Spirit Eater Curse Help?

[TraceChaos]

Not sure if this is even the right place for this, but ever since a couple years back when I played Neverwinter Nights 2 and the Mask of the Betrayer expansion, I've wanted to play a Spirit Eater in a regular D&D game.

I'm wondering if there's anything like a template or base class (I'm aware of the soul eater PrC and while it's cool it's not quite what I'm looking for) or if anyone would be willing to help me try and make one? I'd prefer a 1-20 base class or a prestige class like Oslecamos Paragon, which is easy to enter in theory and has a good fifteen levels. I don't want it to be too powerful or anything, I just want the flavor / fluff of eating souls and spirits and such and the crunch to back it up.

Anyone know of anything, have suggestions, or willing to otherwise help me out?

I apologize if this is the wrong board-area for this.

[Braininthejar]

Wouldn't it be a template rather than a class?

[TraceChaos]

Either or, really. I'd PREFER a class because I hate LA and don't mind getting things weaker, or slower, but if it were a template that'd be fine in any games I could play with GMs who allowed such things.

Like I said though, I'd prefer a class if I could get it specifically so I could take parts of it here and there.

Still yeah, in theory a template would stick to the source more closely.

[TraceChaos]

Wouldn't it be a template rather than a class?

Also, sorry for double posting, I say class cause Oslecamo made those classes like Pseudonatural creature and such. Which honestly seem to be making a point of "If it can be a template it can be a class."

[Braininthejar]

I can't really imagine being a soul-eating monstrocity as something you could dabble in. You either are one or not.

Another idea: how about making the curse a, well curse (feed regularly or suffer stacking penalties that might kill you) while creating a set of feats to go with it? (artificer can harvest souls for crafting reserve, psion to regain points, wizard to power metamagic, etc.)  This would give the character a strong 'theme' while keeping him able to advance as normal.

( I wish I had any experience with essentia - I feel this topic should go in that direction)

[TraceChaos]

I can't really imagine being a soul-eating monstrocity as something you could dabble in. You either are one or not.

Another idea: how about making the curse a, well curse (feed regularly or suffer stacking penalties that might kill you) while creating a set of feats to go with it? (artificer can harvest souls for crafting reserve, psion to regain points, wizard to power metamagic, etc.)  This would give the character a strong 'theme' while keeping him able to advance as normal.

( I wish I had any experience with essentia - I feel this topic should go in that direction)

Well that's why you'd gain the most barebone basics at level one of the class ; a basic soul-suck ability and some penalties for not doing so.

The problem with doing it the way you mention there is they're all casters, where the curse can theoretically be applied to anyone.  Specifically melee types were able to be it. Making it a chain of feats would be neat though, I suppose... I just lack the know-how to do it myself.

As a class though, it'd gain a basic need for souls and basic ability to drain them at level one.... I just don't know how to turn the fluff into crunch myself.

I don't know as much about D&D in general as I'd like, though. Which is why I'm looking for help. I'd honestly take whatever I could get.

[Braininthejar]

Try asing Amehra - he has that daily feat thing going.

[TraceChaos]

Will do. Also decided to PM other people I knew made classes and such, 'cause more options = more good. It's science.

Thanks for the help.

[bhu]

what exacly is a spirit eater?

[TraceChaos]

what exacly is a spirit eater?

A Spirit Eater is TECHNICALLY someone who's cursed to hold THE spirit eater inside them, in the MoTB campaign. I'd probably want that lore tweaked a bit to be anyone whose soul is somehow damaged and needs 'fed' other souls or somesuch.

But otherwise what they amount to is someone who literally eats spirits. And more, as they gain mastery. They start with just spirits ; ghosts and elementals. They do damage to them and fill up a pool (which may not be necessary for the class/template/whatever eventually gets made) based on how much damage they deal.

As they master their abilities, the Spirit Eater can learn to turn their powers on to living creatures possessing souls, onto the energy animating undead, and even onto groups of things that they are capable of turning their powers on.

If they don't 'feed', their hunger turns on them. Devours their own essence and life force, and destroys them.

I can say more if ya want.

[Braininthejar]

A guy cursed by Myrkul for trying to invade the land of the dead to break the Wall of the Faithless. - He was cursed with supernatural hunger that made him devour souls - At the beginning of Neverwinter Nights 2 expansion our protagonist is purposefully taken to the crypt where the previous spirit eater was sealed, causing the curse to jump to him.

The hunger can be turned upon nature spirits initially - it's damaging to them and provides extra energy when used to finish them off. Later the player can learn to channel the energy to feed off undead or off living people. He can also learn to channel the energy more precisely, for example use it to heal others or do some plot-related tricks with other people's energy.

If not sated, the hunger weakens and finally kills the cursed, causing the curse to find the next person. On the other hand, feeding more often than strictly needed increases the hunger. So the character can either be a strictly controlled monster that travels the world seeking to undo the curse while regularly finding some bad guys to feed on, or an equivalent of walking greater consumptive field that has to kill dozens a day or be consumed by his own power.

[TraceChaos]

I like Braininthejars description better than mine.

[bhu]

so a core class whose powers are based on soul eating,

[Braininthejar]

Not sure how it should balance - the original character didn't get cursed until late teen levels.

[TraceChaos]

Right. Just the soul eating can actually affect spirits and eventually the undead, so it wouldn't be based on energy drain like the BoVD "Soul Eater" PrC is, since that PrC does negative levels which, for example, ghosts are immune to.

[Amechra]

Basic idea:

Devour Spirit [General]
You have been cursed with the need to eat spirits.
Prerequisites: DM permission, must be cursed with a terrible affliction of some sort.
Benefits: You may use Inflict Light Wounds as a spell-like ability at-will; you may only target Spirits with this spell-like ability, and it deals raw Untyped damage instead of Negative Energy damage. In addition, you regain HP equal to 1/2 of the damage you dealt. If you manage to kill a Spirit with this spell-like ability, you gain the benefits of a Death Knell effect using that creature's HD.

At ECL 5, your Inflict Light Wounds spell-like ability instead mimics Inflict Moderate Wounds; at ECL 9, it improves to Inflict Serious Wounds, and at ECL 13, to Inflict Critical Wounds.

However, this power comes with a curse; you must kill a Spirit with this spell-like ability at least once a day, or else take damage equal to twice your ECL upon next resting. This damage is the same Untyped damage as your Inflict spell-like ability, and cannot be prevented or redirected in any way.

What is a Spirit?

(click to show/hide)

The following are considered to be Spirits for the purposes of the Devour Spirit feat:

• All incorporeal undead
• All fey
• All elementals
• Creatures in astral form or with astral bodies (but not a creature physically present on the Astral Plane)
• All creatures of the spirit subtype (see Oriental Adventures)
• Spirit folk and telthors (see Unapproachable East)
• Spirit creatures created by spells such as dream sight or wood wose

Devour Soul [Vile]
You have learned how to feed off innocent mortal creatures.
Prerequisites: Devour Spirit, Any Evil Alignment
Benefits: You may target any living creature with the spell-like ability granted by Devour Spirit; however, they aren't as filling as a Spirit. You must kill 3 living creatures with the spell-like ability to prevent the damage dealt for not killing a Spirit. Animals are considered to be 1/2 of a creature, Good or innocent creatures are considered to be 2 creatures, and Good innocent creatures are considered to be 3 creatures.

Innocent?

(click to show/hide)

A creature must meet the following criteria to be considered innocent for the purposes of the Devour Soul feat:

• Those who have never killed another creature with Int 3+
• Those who have not had children
• Those who have never cast an [Evil] spell
• Those who have never desecrated a temple

Eternal Rest [General]
You have learned to feast on the binding energies of dead souls.
Prerequisites: Devour Spirit, Any non-Evil Alignment
Benefits: You may target any Undead with the spell-like ability granted by Devour Spirit; in addition, you consider all Intelligent Undead to be Spirits for the purposes of the Devour Spirit feat.

[TraceChaos]

Those are an amazingly balanced way of handling the spirit eater curse as three basic feats, and assuming I never get a class for it those feats will be used in literally every game I play for a longass time. I am 200% happy to see those!

[TraceChaos]

So, I'm thinking of trying my own hand at homebrewing, using these three feats as a basic idea for a class! This will, more likely than not, end horribly. Which is to say this'll be my first ever attempt at homebrewing something.

So would the concept, as discussed earlier in the thread, of the spirit eater fit better as a class or prestige class?

Personally, I'd prefer a base class because it'd be neat to specialize solely in the consumption of souls, but I'm BETTING the people here have a better idea of this sort of thing than me.

[bhu]

It depends on how much you want it to do

[TraceChaos]

Well, that's the thing. I want it to be able to, eventually, fight against most forms of enemies. I do want to be able to prevent resurrections of creatures I 'consume', so soul eating is a big thing I want... well, that's obvious I guess.

I want it to be a frontline combatant...