Arelith

I'm looking for a fun RDD build, preferably a gish build but it isnt nescessary. Dex based is an option, since the RDD aspect of the build will handle carry capacity. Also open to caster focused builds. I'm specifically not looking to play a cleric, so none of those please.

Weapon themes of interest:
-Double bladed sword
-Mace+large shield
-Halberd
-crossbow as main weapon
-whip as main weapon
-spear+tower shield

The better options when the minimum of 12 Bard/Sorcerer levels was still a thing:

16 Bard/4 Blackguard/10 RDD
16 Bard/4 Paladin/10 RDD
16 Bard/4 Fighter/10 RDD (Trintiren build. Powerful if built properly, despite the lack of the Divine feats)

The issue with all of these builds is that they get dispelled very easily. Which is why I suggest looking at the following:

16 Barbarian/4 Bard/10 RDD

This one would be the 'meta' way back (or a variant of it was, with 2 Bard levels), and the reason why the minimum of 12 levels was introduced. It did lose its value once Devastating Critical got removed, though. It focuses on strength completely. With gifts and half-orc, you can get strength up in the 50s, buffed. Take a two-handed weapon, and you'll do nice damage, with a Rage level of up till 11. Still, it might not be as strong as the optimal Fighter/Weapon Master/Rogue build. Actually, I'm pretty sure it isn't, as no mundane melee build tops the brycer. Anyway, if you want, I can give you a level breakdown of the build. Just shoot a message.

Really, going dexterity based, caster-focused or ranged as an RDD is just plain silly. However, if you do insist on making one that is dexterity based, I suggest you go for a build that does still somehow has use for strength, aside from just carrying capacity.

Go RDD/PM/Bard 10/10/10, be the ultimate trash snowflake with a million AC, spooky skeleton arm and dragon wings. Bonus points if bard levels go for a pact so you can get glowy eyes as well.

On a more serious note, something involving WM would probably be the mechanically strongest, blackguard if you want to spruce things up with some summoning.

Nitro wrote:... something involving WM would probably be the mechanically strongest, ...

Too feat-starved to be viable.

I thought the minimum caster level requirement was still in effect. Is it not, these days?

Durvayas wrote:I'm looking for a fun RDD build, preferably a gish build but it isnt nescessary. Dex based is an option, since the RDD aspect of the build will handle carry capacity. Also open to caster focused builds. I'm specifically not looking to play a cleric, so none of those please.

Weapon themes of interest:
-Double bladed sword
-Mace+large shield
-Halberd
-crossbow as main weapon
-whip as main weapon
-spear+tower shield

I have a dex build for RDD hidden away on my drive somewhere. I recall it being 16 rogue 4 bard 10 RDD. Epic dodge, with sneak. But you'll need a party to level most likely as it's a tank with poor damage unless it's flanking, and even then not the best. If you want it let me know and I can try and dig it up.

gilescorey wrote:I thought the minimum caster level requirement was still in effect. Is it not, these days?

It doesn't say it is anymore, on the wiki.

Rabbid wrote:...
I have a dex build for RDD hidden away on my drive somewhere. I recall it being 16 rogue 4 fighter 10 RDD. ...

This is mechanically impossible.

Midnight In A Perfect World wrote:

gilescorey wrote:I thought the minimum caster level requirement was still in effect. Is it not, these days?

It doesn't say it is anymore, on the wiki.

Rabbid wrote:...
I have a dex build for RDD hidden away on my drive somewhere. I recall it being 16 rogue 4 fighter 10 RDD. ...

This is mechanically impossible.

My bad it's bard not fighter. Will edit post.

Easily the best right now:

Bard / RDD / PDK
4 / 16 / 10

Kinda feeling more SD themed might be more fun. Anything in that direction that isn't majority bard? The character in question will not actually be roleplayed as a bard. Any sorc builds that would work?

An SD themed RDD?
13 SD/10 RDD/7 Bard is theoretically possible but it would be very bad. Get black wings and be a shadow dragon disciple and also very, very bad. Great concept though.

Nobody has any remotely viable sorc builds? :O

It's not really viable as the only thing that remotely helps you as a sorc is the +2 con and the +2 cha and arguably the AC (See: Divine shield as a better, low investment alternative)

You'll be dispel bait, have a hard time with SR, get less epic feats,

It's not worth trading caster levels for.

It is really just a melee class, unfortunately.

I wonder if Warlock is kosher for RDD? It would be awesome to RP a warlock who draws her power from an ancient dragon, belonging to some ancient and mystical circle or cult devoted to awakening their dragonblood to the utmost potential. I'd definitely play a kobold with that concept, if exceptions to the Warlock class can be made.

And Sorcerer should work fine for a spellsword with the new update which bumps up their BAB progression to 3/4, though it's probably not as optimal as the bard route. You can sacrifice Tumble30 and UMD for cross-class Tumble15 and four attacks per round or vice versa. Either way, you'll probably endure with the help of the buffs and other spells you have at your disposal.

I think it could be fun to have a true flame RDD - you get immunity to fire so you could even fireball yourself!

Perhaps something like... 17 trueflame, 10 RDD, 3 paladin/BG (or 16/10/4). You miss out on level 9 spells (and epic) but the divine shield (or might) might make up for it - as can the nice boost to saves - though going 20 trueflame/10 RDD would work, as you'd get hellball, greater ruin and epic spell focus evocation. With the new buff to mage BAB you'd have a pretty decent BAB at 22 which you can then buff with flameweapon (so diremace would be a good choice of weapons for the high strength of RDD) although unfortunately you lose out on blackstaff.

You can then stand inside of your own incendiary cloud while blasting yourself with delayed blast fireballs/meteor swarms and whenever you do take hits elemental shield whacks them back. Plus bigbys to help with control, of course.

You'd be somewhat squishy without the defense spells - but the RDD would help offset the lesser HP, plus the boost to Cha/Con/Str comes in handy for a spellsword. Having a nice cleric along to buff you (and heal) would allow for some nice aoe damage output.

WanderingPoet wrote:I think it could be fun to have a true flame RDD - you get immunity to fire so you could even fireball yourself!

Perhaps something like... 17 trueflame, 10 RDD, 3 paladin/BG and that leaves 3 floating. You miss out on level 9 spells (and epic) but the divine shield (or might) might make up for it - as can the nice boost to saves - though going 20 trueflame/10 RDD would work, as you'd get hellball, greater ruin and epic spell focus evocation. With the new buff to mage BAB you'd have a pretty decent BAB at 22 which you can then buff with flameweapon (so diremace would be a good choice of weapons for the high strength of RDD) although unfortunately you lose out on blackstaff.

You can then stand inside of your own incendiary cloud while blasting yourself with delayed blast fireballs/meteor swarms and whenever you do take hits elemental shield whacks them back. Plus bigbys to help with control, of course.

You'd be somewhat squishy without the defense spells - but the RDD would help offset the lesser HP, plus the boost to Cha/Con/Str comes in handy for a spellsword.

Assuming you mean 3 free levels when you say "that leaves 3 floating" but
17 + 10 + 3 = 30.

On topic - this build might have something for it if you don't care for optimale. I've been toying with True Flame in regards to some alternate ways to build - just remember. If you go true flame? you're entirely party dependant.

Hah whoops, it was originally 14/10/3 so I put the bit about floating - then added 2 more trueflame to get incendiary cloud and at that point you might as well just get 1 more CL (though I suppose 4 paladin/BG would get you both divine shield/divine might). Edited fixed.

So how bad would someone be if they took 20 lvls of RDD?

Going beyond 10 is probably moot, but you could be a sillypants and breathe fire for an average of 350 damage with a respectable DC. DEX builds would be your bane, though, they have Reflex up the arse.

The RDD/True Flame build is squishy, feat-starved, and doesn't have the CL to bypass any form of Spell Resistance. The latter is especially crippling, since True Flames have no way to reduce SR.

Honestly, RDD is just a bad class to mix with full casters. It doesn't work at all. The only caster class it really synergizes with is Bard.

I am curious about monks, are there good RDD/Monk builds? If so should they be hand fighters?

Sab1 wrote:I am curious about monks, are there good RDD/Monk builds? If so should they be hand fighters?

There aren't really any good RDD builds except maybe 15 fighter, 5 bard, 10 rdd and that too wouldn't really 1v1 a classic wm. Just to put that aside.


For a monk, you could try a str based monk and get really good damage and ab with that str. RDD also makes up for some of the ac you'd lose, but your ac is going to be low regardless. if you invest in a lot of wisdom as your secondary attribute it might work alright (also rdd get Spot so that's some synergy there). you get some con on your rdd lvls but you will need some con gear as well.
A spread of 16 monk 4 bard 10 rdd makes the most sense to me. The leveling curve is nice.
8 monk
4 bard
10 rdd
8 monk

4 Bard/10 RDD/16 PM

Human

17 STR (+Gift; +8 from RDD)
8 DEX
16 CON (+Gift; +2 from RDD)
12 INT (+2 from RDD)
8 WIS
11 CHA (+2 from RDD)

Bard 3/RDD 9/PM 6/RDD 1/PM 9/1 Bard

L1 - Heavy Armor Proficiency, Weapon Proficiency (Martial)
L3 - Toughness OR Spell Focus: Abjuration
L6 - Weapon Focus (Scimitar OR Longsword (MOONBLADE LADS))
L9 - Improved Critical (Scimitar OR Longsword)
12 - Knockdown OR Greater Spell Focus: Abjuration (if SF abj was picked)
L15 - Expertise
L18 - Improved Expertise
L21 - Armor Skin
L24 - Epic Prowess
L27 - Epic Weapon Focus (if Epic Prowess was picked)
L30 - Epic Mage Armor, Dragon Knight OR Mummy Dust

Net AC Est. - 10 Base, +1 (DEXpotion), +8 (plate), +6 (addy towershield), +20 (EMA), +4 (RDD), +10 (PM), +6 (Tumble), +2 (Armor Skin) = 67 (72 Expertise, 77 Improved Expertise)

Net AB Est. - 12 (pre-epic) + 5 (epic) + 4 (feats) + 3 (mdamask weap) + 18 (strength, geared) = 42 (37 Expertise, 32 Improved Expertise)

HP Range - [8*10] (averaged RDD Hitdice) + [4*16] (PM HP) + [5] (deathless vigor) + [30] (toughness) + [4*8] (bard w/ warlock path) + [11*30] (constitution, geared) = 541

Skillpoint total should come in around 135.

Add on the summons, and you should have something actively capable in the Arelith meta since AC doesn't exist here.
Be a better Dartak than Dartak.

The Guy everyone thinks is Memelord wrote:4 Bard/10 RDD/16 PM

Human

17 STR (+Gift; +8 from RDD)
8 DEX
16 CON (+Gift; +2 from RDD)
12 INT (+2 from RDD)
8 WIS
11 CHA (+2 from RDD)

I'd lower CHA as much as possible with this build. You don't want to cast the Bard spells from the spellbook, because that'd make everything you cast thereafter SUPER-dispellable.

I'd recommend talking to DMs about whether or not they'd grant a PM token to someone with the RDD token. They might want to hear your idea of how to integrate both somewhat-difficult-to-RP-well PrCs into your story, at the least, before approving the token.