Stealing Spell-like and Supernatural Abilities

[jagadaishio]

Let the Killing Begin

Hey, Playground. I'm making a character using the Skorched Urf prestige class called Powephage. The core mechanic of this class is the ability to, through eating the brain of a defeated enemy within one size catagory of yourself, gain one of its supernatural or spell-like abilities. The class allows you to consume up to five powers at any given time (a number of powers equal to your level in the prestige class), and there is a feat that can be taken to increase the number of allotted slots by one.

I've already placed a Pixies's Greater Invisibility and an Efreeti's Wishes on my agenda. Now I'm asking you, the playground, to fill in the rest of this serial killer's list of prospective victims. Which monsters and which classes should my character kill and eat the brains of, and for which abilities? I'll keep a running tally of suggestions right here.

Pixie: Greater Invisibility
Efreeti: Wish
Sarruhk: Manipulate Form
Choker: Quickness
Demon(Most): Teleport
Doppelganger: Change Shape
Nymph: The various beauty abilities
Treant: Animate Trees
Barghest: Feed
Nightmare: Astral Projection
Vilewight: Create Spawn
Vampire: Dominate, Energy Drain
Powerphage, level 2-5: 2-5 slots of Consume Power
Phane: Stasis Touch, Chronal Blast, Time Leach, Summon Past Time Duplicate, Time Regression
Thrall of Juiblex, level 8+: Polymorph Self
Changeling: Change Shape
Bodak: Death Gaze
Lamia: Wisdom Drain
Night Hag: Dream Haunting
Medusa: Petrifying Gaze
Solar: Whole suite of spell-likes.
Titan: 1/day Gate
Nightwalker: Crush Item, Evil Gaze
Nightwing: Magic Drain
Ghost: Draining Touch, Telekinesis, Rejuvenation
Oculus Demon: Eye Bolt, Paralysing Gaze

Edit: Some friends I'm IMing with are also sending me a few.
Edit: I would probably never get half of these, and a sane DM wouldn't let me get some of them, but please, feel free to suggest even the most insane of options.

[Keld Denar]

Find a Sarruhk. Munch its brain. Gain Manipulate Form. Ascend to Pun-Punhood.

[Frog Dragon]

If you're going to actually play this guy then my suggestion? Don't be a jerk about it and absolve wish SLA:s. Go for abilities that would be fun. Like if you're going for sneaky, get yourself a Silence at will SLA

[Malacode]

Quickness, or whatever it is Chokers get that allows them to take an additional standard action is Su. Get that, it's really a gamebreaker.

[SilentNight]

Any mid-high level demon will give you teleport at will, very handy. One note though, if I'm not mistaken, an efreeti is large while a pixie is tiny, are you allowed to use enlarge/reduce person to get around the size restriction?

[jagadaishio]

Any mid-high level demon will give you teleport at will, very handy. One note though, if I'm not mistaken, an efreeti is large while a pixie is tiny, are you allowed to use enlarge/reduce person to get around the size restriction?

Pixie is actually small sized, so it's within the limit. I may grab a druegar and a doppelganger to get to large and small size, though, to extend my range and get a better power than a size-changing one.

[Keld Denar]

Oh oh oh oh!

Barghest! (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/barghest.htm)



Feed (Su)
When a barghest slays a humanoid opponent, it can feed on the corpse, devouring both flesh and life force, as a full-round action. Feeding destroys the victim’s body and prevents any form of raising or resurrection that requires part of the corpse. There is a 50% chance that a wish, miracle, or true resurrection spell can restore a devoured victim to life. Check once for each destroyed creature. If the check fails, the creature cannot be brought back to life by mortal magic.

A barghest advances in Hit Dice by consuming corpses in this fashion. For every three suitable corpses a barghest devours, it gains 1 Hit Die, and its Strength, Constitution, and natural armor increase by +1. Its attack bonus and saves improve as normal for an outsider of its Hit Dice, and it gains skill points, feats, and ability score improvements normally.

The barghest only advances by consuming the corpses of creatures whose Hit Dice or levels are equal to or greater than its own current total. A barghest that reaches 9 Hit Dice through feeding immediately becomes a greater barghest upon completion of the act.

[mostlyharmful]

a Powerphage's brain munching ability. costs one to get five....

anywho, on to real suggestions.

Reg would be nice and easy to get hold of from a troll
Astral Projection from a Nightmare, really anything with Ninth level SLAs would be cool, with a high enough Diplo check and a high level cleric with True res on hand you might even be able to just talk them into allowing it.

[jagadaishio]

Oh oh oh oh!

Barghest! (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/barghest.htm)

So as long as a reach nine hit dice through a means other than feeding, I'm not transformed into a barghest. This is a definite awesome one.

Unfortunately, regeneration is (ex), otherwise Troll would already be up there. The Nightmare's ability works, though.

[mostlyharmful]

So as long as a reach nine hit dice through a means other than feeding, I'm not transformed into a barghest. This is a definite awesome one.

Unfortunately, regeneration is (ex), otherwise Troll would already be up there. The Nightmare's ability works, though.

Ok, here's anouther... Spawn. Grab a vampire, then have hundreds of vamp minions without sucking the +8LA.... and still have a tan.

[Myrmex]

Check out what the Phane (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/abomination.htm#phane) has.

[jagadaishio]

Ok, here's anouther... Spawn. Grab a vampire, then have hundreds of vamp minions without sucking the +8LA.... and still have a tan.

Assuming I also grab its energy drain ability. With Vilewight, it's literally any create that I slay.

Well, I'm certainly going after a Phane or two once I hit epic levels. Assuming that it has a brain as we understand it...

[Kaelaroth]

Changeling's shapeshifting? It's less insanely powerful than the other shape modifying powers already mentioned. Bodak's death-gaze? Lamia's wisdom drain? Night Hag's dream-haunting?

[Myrmex]

Assuming I also grab its energy drain ability. With Vilewight, it's literally any create that I slay.

Well, I'm certainly going after a Phane or two once I hit epic levels. Assuming that it has a brain as we understand it...

Definitely page through the ELH. You could try and get the brain of a brain collector. That lets you extract brains from other creatures with a mind ray!

[quick_comment]

20th level cleric casting by eating a solar's brain.

A free vorpal sword by eating a balor.

[Mastikator]

Medusa, turn to stone by looking.
Noble Salamander has summon monster VII 1/day
Rakshasa can read thoughts and shape change
Nymph causes blindness to anyone who look at them.

[Myrmex]

Eat the brains of a high level illithid savant to gain the ability to pick up feats, skills, casting, and Ex of the brains you eat!


20th level cleric casting by eating a solar's brain.

That is neither a Su or Sp ability.

[jagadaishio]

20th level cleric casting by eating a solar's brain.

A free vorpal sword by eating a balor.

Well, the Solar's only Su ability is Change Shape, and while there are a lot of good spell like abilities, I only get one per Solar. I'm going to need a whole banquet. Not a joke.

While the free vorpal sword is nice, I don't think that I can give it to someone else or sell it. Since my character is more of a roguish type, I can't see it getting as much use as other abilities. Still putting it up there, though.

[Mastikator]

Solar has wish 1/day

balors explode on death, no brains left

[jagadaishio]

Solar has wish 1/day

balors explode on death, no brains left

Good catch on the Balor. I listed the Solar Sp's already. Once per day an Efreeti can grant up the three wishes, though only to a non-genie. Of course, my character would be a non-genie.

[quick_comment]

Titans get gate 1/day as well as 20th level word of chaos.

Nightwalkers get crush item which lets you destroy just about any item.

Ghosts get rejuvination, possession, and draining touch. You have to go ethereal I guess to eat its brain though.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Keep in mind, you have to kill these things. Some of them, that's not going to be easy.

[Keld Denar]

Really? Once you have Manipulate Form, do you need anything else? Manipulate Form has the ability to give yourself, or any other Scaled One, any SU or EX ability, ever, even ones that aren't printed.

Give yourself the ability- IWIN (EX): Always suceed on opposed checks. You are allowed to make opposed checks even if an ability wouldn't allow you to make them. Always suceed on unopposed checks. You always win those too. Also, you are immune to Death spells, Polymorph, all energy, all damage, all [Mind Affecting], all spells period, even spells that indirectly affect you, all Ex, SU, and SP abilities, and cute fuzzy bunnies. You no longer require food, water, air, sleep, and can not age, magically or normally. Have a nice day!

[Tokiko Mima]

How about stealing an Oculus Demons Eyebolts (Su)? Basically it has the ability to do a small amount of damage via a ranged touch attack... as a free action. So you keep attacking whatever you want dead as many times as it takes in the same round, since you can repeat free actions as many times as you like.

[jagadaishio]

How about stealing an Oculus Demons Eyebolts (Su)? Basically it has the ability to do a small amount of damage via a ranged touch attack... as a free action. So you keep attacking whatever you want dead as many times as it takes in the same round, since you can repeat free actions as many times as you like.

Which book is that monster in?

[Kaelaroth]

A Spectre's ability to create spectre spawn from the people it's killed?

[Tokiko Mima]

Which book is that monster in?

Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, I think? I just remember reading the description and thinking how silly it was that it didn't limit it to a free action that can only be done a certain number of times a round.

[Tonkarz]

Does a treant have a brain? Isn't it some kind of plant creature?

And how do you eat a ghost's brain? Isn't it incorporeal?

[Ravens_cry]

Does a treant have a brain? Isn't it some kind of plant creature?

And how do you eat a ghost's brain? Isn't it incorporeal?
More taste, less filling!
Umm. . .Magic Fang enchanted with Ghost Touch?

[jagadaishio]

Does a treant have a brain? Isn't it some kind of plant creature?

And how do you eat a ghost's brain? Isn't it incorporeal?

Ethereal Jaunt.

[Korivan]

What book is this Powephage from?

[quick_comment]

What book is this Powephage from?

It sounds like a refluffed illithid savant

[jagadaishio]

What book is this Powephage from?

It's from Skorched Urf and it's just called Powerphage. It's one of those mini-releases that has one class, some feats related to it, and a sample character. Like an excerpt from a book that will never be.

It kinda is like Illithid Savant, but you can shuffle old abilities out and new ones in, if you want, and you can only get spell like and supernatural abilities. It may even be a good idea to try to convince a DM to let you be an illithid savant after becoming a powerphage, despite not being an illithid. The fluff is actually based pretty closely on Sylar.

[jagadaishio]

So, does anybody have any more suggestions, or is that a complete list?

[jagadaishio]

What spells, abilities, or powers could I use to transform something without a brain into one that does without it losing any of its sp or su abilities?

[Lamech]

Don't get a bargehests ablity. Say hello to crappy outsider levels. You can get a huge number of HD anyway via lycanthropy, if you really want them.

Two, be careful with hunting Efreets. They have slaves. The only things those slaves do is read pieces of paper they get handed. And there are spells that can see into the future. And wish can teleport you from anywhere to anywhere. But you do get a will save to not be placed in the sun. And the Efreet spell like ablity? Not actually the wish spell.

Anyway for ablities can I suggest a Initate of the Seven Fold Viel. You get enough dairy for a year, and a nice defensive ablity.

[Moriato]

Don't get a bargehests ablity. Say hello to crappy outsider levels.

Full base attack, all good saves and 8 + int skill points is not really all that crappy

[jagadaishio]

So, nobody has a method of changing something's shape to something more palatable without it losing its supernatural and spell-like abilities?

[Vaynor]

If you include Quickness, this class will get very broken, very fast.

Aasimar: Daylight

Tiefling: Darkness

Ogre Mage: Flight, Change Shape

Ghaele: Gaze, Protective Aura

Babau: Protective Slime

Balor: Vorpal Sword (:smalleek:), Flaming Body, True Seeing

Bebilith: Plane Shift

Dretch: Telepathy

Nalfeshnee: Smite

Retriever: Find Target

Succubus: Tongues, Energy Drain, Change Shape

Vrock: Dance of Ruin, Stunning Screech

Barbed Devil: Fear, Barbed Defense

Bearded Devil: Infernal Wounds

Bone Devil: Fear Aura

Chain Devil: Dancing Chains, Unnerving Gaze

Horned Devil: Fear Aura, Stun, Infernal Wounds

Ice Devil: Fear Aura, Slow

Pit Fiend: Disease, Fear Aura

All Dragons: Various breath weapons and spell-like abilities

Black Dragon: Corrupt water, charm reptiles

Blue Dragon: Create/Destroy Water

Red Dragon: Locate Object

White Dragon: Freezing Fog

Brass Dragon: Summon Djinni

Bronze Dragon: Alternate Form

Gold Dragon: Alternate Form, Luck Bonus, Detect Gems

Silver Dragon: Alternate Form, Cloudwalking

Lammasu: Magic Circle Against Evil

Note: This is assuming the character can be of any size. Also, Enlarge Person and Reduce Person wands would be AWESOME for this class.

[jagadaishio]

So, nobody has an idea of how to transform a brainless but sentient plant creature into something with a brain without it losing its spell-like or supernatural abilities?