SPEW!: A guide to spitting for fun and profit.

[JanusJones]

Hi there!

If you're like me, you appreciate the fact that d20 is like the baroque era - there's a little bit of everything crammed in there, so if you work hard enough, anything's possible.

Like spitting on people as a viable combat tactic!

Before we go any further, you'll need the following sources in order to spit gainfully:

SOURCES!

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• Dragon #313: Okay, so you can do without it, but it's my favorite issue for several reasons: Power Surge, the Hamstring feat, LA adjusted level-by-level were-critter classes, the Aberrant Paragon, psionic-magic casting ... the list goes on and on.  Plus, it's got the foundational feats you need to spit on enemies and have them hurt (not just get mad!).
• Forgotten Realms - Serpent Kingdoms: This is where the fun continues!  While I prefer the Spit Venom feat in #313 for functionality, the re-write here makes the feats I love more canonical and available in games with unenlightened people ('cause it's a published WotC BOOK, not a MAGAZINE, as how hard the cover is matters to some ...).
• You also probably want to have Magic of Incarnum, Oriental Adventures, Complete Adventurer, Complete Scoundrel, Complete Champion, Tome of Battle, Dungeonscape, the Spell Compendium, and pretty much every other book out there, alongside a big pile o' Dragon Mags.  Like I said - DnD is baroque, which means it's overstuffed.  EMBRACE the variety!

Let's begin!

STEP 1: SPIT!

There are a couple of ways to make your loogies deadly.  Let's take a peek:

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• Shape Soulmeld - Acidic Spittle: Yay for incarnum!  This glob of green deals 1d6 base acid damage, +1d6 per point of essentia.  At the low low cost of 1 feat, it's a deal and a steal!
• Murkdweller: These are a seriously undervalued +0 LA race from Serpent Kingdoms.  They come with a spew that has a DEX (yes, you read that right) based save vs. blindness (only 1 round, though), a +6 (!!) to Dex, +3 natural armor, tiny size, and a free racial WP Finesse feat!  On top of that, they look like grubby little gila monsters!  WIN!
• A Poisonous Bite plus ... Spit Venom: A la either Dragon #313, in which the range depends on your size, or Serpent Kingdoms, which grants a 30 ft. flat, single-target shot regardless of size.  The other, more pertinent difference, is that the Dragon variant BLINDS the target for 2d6 HOURS, whereas the Serpent Kingdoms variant deals your normal poison damage.  Sigh.

The bottom line?  If you're not a creepy little lizard, an Incarnate, or someone with a feat to waste on a soulmeld, you'll need to get you ...

A POISONOUS BITE!

If you didn't read the last spoiler, you'll be confused by now.  Go on, go back.  We'll be waiting.

For those of you who learned to read ALL the text in high school, ONWARDS!

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Ways to get bites (heh!):

• Totem-Bound Phase Cloak: Yours for the low, low price of two levels of Totemist!  From Magic of Incarnum; 1d3 Con is nothing to sneeze at.  The save is Con-based, which helps since Totemists use Con for most meldy stuff.
• Animal Devotion: An unfortunately named feat that never fails to bring to mind images of furries.  *Shudder.*  This costs you ONE level of Cleric ('cause casters do it better, damn them), and alls you need to do is swap out your Animal Domain spells and blow a turn attempt to use it.  Same Con damage, but the save is Cha based rather than Con based (handy, since a high Cha will boost your number of turn attempts, too).  Swift action to activate, lasts 10 rounds, and can be used in a number of other, "wonder twin powers - activate!" style lame ways.
• Changing Shape: As always in d20, being NOT yourself is better.  Anything you can change into with a poisonous bite can allow you to take feats that make that bite a ranged weapon.  Granted, if you're a full caster I fail to see why you'd waste your time perfecting the art of the loogie - you could just DESTROY things with spells.  Wild-shaping into a Fleshraker and SPITTING on your foes just seems ... well, like you're just being MEAN.  Kill them and stop humiliating them already.
• Spells: Okay, so it's unfair, but there is ONE exception that I feel deserves honorable mention - the aptly named Blinding Spittle from Magic of Faerun and the SpC.  As advertised, it allows you to spit and blind, albeit at a -4 to hit.  It's arguable whether being able to cast this spell qualifies you for the feat that makes spitting so much fun.  In fact, it even opens up a bit of a meta-game conundrum; if you have a WAND of Blinding Spittle, does the glob emanate from the wand itself (and would thus seem to NOT be viable as a "spit attack"), or does it produce the spell's effect and thus cause the wielder to hawk a loogie?

But I digress.  I was about to segue into explaining the aforementioned feat that really gets the spit flying, so to speak ...

DEADLY SPITTLE!

Yup, that's right - it's ON now.  This is what makes things NASTY ... um, nastiER.  In a "hurt people" way.

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The two feats that make spitting actually worth a few feats are (drumroll please):

Deadly Spittle and Improved Spit.

No, I did not make those up - they really exist.  In Serpent Kingdoms.  Look'em up.

The first takes your spit attack and turns it into a 15 ft. cone.  Remember how you thought it was neat that you could spit your poison as a touch attack?  Well, now you don't have to roll to hit at ALL!  AND you hit everything in a 15 ft. cone!

The second?  It doubles the range of your spit attack.

And, like most things in WotC books, they didn't think to mention if this applied just to your original attack, or the CONE from Deadly Spittle TOO.

AND you can keep taking it, adding the range of your base spit each time.

See where this is going?

WHO SHOULD SPIT?

It's worth discussing.  This is not an end-game, crazy-sauce, destroy the planet and Pun-Pun style tactic. 

So why bother?

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The biggest benefits of spitting are to classes who have a tough time hitting enemies.  Even touch attacks go wrong, sometimes; SPIT never does.  It's the juicy equivalent of a breath weapon, and gives you a guaranteed, area-covering, auto-hit effect that you can apply at will.

Incarnates benefit most, perhaps, as they can spit from first level with Dissolving Spittle and can quickly get themselves a cone that needs no roll to hit.  This makes a skill monkey/support character who doesn't even get REAL spells WAY more worthwhile.

Things that can shape into stuff with poisonous bites (classes and critters) and who have them to begin with can get some mileage out of their poison by spitting.  No need to get in someone's face anymore, and no more worrying just where that nasty oozing monster has BEEN before putting it in your mouth: just step back and SPEW! 

Anything with Sudden Strike, Sneak Attack, or Iaijutsu Focus can, in fact, become DEADLY if the Dragon #313 spit variants in-play.  If you can blind everything on the battlefield, you can CARVE IT UP - especially with Iaijutsu Focus.  More on this later. 

NOTE: Yes, I know, technically the Serpent Kingdoms version is a re-write.  Since the tactic isn't really worth the feats otherwise (at anything but low levels, anyhoo), I support using BOTH - treat them as two different feats.  Call the Dragon Version "Blinding Loogie" and the other "Poisonous Spit," or some such.  It's not broken, since it doesn't come CLOSE to caster-nasty; I'd recommend discussing it at your table and trying to get a ruling that will allow for entertainment AND effectiveness.  You can still spit without the Dragon #313 option, but it won't be useful past 6th (or even before, really - depends on how much others are optimizing in your posse).

RACES of SPIT (Spiders and Serpents, Oh My!)

Things that can spit all seem, appropriately enough, to be creepy-crawlies - what fun!

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A note on races: if you're not wild-shaping into something that has natural venom, you might consider one of the LA templates to pick some up.  Why?  Because Venomfire, the 3rd level Cleric/Druid spell, requires you to have a "natural" venomous attack.  Some DMs might rule that means a bite from Animal Devotion or a totem-bound Phase Cloak wouldn't qualify, which is why having a NATURAL venom would open up your ability to have UN-NATURAL venom count.

• Murkdwellers (SK): The undisputed kings of spit, these tiny critters are made of win.  The key element is that they come equipped with a natural spit, allowing them to grab Deadly Spittle and start spewing cones from 1st level.  Add on Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot as flaws, and they've got Improved Spit by 3rd, allowing all sorts of fun early in the game.
• Shinomen Nagas (OA, Dragon #318): The Greensnake naga is a +1 LA, 1 HD, +4 Dex, +2 Str, +1 AC, and poisonous spit (1d3 Con)!  Yay!  Now here's the catch - if you're playing a Dragonfire Adept, you DON'T want Dragon #318, because it makes these guys into Monstrous Humanoids, and thus removes them as options for your 6th level invocation, Humanoid Shape.  If they're humanoid (which is still how they're listed on the Master Monster List on the WotC site, mind yo), you can become a Cobra Naga at 6th to grab a nice fat 1d8 Con poison with secondary damage (yay!).  On the other hand, they work GREAT if you ARE using #318 as playable characters, especially if you play a female - they get to turn their snake tail into legs, making them look just like regular folks and not too weird for the average adventuring party!
• Mongrelfolk (RoD): +4 to starting Con goes a long way towards helping out a meldshaping spewer.  Plus, being ugly as sin and kind of mutated sort of goes with the flavor.
• Azurin and Dusklings (MoI): Both start with a bit of extra essentia, and Azurins also get a handy feat just like other humans.  Azurin > Duskling, but Dusklings do LOOK cool, so your call.
• Water Orcs (UnA): +4 Str, +2 Con - what's not to like?  Plus, you can work the whole "water critter" angle with the spitting.  I always imagined these guys looking like big humanoid orcas, like that thing from Lilo and Stitch (wow, I cited a Disney movie ... I feel dirty).
• Lesser Drow (FR-CS): Good for any spider-based spitting purely for style points, but also for Clerical spitters (females have Cleric as a favored class, which leads to a fun combo or two).  Finally, the Drow Fighter sub level can make for fun with blinding and spitting, and Drow Druids get a fun substitution that lets them turn into spiders - whee!
• Kapak or Venom Draconians (Dragonlance, BoK): Both of these 2 HD dragons get a +2 LA, making them ECL 4 (ow).  In return, Kapak get a 1d6/1d6 Dex poison and Venom a Con version of the same, along with +1d6 Sneak Attack, Gliding, and some minor bonuses.  Not terrible, but don't write home about them.
• Anthropomorphic Vipers: Tiny snake men!  Okay, so the LA is a boner - +2 for the small one who has 1 HD (and thus can start with a class level ... he does get WP Finesse, though ...), and the Large size one (don't get too excited - it's Large with a -8 Str) has 3 HD despite its +0 LA.  Murkdwellers win.
• Aranea: Use Savage Species to play them as a class.  Sure, like everything with an LA, they suck compared to things without one and don't come CLOSE to comparing with casters.  Then again, I DO hope you've gotten the idea by now that we're not looking into spitting stuff because it's more effective than casting.  The fun thing about Araneas is that you can amp up their webs, too, making you super-annoying: web'em, poison'em, rinse and repeat.
• Yuan-Ti Tainted One: They have a poisonous "kiss," which a reasonable DM will take pity on you for (after all, you'll be paying a +2 LA for the questionable privilege of a crappy poison, and if your kiss is poison your spit sure OUGHT to be, right?).  The LA sucks, but they can turn into snakes, opening up some fun options!  EDIT: If anyone can point me at the most updated version of this build, I'd be obliged - can't seem to find it!

Something to consider: if you're not going to have natural poison or shape into something with a natural poison, you won't be able to make use of Venomfire.  Might make it worth sucking it up and taking an LA when making a character who won't be shifting.

TEMPLATES of SPIT

Would you like some cheese with that?

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• Magic-Blooded (#306): If you're doing Animal Devotion, this template boosts your Cha by 2, your DC by 1, and your turn attempts by 1.  What's not to like?
• Arctic (#306): Magic-blooded for the Con-based spewer - +2 Con.
• Unseelie Fey (DrC): BROOOOOKEN!  Anything that doesn't care about Strength should be one.  Ridiculous abilities.  If you can, take this.  It will go a long way towards making your silly-ass spitting character actually semi-effective.
• Entomanthrope: Far and away the best of the best for spitters, this template is one of the very, VERY few that is worth the LA.  Since I can't figure out how to do hyperlinks, here's the linky: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040621a.  Be a tiny spider, or maybe a Snow Spider from Frostburn (they have the lowest HD, a Dex-based poison, and a +20 to Jump, opening up Battle Jump, Leap Attack, Headlong Rush, Valorous Weapons, pouncing, and all other sorts of charging silliness).  The biggest wins are immunity to mind-affecting effects, stat ups, DR, and the ability to control vermin (find swarms and command them!).
• Dragonborn (DM): Spew for Bahamut!  +2 Con for +0 LA means +1 DC without wasting anything!  Careful on the races that have spit naturally, though - they'll lose their abilities when they convert.

SPITTING with CLASS

Heh.  Get it?  'Cause spitting's low-class, and ... nevermind.

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• Incarnate (MoI): Dissolving Spittle from level 1 is a gimme.  Pump this and grab Deadly Spittle and you've got a guaranteed hit for 2d6 in a cone from 1st.
• Totemist (MoI): Totem-bound Phase Cloak bite by level 2; Deadly Spittle and a 1d3 cone by level 3 (if you do the feats right).  Good times.
• Warlock (CArc): At 6th, pick up the Spider Shape invocation from Drow of the Underdark (extra cool points if you're also a Lesser Drow from PGtF).  Shape into a spider and spray awesome venom on people!  The best part is that as your spider shape gets bigger, your venom will get nastier, making it MUCH more viable later on (granted, high-level stuff seems to always be immune to everything useful, but still ... better to have nastier venom!).  Add on a Wand of Venomfire and go nuts.
• Dragonfire Adept (DM): Once you get Change Shape at 6th level, there should be at least ONE humanoid out there with a poison bite worth spraying people with.  Plus, if you pick up Entangling Exhalation for your breath, you can slow your enemies down with one cone, then spray nastiness on them with poison (or acid, a la Dissolving Spittle) while your breath recharges.
• Clerics and Druids: Clerics can get Animal Devotion, allowing them to spew from level 1; Druids can spit blinding globs from level 1 with the Blinding Spittle spell, then graduate into Wild Shape and Venomfire when the time comes.  Granted, Clerics and Druids don't need to spit venom - really, they don't - but it can make your CoD-zilla at least a little more flavorful.
• Rangers: Use the Wild Shape variant from Unearthed Arcana and get up to the same shennanigans as Druids, though less powerfully (but more BaB).
• Rogue, Ninja, etc.: Anything with Sneak Attack or Sudden Strike has the potential to benefit from spitting when Dragon #313's version of Spit Venom is in play.  Blind, then shoot in various tender places for win and profit!
• Paladin, Dread Necromancer, etc.: Anything with turn attempts can get Animal Devotion and start to spewin'.  It's handy that these both have Cha as an important attribute.
• Drow Fighter (DoU): Fighter is a nice class for helping out with the feat requirements for Improved Spit (Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot).  The Drow sub level gets you a handy +Dex to damage on weapons used on flat-footed opponents, which i great if your spit makes folks blind.
• Factotum, Samurai: Both have access to Iaijutsu Focus from Oriental Adventures (Factotum is from Dungeonscape).  Factotums even get some Sneak Attack dice and Use Magic Device, making them more win (almost anything is more win than Samurai).  Iaijutsu Focus is a skill that lets you do ridiculous amounts of damage to blind enemies.

 

PRESTIGIOUS SPIT

'Cause sometimes you want to wear a top hat when you spit.

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• Fang of Sseth: Become any medium viper after the third level of this class (SK).  Enjoy picking and choosing from all the fun types of saliva you'll be able to hurl in snake form!
• Totem Rager: Boost your Con AND your soulmelds, making your spit that much more effective!  Good times.
• Umbral Disciple: For a "shadow spider" style of ninja-spitter, take this Incarnum class to hide and get some Sneak Attack.  VERY nice if you've got yourself a blinding attack.
• Warshaper: Make your bite bigger, threaten with reach, and gain +4 Con to help your poison DC out - the catch is you have to change shape.
• Soul Eater: Drain levels whilst biting?  Why certainly, I'd love to!
• Primeval: Like a martial wild-shaping druid on methamphetamines.  Includes poisonous dinosaur options, so go nuts.
• Arachnomancer (DoU): Become a spider.  Summon spiders.  Cast spells.  The biggest win here, since you lose out on the venomous spells (which are all Cleric/Druid, sigh), is the ability to shape into a GARGANTUAN spider.  That's a 2d6 Str damage poison, my friend - no foolin' around, there.  Plus, arcane casting using Natural Spell while transformed is kinda fun, as is being a spider for HOURS every day.  I'd consider Beguiler as an entry, using Advanced Learning, or maybe a Dread Necromancer with Tomb-Touched soul, for Undead Spider awesomesauce.  Heck, you could even be SUPER lame (but full BaB!) and be a Hexblade!  WOO!  Granted, Wizard would be better, but hey, where's the fun in that?
• Vermin Keeper (DoU): More insect-focused casting and shaping.  Woo!
• Beastmaster (CAdv): They can get extra animal companions, which is abusable - more later.
• Animal Lord (CAdv): The "snakelord" gets a bite at 4th level equivalent to a Totemist's at 2nd. Woooow.  (you should feel the sarcasm dripping off that last word, there.)

EXPECTORATION FEATS

To expectorate:

• verb (used without object)
  to eject or expel matter, as phlegm, from the throat or lungs by coughing or hawking and spitting; spit.
• verb (used with object)
  to eject or expel (matter) in this way.

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• Spit Venom, Point Blank Shot + Precise Shot + Improved Spit: I went over this in detail, earlier, and it's really what this all boils down to.  If you're still confused, go do some reading.
• Ability Focus, Virulent Poison (Sav): Each adds +2 DC to poison.  Not worth the feats, for my buck, but if you're changing into something with a crappy Constitution score but great poison, maybe worth considering (I say go for more range, instead!).
• Virulent Poison OR Ability Focus + Deadly Poison (Sav or SK): This trick only works if you get secondary poison damage - think Greensnake Naga, Anthro serpent, Entomanthrope, Aranea, Change Shape/Wild Shape - the non-class poison sources.  I suggest hiding while the DOUBLED secondary damage takes effect.
• Darkstalker (LoM) + Blend Into Darkness (DoU) + At Home In the Deep (DoU) OR Devil's Sight (invocation; CArc or DrM): Hiding can be beneficial if you want to spit and wait for poison to take effect.  These feats make you a hiding fool.
• Vermin Shape (DoU): Technically, this is a Druid class feature variant for Drow from Drow of the Underdark.  At first, I thought this was a miss - after all, there are SO many amazing animal shapes out there!  Then I checked for poisonous animals.  Swindlespitters can blind, which is nice, but since they can't wield Gnomish Quickrazors, they're good ... but not GREAT.  Vermin, on the other hand, end up getting 1d8 poison once you get Huge spider shape.  Not terrible.
• Obtain Familiar + Share Soulmeld + Extra Familiar: Extra Familiar is from a Dragon mag (I forget which, ATM).  The basic idea is simple - shape a meld and SHARE SOME SPIT!  As many pets as you have (make them all tiny vipers!), they can now spit Dissolving Spittle right along with you!  The heavy feat investment will probably prevent you from getting a cone, but hey, who cares - you can have about a billion spat wads of acid hurtling through the air at any enemy you choose!
• Able Learner: This plus a level of Factotum lets a human keep Iaijutsu Focus as a class skill.  Make sure your spit can blind, or pick up the necessary wands.
• Aereni Skill Focus: This is from RoE, and is worth mentioning because it gives you the benefits of Skill Focus AND makes the skill of your choosing (including LIMITED ones!) a class skill FOREVER MORE.  Use for Iaijutsu Focus from Oriental Adventures and make sure you get yourself the ability to blind targets.  You have to be an elf, so do yourself a favor and be a Lesser Drow for style points and access to the Drow Fighter substitution levels.
• EWP - Gnomish Quickrazor (RoS): Not worth it unless you can blind; if you can, makes Iaijutsu Focus useful every round and has ninja-esque "flashing-hidden-blades" cool points, too.
• Quicken Spell-Like Ability: Spit quickly!  Then do other stuff!  Only 3 times/day, though.  Ah well.
  Underfoot Combat, Confound the Big Folk: Know what's fun?  Spitting on a big guy's crotch from underneath.  Seriously.
• Serpent's Venom (CDiv): Really.  Waste a Wild Shape for a ONE MINUTE/LEVEL poison attack, when you could be a critter with the SAME POISON for an HOUR?!  WotC should hire me.  I'm at least able to read and understand basic game mechanics.
• Swift Ambusher, Sacred Outlaw, Swift Avenger (CSc, Dragon #354): These are some multi-classing feats that are really just unfair.  More on this in builds.
• Lloth's Caress (DoU): Blow a turn attempt to force the save vs. your secondary poison damage.  Yeesh.  This actually makes Virulent Poison worth another look, ladies and gents.
• Rage Feats: Reckless Rage and Khyber's Rage will increase your Con bonus from raging, if you want to go that direction.  Granted, if you've got a really high Strength, you might as well BITE your enemy (unless there's a crowd, in which case spitting might be more efficacious).

SPIT SPELLS!

It seems unfair that casters spit better, too, but they do everything better.  Put it on a bumper sticker.

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• Venomfire (SK): If you're bound and determined to spit with a caster, this spell will make it a semi-viable combat tactic by adding acid damage to your venom!  Adds 1d6 acid damage PER CASTER LEVEL, and lasts an HOUR PER LEVEL, which makes it an all-day buff from 5th, when it's available.  This makes for an INCREDIBLE nasty cone of spit on a caster - ability damage PLUS your level worth of Acid in d6's in a cone is really, really mean.  Pretty slick in a wand, too, since it lets you posse up damage AND ability damage in an attack-free cone.
• Blinding Spittle (SpC): Again, Druids win with this spell if the DM counts it as a viable prerequisite for Deadly Spittle.
• Toxic Tongue (CM): An Assassin-only pick that might be WORTH it!  This one sounds like a shoe-in for spitting, since it specifically GIVES you spit for 1 min/level that deals 1d6 Con damage.  FUN!

AFTER the SPIT

It pays to ask what else you might consider doing.

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You're going to need something else to do once you've coated people in your loogies.  Sometimes you'll be dealing with poison or acid immunity (which will be less annoying if you're just spitting blindness, which would be WAY better!), sometimes you won't want to hit your friends (they're always griping when you accidentally poison them even though you clearly TOLD them to get out of the way ...) - no matter how you cut it, you will need to be able to do other stuff.

There are a few options for the non-caster (I'm not bothering to explain what to do if you're a caster - figure it out yourself):

• Wands: UMD is your friend.  Use to get Venomfire going on your spew, or just cast fun area de-buffs like Caustic Mire or Web and the like.
• HIDE!: Nothing is more obnoxious than being undetectable, then popping out, spewing, and disappearing.  Do this all day and you'll REALLY annoy your foes.
• FIGHT!: As long as you can't spew, use a weapon.  Mostly, though, spitting is for classes who can't hit, so consider your options.  Ranged > Melee, unless you're blinding people and using Iaijutsu Focus.
• BREATHE!: DFAs get halistosis to back up their loogies.  Consider Entangling Exhalation from the Draconomicon - breathe to slow'em down, then spit a bunch of venom on them while they slog along.  Good times!
• CAST/INVOKE!: Remember, your primary identity is as a spitter - don't get all caught up in casting and forget who you are.

EXPECTORATION EXTRAS:

Miscellaneous spit-worthy stuff!

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• Wands and Schemas: Blinding Spittle, Toxic Tongue, and Venomfire are obvious picks.  Schemas are non-charged, use per day style wand-like things from Magic of Eberron - handy if you're worried about charges.
• Wand Bracer and Wand Chamber (CAdv): Good ways to keep your favorite wands handy!

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[JanusJones]

EXPECTORATORS by CATEGORY

Before I start, it behooves me to point out that spewing is primarily a low-level technique; after a certain level, everything's immune to poison or the ability damage dealt is insignificant.  With that said, if using the Dragon #313 Spit Venom variant OR the Blinding Spittle spell (assuming it works for Deadly Spittle), you can create higher level viable and tough builds using Iaijutsu Focus abuse.

BLINDING SPITTLE BUILDS

These builds rely on the use of the Druid's Blinding Spittle, shaped into a cone, to create a NO SAVE, NO ATTACK roll blinding cone of nasty that lasts "until the target uses a standard action AND water to wash his eyes."  The potential for abuse is crazy when it's paired with Iaijutsu Focus.

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Sword of the Serpent

ECL: 20
Race: Any Elf, but boosts to Cha don't hurt.
Classes: Druid (UA Monk Variant) 20
Feats: Aereni Skill Focus - Iaijutsu Focus (1st), Deadly Spittle (3rd), Darkstalker (6th), EWP - Gnomish Quickrazor (9th), 12th+ are free (I'm open to suggestions!).
Details: This is a simple build stub based on the premise that Blinding Spittle qualifies a Druid for Deadly Spittle.  The idea is simple - Blinding Spittle becomes a 25 ft. + 5 ft./level, NO SAVE, auto-hit CONE of BLINDNESS that lasts until the targets find WATER to wash with ... at 3rd level.  Use Iaijutsu Focus with a scimitar and play at being ultimate swordsman.  If you have flaws, consider picking up EWP - Gnomish Quickrazor to allow you to do your trick every round.  The use of the UA Druid build for Wis to AC and monk boosts is an obvious choice, since Iaijutsu Focus is kinda useless when you're shifted.  Once you pick up Venomfire, things get REALLY unfair - now, your blinding spittle does Acid damage while it blinds the enemy.

Mr. Six

ECL: 20
Race: Half-Elf
Classes: Scout 3/Druid 17 
Feats: Aereni Skill Focus (1st), EWP - Quickrazor (3rd), Deadly Spittle (6th), Swift Ambusher (9th), Darkstalker (12th), Improved Skirmish (15th), Acrobatic Skirmisher (18th)
Details: Another version on the Sword of the Serpent.  Simply put, he gets 20 levels of Skirmish +9d6 Iaijutsu Focus damage on a 17th level full caster with Wis to AC.  There's a spell that'll let you pounce at the end of your charge, too, just to be really unfair.

Loogie Ninja

ECL: 20
Race: Changeling
Classes: Factotum 1/Fighter 2/Swordsage 2/Chameleon 10/Exemplar 1/Warblade 2/Crusader 1
Feats: Able Learner (1st), EWP - Quickrazor (Fighter 1), WP Finesse (Fighter 2), Skill Focus - Iaijutsu Focus (3rd), Deadly Spittle (6th), Darkstalker (9th),  12th through 18th free.
Details: Chameleon lets you pick up spells from ANY arcane or divine casting class, which means Blinding Spittle, Toxic Tongue, and Venomfire - woo!  Blind'em, then dice'em up with Iaijutsu Focus and casting.  Sheesh.  Rounded out with martial adept maneuvers for all the ninja coolness you could ever desire on someone who spits as a major method of attack.

HANDYMAN SPITTERS

These builds use tools - Wands of Blinding Spittle and Venomfire - to achieve similar effects to those above.  Thus, they only work if your DM first rules Blinding Spittle works with Deadly Spittle, and second that wands work the same as spells for those purposes.

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Super Six

ECL: 20
Race: Human
Classes: Factotum 1/Rogue 1/Scout 18 
Feats: Able Learner (1st), EWP - Quickrazor (human), WP Finesse (3rd), Deadly Spittle (6th), Swift Ambusher (9th), Darkstalker (12th), Craven (15th), Improved Skirmish (18th).
Details: Venomfire + Blinding Spittle followed by Iaijutsu Focus (9d6) + 19th level Sneak Attack (10d6) + 19th level Skirmish (5d6) + Improved Skirmish (2d6) + Craven (20) = 26d6+20.  Is it game breaking?  No.  Is it cool?  Hells yes.

INCARNUM SPEWERS

I think Incarnum is where spitting really shines.  It's low-level, it's fun, and it's flavorful.  Heh.

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Lil' Loogie

ECL: 15
Race: Murkdweller
Classes: Incarnate 1/Totemist 2/Barbarian 2/Totem Rager 10
Feats: Deadly Spittle (1st), WP Finesse (racial), Spit Venom (3rd), Extra Rage (6th), Expanded Soulmeld Capacity (9th)
Details: A simple little build worth explaining.  Starting out at 1st, you have a 30 ft. ranged touch spit for 2d6 acid, a 15 ft. cone of blindness, a 25 ft. touch attack for blindness, and a 15 ft. cone of 2d6 acid at your disposal.  By 3rd, you add a 1d3 Con spit.  The Barbarian levels grant more DC ups for your acid and poison, in addition to some combat viability. You can invest in nice ranged soulmelds, so inspect the list well.

Death Spit

ECL: 20
Race: Azurin
Classes: Incarnate 20
Feats: Deadly Spittle (1st), Expanded Soulmeld Capacity (human), Point Blank Shot (3rd), Necrocarnum Acolyte (6th), Improved Spit (9th, 12th, 15th, 18th).
Details: Nothing complex, but a pretty solid build for a weak class.  At 1st level, you've got a 3d6 cone of acid 15 ft. long.  Things get FUN when you get Throat Binding.  With an Incarnum Focus and Expanded Soulmeld Capacity (+2 from the class, +1 from the feat), you're dealing 9d6 acid the first round, then 13d6 every round after, in a cone up to 75 ft. long.  Basically, it's a cheap way to give the poor Incarnate SOMETHING useful to do in combat, though it's mostly only exciting at low levels (later on, you're better off playing something else, honestly).  Feel free to throw in 10 levels of Necrocarnate if you'd like it to be a bit tougher, as they can get you some zombie meat-shields, unlimited essentia, and a whole crapload of temporary hit points if you play your cards right.

The Holy Hawker

ECL: 20
Race: Azurin
Classes: Cloistered Cleric 1/Incarnate 2/Cloistered Cleric +2/Sapphire Hierarch 10
Feats: Spit Venom (1st), Deadly Spittle (human), Animal Devotion (Domain feat), Knowledge Devotion (Domain feat), Extra Turning (3rd), 6th - 18th feats FREE.
Details: This is one elegant little honey of a build, and has absolutely no holes in it.  It grants 13th level Clerical casting, 12th level shaping, and you even start tough, with a 1d3 Con damage, 15 ft. cone of poison and a 30 ft. touch attack loogie.  You grab an Acid backup by 3rd level, and can start doing whatever you like from there on out.  Rock solid, and one of the more reliable and level-appropriate builds to spit with.

Spit-Storm

ECL: 20
Race: Human
Classes: Wizard 1/Druid 1/Incarnate 1/Sorcerer 1/Incarnate +16
Feats: Extra Familiar (1st), Extra Familiar (1st), Share Soulmeld (3rd), Extra Familiar (6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th).
Details: This is just ridiculous.  Get yourself an animal companion and two familiars from the beginning class dips.  Until 3rd you'll play like a normal low-level caster; come 3rd level, you'll have 3 familiars and one animal companion who, all of a sudden, can spit just like you.  Thus at 3rd level you're talking you + 4 pets, all spitting 2d6 acid globs for a lovely 5x2d6 = 10d6 touch attack.  The obvious choice is a batch of tiny vipers.  As your levels go up, you score more pets, so that at 6th you're dealing 6x4d6 = 24d6, at 9th 7x4d6 = 28d6, at 12th 8x5d6 = 40d6, at 15th 9x5d6 = 45d6, and at 18th 10x7d6 = 70d6.  If you add on an Incarnum Focus Amulet, that'll go up to 80d6; if you drop a tiny viper and grab Expanded Soulmeld Capacity, you'll go from 10x8d6 to 9x9d6 and net ONE lousy d6.  Another option, if you want to be REALLY extreme, is to drop one familiar, add Skill Focus - Handle Animal, and drop 10 levels of Incarnate for 10 of Animal Lord.  This nets you three more total pets, but you lose one die of damage due to missing out on the 15th level Incarnate boost to soulmeld capacity, so you end up with 13x7d6 = 91d6.  Plus, you can afford to have at least one animal companion big enough to ride who probably won't die in every fight.  You could also go the Evil route and be a Thrall of Demogorgon or Thrall of Orcus; it costs two feats, but gets four of any kind, netting you two extra pets - the abilities might be more your playstyle than the Beastmaster. 

I prefer the Incarnum option just to pursue the class fully; the skill-monkey flavor is fine with a spit-storm as combat contribution.  Make sure to buy a bunch of Familiar Pockets for your familiars, since they hurt you when they die (there's another early Dragon feat for gnomes out there that grants animal companions, instead, but you'd lose your human bonus feat, and lose one net pet; on the plus side, you'd always be able to replace any dead pets without losing exp).  The idea's simple: wear a big cloak.  When you go into combat, a whole crapload of snakes peek out and pelt the enemy with loogies (you do, too).  If you REALLY want to get silly, get Great Fortitude and Poison Healer (costing two pets) and, of course, have a ridiculously high Con.  Now, if you're hurt in combat, you can have all your tiny little vipers bite you to heal Con Mod x pets in HP.  A final fun note about this build: it's great never having to open doors.  You'll melt a tunnel through any dungeon you encounter.

INVOCATION-BASED EXPECTORATORS

Let's hear it for non-caster casters!  Spitting is a nice way to round out someone who wishes he cast real spells.  Plus, I have a soft spot for DFAs.   

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Spitting Dragon

ECL: 20
Race: Azurin
Classes: DFA 20
Feats: Entangling Exhalation (1st), Power Surge (human), Shape Breath (3rd), Spit Venom (6th), Deadly Spittle (9th), Clinging Breath (12th), Lingering Breath (15th), Enlarge Breath (18th).
Details: You can do this faster, if you like, by skipping the metabreath feats and Power Surge and grabbing Shape Soulmeld - Dissolving Spittle at first, then Deadly Spittle at 3rd.  That would leave you free to grab Spit Venom at 6th, so you could be slinging about cones of 1d8 Con damage by using Humanoid Shape to shift into a Cobra Naga form from Oriental Adventures.  On the other hand, doing the metabreath thing means you can drop a whole-fight de-buff on your enemies, using Lingering Breath along with Enlarge Breath to blanket the entire field of combat (minus your friends, who are protected by your Endure Exposure invocation) with an entangling effect that works if foes take even ONE point of damage.  Once they're at 1/2 move, -4 Dex, -2 to hit (yep, that's a total of -4 to ranged attacks), can't run or charge, take 1d6 damage every round and have to make DC 15 Concentration checks to cast, you can spend YOUR time poisoning them to death.  What fun!

Venom

ECL: 20
Race: Magic-Blooded Murkdweller
Classes: Warlock 20 
Feats: Deadly Spittle (1st), Blend Into Darkness (3rd), Spit Venom (6th), Darkstalker (9th), Improved Web (12th), 15th and 18th free.
Details: At 1st, you can blind in a 15 ft. cone or touch attack blind within 25 ft with a Dex-based DC.  By 6th, you're shifting into a spider using the invocation from Drow of the Underdark and spraying peeps with the appropriate poisons.  As with the DFA, USE that Use Magic Device roll once you get your paws on a Wand of Blinding Spittle and Venomfire, won't you?  Technically, this could be a lot better - after all, the "new" 3.5 polymorph rules made alternate forms kind of lame.  With that said, the Improved Web feat from Savage Species gives you another Dex-based de-buff; throw down Nightmares Made Real from Complete Mage, change shape, and start webbing and poisoning cats.  Good times. 

MORE SPIT-CASTERS ...

Again, not really fair or even rational to make spitting primary on a caster, but hey - why not?  For the sake of completeness ...

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Kiss of the Spider Woman

ECL: 20
Race: Magic-Blooded Lesser Drow
Classes: Cleric 20
Feats: Animal Devotion (1st), Spit Venom (flaw), Deadly Spittle (flaw), Lloth's Caress (3rd), Ability Focus - Poison (6th), Virulent Poison (9th), 12th through 18th free.
Details: Yup.  Worshipping Lloth turns out to have benefits - who'd a thunk it?  Lloth's Boon makes your pitiful prey save against your secondary Con damage (2d3) right away - and that's ALL PREY WITHIN 20 ft.  So spray a big group, blow a turn attempt, and watch your DM re-calculating HP.  Rinse and repeat to guarantee death for a lot of critters.

And that, kids, is that.  I'm sure, given the immensity of the published material out there, that I've missed a TON of fun classes, feats, races, spells, and equipment handy for spitters, so please feel free to spray them all over this thread.  If you have a build, just use my format above and I'll post it (if I like it).

[Dictum Mortuum]

Is it me, or you just posted the most dirty guide on the boards? 

[JanusJones]

Is it me, or you just posted the most dirty guide on the boards? 

I HOPE so!   

And ... urm ... ahem (pushes English teacher glasses up) ...

That would be "dirtiest."

Maybe I should work on a guide to tentacle combat ...

[PlzBreakMyCampaign]

Maybe I should work on a guide to tentacle combat ...

JJ I'm so glad to have you back. I love fringe optimization. Clearly you are up to the challenge of the tentacle handbook. School girls must be included.

[Garryl]

Shouldn't this be in the handbooks section? Either way, interesting stuff.

Edit: The Emanothrope link is broken. Because you have it written directly, the boards think that the period at the end of the sentence is part of the link.

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040621a]Emanothrope[/url]

You have bad list tags at the end of Shinomen Naga (no closing /li tag) and the start of Mongrelfolk (extraneous opening list tag). The tags at the start of the Fang of Seth PrC and Wand Bracer item are messed up, too. You also seem to have a set of extraneous opening list tags at the start of the first post and closing /list tags at the end of the first post.

[Concerned Ninja Citizen]

Is it me, or you just posted the most dirty guide on the boards? 

If he adds a guide to this ability it'll be the dirtiest.

[Captnq]

If he adds a guide to this ability it'll be the dirtiest.

If someone creates the 'Vore guide to D&D, I will burn the internet.

The entire internet.

[Captnq]

1. If you can turn your spit into an area effect cone, is it a breath weapon? If so, can I use all the spells that modify breath weapons?

2. If I get a necklace of natural weaponry, can I apply WSAs to my spit?

[bhu]

 

[Elevevated Beat]

This is brilliant. We need more of these. Then I can make my dreams of a massive joke campaign come true!

(click to show/hide)

I can see I'm leaving myself open for a "your DMing is a joke" remark. So

Definitely, definitely need a swallow whole guide.

[123456789blaaa]

WOOO! 

[Dictum Mortuum]

Now only if you could have a character with both swallow whole and the ability to spit abilities, you would have an interesting dilemma regarding your attack options: spit or swallow?

[phaedrusxy]

Very fun guide.

However, Venomfire specifically says it has no effect on creatures who do not have a natural poisonous attack. So it shouldn't work on the druid using Blinding Spittle, or any of the other things that rely on spells or other pseudo-magical effects to pick up their poison(s).

[emaNsdrawkcaB]

Now only if you could have a character with both swallow whole and the ability to spit abilities, you would have an interesting dilemma regarding your attack options: spit or swallow?

I just spat chocolate milk all over. It seems as though I have Improved Spit. It's everywhere.

[Arz]

Share Soulmeld + symbionts = As cheesy as your DM allows. Many aweful images come to mind but spitting tentacles is over the tops.

[JanusJones]

1. If you can turn your spit into an area effect cone, is it a breath weapon? If so, can I use all the spells that modify breath weapons?

2. If I get a necklace of natural weaponry, can I apply WSAs to my spit?

I do not think spit counts as a "natural weapon," technically, though this could be open to interpretation.  The rules list only physical melee weapons, not spit or breath.

On the issue of breath, it isn't breath - it's SPEW.  As I mentioned, LIKE breath, but wetter (ewwww).  MUCH more humiliating for your target, too!   

Share Soulmeld + symbionts = As cheesy as your DM allows. Many aweful images come to mind but spitting tentacles is over the tops.

Oh ... GAWD.  We need to get a listing for Half-Daelkyr and that funky Half-Daelkyr class, now.  And a section on symbionts ... and on GRAFTS, for that matter!  Hmm ... I need to look up that flesh-grafting class now, too.  Phew! 

Shouldn't this be in the handbooks section? Either way, interesting stuff.

Edit: The Emanothrope link is broken. Because you have it written directly, the boards think that the period at the end of the sentence is part of the link.

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20040621a]Emanothrope[/url]

You have bad list tags at the end of Shinomen Naga (no closing /li tag) and the start of Mongrelfolk (extraneous opening list tag). The tags at the start of the Fang of Seth PrC and Wand Bracer item are messed up, too. You also seem to have a set of extraneous opening list tags at the start of the first post and closing /list tags at the end of the first post.

Noted.  The tags on this board are not fun to work with.  I'm working on fixing it up - thanks for the heads-up!

Very fun guide.

However, Venomfire specifically says it has no effect on creatures who do not have a natural poisonous attack. So it shouldn't work on the druid using Blinding Spittle, or any of the other things that rely on spells or other pseudo-magical effects to pick up their poison(s).

Hey PXY!  Yep, you're right - modified the base text to reflect that, and will modify builds when time allows.  That said, I think you qualify as having "natural venom" when you're wild-shaped, so critters with Natural Spell should be fine. 

Also, that makes races with natural venom more attractive, which is nice!  After all, so many have unreasonable LA (where WAS the Yuan-Ti Tainted One re-printed?  I FAR prefer the Savage Species +1 LA version - it's almost worth playing, given the serpent shape bit!).

Maybe I should work on a guide to tentacle combat ...

JJ I'm so glad to have you back. I love fringe optimization. Clearly you are up to the challenge of the tentacle handbook. School girls must be included.

Thanks, man.  You know, I'm starting to think there's a "Guide To Disgusting Things to Do To Your Enemies" in this, somewhere.  Swallow Whole, Gape of the Serpent (for eating things your own size!), Barbed Stinger (impaling people on your giant pokey tail has some definite "Seven" flashback potential ... does anyone else remember that movie and get the heeby-jeebies just because of that ONE scene?), and a tentacle guide (Darktentacles, those big hounds from LoM, Deepspawn feat, Extended Reach, the Illithid tentacle feats from CPsi, and tentacle symbionts ...).

Ew.

[phaedrusxy]

Barbed Stinger (impaling people on your giant pokey tail has some definite "Seven" flashback potential ... does anyone else remember that movie and get the heeby-jeebies just because of that ONE scene?)

Yes... One of the few movie scenes to leave me feeling permanently scarred years later...

[123456789blaaa]

It may interest you to know that I pimped the Incarnum Four in the newest Totemist Handbook (scroll down). Since the builds had some problems we started discussing how to improve them a bit. The reason I told you this on this thread is because builds for the Flaming Loogie were posted  .

[bhu]

Barbed Stinger (impaling people on your giant pokey tail has some definite "Seven" flashback potential ... does anyone else remember that movie and get the heeby-jeebies just because of that ONE scene?)

Yes... One of the few movie scenes to leave me feeling permanently scarred years later...

I've seen worse.  If you can find it watch the uncut version of 'A Serbian Film.'  Guaranteed sleepless nights.