Author Topic: A Master of Life: help please  (Read 10698 times)

Offline geniussavant

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A Master of Life: help please
« on: November 22, 2011, 06:31:00 PM »
Since there is a new reincarnation of the boards, I've been doing some thinking for my next campaign, which we always have around the winter. I'd like to create a master of life, a biologist if you will. I'm thinking abilities like the egoist, the druid, or maybe a combination of the two. I'd prefer to stay away from overt magic, meaning things that can't be readily explained by biology. I've always liked the symbionts from eberron, so they would be nice especially since it fits the concept so well. I really need help with the build, as all I have so far is a scattering of ideas.

Now for the rules: level 15 +2 racial hd/la. No other la/racial hd is allowed. Gestalt rules, but 2 prcs allowed at once, no dual prcs though. Characters are limited to only 2 magic/suedo magic forms(arcane/divine/psionic/incarnum/etc). CL/etc is capped at 30 maximum. All WotC sources are allowed. Third party/dragon mag. Etc is allowed on a case by case basis. I think that covers the rules.

Thank you for your help.
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Offline Lycanthromancer

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #1 on: November 22, 2011, 07:38:48 PM »
Druid//totemist, egoist (+PrC)//totemist, or druid//egoist (+PrC) seems to be about right for you, then.

Also, druid//monk (+Tashalatora)/psywar?

If you weren't restricted to two systems, I'd suggest druid//totemist/egoist (+PrC).

Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #2 on: November 22, 2011, 08:04:49 PM »
Druid//egoist seems a bit excessive on the magical aspects that dont really have much of a changable fluff to biology, too many spells/powers without a 'natural' explination. Druid/totemist, and egoist//totemist sound up my alley, what are the pros and cons of each? Tashalatora(I comend you if you spelled that corectly from memory) seems like another possible alternative, so, how would that build fare against the other two? Barring crazy shinanigans of course
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Offline Kajhera

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #3 on: November 22, 2011, 08:09:14 PM »
Taking Aberrant Heritage feats to delve into your tinkering into the workings of your biology, sounds fun.

Combine with Totemist for ... many double takes.

Also, daelkyr half-blood.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2011, 08:11:24 PM by Kajhera »

Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2011, 08:13:34 PM »
I had thought aberrant heritage feats were a no-no as they sucked, no? And Daelkyr half-blood is probably my favorite race :)
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Offline Kajhera

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2011, 08:17:54 PM »
Tentacle attacks, improved darkvision, +5' reach, minor wings and cold resistance, swim speed and ability to breathe water?

Go look at Lords of Madness again. Go on. See if they are that bad.  :p

Offline Lycanthromancer

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2011, 08:30:18 PM »
Druid//egoist seems a bit excessive on the magical aspects that dont really have much of a changable fluff to biology, too many spells/powers without a 'natural' explanation.
Depends entirely on how you fluff it. Any psychometabolism power involves altering your own biology and others', and a lot of metacreativity powers can be (very slightly) refluffed into you laying an egg which matures into a creature (Astral Construct), or expectorating a substance (Psionic Grease, Entangling Ectoplasm, or even Wall of Ectoplasm, for a solid wall of webbing). And then you have wild shape and Metamorphosis, which are obvious.

It'd be easy enough for me to refluff things, and given the width and breadth of Ex abilities in the game, even energy powers could be firing spitwads that burst into flames or contain a chemical mixture that contains liquid nitrogen.

Druid/totemist, and egoist//totemist sound up my alley, what are the pros and cons of each?
Both are really powerful, though druid has more early-game power and egoist has more late-game power (and egoist tends to be a lot more feat-intensive). And whenever you wild shape or Metamorphosis, you have to be careful that your forms have space for the soulmelds you have shaped and bound.

Psicrystals are more awesome than animal companions overall (IMO, anyway), but you can't share your soulmelds with them (while you can with animal companions via a feat).

  Tashalatora (I commend you if you spelled that correctly from memory)
I did.

seems like another possible alternative, so, how would that build fare against the other two? Barring crazy shenanigans of course
It's quite good. Psywars are Wis-based, and with Tashalatora you get a bunch of monk goodies, and both stack up VERY well with druids and wild shape. Most psywar buffs work exceedingly well with animal forms, and all those extra unarmed strikes on, say, a bear, is just gravy.

Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2011, 08:41:10 PM »
@Kajhera: I'll check now, never actually looked at them before

@Lycanthromancer: Maybe not myself laying eggs, but carrying them and causing them to hatch. But I've always loved psionics, and we start at level 15, so that may be late enough to benefit from late game early on.

  Tashalatora (I commend you if you spelled that correctly from memory)
I did.
Haha nice

As for the psy warrior, I'd probably be more apt to take it, if it wasn't wis based. That's my biggest flaw with druids too. . .
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Offline Tshern

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2011, 08:44:35 PM »
What's the matter with wis-based characters? It boosts the most important save in the game.
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Offline Lycanthromancer

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #9 on: November 22, 2011, 08:48:46 PM »
@Lycanthromancer: Maybe not myself laying eggs, but carrying them and causing them to hatch. But I've always loved psionics, and we start at level 15, so that may be late enough to benefit from late game early on.
You could be like Birdo.

Or, y'know, Echidna, the mother of all monsters.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2011, 08:51:42 PM by Lycanthromancer »

Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #10 on: November 22, 2011, 08:49:33 PM »
@Tshern: It's not the mechanics that I dislike, more that I prefer int based characters. Maybe It;s that I've never really seen a great role play of a wis based character. I donno. I've argued for them mechanically before, but never really been able to see myself role play one.

@Lycanthromancer: HAHA nice, and I want the character to be an experimental biologist out to colect more samples and test his creatures/modifications.

@ Kajhera: I checked LoM, and woah, I guess I'd been missinformed. Inhuman reach looks great, especially if I go melee or touch attack focused.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2011, 09:11:49 PM by geniussavant »
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Offline sirpercival

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #11 on: November 22, 2011, 09:15:24 PM »
Fleshwarper seems a perfect PrC for you.  It's probably not worth it to tack onto a druid, but it could be very cool if you can reflavor it into an Artificer PrC...

Also, if you can do homebrew, my Warpsoul incarnum base class (link in my sig) would be a nice pairing with an artificer/fleshwarper.
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Offline Lycanthromancer

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #12 on: November 22, 2011, 09:33:34 PM »
@Lycanthromancer: HAHA nice, and I want the character to be an experimental biologist out to colect more samples and test his creatures/modifications.
So, like Frankenstein's Pokemon trainer.

Check it.

Also, I know it's  not really horribly related, but what if you could clone yourself over and over? Check the astral zealot PrC, in Hyperconscious.

Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #13 on: November 22, 2011, 09:38:55 PM »
@Lycanthromancer: HAHA nice, and I want the character to be an experimental biologist out to colect more samples and test his creatures/modifications.
So, like Frankenstein's Pokemon trainer.

Yes, but with self modifications too.

As for astral zealot, probably not, going from memory, more like the id forger(if I'm remembering the right class)

If I could some how combine shaper and egoist, with a severe fluff change of metacreativity+ constructor and maybe a few other prcs it would be perfect.
« Last Edit: November 22, 2011, 09:43:28 PM by geniussavant »
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Offline Bozwevial

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #14 on: November 22, 2011, 11:50:54 PM »
Well, if you're allowed homebrew from a very respectable source...
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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #15 on: November 23, 2011, 01:18:49 AM »
Also homebrew but apparently related, the Biomancer which is very druid-flavored.  One of my older homebrews, so I don't know how it stands up.  It's magic-focused, though in a scientific biological sense. 
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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #16 on: November 23, 2011, 01:42:14 AM »
Psicrystals are more awesome than animal companions overall (IMO, anyway), but you can't share your soulmelds with them (while you can with animal companions via a feat).

I think most DMs would allow share soulmeld for psicrystals.  Not allowing it is just another 'nerf psionics for no reason'.

Offline Agita

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #17 on: November 23, 2011, 03:32:30 AM »
Have you looked at the Impure Prince PrC in Magic of Eberron? It's a PrC based around symbionts, mainly intended for Rangers but also Druids (and gestalt lets you mitigate the two lost caster levels)
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Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #18 on: November 23, 2011, 10:58:56 AM »
As much as I like the flavor of the monatrumologist and biomancer northern really does what i want the character to go. Lycanthromancer probably hit it on the head with astral constructs reflavored as hatched eggs did whatnot. And the egoist powers would give me the self augmentation, at least for the moat part. I would really like a way to permanently augment my own body though. My Dm would probably be okay with a homebrew feat for psicrystals sharing my soulmelds as long as I didn't go crazy with it. Impure prince would be awesome to have. I'm just not sure how to fit that into a build with both shaper and egoist abilities... Suggestions? If I could some how unlock both the discipline powers of shaper and egoist with only one side of the build, maybe. Erudite with focused discipline metacreativity maybe? Something like erudite x+construction//ranger+impure prince? Can astral constructs use symbionts?
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Offline geniussavant

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Re: A Master of Life: help please
« Reply #19 on: November 24, 2011, 10:23:08 PM »
Does anyone have any ideas on how to combine shaper and egoist powers in the same build? Especially with the rest of the stuff? I really have no clue. I can't figure out how to get powers from both disciplines on the same build. If possible, incorporating one of the saner recharge trick, I.e. the psicarnum infusion one would be nice.
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