LordofProcrastination's Dirty Tricks

[Soundwave]

I could only find these first two pieces if anyone else has the rest.

LordofProcrastination's Dirty Tricks

Welcome to a series of short articles dedicated to sharing optimization concepts and combos from my personal playbook. While not as ground-shaking as my larger projects like the 100^10 Elite Optimization Challenge, Nanobots, the Twice-Betrayer of Shar, etc, I hope you enjoy these Dirty Tricks for what they are -- carefully explored pathways to optimization power.


Dirty Trick #1: Behold!

Summary

    Through use of Polymorph any Object and Metamorphic Transfer, characters can qualify for Beholder Mage, a kickarse class.

Ingredients

    Beholder Mage (prestige class) [Lords of Madness, pg 42-44]
    Polymorph any Object (spell) [Players Handbook, pg 263]
    Beholder (creature) [Monster Manual, pg 25]
    Metamorphic Transfer (feat) [Expanded Psionics Handbook, pg 48]


The Trick

The Beholder Mage has three tricky requirements to meet. Two are listed up front: the character must be a "true beholder," and must "put out central antimagic eye." Hidden in the Spells section, the third requirement surfaces: "whenever a beholder mage gains the ability to cast a new level of spells, it must sacrifice the use of its eye rays from one of its ten small eyestalks."

The first is fairly simple. A "true beholder" is a racial distinction, differentiated from type, subtype, and even the "beholderkin" psuedotype. Normally, polymorph, alter self, and shapechange grant the "type" or "form" of a creature, but not race. However, Polymorph any Object spell is different. It says:
Quote:
Originally Posted by SRD 3.5, Polymorph any Object
This spell functions like polymorph, except that it changes one object or creature into another.
In the above wording there is none of this "form of" crap -- one creature or object becomes another creature or object, a ruling specifically differentiated from the previous half-arsedness of polymorph/alter self. So, if we were to pick "true beholder" as our designated new creature type, the target (presumably a character wanting to get some Beholder Mage power) would change into a true beholder, race and all. Due to quirks of the spell, the new true beholder would retain previous class features and abilities, but would be no less the beholder for it.

The second, "must put out central antimagic eye" has been a real stumbling block for people who previously considered entry into Beholder Mage. The trouble centers around the fact that while Polymorph any Object does grant the target a true central eye, the lack of supernatural abilities means that there is nothing formally "antimagic" about this semi-vestigial oculus. There are two ways to go about answering this problem -- one is to say that "central antimagic eye" refers to the eye commonly known for its antimagic properties, and thus "antimagic" is just an extra clarifier term since the phrase "central antimagic eye" literally never appears as-is anywhere else in any 3.5 book. According to this school of thought, poking out the vestigial central eye should be enough to count. I don't buy it. It would be a tough sell at best, especially to a potentially hard-line DM or RAW Lawyer.

The other way of thinking about the matter is to identify "antimagic central eye" with the eye from with the "Antimagic Cone" supernatural ability of true beholders is emitted. Thus, to give up such an antimagic ability, one must possess it in the first place. This is where Metamorphic Transfer comes in. This nifty feat actually lets you "gain" a supernatural ability from the powers of a creature that you shapechange into. The uses of said ability are limited, but what is important is the gaining, or possession of the ability, not the exercise thereof. Thus, the antimagic cone (su) ability can be obtained at the price of one feat, and can be then sacrificed for the greater good.

Once we're familiar with Metamorphic Transfer, the third issue, eye-ray-to-spell-stalk conversion matter falls into place quite nicely. As it turns out, all of the eye rays are listed as a single supernatural ability, "Eye Rays (su)" in the descriptive text and the stats block for the True Beholder, and can be thus snagged in one fell swoop with a single Metamorphic Transfer. I know some people may be saying, "hey, but the rays can do different things, aren't they individual powers?" The answer is typical D&D rules quirkiness -- by all measurable standards of power-identification (grouped listing in the statistics block for supernatural abilities, a single descriptive text header with (su) identifier, non-distinctive power listing, etc), the disparate capabilities of a Beholder's little eyes are technically all part of one single supernatural capability. One psionic feat later, you have the use of eye-rays to sacrifice, and your Beholder-Mage is set for liftoff!


The Possibilities

Making It Work
So, how soon can we slide into the Beholder Mage Class? Assuming that the character has 17 Int or higher a single application of Polymorph Any Object is can be permanent. Whether through Use Magic Device'ing a scroll (3,000 gp) or paying up for NPC spellcasting (1,200 gp), Beholderification should be available around 4th level for the average PC by DMG wealth standards.

Metamorphic Transfer is a slightly slower matter -- the "manifester level 5th" requirement means that obtaining it twice will have to wait until 5th or 6th level, taking advantage of a Psion/Psychic Warrior's 5th level bonus feat and the usual 6th level freebie. Of course, obtaining the prerequisite supernatural abilities could be accomplished through Shapechange or Master of Many Forms, but these options are generally slower and more time-sensitive than the aforementioned options.

Double Your Pleasure
So, now you're a Beholder Mage. Enjoy gaining a new level of available spells every time you advance. Have fun advancing in caster level twice as fast as everyone else. Spontaneous casting from an unlimited spell list? To put it colloquially, "Daaaaaang."

Decuple Your Fun
Did I forget to mention that you can cast 10 spells a round... all as free actions? Let that one brew for a while, then treat yourself to the first build opportunity ever to grant 9th-level arcane spellcasting and 9th level manifesting, simultaneously.

Sample Builds

    PsiArcane Abomination: Psion 9/Beholder Mage 2/Cerebremancer 8/XYZ 1
    Monstrous Ur-Theurge: Psychic Warrior 5/XYZ 1/Beholder Mage 2/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 8/XYZ 2
    Pure EyeMage: Psion 6/Beholder Mage 2/Cerebremancer 1/Incantrix 10/XYZ 1
    Dedicated Beholderform Caster: Psion 6/Beholder Mage 2/Cerebremancer 2/Master Transmogrifist 10



LordofProcrastination's Dirty Tricks

Welcome to a series of short articles dedicated to sharing optimization concepts and combos from my personal playbook. While not as ground-shaking as my larger projects like the 100^10 Elite Optimization Challenge, Nanobots, the Twice-Betrayer of Shar, etc, I hope you enjoy these Dirty Tricks for what they are -- carefully explored pathways to optimization power.


Dirty Trick #2: The Perpetual Damage Machine

Summary

    A number of damage-creating/redirecting spells can be used in tandem to create a self-sustaining pattern of infinite damage involving creatures of your choice. This infinite damage can be used for your own benefit.

Ingredients

    Share Pain (power) [Expanded Psionics Handbook, pg 132]
    Glory of the Martyr (spell) [Players Guide to Faerun pg 103, Book of Exalted Deeds, pg 99-100]
    Delay Death (spell) [Races of Destiny pg 165]
    Beastland Ferocity (spell) [Planar Handbook, pg 95]
    Four or more participants other than the primary character.
    A bucket of water.


The Trick

Cast Glory of the Martyr, targetting four or more willing creatures of your choice. These could be teammates, hired NPCs, animal companions, etc. Then, cast Share Pain once per creature, establishing the link directionality such that damage dealt to you is sent to them.

Consider the relationship between the caster and a single creature. The caster deals himself X damage. Thanks to Share Pain, the creature takes X/2 damage. Thanks to Glory of the Martyr, the caster takes X/4 damage. Since the caster gets back 1/4 of his original damage input from a single participant-spell-loop, we need four or more participants to get back the same amount we put in.

Let's do a test run. The caster drops a rock on his toe for 8 points of damage. The share pain iterations mean that 4 damage would be dealt to each of the participants. However, the glory of the martyr spell means that each of the participants only takes half of the share pain damage, while the caster is dealt 2 points per participant, resulting in 8 points total dealt to the caster.

That's one cycle. In the end, the caster is dealt 8 points of damage, the same amount as when we started. This 8 damage starts the whole cycle over again instantaneously, and the system begins to loop infinitely. Result: 4 damage dealt to the caster an infinite amount of times, resulting in infinite damage. The participants take 2 damage an infinite amount of times, also resulting in infinite damage. Given that no time is expended for this to work, this infinite damage is effectively dealt all in the same round, for as long as the system persists.

It's also important to note that if there are more than four participants, the amount of damage will continue to increase, as the cycle will be ending with more damage dealt to the the caster than was done at the start. The approximate formula is: (Original Damage) x (Number of Participants x 1/4)^(Cycle Number). The end result of this situation is infinite damage dealt an infinite amount of times. This is normally not desirious, especially if your participants are not immune to death from massive damage or would like to make concentration checks to cast spells.

The Possibilities

To do more than spectacularly explode with this trick, you need to do three things: stay alive during the loop, power some useful ability, and make it back afterwards.

Staying Alive
The first priority is simply not instantly collapsing as your hit points zoom to negative infinity. I suggest the Delay Death spell or the Frenzied Berserker's "Deathless Frenzy" ability. Both have limited duration, but your damage is no object.

Still, being alive but unconscious (in the "dying" state) is pretty uncool, too. You can use Beastland Ferocity, the Diehard feat, Boar's Ferocity (a Wild feat from Complete Divine), or Shifter Ferocity from Eberron to maintain functionality, i.e. continue to take actions.

I'm all ears for other options, since none of these have particularly nice durations without my Twice Betrayer persistification trick.

If you want to cast spells more efficiently, you can effectively share these "life support" spells by virtue of the War Weaver prestige class's "Eldritch Tapestry," the Affinity Field power, those spell-sharing gloves from the DMG II, or by having your participants be your familiar/animal companion/special mount and benefit from the "Share Spells" ability.

Damage converted to Power
So, you're bursting with infinite damage. Now do it with style.

The bland way to do this would be to redirect the damage to your enemies. Affinity Field or Forced Share Pain are probably the best way to do this.

However, if you're really interested in versatility, consider the "Holy Suffering" ability of the Martyred Champion of Ilmater (Players Guide to Faerun, page 185. Whenever dealt more than 50 damage in a round, the next round your character receives a +1 sacred bonus to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for every 10 points of damage. That's right, +Infinity on your vital stats. Kickarse.

The masochism spell from the Book of Vile Darkness produces the same effect, too, if you're into that sort of thing.

While we're talking about the BoVD, check out the rules for sacrificing creatures. The power outputs (spell effects, virtual XP and GP) are dependent entirely on a Knowledge: Religion check. Combo with masochism for infinite craft-xp/gp gain from sacrificing a kobold...

Making it Back
Alright, you've had your power trip, and now it's time to pay the price. There are two ways out: suck it up and die, or somehow bring your hit points back to manageable levels. In both situations, you should dismiss your damage-dealing spells and let the loop fizzle first.

If you're feeling dirty, go the cheap way and stick your head in a bucket of water. The DMG's rules on drowning say that if you fail your constitution check, you go directly to 0 hit points exactly. So, voluntarily fail your constitution check and go from negative infinity to 0 without any hassle. Talk about baptismal rebirth...

A few spells replicate this drowning mechanic, or other wise set hit points at a manageable point from which contingent healing spells, fast healing, or your friendly cleric can take over. Miasma [Complete Divine] and drown [Underdark] are such spells to consider.

If you're feeling studly, don't be afraid to bite the dust. Contingent true resurrections are alright if you have the cash, and taking the 10th level in Ardent Dilettante means that you'll suffer no side effects even from lesser (i.e. cheaper) raise-dead/resurrection spells. Still, if you're dirty and cheap, snag Revivify from the Miniature's Handbook. It's a 5th level spell that resurrects with no side effects, but only works the round after someone's death. A friendly cleric could pick up the slack, but if you're the self-reliant type, cast/UMD it on yourself in conjunction with Delay Spell, and time it to activate the round after you bite it.

Sample Build: The Infinite Martyr of Ilmater

Race: Human
Classes: Cleric 7/Martyred Champion of Ilmater 5/Wizard 1/Psion 3/Beastmaster 4
Relevant Feats: Endurance, Nimbus of Light, Skill Focus (handle animal), Psicrystal Affinity, Delay Spell, Divine Metamagic (Delay Spell)
Relevant Special Abilities: Holy Suffering, 2 Animal Companions, Psicrystal, Familiar

Not exactly elegant, but that's never been Lawful Good's forte. However, the Infinite Martyr is entirely self-sufficient to produce a Perpetual Damage Mechanism, benefit from it, and make it out alive. The assorted magical companions are there to provide willing participants which efficiently share sustaining spells without the insecurities of relying on teammates or unfortunate peasants.


FAQ

Q:Wouldn't the original damage be split up between the different Share Pain iterations and thus give diminishing returns?
A: In answering this question, the first thing to remember in resolving this damage loop is that damage is not a conserved quantity. The spells/powers involved actually deal damage according to a trigger, not move around a limited amount of damage. All of the damage-related spells involved prevent "one half of the normal hit point damage" from a wound, and then deal damage equal to the amount "not dealt to the warded creature." This means that multiple iterations of Share Pain (etc) result in the caster taking one-half of the normal damage from a wound, rather than [1/(2*Number of Share Pain iterations)] damage. We could also make the argument from the standpoint of the spell-stacking rules, but the result is the same: having a bunch of Share Pains on your character still means s/he takes exactly half damage from any given wound.

Q: I like this dirty trick, but it's not as good as...
A: Yes, there are a few other infinite loop or nigh-infinite loop combos out there. This trick is just a new one with its own quirks, possibilities, and a healthy dose of style.

Q: Haven't you made enough [Descriptive Title] of [Faerunian God] builds?
A: Apparently, not quite yet.


Special Note

A specific version of the Perpetual Damage Machine is currently being used to challenge mighty Pun-Pun. Please go here to read the details and direct any Pun-Pun related comparisons or comments there as well.

[Hics]

here ^^

Dirty Trick #3: Attack of the Clones
Summary

The Wu Jen spell Body outside Body can be made widely available, semi-permanent, and terribly useful for
constructing synergetic clone combos.

Ingredients
Body outside Body (spell) [Complete Arcane, pg 100]
Artificer (class) [Eberron Campaign Setting, pg 29-33]
Extra Spell (feat) [Complete Arcane, pg 79-80]
Metamagic Item (infusion) [Eberron Campaign Setting, pg 113-114]
Recaster (prestige class) [Races of Eberron, pg 157-161]
Divine Metamagic (feat) [Complete Divine, pg 80]
Incantrix (prestige class) [Player's Guide to Faerun, pg 61-63]

The Trick
From sci-fi epics to anime tropes to Zhentarim leaders, everybody loves clones. Body outside Body is the
most efficient way in D&D to obtain self-duplicates, even though the creators of the spell thought they were
keeping the cloning fun under control by preventing clones from casting spells. But what if one could cast
this 7th level spell and get duplicates who are not only more useful than a bunch of neutered casters (read:
medium-level commoners), but stuck around all day long? Preposterous!
This trick breaks down into three steps: getting ahold of Body Outside Body, selecting useful abilities that
synergize when cloned, and making it work when you need it.

Getting Body Outside Body
Body outside Body is a 7th level Wu Jen spell, not exactly the most mainstream spell in the canon. Unless
you want to deal with the less-than-spectacular Wu Jen spell-list, we'll have to steal Body outside Body for
others to use. For full-casters of other classes, the simplest way of doing this is the Extra Spell feat, which
allows characters to learn a new spell one level lower than their current maximum castable spell-level,
regardless of original spell-list source. This means that the character will have to obtain 8th level spellcasting,
a fairly easy goal.
Alternately, the Recaster prestige class offers the extended knowledge class feature at 2nd and 4th level
which essentially mimics the Extra Spell feat without costing a precious feat-slot of your own. It comes at the
price of a single-level drop in spellcasting progression and a straightjacketed race, but if you're strapped for
feats, it's the way to go. Finally, the Artificer, or any Use-Magic-Device expert, can effectively reproduce the
spell with items at relatively low cost.
LoP(tm) Brand Long-Lasting Clones
Making it work when you need it is surprisingly simple for one big reason: Body outside Body is persistifiable.
That is to say, it has a fixed range, and thus we can apply the Persistent Spell metamagic feat to it. Day-long
clones, rather than one-minute wonders? Yikes. Since Body outside Body is a 7th level spell, we'll have to use
metamagic shenanigans to apply Persistent Spell pre-epic. The usual suspects show up: Divine Metamagic,
the Spelldancer's spelldancing, the Incantrix's metamagic effect, and the Metamagic Item for Artificers. All
have the same result: 24-hour duplicates.

The Possibilities
The big point of customization for this trick is selecting a build which results in a character that plays well
when duplicated. The ground work of obtaining Body outside Body and persistification taken care of, the wide
world of possibilities lie before us. The important caveat to remember is that your duplicates keep pretty
much every capability of the original except the capacity to actually cast spells or use spell-trigger items.
Alternate power systems are the very first to spring to mind. Psionics and Incarnum. Both can be developed
side-by-side with the spellcasting capacity necessary to get to Body outside Body, via the Cerebremancer or
Soulcaster prestige classes. Your clones may not be able to cast spells per se, but obtaining the services of
three or more high-level nearly-full-progression psions or soulmelders at the price of a single Body outside
Body spell isn't shabby at all.
Things get even more awesome when we consider the inherent flexibility of psionics and incarnum. Load up
assorted Incarnum feats then produce a bunch of duplicates who can invest their essentia into different
abilities. Crank out a squad of mid-to-high-level psions to metaconcert with, or better, go nova in your place.
If versatility is your thing, learn psychic chirurgery and psychic reformation and have your duplicates
rearrange themselves to learn powers useful for the immediate situation which weren't anticipated with your
main character's power selection. Finally, if things get a little crowded, top it all off with fusion to recombine
your duplicates, merging into a single being with insane power points, a wide variety of powers manifestable,
and utter expendability in a single glorious multi-nova.
The Artificer has a knack for coming out just as good as anyone, and this trick is no exception. Infusions are
very clearly not spells, so when an Artificer uses metamagic item to persistify a Body outside Body staff, the
duplicates are 90% functional artificers. Sure, they can't use wands or staffs themselves, but they're a
nearly-free source of miscellaneous infusions, skill-monkeying, and free crafting. Since the BoB clones only
last a day, they're limited to around 1000 gp/item, but with Exceptional Artisan to speed up the process and
retain essence to reap the rewards, they're worth the investment of a single staff charge.
All sorts of miscellaneous class features synergize with this particular Dirty Trick. A straight-up arcane
Incantrix can appreciate the benefit of a bunch of BoB clones using cooperative metamagic or metamagic
effect to enhance the original's spells. If you plan ahead and purchase extra spellcraft-enhancing items,
Incantrix clones have the potential to partner up with every caster in your party, adding metamagic powers
without ever having to use spells themselves.
Chameleon is a tempting prospect for those willing to take a hit to spellcasting. A two-level dip earns each
duplicate a free-floating feat for each clone to use differently. Excellent free-floaters include Shape Soulmeld
and Expanded Knowledge. Dip deeply enough, and your character will be able to replicate the better part of a
party all by himself. Himselves. Whatever.
The list goes on and on. Warlock is nasty and nice, since Invocations are officially not spells and your BoB
clones would be 100% blast-and-cast ready. If the BoB-user isn't dead-set on being a full-caster, there are
countless prestige classes that offer independently-useful abilities that don't rely on spellcasting. Even
though alternate-system (infusions, incarnum, psionics) combos are probably the most spectacular, any
prestige class or feat that enables either stacking synergy or versatility are good to choose when you use this
Dirty Trick.

Sample Builds
Extremely Basic: Wu Jen 3/Psion 3/Cerebremancer 10/Spelldancer 1/XYZ 3
Metamagic Madness: Wizard 5/Incantrix 10/Recaster 5
Incarnum Expert:Cleric or Wizard 3/Incarnate 3/Soulcaster 10/XYZ 4
Artificer Knows Best: Artificer 20
Beholder BoB: Psion 6/Beholder Mage 2/Cerebremancer 8/Thrallherd 4
One-Man Team: Artificer 12/Chameleon 8
Ur-Cloner:Psion or Incarnate 10/Ur-Priest 2/Psychic Theurge or Sapphire Heirarch 8

Your Build Here:

Bonus Mini-Tricks

Clown Car Feats: When using Fusion on your clones, remember that your feats are pooled. This means that if
you've selected self-stacking feats, you've suddenly multiplied their benefits. Think "Extra Turning,"
"Extra/Rapid Stunning," "Extra Wild Shape," "Extra Smiting," "Extra/Extended Rage," "Toughness," or
"Improved Damage Reduction" for small fry, or "Extra Slot," "Extra Invocation," and "Familiar Spell" for
serious self-synergy.

Every Psionic Power: Learn psychic reformation and psychic chirurgery. Make some clones, and have them
use psychic reformation on themselves to learn powers you don't know already. Then, have them manifest
psychic chirurgery, footing the XP bill themselves, to transplant those powers directly into the original. Do
this enough times, and you'll know every power in existence. Yum.

Unlimited Permanent Wealth: Without abusing the D&D set market prices, even! Psionic-capable BoB clones
+ True Creation. Again, the clones foot the XP bill. Have them do it on your own free Genesis-created
demi-plane. Augmented with free items made by bend reality and reality revision. While vicariously remote
viewing all of the enemies your clones identified with metafaculty, but have been stripped of all their powers
by apopsi. Or, if an artificer, sipping from your unlimited supply of cherry-flavored potions. And other such
Dirty-Trick-enabled luxuries.

FAQ

Q: Hey, some of your sample builds aren't optimal. What about...
A: Excellent. They're meant to be samples, so any improvements suggested or entirely new BoB Builds would
be most welcome.

Q: Are you sure Extra Spell works like that? Divine casters shouldn't be able to ahold of arcane spells and
then apply divine metamagic to them.
A: Even though the Extra Spell feat is in Complete Arcane, its requirements and technical wording are
arcane/divine blind. Furthermore, any given spell isn't inherently "arcane" or "divine," it's just available to
certain classes who may cast spells as arcane or divine. Look at all the spells that are on multiple spell lists.

Q: Can anyone actually use this trick? I don't know if my sane DM would allow...
A: This particular Dirty Trick is pretty actual-game-friendly, since it primarily uses material from the generally
respectable Complete books, and the level of power yield depends both on long-term build planning and
player creativity in character. I've actually tried it out a few times, and the hilarious roleplaying implications
of cloning typically outweigh any backlash from heavy optimization.

Q: What about psionic-magic transparency? Wouldn't that mean that BoB clones can't use psionic powers?
A: There are two approaches to this, both of which result in agreeing that BoB clones should be capable of
using psionics.
The first is the "enumerated effects" approach, which Tleilaxu_Ghola expressed nicely. Because the
magicpsionics transparency rule has a specific part where it explains how things works mechanically, we have
a solid standard. Since loss of power manifesting as a result of spellcasting loss is not one of the facets of the
interaction rules, the transparency rule says that manifesting capability and spellcasting capability are
functionally independent.
The second approach is to use clear precedent. Consider the mental pinnacle spell in the Expanded Psionics
Handbook and SRD. Mental pinnacle gives the character psionic manifesting capability, and then says that
"you lose your spellcasting ability." If we were to interpret loss of ability to cast spells as the loss of ability to
manifest powers, then this spell would do exactly nothing. Certainly, this single case is not a definitive ruling,
but it is a valuable precedent confirming RAW support for the independence of manifesting capability and
spellcasting capability.

Dirty Trick #4: The Nasty Gentlemen

Summary
Symbiont's "Share Spell" ability and capability of taking actions allows for the wild synergetic multiplication of
many spells' effects.

Ingredients
Symbionts (creatures) [Magic of Eberron, pg 153-158]
Cerebral Symbionts (creatures) [Fiend Folio, pg 216-218]
Fiendish Symbionts (creatures) [Fiend Folio, pg 218-222]
Impure Prince (prestige class) [Magic of Eberron, pg 73-76]
Symbiont Master (feat) [Magic of Eberron, pg 51]
Spontaneous Summoner (feat) [Complete Divine, pg 85]

The Trick
Symbionts are handy. Err, "tentacle-y." They're entirely portable, have few, if any, formal limitations on the amount
that can bond with a single host, and provide a host of minor benefits to careful users, including minor stat boosts,
increased hit points, and spell-like abilities.
Nice, but hardly impressive.
Now let's go back to an often-overlooked aspect of symbionts: each symbiont has the "symbiont" subtype. Old news.
Now add this: the symbiont subtype includes the "Share Spells" ability. Huh, has potential. Let's throw in the fact that
this Share Spells ability is better than the familiar ability by the same name AND you can have as many of these
buggers as you can find/buy/etc. Getting somewhere. Next, realize that a good portion of the symbionts retain their
ability to take independent (though directed) actions, including attacks. Neat, now only if they could do something with
all of these actions. Enter spellcasting.
There is a host of powerful spells which give a character some capability which requires action to activate.
These spells are shared with all of a character's symbionts, who can use their own actions (attacks, move actions,
full-round-actions, standard actions, swift actions, etc) to gain offensive, defensive, or general-utility benefit.
The result is that a single casting of a spell intended to be used only once a round can be multiplied hundreds of times over.

The Possibilities
It keeps getting better.

Obtaining Symbionts:
Amazingly easy to do. As Magic of Eberron suggests, players can essentially consider symbionts as treasure for the
purpose of wealth calculation. The base prices range from 1,000 to 8,000 gp, reasonably accessible at all levels. For the
more economically-minded or particularly outrageous symbiont-using gentleperson, the Impure Prince prestige class
allows you to lure symbionts for only 100 gp a pop. If a Princely character is willing to spend all of their cash on becoming
a tentacle monster, this translates to 7,600 symbionts by level 20.
Alternately, a riskier manuever would be to Polymorph any Object objects or followers into symbionts for an additional
boost in your ranks.
Dispelling/disjunctioning would be a real risk, but until then, the sky's the limit.

Gaining Benefit (boring title, crazy implications)
The reason for the title of this Dirty Trick comes from the mental image of a character truly taking advantage of its implications:
a perfectly sophisticated and dignified-looking spellcaster who erupts into a mass of churning tentacles, grasping claws, spikes,
spewing gouts of fire and brimstone, and striking with uncanny potency at a moment's notice.
Imagery aside, the best spells to pick for this trick are the ones which have a range of "Personal" and/or a target of "You."
These spells are the ones easiest to share with your hundreds of glorified tapeworm buddies, and even better, are easily
persistified through the usual metamagic routes. Out of this broad category, go for spells which add natural attacks, enable
action-activated ranged abilities, enhance existing attack modes, or have a limited number of times which each individual "you"
can use the spell. Alternately, if you're not concerned with repeatability, non-personal-range spells are also permitted and can
be shared just as easily, if not for all day long.
Remember kids, the surgeon general says that playing with symbionts can be hazardous to your health, so stock up on
ability-damage immunity, or at least make certain to befriend at least one divine spellcaster with a bucketfull of restoration
handy. Sheltered Vitality from Libris Mortis, the Restoration and Heal chains, Construct Essence, and miscellaneous class/creature
abilities are all WotC-approved methods of safe symbiosis.
I've compiled a basic list of good spells to consider below, but I'm wide open for any other options. Remember that if a spell
produces negative side-effects (such as limiting spellcasting), you can always choose to have the spell affect your symbionts and
not your Nasty Gentleman himself. This makes Nightstalker's Transformation, Tenser's Transformation, and Mental Pinnacle all
excellent choices to produce a hyperdeadly, multi-talented mass of options.

Symbiont Synergetic Spells
Ranged Awesome Spells:
Dragon Breath (Wiz, Clr) [the Complete Divine version]
Righteous Glare (Wiz, Clr)
Lightning Ring (Wiz)
Undermaster (Wiz, Druid)
Nimbus of Light (Clr)
Darkfire (Clr)
Skull Eyes (Initiate of Cyric)
Holy Star (Initiate of Mystra)
Stormrage (Clr, Druid)
Produce Flame (Druid)
Blinding Beauty (Druid, Clr)
Unearthly Beauty (Druid)
Cast in Stone (Druid)
Melee-Based Spells:
Fist of Stone (Wiz)
Flame Dagger (Wiz)
Claw of Darkness (Wiz)
Gutsnake (Wiz)
Body Blades (Clr)
Black Talon (Initiate of Cyric)
Death Dragon (Clr)
Snakebite (Druid)
Spore Cloak (Druid)
Toothed Tentacle (Wiz)
Venomfire (Clr, Druid)
Meta-Enhancements:
Critical Strike (Wiz)
Grave Strike (Wiz, Clr)
Vine Strike (Druid)
Nightstalker's Transformation (Wiz)
Mental Pinnacle (Wiz)
Bladeweave (Wiz)
Wraithstrike (Wiz)
Tenser's Transformation (Wiz)
Divine Favor (Clr)
War Cry (Bard)
Kiss of the Vampire (Wiz)
Improvisation (Bard)
Divine Sacrifice (Paladin)
Swift Haste
Touch of Jorasco (Clr)
Dispel Evil/Good/Law/Chaos (Clr)
Arms of Plenty (Wiz)

Sample Builds

The Arcane Nasty Gentleman: Wizard 5/Incantrix 10/Impure Prince 5
This chap sneaks into Impure Prince using Extra Spell to gain Summon Nature's Ally, then Spontaneous Summoner to qualify
for Gatekeeper Initiate, the final pre-req. Impure Prince costs a single level of casting progression, but having top-notch
metamagic and cheap symbionts is worth the dip.

The Unnatural Gentleman: Druid 14/Master of Radiance 1/Impure Prince 5
Venomfire. Extra Spell: Divine Power. Divine Metamagic. Energy Admixture and Twin. The Tentacle Whip symbiont has a built-in
poison attack. 76d6 per attack times 4 attacks per tentacle times 7,600 tentacles. We're averaging 8 million damage a round,
and that's not even optimized.

The Double-Aberrent-Ironic Gentleman:
Psychic Warrior 5/Ranger 1/Beholder Mage 1/Impure Prince 5/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 6
Lotsa spell options. Lotsa self-hatred. Lotsa awesome.

FAQ
Q: Oh. Em. Eff. Gee. 8 million damage a round. At very least.
A: Damn straight.

Q: Thousands of tentacles? That's just nasty.
A: I know, I know. Don't blame me, blame Keith Baker. And maybe anime.

Q: Um. What about BoB Cloning with this? Or Nanotech?
A: You don't even want to get me started...

Q: But doesn't the Impure Prince's "Lure Symbiont" ability limit a character to one symbiont at a time?
A: Nope. The ability specifies that you can obtain a new symbiont whenever your old one "gets killed or lost." It says nothing
about your old one staying dead or lost. Thus, a suitably nasty gentleman can kill or maze his original symbiont, only to raise or
retrieve the little guy after obtaining a new friend to play with.

Q: What if all of your symbionts don't want to do what you tell them? Wouldn't you need some way to control them to prevent
continually having to make Will saves to keep doing the things you want to do?
A: Yep. Gotta keep them in line somehow, unless you're playing a LE Aberration-minded truly Ungentle Nastyman. Here are some
good methods of symbiont-taming:

In-Character Role-Playing Jibber-Jabber
Necrotic Tumor
Geas/Quest and Lesser Geas
Planar Ally (Lesser, Standard, Greater)
Planar Binding (Lesser, Standard, Greater)
Custom Summoning Variant + Halaster's Fetch
Polymorph / Polymorph any Object
Undead Control (Rebuking, Spell-Based Control, Direct Raising)
The very last one is new. I noticed that the Zombie and Skeleton templates allow raised creatures to keep their old subtypes.
Therefore, the most easily available undead symbionts retain the all-important Share Spells ability. So, lure/purchase a symbiont,
kill it, and raise it as a loyal undead minion. Combined with General of Undeath and Undead Lieutenant, being a Nasty Necromancer
Gentleman has never been better!

[Hics]

also, the solution to pun-pun

The Omniscificer: A Rational Solution to the Pun-Pun Problem

I, LordofProcrastination, being of sound mind and rhetoric, hereby present a solution to the Kobold menace.
Moreover, I intend to do it with a 4th level character. Think I'm crazy? We'll see.

Disclaimer 1:
I intend this thread to be an intelligent and rational debate. To this end, I am organizing my solution into labeled premises. This will help
readers to both follow my logic and, if necessary, dispute it in an orderly fashion.
Disclaimer 2:
I admire Khan the Destroyer and his creation, Pun Pun. I was one of the very first to congratulate Khan on his creation, and hold them both in high regard. The very nature of Pun Pun's magnificence has inspired me to challenge it, not some petty jealousy or misunderstanding. I have read all of the relevant Pun Pun threads. Please consider this disclaimer as a good reason not to resort to ad-hominem assaults or generic assertions of invincibility.

Background Understanding

[Premise 1] Once a character becomes nigh-omniscient and nigh-omnipotent such as Pun-Pun is, circumstances make it impossible for new threats to arise. This is because said nigh-omniscient/omnipotent character would know about any new potential threats and have the capability to quash them before they have a chance to mature.
[Premise 2] With enough time, experience, etc, pretty much any moderately optimized character could become nigh-infinitely powerful. What is impressive about Pun-Pun is that this power level is accomplished with alarming speed, i.e. at level 5.
[Premise 3] Thus, the only accurate way to compare two or more nigh-omniscient characters would be to evaluate the amount of time it takes for these characters to reach their ultimate state.
[Premise 4] Controlling for DM temperament and nonmechanical circumstances, as we must on the Character Optimization Boards,
experience points obtained is the best way of comparing timeframes between characters. If character experience point levels are the same, then round-by-round analysis of capability curves would be necessary.

The Omniscificer:
Race: Elf
Class: Artificer 4
Feats: Elf Dilettante (1st level), Brew Potion (Artificer 2), Craft Wondrous Item (Artificer 3), Magical Artisan [Craft Wondrous Item] (3rd level), Legendary Artisan (Artificer 4)
UMD Bonus:
Code:
+2 Masterwork tool (circumstance)
+3 Item Enhancement (circumstance)
+4 Charisma
+2 Eagle's Splendor (slightly more Cha)
+7 Ranks
+6 Cloak of the Artificer (competence)
----
+24 (high enough to automatically succeed on all creation-relevant UMD checks

Items: (rather extensive calculations)

Spoiler:
Boots of the Resilient Worker (Single Use, Use-Activated) [CRAFTED x4]
- Spell replicated: Delay Death
- Base cost: Caster level (5) x Spell level (3) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Expert (0.7) = 473gp
- Gold to create: Base (473) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (0.5) = 174 gp
- XP to create: Base (473) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Legendary Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (1/25) = 11 xp
Boots of the Resilient Mastermind (Single Use, Use-Activated) [CRAFTED x1]
- Spell replicated: Delay Death
- Base cost: Caster level (5) x Spell level (3) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Artificer (0.7) = 473gp
- Gold to create: Base (473) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (0.5) = 174 gp
- XP to create: Base (473) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Legendary Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (1/25) = 11 xp
Goggles of the Martyr (Single Use, Use-Activated) [PURCHASED x1]
- Spell replicated: Glory of the Martyr
- Base cost: Caster level (7) x Spell level (4) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Artificer (0.7) = 882gp
- Gold to create: Base (882) x Crafting (0.5) = 441 gp
- XP to create: Base (882) x Crafting (1/25) = 36 xp
Bracers of Sharing and Caring (Single Use, Use-Activated) [PURCHASED x4]
- Power replicated: Share Pain
- Base cost: Manifester level (3) x Power level (2) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Expert (0.7) =
189 gp
- Gold to create: Base (189) x Crafting (0.5) = 95 gp
- XP to create: Base (189) x Crafting (1/25) = 8 xp
Gloves of the Painlord (Single Use, Use-Activated) [CRAFTED x1]
- Spell replicated: Masochism
- Base cost: Caster level (5) x Spell level (2) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Artificer (0.7) = 315gp
- Gold to create: Base (315) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (0.5) = 119 gp
- XP to create: Base (315) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Legendary Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (1/25) = 8 xp
Amulet of the Beast (Single Use, Use-Activated) [CRAFTED x1]
- Spell replicated: Beastland Ferocity
- Base cost: Caster level (2) x Spell level (1) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Artificer (0.7) = 63gp
- Gold to create: Base (63) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (0.5) = 24 gp
- XP to create: Base (63) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Legendary Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (1/25) = 2 xp
Masterwork Tool, Use Magic Device [PURCHASED x1]
- Per the PHB, 50 gp
Cloak of the Artificer [CRAFTED x1]
- Gives a +6 Competence bonus to Use Magic Device
- Base cost: Bonus Squared (6^2 = 36) x 100 x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Artificer (0.7) = 2,268
- Gold to create: Base (2,268) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (0.5) = 851 gp
- XP to create: Base (2,268) x Magical Artisan (0.75) x Legendary Artisan (0.75) x Crafting (1/25) = 51 xp
Ring of Calling to Collect (Single use, use-activated) [PURCHASED x1]
- Spell replicated: Sending
- Base cost: Caster level (7) x Spell level (4) x Single Use, Use Activated (50) x Skill Required (0.9) x Class Required, Artificer (0.7) = 882gp
- Gold to create: Base (882) x Crafting (0.5) = 441 gp
- XP to create: Base (882) x Crafting (1/25) = 36 xp
Total Gold Spent: 174x4 + 174x1 + 882x1 + 189x4 + 119x1 + 24x1 + 50x1 + 851x1 +882x1 = 3409 gp (of 5400 gp at 4th level)
Total XP: 11x4 + 11x1 + 8x1 + 2x1 + 51x1= 116 xp (well within craft reserve)

The Combination

[Premise 5] Having procured his items by money or self-industry, the Omniscificer equips himself and then pays a handful of gold for the services of three trained hirelings. By selecting hirelings of a certain profession, he obtains the temporary aid of four experts, all of whom possess a chosen skill, enabling their use of the Boots of the Resilient Worker.
[Premise 6] The Omniscificer lends a pair of Boots of the Resilient Worker and a pair of Bracers of Sharing and Caring to each of the
hirelings, and asks them to put them on, but not activate them until his signal. The Omniscificer then activates his items in order such that Glory of the Martyr, then Beastland's Ferocity, then Masochism, then Delay Death are working. Upon activating Masochism, he gives thesignal for the hirelings to activate their items, bracers first. Now there are four Share Pain effects active, all oriented Omniscificer => Hirelings. Everyone involved has their own Delay Death spell active as well.
[Premise 7] The Omniscificer tosses himself off of a nearby 80 ft cliff, deliberately fails his Jump check, and takes 8-48 damage. This sets off a Perpetual Damage Mechanism, and the hirelings immediately pass out. Instantly, the Omniscificer is sustaining an infinite amount of damage.

Disclaimer 3:
If you are unfamiliar with this mechanism, please read about it in the second of my "LoP's Dirty Tricks" articles, The Perpetual Damage
Machine. Likewise, please direct all comments and questions about the infinite damage loop involved here to that thread. For the purposes of this thread, you need to understand that the Omniscificer is sustaining infinite damage for as long as his Glory of the Martyr spell is active, and let's move on.
[Premise 8] The round after falling, the Omniscificer's masochism spell grants him a +1 bonus on skill checks, attack rolls, and saving
throws per 10 damage sustained. Since he sustained infinite damage last round, he now has +Infinity to these stats. That's right, not "nighinfinity," or "limitless," it's really "infinity infinity."
[Premise 9] Thanks to his Elf Dilettante spell, the Omniscificer is free to attempt any skill check he desires at a +Infinity bonus. The
Omniscificer uses this opportunity to learn everything. The Knowledge skills require no action to activate, and every check in any of the
broad categories instantly reveals everything there is to know about the subject. Thus, in a flash of an eye, the Omniscificer becomes
perfectly omniscient.
[Premise 10] Since the Omniscificer can know an infinite amount, and the D&D multiverse contains a finite amount of information (thanks to the limitations of published material), the Omniscificer knows every combination of action possible. Going by the sample topics, the Omniscificer knows everything there is to know about every type of creature. The Omniscificer knows the vulnerabilities of every creature that exists or might exist.
[Premise 11a] Knowing everything, the Omniscificer knows about the dangerous possibilities presented by some shapechanging kobold wandering elsewhere. Knowing all of this kobold's weaknesses, as he does any creature's weaknesses, the Omniscificer also knows what steps can be taken to ensure the destruction of either the kobold in question or the necessary stepping stones to full power in its path.
[Premise 11b] Though the Omniscificer's knowledge is infinite, it does not require "all knowledge" to successfully predict the pun-pun trick. Eager to make his power permanent, the Omniscificer conducts knowledge checks regarding all spells, items, abilities, powers, etc, in the multiverse. There is a finite number of spells/items/abilities/etc, due to the limited number and length of WotC publications. Next, he makes knowledge checks regarding the results of combining every one of these capabilities. He is now aware of every trick and loop made available through the combination of WotC spells/items/abilities/etc. This includes the pun-pun/manipulate form combination.
[Premise 11c] Knowing the pun pun combination, the Omniscificer is then able to determine the assorted factors and capabilities that must converge in any given character/circumstance for the combination to be activated. These characteristics include the capacity to transform into a Sarruhk, the presence of an ally/minion to set up the original manipulate-form exchange, the knowledge- vailability/ingenuity necessary to become cognizant of the combo, and a host of other enabling factors.
[Premise 11d] Knowing all of the factors necessary to activate the pun-pun/manipulate form combination, and furthermore knowing
everything about every creature in existence, and normalizing by the "Background Understanding" assumptions, the Omniscificer knows
that Pun Pun the Kobold is the creature possessing the most factors for being the first/next to activate the manipulate form combination.
Since the vast array of factors must converge in a single character for the combination to occur, and Premises 1-4 establish that the
combination has yet to occur, it is quite reasonable with infinite knowledge to identify differentiating factors that set Pun Pun the Kobold as the primary target of the Omniscificer's efforts.
[Premise 12a] The methodology of preventing the rise of Pun Pun is mostly irrelevant. The important thing is that the Omniscificer knows how to get it done. For imagination's sake, this could mean leveraging his intimate familiarity with all secrets to induce local rulers to hunt down and kill Pun Pun. This might mean that the Omniscificer knows the ancient riddle answer necessary to unlock a powerful creature that may act in gratitude. This might mean that the Omniscificer's infinite knowledge of the planes means that he knows exactly where to find a handy artifact. Like I said, the important thing is that against infinite knowledge, one potential cosmic threat as a 4th level character doesn't stand a chance.
[Premise 12b] After identifying the threat, the Omniscificer knows exactly how to prevent the activation of the pun-pun combination. For the sake of proving surety of this method without reliance on the manipulate form combination itself or excessive DM intervention, I will outline a few possible options that the Omniscificer could pursue.
[Premise 12c] The first step is the addition of an item enabling remote communication, ala sending or correspond. A single-use,
use-activated item based on either of these is well within the Omniscificer's remaining budget, and would enable direct communication with the gods and/or beings directly under the remote-senses and/or control of the gods. It's worth noting that the argument presented by a number of participants in this thread that the Omniscificer can immediately attract the attention of the gods through the use of an infinite Perform (god-attracting-haiku) check, or other such skill-based mechanism, still has validity. However, since the presence of an item enabling no-save contact with a god of choice helps remove uncertainty, let's run with that.
[Premise 12d] Sending and correspond enable communication-based interaction, which is the primary requisite for social skill use. After coming into communication with a deity of choice, the Omniscificer can use his assorted infinite social skills (Bluff/Diplomacy/Perform
/Intimidate/etc) to ensure that the contacted god immediately does a number of things for the Omniscifer.
* After selecting a god with Alter Reality, have the god make all of the Omniscificer's spells/powers permanent. Yay for continually-updating omniscience and eternally infinite skills.
* Make the god come to the Omniscificer and make him a Divine Proxy. Divine Rank 1 goes a long way towards finishing off all possible
activators of the pun-pun combination, especially because it entails greater teleportation at will.
* If we are being setting-specific, pick Shar and ask her to give the archetypal form trait to the Sarruhk. This is based on Catharz's assertion that Shar can do thus. Corroboration would be nice, if anyone can provide that.
* Alternately, we could go for Set, the current head-god of the remaining sarruhk (through his fabricated Sseth aspect), and have him
slaughter all of his worshippers.
Even if the god-meditated genocide or archetypal neutering don't seem "realistic enough" to convince you, it should be readily apparent that the mechanics of permanent infinite skills, instant transportation, and divine rank should be more than sufficient to assuredly dispose of potential activators of the pun-pun combination. Furthermore, brute destruction of potential activators is only the simplest of options available, and not even the most efficient at that. Mass memory-alteration, history revision, having the deity to whom Pun Pun is a divine minion removing said status, and limitation of certain magics/psionics altogether are all possible.
In short, once we have obtained the services of a god combined with infinite knowledge, there are few, if any, mechanical challenges
remaining for the Omniscificer's mission.
[Premise 13] Whether the Omniscificer chooses to act on his knowledge is a matter of character design and player's intent, not DM fiat. For the sake of simplicity, let's set the theoretical player's design to be such that this character does not wish to be surpassed. Call it the LoP default to paranoid self-preservation.
[Premise 14] After obtaining infinite knowledge, the Omniscificer dismisses Glory of the Martyr, lets the damage loop end, and puts his head into a pond until he starts to drown. Due to a quirk in the DMG drowning rules, this sets the Omniscificer back at 0 hit points, and his contingent Cure Minor Wounds kicks in to put him back to normal (plus infinite knowledge), and he can begin to take action as he sees necessary.

Wrap-Up and FAQ
[Premise 15] I posit that this combination is one of the quickest routes to omniscience available. While not as versatile as Pun-Pun's manipulate form trick, this character "gets there" first, and is thus pretty much guaranteed to stay on top.
[Premise 16] Other than speed, the Omniscificer has a leg-up on Pun Pun in thoroughness. That is to say, the Omniscificer can obtain actually infinite stats, rather than nigh-infinite or limitless capabilities.
[Premise 17] Some people will probably conjecture that this combination is just beating up on a poor 4th level kobold wizard, hardly an impressive feat. I beg to differ. The difference is primarily intent and guarantee. Compared to all other situations, the Omniscificer is the only way to see Pun-Pun's ascent coming and know how to stop him without relying on the fuzzy DM adjudication of godly intervention/nonintervention.
[Premise 18] It is possible that some people may attempt to take a misguided "hard line mechanical" stance against my rather tame interpretation of the reasonable effects of infinite knowledge and say that one cannot derive any in-game use from knowledge checks. May I point you to the PHB, where we can find the following describing the outcome of Knowledge Checks: "For every 5 points by which your check result exceeds the DC, you recall another piece of useful information." With an infinite knowledge bonus, you exceed any finite DC by an infinite amount, resulting in an infinite number of pieces of useful information.
[Premise 19] The Omniscificer method is also more robust than a number of the other Pun-Pun challenge scenarios in that it evaluates both of the characters from the same standing point in time, rather than relying on giving the challenger a temporal headstart. Even better, this build is capable of fully assessing and meeting the Pun-Pun threat without using what is essentially metagame knowledge of Pun Pun and his powers and capabilities gleaned from the character optimization boards.
[Premise 20] Yes, I know about the direct time-travel spell. It doesn't negatively affect this combination. Pun Pun has to obtain full power before he can cast that spell, and the Omniscificer knows how to stop the so-bold kobold before he reaches that power level, and thus time travel never enters the picture. At least not until the Omniscificer gets around to vacationing around the space-time continuum later on...
[Premise 21a] While I have argued for the identification of "necessary factors" for activation of the pun-pun combination as a simple method for choosing the largest/most-immediate threat of kobold ascension (in Premise 11), I would also like to assert the validity of the alternate, if cheesier, method. This would be making Knowledge(prophecy) or Knowledge(the future) or Knowledge(probabilistic situational evaluation) checks, and reaping the direct benefits. Though it is true that D&D's roll-based system injects a measure of uncertainty in event-by-event interactions involving characters, there is no denying the feasibility of future-determination within this heavily magical, and moreover, storybased, multiverse.
[Premise 21b] The fact that DM permission is required to introduce non-typical Knowledge fields is not a barrier to the use of this option in a Character Optimization scenario. DM's permission is required to take a prestige class (DMG 176), use Forgotten Realms setting material, and pretty much any material whatsoever from any book. Assuming a neutral, complicit DM is a necessity for advanced Character Optimization comparisons.
[Premise 22] On multiplicity. Some have argued that there could be a countless amount of 4th level kobolds out there on the crux of accomplishing the pun-pun combination, and thus would be impossible to identify and target any one of them. This argument leads into an endless spiral of reciprocal, equally unfounded counter-arguments. By that logic, we could say that there is a similarly countless number amount of elf artificers to match. For the sake of accurately comparing character/build capabilities, it is necessary to avoid this escalation.
[Premise 23] As another "clearing the ground" point, there is the question of information assimilation. The boringly easy answer to this issue, which would be significant only in real life, is to realize that information assimilation is actually developing knowledge of the
interrelations between data points. Knowledge of interrelations in or between subjects is a matter that can be resolved simply with another knowledge check, of which the Omniscificer has no shortage of capacity for.
Disclaimer 4:
I hope you've all enjoyed my faster, smoother way of pre-empting the Pun Pun problem for any given multiverse. I encourage comments and criticisms of any sort as you wish, but please, if you would like to object to anything, please organize your objections by premise. I wouldn't want to think I did all that ugly prefacing for nothing.
Special Note
In case you missed it earlier, the infinite loop the Omniscificer relies upon can be found in my recent Perpetual Damage Machine Dirty Trick thread.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Ha. Oldies but goodies.


T_G took over Dirty Trick #5 as  a name.
Game Reset trick. It's still around old CO somewhere.

DT#4 ... deep within that thread
psly4mne posted a non-infinite loop highest number ever.
Something with Knuth's up arrow notation.
I have no idea what that is ... but it's a really big number.

There may be an easier way into DT#1 now.
The Illithid Savant thread back at pre-hack BG
was still active right up to the end.
Someone posted a way for a Shifter to get into I.S.
I assume (if it can be located) this would work with Beholder Mage.

Yummy regardless.

[Hics]

can't find "save game";
i've somewere a copy of "nanobots" printpage, i'll post it when i find it^^

[Fadier]

There may be an easier way into DT#1 now.
The Illithid Savant thread back at pre-hack BG
was still active right up to the end.
Someone posted a way for a Shifter to get into I.S.
I assume (if it can be located) this would work with Beholder Mage.

Yummy regardless.

I know there is a way for a Changeling to get into IS, is that what you ment?

It works because disguise self (which is what the changelings shape change is based off) lets you look like something similar, so an Illithid, which is humanoid shaped, will work. Then you take racial emulation which lets you count as a member of whatever humanoid race you look like. Then you change into an Incarnate construct Duskform Illithid.

Illithid = Aberation (not covered by Racial Emulation)
Duskform Illithid = Construct
Incarnate Construct Duskform Illithid = Humanoid (Yay!)


Sadly this does not work for a Beholder as you are not shaped like a floating eyeball with skin. If you can change your shope to be sphereical maybe but then you might aswell go for PAO

[Soundwave]

is the save game thing the psionic trick where you use timehop and forced dream to create  a save point?

Also thank you very much hics for your assistance!

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Here's the original address:
Dirty Trick #5: Effective "Save" Game Mechanics - (by Tleilaxu_Ghola) (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-737126)

idk if that was bumped enough times, to still be available at wizards.com



EDIT --- here's psly4mne's DT#4 max out
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868594/World_Record_Damage:_Multiple_dirty_tricks_for_insane_synergy!?pg=1

[Soundwave]

Great stuff

[InnaBinder]

These should all be visible on the earlier pages of the old BG forums, as well, for copy-pasta.

[EjoThims]

If anyone can dig up the old 3.5 world record thread, it has a link to the non-inifinite damage record.

[zook1shoe]

Was that related to the old Hulking Hurler thread?

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Fadier ...  thanks.

Soundwave ... that old address is now lost. The Wayback site has it.

Ejo ... yeah, that's psly4mne's version of DT#4 that I linked above.

Zook1 ... HH is still around at old CO, as is the Hulk-less Hurler.
They probably deserve a mini-guide rehash.
These were quite popular at the time; I think because the big
but stupid dude Hero, exists everywhere. TvTropes has nothin' on HH. 

[zook1shoe]

I had a hurler that could throw the multiverse!

[EjoThims]

Ejo ... yeah, that's psly4mne's version of DT#4 that I linked above.

Ah, cool.

Didn't see your link. Grats on the find.

[123456789blaaa]

RISE DEAD THREAD

Sorry if I should have made a new thread but I wasn't sure.

Anyways, the save game trick was called a dirty trick as a tribute to LoP so I'm not sure if it belongs here. I'll erase my post and make a new thread if people want me to.  The save game trick was created by Tleilaxu_Ghola, here it is.

Save Game Mechanic by Tleilaxu_Ghola:
 

(click to show/hide)

Summary:
 With this trick one is able to create "save" game points, with a minimal cost of 15 XP. The point allows one to adventure for a day and then reload the save game point if something went awry.
 
Ingredients:
 Forced Dream (Magic of Eberron)
 Anticipatory Strike (Complete Psionic)
 Time Hop
 Psionic Contingency
 A psi-crystal
 Status
 Imbue Spell-like Ability
 Sending Stones (Magic Item) (Complete Arcane)
 
Forced Dream: Psion/Wilder 3
 [paraphrased]Any time during the rounds/level duration (or minutes per level with 4 pp augment), you can spend a swift action to restart your turn. "When this effect is used, everyone and everything is reset to the state they were at when the subject's turn began. Any spells or abilities used are available again, any damage dealt is healed , any effects incurred are negated, any objects or creatures moved are reset to their original position, and so on. The only exception to this is that any power points spent to manifest forced dream are not recovered..." The power ends when the swift action to do this is expended or when the duration expired.

The Trick
 Manifest psionic contingency on your psi-crystal placing a contingent ancipatory strike on him contingent on the event: returns to the normal timestream from a time hop.
 Share metamorphosis with your psi-crystal. Transform him into something that isn't immune to mind-affecting compulsions. Heck you could transform him into an object of any size if you wish. Have the party cleric use imbue spell-like ability on the psi-crsytal so that it can use the spell status. Mix with affinity field if you wish the psi-crystal to have knowledge of all party members' condition.
 
The Psi-crystal casts status on you or whatever party member you choose. This person's condition will determine whether or not the save-game will be reloaded, so choose carefully.

Manifest forced dream on your psicrystal at some time before you fear harm will befall you. Ready a std action to manifest time hop mass contingent when the psi-crystal moves (tell him to do so), advancing him hours / level ahead in time. With enough ML you can advance your psi-crystal nearly a day. Adventure on your merry way, whilst your psi-crystal is outside the time stream.

If your party succumbs to a TPK, your psi-crystal will still be alive and kicking the next day. No time will pass for him and when he comes out of the time hop the contingency will grant him sufficient actions to check the status of the party (provided they are on the same plane as the psi-crystal). The psi-crystal may also use a sending stone to ask whether his master would like to reload or not. If the party member is under a certain condition or if the master tells the crystal to, the save game is reloaded as the psi-crystal spends a swift action to return to the beginning of his turn (which began with you manifesting time hop on him right before he started moving). You may now retry whatever you failed to accomplish. There is a 5% error in the sending transmition if you are not on the same plane as the psi-crystal and the status effect will not work across planes.
 ???
 Profit.

Here is also the "World Record Damage: Multiple dirty tricks for insane synergy!" thread original post and latest number. I believe that it was created by psly4mne. Here it is.

"World Record Damage: Multiple dirty tricks for insane synergy!" original post:

(click to show/hide)

On the Nasty Gentlemen thread (LoP's dirty trick #4), we discussed ways of achieving world record damage by combining three Dirty Tricks - Attack of the Clones, Perpetual Damage Machine, and of course the Nasty Gentlemen. The number started at 10^21, then grew in fits and bounds. Eventually, it grew beyond the realm of calculation. Consequently, calculating the damage is getting difficult.

EDIT: I updated and simplified the routine. The damage is now much more. I am leaving this post as the original for reference, but the latest number is HERE. Last change: Used Reciprocal Gyre for higher seed damage, 2/18/06.

First, the builds. These are not that important, so don't focus on them. They just include the few necessary elements and a bunch of fluff.
Abe: DaelkyrHalfBlood Wiz5 / Incantatrix10 / ImpurePrince5
Bee: Warforged Egoist17
Cecil: Human Artificer14 / Cleric1 / Chameleon2
Equipment used: 2 staves of Body Outside Body, 1 staff of Blood of the Martyr, 1 staff of Delayed Blast Fireball at CL 20, 4096 Shadow Siblings. Only one or two charges on each staff are needed - Power Surge will take care of the rest.

Preparation:
Bee manifests Fusion with Cecil, then with Abe. Then the cloning begins. First, Abe/Bee/Cecil infuses the staff with Metamagic Item three times (for Repeat, Twin, and Persistent). Abe/Bee/Cecil casts Body Outside Body from one staff. The clone takes the second staff, infuses it with Power Surge, and clones himself. This process continues for a long time (and starts long before the routine begins), so clone supply is effectively limitless. Whenever, a Fusion or an infusion needs to be replaced, the clones can take care of it. Whenever a Fusion on the main character (ABC) ends, a clone replaces it with a twinned Fusion targeting the two parts of ABC (so ABC is fused all day). This also replenishes ABC's power points. At the beginning of the day, a bunch of clones change their Chameleon feats to various metamagics, divine metamagics, and extra turnings. One changes its feat to Mental Resistance and one takes Snowcasting.
Metamagic Item and Cooperative Metamagic take care of all the metamagic. All spells are Twinned, Repeated, Persisted (if applicable), and Quickened (if listed as a swift action). They are also shared with the symbionts, with the exception of the Shapechange.
Now, for the explanation of the routine. In the first round, all the necessary preparatory spells are cast. Clones repeatedly infuse ABC with Construct Essence to take care of ability damage for attaching symbionts. The symbiont clones attach in between Body Outside Body castings, so the results of the Body Outside Body castings multiply.
Next, ABC alternates manifesting extended Affinity Field and extended Fate Links. The Fate Links target ABC (who is under the effect of Affinity Field) and a clone who maintains an Affinity Field. This gives everyone within 20 feet (in particular, ABC and a lot of symbionts) a Fate Link to everyone else within 20 feet. This does not create an infinite loop because Fate Link cannot target the same creature twice.
Now, move within 20 feet of the bad guy. ABC changes into a Jovoc for the retributive aura ability. Then a clone uses a readied action to blast ABC with a heavily metamagicked Sphere of Ultimate Destruction. The Fate Links throw a lot of damage around. The only thing keeping the damage finite is the Mental Resistances damping the feedback with DR 3/-.
There are 14400 rounds in the duration of a Persistent spell.

1[standard] Shapechange (into a Chronotyrn)
1[swift] Death Ward
1[dual] Mirror Action (Mental Resistance) not twinned or repeated
1[dual swift] Delay Death
2[standard] Body Outside Body
2[swift] Body Outside Body
2[dual] Body Outside Body
2[dual swift] Body Outside Body
3-10400 Same as 2
10401[standard] Extend Fate Link
10401 focus
10401[dual] Extend Fate Link
10401[dual move] focus
10402-12400 Same as 10401
Except: must lose one Fate Link for an Affinity Field once every 40 rounds (including one in round 10401)
Total 2000/40=50 Fate Links lost
Also: Must lose one Fate Link to target the bad guy
12401[free] Change into a Jovoc with the Shapechange
12401[nonaction] A clone casts Sphere of Ultimate Destuction from the staff (Empowered, Maximized, Enervated, Fiery, Snowcast, Energy Substituted, Admixed, Repeated, and Twinned)
12401[standard] Blood of the Martyr
12401[swift] Blood of the Martyr
12401[dual] Blood of the Martyr
12401[dual swift] Blood of the Martyr
12402-14400 Same as 12401

Total:
Body Outside Body castings: 10399*4*4=166384
Symbionts: 4096*5^166384=1.090e116301
Fate Links among symbionts: 2000*2-51=3949
Damage Reduction: 3
Affinity Fields active at end: 0
Blood of the Martyr castings: 2000*4*4=32000

Initial Damage:
Sphere: 40d6
Enervate: 60d6
Fiery: 60d6+60
Admix: 120d6+120
Empower: 120d6+60d6+180
Max: 900+60d6
Total: 960-1260

960-1260 initial damage. The damage then scales according to the following nonlinear difference equations:
S(i)=0 for i <= u
S(i) = i-u for u < i <= 2u
S(i) = (i-u)+r*(2+a)(i-2u) + r*(n-1)*S(i-u) + n*r*(r+1+a)*S(i-2u) for i>=2u

D(i)=2n*S(i)+2n*(r+2)*S(i-u)+(8i-6u)

T(0)=D(m)
T(i)=D(T(i-1)) for i>0

Total damage = T(b), where
u = amount of damage reduction, here 3
r = number of Fate Links, here 3949
n = number of Symbionts after Body Outside Body cloning, here 1.090e116301
a = number of Affinity Fields active, here 0
m = damage dealt by initial spell (Delayed Blast Fireball in this case), here 900+60d6
b = number of Blood of the Martyrs cast, here 32000

S(i) is an exponential function. D(i) is therefore exponential. T(i) is feedback into an exponential function, which makes it REALLY BIG.

I am not going to solve this now. MAYBE I will be inspired to do it later. If anyone is feeling ambitious, the equation for D(i) can be solved explicitly with diagonalization or generating functions. I think generating functions would be marginally easier.

To give you an idea of what kind of numbers we are talking about, I ran a simulation for u=3, r=200, n=2^20, a=0, m=480, b=0. I could not do b>0 because it would take too long to run and be too big to write down.
The damage was 4.133e1321.

 

"World Record Damage: Multiple dirty tricks for insane synergy!" latest number:

(click to show/hide)

Now, let's look at the new routine, taking into account the change - we can now only have one Fate Link between any two participants. Also, I didn't take into account before that damage the target takes gets sent back through Fate Link (Fate Link is two-way). This matters a lot because the target doesn't have Mental Resistance

Current Routine Starts Here

The big Gyre deals:
Gyre: 25d12
Admix: 50d12
Enervate: 75d12
Empower: 75d12+37d12
Fiery: 75d12+37d12+112
Max: 900+37d12+112 = 1012+37d12
Total: 1049 - 1456

Setup: Similar enough that you can figure it out
Round 1: Same
Rounds 2-9800: 4 BOB castings
Round 9801 before actions: The psion (not fused) has previously manifested Affinity Field and shared it with his psicrystal. He now manifests extended overchanneled Fate Link between himself and his psicrystal. Affinity Field does its thing, and everyone is happy.
Shift into Jovoc, Blast for 1049 - 1456 damage initial.
Round 9801-14400: 4 BotM castings

Total:
u=3
r=1
n=7600 * 5^(9799*16)=1.563*10^109591
a=0
m=1012+37d12
b=4600*16=73600

The system of equations is:
S(i)=B(i)+(n-1)S(i-u)+M(i-u)
B(i)=nS(i-u)+M(i-u)+i
M(i)=S(i)+nS(i-u)+2B(i)
(initial conditions omitted)
Solving these by diagonalization yields (very roughly) S(i)=(2n)^(i/u)
D(i)=nS(i)+M(i)+B(i)
D(i) is very roughly (2n)^(i/u)
T(0)=D(m)
T(i)=D(T(i-1)) (i>0)

So we have:
Total damage >  (2.5*10^36530)^^73600, using Knuth's up-arrow notation

Notice that this is more than before. By a lot. This is because stacking Fate Links was a bad idea in the first place - more Bloods of the Martyr are more important once the framework is in place

.

Here is the original thread on the WOTC boards in case you want to read the other posts or the upper half of the latest number post. http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19868594/World_Record_Damage:_Multiple_dirty_tricks_for_insane_synergy!?pg=1

[phaedrusxy]

 

This should probably be moved to "You break it, you buy it!"

[123456789blaaa]

This should probably be moved to "You break it, you buy it!"

I'm on it!

Edit: Done. Also, should I delete my above post or leave it?

[Soundwave]

I love these kinds of tricks

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

I have all these in the Dirty Handbook Fixes, as well as the best (least intrusive / most elegant) Fix. I am missing a nanobots link though. I've been around forever, though, so I just went off of memory.

@soundwave: yes. And I believe that I showed that, depending on your metaphysics is for the timestream, that the TO uses are way more cumbersome than initially anticipated because it isn't practical to use the trick for normal play without heavy meta-gaming.