Umbral Blot

[oslecamo]

Umbral Blot

Table: Umbral Blot				HD: d10
Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32	Base Attack Bonus +0 +1 +2 +3 +3 +4 +5 +6 +6 +7 +8 +9 +9 +10 +11 +12 +12 +13 +14 +15 +15 +16 +16 +17 +17 +18 +18 +19 +19 +20 +20 +21	Fort Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12	Ref Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12	Will Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1 +2 +2 +2 +3 +3 +3 +4 +4 +4 +5 +5 +5 +6 +6 +6 +6 +7 +7 +8 +8 +9 +9 +10 +10 +11 +11 +12	Special Blot Body, Elder Protocols, Lesser Disintegrating Touch Self-Repair System, +1 Dex Blot in the Sky, Blindsight, +1 Cha Umbral Insulation, +1 Dex Assassination Protocols, +1 Cha Initiate Planar Travel, +1 Dex Advanced Disintegrating Touch, +1 Cha Process Planar Travel, +1 Dex Vortex, +1 Cha Quantic Planar Travel, +1 Dex Black Fortification, +1 Cha Ultra Planar Travel, +1 Dex Controled Vortex, +1 Cha True Disintegrating Touch, +1 Dex Assault Protocols, +1 Cha Immune to Almost Everything (50%), +1 Dex Sense Intelligence, +1 Cha Umbral Travel, +1 Dex Immune to Almost Everything (60%), +1 Cha Blackball, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Endless Blot, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Immune to Almost Everything (70%), +1 Dex, +1 Cha Black Aegis, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Umbral Fate, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Immune to Almost Everything (80%), +1 Dex, +1 Cha Divine Destroyer, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Black Vortex, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Immune to Almost Everything (90%), +1 Dex, +1 Cha Sphere of Zero, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Extremely Rare, +1 Dex, +1 Cha Immune to Almost Everything (95%), +1 Dex, +1 Cha Eternal Void, +1 Dex, +1 Cha

Skills:2+int modifier/level (x4 at 1st level). Class skills::  Appraise, Disguise, Hide, Intiidate, Listen,  Knowledge(any), Move Silently, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival.

Proficiencies: None.

Features:
Blot Body: An Umbral Blot loses all other racial bonuses and becomes a construct, with all of its penalties and disadvantages, except for the extra HP:

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# No Constitution score.
# Low-light vision.
# Darkvision out to 60 feet.
# Immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
# Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, and necromancy effects.
# Cannot heal damage on their own, but often can be repaired by certain spells. The DM may also allow the construct to be repaired with the use of the right skills with the right tools. A construct with the fast healing special quality still benefits from this quality.
# Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability damage, ability drain, fatigue, exhaustion, or energy drain.
# Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless).
# Not at risk of death from massive damage. Immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points or less.
# Since it was never alive, a construct cannot be raised or resurrected except for limited wish, wish and miracle. The 1st makes the construct lose a level, the other two don't.
#However, it can be "repaired" if destroyed by spending 24 hours of work and 500 GP of materials, which make it lose a level.

The Umbral Blot is a medium sized construct shaped like a sphere, with flight speed 50 feet, but for now can't hover more than 5 feet above ground.

It also gains a bonus to its Nat armor equal to 1+Cha modifier. Finally it gains +1 HP per HD at 5 HD. This bonus increases to +2 at 10 HD, +3 at 15 HD, +4 at 20 HD, and so on.

The Umbral Blot cannot speak or perform fine manipulation. Such actions were not deemed a necessary ability for their purpose as finely crafted assassins of the ancient gods. If it disintegrates  a piece of magic equipment other than a weapon, it can absorb their essence and count as if wearing it (armor enchancements benefit its natural armor), although the Umbral Blot counts as having normal humanoid body slots for this. As a 1-hour process it can transfer the magic essence of a magic item it has absorbed into an adjacent appropriate piece of mundane equipment of the same kind as the original magic item (magic boot property only towards mundane boots for example), in which case the Umbral Blot no longer benefits from it. This does not allow the Umbral Blot to combine magic properties. For example, if it had already had absorbed a pair of magic gloves, it could not absorb another hands-slot item before getting rid of the previous gloves bonus. If the Umbral Blot is destroyed, any magic properties it had absorbed are automatically transfered to the nearest mundane items of the appropriate kind.

Elder Protocols: Umbral Blots may resemble a sphere of annihilation, but they've actually been created before by ancient technology by the gods of yore, and it's the spheres of annihilation that are crude copies. All of the abilities of the Umbral Blot are Extraordinary effects, even those that replicate spells. In addition the Umbral Blot can disguise itself as a sphere of annihilation with a racial bonus equal to 10+HD, fooling even abilities that would point out it's a creature unless the observer succeeds on a Spot check against this disguise check.

However at start the Umbral Blot is also vulnerable to the will of smart creatures. A character’s ability to gain control of the Umbral Blot (or to keep controlling one) is based on the result of a control check against DC 10+HD+Cha mod (a move action). A control check is 1d20 + HD + character Int modifier. If the check succeeds, the character can move the Umbral Blot and make it perform an attack with Disintegrating touch as a free action.

Control of the Umbral Blot can be established from as far away as 40 feet (the character need not approach too closely). Once control is established, it must be maintained by continuing to make control checks (same DC as the start) each round. For as long as a character maintains control (does not fail a check) in subsequent rounds, he can control the sphere from a distance of 40 feet + 10 feet per HD. The sphere’s speed in a round is 10 feet +5 feet for every 5 points by which the character’s control check result in that round exceeded the DC. Anyone with an Amulet of the Sphere dobles their HD and Int bonus for purposes of trying to control the Umbral Blot.

If two or more creatures vie for control of a sphere of annihilation, the rolls are opposed.

Should a gate spell be cast upon the Umbral Blot, there is a 50% chance (01-50 on d%) that the spell destroys it, a 35% chance (51-85) that the spell does nothing, and a 15% chance (86-100) that a gap is torn in the spatial fabric, catapulting everything within a 180-foot radius into another plane. If a rod of cancellation touches the Umbral Blot, they negate each other in a tremendous explosion if the Umbral Blot fails a Will save with DC 20. Everything within a 60-foot radius takes 2d6×10 points of damage unless the Umbral Blot succeeds on its save. Dispel magic and mage’s disjunction have no effect on the Umbral Blot.

Lesser Disintegrating Touch: At first level the Umbral Blot's mechanism is still not fully operational and its abilities are still limited. It has a “natural” melee (that may never be turned into a ranged attack or have its reach increased, even if the Umbral Blot increases in size) touch attack that deals 1d6 untyped damage per HD, plus another 1d6 per Umbral Blot level, that ignores all DR and hardness and can affect even ethereal and incorporeal creatures. A Fort save with DC 10+1/2 HD+Cha mod halves this damage. A character or object that has been disintegrated by an Umbral Blot disappears completely, leaving behind not even dust to mark its passing. Lesser disintegrating touch can also be used to end Force effects. The Umbral Blot can use Disintegrating Touch to make Aoos and extra attacks if under an Haste effect or similar, however it's not an actual natural attack or manufactured weapon and thus it can't be boosted by feats such as Weapon Focus or Improved Natural Attack.

Whenever the Umbral Blot is hit by a weapon or natural attack, as an Immediate action can use Disintegrating Touch on it, hitting it automatically (in case of a natural weapon, the attacker directly takes the damage). The Umbral Blot still takes damage.

Finally the Umbral Blot can use contain its Disintegrating power in order to write in any solid surface, allowing it to communicate with others.

Ability Score Increase: The Umbral Blot gains +1 Dex at levels 2, 4 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and +1 Cha at levels 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, for a total of +10 Dex and +10 Cha at 20th level. From levels 21 to 32 the Umbral Blot keeps gaining +1 to Dex and Cha every level, ending with a total of +22 Dex and +22 Cha.

Self-Repair System: At 2nd level the Umbral Blot gains Fast Healing equal to half its HD.

Blot in the Sky: At 3rd level the Umbral Blot can fly as high as it wants.

Blindsight: At 3rd level the Umbral Blot gains Blindsight with range of 50 feet plus 5 feet per HD.

Umbral Insulation: At 4th level the Umbral Blot gains resistance against Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire and Sonic damage equal to its HD, plus SR equal to 11+HD, which may be lowered or raised at any time as a free action even if it isn't its turn.

Assassination Protocols: At 5th level the Umbral Blot gains a racial bonus to  Hide, Listen, Sense Motive and Spot checks equal to its Cha mod, and is no longer vulnerable to a Rod of Cancellation.

Planar Travel: The Umbral Blot can fold space at will. However it can not transport more than one creature at a time. Any save DCs are 10+1/2 HD+Cha mod.

Initiate- At 6th level Dimension Door 1/ 3 HD every hour.

Process- At 8th level Teleport ¼ HD every hour. Upgrades to Greater Teleport at 13 HD.

Quantic- At 10th level Plane Shift  1/5 HD every hour.

Ultra-At 12th level Ethereal Jaunt ¼ HD every hour.

A number of times per day equal to its Cha mod the Umbral Blot may use one of its Planar Travel options as a swift action.

Advanced Disintegrating Touch: At 7th level the Umbral Blot can automatically attempt to disintegrate anything that it touches. It no longer needs an immediate action to Disintegrate weapons that hit it or attackers with natural weapons, the ability automatically triggers unless the Umbral  Blot will otherwise. The Umbral Blot may move through any physical obstacles on its path, automatically inflicting disintegrate damage on them.  If this isn't enough to destroy them then the Umbral Blot movement ends adjacent to said object. The Umbral Blot can also move over other creatures, automatically inflicting Disintegrate damage on them, but they can  gain a Reflex save with DC 10+1/2 HD+Dex mod to dodge, and are allowed an Aoo against the Umbral Blot. If the Umbral Blot tries to move multiple times over the same creature in the same turn and they had already succeeded on the Reflex save this round they no longer risk getting hit this way as they've become used to its movements.

Vortex: Normally an Umbral Blot insulates itself somehow from the air around it (otherwise it would perpetually be at the center of a howling wind-storm). At 9th level as a standard action, instead of allowing the air to bend around it, the Umbral Blot can suspend this insulation, causing a sudden rush of wind to pour toward the Umbral Blot from all directions. This vortex sucks all the air from a 30-foot-by-30-foot-by 30-foot room in a single round, creating a sudden influx of air in its direction. All flying or floating creatures within 30 feet of the umbral blot who fail a Reflex Save (DC 10+1/2 HD+Cha mod) are swept along with the wind into contact with the blackball. Nonflying creatures within 30 feet who fail a Reflex save (DC 10+1/2 HD) are pulled into contact with the Umbral Blot. Contact with the Umbral Blot leads to Disintegrating touch damage.

Black Fortification: At 11th level the Umbral Blot adds its Cha mod to HP per HD and all saves.

Controled Vortex: At 13th level the Umbral Blot can focus its Vortex ability as a fullround action, pulling all creatures in either a cone with up to 5 feet per HD, a line with up to 10 feet per HD, or a burst centered in itself with 5 feet per 2 HD, and the DC increases by 2. Once the Umbral Blot has used this ability it cannot use it again for 1d4 rounds.

True Disintegrating Touch: At 14th level at the Umbral Blot's will, creatures and objects subject to its Disintegrating Touch are immediately disintegrated if they fail their Fort save, no remains left behind, and still take 1d6 damage per HD and Umbral Blot level if they make the save.

Assault Protocols: At 15th level the Umbral Blot adds its Cha mod to Initiative checks and attack rolls, and its flight speed increases by 40 feet.

Immune to Almost Everything: At 16th level the Umbral Blot has 50% chance of simply disintegrating any attack that would cause it harm.

At 19th level 60 % chance. In addition the Umbral Blot can no longer be controled by the will of other creatures as detailed in Elder Protocols, even if they have an Amulet of the Sphere.

At 22th level 70 % chance. In addition casting a Gate spell upon the Umbral Blot no longer has any special effect.

At 25th level 80 % chance. In addition anyone casting Gate inside the Blindsight range of the Umbral Blot automatically fails the spell.

At 28th level 90 % chance. In addition Planar Travel can now be used to bring multiple creatures along with it, but not when used as a  Swift action.

At 31st level 95% chance. In addition Planar Travel can now be used to bring multiple creatures along with it, even when used as a Swift action.

Sense Intelligence: At 17th level the Umbral Blot is automatically aware of any Intelligent creatures wthing 60 feet and ignores all miss chances in melee against such opponents.

Umbral Travel: At 18th level The Umbral Blot can use Planar Travel as a swift action a number of times per hour equal to its Cha mod instead of per day, and adds half its Umbral Blot level to its Natural armor. In addition it is no longer vulnerable to Gate Spells.


Blackball: At 20th level the Umbral Blot can just pass trhough any barrier or obstacle, leaving a hole of its size behind, and can't be slowed down short of being disabled or destroyed somehow. Creatures and objects destroyed by it are gone forever and cannot be restored/ressurected unless the Umbral Blot is destroyed first. Plus it becomes immune to Disintegrate and any similar spells and effects, including any attacks that would fully destroy a creature's body.

Endless Blot: At 21st level the Umbral Blot can use Planar Travel at will.

Black Aegis: At 23rd level Immune to Almost Everything overrides any abilities that would ignore immunities.

Umbral Fate: At 24h level the Umbral Blot can ignore effects that would block teleportation with Planar Travel, including entering private planes and extradimensional spaces. The Umbral Blot is automatically aware of where anyone inside its Blindsight range has gone if they use any kind of planar travel.

Divine Destroyer: Many sages wonder what happened to the creators of the Umbral Blot, certainly elder gods of great power. Some speculate they were destroyed by their own creations. At 26th level the Umbral Blot ignores Salient Divine abilities. Creatures hit by its Disintegrating Touch have all positive effects on them with a duration other than permanent or instantaneous automatically ended.

Black Vortex: At 27th level when the Umbral Blot uses Controled Vortex it can choose to end all all positive effects on creatures inside the area with a duration other than permanent or instantaneous automatically ended, as well as area effects within with the same duration.


Sphere of Zero: At 29th level as an Immediate or move action the Umbral Blot can choose an opponent inside its Blindsight range and as an immediate action reduce one of its ability score bonus, AC, Bab, skill bonus, CL, or IL bonus to zero for 1 round. As a fullround action it may reduce three of the chosen stats to zero.

Extremely Rare: At 30th level the Umbral Blot becomes immune to all divinations and Knowledge checks.

Eternal Void: At 32th level the Umbral Blot has become a perfect nothing. It cannot be ended because it's not actually there. If it would be destroyed it is instead transported to random place in a random plane, and cannot exit it that plane for 24 hours, and cannot return to the plane from where it was expelled for a century, unless someone on the other plane casts a Gate, Miracle or Wish for the specific purpose of calling the Umbral Blot before. It is however under no compulsion to obey the caller. Any magic properties the Umbral Blot had absorbed still have a 50% chance of being transfered to the nearest mundane items when it would be destroyed and is instead transported this way.

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Some scholars claim that Umbral Blots were actually supposed to be messengers of the deities, gathering evidence of events and organizing records within themselves to be easily acessible later, but something went horribly wrong along the way. Their systems to collect information in an efficient manner ended up collecting everything into a single point, resulting in the construct's well-known disintegrating ability. Still some Umbral Blots seem to have degenerated less and are more turned towards information collection than complete destruction.

Deity History:At first level the Umbral Messenger learns two maneuvers from the Plain History school. Umbral Blot levels now grant full IL and the maneuvers learned cannot be of a level higher than half (IL+1). It can use Cha instead of Int for calculating the maneuver's DCs and for other maneuver effects that would rely on Int. For each extra level in Umbral Blot it learns another Plain History Maneuver, but it can only have readied a number of maneuvers equal to 1+1/2 class level, rounded up.  Whenever it uses its Lesser Disintegrating Touch without being part of a maneuver it recovers an expended maneuver. In return an Umbral messenger's Lesser Disintegrating touch only deals 1d6 damage per class level and cannot be used as an immediate action against weapons or natural attacks striking it.

Teacher of History: At 7th level the Umbral Messenger learns the 1st level Plain History stance. This replaces Advanced Disintegrating Touch.

Sacred History: At 9th level the Umbral Messenger the Umbral Blot learns the 3rd level Plain History stance. This replaces Vortex.

Divine History: At  13th level the Umbral Messenger learns the 6th level Plain History stance. This replaces Controled Vortex.

Dangerous History: At 14th level the Umbral Messenger's Lesser Disintegrating Touch deals 1d12 damage per class level against enemies it has identified with a Knowledge check. This replaces True Disintegrating Touch.

Black History: At 20th level the Umbral Messenger learns the 8th and 9th level Plain History stances. This replaces Blackball.

History Vortex: At 27th level when the Umbral Messenger inflicts damage with a Plain History maneuver it can choose to have all positive effects on creatures inside the area with a duration other than permanent or instantaneous automatically ended, as well as area effects within with the same duration. This replaces Black Vortex.

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What better way to kick off the new year than finishing to stat up a reality-destroying stone? This one was pretty requested, but ended up proving somewhat of a challenge since the monster is devoid of much on the way of abilities. On the other hand I guess anyone wanting to play this just wants to fly around disintegrating stuff. So I focused the abilities on that with some bits from the 2e version, where the Umbral Blot was outright impossible to destroy.

They'll kinda suck at collection quests though.

Drunk. Need sleep. May add ACFs later.

So if you want to play  a sentient sphere of destruction, the Umbral Blot's for you!

[GuesssWho]

Yikes.

Nice. 

[ketaro]

Lol, that capstone almost makes it sounds like you become something akin to Shrodinger's Cat 

[VennDygrem]

Man, now I really want to play one of these things.

Absorb a Helm of Telepathy or Medallion of Thought Projection, and float around mentally yelling "I AM NOTHING, AND NOW SO YOU SHALL BE! SUBMIT TO THE VOID! NOTHING MATTERS EXCEPT THAT MATTER IS NOTHING!"

[Threadnaught]

As incredible as I find this, I wonder how the Blackball and Eternal Void abilities interact with each other.

Level 20: Creatures killed cannot be resurrected unless you're destroyed.
Level 32: You cannot be destroyed.

[VennDygrem]

Eternal Void would override that clause, and thus no creatures could be brought back to life. At that point, you're an Epic level threat whose entire existence is meant for destruction. You wouldn't be that epic if anyone and their grandmother could just be resurrected after you unmade them.

[Anomander]

Blot Body: Unlike other creatures with equipment absorption, this one has all his 'equipped' items untouchable.
You cannot disarm them, remove or affect them in any way. That along with the ability to transfer magical properties into objects that have no synergy with the magical properties, which usually costs more. Party members can ask their umbral blot friend to transfer all their extra items into ion stones. No more compromises.

Also, a base speed starting at 50-ft. is a lot to begin with.

Is it blind? It doesn't seem to have visual sensors of any kind and has blindsight.

Elder Protocols: Although extremely thematic and very appropriate, there is the potential that this ability is way too powerful. It is one thing to mistake a creature for an object but the disguise is usually blown once the object starts attacking you. In this case the thing is dangerous hole in existence that can be controlled to move to spread ruin. The reflex when one would see it move and know what it is would be to seek whoever controls it, so that means it would be the last party member to be attacked, if it even is. Some might waste actions trying to get control over it or use normal anti SoA tricks. Not only does it fool normal sight but it also comes with a way to confirm it is indeed just an effect to those using abilities to find out if it is indeed a creature.

Those who haven't a clue of what a sphere of annihilation is will still only see a sphere that destroys everything it touches and that seems to be a spell effect more than it a creature that can be killed.
If it began with vulnerabilities to things that can affect spheres of annihilation that are slowly reduced throughout levels in the class, it would balance out. Like losing a move action to be moved someone uses a move action to control it (if it wins the check), rods of cancellation and Gate spell effects. Control could be done within 40-ft and an opposed check would determine the result though the blot would get a bonus equal to its class level to the check.

Lesser Disintegrating Touch: Touch attack dealing 1d6 per HD is a whopping lot. The other creatures getting a natural touch attack don't deal anything close. And then it gets an additional 1d6 per class level on top. Even the frostwind virago gets to add more damage on top of her touch attack as a another ability at level 7.
They get half damage on a save, sure, but the damage scales so fast compared to the other ones that it'll deal more damage even on a failed save. Untyped damage as well.

Then there is the ability to sunder weapons automatically when they attack you at first level with it that bypasses hardness. Maybe destroying them before they deal damage. Unclear. That's a lot of power at first level either way that would normally be granted quite later. With all that and the construct type and a lot scaling bonus hit points per HD this is becoming quite the amazing level dip.

Blot in the Sky: Flight at 3rd level instead of 5th is the norm now?

Umbral Insulation: It gains this ability at 4th level. It, however, doesn't exist in the ability descriptions.

Assassination Protocols: Shouldn't it be per day instead of per hour? Getting the ability to use them often as a swift action should also be possible later instead of right away.

That's it for the moment.

[oslecamo]

Blot Body: Unlike other creatures with equipment absorption, this one has all his 'equipped' items untouchable.
You cannot disarm them, remove or affect them in any way. That along with the ability to transfer magical properties into objects that have no synergy with the magical properties, which usually costs more. Party members can ask their umbral blot friend to transfer all their extra items into ion stones. No more compromises.

The Umbral Blot can only grant absorbed properties to mundane items, so making a super ioun stone would be kinda hard. Combining magic properties on the same slot on itself was not intended (otherwise why bother saying it follows humanoid slots), clarified.

Also, a base speed starting at 50-ft. is a lot to begin with.

I didn't see you complain about that the other time.

Is it blind? It doesn't seem to have visual sensors of any kind and has blindsight.

The base Umbral Blot says nothing about being blind, so no. As Remilia once said, Humans are the only ones who need simple chemical
thought centers such as brains.

Elder Protocols: Although extremely thematic and very appropriate, there is the potential that this ability is way too powerful. It is one thing to mistake a creature for an object but the disguise is usually blown once the object starts attacking you. In this case the thing is dangerous hole in existence that can be controlled to move to spread ruin. The reflex when one would see it move and know what it is would be to seek whoever controls it, so that means it would be the last party member to be attacked, if it even is. Some might waste actions trying to get control over it or use normal anti SoA tricks. Not only does it fool normal sight but it also comes with a way to confirm it is indeed just an effect to those using abilities to find out if it is indeed a creature.

Just as planned.

Those who haven't a clue of what a sphere of annihilation is will still only see a sphere that destroys everything it touches and that seems to be a spell effect more than it a creature that can be killed.
If it began with vulnerabilities to things that can affect spheres of annihilation that are slowly reduced throughout levels in the class, it would balance out. Like losing a move action to be moved someone uses a move action to control it (if it wins the check), rods of cancellation and Gate spell effects. Control could be done within 40-ft and an opposed check would determine the result though the blot would get a bonus equal to its class level to the check.

Will consider adding it when I have some more free time.

Lesser Disintegrating Touch: Touch attack dealing 1d6 per HD is a whopping lot. The other creatures getting a natural touch attack don't deal anything close. And then it gets an additional 1d6 per class level on top. Even the frostwind virago gets to add more damage on top of her touch attack as a another ability at level 7.
They get half damage on a save, sure, but the damage scales so fast compared to the other ones that it'll deal more damage even on a failed save. Untyped damage as well.

It's also pretty much the only attack the Umbral Blot gets. It can't even pick up rocks to throw at people. It's a one-trick pony, and a melee one to boot, so it needs to be really good at this trick.

Then there is the ability to sunder weapons automatically when they attack you at first level with it that bypasses hardness. Maybe destroying them before they deal damage. Unclear. That's a lot of power at first level either way that would normally be granted quite later. With all that and the construct type and a lot scaling bonus hit points per HD this is becoming quite the amazing level dip.

Clarified that weapons still deal damage before being damaged. Adding the custom penalties may help make it less dip friendly.

Blot in the Sky: Flight at 3rd level instead of 5th is the norm now?

When you're completely unable to make ranged attacks? Yes. (Will-o-Wisp and some others can fly right away at first level)

Umbral Insulation: It gains this ability at 4th level. It, however, doesn't exist in the ability descriptions.

Was hidden right after Blindsight but no paragraph or italics, cleaned it up.

Assassination Protocols: Shouldn't it be per day instead of per hour? Getting the ability to use them often as a swift action should also be possible later instead of right away.

Again, very few tricks, so the Umbral Blot needs to be really good at them.

That's it for the moment.

Thanks!

[Anomander]

The Umbral Blot can only grant absorbed properties to mundane items, so making a super ioun stone would be kinda hard. Combining magic properties on the same slot on itself was not intended (otherwise why bother saying it follows humanoid slots), clarified.

What it can do though is transfer the magic properties to stuff that normally cannot get them without a price increase. Like if it wants to absorb a pair of magic glove but already has that slot equipped, it just gives it to a pair of boots and absorbs both back. Feet items with enhancements normally given to hands items would cost more to make.
It could also transfer magic properties to easy to carry or/and swap items, like rings.
Or one of those gear items in the equipment list that don't really take any items slot and can just be held when you need it. Like a rod, a lock or a piece of flint and steel.
It's absorbed equipment is still invincible and unreachable.

The base Umbral Blot says nothing about being blind, so no.

Agreed.

The Umbral Blot cannot speak or perform fine manipulation. Such actions were not deemed a necessary ability for their purpose as finely crafted assassins of the ancient gods.

They were assassins but also messengers, strangely.

I didn't see you complain about that the other time.

I didn't notice it. It's too much for it too.

It's also pretty much the only attack the Umbral Blot gets. It can't even pick up rocks to throw at people. It's a one-trick pony, and a melee one to boot, so it needs to be really good at this trick.

Even at half power it would be really good with this trick, not to mention that other creatures that are one pony tricks don't compare. It also gets new tricks later. It does have the ability to get other tricks like every other creatures, whether with feats, equipment or getting levels in other stuff, like classes and templates or even other monster classes. This thing gets stronger by HD so once it gets access to it anything goes.
And that is without even taking into account all the other stuff that can be used to boost a natural weapon. Some come to mind that would turn a base damage like this one's into the most ridiculously OP base weapon you can get.
It is also most certainly not limited to melee only. I could turn this monster into a ranged without even trying.

This attack should be in line with the damage dealt by the damaging touch attack of other creatures here that get one.
It would scale up to 5d6 throughout its progressions that disintegrates the target on a killing/destroying blow, which is already more than most, and would get a disintegrate spell effect on top of it when appropriate balance-wise that would deal only the base damage on a successful save.

Again, very few tricks, so the Umbral Blot needs to be really good at them.

Really good is alright. Too strong for its level isn't. It would be really good even if it was daily only and that is even without the ability to use them as a swift action.

[Rakoa]

I'm inclined to agree with Anomander on the damage of the attack. It does seem pretty hefty.

[oslecamo]

Added sphere vulnerabilities to Elder Protocols, that are progressively removed with Immune to Almost Everything.

The Umbral Blot can only grant absorbed properties to mundane items, so making a super ioun stone would be kinda hard. Combining magic properties on the same slot on itself was not intended (otherwise why bother saying it follows humanoid slots), clarified.

What it can do though is transfer the magic properties to stuff that normally cannot get them without a price increase. Like if it wants to absorb a pair of magic glove but already has that slot equipped, it just gives it to a pair of boots and absorbs both back. Feet items with enhancements normally given to hands items would cost more to make.
It could also transfer magic properties to easy to carry or/and swap items, like rings.
Or one of those gear items in the equipment list that don't really take any items slot and can just be held when you need it. Like a rod, a lock or a piece of flint and steel.

Very well, added clause that the magic properties can be only transfered to mundane items of the same kind as the original magic item.

It's absorbed equipment is still invincible and unreachable.

Added clause that magic properties are transfered to the nearest appropriate mundane stuff when it cracks, with random chance of it happening with the capstone.

The Umbral Blot cannot speak or perform fine manipulation. Such actions were not deemed a necessary ability for their purpose as finely crafted assassins of the ancient gods.

They were assassins but also messengers, strangely.

Citation needed. In particular because it sounds really silly even by D&D terms that the ball of oblivion would also work as a messenger.

I didn't see you complain about that the other time.

I didn't notice it. It's too much for it too.

That's a discussion for another thread (Kelpie also starts with 50 base speed, Antopomorphic Animal can get it as well)

But my point still stands. The Umbral Blot has no ranged attacks whatsoever. Early levels it needs to be fast, or people laugh at it and then destroy it with arrows.

Even at half power it would be really good with this trick, not to mention that other creatures that are one pony tricks don't compare. It also gets new tricks later. It does have the ability to get other tricks like every other creatures, whether with feats, equipment or getting levels in other stuff, like classes and templates or even other monster classes. This thing gets stronger by HD so once it gets access to it anything goes.
And that is without even taking into account all the other stuff that can be used to boost a natural weapon. Some come to mind that would turn a base damage like this one's into the most ridiculously OP base weapon you can get.

There's a reason why I called the disintegrating touch a "natural" touch attack. Because it isn't actually a natural weapon, and thus you can't boost it with improved natural attack and similar effects.

Just look at the srd d20 Umbral Blot. It doesn't have weapon focus (disintegrating touch) or Improved Critical (Disintegrating touch), like every other epic monster with actual weapons has.

Anyway clarified it, since it seems like some people will consider everything in D&D must surely count as either a manufactured weapon or natural attack. It's a wonder why people don't take Improved Natural Attack (Time Stop) or Improved Natural Attack (d20).

It is most certainly not limited to melee only. I could turn this monster into a ranged without without even trying.

In that case I suppose you'll have no trouble presenting a draft to support your argument.

This attack should be in line with the damage dealt by the damaging touch attack of other creatures here that get one.

Hell no, the Umbral Blot is supposed to be the best at disintegrating stuff.

It would scale up to 5d6 throughout its progressions that disintegrates the target on a killing/destroying blow, which is already more than most, and would get a disintegrate spell effect on top of it when appropriate balance-wise that would deal only the base damage on a successful save.

In which case it would be the biggest "epic" joke in this whole project. Don't bother wasting arrows, just drink tea while shrugging off the 5d6 damage per turn at high level. Because if you manage to fail the save by then, you deserve to die.

Really good is alright. Too strong for its level isn't. It would be really good even if it was daily only and that is even without the ability to use them as a swift action.

Daily Dimension Door at 6th level really good?
Hagunemnon has it as a secondary ability. Yamabushi Tengu has daily dimension door at 5th level as a secondary ability, nobody seems to care. Ghost can get it as early as 2nd level and then auto-scales to swift and then immediate action use.

Ditto for teleport and plane shift. Several monster classes around here already get transport SLAs relatively early, and more often than not with some extras on the same level.

So what are you drinking? I gotta buy some of that.

[Anomander]

Added sphere vulnerabilities to Elder Protocols, that are progressively removed with Immune to Almost Everything.

Neat! The addition of "In addition anyone casting Gate inside the Blindsight range of the Umbral Blot automatically fails the spell." is a nice touch but shouldn't it develop a resistance to rods of negation too?
Otherwise, I supposed getting resistance to certain things at specific levels instead of a scaling bonus on the checks or to resist the effects works indeed.

Added clause that magic properties are transfered to the nearest appropriate mundane stuff when it cracks, with random chance of it happening with the capstone.

That doesn't solve the issue of invincible and unreachable items while the creature lives. You cannot sunder them, disarm them or otherwise affect the items like you can with creatures who absorb equipment.

Citation needed. In particular because it sounds really silly even by D&D terms that the ball of oblivion would also work as a messenger.

It's just from the book, right on the monster's description: "Some sages declare that the Old Ones, the gods who were before the gods of today, created unbral blots as messengers and sometimes assassins."

But my point still stands. The Umbral Blot has no ranged attacks whatsoever. Early levels it needs to be fast, or people laugh at it and then destroy it with arrows.

Starting with a 50-ft. speed would be an ability by itself. Its almost twice the base speed of most stuff at level 1. It already gets early flight and can use normal melee-specialized tactics; Charging, double moves, running and so on. If a big move speed must be part of its early level kit, sure, no problem. Just remove/weaken something else to avoid making it too strong at level one and grant it a bit later.

There's a reason why I called the disintegrating touch a "natural" touch attack. Because it isn't actually a natural weapon, and thus you can't boost it with improved natural attack and similar effects.

Just look at the srd d20 Umbral Blot. It doesn't have weapon focus (disintegrating touch) or Improved Critical (Disintegrating touch), like every other epic monster with actual weapons has.

Anyway clarified it, since it seems like some people will consider everything in D&D must surely count as either a manufactured weapon or natural attack. It's a wonder why people don't take Improved Natural Attack (Time Stop) or Improved Natural Attack (d20).

Please don't fall back on absurdity to justify your reasoning. Disintegrating touch can be selected for Weapon Focus and other weapon-based feats like  Improved Critical just like most everything that requires an attack roll can be. Even for spells you can take them for things like rays, touch spells and ranged spells.
Sad thing is I'm sure you already knew. I don't see why you had to explicitly state it threatens squares with it.

In that case I suppose you'll have no trouble presenting a draft to support your argument.

That's for sure. Maybe I'll make a build for one someday and show you how far can I push the thing.

Hell no, the Umbral Blot is supposed to be the best at disintegrating stuff.

Those aren't mutually exclusive. It can be the master disintegrator without getting an OP damage ability at first level.
As I said, all you have to do is pump it progressively over the progression instead of giving so much all at once.
You could, say reduce the damage to something more static that improves to 5d6, give it the ability to damage stuff it touches right away (would make sense considering what it is). The damage would already disintegrate everything killed/destroyed by it.
A bit later you could dump more damage in the form of a scaling disintegrate spell similar to what it is now that it can apply to his disintegrating touch X times per day, per hour, on a cooldown like a breath weapon and then finally at will. Since the attack deals more damage than your typical nonspammable 1d6/HD attack it would at first reduce the damage back to base damage on a successful save and eventually go beyond typical disintegrate by inflicting half damage to things that do save. Maybe even add a few extra goodies.

Daily Dimension Door at 6th level really good?
Hagunemnon has it as a secondary ability. Yamabushi Tengu has daily dimension door at 5th level as a secondary ability, nobody seems to care. Ghost can get it as early as 2nd level and then auto-scales to swift and then immediate action use.

Ditto for teleport and plane shift. Several monster classes around here already get transport SLAs relatively early, and more often than not with some extras on the same level.

I wouldn't know about the first two. Never reviewed them. On ghost the usefulness is mitigated by the rest of its kit granting it ethereality and in that the DD can only affect it, not the rest of the party.
This one grants teleportation options as extraordinary ability and can use them as swift action as soon as it gets them.
I concede that them being what is given for a level justifies the ability being strong. However, after looking at it again I'll agree that it is appropriate if only because the rest of the kit already allows it to get through stuff. The idea of teleporting/planeshifting twice per hour extraordinarily and as a swift action is serious business, especially when they aren't Self only. I would say it is alright if it was Self only for the spammable/swift-action versions and would serve as the gap breacher/escape that is so good for his kit.
Teleporting/planeshifting/DDoring the entire party left and right all day is probably too good for a team.

So what are you drinking? I gotta buy some of that.

What a great friendship we have.
I'll check out the next 7 levels later. Maybe more depending on whats there.

[oslecamo]

Added sphere vulnerabilities to Elder Protocols, that are progressively removed with Immune to Almost Everything.

Neat! The addition of "In addition anyone casting Gate inside the Blindsight range of the Umbral Blot automatically fails the spell." is a nice touch but shouldn't it develop a resistance to rods of negation too?
Otherwise, I supposed getting resistance to certain things at specific levels instead of a scaling bonus on the checks or to resist the effects works indeed.

I had put immunity to Rod of Cancellation is gained at 5th level along Assassination Protocols.

Added clause that magic properties are transfered to the nearest appropriate mundane stuff when it cracks, with random chance of it happening with the capstone.

That doesn't solve the issue of invincible and unreachable items while the creature lives. You cannot sunder them, disarm them or otherwise affect the items like you can with creatures who absorb equipment.

So it's basically the Hoard feat, except your opponents can get the goodies cracking the Umbral Blot like a pinata instead of needing to find the hidden hoard.

Citation needed. In particular because it sounds really silly even by D&D terms that the ball of oblivion would also work as a messenger.

It's just from the book, right on the monster's description: "Some sages declare that the Old Ones, the gods who were before the gods of today, created unbral blots as messengers and sometimes assassins."

"It never says anything. Clearly it must be a messenger of sorts!" D&D drunk wizards did claimed it indeed.

But my point still stands. The Umbral Blot has no ranged attacks whatsoever. Early levels it needs to be fast, or people laugh at it and then destroy it with arrows.

Starting with a 50-ft. speed would be an ability by itself. Its almost twice the base speed of most stuff at level 1. It already gets early flight and can use normal melee-specialized tactics; Charging, double moves, running and so on. If a big move speed must be part of its early level kit, sure, no problem. Just remove/weaken something else to avoid making it too strong at level one and grant it a bit later.

Look, there's already a core class that gets 60 feet base speed at first level while having ranged attacks and is a fullcaster. It's called druid with a light warhorse. And most people out there still take the slower wolf or riding dog. Whatever crazy tactics you claim you could pull off with this, a druid can already pull it without even needing to cast spells, and most people out there still dismiss it as not worth it.

There's a reason why I called the disintegrating touch a "natural" touch attack. Because it isn't actually a natural weapon, and thus you can't boost it with improved natural attack and similar effects.

Just look at the srd d20 Umbral Blot. It doesn't have weapon focus (disintegrating touch) or Improved Critical (Disintegrating touch), like every other epic monster with actual weapons has.

Anyway clarified it, since it seems like some people will consider everything in D&D must surely count as either a manufactured weapon or natural attack. It's a wonder why people don't take Improved Natural Attack (Time Stop) or Improved Natural Attack (d20).

Please don't fall back on absurdity to justify your reasoning. Disintegrating touch can be selected for Weapon Focus and other weapon-based feats like  Improved Critical just like most everything that requires an attack roll can be. Even for spells you can take them for things like rays, touch spells and ranged spells.
Sad thing is I'm sure you already knew. I don't see why you had to explicitly state it threatens squares with it.

Weapon Focus text says "Choose one type of weapon. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple (or ray, if you are a spellcaster)".  You must be drinking some really strong stuff to make you think disintegrating touch qualifies for that.

Improved Critical demands proficiency in the weapon. Now look at the Umbral Bot proficiencies. Now back at me. Sadly, the Umbral Blot proficiencies are none. So even if you could somehow make a case for Disintegrating Touch being a weapon, the Umbral Blot still couldn't take that feat.

I still must applaud you, you seem to read D&D rules as if they were this elegant system where everything flows naturally. But they're not. There's plenty of quirky bits and special cases and  different keywords that do not combine.

In that case I suppose you'll have no trouble presenting a draft to support your argument.

That's for sure. Maybe I'll make a build for one someday and show you how far can I push the thing.

And that's a natural 1 on your Bluff check right here. "Ha, I could easily prove my point! But I'm not gonna to. That would be too easy. Trust me, I could. But I'm not gonna."

Hell no, the Umbral Blot is supposed to be the best at disintegrating stuff.

Those aren't mutually exclusive. It can be the master disintegrator without getting an OP damage ability at first level.
As I said, all you have to do is pump it progressively over the progression instead of giving so much all at once.
You could, say reduce the damage to something more static that improves to 5d6, give it the ability to damage stuff it touches right away (would make sense considering what it is). The damage would already disintegrate everything killed/destroyed by it.
A bit later you could dump more damage in the form of a scaling disintegrate spell similar to what it is now that it can apply to his disintegrating touch X times per day, per hour, on a cooldown like a breath weapon and then finally at will. Since the attack deals more damage than your typical nonspammable 1d6/HD attack it would at first reduce the damage back to base damage on a successful save and eventually go beyond typical disintegrate by inflicting half damage to things that do save. Maybe even add a few extra goodies.

Dragons get multi-target ranged d6/HD attacks with just a  shortcooldown that always hit for some damage unless the enemy has special defensive abilities (that can actually be boosted by feats), and then natural attacks and spells and whatnot. And they're still deemed of the weakest monster classes around here. What does the Umbral Blot does when it runs out of disintegrating charges or whatever limited resource you want to cripple it with? Go cry in the corner?

Daily Dimension Door at 6th level really good?
Hagunemnon has it as a secondary ability. Yamabushi Tengu has daily dimension door at 5th level as a secondary ability, nobody seems to care. Ghost can get it as early as 2nd level and then auto-scales to swift and then immediate action use.

Ditto for teleport and plane shift. Several monster classes around here already get transport SLAs relatively early, and more often than not with some extras on the same level.

I wouldn't know about the first two. Never reviewed them. On ghost the usefulness is mitigated by the rest of its kit granting it ethereality and in that the DD can only affect it, not the rest of the party.
This one grants teleportation options as extraordinary ability and can use them as swift action as soon as it gets them.
I concede that them being what is given for a level justifies the ability being strong. However, after looking at it again I'll agree that it is appropriate if only because the rest of the kit already allows it to get through stuff. The idea of teleporting/planeshifting twice per hour extraordinarily and as a swift action is serious business, especially when they aren't Self only. I would say it is alright if it was Self only for the spammable/swift-action versions and would serve as the gap breacher/escape that is so good for his kit.
Teleporting/planeshifting/DDoring the entire party left and right all day is probably too good for a team.

Very well, limited to one creature at a time until epic levels.

So what are you drinking? I gotta buy some of that.

What a great friendship we have.
I'll check out the next 7 levels later. Maybe more depending on whats there.

Well what do you know, black balls of nothingness are popular.

[Anomander]

I had put immunity to Rod of Cancellation is gained at 5th level along Assassination Protocols.

Ah, I see. It should probably get a save for the cancellation rod or a % of survival like Gate until then.

So it's basically the Hoard feat, except your opponents can get the goodies cracking the Umbral Blot like a pinata instead of needing to find the hidden hoard.

Not exactly. While Hoard is quite powerful, you still have to worry about your stuff getting stolen or destroyed. Without it, you worry as well about getting your stuff sundered or destroyed by something like a black ball of nothingness that auto-wrecks your weapons. Or worry about your stuff being unequipped/melded when you polymorph (not sure it applies here) or even lose them from a disjunction. This insures that nothing you equip can be taken from you or strategically removed to make it easier to bypass your defenses. Until you die, that is.

"It never says anything. Clearly it must be a messenger of sorts!" D&D drunk wizards did claimed it indeed.

Just stating the facts. The description also states it can perhaps speak the language of the old gods of yore but, since nobody speaks that language anymore, they have no one to converse with and so remain silent. As for being messengers, if can teleport around so who knows how it worked back then.

Weapon Focus text says "Choose one type of weapon. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple (or ray, if you are a spellcaster)".  You must be drinking some really strong stuff to make you think disintegrating touch qualifies for that.

Complete Arcane elaborates. Anything you can attack with is a weapon and anything you can make an attack roll with qualifies. Creatures are proficient with weapons they get as part of their class abilities or as part of their race.

And that's a natural 1 on your Bluff check right here. "Ha, I could easily prove my point! But I'm not gonna to. That would be too easy. Trust me, I could. But I'm not gonna."

If you cannot even find one way to pull this off, then you rolled a natural 1 on your knowledge check. I already told you I never share my tricks. I use them.

What does the Umbral Blot does when it runs out of disintegrating charges or whatever limited resource you want to cripple it with? Go cry in the corner?

Use whatever other tricks it would get instead of an OP spam damage that applies to everything along with every other build option at its disposal. You're more imaginative than that.

[Raineh Daze]

Not exactly. While Hoard is quite powerful, you still have to worry about your stuff getting stolen or destroyed. Without it, you worry as well about getting your stuff sundered or destroyed by something like a black ball of nothingness that auto-wrecks your weapons. Or worry about your stuff being unequipped/melded when you polymorph (not sure it applies here) or even lose them from a disjunction. This insures that nothing you equip can be taken from you or strategically removed to make it easier to bypass your defenses. Until you die, that is.

The Tarrasque has the same sort of thing.

[oslecamo]

I had put immunity to Rod of Cancellation is gained at 5th level along Assassination Protocols.

Ah, I see. It should probably get a save for the cancellation rod or a % of survival like Gate until then.

Can resist with DC 20 will save at start then.

So it's basically the Hoard feat, except your opponents can get the goodies cracking the Umbral Blot like a pinata instead of needing to find the hidden hoard.

Not exactly. While Hoard is quite powerful, you still have to worry about your stuff getting stolen or destroyed. Without it, you worry as well about getting your stuff sundered or destroyed by something like a black ball of nothingness that auto-wrecks your weapons. Or worry about your stuff being unequipped/melded when you polymorph (not sure it applies here) or even lose them from a disjunction. This insures that nothing you equip can be taken from you or strategically removed to make it easier to bypass your defenses. Until you die, that is.

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.

Weapon Focus text says "Choose one type of weapon. You can also choose unarmed strike or grapple (or ray, if you are a spellcaster)".  You must be drinking some really strong stuff to make you think disintegrating touch qualifies for that.

Complete Arcane elaborates. Anything you can attack with is a weapon and anything you can make an attack roll with qualifies.

Still no. Only spells, SLAs and evocations with attack rolls qualify for that. Stop generalizing.

Creatures are proficient with weapons they get as part of their class abilities or as part of their race.

Clearly you missed all the "monks aren't proficient with unarmed strikes!" threads.

And that's a natural 1 on your Bluff check right here. "Ha, I could easily prove my point! But I'm not gonna to. That would be too easy. Trust me, I could. But I'm not gonna."

If you cannot even find one way to pull this off, then you rolled a natural 1 on your knowledge check. I already told you I never share my tricks. I use them.

None easy that wouldn't result in damage loss. But whatever. Added clause that it's melee-only and no abilities can turn it into a ranged attack or increase its reach.

What does the Umbral Blot does when it runs out of disintegrating charges or whatever limited resource you want to cripple it with? Go cry in the corner?

Use whatever other tricks it would get instead of an OP spam damage that applies to everything along with every other build option at its disposal. You're more imaginative than that.

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.

Also you have quite the variant definition of "OP" damage, since you've recently made a first level maneuver that deal 40d8 damage in an area at level 20 in a 600 feet line. After nerfs. Sure you can't use it in the next round, but the trick is spamming isn't needed when you murderize the opposition right away.

[Raineh Daze]

And that's a natural 1 on your Bluff check right here. "Ha, I could easily prove my point! But I'm not gonna to. That would be too easy. Trust me, I could. But I'm not gonna."

If you cannot even find one way to pull this off, then you rolled a natural 1 on your knowledge check. I already told you I never share my tricks. I use them.

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?

[Anomander]

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.

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.

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.

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.

Also you have quite the variant definition of "OP" damage, since you've recently made a first level maneuver that deal 40d8 damage in an area at level 20 in a 600 feet line. After nerfs. Sure you can't use it in the next round, but the trick is spamming isn't needed when you murderize the opposition right away.

"That's a discussion for another thread."

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.

[Roflcopter]

Immune to Almost Everything:
At 22th level 70 % chance. In addition casting a Gate spell upon the Umbral Blot no longer has any special effect.

[...]

Umbral Travel: At 18th level The Umbral Blot can use Planar Travel as a swift action a number of times per hour equal to its Cha mod instead of per day, and adds half its Umbral Blot level to its Natural armor. In addition it is no longer vulnerable to Gate Spells.

Am I missing something or does the Umbral Blot loose its special vulnerability to gate spells twice?

[Raineh Daze]

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.

There's no point saying 'this is broken' and then not saying how because you want people to figure it out--the instant you end up using it, it gets fixed. Which has lead to at least one wholesale rewrite of a character bio already, remember?