To Build an Heir, an Artificer's Legacy

[unseenmage]

My Gestalt Artificer Techsmith of Gond Cleric of Gond is designing himself an heir. Combining an Effigy of himself and using the Incarnate Construct spell.

Yes, it's Template Stacking but with actual time constraints and costs applied.

The process so far:
- Start with a Gnome and some class levels, ECL 11, HD 11 should do. Add feats to flavor.

- Watch as he designs and builds an Effigy of himself. All HD gained from class levels are lost resulting in a 1HD construct. This takes him 3 weeks and costs him 2,000gp and 80xp.

- See as he applies the oils and processes to make his self Effigy into a Sacred Guardian. This will cost him 2,000gp, 800gp, and 40xp and will take him 3 weeks.

- Marvel as he uses a Scroll of Incarnate Construct to remake the Sacred Guardian Effigy of himself into a living sentient heir. The xp component makes this costly at 28,825gp and the casting takes him 8 hrs. This expends the original Sacred Guardian Effigy as it is Transmuted into a living being.

- Be amazed as he begins work again designing and refining to make for his new son a worthy servant. Here he builds an Effigy of the Incarnate Construct of the Sacred Guardian Effigy of himself. This costs him the same time, xp, and gp as the first Effigy.

- And for his finale he remakes this Effigy too into a Sacred Guardian to the glory of Gond. He commands this construct to obey and follow his new son relinquishing all control and command.

My question to the Playground is, are there any other Templates that can be worked into this process?
Money is no object but considerations of time mean he has to finish his "heir" within the normal allotted lifespan of a Gnome.

[unseenmage]

No one has any other buy-able templates to add to the procedure?

[Jack_Simth]

Awaken Construct isn't worth it. Use the Intelligent Item Creation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/intelligentItems.htm) section on your construct - which is made as a magic item, after all.

You get your choice of mental scores based on how much you're willing to pay, and can add several magical abilities of your choice as well.

Incarnate Construct gets rid of many of the useful things of your base creature.

[unseenmage]

Awaken Construct isn't worth it. Use the Intelligent Item Creation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/intelligentItems.htm) section on your construct - which is made as a magic item, after all.

You get your choice of mental scores based on how much you're willing to pay, and can add several magical abilities of your choice as well.

Incarnate Construct gets rid of many of the useful things of your base creature.

Sorry but Awaken Construct isn't being used at all.
The Sacred Guardian Template is being used to give the Effigy mental scores, 3 languages, magic abilities, and Fast Healing; among other things.

Incarnate Construct is being used so that the "heir" is a living creature who can take class levels. Which, of course, are potentially far more powerful than anything a construct alone is capable of.

The last two steps are just building a guardian/servant for the heir. I could work Int Magic Item stuff into that stage of the process but I think it costs less for more via Sacred Guardian though.

[Jack_Simth]

Sorry but Awaken Construct isn't being used at all.
The Sacred Guardian Template is being used to give the Effigy mental scores, 3 languages, magic abilities, and Fast Healing; among other things.

Incarnate Construct is being used so that the "heir" is a living creature who can take class levels. Which, of course, are potentially far more powerful than anything a construct alone is capable of.

The last two steps are just building a guardian/servant for the heir. I could work Int Magic Item stuff into that stage of the process but I think it costs less for more via Sacred Guardian though.

Ah, Incarnate Construct, sorry. Still, strips the critter of most of the abilities it had prior to getting the spell cast (Edit: Which, due to template stacking rules - the fact that templates are ordered, specifically - strips the critter of many of the things you want, such as the fast healing and magic abilities... arguably also the languages). Very costly.

Note, though, that being a living creature is not a requirement of gaining levels; it merely has to be intelligent.

[unseenmage]

Ah, Incarnate Construct, sorry. Still, strips the critter of most of the abilities it had prior to getting the spell cast (Edit: Which, due to template stacking rules - the fact that templates are ordered, specifically - strips the critter of many of the things you want, such as the fast healing and magic abilities... arguably also the languages). Very costly.

Note, though, that being a living creature is not a requirement of gaining levels; it merely has to be intelligent.

It's fine, it's a complicated procedure. And thanks for reminding me of the Template Stacking Rules, I'd forgotten them again.

And yeah, Incarnate Constructs lose basically everything about being a construct and a monster. It's just cool is all.

About only needing to be intelligent to gain class levels, this is something that has always confused me. I was under the impression that only creatures with an advancement line that read, "By Class", could advance in class levels. Is this not true?

[Jack_Simth]

It's fine, it's a complicated procedure. And thanks for reminding me of the Template Stacking Rules, I'd forgotten them again.

Glad to help... although I'm unsure if that's sarcasm or not... I was mostly pointing it out because of the mention of the sacred guardian template adding mental scores, fast healing, and magic abilities.


And yeah, Incarnate Constructs lose basically everything about being a construct and a monster. It's just cool is all.

Gotcha.


About only needing to be intelligent to gain class levels, this is something that has always confused me. I was under the impression that only creatures with an advancement line that read, "By Class", could advance in class levels. Is this not true?
No. Things with an advancement line that lists hit dice are generally monstrous critters that you'll usually advance by adding hit dice to make bigger, meaner versions. There's nothing actually restricting them from getting class levels, and if you read the Improving Monsters (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm) section, the area for Advancing Hit Dice also makes note of additionally adding character levels, and the area for adding character levels also makes note of adding hit dice.

[unseenmage]

Glad to help... although I'm unsure if that's sarcasm or not... I was mostly pointing it out because of the mention of the sacred guardian template adding mental scores, fast healing, and magic abilities.

Gotcha.

No. Things with an advancement line that lists hit dice are generally monstrous critters that you'll usually advance by adding hit dice to make bigger, meaner versions. There's nothing actually restricting them from getting class levels, and if you read the Improving Monsters (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm) section, the area for Advancing Hit Dice also makes note of additionally adding character levels, and the area for adding character levels also makes note of adding hit dice.

Oh no, no sarcasm. I've been trying to remember to use blue for that. :smallsmile:

From the page on Improving Monsters,
"Class Levels
Intelligent creatures that are reasonably humanoid in shape most commonly advance by adding class levels. Creatures that fall into this category have an entry of "By character class" in their Advancement line. When a monster adds a class level, that level usually represents an increase in experience and learned skills and capabilities. "
Emphasis mine.

It's not conclusive as it does only use the word, "...usually...", but it does fuel my confusion further.

[unseenmage]

I just had an awesome idea, to use Programmed Amnesia to imbue the memories of my heir's creation into his mind after he's a humanoid. That way he'll know just how much care and effort went into him. :smallsmile:

[Darth Stabber]

I just had an awesome idea, to use Programmed Amnesia to imbue the memories of my heir's creation into his mind after he's a humanoid. That way he'll know just how much care and effort went into him. :smallsmile:

There is a much easier, and WAY MORE FUN, way to create an heir. All it takes is another gnome, a dragon, an outsider, or some other weirdly fecund creature.

Or a condor, then you'll have flying gnomes!

Just not ted turner.

[unseenmage]

There is a much easier, and WAY MORE FUN, way to create an heir. All it takes is another gnome, a dragon, an outsider, or some other weirdly fecund creature.

Or a condor, then you'll have flying gnomes!

Just not ted turner.

Ha! Nice.
I messaged my DM the Programmed Amnesia idea and added that I could potentially use it on all of my construct creations using the Greater Humanoid Essence spell.
His single response was, "Talk about guaranteed loyalty!"