Shinomen Cobra Naga Shugenja Cohort

[Tevesh]

I'm humbly requesting the services of the play ground for this one.

Due to RP circumstances one of my PCs has gotten my permission for a cohort. Normally, I flat out ban Leadership but this is something he actively worked towards so I am building his Cohort for him.

The issue is I don't quite understand how Leadership and Cohorts work. I banned it on principal for I don't want a huge cast of characters but the PCs (Cohort takes Leadership so that Cohort takes Leadership etc chains). So he's getting a gimpy Leadership that just provides a single Cohort instead of waves of minions.

I'm also building the Cohort so there is no Leadership into Leadership shenanigans. The creature is from Oriental Adventures 173 that is a CR 3 monster with 3 HD that gets Shugenja spellcasting. They advance by going into Shugenja and I also lack experience with building a Shugenja as a lot of **** is given to them for being some sort of downgraded Sorcerer.

That's fine. I'm going for the fluff and while I'll attempt to Optimize the Shugenja to slightly less than the party's level (don't want an NPC to shine above that).

The question is how does the monstrous HD affect making this Naga and once I get that Level Adjustment out of the way, how does one build a good Shugenja? I would lean towards healer archetype or blaster, I don't want the poor PC overloaded with choice. This would mean that PrCs would not be helpful - if any exist for the neglected Shugenja.

So... Tips on building Shugenja. Tips on converting monster into 'playable' for cohortship.

Edit: Ballparking the PC's Leadership score at 19. He'll acquire the Cohort at level 15 with a Charisma +4. Based on previous experiences, I would say all the positive and negative modifiers come out to be a wash.

That would make the NPC effectively level 13. Would that be too much? Party of five level 15s with a level 13 NPC.

Also, reading the Cobra Naga entry says the Shugenja would choose Water or Earth. What's the easiest? I've read the handbook and I'm slightly confused.

Edit2:
OA 3.5 Update lists the Asp as LA +2. I guess that would mean she would be a level 5 Asp with 8 levels in Shugenja to bring her ECL to 13.

Going through the Handbook with a fine toothed comb, I noticed that PrCs do not necessarily mean that they're more complicated but actually hone the character down. Contemplative receives a lot of praise, could someone point out why in my sleep missing mind?

[Coidzor]

Leadership is by DM permission only anyway, so you don't really need to build the cohort yourself if that's the only concern. :smallconfused:

There's a Shugenja (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1199.0)handbook (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2003.0)here that might be of help.


The question is how does the monstrous HD affect making this Naga and once I get that Level Adjustment out of the way, how does one build a good Shugenja? I would lean towards healer archetype or blaster, I don't want the poor PC overloaded with choice. This would mean that PrCs would not be helpful - if any exist for the neglected Shugenja.

Leval Adjustment(LA) + Racial Hit Dice (RHD) + Class Levels = Effective Character Level.


Edit: Ballparking the PC's Leadership score at 19. He'll acquire the Cohort at level 15 with a Charisma +4. Based on previous experiences, I would say all the positive and negative modifiers come out to be a wash.

What level is the PC? He can't get a cohort of higher than his level - 2 without a feat which just makes it his level - 1.


That would make the NPC effectively level 13. Would that be too much? Party of five level 15s with a level 13 NPC.

No, that's to be expected with leadership, hitting the level cap on a cohort is a given barring something egregious.


OA 3.5 Update lists the Asp as LA +2. I guess that would mean she would be a level 5 Asp with 8 levels in Shugenja to bring her ECL to 13.

3 RHD + 2 LA + 8 levels = ECL 13, yeah. Depending upon your stance on LA buyoff (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/reducingLevelAdjustments.htm), of course.


Going through the Handbook with a fine toothed comb, I noticed that PrCs do not necessarily mean that they're more complicated but actually hone the character down. Contemplative receives a lot of praise, could someone point out why in my sleep missing mind?

Contemplative is mostly renowned for being a 1 level dip that grants a domain. Domains are always nifty because they can grant a decent power, good spells to the spell list, or be traded for a nifty Devotion feat.

[Tevesh]

Yeah, that's the one I'm sort of pouring over.

Its a solid guide but after being treated to absolutely fantastic guides it looks a little bare in comparison. Its also a class that I have zero familiarity in.

[Coidzor]

Yeah, that's the one I'm sort of pouring over.

Its a solid guide but after being treated to absolutely fantastic guides it looks a little bare in comparison. Its also a class that I have zero familiarity in.

Definitely could be a bit better, yeah. :/ Not that familiar with them myself, unfortunately.

[Tevesh]

I guess trading Domains is some sort of Divine ACF? The NPC's only got Knowledge Religion so I doubt we'd want to go Knowledge for Knowledge Devotion.

I'm slowly building this up bit by bit. This is currently what I'm working with. HP is high due to using Con Score as starting HP, max first die and 1/2 Die+1 for HP. This is the rule the PCs use as well.

Scores are Elite, before racial I went:
Str 8 Dex 12 Con 14 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 15

I put two of the stat ups in Charisma. Next level would be the 12th HD, pumping Charisma to 18.

Race: Large Shinomen Cobra Naga
Class: Shugenja 10/Contemplative 1

HP: 112

AC: 15 (-1 Size, +1 Dex, +5 Natural)
Touch: 10 Flat: 14

Str 12
Dex 12
Con 18
Int 13
Wis 10
Cha 17

BAB: +7
Fort: 7 = 1 Race + 2 Class + 4 Con
Ref: 6 = 3 Race + 2 Class + 1 Dex
Will: 8 = 1 Race + 7 Class + 0 Wis

Racial Abilities:
10' Bite +7 (d6 plus Poison: d8 Con/Fort 18)
10' Spear +7 (d8 plus Poison: d8 Con/Fort 18)
Uncanny Dodge

Class Abilities:
Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting
7x 0th: Order+5 Earth+4
7x 1st: Order+3 Earth+2
7x 2nd: Order+3 Earth+2
6x 3rd: Order+2 Earth+2
6x 4th: Order+2 Earth+2
4x 5th: Order+1 Earth+1

Sense Elements
Earth Focus
Bonus Domain
Divine Health: Disease Immunity

Skills:
Concentration 17 = Skill 14 + Con 4
Knowledge (Religion) 15 = Skill 14 + Int 1
Spellcraft 15 = Skill 14 + Int 1
Heal 12 = Skill 12 + Wis 0

Feats:
-
-
-
-

Now the mission is grab spells and figure out feats. I went with Order of the All-Seeing Eye as the guide recommends that as a Swiss Army Knife, perfect for a support-based NPC.

Edit: I had to edit because I accidentally made it too high in level. Forgot about those 2 LAs.

[Coidzor]

I guess trading Domains is some sort of Divine ACF? The NPC's only got Knowledge Religion so I doubt we'd want to go Knowledge for Knowledge Devotion.

IIRC, it's a special aspect of Devotion Feats that's detailed in their explanation/introduction.

[BWR]

Is this L5R d20 or just using the converssions?

[Tevesh]

The Oriental Adventures campaign setting basically stole L5R. I didn't play the card game or was deep into the fluff. Considering how little printed material there is for Sarlona in Eberron I just hijacked the L5R-esque OA.

It was printed with 3.0 but was updated for 3.5. Its a pretty interesting setting in of itself.

Almost done building the spell list... Based off of the handbook, I don't think the Order of the All-Seeing Eye is that good... Most of the spells are Air-based and with my Earth-based Shugenja, I'm finding half of the list getting eliminated...

Edit: Here's the spell selection. After getting frustrated with the nothing Shugenja get and that the official guide's suggestions eliminated a bunch of the spells, I made some changes. I decided to drop the Cure Spells from Water Domains and instead used different healing magic to differentiate this spellcaster from all the other guys with Cure Light XYZ.

Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting
7x 0th: Order: Cure Minor Wounds: Heal 1 HP
Mage Hand: 5 lbs Telekinesis, Mending: Repair 1 HP, Resistance: +1 Saves
Virtue: Gain 1 Temp HP, Create Water: Creates 2 gallons/level; Purify Food & Drink;
Light: Shines like a Torch; Purify Food and Drink

7x 1st: Lesser Vigor (15 rounds, Fast Heal 1)
Shield of Faith (1 min./lvl, +3 Deflection); Pass Without Trace (1 subject/lvl);
Endure Elements (24 hours); Burning Hands (15' Cone 5d4/Reflex 15); Faerie Fire

7x 2nd: Order: Augury (One question about the immediate future)
Barkskin (10 min./lvl, +4 Natural); Glitterdust (Blinds/Fort 17);
HOld Person (1 rnd./lvl/Will 17); Lesser Restoration (Repair d4 Ability Damage);
Resist Energy (Up to 30 damage/Atk)

6x 3rd: Order: Vigor (One Person, 10 rnds + 1/lvl [21] Fast Heal 2)
Prayer (1 rnd./lvl, +1 Luck Atk, Dmg, Saves, Checks. Enemies -1 to same);
Stone Shape (10 cubic ft. + 1/lvl); Dispel Magic +10; Keen Edge (1 rnd/lvl)

6x 4th: Order: Panacea (End Blindness, confused, dazed, dazzled, deafened, disease, exhausted, fatifuged, fright, nausea, panic, paralysis, shaken, sicken, stun. Negate sleep, Feeblemind, poisons. Heal d8+11)
Dismissal (Banish Outsider/Will 19); Sudden Staglamite (10d6/Reflex 19, +4 Save if airborne. Creatures that fail save cannot move unless Escape 15. Strength 25 to break stone but take 3d6 damage); Restoration (Cures all Ability Damage, Cures 1 Ability Score Drained, Eliminates Fatigue and Exhausation and restores 1 Level Drain); Neutralize Poison

4x 5th: Order: Commune with Elemental Lord (11 Questions per Day)
Flesh to Salt (d6/2 lvls [5d6], if damage is more than half current HP, Fossilize/Fort 20)
Greater Vigor (One Person, 10 rnds + 1/lvl [21] Fast Heal 4)

Now the question is what to do with the extra Domain this Cohort gets and what Feats. The first one that came to my mine is Practiced Spellcaster to get those Caster Levels up with the 2 LA that comes with the Cobra Naga. Another is Force of Personality, which uses Charisma to Will instead of Wisdom.

For a Race that gets Uncanny Dodge, this is a pitiful AC. But that's before gear. Do they show up buck naked or would the NPC get the recommended wealth for its level? In which case I have a few things to buy.

[BWR]

If you can find them, check out "Rokugan" (the d20 campaign setting book), "Magic of Rokugan" and "Way of the Shugenja". While options for naga are a bit thin on the ground there is some and a lot of other setting-appropriate spells and PrCs.

And if homebrew isn't banned you can pick up conversions from "Way of the Naga" and other L5R stuff that didn't make it to the official books.

If you are sticking with a mostly-L5R approach, you should note that the naga magic is not the elemental magic of the shugenja, but based on magic pearls as foci and components. Mechanically you can treat them as shuggies, but exchange ofuda with pearls that do the same thing.