Any "True Mind Switch" handbooks?

[SimonMoon6]

"True Mind Switch" is a psionic power that has fascinated me since I first saw it. It's an effect that causes an instantaneous effect (so it can't be dispelled or anti-magicked away) where you switch minds with another creature. And, sure, you only get physical stats and EX abilities, but that's still pretty great, especially in a nerfed-polymorph environment (like, say, Pathfinder). It's a hard power to be able to use (because you have to be a lame psion (telepath)) but you can get a power stone (scroll) of it and use UMD to activate it. So that opens up all sorts of possibilities.

Has there been any sort of ruling about what happens to spells if you cast something on a creature and then switch minds? Like if you cast Bull's Strength on yourself and cast Doom on an erinyes, then you switch minds with the erinyes, who has the Bull's Strength and who has the Doom?

Other weird things could happen. Like, if you use planar binding to call an erinyes. And while she's trapped behind the diagram used in the Magic Circle against evil spell, you then switch minds with her. So, now you'd be in her body and inside the circle. Are you trapped in the circle because you're the erinyes? Or not because you're really you? Does the erinyes in your body get to continue using the planar binding spell against you-in-her-body? Or is it more like "you are the caster who is binding yourself"? Or does the spell just stop because the creature you have bound is now a human and outside the circle and stuff?

And what if you're a Pathfinder summoner and you switch minds with your eidolon? If a summoner goes to sleep, the eidolon goes back to its home plane. So, if you go to sleep after switching bodies, which body goes back to the eidolon's home plane? And now if you try to summon your eidolon, what happens? Do you summon your body with eidolon's mind in it? Or are you summoning yourself?

There are so many ways to cause so many headaches... :) :)

[Mato]

Some of those are borderline philosophical questions about what is you?.

But you need to remember you swap bodies, not exchange who is who. You are still you and are treated thusly. Meaning the erinyes goes back home with your body.

As for suggestions, use SorO_Lost's trick.
1. Buy a Dwarvencraft Obdurinum Masterwork Chain (32 hardness).
2. Cast Hardening on it (+10 hardness).
3. Cast Matter Manipulation on it (+5 hardness).
4. Enhance it with a +5 bonus (+5 hardness, may invalidate later?).
4. Cast Animate Object on it, making it a creature.
5. Cast Permanency, making animate permanent.
6. Cast Awaken Construct on it, granting it a mind.
7. Cast Human Essence on it, allowing it to be subject to mind-affecting attacks.
8. Manifest True Mind Switch using a Power Stone and Use Psionic Device.

You now have the Extraordinary ability Hardness found in Animated Objects, which per FAQ applies to all attacks as normal Hardness does for objects, and it's value is over 50. You can also skip #5 if your willing to suffer level loss (old body ceases to be a creature, ie dies).

Enjoy. :)

[TuggyNE]

Has there been any sort of ruling about what happens to spells if you cast something on a creature and then switch minds? Like if you cast Bull's Strength on yourself and cast Doom on an erinyes, then you switch minds with the erinyes, who has the Bull's Strength and who has the Doom?

Other weird things could happen. Like, if you use planar binding to call an erinyes. And while she's trapped behind the diagram used in the Magic Circle against evil spell, you then switch minds with her. So, now you'd be in her body and inside the circle. Are you trapped in the circle because you're the erinyes? Or not because you're really you? Does the erinyes in your body get to continue using the planar binding spell against you-in-her-body? Or is it more like "you are the caster who is binding yourself"? Or does the spell just stop because the creature you have bound is now a human and outside the circle and stuff?

Pretty sure most spells/effects should be targeting creatures' bodies, but I'm not sure there's any explicit RAW on that.


And what if you're a Pathfinder summoner and you switch minds with your eidolon? If a summoner goes to sleep, the eidolon goes back to its home plane. So, if you go to sleep after switching bodies, which body goes back to the eidolon's home plane? And now if you try to summon your eidolon, what happens? Do you summon your body with eidolon's mind in it? Or are you summoning yourself?

I'd flat-out disallow that, personally, with some mumbo-jumbo about your eidolon being too closely connected for a switch to work properly or some such. (Again, though, I doubt there's any specific RAW that makes it clear.)

[The Gilded Duke]

What book is Human Essence found in?

[Mato]

What book is Human Essence found in?Human[oid] Essence is a spell chain found in Races of Eberron, I think the exact one needed is the Greater version.

[Darrin]

I'm aware of two methods, but I'm a bit fuzzy on high level psionics so there may be others:

T.G.'s original Psionic Sandwich post can be found here (http://web.archive.org/web/20080213115747/http://forums.gleemax.com/showpost.php?p=8570529).

The other method doesn't use mind switch, it uses Doc Roc's Magic Jar trick (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9186526#post9186526).

[Drelua]

I'm afraid I don't have answers to any of your questions, because frankly you're hurting my brain, but I do have another question to add; what if you dominate someone (or the psionic equivalent) and then switch bodies with them? This seems like it would be a good way to keep your body safe if you just wanted to 'borrow' them, say to sneak in somewhere.

Which leads me to wonder if there's an easier way to get your body back than another True Mind Switch. Also, and I think I know the answer to this one, does a (untrue) Mind Switch cast on your old body just get you back in there temporarily? I imagine it would.

Edit: This section from the PFsrd leads me to believe that spell effects, at least in Pathfinder, apply to the mind rather than the body for the purposes of this spell, though it isn't quite conclusive for any spell that doesn't do one of the specified things.
If either body is killed while the power is in effect, the other participant also dies when the power ends. If one participant’s body becomes petrified, imprisoned by temporal stasis or imprisonment, or incapacitated in some other way, the other participant will be incapacitated in that way when the power ends.

[toapat]

4. Enhance it with a +5 bonus (+5 hardness, may invalidate later?).

Enhancement is +2 hardness / +1 modifier, you you actually have 57 hardness and need to be hit for at least 116 damage to be hurt

[Story]

There's also a spell to double hardness.

[Psyren]

If you're going for this level of cheese, you're probably better off with Fusion + Astral Seed. Combine with however many powerful forms you see fit, and continually "back up to the cloud." Every time you restore from your backup, you'll come back in your latest gestalt with no duration.