Seeking Legendary Monsters (3.5 DnD, lots custom rules)

Started by Zaer Darkwail, April 08, 2015, 05:54:06 AM

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TheGlyphstone

#100
Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 07:01:08 AM
TheGlyphstone: Indeed it's correct that your cohort cannot craft items for you in start (can craft for itself). But once game starts then cohort can craft things for you (but takes time but you can kick crafter into limbo where time warps so it takes 10 days instead 100 days craft item or such with aid of dimensional door Ao gives).

Anycase psychic reformation is a thing so yes, if you can retrain your feats (can be done with limited wish scroll) you can start out master crafter and then no longer be master crafter once your legendary item is complete. So I allow Sshai's shenanigans (and I allow pathfinder idea that with sick spellcraft check modifier you can ignore some missing spell requirements from items, but need succeed with the Spellcraft vs CL check of the item and every missing spell gives -5 penalty to spellcraft).

Wait - so I can't start the game off with pre-crafted gear, but I could start the game with a 200K heap of gold/materials and immediately boot my cohort off into a fast-time plane to forge me all the stuff I want in just a few days?

Or I could just use Chaos Shuffles to retrain out my feats (way cheaper than scrolls of Limited Wish, especially since we don't have to pay XP costs) and craft them all myself with my ridiculously huge Spellcraft score, and start the game with them that way? Presumably with my meldshaper level as my caster level for feats and such?

Zaer Darkwail

#101
Quote from: TheGlyphstone on April 10, 2015, 02:12:34 PM
Wait - so I can't start the game off with pre-crafted gear, but I could start the game with a 200K heap of gold/materials and immediately boot my cohort off into a fast-time plane to forge me all the stuff I want in just a few days?

Or I could just use Chaos Shuffles to retrain out my feats (way cheaper than scrolls of Limited Wish, especially since we don't have to pay XP costs) and craft them all myself with my ridiculously huge Spellcraft score, and start the game with them that way?

Nop, you cannot save gold (you may have some in bag of holding but bag of holding of any type cannot fit in 200,000gp anyways) for crafting. But correct; Chaos Suffle is allowed to get feats, craft stuff yourself and then chaos shuffle back. Got insane spellcraft check to cover any spells which you do not know (class features or other limits not overcome, just spells) and can start with said gear.

I know, it may sound 'more complex' than just let cohort being crafter of the stuff but point being is that if your capable to do such shenanigans in 12th level yourself, then you can do so. It means you can later chaos shuffle and craft stuff also if you want.

This applies to other shenanigans like qualify to PrC's in 2th level (I noticed you can enter master transmogrifist PrC early as 3th level without being paragon creature and get full spellcasting to 9th level to able use Shapechange and as paragon creature you may qualify in 2th level).

CeruleanSerenity

So after talking it over with Kunoichi... I'm starting to have a solid character concept in mind now, and I thought I should run it by everyone here before going ahead with the sheet. My idea was to play a monavic deva, a former servant of a goddess of love and beauty, whose lustful personality distracted her and her fellow celestials from their duties until her behavior finally became to much even for the goddess. She was cast out, and suddenly free from the responsibilities that had been restraining her, started dreaming of becoming a goddess herself. I'm thinking that she was well on her way to ascending to divinity as a goddess of sex, with worship of her spreading like wildfire across the world, until the gods, jealous and more than a little worried, conspired to have her sealed away.

Mechanically, I was thinking that her martial path would be Battle Dancer (basically a Charisma-based Chaotic Monk) with a little of a Chaotic non-spellcasting Paladin, if I can do that. Her magic path would be a Bard using Perform (Sexual Techniques), if I can get away with that... prestige classes to be determined, but there seem to be a lot of options. Her monster path would be Radiant Monavic Deva, with the template's Radiant Attack refluffed to represent her dazzling beauty. While I assume she wouldn't start out with divine ranks, I'm hoping that she could acquire worshippers and gain ranks during the game.

And I think I'll need permission to use the Battle Dancer... I believe it's in the Dragon Magazine Compendium. If I can use it, I'm hoping it could also use the house rules for the Monk, with any Wisdom-based abilities swapped for Charisma, which is the class's main ability score.

TheGlyphstone

Point of order, but 20,000 platinum pieces would weigh 400 pounds, and fit inside a single Type II Bag of Holding.

But Chaos Shuffle it is! I've got a native +43 to Spellcraft without items, so making my own stuff (well, mechanically - backstory-wise, it will have been my creators who outfitted me) will work out just fine.

Before I start, are you going to apply any caps on how much I can craft? As mentioned upthread, stacking modifiers (crafted,  Extraordinary Artisan feat, Magical Artisan feat, class-specific limitations on use) can end up with huge discounts.

Zaer Darkwail

CeruleanSerenity: I am okay with the concept and the monster base (also allow refluff radiant attack). However if you want swap wisdom for charisma modifier for all purposes as monk, you need take in 1st level feat which mimics 'Martial Artist' (a feat which allows use Int instead Wis for monk class features and AC even). I allow battle dancer and chaotic good paladin (paladin of freedom). CN paladins do not exist so far as I know.

Anycase bard is fine for mystic side, suitable PrC for bard would be likely Cloaked Dancer from Complete Scoundrel (it progress spellcasting, gives some sneak attack dice and some magical 'dancing' abilities). Perform: Sexual techniques is okay but it holds no meaning in actual EP stuff (the stuff which determines how well you pleasure people; all depend on your unarmed strike and modifiers and touch spells or creative use of spells to get erotic stuff done). So sexual technique could indicate all sexual related performances like strip tease, sensual massage, sensual storytelling etc. So wide variety but specific focus.

Anycase besides that you need determine what turned you to legendary monster; your attempt sealed backfired on the minions of other gods who opposed her goals (instead empowering her) or she was sealed but her imprisonment grew her powers through a event which then made her legendary monster (give a change) and then breaks free (so sort imprisoned but not by Ao as you were not legendary yet).

TheGlyphstone: Your cap for legendary item is 150,000gp, no more with the +25% discount for crafting (it cannot stack further). It may cost 100,000gp or less but overall price cannot go past 150,000gp (so in short you cannot craft item which halved cost is more than 75,000gp).

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 02:43:38 PM

TheGlyphstone: Your cap for legendary item is 150,000gp, no more with the +25% discount for crafting (it cannot stack further). It may cost 100,000gp or less but overall price cannot go past 150,000gp (so in short you cannot craft item which halved cost is more than 75,000gp).

No 80% discounts then. :'(

Still very workable. Time to get cracking; a legendary item that costs a maximum of 75,000 to craft, then the rest of my stuff which can cost a total of 125,000.

Zaer Darkwail

Yeah, so you get kind 1/4 more gold. Also how you would get 80% discount anyways? Curious.

TheGlyphstone

#107
Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 03:04:46 PM
Yeah, so you get kind 1/4 more gold. Also how you would get 80% discount anyways? Curious.

-Crafting an item by default requires half its list price in gold (50% discount).
-The Extraordinary Artisan feat reduces GP cost of all crafting by 25%.
-The Magical Artisan feat reduces crafting cost of one specific item creation feat by 25%.
-An item that requires a specific class or alignment to function is reduced by 30%.

100 * (.50) * (.75) * (.75) * (.70) = 19.68% of list price.

With the Legendary Artisan feat (reduces XP costs by 25%) comboed with MA you also make stuff at 56.25% of the regular XP costs too.


There's ways to get items even cheaper, down to effectively free, but they involve serious grade cheese, like Liquid Pain extractors and True Creation Fabricate trap loops. This is just stacking synergistic item creation feats.

Zaer Darkwail

Hmmm, I am sure it's not 50%+25%+25%+30% formula. More as 50%, 25% from the 50%, then 12.5% from magical artisan (if speak effective %) and then 1/3 reduction after all % modifiers.

So, 10,000 item costs 5,000gp, then 3,750gp, then 3,281gp and 5 silvers (rounded up) for 3,282gp. Then 2,188gp as final cost. Not sure where this math formula is from though, but stick with that 1/4 more gold is all advantage you get in char gen.

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 03:17:55 PM
Hmmm, I am sure it's not 50%+25%+25%+30% formula. More as 50%, 25% from the 50%, then 12.5% from magical artisan (if speak effective %) and then 1/3 reduction after all % modifiers.

So, 10,000 item costs 5,000gp, then 3,750gp, then 3,281gp and 5 silvers (rounded up) for 3,282gp. Then 2,188gp as final cost. Not sure where this math formula is from though, but stick with that 1/4 more gold is all advantage you get in char gen.

Exactly, it's multiplicative...that's exactly what the above formula is. Adding them would create a 130% discount, which is silly. Multiplying the discount percentages together (50% of full, then 75% of that, then 75% of that, then 70% of that) results in the 71.32% total discount...so not quite 80, but close.

But I am confused about this 25% thing now. Even with no extra modifiers, self-crafting would result in everything being at half cost. That's a 2.0x gold advantage, not a 1/4 more gold advantage. Can you just convert it to list price...if all our gear is hand-made, what is our total wealth allotment 'buying' everything at printed book price? Do we get a total of 250,000 to spend, or a total of 400,000?

Kunoichi

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 02:43:38 PM
CeruleanSerenity: I am okay with the concept and the monster base (also allow refluff radiant attack). However if you want swap wisdom for charisma modifier for all purposes as monk, you need take in 1st level feat which mimics 'Martial Artist' (a feat which allows use Int instead Wis for monk class features and AC even). I allow battle dancer and chaotic good paladin (paladin of freedom). CN paladins do not exist so far as I know.

Cerulean was asking if she could take the houseruled extra class features you made for the Monk class and also have them apply to the Battledancer class, since it's basically like a Charisma-based Monk with a few alternate class features based around the Tumble skill.

Monk
Swashbuckler is no more a class (it merges with monk). Monks gains simple weapon proficiency and then 4 exotic melee weapon proficiencies (and these weapons count as monk weapons for the monk class feature purposes). Monk does not get Improved Flanking, Lucky nor Acrobatic Mastery features. However he gets other features instead.

4th: Ki strike (magic) and later improvements also apply when using monk weapons.

8th: Monk Weapon Mastery; Allows use wisdom bonus besides strength (or int if finessable) for weapon damage rolls with monk weapons and unarmed strikes. In 11th level damage dice grows by one with chosen monk weapons and it grows again in 15th level.

11th: Skill Mastery; Same as rogue talent but uses 1+wis mod formula to pick skills which monk can take 10 with.

Also monk gets bonus feats on 10th and 18th levels as well depending choices they made with earlier bonus feats (or ACF);

10th;
If took stunning fist = You get choose between Freezing the Lifeblood or Fists of Iron
If took draconic fist = You get ability to do breath attacks like dragons do! Once every 1d4 rounds you perform your unarmed strike damage amount damage on foes in 30'ft long cone or line (must choose which shape you took when gained the class feature, element damage is same as with draconic fist).
If took improved grapple = You get choose between Clever Wrestling or Close-Quarters Figthing
If took Soulwarp Strike = Your fists count to have ghost touched property and can use 1/5 monk level times per day Chill Touch as extraordinary ability. Save DC is based on wisdom.

18th; You have choice between Whirlwind Attack or Great Cleave feats.

That said, if your answer there is no, I think that she can still get a pretty similar build by taking the Chaos Monk variant from Dragon Magazine #335.  Since you're allowing a Charisma-based variant of the Kung Fu Genius feat, she should have a pretty solid build. ^^

Zaer Darkwail

TheGlyphstone: Yeah, your absolutely correct. Okay, you get 400,000gp in goods but your legendary item cannot be higher than 150,000gp full price (so got 250,000gp spend for other items which none should cost more than 50,000gp when self-crafted, so can have say five 50,000gp self-crafted items and 75,000gp for legendary item self-crafted). I hope math makes sense now :P.

Kunoichi: I say we scrap the battledancer then if it starts get alternative class features and I do not got both time find it and then edit the original thread include changes to every monk variant (planar monk, incarnum racial monk etc). Simply say Kung Fu Genius feat can be changed to be 'Sexy Kung Fu' so it allows apply charisma instead wisdom to the monk stuff which is main point taking battledancer variant monk I take it.

TheGlyphstone

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 03:37:14 PM
TheGlyphstone: Yeah, your absolutely correct. Okay, you get 400,000gp in goods but your legendary item cannot be higher than 150,000gp full price (so got 250,000gp spend for other items which none should cost more than 50,000gp when self-crafted, so can have say five 50,000gp self-crafted items and 75,000gp for legendary item self-crafted). I hope math makes sense now :P.

Kunoichi: I say we scrap the battledancer then if it starts get alternative class features and I do not got both time find it and then edit the original thread include changes to every monk variant (planar monk, incarnum racial monk etc). Simply say Kung Fu Genius feat can be changed to be 'Sexy Kung Fu' so it allows apply charisma instead wisdom to the monk stuff which is main point taking battledancer variant monk I take it.

Alrighty, now the numbers line up. All good, and time for me to start crunching.

Any issues with the proto-backstory I outlined? Giant monster crafted by a group of desperate spellcasters to stop the Elder Evil Ragnorra, succeeded 'too well' and became an unstoppable rampaging monstrosity even more destructive than Ragnorra would have been? Basically what the Tarrasque wishes it could be.

Zaer Darkwail

I am okay with the background, but the background should end when monster 'eats' Ragnorra and then gets piece of the elder evil power (it's actually living sort of symbiot inside your body and changing and evolving you, so in sort sense did not beat it but sort of did sort of deal).

TheGlyphstone

Sure. Though wouldn't I need to rampage for a bit in order to have a legend?

Honestly, I wish Indarkestknight was around, so I could pick his brains on a few items. He's got some stuff that is either priced wrong, or doesn't work like he thinks they do, or he found a way to make their list prices a heck of a lot cheaper than I can.

Kunoichi

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 03:37:14 PM
Kunoichi: I say we scrap the battledancer then if it starts get alternative class features and I do not got both time find it and then edit the original thread include changes to every monk variant (planar monk, incarnum racial monk etc). Simply say Kung Fu Genius feat can be changed to be 'Sexy Kung Fu' so it allows apply charisma instead wisdom to the monk stuff which is main point taking battledancer variant monk I take it.

The Battle Dancer isn't so much a variant Monk as it is a class that gets the Monk's unarmed strike progression, AC bonuses (but Charisma-based instead of Wisdom), speed bonuses, and Ki Strike abilities, but replaces all the rest of the class features with ones based around the use of the Tumble skill.  I can see where that conflicts with some of the extra class features you added on, though, so if you don't have the time to look it up yourself and figure something out, that's definitely understandable.

The main thing is that Monk and Bard have incompatible alignment requirements, and the Battle Dancer class fixes this because it requires a chaotic alignment, but Chaos Monk should also work on that front.  It's a chaotic variant Monk that replaces a few class features with some more chaos-themed ones that don't conflict with your houseruled additions to the class at all.

Flurry of Blows is replaced with an ability called Flailing Strike that adds on a random number of extra attacks to a full-attack routine, Purity of Body at 5th level is replaced with an ability called Erratic Advance that lets the Monk daze foes for a single round on a charge attack, Wholeness of Body at 7th and Abundant Step at 12th are replaced with an ability that provides a miss chance for a few rounds each day (20% miss chance at 7th, upgrades to 50% miss chance at 12th), the 11th-level Diamond Body ability gets replaced by an ability that grants a reroll once per day on a failed Will save vs a mind-affecting effect, and all the Lawful keywords in things like the Ki Strike and the 20th level Perfect Body ability get replaced with Chaotic keywords.

Overall it's fun, flavorful, and both isn't more powerful than the regular Monk and doesn't conflict with any of the Monk upgrades you came up with. ^^

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on April 10, 2015, 03:59:19 PM
Sure. Though wouldn't I need to rampage for a bit in order to have a legend?

The answer to that question is actually related to the main plot. ;)

TheGlyphstone

Alrighty.

(maybe) final) question - running the numbers on my Legendary Item, its list price comes out to 152,000. Is this close enough that I can slip by?

Zaer Darkwail

Depends what sort item it is TheGlyphstone, write it up. I may likely give bit slip if it's cool nor have anything outrageous silly.

Kunoichi: Ok, chaos monk it is then :).

PaleEnchantress

As far as what deities exist, which cosmology are we using?
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CeruleanSerenity

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 02:43:38 PM
CeruleanSerenity: I am okay with the concept and the monster base (also allow refluff radiant attack). However if you want swap wisdom for charisma modifier for all purposes as monk, you need take in 1st level feat which mimics 'Martial Artist' (a feat which allows use Int instead Wis for monk class features and AC even). I allow battle dancer and chaotic good paladin (paladin of freedom). CN paladins do not exist so far as I know.

Anycase bard is fine for mystic side, suitable PrC for bard would be likely Cloaked Dancer from Complete Scoundrel (it progress spellcasting, gives some sneak attack dice and some magical 'dancing' abilities). Perform: Sexual techniques is okay but it holds no meaning in actual EP stuff (the stuff which determines how well you pleasure people; all depend on your unarmed strike and modifiers and touch spells or creative use of spells to get erotic stuff done). So sexual technique could indicate all sexual related performances like strip tease, sensual massage, sensual storytelling etc. So wide variety but specific focus.
That all sounds fine to me. I mostly wanted the class to be able to use Charisma with Monk-like abilities, so if you would rather I take a feat for that, I can do that. I can see her alignment going either way... while I was leaning a bit towards Chaotic Neutral (and there's a Paladin variant for that in Dragon Magazine #310, as well as another straightforward variant someone homebrewed here), but I could go with a Paladin of Freedom too. I don't have her personality settled in my head just yet... so I can use that class if you prefer.

(And I'm glad you're okay with concepts getting a little silly, because now that you've mentioned it, using bardic performance via striptease is something I just have to try.)

Quote from: Zaer Darkwail on April 10, 2015, 02:43:38 PM
Anycase besides that you need determine what turned you to legendary monster; your attempt sealed backfired on the minions of other gods who opposed her goals (instead empowering her) or she was sealed but her imprisonment grew her powers through a event which then made her legendary monster (give a change) and then breaks free (so sort imprisoned but not by Ao as you were not legendary yet).
I was thinking that her legendary status came from the worship she received before she was sealed away, elevating her to a status close to actual divinity. But I'm not sure if that works out... should I decide on something else?

TheGlyphstone

Pendant of the Inescapable Beast
Nothing stops the advance of the All-Consuming Inferno - no armor can stave off its might, no speed can outrun its pursuit, no hiding place can escape its gaze. Worldscour's natural attacks and unarmed strikes gain a +3 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls, strike as melee touch attacks, and can be used as if they were thrown weapons with a range increment of 20ft. Worldscour also gains a +4 enhancement bonus to its Wisdom score while the pendant is worn.

Components: Amulet of Mighty Fists +3 (54,000)
-add Continuous Wraithstrike effect (48,000*1.5=72,000)
-add Continuous Blood Wind effect (8000*1.5=12000)
-add  +4 Enhancement bonus to Wisdom (16000)
Total list price of 154,000, crafting cost of 77,000.

Everything individually is stuff you've already approved for Sshai, so I should be good; I've just rolled it all into one item (which cost me a hefty penalty). And I think he messed up the math on his charms anyways.

Kunoichi

Quote from: PaleEnchantress on April 10, 2015, 04:30:28 PM
As far as what deities exist, which cosmology are we using?

We've got multiple parallel universes going in the game, so whichever cosmology you'd prefer to use can be the one that applies to your character's universe.  The only constant is that there's a single Sigil through the entirety of it all that serves as a central crossover point for everything.

Zaer Darkwail

Quote from: PaleEnchantress on April 10, 2015, 04:30:28 PM
As far as what deities exist, which cosmology are we using?

Any you wish to use for your own char. We speak of epic game where you got a door which functions like Tardis from Doctor Who (only 1 month front or back in time in every possible alternative reality, expect with limit you cannot find alternative version of yourself but can find echoes of your legends across all alternative realities with some twists/changes, like if your char is villain in some universe your worshiped as a heroic god).

But as mentioned; Sigil is only exception as there is only single Sigil across all parallel/alternative universes. Any residents born in Sigil however may have 'clones' in some universes who do not live in Sigil.

Quote from: CeruleanSerenity on April 10, 2015, 04:33:09 PM
I was thinking that her legendary status came from the worship she received before she was sealed away, elevating her to a status close to actual divinity. But I'm not sure if that works out... should I decide on something else?

Well, thing is you were not legendary before you got sealed but you had collected followers. It's likely that even if you did not grant spells, the followers were entirely devoted to you and you alone. I think specific trigger in here is that when very last of your follower 'dies' by some reason, her faith (and faith of dozen) before the last follower reaches a climax and in surge of divine power you break free from the seal as you transform from 'powerful semi-divine entity' into a 'legendary monster' because of that last mortal's sacrifice. It may be perhaps law in your universe if follower dies without worshiping a 'proper god' their divine essence goes to waste....but in your case it did not as cosmic force then decided just bank it up until last worshiper died and slam you with it (think it that every follower life added income to bank account which had yearly raise and when last follower, donor, died, then bank account gave all income earned in closed account).

This is just my suggestion as it then gives you reasonable plot to seek reestablish your following in the home world....or in other worlds as well.

Quote from: TheGlyphstone on April 10, 2015, 04:34:01 PM
Pendant of the Inescapable Beast
Nothing stops the advance of the All-Consuming Inferno - no armor can stave off its might, no speed can outrun its pursuit, no hiding place can escape its gaze. World scourge's natural attacks and unarmed strikes gain a +3 enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls, strike as melee touch attacks, and can be used as if they were thrown weapons with a range increment of 20ft. World scourge also gains a +4 enhancement bonus to its Wisdom score while the pendant is worn.

Components: Amulet of Mighty Fists +3 (54,000)
-add Continuous Wraithstrike effect (48,000*1.5=72,000)
-add Continuous Blood Wind effect (8000*1.5=12000)
-add  +4 Enhancement bonus to Wisdom (16000)
Total list price of 154,000, crafting cost of 77,000.

I approve the item.

Kunoichi

Quote from: CeruleanSerenity on April 10, 2015, 04:33:09 PM
That all sounds fine to me. I mostly wanted the class to be able to use Charisma with Monk-like abilities, so if you would rather I take a feat for that, I can do that. I can see her alignment going either way... while I was leaning a bit towards Chaotic Neutral (and there's a Paladin variant for that in Dragon Magazine #310, as well as another straightforward variant someone homebrewed here), but I could go with a Paladin of Freedom too. I don't have her personality settled in my head just yet... so I can use that class if you prefer.

One good mechanical reason to be good-aligned is the Words of Creation feat from the Book of Exalted Deeds, which can give you a pretty big boost to your Inspire Courage numbers.  That said, you could definitely still make a solid character if you wanted to be chaotic neutral. ^^

Zaer Darkwail

Aye, Words of Creation feat is most powerful feats what bard can ever get, but it asks to be good aligned. However even if your paladin of freedom you can be demi-goddess of sex and carnal delight (you just may have less forceful than CN would be....but you can be darn persuasive as a bard make people see things your way).