Defiler Metamorphosis I and II

[Bdmdragon]

And a psionic enchantment
Amouranyx’s Psionic Awakening

Transmutation (psionic enchantment)

Spellcraft DC: 28

Components: V, S

Casting Time: 1 standard action

Target: Creature touched

Duration: Instantaneous

Saving Throw: Fortitude negates (harmless)

Spell Resistance: Yes (harmless)

To Develop: Psi-Spell Artisan Rank 3 costing: 140,000 Gp, 3 days, 5,600 XP. Seed: metamorphosis (DC 28). Factors: Ageless (+10 DC). Self-sustaining (+10 DC). Grant limited telepathy (ad-hoc +28 DC). Apply Phrenic template to non-psionic being (+110 DC). 1-action casting time (+20 DC). Mitigating factors: Lifebender 3 (-60 DC). Psionic enchantment via expenditure of epic power slot (-19 DC). 100d6 backlash damage (-100 DC).

This spell can only be cast on creatures without the psionic subtype. Once cast, the target experiences a physical and mental change, awakening potent psionic powers. The target gains the benefits of the Phrenic template (Expanded Psionics Handbook).

Additionally, once this spell is cast, the target becomes ageless and has no need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. They no longer takes penalties to ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that the creature has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, though they no longer die of old age.

Finally, the target also gains telepathy out to 120 feet. When communicating with the caster of the spell or other creatures awakened through it, the telepathy range is extended to 1 mile due to the shared psionic resonance.

The casting of this spell deals the caster 100d6 points of damage which can be healed normally. Like other metamorphosis spells, once it is cast, it is wiped from the casters mind and must be rebuilt from scratch. Provided the caster still has the notes, equipment, and assistants used to create the spell the first time, this process only takes half the time and cost (both gold and XP) of the initial spell creation (though never less than half, regardless of how many times a spell has been developed).

[redking]

Wow!! Looks great. No more pushover Athasian Dragons!

Heads up! I got rid of withstand backlash. It was problematic from the start and I was ambivalent. After you reminded me about the backlash cap, I decided to get rid of it.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

I got rid of withstand backlash.

all right, will change

[redking]

Absolutely brutal statblock. That’s what a Athasian Dragon should look like.

Dregoth is out there traveling the planes in the mainstream multiverse, and slaying Dragons. That wouldn’t be easy with his Dregoth Ascending statblock, but with something like this all the Great Wyrms would be living in terror.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

Absolutely brutal statblock. That’s what a Athasian Dragon should look like.

She was pretty impressive in 2e too! Not this impressive, mind you, but still really good.

[redking]

Borys would be playing catch up. I’d say his metamorphosis would look like the Legends of Athas version, when the rest of the champions transformed him. That said, it seems to have only been a single spell, Borys still has plenty of space to fill in the gaps and probably has.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

Borys would be playing catch up. I’d say his metamorphosis would look like the Legends of Athas version, when the rest of the champions transformed him.

Luckily for Borys in my game, the group of epic level muderhobos this girl was a part of were too busy trying to figure out how to take control of the Forgotten Realms to bother going anywhere near athas except when absolutely necessary.

[redking]

Malys is an advanced Dragon from the Dragonlance Setting. Compare.

[redking]

@Bdmdragon

Amouranyx’s army of shadows

@Bdmdragon

Combat Gear Crown of Unspun Dreams

Can you elaborate on these?

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

Can you elaborate on these?

I COULD, yes, but I’m not sure quite how to yet. Background time:

The Crown of Unspun Dreams was a custom magic item Amouranyx made in-game in a truly long and torturous process (I believe the final roll to determine if it could be finished successfully had a 2% success rate, but amazingly she succeeded. Hooray for 2e item creation!) It was so absurdly powerful that it was basically an artifact. It was intelligent and psionically empowered with every telepathic power she possessed (8 sciences, including the high science mass contact and 18 devotions, plus all defense modes, of course), and was imbued with the ability to cast more spells than a staff of the magi. It was also covered in so many obscure defensive spells ex. greater sign of sealing, protection from acid and fire, and so many, many more that it virtually indestructible when combined with the huge saving throw boosts from its deific ego score. Lore wise, it was made out of living obsidian covered in nightmare beast hide and contained, among other things, the soul of Amoranyx’s sister fished out of the gray due to her lingering guilt for murdering her (somewhat accidentally) when she was a mortal long, long ago. So, yeah, I’m not really sure what to do with it in 3e.

Amouranyx’s army of shadows was a psionic enchantment the player developed but never actually cast. It basically pulled the Black (or the plane of shadow if cast in FR) partially into the material plane in a large radius, dramatically augmenting shadow, cold and illusion spells, and granting the caster the ability to either summon a bunch of shadow giants or shadow illusion monsters to their service while the merge lasted. Unfortunately, I don’t actually possess the 2e spell notes, and the spell was never cast, plus 3e’s epic system is terrible for summoning spells. I remember that the main material component was a gigantic (like mind lord orb sized) perfect obsidian sphere that was enchanted with several preparatory shadow and illusion spells to serve as a focus.

[redking]

@Bdmdragon

Amouranyx’s army of shadows was a psionic enchantment the player developed but never actually cast. It basically pulled the Black (or the plane of shadow if cast in FR) partially into the material plane in a large radius, dramatically augmenting shadow, cold and illusion spells, and granting the caster the ability to either summon a bunch of shadow giants or shadow illusion monsters to their service while the merge lasted. Unfortunately, I don’t actually possess the 2e spell notes, and the spell was never cast, plus 3e’s epic system is terrible for summoning spells. I remember that the main material component was a gigantic (like mind lord orb sized) perfect obsidian sphere that was enchanted with several preparatory shadow and illusion spells to serve as a focus.

Shadow seed. Shadow conjuration and shadow evocation as pseudo seed templates, following rules therein. Duration set to rounds = caster level. Reality level 100%. Can use shadow conjuration and shadow evocation at 100% reality for rounds = caster level.

Requires ad hoc factors.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

Shadow seed. Shadow conjuration and shadow evocation as pseudo seed templates, following rules therein. Duration set to rounds = caster level. Reality level 100%. Can use shadow conjuration and shadow evocation at 100% reality for rounds = caster level.

Hmm, I’ll see what I can do at some point.

[redking]

Here are the psi-spell feats updated to 3.5E.

http://pandius.com/WotC/1039866.htm

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

Here are the psi-spell feats updated to 3.5E.

Neat. I like most of the conversions. Now if only someone had a proper update for the class itself…(with both of these for my work, I translated them as literally as possible, though this got me (generally) really weak psi-spell feats and some really, really strong class features.)

[redking]

Here is how Rajaat made his champions.Its easy to fit in the the Defiler Metamorphosis spells that I detailed above. Bdmdragon, care to give the Sorcerer Monarch’s statblocks a shot?

By the way, what are you using to assist with statblocks?

Anoint the Champion

Transmutation (psionic enchantment)

Spellcraft DC: 277 DC
Components: V, S, F
Casting Time: 1 minute
Target, effect or area: Creature touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

To develop: 2,493,000 Cp, 50 days, 99,720 XP. Seed: metamorphosis (28 DC). Factors: change type to dragon (+50 DC). Add advanced being subtype (+30). Add Polyglot epic feat [non-combat] (+35). Self-sustaining (+10). Ageless (+10). Fast healing 5 (+90 DC). Genocidal Focus (+100 DC). Create and attach elemental energy vortex (+520 DC). Mitigating factors: psionic enchantment via expenditure of epic power slot (-19 DC). Sacrifice 2000 HD of living creatures (-100 DC). 130d6 backlash damage (-130 DC). Burn 16000 XP (-160 DC). Lifebender 5 (-206).

You cast this spell on a creature with at least 19 HD (less, and the spell fails). The creature’s type becomes dragon; it loses all previous types and gains all advantages of the new type. Additionally, it gains the advanced being subtype. It no longer can die of old age, and no longer suffers penalties to attributes for aging. It is self-sustaining, meaning that you have no need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. It gains the ability to comprehend and speak any language of creatures that you interact with, and read and write any language, per the Polyglot [Epic] feat. It quickly heals wounds, gaining Fast Healing 5. It gains the Genocidal Focus ability from Legends of Athas, and the ability to grant divine spells to templars.

Rajaat used this psionic enchantment in conjunction with the Dark Lens in place at the head of the Steeple of Crystals at the Pristine Tower to create his champions. By using the Dark Lens thusly, Rajaat receives a +150 bonus to Spellcraft checks. The Dark Lens used in the Steeple of Crystals allows the creation and linking of elemental vortices to an advanced being (it can be done without the Steeple of Crystals, but not without the Dark Lens), allowing the new champion to recruit templars to the cause and provide them with divine spells.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

By the way, what are you using to assist with statblocks?

Nothing, I literally made it in Microsoft Word from scratch, not from any kind of template.

@redking

care to give the Sorcerer Monarch’s statblocks a shot?

I could certainly try. Any ideas on levels/classes? I could come up with them myself but could use your opinion on the matter.

@redking

Lifebender 5 (-206).

When is Lifebender added for cost reduction purposes? This needs to be clear as it’s effects are dramatically different depending on when in the mitering factors it is taken into account. Based on the one example in your sample spells, I had put it as the first mitigating factor applied, but now I’m not so sure.

[redking]

@Bdmdragon

When is Lifebender added for cost reduction purposes? This needs to be clear as it’s effects are dramatically different depending on when in the mitering factors it is taken into account. Based on the one example in your sample spells, I had put it as the first mitigating factor applied, but now I’m not so sure.

I reduced lifebender to 5% per rank. Take the total DC from the seeds and factors, reduce that by by 5% per rank in lifebender, then apply that as a mitigating factor.

@Bdmdragon

I could certainly try. Any ideas on levels/classes? I could come up with them myself but could use your opinion on the matter.

How about using my TN cerebremancer template 14 levels, 12 levels of wizard and Psion increase). Wizard 5, Psion 5, TN cerebremancer 14 to start. At this stage it casts and manifests at 17th level 24 character levels. You can use this as a base for all the SMs. They can be differentiated after that. Then you choose a 5 level prestige class on each side to finish it off at 34 total character levels. After that evolved paragon.

Take Nibenay. He is a 44th level, 4th stage dragon. Wizard 5, Psion 5, TN cerebremancer 14, Master of the Way 5, Archmage 5, Evolved Paragon 10.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

How about using my TN cerebremancer template 14 levels, 12 levels of wizard and Psion increase). Wizard 5, Psion 5, TN cerebremancer 14 to start.

I’d prefer mind mage personally, though I think they synergize very well with each other, but it either brings the level up considerably or loses a number of bonus feats (if using the 10 level version for wiz4/psi1/ath-cereb10/mind mage10).
Regardless of the base, I’m less having trouble with sorcerer kings/queens like Nibenay whose have fairly easy to determine options for Prc’s. Instead I’m and having trouble more with sorcerer kings/queens like Hamanu and Lalali-puy:

Hamanu, for example is a more combat focused champion. However, thanks to your rules, it is no longer as necessary for his classes to boost his melee abilities, but I’d still like his levels to reflect his history in some manner. This naturally makes it harder to work him in while still having sufficient evolved paragon levels to help catch up.

Lalali-Puy is awkward for a different reason. While I agree with your assessment of her as a thrallherd and enchantress, in 2e she had some formidable Psychometabolism (including healing) and “nature focused” Psychokinetic abilities, the better to both play her “forest goddess” role and, depending on how you interpret her character, perhaps even delude herself into thinking, at least sometimes, that its even true. I’d actually consider making her as an Ardent rather than a psion, but given ardent’s weird mantle advancement, I’m not quite sure how to make it work.

[redking]

@Bdmdragon

Hamanu, for example is a more combat focused champion. However, thanks to your rules, it is no longer as necessary for his classes to boost his melee abilities, but I’d still like his levels to reflect his history in some manner. This naturally makes it harder to work him in while still having sufficient evolved paragon levels to help catch up.

Don’t sweat the optimization of the SMs. Remember that none of these guys actually transformed themselves - Rajaat did that. Give Hamanu 5 levels of fighter. I anticipated this, that’s why there are floating feats (and for the item creation feats).

Lalali-Puy can be a pyschometabolist, no problem. Psychic chirugery gives her access to the powers needed for thrallherd.

I actually prefer unoptimized Sorcerer Monarchs. The advanced being metamorphosis process, both the salient feats and psionic enchantments to progress the stages, should stand on their own.

[Bdmdragon]

@redking

I actually prefer unoptimized Sorcerer Monarchs. The advanced being metamorphosis process, both the salient feats and psionic enchantments to progress the stages, should stand on their own.

I agree. You might have noticed by how I gave widened intensified meteor swarms rather than basically anything actually optimal to the dragon above. That said, thematically, mind mage is about as good as it gets for advanced beings, with your cerebremancer variants being close seconds. Power and flavor can go hand in hand.