Avengers Iron Man (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Introduction

You saw him in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man 3, which some people called Avengers. Now he's campaign-ready and as close to the films as you can realistically get. Here's Tony Stark, re-invisioned as a Level 10 Psion.

References

Complete Psionics, and all the Basic Regular Player's Handbooks.

Game Rule Components

Nothing but Powers.

Items

Full-plate Armor, Power Stones and some rules designed for scientists who can't manifest without technology.

Progression

Starting Ability Scores (Before Racial Adjustments): 12 Str, 10 Dex, 14 Con, 16 Int, 8 Wis, 12 Cha.

Race: Stark.

Starting Racial Traits: The Starks are an unusual family. They are Humans but very specialized ones.

+2 Int, -2 Str.

Monologue: must talk every round (DC 15 Will save to resist, usually doesn't resist), dealing -2 to Concentration checks within earshot.

Doesn't Play Well with Others: -3 to Diplomacy with males; after one minute, males who aren't in a Helpful relationship with Stark must succeed on a Will save (DC 15 minus Stark's Wisdom modifier) or have their relationship worsen for the day by one category.

I Want One: If he spots a woman anywhere but in battle (and sometimes then if she's wearing Light armor or less), he must flirt with her as a Standard action. +3 to Diplomacy with females; after one minute, females must succeed on a Will save (DC 15 plus Stark's Charisma modifier) or have their relationship improve for the day (or more often, the night) by one category.

Geared: Stark always treats Craft (any) as a Class skill; he also can apply half his highest Craft skill to any other kind of Craft check. In addition, he can use any armor he crafted himself without penalty, even if he doesn't have the proficiency; after all, he tested the armor himself. The specialty of a Stark, however, is his Golem Armor. Stark meets all spell prerequisites required to create a magic or psionic Golem, though the finished Golem is treated as Psionic in either case. Any Medium or larger Golem Stark builds can be built using half as much raw material (for instance, an Iron Golem would use 2500 lbs of iron instead of 5000, but all other costs would be unaffected). The Golem can then be worn as Full-Plate Armor, using its AC and HP instead of the wearer's.

Code Monkey: Magic or Psionic Starks know fewer spells or powers, and can only use non-damaging divination and enchantment spells (magic) or non-damaging metacognition powers (psionic) on their own. Instead they can craft magic (or psionic) items to contain the knowledge of said spells (or powers), by adding the cost of a Scroll (or Power Stone) of the spell's (or manifestation's) level to the item cost. (For example, an item that grants a 2nd-level power and a 3rd-level power would cost 150 gp + 375 gp more, in addition to being masterwork quality.) Other people call them "Stark Tech;" Starks call them "Toys." Stark can then use the spells (or powers) as if they were on their Class list when worn; creatures other than the Stark who crafted it must use a Use Magic Device check with the DC of a Scroll or Power Stone.

ECL	Class	HP	AC	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Feats	Skills	Class Features	Special
					Fort	Ref	Will
10th	Psion (Nomad)	60 (26 Psion + 20 Con + 14 Psionic Body)	19 (+9 suit), Touch 10, Flat-Footed 19.	+5 (see Suit)	+5	+3	+5	Combat Manifestation, Craft Psionic Arms & Armor, Craft Construct, Craft Universal Item, Craft Power Stone, Delay Power (or other Metapsionic Feat), Psionic Body.	Diplomacy 4 (6 + Cha), Concentration 15 (13 + Con, +4 with Combat Manifestation), Craft (armorsmithing) 15 (11 + Int), Knowledge (local) 8 (4 + Int), Knowledge (psionics) 10 (6 + Int), Psicraft 17 (13 + Int), Spot 5 (12 - Wis, +3 with Jarvis), Use Psionic Device 14 (13 + Cha).	Psionics.	Suit, Jarvis, Hand Blasters, Boots, Damage, Arc Reactor.

POWERS KNOWN

1 - Attraction, Call to Mind, Burst, My Light, Precognition Defensive

2 - Bull's Strength Psionic, Energy Missile, Energy Push, Identify Psionic, Levitate

3 - Body Purification, Energy Retort

4 - Correspond, Divination, Energy Ball, Fly

5 - True Seeing

Without Suit - Attraction, Call to Mind, Precognition Defensive, Identify Psionic, Divination, True Seeing.

108 Power Points.

Other Components

The Suit: masterwork full-plate armor. It contains Body Purification, Catfall, Flight, Levitate, and Biofeedback (if suit is Mithral) OR Mental Barrier (if suit is Adamantine). The wearer can use the powers with his Power Point reserve as if known (see Race: Stark for spell containment). They grant the wearer Energy Resistance 10/cold. They can also replace the wearer's Strength score with his Intelligence score as an immediate action, at a cost of 3 Power Points per round. He gains the ability Catch Boulders as a Huge Giant as well, and can use it to catch car...riages as well; but he cannot throw them so much as set them down gently and check that the generic American family inside is okay.

Jarvis: The helmet is part of the suit. His psicrystal was forged into this helmet. It contains My Light and Correspond, and as a psicrystal offers him a +3 on Spot checks.

Hand Blasters: gauntlets are part of the suit. They contain Energy Ball, Energy Push, and Bull's Strength Psionic (Energy attacks can not use Cold damage).

Boots: The boots are part of the suit. They contain Burst, Fly and Levitate; flight quality is Good with the gloves, but average without them.

Pockets: The Suit can hold items and use them, or even eject them, as if held. The chest can store two items of potion size or smaller, such as power stones, in the shoulders. Magic items here can be activated if they affect the wearer. At the DM's discretion, hand crossbows can be as well, usable as if held. Each gauntlet can store one small item, including a dorje or an object that could be thrown in combat, and can activate them or fire them as if held. The helmet can store one small item in the base of the neck; if the object affects the wearer's senses, they can be activated as if worn or held. For simplicity, these five objects are usually Power Stones: Wall Walker and Knock Psionic for the gauntlets, Ubiquitous Vision for the helmet, and Catfall and Swarm of Crystals in the shoulders.

Damage: the suit takes damage from all attacks that hit the bearer. Hardness lets the suit ignore most of the damage, but for each 5 points of damage the suit takes, one of its components (Jarvis, the hand blasters, the boots or the suit itself) temporarily loses one of its contained powers. The powers return in 1d4 hours or after a 10 minute Craft check (DC 20, as creating the suit) with no cost to the owner.

Arc Reactor: Tony Stark's power point reserve is stored in an Arc Reactor embedded in his chest where a pendant might hang. On the bright side, he gains 1 Power Point for every 3 points of electric damage dealt to him (he can choose not to roll for defense against an attack). On the dark side, its presence is all that protects him from a piece of shrapnel close to his heart; if it ever runs out of Power Points, Stark takes nonlethal damage to bring him to 0 Hit Points as if drowning. He will take 1d4 points of lethal damage each hour thereafter, even if he stabilizes. A DC 20 Heal check or Cure spell of caster level 10 or higher will stabilize him for one day. After 8 hours sleep, the Arc Reactor replenishes itself as with other psions, stopping the shrapnel and stabilizing Stark.

Highlights

The Armored Mage is something of a legend in Dungeons in Dragons; it sound either like gestalt perfection or like cheating. But this Armor is the Mage. Tony Stark is a genius, but he suffers from that vice of regular humans: very, very few hit points, and no superpowers. But that's no fun. For the sake of dungeoners and comic book film fans everywhere, this had to exist.

Iron Man has Dwarf Cleric AC, hand blasters and he flies. Whatever the campaign, Iron Man will make it more interesting. Especially above the dungeon.

Side Notes

There were a few reasons I chose the Psion build for Iron Man. His suit is powered by a self-replenishing energy reserve inside his chest. And the way he talks to Jarvis in combat, he has to manage that energy in increments: energy levels at 400%, blasters at 75% and so on. It was tempting to go for an Artificer build, but in battle he fights more like a Psion. A tough, shiny Psion.

Limitations

Tony Stark has one weakness: wom-- ahem, uh, self-restraint. He says what he wants the moment that he wants to. He is not strong-Willed. Now in D&D, that actually means something. Stark has 19 powers and 108 power points but frail Saving Throws. In combat he's ironclad, but against magic he has no leg up on the rest.

DM Counters

Iron Man may prove too unique for some Dungeon Masters. They've had enough books to memorize and they still find themselves going back to double-checks the rules. For simplicity's sake, make him a Level 9 Human Psion / Level 1... something with Heavy Armor. Movie accuracy isn't for everyone.

Miscellaneous

He's part of the Avengers team being assembled on DanDWiki. Help build it with your own Alt characters.

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