|
Jump Menu:
Show More
Announcing the 2nd Annual Prestige Competition of the Core Coliseum: Gladius Edition!Ever wanted to try out that monster race, but didn't know how you would earn enough credits to give it a real try? Have you ever embraced your inner hydra? gargoyle? or wight? Well this is your chance! Just submit your character design according to the rules and guidelines below and post it to the Official Entry Thread. SpecificsCreate an ECL4 - ECL20 character with no class levels. Although any ECL up to 20 is allowed, bear in mind that most of the activity in the CoCo is at a much lower ECL. Creatures can have more than the minimum racial hit dice. Templates are allowed. RulesAll characters must abide by the rules of the CoCo. Each character is permitted up to 20 credits-worth of items or options. The credit cost of starting at a higher ECL is waived for this competition (for example, many exotic races start off at a higher ECL and thus cost credits; this cost is not to be considered in the 20 credit maximum). If you exercise the option for credit-costing equipment, make sure you note the appropriate cost in the entry. Submissions may be posted from Thursday, 22 September 2011 until 13 October 2011, 9AM EST (2PM GMT). Any submissions received after that date will not be considered for scoring. Each player may submit up to two entries, but only the highest scoring of the two will be evaluated among the rest of the entries. JudgingTelinArtho will be the sole judge of this competition. ScoringScoring is handled in three categories 1. Creativity: This competition's focus is on ideas that haven't been done in the CoCo before or that are putting a new spin on an existing idea. Up to 10 points can be earned in this category. 2. Accuracy: Incomplete characters will earn a 0 in this category. Sheets without errors will be given a full 5 points. Errors shall subtract up to 1 point each (though typos and the like will only be a fraction of a point). 3. Background: Characters should have backgrounds to give the character some personality and an idea of where he came from. Focus is on quality, not quantity however, so be concise. Up to 5 points can be earned in this category. WinnersUp to 1/3rd of the entries will be winners, with a maximum of 3 winners no matter how many entries are presented (for example, with 3 entries, only one will be the winner; if there are 50 entries, only 3 entries will be winners). 1st prize: Addition of the character to the active roster with all 20 credits-worth approved. In addition the player earns 5 credits to spend as s/he wishes. The 1st place winner will have a Reputation tag applied to the character that gives a +1 bonus to Leadership scores Additional winners will each gain 3 credits to spend as they wish. They can also activate the winning character for 5 credits at any time in the future (with the 20 credits-worth of special equipment or UA material). Alternative Winner PrizesIf the winner(s) desire that s/he wants to start the winning character at a lower ECL, the winner can do so and the character can gain the exact credit purchases used by the winning character in the new character's career for no credit cost (or, in the case of the non-1st place winner(s), they can start the character for 5 credits). ExceptionsTelinArtho is not permitted to enter this competition as a contestant. He already has too many characters and really doesn't need an excuse to make more. Previous Annual Prestige Competitions Show 1st annual: Create a Prestige Class character Submission thread, Comment and Questions thread
Use this thread to ask any and all questions and comments about entries.
Submission thread will be opened on Thursday. 
I take it "no class levels" means that even something like a ghost or lycanthrope (or a 1HD race with high LA) is no-go...
Also, how many entries are allowed per person?
You'd have to be more creative to get either of those templates - but it is possible (ogre were-dire boar, ghost troglodyte, etc)
And to your second question - that's already included:
This looks AWESOME, except that I have to limit myself to 2! Arggh, must hit the books and think; if only I had some time this week!!!
So exciting!
Glad to hear you are excited and I'm definitely looking forward to see what people come up with.
The submission thread for the competition is officially OPEN!
I noticed I had forgotten to update the submission dates. They should all now say the 22nd instead of the 29th for the start date. End date is unchanged.
Zlerkath is another sample entry for fun.
Salamander doesn't seem all that good - ability bonuses are not impressive, no bonus feats (multiattack eligible - but it is not a bonus feat), okay natural armor, but also slow speed. In practice though, I think it has potential to work - though obviously better if implemented with some sort of magical capability (here - UMD). Expansion would be a good buff for it (a la skin of the Duergar). In order to save on credits - I've just used gloves of titan's grip - which makes it a grappling monster (+16 grapple from a small critter...). I think a circlet of persuasion or UMD item would make a big difference here. Mirror Image would be another good buff to have, but I think he's already got too many rounds to buff already - so I'm leaving it out.
Have we addressed the question ever of if a monster has casting "as a character of X level," and then advances in levels, does that casting advance?
let's use Lammasu for example - casts spells as a 7th level cleric. If a Lammasu7/LA5 advanced to ECL13, and took a level of cleric, would it cast as an 8th level cleric? Alternatively, let's use the example of something I was thinking of (and still may try out) - Drider Let's say you have an ECL10 Drider6/LA4 casting spells as a wizard, who then takes a level of thug and assassin and qualifies for arcane trickster, which advances arcane spellcasting class. So drider casts as a wizard 6, then you take a level of arcane trickster - do you then cast as a wizard 7? and are those 2 scenarios the same?
Yes they do advance. They specifically spell it out for a couple of creatures (Rakshasa comes to mind):
For the hydra, though, consider his low AC. Even with as many hitpoints as he has, high damage characters are still a threat. Also, as many attacks as he makes, his to hit is pretty poor for ECL 12. Mind you, he's still pretty hard to kill if you don't do over 30 damage a round consistently, and against low AC foes, his damage is staggering. He just seems very foe and map dependent.
Mind you, cutting off his heads in advance...
Well - there's two aspects to combat that - Slow 3/day and bless in the intelligent armor. These work to a) reduce the damage per round output of an opponent (due to not being able to take a full attack) b) reduces the AC of the opponent slightly and c) increases the hydra's to-hit. +12 to hit seems low, +14 to hit (-1 to opponent's AC, +1 due to bless), seems a little better. Add to that 5 attacks on a standard action - and I think it has potential.
Force screen tattoos also help his poor AC. I am certainly aware that his to hit is subpar though - and that's the main focus for his improvement early on. Each additional HD increases the to-hit by 1, and every other HD is an additional +2 Str. Do I think he really has a chance against a good focused ranged opponent? Not really. Do I think he has a chance against a psion or blaster caster or wilder? No not really. Do I think he might be able to eke out the occasional win - yeah. But really - this was just to see how it would work (same thing for the chimera I worked up and the salamander I posted the other day). EDIT: Hmm - Persistent Barkskin as cast by NPC services... would need CL 15 (3 credits at ECL12 per 3FC), 24 hours for +5 nat AC and would be difficult to dispel. 15*8*10 = 1200gp... Might be easier to give him a druid leadership cohort at ECL13...
Valid ways to negate the disadvantages. The big issues is really just small maps such as cavern and sewers. No flying to boost speed really stops you from doing much. Mind you, if you can force melee, you are pretty much ownage.
Now my only problem is to decide whihc of my builds I should put as a second entry. I have couple I'm deciding between.
Well, I could still use the winged boots for a speed boost in the cavern. The cavern is also small enough, it might not be too much of an issue anyway.
The sewer is definitely a problem area. Squeezing for half speed and then the difficult terrain to begin with means I'd be moving at 1 square at a time. Tattoos of compression are for this map - so now I could at least move 4 squares on a double move. Clearly though - this is still not enough.
Even moving one square at a time, as long as you're fighting a melee based foe (and at that ECL many are melee based, and monsters are often melee based) you'd be ok, although it'd be sort of slow to get going for the pitlord.
Flying helps though - 3/d winged boots means you could basically always fly, which does help. That's a creature that'd be nice to have dimension door with. 5HD and 7LA, huh? Maybe Hayrol the Blink Dog should get a Skin of the Proteus or item of Alter Self (although huge is an issue... maybe once he reaches ECL12 and has RHD size increase) and some knowledge ranks and shapechange for 5 heads, then dimension door to close...
Submission list has been updated.
2 days left for submissions guys!
My hope is to finish judging before next pairings. Not sure if that is going to happen - but at the same time, I have finished my fights for the week (still need to post one though), so I should have the time to do it.
Kathalin
Show
Accuracy: Aside from some minor typos (natural attack damage, grapple), Kathalin's sheet is accurate. Creativity: Unfortunately, while a half-dragon troll has never been activated before (since I've been GM anyway), it is a common discussion item. Aside from getting half of his weakness removed, there's nothing really innovative about the character to make him interesting. Background: I wish there was something distinguishing about Kathalin's story that would make him stand out. Sadly, he's just a product of his parents and set out to come to Gladius. I would have been much happier to see that he's done something - anything - and whether he was successful or what his trials and tribulations have been. The Hunter Show Accuracy: Price on his one item seems to be off. Venom is priced at 6kgp if reverse engineered from the Dagger of Venom. A deepcrystal morningstar is a base price of 1008gp. +1 ghost touch is a total of a 8000gp. So the total price should be 15008gp - which is beyond his budget. Otherwise, I find no errors - but this one is pretty big. Creativity: The CoCo has seen one shadow in its history, but it has been years and the two of them are not at all similar (okay - both dream to use a ghost touch weapon as a backup, but that's about it). As a low level entry, it lacks some versatility that might be afforded by having a larger budget to work with, but otherwise he looks like he would be an interesting addition to the CoCo. Background: The Hunter's background is excellent - I especially like the rending of the elf and human portions of his identity. This character has real... character! Aracaloth Show Accuracy: There's a big question mark around a pretty big item on the drider - can you use a specialist wizard as part of the spellcasting that the drider uses? On the one hand, if allowed, it makes it so an innate spellcaster is a little more powerful; on the other, if not allowed, then the character becomes a transmuter after, it leaves a question on what to do with known transmutation spells. This is a rules-questionable area and my inclination is to say it wouldn't be allowed (or if allowed, it wouldn't give the benefits of being a specialist until actually getting a wizard level (a la - familiar isn't allowed until you pick up a level). Another small issue is the ability to craft a bow of strength +5. Craft skill specifies it takes DC15 + 2* Str rating - so it would be DC25 to do it. Creativity: There's never been a drider in CoCo history (though I have one created and in the wings...), but to have it focus on wizard and grappling is a nice touch. I like the aspect of making it a transmuter, but as mentioned above - it is rules-questionable. Background: Arcaloth's background gives just enough insight into the mind of the aberration. I do wish there were more about what event created him, but then that's not a requirement. Still - it is a solid background. Syrene Show Accuracy: Attacks with weapons should have a second attack listed due to BAB, Suggestion isn't a legal option for quicken. As indicated by the save DC in the succubus entry (DC21 = +8 Cha, +3 SL), it is a 3rd level spell (even if it is a 2nd level bard spell), and therefore requires CL14 to be able to quicken. Creativity: Sadly, I think this build suffers a little from the entry before it also being focused on grappling. With two relatively rare equipment pieces coming up in both characters, it makes them feel less unique on their own. Succubus has never been activated to my knowledge, but I know Caterane had one in the works. Background: Syrene's background is rich and incorporates her well into the setting of the city, including rich opportunity for roleplay (in case quests are in her future). I enjoyed it. Thinily Show Accuracy: A couple of small errors - the base racial HD do not provide an advancement bonus to a stat at every 4HD (as noted in the improving monsters section). It looks like the cost for the staff is incorrect (should be 56250gp), but is an odd staff to get since Thinily wouldn't be able to use two of the spells in it since Mind Blank and Greater Spell Immunity are not on the druid's spell list. If the intent is to use them with UMD, then they should be noted as such. The same should be done with non-druid expendables. Creativity: I like the way this character is just so versatile despite not having any character classes. With access to druid spells innately and having a wide array of defensive boosts - it is a wonder if she would be affected by anything. Of course, with a "pitiful" spell resistance of 16 - it's not going to be saving her against real casters, but the rest of her abilities will. Background: With some more hook to it to explain what she is and where she comes from, as well as a hook to work with for a quest, it is at least something. Trixy Show Accuracy: Custom item of Continuous protection from evil is at the best questionable. Since it provides specific benefits (+2 deflection (8000gp), +2 saves (4000gp), warding versus summons), this is not something that would be priced as the spell (though if it was only 3/day or something like that - the pricing would be more okay because it would be a limited period of the day). Also, since Trixy is tiny, you should note reach and the fact that her armor only provides half the AC bonus of normal. Creativity : The CoCo has seen one other pseudodragon who was very popular until the fact that she couldn't actually speak came out (since she was a cleric). Still, as another lower level entry there's some definite interesting qualities about her. The fact that she doesn't rely on huge power is of course an interesting aspect. Background: While short, Trixy's background is full of strife and intrigue. The victim of torture, it makes you wonder how she'll pull through. I just have to root for this little dragon.
Sensible and fair; I agree - awesome contest, awesome idea, awesome entries.
Really fun to read! I am of half a mind to propose that each contestant (including Telin's unjudged) can pick one of their creations and activate it anytime free (or reduced cost? 5c?) to populate the higher levels more quickly, since it doesn't really hurt anyone as it's just the 4 of us, but I don't want to start something contentious or devalue credits or anything.
No one has yet taken advantage of this gem:
I do think that it may help to influx some of the monsters in. There were some good entries. Also, so glad The Hunter won. I love that character, but I hate spending credits.
So, do we get a point break-down like for last year? I'm curious just how close it was.
Post Your Reply
Please login to post a reply.
Jump Menu:
Viewing this thread :: 0 registered and 1 guest
No registered users viewing
|
)