to most energy types, sonic immunity and dual actions (chronotyryns have two distinct brains and two seperate voice boxes allowing them to take actions that are worth of 2 rounds in any given round, including casting two spells at the same time or taking 2 full attack actions or any other combination that is worth 2 rounds). They also have 70ft. fly speed.

The tauric template changes the size of the creaure to large and its type to monstrous humanoid. As a monstrous humanoid it qualifies for monster of legend giving it access to 5th level cleric spells (so, it can get a handful of inflict and cure wounds spells and make good combinations such as casting energy vulnernability as a 3rd level cleric spell and then unleashing an energy surge of the type he rended vulnernable before). Plus, you'll get some quite good special abilities and your ability adjustments will augment even more reaching +26 Str, +16 Dex, +20 Con, +4 Int, +2 Wis, +4 Cha. Plus, his natural armor of +22 will increase by 5 becoming +27.

If I remember correct Monsters of Legend do not have a level adjustment so the only level adjustment that you're going to get for creating this character is +2 from the tauric template (which is certainly worth it I think).

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Um, the Monster of legend has a +7 LA.

And welcome to the forums.

[Nuntius Mortis]

Um, the Monster of legend has a +7 LA.

And welcome to the forums.

I haven't seen that reference in any books though as of yet. You're probably right but I'd like to see in which book it's written

Still, you could forgo the monster of legend template and have a +2 LA with most of the creatures abilities

So, the ability modifiers change back to +16 Str, +10 Dex, +10 Con, +22 natural armor and you won't get access to cleric spells. You're still pretty good I think

[InnaBinder]

Um, the Monster of legend has a +7 LA.

And welcome to the forums.

I haven't seen that reference in any books though as of yet. You're probably right but I'd like to see in which book it's written

Still, you could forgo the monster of legend template and have a +2 LA with most of the creatures abilities

So, the ability modifiers change back to +16 Str, +10 Dex, +10 Con, +22 natural armor and you won't get access to cleric spells. You're still pretty good I think

Page 8 of the MM2 update for 3.5.  It specifically says 'base creature +7.'

Even a +2 LA is somewhat hard to justify for a spellcasting class like Duskblade.

[Nuntius Mortis]

Page 8 of the MM2 update for 3.5.  It specifically says 'base creature +7.'

Ah, thanks a lot for the reference

Even a +2 LA is somewhat hard to justify for a spellcasting class like Duskblade.

I don't think that you'll have problems to justify the tauric template at all. It's something that can be justified simply by heritage. And as far as the +2 is concerned I think that it's something worthy to sacrifice especially when we're talking about gaining spells as a sorcerer of 12th level (that you can channel through your arcane channeling ability)

[ninjarabbit]

I think you also have to add the base creature's HD to the build too.

[Nuntius Mortis]

I think you also have to add the base creature's HD to the build too.

Not if you choose to not take the Hit Dice in the expense of base saves and BAB

[Optimator]

You can just choose?

[Risada]

You can just choose?

I don't think Tauric gives you the choice to take or not the racial HD...

Hit Dice: Add the base humanoid’s and base creature’s Hit Dice to get the tauric creature’s Hit Dice, each of which changes to a d8. A humanoid that normally has a class instead of 1 Hit Die counts as a 1 HD creature.

At least in the part above I don't see any option...

[Nuntius Mortis]

Personally, I don't think either that you can choose not to take the HD but that's how they play it here (so, it comes handy for me)

[Dictum Mortuum]

Personally, I don't think either that you can choose not to take the HD but that's how they play it here (so, it comes handy for me)

A duskblade with at least 17 magical beast HD and level adjustment is not playable.
Chronotyryn is not a valid target for the tauric template, as it doesn't have 4 legs.

[Nuntius Mortis]

Chronotyryn is not a valid target for the tauric template, as it doesn't have 4 legs.

It has 4 limbs though and some DMs may accept it.

[BowenSilverclaw]

Chronotyryn is not a valid target for the tauric template, as it doesn't have 4 legs.

It has 4 limbs though and some DMs may accept it.

That's like saying you can use the Tauric template to create a Tauric Elf-Orc

[Nuntius Mortis]

Chronotyryn is not a valid target for the tauric template, as it doesn't have 4 legs.

It has 4 limbs though and some DMs may accept it.

That's like saying you can use the Tauric template to create a Tauric Elf-Orc

No, because Orcs are humanoids, not animals/magical beasts/vermin. Personally, I think that while the Tauric template is immensely overpowered if a wise choice is made about the base creature (I mean, in epic adventures you could be Tauric Brachyurus [insert humanoid race] and deal ridiculous amounts of damage) the restriction to having 4 feet is a bit weird. I mean, it's quite understable why you cannot add this template to giant eagles, leviathans or phoenix (although the last one would produce some great RP) but it could easily be replaced with a 4 limbs requirement. Because, in this way dire apes and dire bears cannot be applied in this template either something I certainly do not agree with. As a DM, I would let a PC take this template for a creature with 4 limbs instead of 4 legs. Of course, that's only my opinion

[Dictum Mortuum]

Chronotyryn is not a valid target for the tauric template, as it doesn't have 4 legs.

It has 4 limbs though and some DMs may accept it.

It says it has two arms in the description. Arms != Legs.

[Nuntius Mortis]

Chronotyryn is not a valid target for the tauric template, as it doesn't have 4 legs.

It has 4 limbs though and some DMs may accept it.

It says it has two arms in the description. Arms != Legs.

I know that arms are not the same with legs, but arms count as limbs as well. As, I've said earlier I don't consider logical the 4 legged requirement as it's very restrictive and at least in my games I'm going to houserule it as 4 limbs. Other DMs may share that opinion as well and thus allow it. Other DMs though may stick to the original so and thus disallow it. Ultimately, everything depends to the DM

[Dictum Mortuum]

Ultimately, everything depends to the DM

I agree. But this is a handbook and we need a common ground when offering advice.

[Nuntius Mortis]

Ultimately, everything depends to the DM

I agree. But this is a handbook and we need a common ground when offering advice.

Yeah, I agree with that. My build was never intended to be an integral part of the handbook. It's just an optimized character (who am I kidding? it's overpowered but anyway) for DMs that require powerplay.

Edit: Stupid typo.

[Sartak]

I noticed on page 84 of the Monster Manual V in the entry for the Hobgoblin duskblade, it says in the tactics and strategy section for the monster, that the duskblade uses ray of enfeeblement to soften up the enemy, then enters melee combat and uses arcane channeling to imbue their attacks with shocking grasp, acid splash, or ray of frost, which suggests that you can use arcane channeling with ranged touch spells.  In the same entry it provides a description of arcane channeling straight from the player's handbook II so it seems like this entry's author knows what he's talking about.  Thoughts on this?

[Dictum Mortuum]

I noticed on page 84 of the Monster Manual V in the entry for the Hobgoblin duskblade, it says in the tactics and strategy section for the monster, that the duskblade uses ray of enfeeblement to soften up the enemy, then enters melee combat and uses arcane channeling to imbue their attacks with shocking grasp, acid splash, or ray of frost, which suggests that you can use arcane channeling with ranged touch spells.  In the same entry it provides a description of arcane channeling straight from the player's handbook II so it seems like this entry's author knows what he's talking about.  Thoughts on this?

Must be a mistake. You can channel range: touch spells only.