PC Build Challenge: The Exiled Prince

[Irving]

For those that haven't played the Dark Parables: Exiled Prince game and are fans of that sort of thing,

*SPOILER!*

For amusement value, I'm looking to transform the central villain of this game - a version of the classic Frog Prince - into a viable PC. In the video game, the Prince's curse is significantly nastier than the fairytale; he never ages, and when his beloved princess dies, his despair transforms him back into a frog, at which point another princess kisses him, he falls in love again, and the cycle repeats. The prince shows off some nature-based powers in the game, so I'm thinking a druid would be a nice starting point. Instead of the PC worshiping a nature god, the curse's power fuels his magic; he's be cursed so long he can distort the force behind it in certain ways.

So far my notes include:

- 5th level minimum for shapechange (need a reworked version of Dire Toad for shapechange)

- lose animal companion, look for alternate power?

- 1-2 levels of aristocrat

Anyone know some useful feats that can help flesh this out?

[Flickerdart]

As a 5th level Druid, his "curse" would only last 5 hours after the princess's death. If you make him an infected lycanthrope instead, then he can stay in frog form indefinitely. Additionally, a 5th level Druid can only do Small and Medium forms, while a Small Lycanthrope would be able to hit Tiny forms.

[Irving]

I was thinking more along the lines of having "assume toad form" as a power derived from the curse he's managed to control, rather than a direct interpretation of the curse itself. (If I wanted to emulate the curse itself, I'd probably housebrew in a version of the undead/construct subtype; he doesn't die at -10 hp, but instead transforms into a toad, and thus can't be resurrected without additional work and a willing wart-resistant princess. Toss in additional layers of curse craziness to keep PCs from treating the frog prince as a kamikaze and we'd be fine.)

Maybe the best way to start approaching this is by thinking about it as a frog-centric druid and building out from there.

As long as we're on the subject, I'm not enamored with the Dire Toad from MMII; it relies a bit too much on the poison and grappling rules, which are 3.5's weakest suit IMHOP. You gotta keep that tongue action, so I'm thinking a Dire Frog with Leap of the Heavens and high Jump and Climb skills (think rogue in a box). If the tongue is, in essence, a whip, I could see going for Improved Trip and Improved Disarm feats, either as a learned feat or something innate in the Dire Frog form to replace the really, really disgusting Swallow Whole ability (something I never, ever, ever want to see a PC do. Even if it does get rid of the annoying gnome.)