I would make my own thread, but I think I'll just be a squatter in Agita's to avoid adding to my new topic count.
Well, it's been a while since I last had a chance to play a ghost, so I'm going to try for that.
Now, if you've read the rules
here... err,
here, you might be saying
"But Linguist Guy! You must be Crazy to try that. The rules clearly state 'no undead' in a manner that clearly exemplifies our society's inherent prejudices against those of other energy types."
To which I would respond
"Although your point, exposing the racism inherent in the cultural underpinnings of Faerun, is correct, it is technically not a problem with my desire to play a ghost. You see, there exists a wondrous feat in Races of Destiny known as Human Heritage. If your type is not humanoid(human), it makes your type into humanoid(human). Which, as you can clearly see, is not undead. Quite the opposite. Well, perhaps not, strictly speaking, the opposite of undead - that being dead - but close enough to being the opposite for my purposes. And I must say, your hat looks rather dashing".
That aside, let's get on with the details. Since I'm required to finish the full template before the game anyway, I'm going with the marginally stronger SRD ghost instead of the savage progression. "But Linguist", you interject again. I slap you upside the face for interrupting. The question you would have asked, something along the lines of "Isn't it exactly the same if you take all the levels", shows a shocking degree of unfamiliarity with ghosts. A degree which I am sure to bust as soon as possible. Although the thought strikes me that one cannot, strictly speaking, bust a degree, although valid busting targets include both moves and ghosts - thus, I will be striking (or, rather, busting) new ground.
The template class divides ghost powers into lists "lesser" and "greater" categories. Poorly, I might add, since the best ability in the history of forever is listed as being "lesser". The SRD ghost, on the other hand, just says you have one to three ghost powers, and, furthermore, doesn't force you to pick from an explicitly enumerated list.
Now, there are two other places where you can find ghost powers. Libris Mortis (Page 151), and Monsters of Faerun (Page 88). Now, while the MoF powers are interesting, they aren't exactly what I'm looking for (although the "scare the shit out of everyone and deal triple damage" is pretty cool). Libris Mortis, on the other hand, has the Lore and Illusion powers. The former is basically bardic knowledge. The latter is major image at will. Add on the world's best spell
TM, and we have ourselves a winning three ability combo.
Recovering from your slap, and readjusting your hat, you interject "But what dark, twisted, horrible backstory would result in such a creation? Isn't this pushing the backstory a little too far, especially since you don't know much of anything about the Forgotten Realms?"
"Quite the contrary, naive hypotheticalifornian! Observe, as I cleverly steal your hat while expositing."
Long ago, in a distant land, I,
Aku, the shapeshift-
No, let me restart;
Kane Tondud was raised as the Last Seed of an eclipse cabal, carrying with him a fragment of the Ritual of Words made Flesh and living in isolation, so the knowledge could outlive the cabal. When the cabal fell under attack, he was ordered to make a journey to the Library of the Sublime, to entrust Aulasha with his fragment. Already a devout worshiper, he seized the opportunity with the full fervor of a man finally meeting his goddess in person.
Unfortunately, he arrived slightly too late. Just as every other great library in history, the Library of the Sublime was doomed. Harassing the githyanki raiders from behind their lines, twisting the illusions that enabled the library's miracles of cross-referencing and indexing, he bought time for the priesthood to escape. Even with the advantage of divine favor and terrain, however, Kane was only able to keep them occupied for so long.
Injured, surrounded by fire, out of spells and edging towards death, Kane barricaded himself in a vault, attempting to keep the invaders from the spellbooks a little longer. As the cursed wounds bled away the last dregs of his strength, he desperately, or possibly deliriously, attempted to perform what little fragments he knew. Struck down mid-phrase, his Final Utterances completed a bastardized version of the Ritual of Words Made Flesh, recreating a body from the smoke of a thousand lost works.
In the century since, he's thrown himself wholeheartedly into recovering the lost knowledge. Driven by thirst for vengeance, he takes particular pleasure in thwarting githyanki wherever he goes. Loosely affiliated with the vengeance cabal Oathkeeper, he has heard rumors of an obscure variety of vessel that puts even the astral dreadnought
Heartplunge to shame. His pursuit of further information (and a rare three-book series penned by Azuth during the Time of Troubles) has lead him to Waterdeep... er, Candlekeep... er... wherever the party should be meeting.
"But that has nothing to do with the forgotten realms except at the very end", you say, hatless and crumpled. As I sail off on my ship into the sunlight, I tip your hat at you, as if to say 'that's exactly the point'.
Build sketch
Ghost 5 (3 free LA) Illumian (Naenhoon)
Favored soul3/Church inquisitor 2/Divine Oracle 2/Sacred Exorcist 1
Feats:
1)Human Heritage - for the type change to humanoid.
F1)Extend Spell
F2)Persist Spell
2kgp) Skill focus(knowledge(religion)) - required for divine oracle
3) Ghostly Grasp
3FS)Weapon Focus(Warhammer)
6) ??
9) Extra turning
Not sure what I should take for my feat at level 6; I don't actually get turning until level 8, so extra turning isn't an option. Probably going to exchange inquisition domain for knowledge devotion, since extra damage/attack = great. Any advice for which spells I should take, given I'm going to be persisting a couple? Scholar's touch is an obvious shoe-in for a spell known.
Notable items include the Ring of manifesting from ghostwalk 67, which for the low price of 10k allows the incorporeal to become corporeal.
