Help me build an Ozodrin?

[Epsilon Rose]

Hey every one. I'm planning to play an Ozodrin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153536)in an upcoming campaign. The thing is, I don't normally play melee classes, let alone grapplers with natural attacks. I think I have a pretty good idea of how the mechanics work and a rough idea of what I want to do. Unfortunately, I don't really know how to build it and, every time I look at feets, the list of things I want it to do expands. That isn't really tenable and I'm starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.

Just a quick note/reminder: I am looking for Practical Optimization not Total Optimization. I don't want to make my GM regret letting me play this any more than the sheer amount of grappling and natural attacks already will.

Also, for those not familiar with it, the Ozadrin is a homebrew class that focuses on mutating natural attacks, grappling and eating things (their stomach is actually an extra-dimensional space).

I'm going to list what I want to do in the order that I care about it. If something's actually a really bad idea or a trap, please feel free to warn me against it.

Main Things:

Eating my opponents.

a. Modifying my stomach to do horrible things to my opponents once I've eaten them.
Grappling (with tentacles)(as part of the class you get an ability that lets you ignore penalties for size and grappling is necessary for eating things).
Natural attacks (I get (class level+cha)/2 natural attacks, all of which can be primary [I think])

Secondary Things, from reading feats(I don't know how many, if any, of these are feasible):

The ability to change my appearence, mainly to look older (there's an abarent Ozadrin feat that lets you do this with a disguise check).
Molemanning. There are features that let an ozadrin have extra senses and burrow, so this shouldn't be too hard.
There's a feat that lets you move features onto surrounding terrain. This is interesting for battlefield control, but they can get attacked...
There is a chain of feats that lets you detach body parts (including your head), reform/remove natural parts, and put features onto severed parts.
Use puppet/spawn features to replicate Mr. Tibbers in bunny form.
Multi-weapon fighting. It's probably redundant, but the picture of her fighting with six colossal great-swords (probably in her adult form) tickles me.


A quick note, there is a feat that gives you bonus form points for each of your aberent feats and two more feats that let you count fighter and monstrous feats as abarent feats (they also let you count as having fighter levels or a creature type, for perquisites, respectively).

The campeign is 42 point buy with all books and Ozadrin allowed, but things outside of core need permission. We will be starting at level 5.
Currently I'm thinking of playing a 10-year old human girl, but I could be convinced to change my race to anything that looks cute and innocuous, so long as it can be found within a city. I'm also thinking of dumping int and wis, because she's 10.

[Epsilon Rose]

Ok. I think I have a tentative build, though I still have no idea what I'm doing in terms of items. Since we're starting at level 5, I'll list my build at 5 and the path to 20 with the final outcome.


Class: Ozodrin 5
Race: Human
HD: 5d8+15
Initiative: +0
AC Base: 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/13
Max Natural Attacks: 4
Saves: +4 Fortitude, +1 Reflex, +2 Will; Additional +1 against spells and SLAs; Additional +5 against aberrations
Stats: Str 18, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 18
Feats: Aberrant Blood[Flexible Limbs] (class), Nymph's Kiss (racial), Dreadful Wrath (1st), Deepspawn (3rd), Improved Grapple (class), Snatch[+tentacles, need not be huge] (class)
Skills: Bluff 12, Disguise 14 Ranks, Intimidate 19 ranks, Move Silently 8 Ranks, Tumble 8 ranks
Form Points: 27

Morphs:

{table=head]Quantity|Feature|Cost per|Damage

2|Tentacles|3|1d4+str

2| Large Tentacles|6|1d6+str

9|Eyes|1|-
[/table]
Total Cost: 27
Bonus AC: +3
Bonus Spot: +4
Bonus Reflex: +2
Chance to Avoid Flank/Flatfoot: 10%/5%
Rational: I thought this might work as a basic attack form. At this point, most of my damage is coming from my strength bonus, so I opted to maximize my number of attacks, rather than boosting a smaller number. Each of my attacks is made at my highest attack bonus and they can all initiate a grapple for free, but since they all have a range of 5' they don't need to. The excess of eyes is there mainly to use up points and bolster my laughable defense.


{table=head]Quantity|Feature|Cost per|Damage
1|Tentacle|3|1d4
2|Mouths|2|1d4 or 1 con on devour
1|Mouth+Razor Teeth|8|1d4 or 2 con on devour
1|Hooked Mouth|6|1d4 or 1 con on devour
6|Eyes|1|-
[/table]
Total Cost: 27
Bonus AC: +2
Bonus Spot: +3
Bonus Reflex: +1
Chance to Avoid Flank/Flatfoot: 10%/5%
Rational: This is meant more as a grappler morph. One of my abilities lets me make full attacks with bites on pinned opponents and I take no penalties. I also have the option of making them do con damage and healing me for twice as much hp. Unfortunately, they also require me to be in the same square as my opponent: hence the tentacle to initiate grapples. Since I can only use 4 natural attacks in a round, I opted to boost 2 of my mouths, rather than buy a ton of eyes. The Razor Mouth adds an extra point of con damage to my devour attack, but it costs 6 additional points. The Hooked Mouth adds +5 to grapples against opponents it bites or devours.




NAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Ozodrin|
+0|Bluff 4 Ranks, Disguise 4 Ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 Ranks, Tumble 4 ranks|Aberrant Blood, Nymph's Kiss, Dreadful Wrath|Manifest Form, Aberrant affinity, Menacing demeanor, Form points, Feature (basic eyes)

2nd|Ozodrin|
+1|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Feature (Mouth), Devour, Primary stomach

3rd|Ozodrin|
+2|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Deepspawn|Feature (Tentacles)

4th|Ozodrin|
+3|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Improved Grapple, Snatch|Strange Anatomy, Bizarre Grappler

5th|Ozodrin|
+3|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Jaws that Bite, Unearthly Power

6th|Ozodrin|
+4|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Imperious Command|Feature (Limb)

7th|Ozodrin|
+5|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Feature (Spike), Strange Movement

8th|Ozodrin|
+6/+1|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Altered Guise|Swallow Whole, Aberrant Feat

9th|Ozodrin|
+6/+1|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Evil Blessing/Force of personality|Feature (Fin)

10th|Ozodrin|
+7/+2|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Aberrant Nature, Budding Body

11th|Ozodrin|
+8+/3|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Feature (Special Eyes), Twisted Mind

12th|Ozodrin|
+9/+4|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Strange energies|Feature (Flesh)

13th|Ozodrin|
+9/+4|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Feature (puppet)

14th|Ozodrin|
+10/+5|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Feature (Stomach), Rapid Form

15th|Ozodrin|
+11/+6/+1|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Soothing Energies, Syringe|Feature (Lure Trap), Aberrant Feat

16th|Ozodrin|
+12/+7/+2|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Otherworldly Guise

17th|Ozodrin|
+12/+7/+2|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Shifting Shape, Naught Morality

18th|Ozodrin|
+13/+8/+3|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|Medicine Maker|Feature (Spawn)

19th|Ozodrin|
+14/+9/+4|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Sinister Image

20th|Ozodrin|
+15/+10/+5|Bluff 1 Ranks, Disguise 1 Ranks, Intimidate 1 ranks, Move Silently 1 Ranks, Tumble 1 ranks|None|Horror, Distorted Mind[/table]


Class: Ozodrin 20
Race: Human
HD: 20d8+60
Initiative: +0
AC Base: 10
Base Attack/Grapple: +19/25
Max Natural Attacks: 13
Saves: +10 Fortitude, +9 Reflex, +10 Will; Additional +1 against spells and SLAs; Additional +20 against aberrations
Stats: Str 18, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 7, Cha 22
Skills: Bluff 28, Disguise 30 Ranks, Intimidate 50 ranks, Move Silently 23 Ranks, Tumble 23 ranks
Form Points: 156



Overall, I'm worried about my low defenses. Especially since I'll be right in the thick of it. I'm also not entirely sure about my skills and feat selection. The last few feats I chose were little more than a whim and I could easily see swapping out move silently or tumble for escape artist.

So any thoughts, concerns, suggestions or scathing criticisms?

Edit: I'm also a little uncertain on the grapple rules, especially when snatch comes into play. I'm mainly wondering if I have to forgo one of my bites to keep my opponent pinned, or does the fact that I get a free grapple with each of my attacks let me make a bite attack and then use the free grapple to maintain the pin. On a similar note, can I hit someone with a tentacle, begin a grapple and do damage for grappling, then refuse to maintain it and repeat the process for my next attack?
I don't suppose anyone has a detailed guide to the mechanics of grappling? The handbook I found seemed more concerned with how to pile on bonuses.

[Snowbluff]

Tiefling might help the attack count. Maw or Claw, Cha based Heritage, and trade out a race feature for claws.

[Epsilon Rose]

Tiefling might help the attack count. Maw or Claw, Cha based Heritage, and trade out a race feature for claws.

Ah, I suppose I should have mentioned that this is 3.5, so I'm not sure if they can still do that racial trade.

Also, the ozadrin page says:

All of an ozodrin‘s natural attacks gained from features are considered primary attacks unless otherwise noted. If the ozodrin has natural attacks from sources other than its class levels, such as its race, it may instead choose to use its racial natural primary attack(s) instead.

So I think using racial claws would just result in me bumping my features down to secondary attacks, and I'm not sure that's a good trade. On the other hand that 3(?) more attacks and there's a feat that would let me cannibalize them for points later... Of course, I'd also be losing one of my starting feats.

[Snowbluff]

Ah, I suppose I should have mentioned that this is 3.5, so I'm not sure if they can still do that racial trade.
Then why the heck did I...?

Screw it, I'm still sick and obviously not thinking straight.


Also, the ozadrin page says:

So I think using racial claws would just result in me bumping my features down to secondary attacks, and I'm not sure that's a good trade. On the other hand that 3(?) more attacks and there's a feat that would let me cannibalize them for points later... Of course, I'd also be losing one of my starting feats.
Sounds about right.
I would say check out Gape of the Serpent, but that already seems to be rolled in.

That means you need Rapidstrike.

How attached are you to pure Ozodin?

[Epsilon Rose]

Then why the heck did I...?

Screw it, I'm still sick and obviously not thinking straight.
It's fine, I did actually forget to mention that.


That means you need Rapidstrike.
That is a horrifying feat... You are absolutely right.


How attached are you to pure Ozodin?

I sorta like the last two features (more than doubling my form points and letting me send features through depictions of my character, including scrying). While I was going to see if I could build Cthulhu light, I'm not sure how practical those those things are or if we'll even be getting to 20. If you have a good suggestion, I'm all ears.

[Snowbluff]

That is a horrifying feat... You are absolutely right.
And the accompanying improved version, if you can manage.



I sorta like the last two features (more than doubling my form points and letting me send features through depictions of my character, including scrying). While I was going to see if I could build Cthulhu light, I'm not sure how practical those those things are or if we'll even be getting to 20. If you have a good suggestion, I'm all ears.
I was thinking adding some druid for the ability to cast Greater/Superior Magic Fang. Natural attacks can be pricy to improve.

You could be a regular druid with Aberration Wildshape who tacks on the tentacles afterwards (not sure if that would work), or one of the other druid ACFs that let you grab stat improvements.

Oh, and maybe some Souleater for negative levels.

[Tvtyrant]

You said practical optimization correct? Okay, here is my cents.

Get a skin of Proteus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#skinofProteus) to augment your shifting, since you can take the form of a lot of cool stuff and then add your morphs on top of them. Use troll form for healing, etc.

Get a Drow Emblem(Underdark) of Heart of Water (Complete Mage) to get yourself out of a bind once a day. Inevitably you are going to grapple something you can't compete with (giant squid?), and having an out is great.

Get a wand of Greater Luminous Armor. Nets you +8 AC, stacks with natural armor, and effectively grants +12 against melee attacks. Using your skin of proteus you can simply drain the strength off for the spell and then shift into something else.

[Epsilon Rose]

And the accompanying improved version, if you can manage.
I think I can. My last 4 or 5 feats were basically random.


I was thinking adding some druid for the ability to cast Greater/Superior Magic Fang. Natural attacks can be pricy to improve.

You could be a regular druid with Aberration Wildshape who tacks on the tentacles afterwards (not sure if that would work), or one of the other druid ACFs that let you grab stat improvements.
The enchanting isn't necessary. Starting at 5th level, all of my attacks automatically get an enhancement bonus =1/2 my level. Starting at level 6 I can trade the bonus for '+type' enchantments by paying double the trade in form points. The only 'downside' is that it's on a per feature basis.


Oh, and maybe some Souleater for negative levels.
What is this Souleater of which you speak?

Edit:

You said practical optimization correct? Okay, here is my cents.

Get a skin of Proteus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/items/universalItems.htm#skinofProteus) to augment your shifting, since you can take the form of a lot of cool stuff and then add your morphs on top of them. Use troll form for healing, etc.
I will definitely look into that, once I can afford it.


Get a Drow Emblem(Underdark) of Heart of Water (Complete Mage) to get yourself out of a bind once a day. Inevitably you are going to grapple something you can't compete with (giant squid?), and having an out is great. I couldn't find Drow emblem, and I don't have casting or umd to use heart of water. Is there some other way to use/get those?


Get a wand of Greater Luminous Armor. Nets you +8 AC, stacks with natural armor, and effectively grants +12 against melee attacks. Using your skin of proteus you can simply drain the strength off for the spell and then shift into something else.
That is interesting, especially because my ac is one of the things I'm worried about. Question though, how do I cast it without UMD or the appropriate class?

[Snowbluff]

The enchanting isn't necessary. Starting at 5th level, all of my attacks automatically get an enhancement bonus =1/2 my level. Starting at level 6 I can trade the bonus for '+type' enchantments by paying double the trade in form points. The only 'downside' is that it's on a per feature basis.
Well, that solves that.

Not very much fun when the class does all of the work. :smalltongue:


What is this Souleater of which you speak?

They get Energy Drain at level 1. This lets you deal negative levels with each hit.

[Epsilon Rose]

They get Energy Drain at level 1. This lets you deal negative levels with each hit.

While that is incredibly shiny (combined with rapid strike I'd probably be able to one shot most level appropriate enemies with a single dip), this is supposed to be a non-evil campaign and I don't think I'd be able to get the GM to go along with it. I might be able to make a case for it after level 17 when I get Naught Morality, but given the last prerec, I doubt it.

[Tvtyrant]

1. I will definitely look into that, once I can afford it.

2. I couldn't find Drow emblem, and I don't have casting or umd to use heart of water. Is there some other way to use/get those?


3. That is interesting, especially because my ac is one of the things I'm worried about. Question though, how do I cast it without UMD or the appropriate class?

1. It is a frankly amazing item.

2. Sorry, I misremembered. It is a Drow House Insignia, which are basically amulets that let you gain the use of a single level 1-3 spell once a day. Heart of Water is an hour duration per CL though, so even then it would be worth it. Drow of the Underdark is the source.

3. There are a few ways. Custom item is the easiest, a slightly more exploitative version is to get a cheap item of Guidance of the Avatar (more Drow House Insignias?) and use it to power your UMD check in the morning. +20 means you won't fail the check, and then you pre-buff in the morning with your defensive spell.

[Epsilon Rose]

2. Sorry, I misremembered. It is a Drow House Insignia, which are basically amulets that let you gain the use of a single level 1-3 spell once a day. Heart of Water is an hour duration per CL though, so even then it would be worth it. Drow of the Underdark is the source.
I didn't see the insignia in Underdark, but I did find a version in Races of Faerun. It's definitely something to consider, if I can get my hands on it, but I don't think it's worth it for my starting gear.


3. There are a few ways. Custom item is the easiest, a slightly more exploitative version is to get a cheap item of Guidance of the Avatar (more Drow House Insignias?) and use it to power your UMD check in the morning. +20 means you won't fail the check, and then you pre-buff in the morning with your defensive spell. That would work.