shambling mound companion

[Ben Powers]

One of the players in my game is a cleric of the world tree (plant and sun domains), and consequently has rebuke/command plants 5/day. The only plant monster they've come across is a shambling mound which she successfully commanded and, through repeated uses, has kept around for a couple of days in-game.
She's become quite attached to "Sham", and I was trying (unsuccessfully) to find some prestige class or other option which will allow her to take it on as a companion creature or similar.
Does anyone know of such a thing?
Thanks

[Segev]

If your cleric is at least level 16, she could pick up Leadership and have it as a cohort. They have an ECL of 14. There is also the Command Plants (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/commandPlants.htm) spell, which is on the Plant domain list at spell level 4. If your cleric is at least level 7, that spell is available to be memorized. All it takes is one casting every 7 days.

No need to build a PrC for it. Though you could if you wanted.

[Ben Powers]

They just hit level 7. Cool, I'll tell her just to use the spell command plants. It is incredibly helpful to them in combat. I might have to kill it.

[sleepyphoenixx]

How do you command a creature with 8HD at level 6-7? And if you do, why would you need to cast another spell to do it? Commanding is permanent afaik.

[Bronk]

If you end up killing the Shambling Mound, maybe you could throw some topiary guardians their way... some of them are less troublesome and powerful, like the boar.

[Shining Wrath]

This song/ (hellafeed.evilurl.com/view/shamblingmound/random/653988672/) is an important part of the ritual to make a Shambling Mound an animal companion.

Seriously, though, I'd have them burn a feat similar to getting a (little) dragon as a mount.

[Segev]

How do you command a creature with 8HD at level 6-7? And if you do, why would you need to cast another spell to do it? Commanding is permanent afaik.

Actually, this is true. Unless she Commands a new one that brings it over her limit of controlled HD, she never loses control once she's Commanded them via Rebuke/Command.

[Ben Powers]

How do you command a creature with 8HD at level 6-7? And if you do, why would you need to cast another spell to do it? Commanding is permanent afaik.

Sun domain granted power works on plants, as a houserule. Because photosynthesis.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Sun domain granted power works on plants, as a houserule. Because photosynthesis.

The sun domain is normally limited to destroying. There are no domains that grant greater rebuking (except Deathless in Eberron i think?), and for good reason. As it is you have basically given her a permanent companion that is better than the Leadership feat, for free, so it's no wonder it makes a huge difference in combat.

Normal clerics can command undead with HD equal or exceeding their own, but it takes a huge amount of resources to boost your turning level that far. Otherwise the limit is half the clerics HD per creature and clerics HD total, which still gives you 2 pets pretty much for free, per turning pool, that can be surprisingly useful.

Not that there's anything wrong with houserules, as long as they work for you. In this case it's a massive powerboost to a class that really doesn't need one though.
So i'd think really hard about the effect this is going to have on the game, especially if your other players could become marginalized with the cleric and her pet hogging the spotlight.

If you allow it nothing needs to be done. As i said, commanding is permanent until she releases it.

[Norin]

Be aware of the possibility that your players could start abusing the electricity imminity of the shambling mound to charge its con (hp) towards amazing numbers with the right spells, items, or what not.

Just a friendly reminder. ;)

[Segev]

Persistant Thunderbolt is FUN.

[Phelix-Mu]

Be aware of the possibility that your players could start abusing the electricity imminity of the shambling mound to charge its con (hp) towards amazing numbers with the right spells, items, or what not.

Just a friendly reminder. ;)


Persistant Thunderbolt is FUN.

I'm still trying to work out a way to power a spaceship with shambling mound batteries, but these two posts are right (although I think the spell is called thunderhead, not thunderbolt). The electricity immunity feature of the shambling mound is written such that it is extremely easy to optimize, and can result in arbitrarily high Constitutions if used properly during down time.

My current best trick involves a portable hole, some shocker lizards, and some form of agitation (like firecrackers). Open up after a few hours, to shocking effect.

A group I was DMing for/playing with used this trick to make some shambling mounds viable even in a bit of epic combat, as 100k hp tanks to soak up enemy attacks in a mass combat situation.

[Segev]

Thunderhead, yes. I am not sure why my fingers typed "bolt."