Glamer (Race) Optimization

[ATHATH]

So, earlier today I was flipping through Dragon Magazine #299, when, in the Horrors of <I can't remember the exact title>, I saw the Glamer. It's a 10 HD CN Incorporeal Outsider that has a boatload of Illusion SLAs (seriously, it takes up like 1/3 of the column), and the ability to extend or PERSIST any of its SLAs once per HOUR. On one of the sidebars of the article, it gives an ECL (not a cohort Level Adjustment, the real deal) for most of the monsters in the article. It gives the Glamer an ECL of 11 (you can also play as a weirdly proportioned boar that can shoot death lasers, but that's not what this thread is about).

I can see two possible routes to the advancement of a Glamer:

1: Take a level of Rogue and the Craven feat, and progress into Hellbreaker. Steal the SLAs of your enemies and Persist them.

2: Find a way to squeeze into Shadowcraft Mage (you're going to have to take Stoneblessed to count as a Gnome), and cast as many Shadow Evocations and Shadow Conjurations as you want. Getting a fourth-level or higher Shadow Spell so I can qualify for it is going to be a problem, though, and that's where I need the Playground's help.

So, any other advancement ideas? Any ways to get a 4-level Shadow Spell?

[John Longarrow]

10HD + 11 ECL = epic. Not sure if its going to be all that great when you've got a caster tossing epic level spells in the party.

[Heliomance]

10HD + 11 ECL = epic. Not sure if its going to be all that great when you've got a caster tossing epic level spells in the party.

No, 10HD + 11 LA would be Epic. ECL is Effective Character Level, and is the combination of HD and LA.

[ATHATH]

I'm going with the interpretation that its ECL includes its HD, giving the Glamer a psuedo-LA of 1 (it technically doesn't list LA in its description, and the side bar just mentions ECL).

[ATHATH]

Ok, if the Glamer takes Earth Sense, Heighten Spell, Earth Spell, Versatile Spellcaster, and a level of Wizard (Spontaneous Divinations ACF), it can heighten a first-level Shadow spell to fourth level.

The Glamer can use Heighten SLA (Persistent Image) to cast 6th level Conjuration and Evocation Spells.

Do X/day abilities (like SLAs and feats, but not spells) require you to rest to recharge them?

[torrasque666]

Except that a Glamer doesn't qualify for Stoneblessed. Needs Giant, humanoid, or monstrous humanoid. SLAs fall under Special Qualities of a creature (as defined on page 6 of the Monster Manual) which would be lost through application of Incarnate Construct.

[ATHATH]

Thus, we need to somehow become a giant, monstrous humanoid, or a humanoid. There has to be some template that does this that preserves our SLAs, right?

Also, the Glamer has regeneration that can't be pierced, baring attacks that work against all forms of regeneration, except by exploiting its weakness to Antimagic (1d4 points of damage per level of the Antimagic spell).

[Zetapup]

Thus, we need to somehow become a giant, monstrous humanoid, or a humanoid. There has to be some template that does this that preserves our SLAs, right?

Also, the Glamer has regeneration, which can't be pierced, baring attacks that work against all forms of regeneration, except by exploiting its weakness to Antimagic (1d4 points of damage per level of the Antimagic spell).

The Human Heritage feat might work, if you can convince your DM that you have a human ancestor somewhere in your lineage. That'll set your type to humanoid while still retaining all the traits of your previous type. You have to take it at first level, but it's the easiest way I know of to change your type to humanoid.

There are also the rituals in Savage Species, but those are pretty expensive and I'm not sure if they can do exactly what you want.

[ATHATH]

Hm... You know, there's actually not that much historical fluff the the Glamer. It might be a human that was exposed to an incredible amount of "Shadow Energy" or something, so that might work. Thanks.

Any ideas on how to further increase the effective level of the Glamer's SLAs?

[torrasque666]

Hm... You know, there's actually not that much historical fluff the the Glamer. It might be a human that was exposed to an incredible amount of "Shadow Energy" or something, so that might work. Thanks.

Any ideas on how to further increase the effective level of the Glamer's SLAs?
I.... its right there on the page. They are the remains of a dead goddess created when she was slain.

[ATHATH]

I.... its right there on the page. They are the remains of a dead goddess created when she was slain.
I legitimately completely forgot about that. I only remembered that they might actually be points of light, like wisps, and that they're Chaotic Stupid. Perhaps that goddess was an ascended human?

[Grod_The_Giant]

(you can also play as a weirdly proportioned boar that can shoot death lasers, but that's not what this thread is about).
Why on earth not? That seems like a much more pressing issue.

[Zombulian]

Why on earth not? That seems like a much more pressing issue.

My thoughts exactly.

[ATHATH]

I'm AFM (away from magazine) right now, but from what I recall, the boar-thing is a 2 INT (I think that's a -8 INT penalty for PCs (which is a 10 in INT for a PC who rolled an 18 for INT), 5 HD aberration that can, once every 1d4 rounds, emit a Death Ray from its eyes (DC 17 Fort vs. Death, if successful, still take 5d6 damage). It also has a tail that forces a Save vs. Stun when it hits.

Fluff wise, it's a herbivore that, once every month, becomes a carnivore for a day (to supplement its diet). Apparently, some farmers have domesticated them (alas, they cannot be purchased or normally used as mounts (although that same issue had rules for riding intelligent mounts...)) and sell its Death Cheese for 5 GP a pop (unfortunately, Death Cheese is unstatted, except for its price). The once-per-month carnivorism usually happens during a full moon, according to the article.

It seems to be designed to be a Trojan Horse- have a farmer sell it to the PCs as a pack mule, then either use it to help them in an encounter (for hilarity or as a deux ex machina) or have it slowly pick off (I don't think its Death Rays make any noise) all of the PCs while they're sleeping several nights later (which is a mix between hilarity and cruelty).

You could also have a boar-thing that rolled an 18 (reduced to 10) in INT with a top hat or something that's trying to get its herd to "be more civilized".