GryffonDurime
2007-05-29, 12:50 AM
I really love the Wu Jen, I do. It was the second class I ever played in DnD through a bizzare bit of happenstance, and I knew from the first second that it was love, true love. The kind of love that makes you want to destroy an entire world.
And so I shall. I present the Swarming Wu Jen World Alteration Squad:
I was creating a character to play in a munchkiny game, and without realizing I stumbled across a combination that I found particularly effective. The original itteration attempted to use a lot of blatantly overpowered bits: the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, the Incantatrix...but as I looked over it, the dawning simplicity of what was really needed to destroy an entire planet with a single Wu Jen became clear: I need thirteen levels; 12 of Wu Jen and one of Archmage. Anything more is gravy--but, as I will later demonstrate, tasty gravy.
The barebones combination is to take Body Outside Body (one of the Wu Jen's few signature spell, and the cause, I'm sure, of many a GM's headaches) in combination with the Archmage's Spell-Like Ability. The original caster--for future reference known as the Original--casts Body Outside Body twice as a spell-like ability, producing G1, the first generation of clones. G1 is populated by four Wu Jen clones, each complete with their own set of Spell-Like Abilities for the day.
The Original issues the follow instructions: Be fruitful, and multiply; use your ability to copy yourself four times each, then instruct your copies to do the same. Every six seconds (talking is a free action), we increase the population.
Round 1: G2-A comes into being, adding eight more Wu Jen to the fold
Round 2: G2-B comes into being, adding eight more again; G2-A creates G3-A for sixteen more Wu Jen
Round 3: G2-B creates sixteen Wu Jen of their own; G3-A creates thirty two.
Round 4: G3-B creates thirty two more, G4-A makes sixty four.
In twenty four seconds, you have 180 Wu Jen, and this number will only continue to grow; after a minute has elapsed you'll start to get a slight domino effect as the eldest generation disappears, even still you're not subject to diminishing returns because you're running a surplus of clones; the numbers of each generation will continue to increase ad nauseum.
Using the Power
Now this is all well and good, but how do you use this tremendous power? Several major options exist at each level of power for this build, as follows:
Level 13: Overpopulate your planet in a matter of hours. Order all clones to grapple each other, trying to fit an increasingly infinite amount of mass into a finite space; a black hole should occur...eventually.
Level 14: Take another level of Archmage. Good options include taking Giant Size as a Spell-Like Ability (nothing says fun like NI Colossol Wu Jen...) and Arcane Fire (just because they can't cast spells doesn't mean they can't put their spellslots to good pre-epic use)
Level 17: Ladies and gentlemen, let the true cheese begin. Using your newest Archmage level, take Wish as a Spell-Like Ability; in theory, each clone should have its own discrete experience pool to draw from. Even the most powerful of magical items are now within your grasp, and nearly any spell can be cast by each clone. Please
Level 20 or artificially raised Caster Level: The speed at which your generations grow is now truly staggering; even if you only duplicated a single set (1 cast of the SLA, rather than 2) to simplify the computations, in Generation 10-A, you'll have an impressive 3,145,728 Wu Jen at your beck and call. In the span of two short minutes, Generation 20-A will number just shy of four trillion. I do hope that by this point you've migrated to the Abyss of a similar, infinitely habitable plain. It's yours now.
Further Levels: Other fine abilities to transform into Spell-Like abominations include Shapechange, Etherealness, Gate, Time Stop...really, you've got access to 9th level spells. I'm not sure there ARE bad choices. With that said, I HIGHLY recommend Transcend Mortality: instruct your clones to cast it during their first round of life, then tell them to start copying themselves. You slow down your generational progression slightly, but nothing short of the truly epic is going to slay your slobbering mass of Wu Jen now.
Amazing Feats
I won't dally here long, the subject is largely one of taste and necessity: take any feats relevant to taking the Archmage and any other prestige class you may decide upon. It may also be wise to utilize some of the unique feats afforded by the Wu Jen: taking a Spirit feat or two grants each clone the ability to reroll their initiative if they enter an encounter. Likewise, any feat that would normally be restricted by uses/day is encouraged, as this build can really abuse them to absurd degree.
Getting the Most Out of Your Class Levels
Sure, you can achieve the Swarming Wu Jen World Alteration Squad as a straight Wu Jen 12/Archmage 1.
But why would you want to? Good prestige classes include:
The Fatespinner, Level 1-4: If you intend to copy any Spell-Like Ability that allows a save or forces a roll, this should be given HEAVY consideration. Arboreal Transformation combined with this should smooth the process of converting every living thing on the planet into a treant under your command.
Mindbender, Level 1: Given that all your clones would share your 100 feet telepathy, this essentially gives you a Hivemind. I don't know why you wouldn't take this.
Loremaster, Any Levels: Pricey, but in tandem with the Mindbender, you've just created the world's first supercomputer as each clone can makes its own discrete check to know any given piece of information...failure is irrelevant.
Initiate of the Seven Fold Veil, Any Levels: There's something to be said for the ability to create the Prismatic Wall of China.
Mage of the Arcane Order - Should be taken only if functioning under the assumption that a clone may repay the original's Spell Debt; this is, at best, dubious ground.
Really, any PrC taken with full casting levels (or dipped for those that do progress casting) are a boon to this build, so long as they don't distract from the feat requirements of the Archmage, your true goal.
Final Cheese
There is one final, ultimate use for the Swarming Wu Jen World Alteration Squad: once you hit level 21, you win. At this caster level, each generation is producing greater numbers at a multiplier of 4 rather than 2. You can have as many clones as you like submit their useless 9th Level Spellslots to a ritual. There is very little functional limit to your power at this level.
Wrap Up
So, this came about as an accident. I advise you to never, ever use this combination. Things such as this are fun exercises in creativity, and I'd love to see someone point out crazy venues that could take this humble Wu Jen one-man-band in truly amazing directions. The only game that builds like this are good in are one-player games, played directly by you and I: the very intent of such power-gaming is to break the system, to win, and so long as you play alone you will never force others to lose in so doing.
Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at powergaming, and if this has been done before--I suspect it has, if only given the length of time this material has existed--I must apologize for wasting a small bit of your time, if only on some small project.
And so I shall. I present the Swarming Wu Jen World Alteration Squad:
I was creating a character to play in a munchkiny game, and without realizing I stumbled across a combination that I found particularly effective. The original itteration attempted to use a lot of blatantly overpowered bits: the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, the Incantatrix...but as I looked over it, the dawning simplicity of what was really needed to destroy an entire planet with a single Wu Jen became clear: I need thirteen levels; 12 of Wu Jen and one of Archmage. Anything more is gravy--but, as I will later demonstrate, tasty gravy.
The barebones combination is to take Body Outside Body (one of the Wu Jen's few signature spell, and the cause, I'm sure, of many a GM's headaches) in combination with the Archmage's Spell-Like Ability. The original caster--for future reference known as the Original--casts Body Outside Body twice as a spell-like ability, producing G1, the first generation of clones. G1 is populated by four Wu Jen clones, each complete with their own set of Spell-Like Abilities for the day.
The Original issues the follow instructions: Be fruitful, and multiply; use your ability to copy yourself four times each, then instruct your copies to do the same. Every six seconds (talking is a free action), we increase the population.
Round 1: G2-A comes into being, adding eight more Wu Jen to the fold
Round 2: G2-B comes into being, adding eight more again; G2-A creates G3-A for sixteen more Wu Jen
Round 3: G2-B creates sixteen Wu Jen of their own; G3-A creates thirty two.
Round 4: G3-B creates thirty two more, G4-A makes sixty four.
In twenty four seconds, you have 180 Wu Jen, and this number will only continue to grow; after a minute has elapsed you'll start to get a slight domino effect as the eldest generation disappears, even still you're not subject to diminishing returns because you're running a surplus of clones; the numbers of each generation will continue to increase ad nauseum.
Using the Power
Now this is all well and good, but how do you use this tremendous power? Several major options exist at each level of power for this build, as follows:
Level 13: Overpopulate your planet in a matter of hours. Order all clones to grapple each other, trying to fit an increasingly infinite amount of mass into a finite space; a black hole should occur...eventually.
Level 14: Take another level of Archmage. Good options include taking Giant Size as a Spell-Like Ability (nothing says fun like NI Colossol Wu Jen...) and Arcane Fire (just because they can't cast spells doesn't mean they can't put their spellslots to good pre-epic use)
Level 17: Ladies and gentlemen, let the true cheese begin. Using your newest Archmage level, take Wish as a Spell-Like Ability; in theory, each clone should have its own discrete experience pool to draw from. Even the most powerful of magical items are now within your grasp, and nearly any spell can be cast by each clone. Please
Level 20 or artificially raised Caster Level: The speed at which your generations grow is now truly staggering; even if you only duplicated a single set (1 cast of the SLA, rather than 2) to simplify the computations, in Generation 10-A, you'll have an impressive 3,145,728 Wu Jen at your beck and call. In the span of two short minutes, Generation 20-A will number just shy of four trillion. I do hope that by this point you've migrated to the Abyss of a similar, infinitely habitable plain. It's yours now.
Further Levels: Other fine abilities to transform into Spell-Like abominations include Shapechange, Etherealness, Gate, Time Stop...really, you've got access to 9th level spells. I'm not sure there ARE bad choices. With that said, I HIGHLY recommend Transcend Mortality: instruct your clones to cast it during their first round of life, then tell them to start copying themselves. You slow down your generational progression slightly, but nothing short of the truly epic is going to slay your slobbering mass of Wu Jen now.
Amazing Feats
I won't dally here long, the subject is largely one of taste and necessity: take any feats relevant to taking the Archmage and any other prestige class you may decide upon. It may also be wise to utilize some of the unique feats afforded by the Wu Jen: taking a Spirit feat or two grants each clone the ability to reroll their initiative if they enter an encounter. Likewise, any feat that would normally be restricted by uses/day is encouraged, as this build can really abuse them to absurd degree.
Getting the Most Out of Your Class Levels
Sure, you can achieve the Swarming Wu Jen World Alteration Squad as a straight Wu Jen 12/Archmage 1.
But why would you want to? Good prestige classes include:
The Fatespinner, Level 1-4: If you intend to copy any Spell-Like Ability that allows a save or forces a roll, this should be given HEAVY consideration. Arboreal Transformation combined with this should smooth the process of converting every living thing on the planet into a treant under your command.
Mindbender, Level 1: Given that all your clones would share your 100 feet telepathy, this essentially gives you a Hivemind. I don't know why you wouldn't take this.
Loremaster, Any Levels: Pricey, but in tandem with the Mindbender, you've just created the world's first supercomputer as each clone can makes its own discrete check to know any given piece of information...failure is irrelevant.
Initiate of the Seven Fold Veil, Any Levels: There's something to be said for the ability to create the Prismatic Wall of China.
Mage of the Arcane Order - Should be taken only if functioning under the assumption that a clone may repay the original's Spell Debt; this is, at best, dubious ground.
Really, any PrC taken with full casting levels (or dipped for those that do progress casting) are a boon to this build, so long as they don't distract from the feat requirements of the Archmage, your true goal.
Final Cheese
There is one final, ultimate use for the Swarming Wu Jen World Alteration Squad: once you hit level 21, you win. At this caster level, each generation is producing greater numbers at a multiplier of 4 rather than 2. You can have as many clones as you like submit their useless 9th Level Spellslots to a ritual. There is very little functional limit to your power at this level.
Wrap Up
So, this came about as an accident. I advise you to never, ever use this combination. Things such as this are fun exercises in creativity, and I'd love to see someone point out crazy venues that could take this humble Wu Jen one-man-band in truly amazing directions. The only game that builds like this are good in are one-player games, played directly by you and I: the very intent of such power-gaming is to break the system, to win, and so long as you play alone you will never force others to lose in so doing.
Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at powergaming, and if this has been done before--I suspect it has, if only given the length of time this material has existed--I must apologize for wasting a small bit of your time, if only on some small project.