Author Topic: [3.5] Any way to make a psionic character who specializes in possesing bodies?  (Read 2535 times)

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Pika...

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I have been wanting to play this character concept for a while now, but I am not sure how.

Basically I have this recurring character PC who is obsessed with achieving immortality. Every time I bring him out he tries it a new route. Is there anyway for a psionic character to do this? Just leave his/her original body behind and start jumping endlessly around taking new ones as he/she needs?


Many pikas in advance!
Thank you Gary Gygax for so much.
I know you never intended for such things when you made your wonderful game, but you helped me in so many ways. If it wasn't for you I would probably still be completely alone and isolated in my life. Now I am ready to move on with my life, and it is in a large part thanks to you and your creation.
Your body will not float endlessly in the astral plane, for you are beyond that. ~Me


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PhaedrusXY

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There are at least two.

1) True Mind Switch. This is exactly what it does, and how you're "supposed" to do it.
2) Astral Seed + (normal) Mind Switch, then crush the Astral Seed.

A more "rules shaky" (at least IMO) way:
3) (normal) Mind Switch (or Polymorph even, I think) + Astral Seed (while you're in another form/body). Then when you die and come back from the Astral Seed, it will be as you were when you made it. Since you were in a different body, you'll come back in that.
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Pika...

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There are at least two.

1) True Mind Switch. This is exactly what it does, and how you're "supposed" to do it.
2) Astral Seed + (normal) Mind Switch, then crush the Astral Seed.

A more "rules shaky" (at least IMO) way:
3) (normal) Mind Switch (or Polymorph even, I think) + Astral Seed (while you're in another form/body). Then when you die and come back from the Astral Seed, it will be as you were when you made it. Since you were in a different body, you'll come back in that.

Thanks for the information!

However, those are 8th and 9th level powers. Is there anyway of doing it not so late into the endgame?  :(

Also, each time means a level lost. Ouch.
Thank you Gary Gygax for so much.
I know you never intended for such things when you made your wonderful game, but you helped me in so many ways. If it wasn't for you I would probably still be completely alone and isolated in my life. Now I am ready to move on with my life, and it is in a large part thanks to you and your creation.
Your body will not float endlessly in the astral plane, for you are beyond that. ~Me


I am a proud tester for Barn Cat Software's DM Secretary software.
Please give it a try:
http://barncatsoftware.org/

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RobbyPants

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However, those are 8th and 9th level powers. Is there anyway of doing it not so late into the endgame?  :(

Also, each time means a level lost. Ouch.
You do realize that you can gain twenty levels inside of a few months?  Even if you were going on a really slow schedule of a year a level, you could become 20th level in 19 years.  If you started at 20 or so, you'd only be 39 years old (so, no age penalties).

Basically, if you're interested in immortality, you only need to switch bodies every few decades.  So, this solves both problems:

1) You'll likely have 8th and 9th level powers by the first time you need to switch bodies, and

2) You'll gain that level back* well before you need to do it again.


*Note that the way XP tables work in 3E, you gain more XP for an encounter if you're lower level than the rest of the group and it takes less XP to gain a level when you're lower level.  Over time, the XP gap actually vanishes.  So the "lost" level is never truly lost as it is invested.
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Pika...

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However, those are 8th and 9th level powers. Is there anyway of doing it not so late into the endgame?  :(

Also, each time means a level lost. Ouch.
You do realize that you can gain twenty levels inside of a few months?  Even if you were going on a really slow schedule of a year a level, you could become 20th level in 19 years.  If you started at 20 or so, you'd only be 39 years old (so, no age penalties).

Basically, if you're interested in immortality, you only need to switch bodies every few decades.  So, this solves both problems:

1) You'll likely have 8th and 9th level powers by the first time you need to switch bodies, and

2) You'll gain that level back* well before you need to do it again.


*Note that the way XP tables work in 3E, you gain more XP for an encounter if you're lower level than the rest of the group and it takes less XP to gain a level when you're lower level.  Over time, the XP gap actually vanishes.  So the "lost" level is never truly lost as it is invested.

Oops. What I meant was before high-levels by "near endgame". Plus, I really dislike them (as of Saturday more than ever).
Thank you Gary Gygax for so much.
I know you never intended for such things when you made your wonderful game, but you helped me in so many ways. If it wasn't for you I would probably still be completely alone and isolated in my life. Now I am ready to move on with my life, and it is in a large part thanks to you and your creation.
Your body will not float endlessly in the astral plane, for you are beyond that. ~Me


I am a proud tester for Barn Cat Software's DM Secretary software.
Please give it a try:
http://barncatsoftware.org/

It is free and a wonderful aid to DMs!

PhaedrusXY

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Oops. What I meant was before high-levels by "near endgame".  
Manifest the Mind Switch yourself, and use a power stone of Astral Seed that you saved up money for. It's a decent investment, even if you aren't planning something like this. :P
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Pika...

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Oops. What I meant was before high-levels by "near endgame".  
Manifest the Mind Switch yourself, and use a power stone of Astral Seed that you saved up money for. It's a decent investment, even if you aren't planning something like this. :P


Hmm...not bad.  :smirk

The level loss would still hurt, so sadly it is not like he can do it constantly.

Anyway, so how exactly does this process work?

Would it go like?:
1. PC builds a fort (Stronghold Builder's Guidebook anyone!) and hires tons of guards.
2. PC secretly hides crystal somewhere in a mini dungeon?
3. PC manifests Astral Seed from a power stone and leaves it in mini-dungeon?

Now this is where I get really confused...

4. PC takes over nice new body?
5. PC kills former body like squishy tomato? (I should probably have the PC have a low-Con score for this ahead of time?)
6. ??.??
7. ??.??
8. Profit?
« Last Edit: November 30, 2009, 03:34:39 PM by Pika... »
Thank you Gary Gygax for so much.
I know you never intended for such things when you made your wonderful game, but you helped me in so many ways. If it wasn't for you I would probably still be completely alone and isolated in my life. Now I am ready to move on with my life, and it is in a large part thanks to you and your creation.
Your body will not float endlessly in the astral plane, for you are beyond that. ~Me


I am a proud tester for Barn Cat Software's DM Secretary software.
Please give it a try:
http://barncatsoftware.org/

It is free and a wonderful aid to DMs!

PhaedrusXY

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The trick to how it works is in the last line of the Astral Seed power.

Quote

You can manifest powers while inside the astral seed. So it goes like this:

1) Manifest Astral Seed (from a power stone)
2) Die. You're now inhabiting the astral seed, and are kind of like a psi-crystal with your mental and psionic abilities.
3) Manifest Mind Switch while inhabiting the astral seed. You're now inhabiting some other poor sod's body, and he's trapped in the astral seed.
4) Crush the astral seed. You now take the other dude's body permanently, and he dies.
[spoiler]
A couple of water benders, a dike, a flaming arrow, and a few barrels of blasting jelly?

Sounds like the makings of a gay porn film.
...thanks
[/spoiler]

Flay Crimsonwind

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Hmm...not bad.  :smirk

The level loss would still hurt, so sadly it is not like he can do it constantly.

Anyway, so how exactly does this process work?
1: Set your character's birthplace as Gallifrey.
2: Become a Timelord.
3: Call yourself "The Master."
4: ???
5: PROFIT!