My PC's have ticked off a princess of the Unseelie Court (which I have statted as Shadow Creature Eladrin), though the courtiers are also composed of various fey, in addition to the evil Eladrin. My 18th level PC's have rebuffed every attempt of this dark princess to have them captured or killed, and are now protecting every member of the party with Mind Blank to prevent Masters of Hunt (MM5) from finding them.
In addition, the Beguiler//Barbarian PC has dipped a level of Mindbender, and has the Mindsight feat.
The PC's know that there is no permanent way to stop the Unseelie from wanting their heads, except to trick them into thinking the PC's are already dead, and just recently figured out that the Clone spell (plus some Modify Memory spells) is the best way to trick the Unseelie into thinking they have finally been hunted down and killed. But Clone takes quite a while to grow a new body (taking an average of 5 months). In the mean time, the Unseelie will still be trying to hunt them down.
To that end, I'm thinking of having the Unseelie unleash some high-level Mistlings (Forge of War) on the PC's. They won't be able to divine the PC's location, but their stomping grounds are well-known to the Unseelie, so the insane Mistlings could be pointed in the right direction, and just left to wreak havoc.
Mistlings will also be a nice little horrific tool to use against my Mindsight-enabled PC. Much like an Allip, Mistlings are insane:
Madness (Ex): Anyone targeting a mistling with a thought detection, mind control, or telepathic ability makes direct contact with its tortured mind and takes 1d4 points of Wisdom damage.
It is a debatable interpretation, but I think a valid one, that any Mistling creature who is detected via Mindsight automatically inflicts 1d4 Wisdom damage on a creature with Mindsight.
Mistlings also have this little gem:
Conjure Living Spell (Sp): Once per day, a mistling can transform any spell or spell-like ability it can cast into a living spell (ECS 293). This requires a full-round action, and it counts as one daily casting or use of the spell or spell-like ability. The resultant living spell lasts for a number of hours equal to the mistling’s Hit Dice or until destroyed, and it follows the mental orders of its creator.
Living Spells are oozes that don't have an intelligence score, and as such are invisible to Mindsight.
Sadly, it doesn't appear that a Mistling can make a dual-spell version of a Living Spell.
The [Living Spell] template can be applied to any spell that creates an area or effect (not targeted spells), but not a spell whose effect is already a creature (such as a summon monster spell).
...
Spell Effect (Su): A creature hit by a living spell’s slam attack is subjected to the normal effect of the spell or spells making up the creature, as if it were within the area or effect of the spell itself. Saves apply as normal for the spell; the DC is 10 + spell level + Cha modifier.
Engulf (Ex): A living spell can flow around creatures that fit within its space as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The living spell merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity against the living spell, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 10 + spell level + Cha modifier) or be engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the spell moves forward. Engulfed creatures are subject to the full normal effect of the spell(s) each round on the living spell’s turn, and are considered to be grappled.
I've got a quick question about how the Spell Effect special attack would work with some spells; presumably it's only effective for damaging or instantaneous effects? For example, what would happen if a Living Energy Transformation Field hit you with a slam attack? I don't think it would have an effect, except when it engulfed you.
Anyway, searching found several threads on GitP about "cool" or funny living spell ideas, but half of them were invalid, and reading through the threads just annoyed me with posters that couldn't for the life of them keep straight what kinds of spells were able to be made into a living spell ("... a living summon monster spell would be cool!")
So, I'm looking for a few ideas of challenging Living Spell ideas. A Nymph Druid//Beguiler/Sublime Chord is a pretty typical kind of fey that I could make into a Mistling, so pretty much any arcane spell, or any Druid spell could be made into a Living Spell at the creature's whim. Giving the Mistling the Invisible Spell feat would make these Living Spells even more of a pain in the rear.
A living spell appears similar to a normal spell effect, except that—even in the case of an instantaneous spell, such as fireball—the magical energy lingers, writhing and moving with definite purpose.
So an Invisible Spell version would create naturally invisible oozes (much like an Invisible Stalker's natural invisibility).
Here are a few ideas I came up with, or gleaned from the morass of GitP threads:
Frostfell (FrB): Those caught in the area at the time of casting (thus, those hit by the slam attack) must make a fortitude save or be turned to ice as
flesh to ice (which is basically
flesh to stone); on a successful save you are merely subject to 1d6 frostburn damage per caster level (frostburn damage is just cold damage that can't be healed while in cold areas).
Teleportation Circle: Teleports those struck to a predetermined location.
Mordenkainen's Disjunction: That's too mean to even contemplate at this point.
Disintegrate: Just cuts swaths through everything it touches (how does it not fall to the center of the earth?)
Sphere of Ultimate Destruction (SpC): Similar to Disintegrate, and basically a lesser version of the Umbral Blot epic monster.
Entangle: How the heck does its slam work? Does it entangle you with itself? Or does hitting you cause a localized entangle effect to only affect the target struck?
Energy Transformation Field (SpC): Seemingly only works when it engulfs something, but then the target isn't using magic to get out of the grapple. Seems like you get a secondary spell effect for 'free' (would the Living Spell itself take damage from that secondary spell powered by the ETF?)
Ray of Dizziness (SpC): great as a secondary spell (Living Spells can be made of two spells combined). - Sadly, ineffective against Mindblanked PC's.
Tsunami (SpC): How would this work? Subject the PC to 1d6/CL bludgeoning damage, and push them back 60 feet, then end?
Transmute Rock to Lava (SpC): Slam does 20d6 (or 6d6 on successful save) fire, but those engulfed are likely to take 20d6 fire instead (because they will have a hard time escaping the area on their next turn, being grappled and all)...?
Although technically beyond the scope of the Living Spell template, I'd consider any ground it crawled over "engulfed," and thus it would leave a "snail trail" of liquified earth beneath it, that slowly cools over hours and days (as described in the spell).
Wall of Greater Dispel Magic (SpC): Slam and Engulf affects each target with a targeted greater dispel magic. The ooze might also be naturally invisible... "A wall of dispel magic cannot be seen or felt by ordinary means, or even with a see invisibility spell. Detect magic indicates the presence of the effect, and true seeing reveals its presence."
Red Tide (SpC): Immediately knocks the target prone w/ no chance to resist. Failed Fort save and you are nauseated and taking Strength damage. Nice little combo for an engulfing grapple monster... Only problem is that it is a poison effect.
Slime Wave (SpC): Ouch, just, ouch. Every time you are hit or each round you are engulfed, make a Reflex save or get another patch of green slime...
Enervation/Energy Drain: Slam - *rolls* "four negative levels."
Blackfire (SpC): Constitution-damaging fire that can spread to your allies?
Replicate Casting (SpC): Every time it attacks, it replicates a spell or SLA it saw the PC's use in the last round. Best as a secondary spell paired with a primary spell effect, IMO. The Wall of Greater Dispel Magic would be a nice companion, I think. It would always be invisible, until it observed someone else casting.
Shades: It can become a new conjuration (creation) effect each round... Orb of Acid, Orb of Fire, Orb of Force, Orb of Sound, Evard's Black Tentacles, Cloudkill, Incendiary Cloud, Stun Ray, Acid Storm, Viscid Glob.
(The orb spells are nice, because they don't have a save vs. the damage, only the secondary effect, so engulfing a target is an "auto" succeed at damage [though the PC can choose to AoO or get a reflex save]).
Any other neat ideas?
