Build Help: Parasyte

[Alistaroc]

After rewatching Parayste(great anime btw), I thought it'd be frickin awesome to build Izumi Shinichi and Migi in D&D.
For those who have not seen it, go watch it now.
Just kidding.
ONLY READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU FEEL LIKE KNOWING A LITTLE MORE FLUFF
The premise of the show is a race of alien parasites has taken over people's bodies, turning them into cannibalistic monsters capable of changing their flesh to an elastic putty substance or a hard metallic material, allowing them to essentially function as human whip-daggers. In the case of the protagonist, Izumi Shinichi, a parasite has taken over his right arm, whom he names Migi(Right Hand). They are separate consciousnesses, and fight independently, although their coordination allows them to defeat other, more complete parasites.


Rules:
While combat effectiveness is nice, it's second to flavor. I don't want to hear people shouting, "THIS ISN'T VIABLE!" Yeah, I know, wizards do it better, but I'm trying to have fun, not win a contest.
Max 2 flaws at first level
LA Buyoff is allowed, although keeping it at LA 2 or below would be quite nice
Just about any source is allowed, so long as we're not getting too cheesy with it

So far all I've got is Human/Azurin, probably using Totemist into Warshaper.
Aberration Blood -> Inhuman Reach is a given, probably adding Willing Deformity -> Deformity: Tall and taking Extended Reach for a total of +15 feet reach, imitating Migi's flexibility.
There are a number of grafts that give tentacle arms, but their lack of transformation and inability to be used as hands makes them unappealing.
Silithar Bones, Heart, Muscles, and Tendons are appealing grafts, giving +2 to Str, Dex, and Con, and 1/day healing when below 0 HP, making them very Parasyte-esque. And while they may be expensive, it's a flavor build. And I'm sure most DMs wouldn't mind reducing the cost in exchange for the million and one plot hooks and quest lines this gives them.
In addition, the Shadow Sibling symbiont seems like the only way to give "Migi" his own consciousness, but if anyone else has better ideas for invisible symbionts, I'm all ears.

So it seems to me something like Totemist 11/Warshaper 4/Warblade 5
Taking Aberration Blood, Inhuman Reach, Willing Deformity, Deformity: Tall, and Extended Reach at levels 1-3,
Then going into some form of Power Attack Build, potentially taking Shock Trooper
OR
Becoming a tripper so they can be finished off on the ground

Any help is appreciated, and I'd like to hear your thoughts on the build as well.:smallsmile:

[Red Fel]

Well, I'd like to point out something - Daelkyr and symbionts are totally a thing. Magic of Eberron goes into all sorts of delightful detail about the horrifying critters you can have living out of your body. In fact, the Impure Prince PrC from that same book is perfectly suited to our heroes - it's a person who uses his symbiont to hunt other aberrations, which is kind of half of the story in Parasyte anyway. Some specific notes are included in the spoilers, because of story spoilers:

Here are a few ways that some of the class features work with Shinichi and Migi: Prerequisite: Symbiont Mastery. This is a feat that makes it easier to control your symbiont, instead of the other way around. Part of the uniqueness of Shinichi and Migi is the fact that Migi doesn't control Shinichi, unlike pretty much everyone else of Migi's species. Lure Symbiont: Get a free symbiont. That's Migi. Favored Enemy (Aberrations): Migi and Shinichi do a lot of killing of Migi's species, and they develop a skill at it. So it makes sense that you'd get this bonus. Aberrant Anatomy: By being bonded with Migi, Shinichi proves able to survive a lot more than an ordinary human should be able to. I have a few scenes in particular in mind from the manga, one of which should have been exceedingly lethal if Shinichi's organs had been where they were supposed to be. So being able to negate critical hits and sneak attacks makes sense in context.
I'd advise you to look into symbionts, and the Impure Prince PrC, if you have the chance.

You might also consider the Daelkyr Half-Blood race, to symbolize that Shinichi and Migi together are more than either alone. Daelkyr Half-Bloods are aberrations, get Symbiont Mastery as a bonus feat, and start play with a personal symbiont. Obviously, taking this race obviates several of the advantages of the Impure Prince class. There's also the symbiont dependency - which, given how Migi's presence literally keeps Shinichi alive at several points, makes sense.

[Alistaroc]

Well, I'd like to point out something - Daelkyr and symbionts are totally a thing. Magic of Eberron goes into all sorts of delightful detail about the horrifying critters you can have living out of your body. In fact, the Impure Prince PrC from that same book is perfectly suited to our heroes - it's a person who uses his symbiont to hunt other aberrations, which is kind of half of the story in Parasyte anyway. Some specific notes are included in the spoilers, because of story spoilers:

Here are a few ways that some of the class features work with Shinichi and Migi: Prerequisite: Symbiont Mastery. This is a feat that makes it easier to control your symbiont, instead of the other way around. Part of the uniqueness of Shinichi and Migi is the fact that Migi doesn't control Shinichi, unlike pretty much everyone else of Migi's species. Lure Symbiont: Get a free symbiont. That's Migi. Favored Enemy (Aberrations): Migi and Shinichi do a lot of killing of Migi's species, and they develop a skill at it. So it makes sense that you'd get this bonus. Aberrant Anatomy: By being bonded with Migi, Shinichi proves able to survive a lot more than an ordinary human should be able to. I have a few scenes in particular in mind from the manga, one of which should have been exceedingly lethal if Shinichi's organs had been where they were supposed to be. So being able to negate critical hits and sneak attacks makes sense in context.
I'd advise you to look into symbionts, and the Impure Prince PrC, if you have the chance.

You might also consider the Daelkyr Half-Blood race, to symbolize that Shinichi and Migi together are more than either alone. Daelkyr Half-Bloods are aberrations, get Symbiont Mastery as a bonus feat, and start play with a personal symbiont. Obviously, taking this race obviates several of the advantages of the Impure Prince class. There's also the symbiont dependency - which, given how Migi's presence literally keeps Shinichi alive at several points, makes sense.
Wow, the Daelkyr Half-Bloods look really great, and the Impure Prince I could easily see being used; death-defying anatomy and a mental signal to all nearby parasytes immediately jump out at me.
Do you think it could be taken while still making Migi a viable weapon, rather than just a fist? I still can't decide which symbiont would be best for him either. :smallannoyed:

[Red Fel]

Well, the problem is that there is no single symbiont that covers Migi. He does a lot of cool stuff. But here's the thing - why does Migi have to be just one symbiont? Migi is multifunctional. You could very easily argue that Migi is all of your symbionts, collectively. Like a hive mind. Start with the hand and branch out.

In fact, there's a nasty bit of RAW abuse with the Impure Prince involving multiple symbionts. (Discussed in the rescue of the classic Nasty Gentleman build, here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19848985&postcount=2).)

Specifically, it says thusly:
Q: But doesn't the Impure Prince's "Lure Symbiont" ability limit a character to one symbiont at a time?
A: Nope. The ability specifies that you can obtain a new symbiont whenever your old one "gets killed or lost." It says nothing about your old one staying dead or lost. Thus, a suitably nasty gentleman can kill or maze his original symbiont, only to raise or retrieve the little guy after obtaining a new friend to play with.

Technically, using the Lure Symbiont ability, you could acquire multiple symbionts. (Although your DM would probably throw a book at you.) Even without the ability, you can acquire multiple symbionts normally. Your DM could simply fluff them as a hive consciousness, multiple growths of a single symbiont mind.

[Alistaroc]

Well, the problem is that there is no single symbiont that covers Migi. He does a lot of cool stuff. But here's the thing - why does Migi have to be just one symbiont? Migi is multifunctional. You could very easily argue that Migi is all of your symbionts, collectively. Like a hive mind. Start with the hand and branch out.

In fact, there's a nasty bit of RAW abuse with the Impure Prince involving multiple symbionts. (Discussed in the rescue of the classic Nasty Gentleman build, here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19848985&postcount=2).)

Specifically, it says thusly:

Technically, using the Lure Symbiont ability, you could acquire multiple symbionts. (Although your DM would probably throw a book at you.) Even without the ability, you can acquire multiple symbionts normally. Your DM could simply fluff them as a hive consciousness, multiple growths of a single symbiont mind.
Quite interesting, but are symbionts able to, as it said, "erupt," from the spellcaster? If they CAN be suppressed, in other words, temporarily be a hand, that'd be perfect.
And sorry if I haven't been clear, I'm a little addled today.
I guess what I was trying to ask was, which symbiont would provide the blade-ness of Migi in combat form without sacrificing the ability to use said hand when out of combat?
Wow, NEVER MIND. I just remembered that Warshaper can shape hands into "blades." I don't need a weapon symbiont. I need a symbiont for their personality, or ability to control my arm and make extra attacks with it. I believe either of those are the foundation of a solid relationship. :smalltongue: