Dark Speech + Pleasure domain?

[aazru]

When I read this domain in 1lvl clerid dip thread I had an evilghasm :smalltongue:
Does this work? The cha damage immunity nullifying penalties of using dark speech that is.
And on a side note - how can a bard/dirgesinger get it? I'm thinking Contemplative but would like to know alternatives.

[Flickerdart]

Arcane Disciple feat (CDiv) gives you a domain, so if you worship a deity of Pleasure then you qualify (Arcane Disciple only gives you spells, boo). Dark Speech (at least, the BoVD version, there might have been an update in HoH) is CHA damage, so Pleasure would prevent it (and stuff like Strongheart Vest or Naberius would work too).

[Keld Denar]

Arcane Disciple doesn't give you the whole domain, just the spells. To get the granted power, you'd need something like the Planar Touchstone feat (Planar Handbook). Costs you a feat, 7 ranks in Know Planes (class skill for bards) and 250g, but you dial it in to the Catalogues of Enlightenment (doesn't require visiting to get the basic power, the domain), you get any granted power for any domain of your choice.

The other ways to get domain abilities involve taking levels in wizard, or a PrC that grants domains, most of which that grant unspecified domains only advance divine casting.

[Chilingsworth]

One problem: You have to be Evil to take the Darkspeach feat (and it's from BoVD). The Pleasure domain is granted only by a good (Exalted, actually, from BoED) Goddess, afaik.

Using material from both the BoVD and the BoED... in one character... yeah.

Even with plannar touhstone, goodluck finding a DM that would ever allow such a combination.

[druid91]

Worship an ideal.

OR if you really want an object to worship, call a succubus, broker a deal with her. Find a whole lot of people, get them to worship her (Shouldn't be too much of a problem). Instant Goddess.

Who happens to be both evil, and likely able to grant the necessary domain.

Bonus points if your negotiations put you in for a nice place as opposed to being tortured to insanity upon death.

[mrcarter11]

Well on the basis of a cleric dip, the cleric class features say you can subscribe to a set of ideals, rather then a patron or god..

[AtomicKitKat]

OR if you really want an object to worship, call yourself a succubus, broker a deal with her. Find a whole lot of people, get them to worship her (Shouldn't be too much of a problem). Instant Goddess.

AtomicKitKat, you're a sccubus! Strange, that didn't work...:smallconfused:

[druid91]

AtomicKitKat, you're a sccubus! Strange, that didn't work...:smallconfused:

What do you mean by this?

[gbprime]

AtomicKitKat, you're a sccubus! Strange, that didn't work...:smallconfused:

No, no, no... you need to put a little more work into it in our corner of the Prime Material. A Telethon, for example. :smallbiggrin:

[Keld Denar]

I believe it was a play on words. You said "call yourself a succubus", which you intended in the Conjouration(Calling) type manner. To say "call yourself a succubus", you could also infer that refering to yourself as a succubus would have similar results.

So, he called himself a succubus, and is now awaiting followers and ultimate cosmic powers...

[druid91]

Oh... I should fix that.

[Person_Man]

Most recent (and thus RAW) version of the Dark Speech Feat is from Elder Evils, pg 12. It's a potent low level Fear effect based on your enemy's hit dice. So it's useful at low levels, and becomes increasingly less so at higher levels. (Though you can augment it with the Dark Whispers feat, which Confuses creatures with higher hit dice). It can also raise caster level by 1, effect item hardness, or command a Swarm. Using it for anything deals 1 point of Charisma damage, each time you use it. It's also a Vile feat, so you have to be Evil to take it. The traditional methods of dealing with the ability damage are the Strongheart Vest soulmeld (1 level of Incarnate, or 1 feat plus a point of essentia) or the Naberius vestige (1 level of Binder).

The Pleasure domain (Book of Exalted Deeds) makes you immune to Charisma damage and drain, and would theoretically work with Dark Speech as well if there wasn't an alignment issue. But since it's Exalted, only Good creatures can take it. And many DMs would argue that RAI negating ability damage prevents the sacrafice, and thus negates the ability that requires said sacrifice (see any Hellfire Warlock thread).

The Hellbred race (Fiendish Codex II pg.78) have the Evil Exception ability, and can use Evil spells and magic items without negative consequences. If you can find a way to get Dark Speech from a spell or magic item you could theoretically combine it with the Pleasure Domain. But honestly, choosing the Pleasure Domain you're giving up a Feat or other special ability (and better spells) that you could have gotten from some other Domain. So it just seems like a lot of work for very little benefit.

[aazru]

My character is personification of Preform(mindrape) so being evil is not an issue :smallbiggrin:
Elder Evils make it clear =( If you cannot take ability damage, you cannot
select this feat.

...

Wait a sec. It says I cannot take it if a cannot take ability damage. But if I get that domain after i take dark speech and dark whispers?

No incarnum and no binder(not for now anyway).
DM ruled Bardic casting as both arcane and divine in this campaing(until something like Sublime Chord changes it to all out arcane).

[Darrin]

The Pleasure domain (Book of Exalted Deeds) makes you immune to Charisma damage and drain, and would theoretically work with Dark Speech as well if there wasn't an alignment issue. But since it's Exalted, only Good creatures can take it.


I'm not really all that familiar with BoED, but I don't actually see an [Exalted] tag next to that domain. Ok, sure, Lastai is the only deity that grants it, but I don't see anything that could prevent some other deity from having it as a domain. Cleric of an ideal could also get it.


Planar Touchstone feat (Planar Handbook). Costs you a feat, 7 ranks in Know Planes (class skill for bards) and 250g, but you dial it in to the Catalogues of Enlightenment (doesn't require visiting to get the basic power, the domain), you get any granted power for any domain of your choice.


8 ranks, actually. Catalogues of Enlightenment would also allow you to ignore any "must worship X" or "must be evil/good/etc." restrictions. Great way to pick up your deity's favored weapon if they were too woosified to get the War domain into their pantheon. If it's exotic, two-feats-for-one deal.

[Beelzebub1111]

I'm not really all that familiar with BoED, but I don't actually see an [Exalted] tag next to that domain. Ok, sure, Lastai is the only deity that grants it, but I don't see anything that could prevent some other deity from having it as a domain. Cleric of an ideal could also get it.
The problem is that the spells Lastai's Caress and Celestial blood are [Good] spells. The former specifically hurts evil creatures while the latter channels the essence of goodness into your body. Dark Speech and getting those two spells don't mix. The rest of the spells, while not having the [Good] descriptor are well...not the easiest to use for the purposes of EVIL!

[Keld Denar]

Planar Touchstone gets around all those problems. A) It doesn't give you the spells, so you aren't tempted to even think about them, and B) it specifically mentions that you don't have to jump through religious or alignment hoops to get the benefits.