Rule from the shadows: help me make a villain.

[qwertyu63]

I am making a villain for a game I am running and would like you help making him a pain in butt.

I already have my basic concept: Unbodied (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm) Thrallherd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/thrallherd.htm).

I know that concept has issues of lost manifester levels left and right, but I'm ok with the loss of those levels. The point is the shadowy, barely there, mastermind with lots of minions.

I am currently composing a basic character sheet. If I'm right, I should only need one level of Psion to get into Thrallherd.

All suggestions are welcome.

The Mastermind
Lawful Evil Necropolitan Unbodied
Monstrous Humanoid 4/Telepath 1/Ex-Monk 1/Thrallherd 5 (+4 LA)

Ability Scores:
Str: -- (--)
Dex: 10 (+0)
Con: -- (--)
Int: 28+6:34 (+12)
Wis: 18 (+4)
Cha: 25+6:31 (+10)

Stats:
HP: 167/167 (11d12+90)
AC: 24 (10+0 Dex+5 Deflection+9 Int)
Flat-footed: 24, Touch: 24
BAB: +6/+1
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +4, Will +12
Initiative: +0, Speed: 30'

Weapons/Armor:
Melee: Touch (+6/+1 touch attack, 1d6)
Armor: +5 Deflection

Class/Other Abilities:
-Telekinetic force
-Assume likeness
-Monk features
-Thrallherd
-Psionic charm/dominate

Feats:
1-Education (All knowledge as class skills)
F-Faerie Mysteries Initiate (Passions- Int to HP)
3-Inquisitor (Spend focus for +10 to Sense Motive)
6-Kung Fu Genius (Use Int instead of Wis for monk stuff)
9-Ghostly Grasp (Handle corporeal items normally)

Inventory: 108,000 gp left
-Headband of Intellect +6
-Cloak of Charisma +6
-Ring of Invisibility

Skills: (2+4 Int)
Bluff: 18 ranks (+10 Cha+4 race=+32)
Diplomacy: 19 ranks (+10 Cha=+29)
Sense Motive: 19 ranks (+4 Wis=+23)
Knowledge (psionics): 18 ranks (+12 Int=+31)
Knowledge (arcana): 19 ranks (+12 Int=+31)
Knowledge (religion): 19 ranks (+12 Int=+31)

Languages:
Common

Powers Known:
-Unbodied/Psion Powers (PP: 126/126)
--1st- detect psionics, empty mind, mind thrust, psionic charm, mindlink
--2nd- brain lock, cloud mind, energy push, read thoughts
--3rd- telekinetic thrust, false sensory input, ubiquitous vision, body adjustment
--4th- modify memory, dimension door, correspond, telekinetic maneuver
--5th- mind probe, plane shift

Minions:
1: level 15 Thrall
135: level 1
13: level 2
7: level 3
4: level 4
2: level 5
2: level 6

[Emperor Tippy]

You would be correct about only needing one level of Psion.

You might actually want to look at taking one level of Wizard as that combined with Practiced Spellcaster and Psiotheurgist (Enchantment/Telepathy) would give your Psion (Telepath) powers a +5 ML boost (leaving you at an ML of 19 for telepathy powers, even though you can only manifest as a level 13 Psion).

Kung Fu Genius Monk would also net you a feat and Int to AC. Combined with Inertial Armor that would give you a very high AC.

Oh yeah, you might want to go Necropolitan. Be aged to Venerable first. For extra fun look at Faerie Mysteries Initiate (technically you could qualify for it). This lets you dump (and then remove) Con totally and would put your HP through the roof along with grabbing you a ton of immunities. Grab Insightful Reflexes and Keen Intellect and you can also dump Dex and Wis to a much greater than normal extent.

41 Int and 34 Cha seems to really work with the idea you are going for. And mechanically you would just be down right nasty.

The only thing is that your ML is going to suffer unless you do the wizard trick. With the Monk trick though your AC would be 49 at 10 Dex with +12 from Inertial Armor.

Your Reflex and Will saves would be spectacular (+21 and +27 before save boosting items) but your Fort save would be a piddly +6 before items.

[AMFV]

I am making a villain for a game I am running and would like you help making him a pain in butt.

I already have my basic concept: Unbodied (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm) Thrallherd (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/thrallherd.htm).

I know that concept has issues of lost manifester levels left and right, but I'm ok with the loss of those levels. The point is the shadowy, barely there, mastermind with lots of minions.

I am currently composing a basic character sheet. If I'm right, I should only need one level of Psion to get into Thrallherd.

All suggestions are welcome.

Is this a player character or a nonplayer character? What is the level range or CR where you are intending to present or play him (or her)?

[qwertyu63]

Is this a player character or a nonplayer character? What is the level range or CR where you are intending to present or play him (or her)?

This is the BBEG for a game I will be DMing soon. The sheet I am typing up has level 10 (+4 LA = ECL 14), but can go up.

EDIT: I'm not sure how to calculate the power points/powers known for this either. Partial sheet going in the first post now.


You would be correct about only needing one level of Psion.

You might actually want to look at taking one level of Wizard as that combined with Practiced Spellcaster and Psiotheurgist (Enchantment/Telepathy) would give your Psion (Telepath) powers a +5 ML boost (leaving you at an ML of 19 for telepathy powers, even though you can only manifest as a level 13 Psion).

Kung Fu Genius Monk would also net you a feat and Int to AC. Combined with Inertial Armor that would give you a very high AC.

So, dip in wizard and/or monk for ML boost and AC boost respectively?


Oh yeah, you might want to go Necropolitan. Be aged to Venerable first. For extra fun look at Faerie Mysteries Initiate (technically you could qualify for it). This lets you dump (and then remove) Con totally and would put your HP through the roof along with grabbing you a ton of immunities. Grab Insightful Reflexes and Keen Intellect and you can also dump Dex and Wis to a much greater than normal extent.

The idea of a Necropolitan Unbodied breaks my brain. I know it works in the rules, but I'm trying to wrap my mind around it (how does something without a body get placed on a pole? do we need a ghost touch pole?). Faerie Mysteries Initiate is (assuming the racial requirement on it is handled in someway) also in the realm of "RAW fine, but how?". For once though, that realm is fine.


41 Int and 34 Cha seems to really work with the idea you are going for. And mechanically you would just be down right nasty.

Where are those numbers coming from? I'd be happy to get them, but where are they from?


The only thing is that your ML is going to suffer unless you do the wizard trick. With the Monk trick though your AC would be 49 at 10 Dex with +12 from Inertial Armor.

Your Reflex and Will saves would be spectacular (+21 and +27 before save boosting items) but your Fort save would be a piddly +6 before items.

This brings up another issue. What items can I even use? I have no body.

[Emperor Tippy]

So, dip in wizard and/or monk for ML boost and AC boost respectively?
Pretty much. I can't really think of many other one level dips that would really do all that much for you (at least not comparable to +2 to all save's, +Int to AC, extra skill points, and a feat that you get from Monk or the +5 ML from Wizard with Scribe Scroll being shuffled into Psiotheurgist and a feat being spent on PS).


The idea of a Necropolitan Unbodied breaks my brain. I know it works in the rules, but I'm trying to wrap my mind around it (how does something without a body get placed on a pole? do we need a ghost touch pole?).
Yeah, it was a bit weird for me as well. Although you could just do the ceremony of the Ethereal Plane.


Faerie Mysteries Initiate is (assuming the racial requirement on it is handled in someway) also in the realm of "RAW fine, but how?". For once though, that realm is fine.

Be from Celene, the Lendore Isles or Verbobonc regions.


Where are those numbers coming from? I'd be happy to get them, but where are they from?
Int: 18 Base, +5 HD, +4 Racial, +3 Venerable, +5 Inherent, +6 item. For 41 total.

Cha: 18 Base, +4 Racial, +3 Venerable, +5 Inherent, +6 item. For 36 total.


This brings up another issue. What items can I even use? I have no body.
Look up the feat Ghostly Grasp from Libris Mortis.

[qwertyu63]

Pretty much. I can't really think of many other one level dips that would really do all that much for you (at least not comparable to +2 to all save's, +Int to AC, extra skill points, and a feat that you get from Monk or the +5 ML from Wizard with Scribe Scroll being shuffled into Psiotheurgist and a feat being spent on PS).



Yeah, it was a bit weird for me as well. Although you could just do the ceremony of the Ethereal Plane.

Ah well. It doesn't have to make sense.


Be from Celene, the Lendore Isles or Verbobonc regions.

Works for me.


Int: 18 Base, +5 HD, +4 Racial, +3 Venerable, +5 Inherent, +6 item. For 41 total.

Cha: 18 Base, +4 Racial, +3 Venerable, +5 Inherent, +6 item. For 36 total.

Oh. That works.


Look up the feat Ghostly Grasp from Libris Mortis.

And that feat is perfect. Thank you.

[Baroknik]

Though not optimized, you could go thrallherd 1 and start working on psionic incarnate afterwards. The nice thing is that you have 5 more levels to play with as the villain grows and eventually becomes a true uncarnate. Also it frees up your monstrous HD. With those lower levels you could go with ardent if you wanted and give mindlink as a power to a DM-auto-approved mantle.

Personally, just thrallherd could work without the bodiless part -- make the thrall the "leader" of the cult/organization and stay personally detached from it, at least on any kind of PC inspection up front. This plays with the villains attempt to remain hidden as he perfects his uncarnate abilities

[qwertyu63]

Though not optimized, you could go thrallherd 1 and start working on psionic incarnate afterwards. The nice thing is that you have 5 more levels to play with as the villain grows and eventually becomes a true uncarnate. Also it frees up your monstrous HD. With those lower levels you could go with ardent if you wanted and give mindlink as a power to a DM-auto-approved mantle.

Personally, just thrallherd could work without the bodiless part -- make the thrall the "leader" of the cult/organization and stay personally detached from it, at least on any kind of PC inspection up front. This plays with the villains attempt to remain hidden as he perfects his uncarnate abilities

Psion uncarnate has the issue of sucking up more levels in the long term. (10 levels as opposed to 4 hit dice+4 LA). That and the total dropping of the body comes at the end which is too high of a level for the target ECL of 14-16. Having a high ML is not a priority here.

The bodiless part is half the point of the character idea. In fact here is the basic fluff: The thrall+believers(+people added via diplomacy to fanatic) will be acting as the population of a village. The mastermind acts as a subtle, unseen influence over the people, and (via telepathic instructions) directs them to his ends.

[Baroknik]

Net Uncarnate 10 is a loss of 2 potential levels vs Unbodied, that is true. However, you do gain ML (and while not the point, it can come with more versatility). A potential build for that version would look something like this to me:

Ardent 5/Psion Uncarnate 10/Thrallherd 1

Take Communication mantle and use the swap powers ACF to grab mindlink with it -- makes you a born leader for your cult/non-thrallherd followers!
Pick your second mantle based on your flavor of choice, though corruption/madness seems like a fun one for a village of cultists!

The nice thing is, this gives you moar manifesting (which I like just from a versatility standpoint), but also gives you the ability to wear armor/gear while you are incorporeal (at the cost of no +CHA to deflection).

Your net leadership score would be pretty close to the same as well, even with fewer Thrallherd levels.

Honestly, this sounds like an ideal build for your thrall even! If you want to keep unbodied and have a cult that worships the BBEG as a "god" then you could make the physical leader of these people into a Ardent 5/Psion Uncarnate X! If you can get your character level up to 16, then the thrall joins you in the "better realm" that is the incorporium! Of course, you could always have him be the recurring villain trying to rejoin his master if the unbodied is ever defeated/driven off as well.

*Note, I really don't see too much of a difference in Psion Uncarnate and Unbodied, so I'm just looking at it from a tinkering perspective here