PDA

View Full Version : [3.5] At-will Sources of Electricity Damage



balistafreak
2010-06-27, 02:03 PM
The Mechantrix is a planetouched race from the Fiend Folio, page 137.

Stat modifiers are +2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Dexterity, and -2 Charisma. They have some random skill bonuses in the form of +2 to Spot and +4 to Knowledge (architecture and engineering), some random elemental resistances (cold/fire resistance 5), and a poorly-scaling 1/day shocking grasp SLA.

As planetouched, they have the Outsider type and +1 LA. The LA and the Outsider type can be dropped together for the Humanoid type and 0 LA, far more playable in most campaigns.

Somewhat uninspiring, eh?

Get this. Healing from electricity. As in you zap them and they heal instead of taking damage. Unfortunately they automatically fail against the side effects of any such electricity spells, but I really can't think of that many electricity spells that do anything other than deal damage.

So now I need an at-will/infinite way to get electricity damage. The source has to be at least 3 damage, else it will simply be prevented and not absorbed into HP.

My first thought was Lightning Gauntlets from Magic of Incarnum, but with all due respect those things are terrible. Anyone else have ideas?

Ernir
2010-06-27, 02:09 PM
So now I need an at-will/infinite way to get electricity damage.

Storm Bolt, reserve feat in Complete Mage. 1d6/spell level.

nargbop
2010-06-27, 02:40 PM
+1 Complete Mage reserve feats.
Also, if you use Pathfinder rules instead of WotC rules, you have infinite cantrips, so you can use the 1-hp-damage spark cantrip.
If you want to be silly, Persist a Thunderhead spell.

Lord Vukodlak
2010-06-27, 02:43 PM
Get a shocking whip and wear some armor.
The armor makes you immune to the whips damage but not the electricity.

Seffbasilisk
2010-06-27, 02:44 PM
IIRC you don't threaten yourself when weilding a whip.

+1 to Storm Bolt.

Sliver
2010-06-27, 02:46 PM
+1 Complete Mage reserve feats.
Also, if you use Pathfinder rules instead of WotC rules, you have infinite cantrips, so you can use the 1-hp-damage spark cantrip.
If you want to be silly, Persist a Thunderhead spell.


The source has to be at least 3 damage, else it will simply be prevented and not absorbed into HP.

:smallbiggrin:

2xMachina
2010-06-27, 02:46 PM
Huh, ask an ally to whip you then.

(Though you might be called a masochist... And they might not want to whip you, cause of the implications...)

Lord Vukodlak
2010-06-27, 02:47 PM
IIRC you don't threaten yourself when weilding a whip.

+1 to Storm Bolt.
So what if you don't threaten yourself? a whip can still strike any foes within reach. It simply doesn't threaten, ie no attacks of opportunity.

Hague
2010-06-27, 02:51 PM
I dunno, is it considered realistic to be able to strike yourself with a ranged weapon like a whip? Imagine trying to shoot yourself with a longbow (I can see suicide by crossbow, though. You could try a shocking sap. Whack yourself in the noggin a couple of times...

PId6
2010-06-27, 02:51 PM
What's wrong with Lightning Gauntlets? It's infinite no matter what you use, and doesn't require saving a spell slot for an electricity spell. Costs a feat, but that seems worth it for infinite healing.

Flickerdart
2010-06-27, 02:55 PM
I dunno, is it considered realistic to be able to strike yourself with a ranged weapon like a whip? Imagine trying to shoot yourself with a longbow (I can see suicide by crossbow, though. You could try a shocking sap. Whack yourself in the noggin a couple of times...
Hold out your arm. Choke up on the whip. You can reasonably hit yourself with it now, at least enough to deal damage.

RAW, you can make attacks with the whip anywhere within your reach, which includes the square you occupy.

Ryuuk
2010-06-27, 03:08 PM
There's also Focalor, the 3rd level vestige that can be bound with 3 levels of Binder (Tome of Magic) and the Improved Binding feat. Along with a no-save, debuffing aura, a 1 per 5 rounds, single target, save-or-be blinded breath and waterbreathing, it grants an at will, single target lightning bolt attack that deals 3d6 Electricity damage with a reflex save for half. It imporves slowly with your Binder level.

mabriss lethe
2010-06-27, 03:10 PM
binder 3 and improved binding nets you the ability to bind Focalor, which allows you to deal scaling electricity damage at will. Binders have several other ways to get infinite healing, but this may be the lowest level one I've seen to date.

Also, Storm Bolt is available starting at 5th level for a prepared caster, and is slightly more effective, since it can theoretically be used for offense and defense at the same time. (20 foot line, pick its starting point as the corner behind you and get caught in your own bolt)

*ninja'ed*

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 03:21 PM
Binders have several other ways to get infinite healing, but this may be the lowest level one I've seen to date.

Well, Incarnates can heal themselves back up to Max -1 HP as early as 1st level with Lifebound Vestments, it just takes forever.

With Lightning Gauntlets you can now cut that down to a few minutes. Heck, shape Lifebound Vestments too and you can spread some of that healing love to your party.

As for what's wrong with Lightning Gauntlets, first of all they're just hilariously vanilla and secondly that they scale poorly for offensive purposes. Remember that I'm not just spending one feat/soulmeld, I'm spending that AND my opportunity to be another, better race. (*cough*human*cough) It's not a terrible idea, just not one that jumps off the page at me.

The shocking whip idea is pretty good too, although isn't there a ruling that you can just hold any old shocking/flaming/icy/whatever weapon against you and take the damage from it there? So I could just wield a shocking weapon period and be able to heal to full out of combat. Heck, maybe even during combat if I'm not using the weapon - if I'm not attacking with it, is it such a stretch to say "I hold it against my full-plate to conduct the charge to me"?

It is only 1d6, though, so I'd only heal 1 HP every other round. The whip would speed things up if someone had iterative attacks, but even that's hardly a major benefit.

Storm Bolt looks to be a good way to do it - first of all, you're now a caster, and that's always good. :smallwink: Also, hitting yourself with your own Storm Bolt looks perfectly plausible. The one thing that gets me is the ridiculously short range - I'm going to have a d4 HD, and I am not going to appreciate being in melee.

Hague
2010-06-27, 03:23 PM
I'm just trying to picture this half-mechanical guy whipping himself with a shocking riding crop shouting, "Come on! You know you like it! Feel the juice, baby! Feel the juice!"

mabriss lethe
2010-06-27, 03:34 PM
Well, Incarnates can heal themselves back up to Max -1 HP as early as 1st level with Lifebound Vestments, it just takes forever.

Of course. There are lvl1 classes that can heal themselves infinitely. I was simply saying that binders,, specifically have several ways to get there, but using focalor in this way is the lowest level binder option for infinite healing I've seen. (others of note being Buer (out of the box) at 5th level and Tenebrous + Healing devotion also at 5th) EDIT: Always assuming Improved Binding to determine the level at which a vestige becomes available.

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 03:42 PM
I'm just trying to picture this half-mechanical guy whipping himself with a shocking riding crop shouting, "Come on! You know you like it! Feel the juice, baby! Feel the juice!"

:smallannoyed:

More seriously, they're not half-mechanical, just vaguely mechanical - their skin is shiny, they're tougher, they know some stuff about engineering, and once a day they can zap someone as a practical joke. Nothing like Warforged. :smallbiggrin:

742
2010-06-27, 04:24 PM
not hitting yourself when using a whip is actually the hard part.

and no, mind out of gutter please.

Morph Bark
2010-06-27, 04:30 PM
This thread explains why all Mechanatrixes are strange masochistic fellows who have a few screws loose.

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 04:35 PM
This thread explains why all Mechanatrixes are strange masochistic fellows who have a few screws loose.

I see what you did there.

And I approve.

More seriously, we now have:

Storm Bolt reserve feat.
Shocking weapons, especially whips.
Lightning Gauntlets soulmeld.
Binder3 binding Focalor.

I will now add Dragonfire Adept2 taking Shocking Breath. Is there some sort of way to Energy Substitute a Warlock's Eldritch Blast into Electricity damage?

PId6
2010-06-27, 04:40 PM
Anyone with an electricity recharging breath weapon (DFAs with Lightning Breath work best). I'm not sure if you can breathe on yourself by RAW though, but it should obviously work by common sense.

Bah, edit ninja.

Rixx
2010-06-27, 04:44 PM
Man, the Mechanatrix is a shining beacon of expanded 3.5 stupidity.

Part robot by heritage. God.

arguskos
2010-06-27, 04:45 PM
Yes, because part FIRE by heritage makes SO much more sense. :smalltongue:

As for more sources of Elec damage, Dragon Shaman 4 gets a breath weapon that can be electric.

Morph Bark
2010-06-27, 04:46 PM
Man, the Mechanatrix is a shining beacon of expanded 3.5 stupidity.

Part robot by heritage. God.

It becomes more fun if they take levels of Ninja and Dread Pirate and are turned into undead. Bonus points if they wield chainsaws resembling Japanese swords and revolvers (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NinjaPirateZombieRobot).

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 04:46 PM
Man, the Mechanatrix is a shining beacon of expanded 3.5 stupidity.

Part robot by heritage. God. Wizard.

Fixed for you. :smalltongue:

And to be technical, if I remember correctly being Planetouched doesn't mean ancestry.

Lysander
2010-06-27, 04:46 PM
Improved Familiar feat to get a Shocker Lizard. Little thing can zap you once a round all day for 2d8 non-lethal electricity damage.

You need more than one lizard or it's only non-lethal damage. Can you still heal from non-lethal damage?

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 04:49 PM
Improved Familiar feat to get a Shocker Lizard. Little thing can zap you once a round all day for 2d8 non-lethal electricity damage.

You need more than one lizard or it's only non-lethal damage. Can you still heal from non-lethal damage?

As far as I can tell, yes.

Keep the lizard in your hood as a power supply. :smallcool:

And if non-lethal damage doesn't work? Leadership. Another Mechantrix with Improved Familiar. Profit.

PId6
2010-06-27, 04:51 PM
And to be technical, if I remember correctly being Planetouched doesn't mean ancestry.
Show me on the doll where the plane touched you.

Mongoose87
2010-06-27, 04:53 PM
Re-fluff them to be half-Warforged and take the feat Shocking Fist.

Morph Bark
2010-06-27, 04:56 PM
Re-fluff them to be half-Warforged and take the feat Shocking Fist.

That makes even less sense than their planetouched-ness. It'd make more sense however, to make them something like cyborgs.

Mega Man ZX DnD campaign setting here we come.

Critical
2010-06-27, 04:59 PM
Dragonfire Adept won't work since you're immune to your own Breath Weapon.

On topic: Persisted Weapon of Energy. Diminuitive Pick would be best choice for this. :smallwink: :smallbiggrin: For bonus points, carry it as a toothpick.

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 05:02 PM
Dragonfire Adept won't work since you're immune to your own Breath Weapon.

Nuts!


On topic: Persisted Weapon of Energy. Diminuitive Pick would be best choice for this. :smallwink: :smallbiggrin: For bonus points, carry it as a toothpick.

Weapon of Energy? Hmmm. Cute, but source please? Google-fu failed me.

Critical
2010-06-27, 05:02 PM
Weapon of Energy? Hmmm. Cute, but source please? Google-fu failed me.
Spell Compendium.

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 05:06 PM
Found it. And... it's honestly pretty inefficent. I'd rather carry around a shocking weapon than have to Persist this. 7 turn attempts > 8000 gold. I mean, 7500 gold only buys you 4 turn attempts/1 nightstick, so yeah.


Show me on the doll where the plane touched you.

Wait, so we have flying warforged now? :smalleek:

Hague
2010-06-27, 05:31 PM
Couldn't you carry around one of those things that powers the lightning rails in Eberron? Seems like that would do some electric damage with a simple touch.

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 05:48 PM
I think they use bound elementals for those sorts of things.

And say what you will, but I doubt carrying the objects needed to safely contain said elemental is going to be possible for a standard adventurer, baring extradimensional space, and then we're missing the whole point of carrying it around with us.

That, and bad things happen when those things break. Like, terri-bad. :smalleek:

Hague
2010-06-27, 05:58 PM
Aren't you already trying to like break the rules terri-bad?

You'd think your shenanigans would get you a visit from some kind of inevitable or another :P

"Yeah, this is a Muncharut, the inevitable that punishes munchkins"

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 06:12 PM
Pfffft. Infinite healing is nothing.

Put it this way: optimizing defense is not nearly as egregious as optimizing offensive. Slowly healing back to full HP after every encounter is something that you can accomplish with a paltry 750 gold on a Wand of Lesser Vigor. This is simply an amusing exercise.

Critical
2010-06-27, 06:13 PM
Found it. And... it's honestly pretty inefficent. I'd rather carry around a shocking weapon than have to Persist this. 7 turn attempts > 8000 gold. I mean, 7500 gold only buys you 4 turn attempts/1 nightstick, so yeah.



Wait, so we have flying warforged now? :smalleek:

Yup, but still, a possible use. With DM's permission, you could just bite on the thing while having it in your mouth and get the healing as a free action, since talking is a free action and I'd imagine having a little pick in your mouth and talking while doing so would do some damage.

Runestar
2010-06-27, 09:23 PM
Show me on the doll where the plane touched you.

This sounds so wrong when taken out of context. :smalltongue:

balistafreak
2010-06-27, 09:34 PM
This sounds so wrong when taken out of context. :smalltongue:

The phrase "show me on the doll" tends to sound wrong regardless of context. :smallamused:

Thurbane
2010-06-27, 11:06 PM
As for more sources of Elec damage, Dragon Shaman 4 gets a breath weapon that can be electric.
Also, Dragon Shaman (Blue or Bronze) can use his Energy Shield aura to inflict 2 points (per +1 of aura) of electrical damage on anyone who strikes an ally within aura range, right from level 1.

arguskos
2010-06-27, 11:08 PM
Also, Dragon Shaman (Blue or Bronze) can use his Energy Shield aura to inflict 2 points (per +1 of aura) of electrical damage on anyone who strikes an ally within aura range, right from level 1.
Yeah, that's pretty true too. Dragon Shaman might be the big winner for Mechantrix.

PId6
2010-06-27, 11:08 PM
Also, Dragon Shaman (Blue or Bronze) can use his Energy Shield aura to inflict 2 points (per +1 of aura) of electrical damage on anyone who strikes an ally within aura range, right from level 1.
Unfortunately, you're going to have to wait till level 5 for the +2 version, since you need at least 3 damage to heal from the shock.

AslanCross
2010-06-27, 11:22 PM
+1 Complete Mage reserve feats.
Also, if you use Pathfinder rules instead of WotC rules, you have infinite cantrips, so you can use the 1-hp-damage spark cantrip.
If you want to be silly, Persist a Thunderhead spell.

+1 on both. And Thunderhead is awesome.

PId6
2010-06-27, 11:28 PM
Thunderhead wouldn't work, because you need to deal 3 or more damage to get any healing. Infinite Electric Jolt does work, however, since it deals 1d3 damage so 1/3 of the time it heals you.

2xMachina
2010-06-28, 01:37 AM
Anyone with an electricity recharging breath weapon (DFAs with Lightning Breath work best). I'm not sure if you can breathe on yourself by RAW though, but it should obviously work by common sense.

Bah, edit ninja.

Sadly, you're immune to your own breathe weapon

Bah, ninjas.

balistafreak
2010-06-28, 06:47 AM
Also, Dragon Shaman (Blue or Bronze) can use his Energy Shield aura to inflict 2 points (per +1 of aura) of electrical damage on anyone who strikes an ally within aura range, right from level 1.

Combine this with a shocking whip, and you can flagellate (spelling?) yourself to full health. :smalltongue:

Vizzerdrix
2010-06-28, 07:48 AM
StormLord, and a very tiny spear.

Optimystik
2010-06-28, 08:11 AM
Electro (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040625e)-kineticist (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/pyrokineticist.htm)

Whip made out of lightning (1d8 electric)
Shocking Hand (4d6 electric, offhand)
Electric Bolt (10d6)
Shocking Weapon (4d6 electric on weapon of choice)

The above are all at-will. You also get an at-will save-or-die (fort partial, 4d8 electric on a successful save) and a 1/day 15d6 30ft. electric nova (reflex half, fort save or die.)

9mm
2010-06-28, 08:36 AM
That makes even less sense than their planetouched-ness. It'd make more sense however, to make them something like cyborgs.

Mega Man ZX DnD campaign setting here we come.

no, no, no... MegaMan Legend campaign setting!

Sliver
2010-06-28, 08:45 AM
If you only need 3 damage, than if you have a dragon shaman with electrical damaging aura, you could just use a weapon crystal... The minor version can be equipped to everything and gives you a single point of energy damage.

balistafreak
2010-06-28, 10:15 AM
If you only need 3 damage, than if you have a dragon shaman with electrical damaging aura, you could just use a weapon crystal... The minor version can be equipped to everything and gives you a single point of energy damage.

You still have to be a Dragon Shaman/burn a feat on a Draconic Aura. I firmly believe the only aura worth the feat/level dip is the Vigor aura, and dipping Dragon Shaman reeks of fail... with all due respect.

It seems the smallest "opportunity cost" to get at-will Lightning damage is either a shocking weapon that you chew on (a mere 8000 gold) or a single soulmeld spent on Lightning Gauntlets.