Author Topic: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)  (Read 2449 times)

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Jelvoden

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Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« on: June 11, 2010, 12:01:33 AM »
I'm building a Cancer Mage, focused on infiltration via Disease Form (Su). However, I've hit a small snag; Disease Form has a flat DC of 20 to infect a creature. Taking control of an already infected character has a DC that scales with wisdom, but that's useless if you can't infect the target in the first place. Besides, I'm more interested in just sneaking around compounds without being noticed than I am in sabotage opportunities.

Ability Focus is the obvious choice, and Sudden Ability Focus lets me kick the DC up by an additional +2 once per day. I'm aware Disease Form is usable once per day, but provided you don't change back to humanoid form you can jump between hosts at a distance of 10 feet as much as you want. Or, abandon a host altogether and sit immobile in disease form until another meatbag patrols the hallway. Sadly, Sudden Ability Focus is very clear that it only boosts ongoing abilities for a single round.

Have I hit the upper bound, or is there something I've overlooked? Feats or items would be the preferred approach, but I have 7 levels open in my build if a class ability is the only answer.

Alternative thread title: Help me build the only spy who tries to get caught.
"Okay, got your character sheets all filled out? Good. Now each of you pass your sheets to the person to your left, who will be playing whatever you rolled. Good luck." - Anonymous

Widow

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Re: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2010, 01:29:06 AM »
I don't know any other feats to increase the DC, but another approach could be useful.  If you have access to the Dragon compendium volume 1, the unseelie fey template could be of use.  It is a LA+0 template that adjusts your stats a bit, but the main feature is your season of birth ability.  Winter season gives all living non-fey standing near your character a penatly to saving throws equal to your Cha modifier.  If I am not mistaken the cancers mage secondary ability to force control over a target is not wisdom based, but charisma as well.

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2010, 01:35:00 AM »
Hexblade 4/Paladin of Tyranny 3 can give them another -4 to their saves. Add on some other effects like fear, etc, to drive it down further.
[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]

Havok4

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Re: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2010, 01:37:55 AM »
Hexblade 4/Paladin of Tyranny 3 can give them another -4 to their saves. Add on some other effects like fear, etc, to drive it down further.
Also 3 levels of binder for folocor for another -2.

Jelvoden

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Re: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2010, 01:59:01 AM »
The control DC is wisdom based, but how many times you can assert control per day is equal to your Cha modifier. It's weird. In any case, I'll have to look into that unseelie fey business.

Aura of Despair, of course. It even has the same range as the passive infect. :banghead As for the Hexblade levels, you're referring to use of the Dark Companion ACF, right? That one is visible, so it wouldn't work in a stealth situation. Unless it's possible to make illusion effects that are not spells invisible... that might be worth looking into as well.

Folocor's aura of sadness should work, so long as we don't think too hard about the mechanics of standing adjacent to a disease. Disease Form's wording is excruciatingly vague for how radical a departure from the normal rules it involves, so for our purposes let's continue on the assumption the character occupies the same 5-foot space as when materialized, and measure distances from there.

Thank you all for the replies.

Edit: Ah, you mean the Hexblade's curse ability itself. For some reason I had thought it was touch based, but a 60ft range should work.
« Last Edit: June 11, 2010, 02:01:04 AM by Jelvoden »
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PhaedrusXY

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Re: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2010, 02:11:32 AM »
Edit: Ah, you mean the Hexblade's curse ability itself. For some reason I had thought it was touch based, but a 60ft range should work.
No, I meant the Dark Companion. I'd forgotten that it is visible, and didn't know if that would matter.
[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]

Jelvoden

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Re: Maximizing Supernatural Ability DCs (Cancer Mage)
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2010, 02:32:39 AM »
I had agonized over that one for a while, up to and including contemplating if it were possible to hide the thing in a wall. The problem being that if it ever loses line of effect to you, it warps back to your side.

In the condition stacking arena, the Demoralize power holds weight. Purely mental actions should be usable while transformed, and it's a spread. Shaken is now spoken for. I haven't found any powers that apply the sickened condition, however.


Edit: After reviewing the options, I've come to the following conclusion.
[spoiler]Winter Unseelie Fey Human (Minimum 12 Intelligence, to meet skill prerequisites)
Ranger 1 (Great Fortitude, Toughness, Track)
Binder 2 (Poison Immunity)
Cancer Mage 10 (Boost Spell-Like Ability, Sudden Ability Focus, Improved Binding)
Paladin of Tyranny 2 (Ability Focus: Disease Form)
Wilder 2
Binder +1 (Practiced Manifester?)
Paladin of Tyranny +1
Wilder +1
-------

Effective total DC: 28+Cha modifier (+2 more 1/day)

I can live with this! Thanks again to everyone who helped.
[/spoiler]
« Last Edit: June 11, 2010, 04:21:01 PM by Jelvoden »
"Okay, got your character sheets all filled out? Good. Now each of you pass your sheets to the person to your left, who will be playing whatever you rolled. Good luck." - Anonymous