Unbodied rework (3.5, PEACH)

[Qwertystop]

So, the Unbodied (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm). Really cool idea, a bit crippled by 4 LA and f4 RHD (that double as Psion levels). While technically, it's true that if you are playing a Telepath, 4 LA isn't as bad for you as it would be for, say, a Wizard... 4 LA is still a lot, and if you don't want to be a Telepath then you can't be any kind of Psion.

So I was trying to think of ways to make it not need as much LA, because honestly it sort of does - nonmagical incorporeality and perfect flight.

So I bounced an idea off the forums (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15675801&postcount=15)... and it bounced. No response.

So here's my attempt at rewriting the thing, hopefully with an end result of less LA.



UNBODIED

Size/Type: Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Incorporeal, Psionic)
Hit Dice: 4d8+4 (22 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), Fly 5 ft. (perfect) (1 square)
Armor Class: 13 (+1 Dex, +2 deflection), touch 13, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/—
Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d6)
Full Attack: Incorporeal touch +5 melee (1d6)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Psionic powers, telekinetic force
Special Qualities: Malleable likeness, incorporeal traits, telepathy 100 ft.
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str Ø, Dex 11, Con 10, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 11
Skills: Bluff +4, Diplomacy +6, Disguise +4
Feats: Overchannel, Wild Talent
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or illumination (3-6)
Challenge Rating: ?
Treasure: Half standard
Alignment: Any
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: ?

Psionic Powers
An unbodied manifests powers as a 4th-level psion (either a Telepath or Kineticist, depending on the Unbodied). The save DCs are Intelligence-based.

Typical Psion Powers Known (for Telepath) (power points 21, base save DC 12 + power level): 1st— detect psionics, empty mind, mind thrust (DC 13*), psionic charm (DC 13*); 2nd—brain lock (DC 14), cloud mind (DC 14), energy push (DC 14), read thoughts (DC 14).

*Power can be augmented.
Telekinetic Force (Psi)
An unbodied can use telekinetic force (DC 15) as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Manifester level 4th. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Malleable Likeness (Su)
Anyone viewing an Unbodied who the Unobodied can make telepathic contact with can make a Charisma check (DC 10) to force it to look like a particular species of Small, Medium, or Large creature as a standard action. If multiple viewers try this at the same time, this becomes an opposed Charisma check to see who succeeds, still with a minimum roll of 10 required to get any change. The Unbodied remains in its changed form as long as whoever changed it continues to concentrate on it (a free action), assuming nobody else gets a higher check to force a different form. If nobody does so, the Unbodied looks like a generic member of the same species as the viewer (different to each viewer) (if a viewer is of a species that is not Small, Medium, or Large, they instead see what the nearest other viewer sees. If there is no other viewer, they see the Unbodied in its natural form). The Unbodied cannot make this roll to change its own appearance itself, but can participate in the opposed roll to prevent any changes to its appearance (maintaining the same-species-as-viewer effect), though at a penalty of -2 per viewer making a change. It can also make the standard no-penalty roll to go back to normal if it has been changed for at least one round. All false appearances made by this ability can be seen through by True Seeing and equivalent spells, powers, and abilities.

Incorporeal Traits
An unbodied is harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, powers, spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities. It has a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source, except for force effects or attacks made with ghost touch weapons. It can pass through solid objects, but not force effects, at will. Its attacks ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, but deflection bonuses and force effects work normally against them. An incorporeal creature always moves silently and cannot be heard with Listen checks if it doesn’t wish to be.

Skills

An unbodied has a +4 racial bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks. If it can read an opponent’s mind, it gets a further +4 circumstance bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks.

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So basically, I changed the Fly speed to something less useful in combat, replaced the Assume Likeness with something more flavorful but much less useful as a disguise, made Telekinetic Force (Psi) instead of (Su) (only a slight nerf, mostly just that it provokes AOOs, but still), tweaked the Disguise boost to fit the new Likeness, and allowed Kineticists, because honestly this is attractive as much for infinite telekinesis as for the telepathy elements.

Is this worth a lower LA? Should it be tweaked further? Did I go too far? Not far enough? Should I do something with the RHD (was considering changing it to one or two HD of Abberation instead of four of Monstrous Humanoid)?

Also, how can I work out the CR on this thing?

[erikun]

Every other incorporeal creature that I can find has only a fly speed listed. In fact, it doesn't make that much sense for an incorporeal creature to not have one - incorporeal creatures do not stand on the ground, and pass right through solid matter anyways. Fly Speed 20 ft. (perfect) would probably work as a balance point, being slower but able to fly. Realize that any fly speed is going to allow the character to go places that a groundbound PC cannot, so reducing it to 5 ft. doesn't really prevent much. (They could just float 10 ft. above the floor all the time.)

Malleable Likeness is very... strange. Does the viewing creature trigger a check automatically, or do they need to concentrate to do so? Can a viewing creature choose to not to do so? Is the roll made every round any creature is looking at the Unbodied? If a character looks away and looks back, does it provoke another roll? Or is there some "time limit" after looking once that a character doesn't provoke a second time?

There is also the major problem that any significant number of characters looking at the Unbodied will drop the disguise. No reasonable amount of CHA bonus will prevent it from happening when on a busy street, for example, with 10+ individuals likely glancing in its direction. (This also doesn't discount such things as animals or even insects doing so, potentially disguising the Unbodies as a fine creature.)


Overall, I think Assume Likeness is probably better than the Malleable Likeness ability, for several reasons. I think that part of the problem is that incorporeality is a really good ability; even without the rest (which are pretty necessary to interact with others) it is likely +2 LA or +3 LA, at least.

I mean, consider it this way. If you just took a basic humanoid, with 0HD and no abilities, and gave it incorporeality - always silent, Fly 30' perfect, can bypass armor and physical objects - what LA would that represent?

Because while this is a higher level creature, the 4RHD with 4th level Psion manifesting isn't really a disadvantage at all for a character.

[Qwertystop]

Every other incorporeal creature that I can find has only a fly speed listed. In fact, it doesn't make that much sense for an incorporeal creature to not have one - incorporeal creatures do not stand on the ground, and pass right through solid matter anyways. Fly Speed 20 ft. (perfect) would probably work as a balance point, being slower but able to fly. Realize that any fly speed is going to allow the character to go places that a groundbound PC cannot, so reducing it to 5 ft. doesn't really prevent much. (They could just float 10 ft. above the floor all the time.)

Malleable Likeness is very... strange. Does the viewing creature trigger a check automatically, or do they need to concentrate to do so? Can a viewing creature choose to not to do so? Is the roll made every round any creature is looking at the Unbodied? If a character looks away and looks back, does it provoke another roll? Or is there some "time limit" after looking once that a character doesn't provoke a second time?

There is also the major problem that any significant number of characters looking at the Unbodied will drop the disguise. No reasonable amount of CHA bonus will prevent it from happening when on a busy street, for example, with 10+ individuals likely glancing in its direction. (This also doesn't discount such things as animals or even insects doing so, potentially disguising the Unbodies as a fine creature.)


Overall, I think Assume Likeness is probably better than the Malleable Likeness ability, for several reasons. I think that part of the problem is that incorporeality is a really good ability; even without the rest (which are pretty necessary to interact with others) it is likely +2 LA or +3 LA, at least.

I mean, consider it this way. If you just took a basic humanoid, with 0HD and no abilities, and gave it incorporeality - always silent, Fly 30' perfect, can bypass armor and physical objects - what LA would that represent?

Because while this is a higher level creature, the 4RHD with 4th level Psion manifesting isn't really a disadvantage at all for a character.
In order:
Yeah, I guess that is kinda a derp on my part - changing it as suggested. Or would 20 (good) make more sense? I only made it (perfect) because otherwise I don't think you'd be able to do anything because of speed minimums for ascending and such.

Malleable Likeness is supposed to be as follows:
If nobody around is trying to change your appearance, everybody sees you as one of their kind. This is different for everybody, of course. If somebody knows you're an Unbodied, or knows you can't be what you seem to be and is trying really hard to see through your disguise, or really wishes you looked like something else for some reason, they make the CHA check to force a shape. That change lasts while they keep focusing on it (free-action concentration - I'll edit that bit in), and everybody's view of you changes to that instead of generic-creature-of-their-species for the duration. You can only make the check to negate or remove someone else's change, not to change yourself. It's no longer much of a disguise ability unless you've got a helpful high-CHA party member with you.

Yeah, I know incorporeality is really good. I was just trying to find ways to tone the rest of it down a bit so that it could get away with just that +2 or +3 LA (preferably the +2, of course, if I can get it that low) instead of +4. Maybe also removing the ability bonuses?

[Network]

I don't think Assume Likeness is a big deal. It allows you to use the Disguise skill while incorporeal, nothing else. If you really want to make it less useful, don't allow them to assume small or large shapes, and remove the bonus to Disguise checks they get out of it.


Overall, I think Assume Likeness is probably better than the Malleable Likeness ability, for several reasons. I think that part of the problem is that incorporeality is a really good ability; even without the rest (which are pretty necessary to interact with others) it is likely +2 LA or +3 LA, at least.

I mean, consider it this way. If you just took a basic humanoid, with 0HD and no abilities, and gave it incorporeality - always silent, Fly 30' perfect, can bypass armor and physical objects - what LA would that represent?
Close. Savage Species suggest LA +2.

[Qwertystop]

I don't think Assume Likeness is a big deal. It allows you to use the Disguise skill while incorporeal, nothing else. If you really want to make it less useful, don't allow them to assume small or large shapes, and remove the bonus to Disguise checks they get out of it.


Close. Savage Species suggest LA +2.

Removing the Disguise bonus, how did I not think of that... Done.

Yeah, that's what I'm aiming for: the bare minimum LA justified by the incorporeality, TK, and minimal appearence-changing.

EDIT: To that end, I also cut out the ability score bonuses.