Righteous Rager (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Author's Note: "Fall on your swords while you can, evil! I won't be as gentle!"

Author: Ghostwheel (talk) Date Created: July 28th, 2009 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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"Go for the eyes Boo, GO FOR THE EYES!! RrraaaAAGHGHH!!!"

Introduction

Scare your foes into running every time you charge into combat.

References

• Unearthed Arcana
• Complete Warrior
• Complete Scoundrel
• Book of Exalted Deeds
• Magic Item Compendium
• Player's Guide to Faerun
• Stormwrack
• Tome of Battle

Game Rule Components

Skill Tricks

• Never Outnumbered

Progression

Starting Ability Scores (Before Racial Adjustments): (Assuming 32 Point Buy) 16 14 14 8 10 15

Race: Half-Orc

ECL	Class/HD/LA	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Feats	Class Features	Special
			Fort	Ref	Will
1st	Half-Orc Paragon 1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Power Attack, Dreadful Wrath, Menacing Demeanor	Divided Ancestry, Monstrous Mien
2nd	Barbarian 1	+2	+4	+0	+0		Fast Movement, Illiteracy, Whirling Frenzy 1/day
3rd	Half-Orc Paragon 2	+3	+5	+0	+0	Righteous Wrath	Whirling Frenzy 2/day
4th	Half-Orc Paragon 3	+4	+5	+1	+1		Ability Boost (Strength +2)
5th	Fighter 1	+5	+7	+1	+1	Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Bastard Sword
6th	Ronin 1	+6	+9	+1	+1	Knight of the Stars	Infamy, Sneak Attack +1d6
7th	Champion of Gwynharwyf 1	+7	+11	+1	+1		Detect Evil, Smite Evil 1/day
8th	Champion of Gwynharwyf 2	+8	+11	+1	+1		Divine Grace, Furious Casting
9th	Champion of Gwynharwyf 3	+9	+12	+2	+2	Imperious Command	DR 2/--, Resist Enchantment, Whirling Frenzy 3/day
10th	Champion of Gwynharwyf 4	+10	+13	+2	+2		Fearsome Fury
11th	Swordsage 1	+10	+13	+4	+4	Weapon Focus	Quick to Act +1	Assassin's Stance boosts Sneak Attack to +3d6
12th	Scarlet Corsair 1	+11	+13	+6	+4	Intimidating Rage	Improved Feint
13th	Scarlet Corsair 2	+12	+13	+7	+4		Sneak Attack +4d6
14th	Scarlet Corsair 3	+13	+14	+7	+5		Corsair's Feint (once per 2d4 rounds)
15th	Scarlet Corsair 4	+14	+14	+8	+5	Improved Bull Rush	Sailor's Step +2
16th	Scarlet Corsair 5	+15	+14	+8	+5		Scourge of the Seas
17th	Scarlet Corsair 6	+16	+15	+9	+6		Sneak Attack +5d6
18th	Scarlet Corsair 7	+17	+15	+9	+6	Shock Trooper	Corsair's Feint (once per 1d4 rounds)
19th	Scarlet Corsair 8	+18	+15	+10	+6		Sailor's Step +4
20th	Scarlet Corsair 9	+19	+16	+10	+7		Frightening Lunge

At level 20: Barbarian 1 / Half-Orc Paragon 3 / Fighter 1 / Ronin 1 / Champion of Gwynharwyf 4 / Scarlet Corsair 9

Items of Note

• Use a glaive with armor spikes to threaten a larger area (since you can only intimidate those within your reach)
• Veil of Allure (MIC)
• Menacing Armor (MIC)
• Drums of Panic (DMG)
• Eyes of Doom (DMG)
• Axe of the Sea Reavers (MIC) may come in handy
• Breastplate of Terror (MIC)
• Mask of the Matriarch (DotU)

Highlights

• Assumed stats at level 20:
  • Fear effects
    • Dreadful Wrath (When you charge or full attack, DC 26 Will save (after +6 cha item and +1 tome) or be made shaken for one minute)
    • Righteous Wrath (When you first deal damage to an evil enemy, DC 26 will save (after +6 cha item and +1 tome) or be made shaken until you go down or the encounter ends)
    • Intimidating Rage (One opponent can be made shaken as long as you rage)
    • Fearsome Fury (DC equal to Intimidate check against all opponents within 30' or be shaken for as long as you rage)
    • Never Outnumbered (Demoralize all enemies within 10' they first Cower then are Shaken for a single round due to Imperious Command)
    • Fearsome Lunge (Sacrifice 2d6 on Sneak Attacks to cause enemies to be Shaken)
    • Item - Menacing Armor (Standard action, DC 26 Will save (after +6 cha item and +1 tome) or all enemies with less HD than you become Panicked for 5 rounds, Shaken for one round on a successful save)
    • Item - Drums of Panic (All creatures within 120' are affected by the Fear spell, DC 16, Shaken for one round on a successful save)
    • Item - Eyes of Doom (Doom at DC 11, Fear once per week at DC 16)
    • Item - Axe of the Sea Reavers (Standard action, DC 16 Will save or enemies within 15' are Panicked for one round)
    • Item - Breastplate of Terror (Immediate action on being wounded, DC 20 Will save or enemy is Frightened for one round, Shaken on successful save)
    • Item - Mask of the Matriarch (Standard action, DC 20 Will save gaze attack or target Cowers for one round and then is Shaken for another round)
  • Strength: 16 (Base) + 2 (Race) + 4 (Rage) + 2 (Ability Boost) + 6 (Item) + 5 (Tome) + 5 (Level) = 40 (+15)
  • Attack Bonus: 19 (BAB) + 15 (Str) + 5 (Magic) - 2 (Whirling Rage) + 1 (Weapon Focus) = +38/+38/+33/+28/+23
  • Damage: 1d10 (Glaive) + 22 (Str) + 5d6 (Sneak Attack) 5d6+5 (Magic) = 1d10+10d6+29
  • Total damage per attack comes out to 67.5 (on average), and a full attack comes out to 219.375 DPR when weighted against AC 40

Combat Sequence

• Be sure to initiate a Duel of Wills (Tome of Battle) at the beginning of combat.
• Charge and Rage to scare the crap out of your foes.
• Laugh as they run away like little girls.

Further Optimization

• Unnatural Aura can boost the DC of your fear effects by 2.
• Hulking Brute or Intimidating Brute will let you use Strength instead of Charisma for intimidate checks.
• Spiritual Weapon will let you specialize in Charisma more, allowing your DCs to rise.
• On Your Knees and Improved On Your Knees will allow you to cause enemies to cower rather than run away.

Limitations

• Creatures immune to mind-affecting or fear effects.

DM Counters

• Usual melee defences apart from AC (illusions, concealment, distance, etc)

Variants

• To remove Tome of Battle from sources used, replace the level of Swordsage with another of Barbarian or the Sneak Attack Fighter, to gain Uncanny Dodge at the cost of 2d6 SA, or lose 1d6 SA respectively.
• Be a desert half-orc to lose the penalty to Charisma, though you also lose the bonus to Strength.
• To add a little psychic power to the build, switch the level of Fighter and Swordsage with two levels of Psychic Warrior. This also gains you an extra bonus feat.

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