INTEREST CHECK: City of the Drow (reboot) 3.5 DnD [14/?? spots filled]

[Snake]

:3 As much as being a consort to a matron would be hot...it'd also be really dangerous XD

[Kunoichi]

Sad to hear your abandoning your monster companion Kunoichi, I hope you find some other suitable cohort for your matron mother :/.

I'm not abandoning the monster companion altogether, it's just that the character concept I had won't work without the Chimeric template.  I could use a regular Chimera, but it just wouldn't be able to keep up in melee, even with the large stat improvements.  The Pounce and Improved Grab from the Dire Lion were necessary, and the Chimeric template was the only way I could keep the Dire Lion's bite attack, which was needed to make use of Improved Grab.

So now I have to find some other suitable monster with a striking visual profile.

[Zaer Darkwail]

This setting is not forgotten realms but more generic setting basically.

Anyways Kunoichi, one way to address lack of reach with bite attack would be using one cheap ass 1st level sorc spell called 'Blood Wind'. It gives 20'ft radius reach with all natural weapons as swift action. Another is to add lycantrophe to the template (or shapechanger, could work with tauric changeling) to get warshaper levels to able get +5'ft more reach.

Also I would allow a custom collar to person with 4,000gp which increases bite reach by +5'ft constantly. Costs about same as if person had been cast permament enlarge person but better.

[Xerial]

Ok, as Elim Stands right now, he is a Rogue(3), Drow Paragon (3), Warblade(3), Swordsage(2), Exotic Weapon Master(1). I am going to go nap/read, and meditate on whether I want to ditch EWM, and add the Lolth-Touched Template to him... because damned if that's not sexy.

[TheGlyphstone]

The char looks okay TheGlyphstone, but just need flesh out more his background (he started transmuter after all).

Sad to hear your abandoning your monster companion Kunoichi, I hope you find some other suitable cohort for your matron mother :/.

Technically, he started as a druid - that's how I calculated HP and skill points, I just don't like the Class X/Other Class Y/Class X+1 format for describing progression. And yeah, I have a background in mind, mostly in how he found the caverns and creatures dwelling there better companions than the other orphans/foundlings, I just need to write it.

And I gotta find some cash to buy that collar for my own companion...

[Zaer Darkwail]

Ok, as Elim Stands right now, he is a Rogue(3), Drow Paragon (3), Warblade(3), Swordsage(2), Exotic Weapon Master(1). I am going to go nap/read, and meditate on whether I want to ditch EWM, and add the Lolth-Touched Template to him... because damned if that's not sexy.

No one level as wizard to get casting level benefits? Also Lolth-touched means your CE automatically and no longer 'defender' of the half-breeds and such (so no Batman). But for a stretch I could imagine Eilistrae has similar exact template but so instead +6 to Str and Con you get +6 to Dex and Cha.

[Kunoichi]

Anyways Kunoichi, one way to address lack of reach with bite attack would be using one cheap ass 1st level sorc spell called 'Blood Wind'. It gives 20'ft radius reach with all natural weapons as swift action. Another is to add lycantrophe to the template (or shapechanger, could work with tauric changeling) to get warshaper levels to able get +5'ft more reach.

Also I would allow a custom collar to person with 4,000gp which increases bite reach by +5'ft constantly. Costs about same as if person had been cast permament enlarge person but better.

It isn't about reach, it's about having a bite attack in the first place.  Tauric template gets rid of a creature's head, and thus any special attack form that head might have.  No bite attacks, no gaze attacks, no breath attacks, they get nothing.  With the Chimeric template, I could just ditch the goat head and keep the dragon and dire lion heads, but without it, all I have to get rid of is the dire lion head, and the dire lion bite attack goes with it.

Hence why I now have to search for a creature which doesn't have a breath attack, bite attack, or gaze attack, and yet would still look cool with the Tauric template attached.

[ShadowFox89]

No one level as wizard to get casting level benefits? Also Lolth-touched means your CE automatically and no longer 'defender' of the half-breeds and such (so no Batman). But for a stretch I could imagine Eilistrae has similar exact template but so instead +6 to Str and Con you get +6 to Dex and Cha.

Does Batman need a partner? >.>

[TheGlyphstone]

It isn't about reach, it's about having a bite attack in the first place.  Tauric template gets rid of a creature's head, and thus any special attack form that head might have.  No bite attacks, no gaze attacks, no breath attacks, they get nothing.  With the Chimeric template, I could just ditch the goat head and keep the dragon and dire lion heads, but without it, all I have to get rid of is the dire lion head, and the dire lion bite attack goes with it.

Hence why I now have to search for a creature which doesn't have a breath attack, bite attack, or gaze attack, and yet would still look cool with the Tauric template attached.

Behirs look cool, with all those legs running everywhere.

[PaleEnchantress]

Other than Lolth of course House Archwinter is rather close with the clergy of Kiransalee while the males tend to venerate Keptolo over Vhaeraun (Abduxuel is not friendly with the preists of Vhaeraun even if they pay Lolth her due) or Selvatarm.

[Zaer Darkwail]

Ahaaa, I do not ban bite attack. I do not like chimera because you get multiple attacks with having just two extra heads :P.

Anyways you could find a race with bite attack as base race. Like razorfang shifter as base base shifted to tauric creature and then attach some template which gives it outsider subtype (not to mention it also would qualify you to warshaper PrC). Ofc shifter would not be strong for base race though but you can buy outsider HD with CR (and any HD gained as tauric turn to outsider also).

But anyways after seriously thinking about it.....go for with chimera after all. I feel edgy about it but every matron mother got something cool so I let you have the chimera+tauric+lolth-touched savage ghetto champion :).

[ShadowFox89]

Zaer, would you allow me to take the Draconic Cohort feat from Draconomicon? I was thinking a Shadow Dragon cohort. Would also like to ask about the Draconic template, also from that book.

Coming together on a character idea.... Character tag line; "I am the flame in the darkness. Come closer if you want to get burned."

[Zaer Darkwail]

You can take draconic cohort feat and draconic creature template. Plan go strongly draconic drow dragon mystic?

[TheGlyphstone]

Looks like everyone's getting a freaky monster best buddy...my intelligent giant spider's feeling rather mundane at this point.

[ShadowFox89]

You can take draconic cohort feat and draconic creature template. Plan go strongly draconic drow dragon mystic?

I've always had a fascination with dragons. I went out and bought Draconomicon, Dragon Magic, and Races of the Dragon as soon as I could :)

Looks like everyone's getting a freaky monster best buddy...my intelligent giant spider's feeling rather mundane at this point.

If it makes you feel better, my dragon will be very young at best.

[Kunoichi]

Ahaaa, I do not ban bite attack. I do not like chimera because you get multiple attacks with having just two extra heads :P.

Anyways you could find a race with bite attack as base race. Like razorfang shifter as base base shifted to tauric creature and then attach some template which gives it outsider subtype (not to mention it also would qualify you to warshaper PrC). Ofc shifter would not be strong for base race though but you can buy outsider HD with CR (and any HD gained as tauric turn to outsider also).

But anyways after seriously thinking about it.....go for with chimera after all. I feel edgy about it but every matron mother got something cool so I let you have the chimera+tauric+lolth-touched savage ghetto champion :).

...?  So, your basic problem with the template is that I get an extra natural attack?  Or do you think it works like the Hydra where I'd be able to get two bite attacks in as a standard action?  It certainly doesn't work that way.  I get one primary natural attack that I can use for a regular attack, and then I can use all my natural weapons at once in a full attack.  That's about it.

Alright then.  And what's your ruling on using Monster of Legend in place of Lolth-Touched?  I'm guessing you probably won't allow it, since it's a much stronger template...

[TheGlyphstone]

I've always had a fascination with dragons. I went out and bought Draconomicon, Dragon Magic, and Races of the Dragon as soon as I could :)

If it makes you feel better, my dragon will be very young at best.

Still, it's "Dragon", "Dragon", "Horrific Abomination of SCIENCE", and...."Smart Spider".

[ShadowFox89]

Spiderman Spiderman, does whatever a spider can....

[TheGlyphstone]

"He's a man who can turn into a spider. He's a spider who can turn into a man. They fight Cause Crime."

[ShadowFox89]

Depending on how Leadership and similar interact with Level Adjustment (different DMs have different rulings, some rule that ECL-2 is the max for Cohorts), I could either have a very young or a young shadow dragon (ECL 11-3 or 13-3 as Draconic Cohort subtracts 3).

[Zaer Darkwail]

Kunoichi: Nop, no Monster of Legend expect if it's the only template the monster has.

What comes to leadership if you take drow cohort then you get cohort which is two levels below you than four levels. So with your dragon you get young shadow dragon.

[PaleEnchantress]

Talk all you want about cohorts, I wouldnt trade my 8th level spell factory consort for anything.

[ShadowFox89]

 Do we build our cohorts with elite array?

And apologies for all the questions. I like to have specifics when making a character to avoid headaches once the sheet is done.

[Zaer Darkwail]

I recall the cohorts were elite....or used char creation rules. Anyone remember which one we went (ask from existing players)?

[TheGlyphstone]

Zaer, would you consider an item that improves my effective level for Wildshape? I can't find any 1st-party items that do it (Dragon Mag's option is so obviously un-proofread that I'm ignoring it), but there's a bit of precedent in the Vest of Legends from DMGII that gives +5 effective levels for Bardic Music power (but no new abilities or uses), along with +5 Diplo/Perform, for 16,000. Stripping out the skill bonuses, that'd be 11,000 for an item that gives +5 effective level to [class feature], roughly in line with the core Monk's Belt as well. It's just frustrating that I'm level 11 Wildshaper, and all the good combat forms open up at 12HD.