Character Planning

[Prime32]

"Now, sir, if you'll examine the inscriptions on this conductor stone very closely while I start counting backwards from twenty three... twenty two..."

*squints*
I... prepared... ex...

[The_Mad_Linguist]

"By the way sir, have you a copy of the latest lightning rail schedule?"

[Flay Crimsonwind]

Weeeeell, with teammate options like these, it's a good thing I have a decent diplomacy check, silent image, and a hypnotic gaze, huh?

By the by, are we going to decide who is on whose team? Or are you trying to find the lesser of many evils for combinations of people?

[Chemus]

I can read their minds and then diplomacy them into submission as well. Just have to talk in the right circles.

[bearsarebrown]

I gotcha, Hydra is out. If you okay Practiced Meldshaper, I'd probably get a Wyvern. If not? ummm I got some book scouring to do.

And I can't still fight without the zombie. I can shoot acid! and cast 1st level cleric spells!

[tallan]

I can read their minds and then diplomacy them into submission as well. Just have to talk in the right circles.

Hey, me too! Or while you do that, I can make them loose their breath for a few rounds. Crisis of Breath has all sorts of uses, especially underwater.

By the by, my character is pretty much done I think. Any suggestions of critques would be welcome. I'm flexible especially on meshing with party.

[Chemus]

Umm...I just noticed that the blink dog has about the highest move of any land-based creature in the SRD. With Dimension Door 1/rd as a free action at a range of 720' (400+40'xCL 8), the run feat, and a move of 40, they can go 760' per round all day long. They can hustle 800' per round. They can run for 920'. Only dragons (250' fly), can go faster, and even then only 1000' when running. Blink dogs go a little faster than 86 MPH (760/6 sec == 7600'/min). They run over 104 MPH (104.545).

Plus, if my recollection that a creature can only fall 300' in one round is correct, then they can d-door fly (up 720, fall 300; net 420' up). It's even better while blinking; fall 150' netting 580' upward, allowing for more lateral movement. Obviously, this is for very large areas only; they need at least 310' (160' when blinking) for falling while D-Door-ing.

The D-Door flight is just funny. The other makes Enniwey likely to stay my familiar for the cool factor. Opinions?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Man, if he hadn't banned stealing slas from yourself, I could totally have matched that speed.

Too bad blink dogs have it as a (su).  Otherwise I could teleport in tandem with him.

EDIT: Oh, right, I can recharge even if the target doesn't have a (sp).  Yeah, I can totally match your dog's pace.

[VennDygrem]

I gotcha, Hydra is out. If you okay Practiced Meldshaper, I'd probably get a Wyvern. If not? ummm I got some book scouring to do.

And I can't still fight without the zombie. I can shoot acid! and cast 1st level cleric spells!

So you're pretty much going to be a Pokemon master?  

Anyway, what exactly would Practiced Manifester do for you right now? You're only at 6th level, and Wyvern has 7HD, so you're not going to be able to start with that regardless. I'll definitely allow you to take the feat, but I'm just letting you know that you're restricted from the Wyvern until next level.

Also, to answer a question from earlier, Necrocarnum Zombies specifically retain all their natural attacks. They lose any feats derived from class levels or racial bonus feats; It says nothing of feats derived from HD gain, or rather, derived from character level; In fact, all the examples given have feats gained from HD. This also implies you could have a necrocarnum zombie who has class levels. >_>

Don't get too attached to the concept of polymorphing your zombies and using psychic reformation on them, or similar tricks (you wouldn't need to anyway, as the statement above shows). Remember, you've got to make sure you never unshape the Circlet which powers them, and if it ever gets unshaped (such as through Unshape Soulmeld), it becomes a lifeless corpse again. You're also subject to magic-incarnum transparency, as detailed in the book. Should your soulmeld be suppressed, the zombie temporarily goes lifeless. Don't rely on it entirely.

Did you have any thoughts on the other ideas, by the way?

@Chemus: Who knows what they were thinking.
Anyway, at only half your hp, you won't likely want your familiar running around in combat too much anyway, though a blink dog technically shouldn't get hit most of the time. Still, one lucky hit and it goes smoosh.
A blink dog familiar however requires a +5 BAB, as mentioned in Complete Warrior. A minor oversight, that book's feat has different Prereq's than the SRD and CScoundrel versions. They're technically more guidelines, and you could essentially have any similar type of creature as a familiar.

[bearsarebrown]

I gotcha, Hydra is out. If you okay Practiced Meldshaper, I'd probably get a Wyvern. If not? ummm I got some book scouring to do.

And I can't still fight without the zombie. I can shoot acid! and cast 1st level cleric spells!

So you're pretty much going to be a Pokemon master?  

Anyway, what exactly would Practiced Manifester do for you right now? You're only at 6th level, and Wyvern has 7HD, so you're not going to be able to start with that regardless. I'll definitely allow you to take the feat, but I'm just letting you know that you're restricted from the Wyvern until next level.

Also, to answer a question from earlier, Necrocarnum Zombies specifically retain all their natural attacks. They lose any feats derived from class levels or racial bonus feats; It says nothing of feats derived from HD gain, or rather, derived from character level; In fact, all the examples given have feats gained from HD. This also implies you could have a necrocarnum zombie who has class levels. >_>

Don't get too attached to the concept of polymorphing your zombies and using psychic reformation on them, or similar tricks (you wouldn't need to anyway, as the statement above shows). Remember, you've got to make sure you never unshape the Circlet which powers them, and if it ever gets unshaped (such as through Unshape Soulmeld), it becomes a lifeless corpse again. You're also subject to magic-incarnum transparency, as detailed in the book. Should your soulmeld be suppressed, the zombie temporarily goes lifeless. Don't rely on it entirely.

Did you have any thoughts on the other ideas, by the way?

Why was I asking about Wyvern? Because I somehow convinced myself that I was 7th level! That's why! Aha! Man how'd I do that? LOL Thank you fer OKing Practiced Meldshaper. This'll let me keep my zombie up to my class level in HD instead of lagging two behind.

I'll look into class levels on the zombies, but as of now I wasn't going to do any of that.

If no psychic reformation on them, could I at least repick feats that become useless after zombiefication? Ability Focus (Poison) for example. And yes, if the Circlet unshapes then the zombie drops, I gotcha Don't worry, I'm still an Incarnate with a crossbow (or something) under all that.

And I somehow missed the two adaptation ideas you presented. I'd rather just go with a Good aligned adaptation of Necrocarnate/Ur Priest. I am interested in the Astral Contruct/totemist idea but it just isn't what I'm looking for on this character.

As far as the pokemon master comment... kinda. How I was planning on getting bodies was a combination of divining and research. Followed by either a trip to find one, or planar ally. My current pick for a starting corpse will probably be a Foulwing (LeoF 172) with 3 bites and 2 claws and a fly speed. And I'm hoping to find another corpse of something medium or smaller for those situations where you just don't have much space.

EDIT: I think I'm going to drop Ur Priest. The Divine/Meldshaper progression class doesn't open any chakra and that totally blows (the arcane one does!) so I'm just going to stick Incarnate into Necrocarnate. Unless... what happens If I take Incarnate 5/Totemist 2? Meldshaper level 7 right? Binding to my totem would give me much better combat options outside of my Zombie. EDIT2: Damnit it would give me ML Incarnate 5 and Totemist 2. But with Practiced Meldshaper it could still be worth it I think. EDIT3: LOL way to MAD. scratching that idea and sticking with Incarnate 7/Necrocarnum X.

[Chemus]

@Chemus: Who knows what they were thinking.
Anyway, at only half your hp, you won't likely want your familiar running around in combat too much anyway, though a blink dog technically shouldn't get hit most of the time. Still, one lucky hit and it goes smoosh.
A blink dog familiar however requires a +5 BAB, as mentioned in Complete Warrior. A minor oversight, that book's feat has different Prereq's than the SRD and CScoundrel versions. They're technically more guidelines, and you could essentially have any similar type of creature as a familiar.

Is that a 'not yet', or an 'it's okay anyway'?

As for running around in combat, you're right. I'll ask him to hit-and-run; 40' in to bite/touch (for curse of despair...perhaps), d-door away. The fact that I get almost no benefits unless I have him with me means that that movement is most useful for fast messaging. His 23 AC (13 touch ) is a definite problem. Need a further concealment/not there deal (Improved evasion is a definite bonus) to fix him up with. A Necklace of Natural Weapons (SS, 58) would let me add ghost touch (so that he never misses corporeal/incorporeal when blinking) for 2600gp, and +1 ghost touch for 4600gp.

I looked up the falling rules. Round 1: 150'; round 2 is 300'. No more adjustments, after rd 2, 300' per rd. Rules-wise, you have to blink d-door to a particular location, so you move 10' up while ethereal, blink letting you move in any direction at 1/2 your move, 1/2 the time, then d-door 65' higher than your current height and 717' (rounds down to 715') in the direction you want to go. You'd want a height buffer, but if you want to land, you just d-door to the ground. You can turn on a dime, as long as you don't encounter anything with a perfect fly speed higher than 165, you're not catchable in the air. Granted, you're running away.

[The_Mad_Linguist]

as long as you don't encounter anything with a perfect fly speed higher than 165, you're not catchable in the air.

Or an angry spellthief with the lesser mark of passage  

[Chemus]

I guess I should build more for combat if I don't want my character to seem like the spellthief's cohort.

How is is that your character can replicate my (possible) familiar's movement?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

I guess I should build more for combat if I don't want my character to seem like the spellthief's cohort.

How is is that your character can replicate my (possible) familiar's movement?

Lesser mark of passage gives dimension door.

My build isn't currently optimized for it, but if I really wanted to I think I could squeeze in the two feats needed to get dimension door as a swift action.  I'm currently being allowed to recharge my SLAs by successfully sneak attacking.  So basically I throw an eggshell grenade at your doggie, he dimdoors away, I dimdoor after him, SNEAK ATTACK, he dimdoors away, repeat.

This is all, of course, highly theoretical, since if I miss even once you get away scott free, and I need to be level 7 to match your dimdoor range anyway.

Still, it would be incredibly cool to have a fight that takes place entirely with attacks between teleports in the air.  I think that's something everyone can agree on.

[bearsarebrown]

Remember, you've got to make sure you never unshape the Circlet which powers them, and if it ever gets unshaped (such as through Unshape Soulmeld), it becomes a lifeless corpse again. You're also subject to magic-incarnum transparency, as detailed in the book. Should your soulmeld be suppressed, the zombie temporarily goes lifeless. Don't rely on it entirely.

I just now saw the last line of Necrocarnum Circlet that states that a creature can't be affected by it more then once. Meaning, if one Dispel goes through, I lose my Foulwing/Wyvern/Hydra forever. If I ever want to use that smaller corpse... I can never get the big one back. That.... that sucks. How hard are you going to press on that? If it's too hard I'm going to just refocus the entire character. I liked the idea of an undead cohort that I raised through incarnum. If this means toning down the zombie or something I'd rather do that.

[Chemus]

...This is all, of course, highly theoretical, since if I miss even once you get away scott free, and I need to be level 7 to match your dimdoor range anyway.

Still, it would be incredibly cool to have a fight that takes place entirely with attacks between teleports in the air.  I think that's something everyone can agree on.

Yes, that would be made of awesome: "Who's that dark blue dude in the spiky leotard blipping after that dog through the air? Oh Host protect us, they're fighting! Look at that...!"

only 7th level? What don't I know about the mark of passage? You get extra CL's or something?

[The_Mad_Linguist]

Caster level is 6+ levels in dragonmark heir (I'm currently ST5\DMH1).  Doggie gets CL 8, so I'm currently within spitting distance of his range (plus, I can purchase rods to double my range 3/day for 1.5k.  I'm seriously considering it).


Oh, next level's class features are a couple of action points (which I'll end up hoarding and never using ever), dimension leap once more\day and my choice of mount or expeditious retreat as SLAs.  Too bad I can't pick off the special lists in dragonmarked, which would have given me dark way or benign transposition.

[Risada]

By the by, are we going to decide who is on whose team? Or are you trying to find the lesser of many evils for combinations of people?

I know this: I am sticking with Phaedrus's Zangief big dude 

[PhaedrusXY]

Well obviously the spellthief wants to be with people he can steal useful abilities from, and I think it works better of the psionicists are all together so they can use each other as sources of powers known, do metaconcerts, etc. And Risada and I have our backstories linked. That should sort some of the group placement out, as it would put me, Risada, and Tallan on the same team, and TML and Chemus on the same team (but not necessarily all together).

[BowenSilverclaw]

So just for kicks I'm working on a back-up character (just in case , and I was wondering:
Aside from Overchannel, are there any other ways to boost ML? I'm trying to get ML9 at level 6...


Also, anyone have any ideas for a character that was stranded in the jungle on Xen'drik? I've started work on my background