Heir To the Master: Optimizing True Mind Switch

[The_Iron_Lord]

Hello, Playgrounders!
I have decided to ask you all a question. I'm sure it's been asked before, but I will ask it again:
How would you breed/make/create the perfect body to true mind switch into when you are dying of old age? Remember, you choose how to train them(as they are told they are your heir), but most class features will not be retained.
Just as an interesting point, you can also be a straight magic-user, because you can probably research an alternate version of true mind switch as a spell.

Here is the power:

Mind Switch, True
Telepathy [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Telepath 9
Manifesting Time: 1 minute
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 17, XP
As mind switch, except as noted here. You permanently exchange bodies with the subject. Since this power’s duration is instantaneous, you cannot be forced to return to your natural body by means of dispel psionics, an antimagic field, or a similar effect. If the subject’s body dies while you are in it, you are dead. The subject immediately loses one level, but otherwise survives the experience in your natural body. If your natural body dies while the subject is in it, you immediately lose one level, but you likewise survive the experience in your new body.

Your “natural” body is always considered to be the last one you switched out of. If you exchange bodies with a chain of multiple subjects, you need worry only about the welfare of the last body you switched with. In other words, if your mind is expelled from your current body, your mind returns to the last body you switched with, not to your original body. Similarly, if your original body dies but you have since switched minds with a second subject, you take no penalty. You lose a level only if the body you inhabited immediately prior to your current body is killed.

XP Cost
10,000 XP.
Mind Switch
Telepathy [Mind-Affecting]
Level: Telepath 6
Display: Visual
Manifesting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: You and one other creature
Duration: 10 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates; see text
Power Resistance: Yes
Power Points: 11, XP
You can attempt to take control of a nearby living creature, forcing your mind (and soul) into its body, and its mind into your body. You can target any creature whose Hit Dice are equal to or less than your manifester level.

You possess the target’s body and force the creature’s mind into your body unless it succeeds on a Will save. You can move your mind back into your own body whenever you desire, which returns the subject’s mind to its own body and ends the power. If the manifestation succeeds, your life force occupies the host body, and the host’s life force takes over yours.

You can call on rudimentary or instinctive knowledge of the subject creature, but not upon its acquired or learned knowledge (such as skills and feats it possesses). The same is true for the subject in your body. The mind switch brings about the following changes.

You gain the type of your assumed body.
You gain the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of your assumed body.
You gain the natural armor, natural attacks, movement, and other simple physical characteristics of your assumed body.
You gain the extraordinary special attacks and qualities of your assumed body, but you do not gain supernatural or spell-like abilities.
You gain the possessions and equipment of your assumed body.
You retain your own hit points, saving throws (possibly modified by new ability scores), class abilities, supernatural and spell-like abilities, spells and powers, and skills and feats (although skill checks use your new ability scores, and you may be temporarily unable to use feats whose requirements you do not meet in your new body).
Supernatural abilities that require a certain body part may be unavailable in your new form.

If either body is killed while the power is in effect, the other participant also dies when the power ends. If one participant’s body becomes petrified, imprisoned by temporal stasis or imprisonment, or incapacitated in some other way, the other participant will be incapacitated in that way when the power ends.

A targeted dispel psionics (or similar spells or effects) successfully manifested on either participant causes both minds to return to their original bodies.

XP Cost
100 XP.

Augment
For every 2 additional power points you spend, this power’s save DC increases by 1.



Have fun!:smallbiggrin:

[Inevitability]

If ECL is irrelevant, how about stacking every strain of lycanthropy you can find on the heir?

[The_Iron_Lord]

If ECL is irrelevant, how about stacking every strain of lycanthropy you can find on the heir?

Well, that's one way... I also wanted an explanation of the procedure, and not just, "stack every template in the MM", either. (Though that is fun:smalltongue:)

Also, it might be good to keep ECL to at least a manageable size, so the DM doesn't say, "Well, now that you have an ECL of 60, I'm sure you'll be able to handle this Great Wyrm prismatic dragon..." :smalleek::smalleek::smalleek:

[Inevitability]

Well, that's one way... I also wanted an explanation of the procedure, and not just, "stack every template in the MM", either. (Though that is fun:smalltongue:)

Use divinations to locate lycanthropes, jump to them with Greater Teleport, then Dominate them. Teleport back with your new buddy, have it bite your heir, and either off the werebeast or send it back if you're nice.

[The_Iron_Lord]

What base creature will you use? any other templates? Also, remember that lycanthropes have an alignment...and...you only get (Ex) abilities, so I would recommend a class that will give you lots of (Ex) abilities (and you won't take MC penalties, so yay! Dipping galore!)

[Troacctid]

Probably entomanothropes of devastation vermin.

[Inevitability]

Probably entomanothropes of devastation vermin.

Now that's one I never thought of. Nice.

Does your DM allow the Complete Divine version of Curse of Lycanthropy, by the way? Spamming it can quickly stack a bunch of lycanthropies (that's probably a word) on a single person, especially if they're willing.

[sleepyphoenixx]

Alternate Form is (Su), so you don't even get the best part of it. And you'd probably be stuck in the base form, not the hybrid form.

As for ideal Mind Switch targets, i think you'd at least want opposable thumbs and the ability to talk if you're making it your new base form.
You also don't get more hp from a high Con. Sure, higher fort save is nice, but ability scores are a nice bonus, not what i'd pick a form for.
I'd look for abilities like regeneration with a rare type, good DR that's hard to bypass, as many immunities as possible and then any cool (Ex) abilities on top of that.

If alignment is not a problem i'd just go for a Solar.
You don't get the really awesome stuff, but Str 28 Dex 20 Con 20, 150ft (good) flight, 21 NA, DR 15/epic & evil, regeneration 15/epic & evil, immunities to acid/cold/petrification and SR 32 are pretty solid as a caster base form.

[Muggins]

If alignment is not a problem i'd just go for a Solar.
You don't get the really awesome stuff, but Str 28 Dex 20 Con 20, 150ft (good) flight, 21 NA, DR 15/epic & evil, regeneration 15/epic & evil, immunities to acid/cold/petrification and SR 32 are pretty solid as a caster base form.
So good they made a prestige class about it!

[The_Iron_Lord]

Mineral Warrior Astral Stalker(MM3): Almost all of their abilities are (Ex), which includes some pretty nice ones. ECL 13(maybe). I'm not sure how you'd do this though...

Lumi(MM3) with some template...: The floating head(Ex) ability is useful...

Half-black dragon war troll: This is Emerald Legion-esque, giving you non-negatable regeneration. It also gives you a good breath weapon and Dazing Blow...the method is, of course, to cast/manifest dominate monster on the dragon and war troll, then...you have your body. Then train it, etc.

Geriavar(MM3): HUGE natural armor...learn to cast scintillating scales then make a custom item of it (constant)...also very powerful physically.

Basically, the conjure seed+life seed+fortify seed, as detailed in the Epic handbook sidebar. You would use fortify to (DC +8) give them one HD, then use other epic seeds at double DC to add any (Ex) abilities you wanted. Then, you would spawn the creature with no purpose other than to serve you (or multiple creatures if necessary), train them as whatever class you need to gain any (Ex) abilities you couldn't give them with the spell, then possess them.

Good classes:
Rogue(Evasion, Sneak attack, etc...)
Monk(I am not kidding, some of the monk's powers are good, even if investing 20 levels isn't)
Scout(CoAd, All of the abilities are good, but especially the Blindsight...)
Psion(EPH, Not particularly good on it's own, but makes getting to psionic prestige classes easier.)

Prestige classes:
Spellsword(CW,Ignore Spell Failure)
Dervish(CW,All the abilities, especially the unarmored AC boost)
Exemplar(CoAd, Skill boosts for Spellcraft/Psicraft and Knowledge(psionics/arcana))
Thrallherd(EPH, The Thrallherd ability is (Ex), as are all the class's other abilities)
Warmind(EPH, all of the Warmind's abilities are (Ex) except for the last one.)

Finally, remember to put your old body in temporal stasis, so that it won't die and give you a negative level.

[The_Iron_Lord]

Also, if you can somehow get ahold of the body and the deity doesn't DM-fiat you to death, an aleax of yourself would be a nearly-perfect body, if true mind switch doesn't count as you defeating the aleax.

[Jack_Simth]

Also, if you can somehow get ahold of the body and the deity doesn't DM-fiat you to death, an aleax of yourself would be a nearly-perfect body, if true mind switch doesn't count as you defeating the aleax.
An Aleaxx is also fundamentally immune, as it keeps construct traits despite the Shapechange. The trick, then, is to make an Ice Assasin (Frostburn) of an Ice Assasin of an Aleax (Book of Exalted Deeds) of you, and have it True Mind Switch with you. It's an Ice Assasin you made, so it's under your control. It's an Ice Assasin of an Ice Assasin of you, so it doesn't specifically hate you. And you keep the Aleax immunities.

Potential downside: You might inherit Ice Assasin limitations....

[The_Iron_Lord]

Something I just noticed:


Unless the description of a specific maneuver or stance says otherwise, treat it as an extraordinary ability.
emphasis mine.

So...you can train your "heir" to be a martial adept (preferably Swordsage because they know tons of maneuvers)...and then you will know all of them ...and can actually use them. Free levels, yes!!

[ben-zayb]

Probably entomanothropes of devastation vermin.

Will require some finagling since Ento only affects creatures of size Huge or smaller, and DV is Colossal and the Curse will require a Gargantuan or Colossal creature.

Doable with Jotunbrud with Dragonfire Adept's Invocation to change into that Huge Naga humanoid

[Yak folklore]

A dead thread now, I know. But, I have a fun exploit for you!
First get a rod of golem command, from arms and equipment guide.
Find a Zodar, bring it to your hired cleric, waiting with greater human essence (if I were dm it would be a cheap hire, no material or xp costs, and clerics know all spells)

Have the cleric cast it's spell, then have the Zodar use wish to duplicate awaken construct. Now you can use true mind switch on the Zodar ( they have will save +8 not to huge) now you kill your old body, in which the Zodar has little to no power.

Finally use the other telepath ninth level ability (the one with the CH) to cure your negative level.

You have become a near deifically unkillable construct

One issue is that a dm could argue that when the human essence ends and you returned to construct form that is a "death" but I am sure that you could have a friend do some ressurection tomfulary, it does then specifically say that it is your natural body, the one you would ressurect in.
(Sorry, on mobile)