Do we have a dirty trick handbook?

[Emy]

So about the gaining casting through Polymorph thing, what forms are there that have spellcasting of their own (so not SLA's, actual spells)?

There's those 2 Hobgoblin subspecies in MM5, as wel as the Kuo-Toa one...
Ethergaunts in Fiend Folio (Aberrations though, so would probably require you to be an Elan...)

EDIT: Found the Sylph and the Spell Weaver in MM2.

What more is out there?

Dragons, though they have a pretty bad HD/casting ratio, maybe with the exception of the Tome Dragon, from Dragon magazine. I don't believe I have that issue, so I'm not sure of its specifics.

A lot of good outsiders seem to have cleric casting.

Here's what I found (in the SRD, BoED, and MM2):

Outsider: Planetar (cleric 17), Solar (cleric 20), Trumpet Archon (cleric 14), Firre Eladrin (boed, cleric 12), Ursinal Guardinal (boed, wizard 12), Lillend (bard 6), Sylph (mm2, sorcerer HD+4), Arcanaloth (mm2, sorcerer 12), Couatl (sorcerer 9), Rakshasa (sorcerer 7), Lammasu (cleric 7 plus two domains of good/healing/knowledge/law), Formian Queen (sorcerer 17),

Magical Beast: Aranea (sorc 3), Androsphinx (cleric 6)

Monstrous Humanoid: Abeil Queen (mm2, druid 16), Spell Weaver (mm2, sorcerer HD+2)

Elemental: Air Weird (mm2, sorcerer 18 + domains air/travel as sorc spells), Earth Weird (as Air Weird except earth/destruction domains), Fire Weird (as Air except fire/sun), Water Weird (as Air except water/healing), Immoth (mm2, sorcerer 12 + can't cast fire spells),

Dragon: Gray Linnorm (mm2, cleric 17, destruction/evil domains), Dread Linnorm (mm2, sorcerer 18)

Fey: Nymph (druid 7)

[BowenSilverclaw]

Man, I love you Emy.

Thanks a lot

[Emy]

Couldn't sleep, so I looked through a few more books:

Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss

Outsider: Lilitu (cleric 9, cha based, demonic/trickery domains, no spont cure/inflict)

Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells

None? Unless I missed something by only going through the "monsters" section, there are no monsters with innate spellcasting in FCII.

Fiend Folio

Cranium Rat swarms have casting based on their size. Not sure how you could turn into one though.

Aberration: Black Ethergaunt (wizard 17), Red Ethergaunt (wizard 9), White Ethergaunt (wizard 13), Arcanist Varrangoin (wizard 9)

Giant: Fensir (wizard 5)

Magical Beast: Chronotyryn (sorcerer 12, also has the ever-awesome Dual Actions (Su)), Spirit of the Air (cleric 7, luck/air domains)

Monstrous Humanoid: Jackal Lord (cleric 8, animal/evil domains)

Outsider: Shator (sorcerer 8), Klurichir (sorcerer 10),

[BowenSilverclaw]

Nice

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

Wow Emy, very sexy. If you keep a tally of the best forms for each HD, type, size, casting level, and casting list I'll add the whole thing as a spoiler in my dirty handbook fixes   

[Surreal]

Spell Weavers (MM2) also have an odd casting mechanic/ability wherein they can cast as many spell levels per round as they have arms, assuming that the listed limitation of six is merely because they only normally have six arms. Since this is all about dirty tricks though, slap on a bunch of extra arms and go to town.

[BowenSilverclaw]

*Evilgasm*

EDIT: Just read the Spellweave ability.
Too bad it's an SQ, so no use for Polymorph. Other than that you're still limited to a maximum number of spell levels equal to your arms...

Could still have some fun uses with Shapechange, but I think I'd rather use a Chronotyryn by then

[The_Mad_Linguist]

*Evilgasm*

EDIT: Just read the Spellweave ability.
Too bad it's an SQ, so no use for Polymorph. Other than that you're still limited to a maximum number of spell levels equal to your arms...

Could still have some fun uses with Shapechange, but I think I'd rather use a Chronotyryn by then

If only you could somehow combine Spellweave with a Hecatoncheires...

[PhaedrusXY]

*Evilgasm*

EDIT: Just read the Spellweave ability.
Too bad it's an SQ, so no use for Polymorph. Other than that you're still limited to a maximum number of spell levels equal to your arms...

Could still have some fun uses with Shapechange, but I think I'd rather use a Chronotyryn by then

Shapechange into a Spellweaver, then cast Girallon's Blessing.

[BowenSilverclaw]

Which gets me 8 levels of spells a round...

Not bad, depending on what level of spell you want to cast, and you can always switch to Chronotyryn as a free action if necessary

Too bad this campaign probably won't be going past level 15

[Negative Zero]

The way I read it, it just says six, it doesn't say that it's simply a function of the number of arms.

If not, there is always an Insectile Spellweaver.

I feel like somewhere between Illithid Savant (SS 72) and Master Transmogrifist (CArc 51) we can get something done, but I don't think that Hecatoncheires is really an option.

[BowenSilverclaw]

The way I read it, it just says six, it doesn't say that it's simply a function of the number of arms.

I reread the ability, and you're right

[Negative Zero]

Are you saying reread, as in the imperative command of 'you go read it again', or reread with the implied 'I', as in you just read it again?

I hate English.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

The chromatic disk Spellweavers have is a little odd.  It's obvious they tried to avoid the heartstone issue here, by saying:

"Only a spell weaver can utilize a chromatic disk. Should any other creature pick one up and try to tap its energy (by
employing the Use Magic Device skill, for instance), it explodes, dealing 4d10 points of damage to everything within a 30-foot radius."

That's well and good.  However, they earlier state that it is a "6-inch-diameter indestructible disk".

So, who's willing to make chromatic disk armor?  Or how about chromatic disk shields for tiny creatures?  Use some sovereign glue and a leather strap and you're good to go.

[Negative Zero]

You probably want to wrap it in paper or something, though. Otherwise people could just grab your shield and explode it with a UMD check.

[EjoThims]

You probably want to wrap it in paper or something, though. Otherwise people could just grab your shield and explode it with a UMD check.

But, if it's indestructible, it explodes without being destroyed. I sense amusing abuse.

[Kuroimaken]

Hmmm. An indestructible disk that explodes without being destroyed...

Animate object! Command it to tap on its own energy!

[Chemus]

Aaaand we have a winner! I wonder how you become immune to the effects of the explosion...so that you can keep trying to UMD. It does say that 'only a spellweaver can utilize a chromatic disk'. So could a changeling with racial emulation use it while attempting to look like a spellweaver?

I just noticed that the spellweaver has telepathy with a range or 1,000 miles. That's some serious radar, given mindsight.

[JaronK]

Yeah, and Spellweavers are a playable race (though ECL 17).   There's a ton of possible abuse there, just waiting to be brought out.  They also cast as Sorcerers of HD + 2 automatically, so if you level up in any other class you'd still continue to gain Sorcerer casting.  In an epic game, that could be quite nice, especially with some LA Paydown (which is harsh, their LA is +7).  Generally, racial spellcasting stacks with class level casting... I wonder what happens if you advance Sorc casting with class levels?  I'm not sure it would overlap, given the wording.  A Spellweaver Sorcerer 3, for example, might cast as an 18th level Sorcerer due to that (you'd have 13 HD, so 15th level casting from race and 3 from class levels).  18th level Sorc casting at ECL 20 isn't bad, especially with a free bonus 10 levels of spells per day and multiple spells per round (though you might need Gralleon arms to cast higher than 6th level spells, not sure there).

JaronK

[Surreal]

Hmmm. An indestructible disk that explodes without being destroyed...

Animate object! Command it to tap on its own energy!

Might as well Haunt Shift the darned thing...