Added Umbral Messenger ACF to the first post.
As Raineh Daze said the Tarrasque already works pretty much that way already. The Umbral Blot gets a bit of an advantage because it doesn't even has hands to carry stuff.
No it does not. You can still remove/attack/affect the scales. This one's gear utterly invincible as long as it lives.
Umbral Blot now loses essences at random when taking damage equal to 25% or more of its max HP.
Still no. Only spells, SLAs and evocations with attack rolls qualify for that. Stop generalizing.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Everything you make a melee or ranged attack roll with is a weapon.
Your attack bonus with a melee weapon is:
Base attack bonus + Strength modifier + size modifier
With a ranged weapon, your attack bonus is:
Base attack bonus + Dexterity modifier + size modifier + range penalty
The Weapons sections specifies that: "Weapons are grouped into several interlocking sets of categories. These categories pertain to what training is needed to become proficient in a weapon’s use."
Every weapon category not mentioned there does not need a feat to become proficient in their use.
Nothing is proficient in Simple weapons unless the get the feat for it, yet there is no proficiency feat for ray attacks or melee touch attacks. Monsters don't have a free proficiency feat (that doesn't exist) for their SU abilities that require attack rolls.
Otherwise creature would use their spell-like abilities, SU/EX abilities and their weapon-like spells/powers at -4 on the attack rolls since they are not proficient with them and would have no way to be since there are no feats for it. And that isn't an issue because they are proficient by default. These kinds of weapon don't fall into the categories that require a proficiency feat training. Since the notion doesn't get grasped easily, Wotc even bothered to explain and give more examples on why weapon-like attacks and abilities that people are proficient by default such as SU abilities, spell-like abilities and weapon-like spells qualify for feats like Weapon Focus.
They have no problem with confirming it by letting their monsters take such feats on special SU abilities. A quick read through the first few pages of the MM4 I spot the Cyclonic Ravager that applies Weapon Finesse to attacks with his Smite of Seven Winds SU ability and the Holocaust Disciple that has it for its Firebolt SU ability.
You know what? This is homebrew. I just have to write that the Umbral Blot's disintegrating touch never counts as a weapon for the purpose of being boosted by feats.
Added clause that it's melee-only and no abilities can turn it into a ranged attack or increase its reach.
That is sad because those tactics are meant to work with that kind of attack. Oh well, whatever.
Melee deserve nice things.
Actually I'm drafting on some ACFs to allow to play more versatile Umbral Blots. However what the people were asking primarly from this was for a floating ball that's really good at disintegrating stuff. And thus that's what I made. So even when the ACFs come online, the super disintegrating touch Umbral Blot base option shall remain.
Sure, why not? That doesn't change anything though.
It now explicitly can't be boosted by feats nor can it be turned it into a ranged attack.
Okay, I have a question: is there a single good reason for not telling the person who's going to be GMing the majority of games containing these classes, and who can thus stop the tricks when you use them, what you're going to do other than ego stroking for one combat?
Why would I want them to be stopped? Most of my strategies use Core material and can perfectly be used in any standard Dnd 3.5 game.
When I find something potentially particularly silly I point it out before using it. Otherwise I let others the joy of figuring them out on their own. I myself like that part of the game more than playing it.
Hmmm, you wouldn't happen to be one of 3.5's devs, would you?
