A reward for a character that killed a Xixecal

[Crake]

Ok, so I have a character who managed to kill a xixecal by removing it's cold subtype and then encasing it in ice, letting it's own cold kill it, pre epic. Most of the mechanics behind it were DM fiat that allowed them to succeed, and the player died in the process (although came back to life due to being buried in the snow, the player is playing a snow/ice version of sand shaper) and I was thinking, every other character in the party has something cool on their character (a half-fiend half fey, a half dragon, a half giant phrenic mineral warrior) and I wanted to give this character something as well, as a reward for achieving something like that. Preferably something cold based, since his character is an ice mage.

To clarify, I want it to be something inherent to the character itself, either a template, possibly some bonus feats (i'm fine with using those as a reward, like location feats and the like) or something else that i maybe havent even thought of.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

The first thing that comes to mind is the cold subtype. That's already a feat for barbarians (and anyone else who can rage). It would require some changes naturally, but being reborn in snow would make sense.

The other immediately clear option is the Piercing Cold feat, but maybe with the added bonus of being able to treat creatures with the cold subtype as having cold resistance X instead, where X is whatever the fire equivalent feat do.

[malonkey1]

Well, if a certain device or item was involved, maybe allow that player to found an awesomely ice-themed legacy, a la Weapons of Legacy?

[Crake]

Well, if a certain device or item was involved, maybe allow that player to found an awesomely ice-themed legacy, a la Weapons of Legacy?

Sadly, no item was involved, so no weapons of legacy, which is sad, cause he has a frost runestaff which could have been pretty cool to turn into a weapon of legacy, but it wasn't even there during the fight, he left it at home.


The first thing that comes to mind is the cold subtype. That's already a feat for barbarians (and anyone else who can rage). It would require some changes naturally, but being reborn in snow would make sense.

The other immediately clear option is the Piercing Cold feat, but maybe with the added bonus of being able to treat creatures with the cold subtype as having cold resistance X instead, where X is whatever the fire equivalent feat do.

Huh, i always thought piercing cold and searing spell both functioned the same in that creatures with the fire/cold subtype took double damage, and creatures of the cold/fire subtype were immune.

But it turns out that searing spell still deals half damage to fire subtype creatures, wheras piercing cold does nothing to cold subtype. I think that's a decent addition to give the player, allow him to damage cold subtype creatures for half the spell damage.

As for the cold subtype for the character, I was considering that, but I don't think I want to give him something that can easily be duplicated with a spell (mantle of the icy soul). He knows about the spell, and if he wanted it, he would have gotten it by now, but he doesn't really want the whole weakness to fire thing. Perhaps some higher innate resistance to cold? He has cold resistance 5 from those frostburn feats, so maybe increase that to something like 20?

[Jeff the Green]

Well, xixecals are abominations, so how about a saint template (ignoring requirements and restrictions) granted by the grateful gods?

[Crake]

Well, xixecals are abominations, so how about a saint template (ignoring requirements and restrictions) granted by the grateful gods?

Gods are dead, welp. Plus, he's technically also the one that awakened it (with the intent to kill it, but still)

[Jeff the Green]

he's technically also the one that awakened it

Okay, how about the Mind Bogglingly Insane template?

[Eldan]

How about going the opposite way? He proved that the cold can even kill things made of it. How about giving him a feat similar to Searing Spell, so that from now on, his cold spells ignore cold resistance?

[Crake]

How about going the opposite way? He proved that the cold can even kill things made of it. How about giving him a feat similar to Searing Spell, so that from now on, his cold spells ignore cold resistance?

that feat already exists, and it's called piercing cold, and he already has it.

[atemu1234]

that feat already exists, and it's called piercing cold, and he already has it.

Give him a pet kobold. For no reason.

[PsyBomb]

The very frost and snow he was buried in can become his Weapon of Legacy, just fluff it coming together into a staff that looks like nigh-pure crystal, but is in truth ice so hard that no fire can melt it. This staff then contains the newly-founded legacy.

[Red Fel]

He was effectively buried with the Xixecal whose Cold subtype he tore away, right? Abominations are beings of unimaginable cosmic force and destruction, barely contained in a physical form. And he let that out. I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to assume that at least a hint of that power would latch onto the most powerful being it could find - and the one who killed the Xixecal certainly qualifies.

I'd say that gives you several options, but three in particular strike me. Abomination traits. Not all of them, that's epic. But pick one or two, perhaps in watered-down form, and suggest that he's on the way to becoming an abomination himself. I could see a bonus on saves versus polymorph, petrify, form-alteration, energy drain, ability drain, ability drain; I could also see giving him immunity to Cold, or even the Cold subtype straight-up. Take a look at the Mineral Warrior template (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e). I know, you've already got one, but I think it's quite reasonable to give this guy, free of charge, a modified version of this template. Lose the burrow/flight thing. Keep the DR. Change the ability score modifiers to suit his build. Change Earth Strike to some kind of 1/day boost to spells when it's cold out (a la Frozen Magic). There are other Elemental templates. For example, Manual of the Planes had the Half-Elemental templates. It also had a Cold Element Creature template. These were updated to 3.5, and not too overpowered. Alternatively, I think Dragon Magazine 347 had an Ice Elemental Creature template. You could give any of those a whirl if you don't feel like homebrewing it.

[Pyon]

During the battle the energies of both fighters flew out uncontrollably, striking and infecting everything around it. Before the battle was done the snow itself had gained a conscience, and form. At the end, an ice familiar approached the PC.

Make like a cute ice thing to join the PC in adventurers.

[Crake]

He was effectively buried with the Xixecal whose Cold subtype he tore away, right? Abominations are beings of unimaginable cosmic force and destruction, barely contained in a physical form. And he let that out. I'd say it's perfectly reasonable to assume that at least a hint of that power would latch onto the most powerful being it could find - and the one who killed the Xixecal certainly qualifies.

Hmm, on that note, what about the ability to command creatures of the cold subtype? Xixecals have white dragons at their command after all? Fluffed less as a compulsion, and more as them sensing his tremendous accomplishment and feeling that they should respect his commands sort of thing?

I do like the idea of some of the lesser versions of abomination traits as well. The mineral wariror thing isn't that useful for the character, because I gave him an Ice body ability to replace the sandform ability of sandshaper. It's an immediate action ability that grants you the hardness of blue ice (10) as well as elemental traits. I mean, sure the DR and hardness would stack, but it feels a little samey.

[Kraken]

-Ability to apply piercing cold feat for free on [casting stat modifier] spells per day.
-Can convert any elemental spell to cold, as the mastery of elements archmage ability.
-Any spell that natively has the cold descriptor is cast at +2 CL and +1 DC, and requires no verbal or somatic components.
-Immunity to cold damage

[Red Fel]

Hmm, on that note, what about the ability to command creatures of the cold subtype? Xixecals have white dragons at their command after all? Fluffed less as a compulsion, and more as them sensing his tremendous accomplishment and feeling that they should respect his commands sort of thing?

You know, there are some class features like that. For example, the Earth Dreamer (Races of Stone) gets an ability, Earth Friend, which causes all creatures with the Earth subtype to automatically react to the character one step friendlier than they otherwise would. A modified version, Cold Friend, would work well here. Similarly, some Cleric variants allow you to switch Turn/Rebuke Undead for Turn/Rebuke Elemental; you could easily give this PC uses of Turn/Rebuke Cold Creature (any creature with the Cold subtype), as a Cleric, 3+Cha times per day. (As I recall, there are also some feats that play off of the ability to Turn Elementals. You might let him take those, too, modified for this ability.)

[Sith_Happens]

Gods are dead, welp. Plus, he's technically also the one that awakened it (with the intent to kill it, but still)

Sounds like the perfect cosmological setup for him to absorb the Xixecal's divinity (explaining how he came back to life), thereby gaining Divine Rank 0. Which isn't really that much better than +6 LA worth of templates, so no need to water it down at all.

[Teh_das]

You could give him an ice elemental companion. Refluff the elemental companion druid ACF and staple it onto his sheet.

[Mr Adventurer]

The ability to Shapechange into a Shadow of the Void for up to 10 rounds per day, used as needed.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/shadowOfTheVoid.htm

[Eldan]

that feat already exists, and it's called piercing cold, and he already has it.

I know it does, but I thought Piercing Cold allowed 50% cold damage through, not all.

[Crake]

The ability to Shapechange into a Shadow of the Void for up to 10 rounds per day, used as needed.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/epic/monsters/shadowOfTheVoid.htm

Hmm, perhaps something like this, except instead of as it's own ability, a buff to his ice form ability, i like it!