Svirfneblin Seductress - Ro(19), Clr(9), M(1), SD(1)

Rogue 19 / Cleric 9 / Monk 1 / Shadowdancer 1

by MolagBal 05:07, 15 June 2008 (UTC)

Description
This little Svirfneblin Rogue is a master of Stealth, thanks to her deep gnome ancestry, small stature, exceptional dexterity and brief Shadowdancer training. While many stealthy rogues use their skills to aid them as thieves, this one used them initially to avoid confrontation in the Underdark. However, fleeing is not always possible, a lesson she learned at a fairly young age (by gnome standards) in an encounter that nearly cost her her life. That same day, after she had removed the dagger that was lodged in her thigh, she decided that some weapon training was in order. The dagger felt right in her hand, and as time wore on it became her weapon of choice. Obsessed with improving her combat skills by any means, she eventually became a Cleric following the Deity Savras. The spells that she learned provided the immense combat improvements that she had yearned for, though only temporarily. Eventually the clerical lifestyle became tiresome and she decided to complete her training at a local monastery. During her very short stay with the Monks, they taught her how to avoid getting hit and how to fight with her hands, should she ever be separated from her daggers. Unfortunately, the monks were extremely boring so she "borrowed" a pair of their nifty boots and slipped away one moonless night.

No one really knows where her nickname "Svirfneblin Seductress" came from. Some speculate that it is related to her voice package...

Advantages

 * Using Battle of the Builds (BotB) equipment:


 * 14 attacks per round thanks to Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting.


 * 63 Attack Bonus fully buffed.


 * 73 Armor Class fully buffed (includes +1 bonus from Dodge feat).


 * Epic Dodge is a life saver (especially against smiters!).


 * 10d6 Sneak attack damage coupled with 49 Hide, 47 Move Silently, Hide in Plain Sight and Epic Precision.


 * Monk AC bonus + Unarmed strike (handy against disarming thugs).


 * Svirfneblin spell resistance.


 * Easily dismantles most standard melee builds, especially those with poor eyesight.

Disdvantages

 * Using BotB equipment:


 * Terrible damage output when going toe to toe, so don't! Use and abuse HIPS.


 * Key Cleric buffs only last 13 rounds and have a fairly limited number of re-casts. By swapping Practiced Spellcaster for Extend Spell most of the short duration buffs can be increased to 18 rounds. Unfortunately the AI in BotB does not seem to use extended spells when fast buffing.


 * No match for Iron Sorcerer - Sor(16),ASC(10),Clr(2),M(2) etc., unless you get really lucky. Shadow Simulacrum = you die fast.


 * Often runs out of AB buffs against Mirror Image / Concealment builds such as Black Dragon in BotB. If this happens, run away and hide for a while.


 * Paltry hit points.


 * No divine damage, so Critical hit immune opponents are annoying. Epic Precision helps a bit.

Character Creation
Race: Svirfneblin: Bonuses to Dexterity, Wisdom, Armor class and Spell resistance, as well as favored class Rogue, make this the class of choice. Human would also work, but the usefulness of Epic Dodge is diminished.

Background: Wild Child because you are sneaky.

Alignment: Lawful neutral because you just want to be left alone.

Statistics: Dexterity and Wisdom keep your hide intact. Dexterity needs to hit 25 for Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, and it also helps you hit things. In addition to increasing your AC, a high Wisdom allows you to cast more spells.

Key Feats: Epic Dodge, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting and Epic Precision. The first one makes you incredibly difficult to damage with conventional weapons. The second one helps you dish out maximum Sneak attack damage each round. The last one helps against Critical hit Immune opponents.

Skills
Hide, Move Silently, Spot and Tumble are crucial. Spellcraft and Concentration also have their uses.

Weapons
Dagger or Kukri. The latter have a better critical range, but require another feat to obtain. Since this build relies primarily on sneak attack damage, Dagger was chosen to save a precious feat.

Spells
Bless, Aid, Blindsight, Divine Favor, Prayer, Divine Power, Recitation, Battletide, Silence. These give +11 to AB, and Divine Power pushes the BAB from 20 to 30. Recitation and Battletide increase AC.

Equipment
For BotB, the following are a good choice:


 * Watchman's Helm


 * Monk's Outfit (+8 AC, +35 Hit Points, +8 Regeneration) or Skin of Shadow (+8 AC, +8 Regeneration)


 * Boots of the Sun Soul +5 (+9 reflex, +9 constitution)


 * Cat Queen's Claws


 * Cloak of Resistance +5 (+8 Deflection AC, +9 Charisma, 25/- Cold Saves)


 * Ring of Major Sonic Resistance (Bonus Cleric Level 4 spell, Acid +9, Cold +9)


 * Ring of Major Fire Resistance (Bonus Cleric Level 4 spell, Electrical +9, Fire +9)


 * Amulet of Natural Armor +5 (Wisdom +9, 40/- Acid, 40/- Electrical)


 * Greater Archer's Belt (Strength +9, Fortitude +9)


 * Alchemical Silver Dagger (+8, Keen, Vampiric Regeneration +7, Vorpal OR Greater Dispelling)


 * Cold Iron Dagger (+8, Keen, Vampiric Regeneration +7, Vorpal OR Greater Dispelling)

Character Progression Table
I was pretty surprised at how quickly this build tore apart some of the tougher fighters in Battle of the Builds. In particular, I had previously had some problems against the The Left Fist of Gond - F(10), C(13), WM(7) and The Right Fist of Gond - F(8), DC(8), WM(7), C(7) with characters that were not immune to critical hits. This build tears those two apart because they are both unable to defend against Sneak attack. Additionally, the Smiting Sword of Tyr used to cause a lot of problems, but Epic Dodge is amazing good against smiters. This character was built to take advantage of Epic Dodge and I think it turned out pretty well.

This Svirfneblin could be made harder to hit by swapping Epic Precision for Two-Weapon Defense or Combat Expertise. If I was to actually play this character, I would probably drop Epic Precision and replace it with Extend Spell. The Cleric buffs are what make this character so deadly, so doubling their duration would be a pretty intelligent move. I might even consider lowering the Rogue levels to 17 and increasing the Cleric levels to 11. This would allow extension of Battletide at the cost of a feat (probably Practiced Spellcaster or Armor Skin. It also provides access to Stone Body, which could be useful in certain situations. However, for Battle of the Builds, where extended spells do not seem to be used during the pre-buff sequence, Extend Spell is a wasted feat. ]]