Earthshaking Hammer Warrior (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Contents 1 Introduction 2 References 3 Game Rule Components 3.1 Spells, Powers, Soulmelds, Stances, etc... 3.2 Items 3.3 Progression 3.4 Other Components 4 Highlights 4.1 Limitations 4.2 DM Counters

[edit] Introduction

The idea of this build is to take advantage of the scaling damage of increasing weapon size. At level twenty, you will be using a weapon that does damage as if it were seven sizes large than than medium (3 sizes larger than Colossal)

[edit] References

Races of Stone

Magic of Faerun

Player's Handbook

Tome of Battle

Complete Mage

[edit] Game Rule Components

[edit] Spells, Powers, Soulmelds, Stances, etc...

Enlarge Person, Greater Mighty Wallop(Races of the Dragon), Giant's Stance (Tome of Battle)

[edit] Items

A magically treated Gold Goliath Greathammer (magically treated gold is a material in Magic of Faerun, and the Goliath Greathammer is in Races of Stone.)

[edit] Progression

Race: Goliath (races of stone)

Using a 32 point buy,

STR:16 DEX:15 CON:14 INT:14 WIS:10 CHA:8

Goliath modifiers give us STR:20 DEX:13 CON:14 INT:14 WIS:10 CHA:8

after gaining 5 point increases up to twenty, you will end up with base stats of STR:22 DEX:14 CON:16 INT:14 WIS:10 CHA:8

ECL	Class/HD/LA	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Feats	Class Features	Special
			Fort	Ref	Will
1st	Goliath Level Adjustment	+0	+0	+0	+0	None	None	Muscular build, ability score modifiers
2nd	Warblade 1	+1	+2	+0	+0	Exotic Weapon Proficiency(Heavy Goliath Greathammer)	Battle Clarity (reflex saves), Weapon Aptitude	3 Manuevers and 1 stance
3rd	Warblade 2	+2	+3	+0	+0	None	Uncanny Dodge	1 Manuever
4th	Warblade 3	+3	+3	+1	+1	Weapon Focus(Heavy Goliath Greathammer)	Battle Ardor (Critical confirmation)	1 Manuever
5th	Warblade 4	+4	+4	+1	+1	None	None	1 Stance
6th	Warblade 5	+5	+4	+1	+1	Quick Draw	Bonus Feat	1 Manuever
7th	Warblade 5, Wizard 1	+5	+4	+1	+3	Combat Casting	Summon Familiar, Scibe scroll	Specialize in either transmutation or abjuration, or remain a generalist
8th	Warblade 5, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 1	+6/+1	+4	+1	+5	None	Abjurant armor, extended abjuration	+1 spell level
9th	Warblade 5, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 2	+7/+2	+4	+1	+6	None	Swift Abjuration	+1 spell level
10th	Warblade 5, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 3	+8/+3	+5	+2	+6	Power Attack	None	+1 spell level
11th	Warblade 5, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 4	+9/+4	+5	+2	+7	None	Arcane Boost	+1 spell level
12th	Warblade 5, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+10/+5	+5	+2	+7	None	Martial Arcanist	+1 spell level
13th	Warblade 6, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+11/+6/+1	+6	+3	+8	Improved Critical(Heavy Goliath Greathammer)	Improved uncanny dodge	none
14th	Warblade 7, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+12/+7/+2	+6	+3	+8	None	Battle Cunning (damage)	1 Manuever
15th	Warblade 8, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+13/+8/+3	+7	+3	+8	None	None	None
16th	Warblade 9, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+14/+9/+4	+7	+4	+9	Improved Initiative	Bonus Feat	1 Manuever
17th	Warblade 10, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+15/+10/+5	+8	+4	+9	None	None	1 Stance
18th	Warblade 11, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+16/+11/+6/+1	+8	+4	+9	None	Battle Skill (opposed Checks)	1 Manuever
19th	Warblade 12, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+17/+12/+7/+2	+9	+5	+10	Dodge	None	None
20th	Warblade 13, Wizard 1, Abjurant Champion 5	+18/+13/+8/+3	+9	+5	+10	Combat Reflexes	Bonus Feat	1 Manuever

[edit] Other Components

The spells you take are mostly up to you and your play style, but you MUST take enlarge person, greater mighty wallop, shield, and mage armor. Bull's strength, bear's endurance, haste, heroism ect. are some other good spells you might be interested in.

[edit] Highlights

A Goliath Greathammer starts at 2d6 damage. A goliath can use weapons as if they were one size larger, so we are now at 3d6. enlarge person makes you and any weapon you wield increase by another size, to 4d6. Giant's stance gives you another, so 6d6. But by far the biggest boost is Greater Mighty Wallop, which increases the damage of a touched weapon by one size per 4 caster levels. Martial Arcanist makes your caster level equal to your base attack bonus, so a caster level of 18 gives you 4 size increases, so 6ds goes to 8d6, 12d6, 16d6, and finally 24d6 per hit. And to top it off, the weapon is made of magical gold, which boosts it up another size category, which is technically off the chart (at least the chart that I have available) but following the trend would end up at 36d6 damage, before applying any boosts, manuevers, or other magical effects on you. Diamond Nightmare Blade is especially fun, doing quadruple damage when you hit with it, or 144d6, though it only allows a single attack.

Edit: Hmm, all your info is askewed, im afraid... a medium sized Gold Goliath Greathammer is treated as a large-sized 2handed weapon that deals 2d8. on second hand the standard stone large goliath greathammer does 3d6 (better). this means that a large goliath weapon is better to be made of stone, than be golden and too heavy to use for the goliath in question... golden weapons are terrible all around...

Enlarge Self: no such spell in DnD, Enlarge Person (which im assuming you meant) does not work with goliaths, as they are monstrous humanoids, not humanoids.

Giant's Stance: "......While you are in this stance, you deal damage as if you were one size larger than normal, to a maximum of Large......" Does not stack...

Greater Mighty Wallop: this holds promise...

honestly, a Goliath wizard3/cleric3/mystic thurge8 (ECL 14) can use a huge goliath greatsword with two feats (monkey grip and exotic weapon proficiency; alternatively exotic racial proficiency if you are a goliath but the effect is the same).

now, add in Greater mighty wallop and you can wield a huge goliath greathammer as a colossal goliath greathammer... done... biggest it can get.

i used mystic thurge for both arcane and divine spells... honestly, a 1st level wizard goliath can use a heightened scroll of greater mighty wallop (8th CL minimum) then a scroll of transformation to do the same thing... still...

6d6 at colossal size... not bad. but i can do better.

forget that weapon. minotaur greathammer from mm4 offers a medium sized 1d12 bludgeoning/19-20x4. so a 10% of a crit rather than the normal 5% for a goliath greathammer... same weight too. so the weapon is like 60 lbs. at large, so what? 120 lbs. at huge? thats it.

Assuming you have a strength of 18 + 4 for racial bonuses + 4 from the scroll of transformation. you have a +8 modifier to strength.

1st level Wizard Melee: (Colossal damage) Huge Minotaur Greathammer +7 melee attack (6d6+14 bludgeoning / 19-20x4)

this is the absolute ceiling... with the level 1 goliath wizard... with that mystic thurge 14th level build, however, can take levels in a cleric PrC and feats to make power attack even deal more damage. some rhino armor... now charges deal +2d6 damage...

this is how you power build, using the legit rules.

transformation: You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, a +4 natural armor bonus to AC, a +5 competence bonus on Fortitude saves, and proficiency with all simple and martial weapons. Your base attack bonus equals your character level (which may give you multiple attacks). You lose your spellcasting ability, including your ability to use spell activation or spell completion magic items, just as if the spells were no longer on your class list.

[edit] Limitations

Depending on interpretation, the bonus of magically treated gold may not stack with mighty wallop, because they both apply to the weapon, likewise with Giant's stance and enlarge person potentionally not stacking, depending on the DM's interpretation.

[edit] DM Counters

Limit the amount the players can increase their weapon damage to collossal size, and/or rule in favor of both of the stacking conflictions above.

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