An Amy
2017-02-20, 01:58 PM
Alright, so I'd like to use this homebrew mechanic in a game. It's basically this, when you die you possess someone instead of being raised from the dead. There's no XP or level loss due to death. There are other potential penalties from death though. You can possess almost anyone but it's at random and you have no to little control over it. Could be a beggar. Could be a retired paladin. Could be a man on his death bed (though I think there was an unwritten rule about this that you don't venture more than 1 age category from your own).
I originally played this at the table and my DM had more complicated rules. Though, these do seem more complicated when I re-typed them up. I omitted a lot of the complexity with the possession but maintained a lot of the saving throws and checks. I do plan on adding some other balancing and clarifications. I do want to use this in a game here, so I want to make sure it makes sense and won't become the obstacle. It seems a little daunting though.
Art of Dying
This post(s) will detail out my multi-free-rez/possession mechanic. It’s somewhat complicated, and there are definitions sure. So let’s go over the basics here. You die, and you die a lot if this mechanic is being used in the game. But you are reincarnated for free, but instead of your own newly and magically-grown body, you take over an NPC who had a life. They can resist your attempt if they are high enough level. And if you die too often, you start to go mad. So let’s go over what happens at each stage of the process. There will be terms you don’t fully know yet. Just understand that you’ll learn their definitions soon after.
When you die…
Here’s the process of what happens when you die.
1. You die. You took enough damage or failed a particular saving throw. You’re dead. Immediately after, for 1 round per your Charisma Modifier, you can be raised via various spells except reincarnation or the like. If your host/body is turned into an undead creature, however, you cannot be raised and go into wandering.
2. Upon dying, increase your death toll by your character level. Even if you are immediately raised, you still increase your death toll.
3. If you are not immediately raised, you go into wandering. During this stage, you are incorporeal but cannot interact with anything around you. You don’t know where you are and cannot see or hear or receive really any sensory information about what’s going on. You’re blind, deaf and just waiting around.
4. If this is your first time dying, you start off at 0 Death Toll and this death does not increase it.
When you wander for a host…
5. You wander for a period of 24 hours. During this time, your incorporeal and invisible form wanders around looking for a suitable body. For all intents and purposes, you cannot really be interacted with. Someone that goes around looking for incorporeal forms really won’t find you. But, if someone has protections against incorporeal creatures, you cannot possess them.
6. If you died within 24 hours of having just previously died, you must add the remainder of that 24 hour period to your next wandering period. So, say you possessed someone. Eight hours later you died. You must wander for an additional 16 hours on top of the 24 hour period acquired from your most recent death. Explained again below.
7. After your wandering period, you randomly attempt to possess someone at random within range of the effect. Under normal circumstances, you cannot stop this. There are feats which can let you change who and when, but for the most part you’re going to try.
8. Your target host receives a Will save if they are over level 1 in any class, heroic or otherwise, or if they are over any HD amount that would make their ECL greater than 2. They must also be sentient and playable as a character. The DC is equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier + your HD/Level. Any character who has more than ECL 1 (by whatever means) receives +8 to their Saving throw. If they have more HD/Levels than you, they receive +12.
9. If they succeed, you are resisted and return to wandering for a number of hours equal to the amount by which they succeeded the saving throw. Your death toll is reduced by 1.
10. If they fail, you possess them.
When you’ve found that perfect someone…
11. After successfully possessing a new host, you must make a Fortitude Save against a DC 10 + host HD/levels + host combined mental modifiers + your death toll. This represents your ability to resist the sudden and traumatic process of possessing a functioning and living person, forcing their personality into the back of your mind and suddenly becoming aware of their body.
12. If you succeed, you are in control of their body.
13. If you fail, depending on how badly you fail and how high your death toll is, you can suffer anywhere from just starting off with 0 HP and being exhausted to being unconscious and cripple for several days after.
14. Regardless of success or failure, you will come crashing into the other’s personality, memories and such. You will immediately know their most recent memories, what they were doing, how they felt, and some other things about them. Including their last thoughts as they felt their body being stolen from them.
15. You will also have a rapidly dwindling sense of where your last body was. Along with all the gear that does not come with you. This starts off as an absolute compass direction with distance. Then it fades by the minute until you cannot perceive anything. This is based on your Wisdom modifier. You get 1 minute per wisdom modifier.
What happens in your new duds
16. When you died the first time, your ability scores are turned into modifiers. Your modifiers are applied to the new form’s stats and that’s your new body.
17. Your level, alignment, skill points, feats and class abilities pretty much stay the same.
18. Your hitpoints are reduced to your new threshold.
19. At the start of every new day you are alive in your new body, beyond the first, you get to make a character level check. DC equals your death toll. If you fail, nothing really happens. If you succeed, your death toll falls by 1. Your death toll can never reach 0. If you roll a natural 20 on the check, your death toll goes down by 2.
20. You are still not fully cemented to your body and are in your waking period. For at least 1 day after possessing someone, you can be ejected from their body if you are dropped to -1 or fewer Hit Points. The body may still be alive, but just without you in it. Also, any death effect also immediately ejects you. If you make the save against the effect, the body doesn’t die immediately, but you are ejected.
21. If you die sometime within this 24-hour waking period, you must wander for the remainder of that 24-hour period on top of the normal 24-hour period of wandering after death, as explained above as well.
New Terms and Processes
Death Toll: This is a value that represents how often you have died. It starts off as your character level. It cannot be less than 1. However, there is no limit to how high it can go. Every day you are alive, you have a chance to reduce your death toll by 1. You do this by making a character level check against your own death toll. If you succeed, the death toll goes down by 1. If you get a natural 20 on the check, it goes down by 2. If you do not succeed, your death toll remains where it is and you can suffer a penalty. Mostly, your death toll serves as a type of madness. Detrimental effects are applied to you when you possess a body and you fail the fortitude save to resist possession sickness.
Wandering: This is the period of time after death and before possession. You are incorporeal during this time; though really, nothing can actually interact with you. Except barriers that block incorporeal creatures such as various spell effects. You can also be turned while in this state, though you cannot be destroyed by turning. There are abilities you can gain that can make your corporeal during your wandering, but that comes with great risks of extending your wandering period and forcing you back into incorporeality.
Waking: This is the first day after you possess a body and represents your unfamiliarity with it. Under normal circumstances, this lasts for 24 hours. During this time you can be ejected from the body in a similar way to it dying. For your purposes, it would be considered a death. It increases your death toll, starts a new wandering period, etc. You can be ejected by being reduced to -1 HP or fewer regardless of stabilization or survivability. Any death effect also immediately ejects you even if you make the save. Making the save only means that your former host is still alive.
Ejection: This term is used to refer to being forced out of a host, usually during your waking period. Though your host may still live, this is treated as a death for you. You incur an increase to your death toll and enter a wandering period.
Ability Modifiers: Your ability scores become base modifiers that are applied to each new host you receive. These modifiers are equal to your base ability score minus 5 then divided by 2. A score of 18 is thus a 6. Apply 6 to whatever score the new host has. Yes, this might result in a lower score than what you had. It almost certainly unless you got ahold of a host that had at least a 12 in the example above. Sucks a bit. Good thing there are feats which let you unlock your fuller potential. Also, normally, you cannot have a combined score that is higher than your score or your hosts’ nature core, whichever is higher. If your score is 14 and theirs is 18, you get their 18. Congrats! That won’t normally happen though. Thus, if your host has an Int of 8, but yours is 12, you combine to get an 11. Yes, you might lose some casting ability due to your limited body.
Gestalt: If you are playing as a gestalt, your first death becomes the moment when you are gestalt. Until then, you’re just one side of the gestalt. Don’t worry about keeping things fully separated. Create your character as if they will be gestalt from the beginning. Just separate out the easy things like HP, BAB, class abilities and otherwise. But build the character with gestalt in mind.
Threshold: This is equal to your constitution score. You die when you reach negative threshold in HP. Explanation of your threshold are found elsewhere.
Art of Dying Character Progression
Level
Bonus Feats
Abilities
5th
Possession
6th
Bonus Feat
7th
Bonus Feat
Stabilize
8th
Bonus Feat
9th
10th
Bonus Feat
Deathwatch (sp)
11th
Bonus Feat
12th
Bonus Feat
13th
Death Knell (sp)
14th
Bonus Feat
15th
Bonus Feat
16th
Bonus Feat
17th
Death Knell, continuous
18th
Bonus Feat
19th
Bonus Feat
20th
Bonus Feat
Possession: The whole mechanic of dying and possessing someone above.
Stabilize (Su): You get two attempts to stabilize per round instead of just 1.
Deathwatch (Sp): You gain deathwatch as a spell-like ability usable at-will.
Death Knell (Sp): You gain death knell as a spell-like ability usable at-will. Every time you benefit from this spell, your death toll increases by the HD/level of the creature slain.
Death Knell, Continuous: As death knell above, but you cannot turn the effect off. It can only be dispelled for a number of rounds equal to the caster level of whoever targets you with an effect that would remove death knell.
Bonus Feats
Feat Name
Requisites
Description
Improved Numbers
--
Improve your ability scores after possession if they are still below your base scores.
Improved Numbers II
Character Level 12, Improved Numbers
Use your base scores if they are better.
Improved Numbers III
Character Level 16, Improved Numbers, Improved Numbers II
If your host has the same or better ability score, gain +2.
Lingering Control
Character Level 6, Diehard
Once dead, remain for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma Modifier
Palliation
Character Level 8
Donate your remaining HP to another creature
Palliation II
Character Level 10, Palliation
Donate your remaining HP to another creature
Picky Guest
--
Get a general idea of your target host before possession.
Rapid Possession
Character level 6
You can possess someone in 12 hours instead of 24.
Rapid Possession II
Character level 8, Rapid Possession
You can possess someone in 1 hour instead of 24.
Rapid Possession III
Character level 12, Rapid Possession, Rapid Possession II
You can possess someone immediately following death
Resist Death
--
Gain resistance against death effects
Resist Death, Immunity
Character Level 10, Resist Death
Gain immunity to death effects
Resist Death, Retribution
Character Level 16, Resist Death, Immunity Resist Death
Turn a death effect against its originator
Toll Strike
Character Level 6
Make an attack that kills you but deals extra damage
Toll Strike II
Character level 12, Toll Strike
Make an attack that could kill you and deal extra damage
Wandering Body
Character Level 14, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit
Your incorporeal form can interact with the living
Wandering Sight
Character Level 6
See what happens after your death.
Wandering Spirit
Character Level 8, Wandering Sight
Your incorporeal form can see and move about.
Wandering Vengeance
Character Level 20, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit, Wandering Body
You can attack in your incorporeal form
Improved Numbers: Req: None. Benefit: If, after combining yours and your host’s ability scores, the result is still less than your base ability scores, then receive half the difference. For example, if your base ability score is 18 but your host’s score is 10, you would normally receive a score of 14. Instead, with this feat, you will receive a 16. You can chose this feat for one of your ability scores. You can take this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different ability score.
Improved Numbers II: Req: Character Level 12, Improved Numbers. Benefit: If your base scores are higher than the combined score with your host, then use your base scores. Taking this feat automatically applies it to any of your ability scores for which you have taken Improved Numbers.
Improved Numbers III: Req: Character Level 16, Improved Numbers, Improved Numbers II. Benefit: If your host has the same score or better than you in a particular ability score, improve that score by +2. You can take this feat multiple times, each time applying it to an ability score that you have also taken Improved Numbers.
Lingering Control: Req: Character Level 6, Diehard. Benefit: If you die by any means except a death effect or being ejected, such as by reaching negative threshold or -10 HP, then you may continue to control your body for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma Bonus. During these rounds, damage essentially inconsequential. You can still be slain via a death effect or by being beheaded.
Palliation: Req: Character Level 8. Benefit: You can make a touch against a willing target and donate hit points to that target. Doing so drops you to 0 HP. The target receives a number of hit points equal to one-half your remaining, non-temporary hit points at the time of the touch. These temporary hit points cannot cause the target creature to exceed their maximum hit points. This requires a willing target, so it cannot be used to damage an undead creature.
Palliation II: Req: Character Level 10, Palliation. Benefit: As Palliation, except you donate the full remaining amount of your HP as temporary hit points. Doing so drops you to -1 HP rendering you unconscious but stable.
Picky Guest: Req: None. Benefit: Before attempting possession of a potential host, you can get a look at their body and get an idea of their ability scores though not exact figures. You can then chose not to possess that target creature and move on to another. Doing so raises your death toll by 2 and requires an additional 12 hours of wandering. You can do this a total number of times equal to your character level.
Rapid Possession: Req: Character Level 6. Benefit: You can choose to have your wandering period cut to 12 hours instead of 24. This does not reduce the extra wandering hours added on by dying within a day of possessing another body. Doing so increases your death toll by 2.
Rapid Possession II: Req: Character level 8, Rapid Possession. Benefit: As Rapid Possession, except that you can reduce your wandering to 1 hour. Doing so increases your death toll by 6.
Rapid Possession III: Req: Character level 12, Rapid Possession, Rapid Possession II. Benefit: As Rapid Possession, except your wandering period of eliminated entirely. Doing so increases your death toll by 12.
Resist Death: Req: None. Benefit: You gain a +8 resistance to any effect that would cause instant death. This includes effects such as death from massive damage, finger of death spell or similar effects. This does not protect you against ejection during your waking period as those can affect you without a save. You still get this bonus during the saving throw, however, to affect your host.
Resist Death, Immunity: Req: Character Level 10, Resist Death. Benefit: You gain an immunity to death effects. This does not protect you against ejection during your waking period. In such instances, your host remains alive while you are ejected.
Resist Death, Retribution: Req: Character Level 16, Resist Death, Immunity Resist Death. Benefit: Any death effect directed at you damages the source of the death effect, such as a caster or creature with a death attack, dealing 1d6 magical damage per your death toll. If the target creature is also immune to death effects, this has no effect on them.
Toll Strike: Req: Character Level 6. Benefit: You can deliver an attack that deals extra damage. Take your current death toll and apply it as extra magical damage to an attack. If successful, you deal the extra damage and immediately are ejected from your host. You go into a wandering period. If you slay a target creature with this attack, you do not incur any increase in your death toll due to being ejected.
Toll Strike II: Req: Character level 12, Toll Strike. Benefit: As Toll Strike, but making the attack does not automatically eject you. You must make a Fortitude Save each time to avoid ejection. DC is equal to your death toll. If you fail the save, you are ejected. If you slay a creature with this attack, you are also ejected.e
Wandering Body: Req: Character Level 14, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit. Benefit: As Wandering Spirit, except that you can move up to one mile from the point of your death. You can also reach out and touch living creatures. They cannot see you, but they can detect you through any means that would detect an incorporeal creature. Once touched, you may speak with them. If they are unwilling, they may make a Will Save to avoid your contact, DC 10 + your character level + your charisma modifier. If successful, you cannot communicate with them. In addition to communicating, you can impart an insight bonus to attack, AC and prevent flanking bonuses if you so desire. You can impart a +2 to attack and AC.
Wandering Sight: Req: Character Level 6. Benefit: Your incorporeal form can see what happens around your corpse following death or ejection. You can remain for a number of minutes equal to your character level plus your charisma modifier. You can also only remain within 10 ft per character level of the point of death and can only see an area 10 ft across centered on you. You can move only 5 ft per round. You remain invisible and cannot be interacted with except by effects that target incorporeal creatures. If you are attacked and dealt any damage, you cease to be able to use Wandering Sight and resume normal wandering: blindly.
Wandering Spirit: Req: Character Level 8, Wandering Sight. Benefit: As Wandering Sight, except that you can see an area that is 20 ft across and can move as far as 100 ft per character level from the point of your death. Your move at a speed of 30 ft per round. In addition to sight, you can also hear, though hearing is limited to only those sources you can see.
Wandering Vengeance: Req: Character Level 20, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit, Wandering Body. Benefit: As Wandering Body, except you can deal an attack to living creatures. Your attack uses your Dexterity modifier to deliver a touch attack. You deal 1d6 + Charisma modifier in damage for every 2 HD/levels you possess.
Death Toll and Waking Sickness
The true impact of your death toll is when you finally do awaken into a new host and have to deal with the effects of continual death. Here are the following effects of waking, including having only a death toll of 1. These include effects of failing or passing the Fortitude save made upon possessing a host. If your death toll is at one level, you always gain the failing penalties of previous levels. If you pass at one level, you suffer the affects of passing at previous levels. In other words, these effects are cumulative with each other.
Death Toll
Pass
Fail
1
No effects. Begin play with full threshold in HP.
During your waking period, you cannot gain more than your threshold in HP.
2-8
You are staggered and sickened for 1 minute
You are staggered and sickened for 1 hour.
9-16
You fall unconscious for 1 round per character level. Upon gaining consciousness you are staggerd and sickened for 1 hour.
You fall unconscious for 1 hour per character level. Upon gaining consciousness you are staggered and sickened for the remainder of your waking period.
17-32
You begin with 0 HP. Upon gaining consciousness you are fatigued for the remainder of the day.
For the rest of your waking period, you cannot gain more than 0 HP. Any you gain is temporary and reduces at a rate of 1d6 per round.
33-48
You fall unconscious for the rest of your waking period.
You fall unconscious for the rest of your waking period. After that, you are sickened and cannot gain any HP above your threshold for another 2 days. Any additional gain is temporary and reduces at a rate of 1d6 per round.
49-64
Your sickened and temporary HP statuses remain for 4 days after your waking period.
Instead of -2 while sickened, you suffer -6.
65+
Your sickened and temporary HP statuses remain for 7 days.
Your sickened and temporary HP statuses remain for 14 days.
I originally played this at the table and my DM had more complicated rules. Though, these do seem more complicated when I re-typed them up. I omitted a lot of the complexity with the possession but maintained a lot of the saving throws and checks. I do plan on adding some other balancing and clarifications. I do want to use this in a game here, so I want to make sure it makes sense and won't become the obstacle. It seems a little daunting though.
Art of Dying
This post(s) will detail out my multi-free-rez/possession mechanic. It’s somewhat complicated, and there are definitions sure. So let’s go over the basics here. You die, and you die a lot if this mechanic is being used in the game. But you are reincarnated for free, but instead of your own newly and magically-grown body, you take over an NPC who had a life. They can resist your attempt if they are high enough level. And if you die too often, you start to go mad. So let’s go over what happens at each stage of the process. There will be terms you don’t fully know yet. Just understand that you’ll learn their definitions soon after.
When you die…
Here’s the process of what happens when you die.
1. You die. You took enough damage or failed a particular saving throw. You’re dead. Immediately after, for 1 round per your Charisma Modifier, you can be raised via various spells except reincarnation or the like. If your host/body is turned into an undead creature, however, you cannot be raised and go into wandering.
2. Upon dying, increase your death toll by your character level. Even if you are immediately raised, you still increase your death toll.
3. If you are not immediately raised, you go into wandering. During this stage, you are incorporeal but cannot interact with anything around you. You don’t know where you are and cannot see or hear or receive really any sensory information about what’s going on. You’re blind, deaf and just waiting around.
4. If this is your first time dying, you start off at 0 Death Toll and this death does not increase it.
When you wander for a host…
5. You wander for a period of 24 hours. During this time, your incorporeal and invisible form wanders around looking for a suitable body. For all intents and purposes, you cannot really be interacted with. Someone that goes around looking for incorporeal forms really won’t find you. But, if someone has protections against incorporeal creatures, you cannot possess them.
6. If you died within 24 hours of having just previously died, you must add the remainder of that 24 hour period to your next wandering period. So, say you possessed someone. Eight hours later you died. You must wander for an additional 16 hours on top of the 24 hour period acquired from your most recent death. Explained again below.
7. After your wandering period, you randomly attempt to possess someone at random within range of the effect. Under normal circumstances, you cannot stop this. There are feats which can let you change who and when, but for the most part you’re going to try.
8. Your target host receives a Will save if they are over level 1 in any class, heroic or otherwise, or if they are over any HD amount that would make their ECL greater than 2. They must also be sentient and playable as a character. The DC is equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier + your HD/Level. Any character who has more than ECL 1 (by whatever means) receives +8 to their Saving throw. If they have more HD/Levels than you, they receive +12.
9. If they succeed, you are resisted and return to wandering for a number of hours equal to the amount by which they succeeded the saving throw. Your death toll is reduced by 1.
10. If they fail, you possess them.
When you’ve found that perfect someone…
11. After successfully possessing a new host, you must make a Fortitude Save against a DC 10 + host HD/levels + host combined mental modifiers + your death toll. This represents your ability to resist the sudden and traumatic process of possessing a functioning and living person, forcing their personality into the back of your mind and suddenly becoming aware of their body.
12. If you succeed, you are in control of their body.
13. If you fail, depending on how badly you fail and how high your death toll is, you can suffer anywhere from just starting off with 0 HP and being exhausted to being unconscious and cripple for several days after.
14. Regardless of success or failure, you will come crashing into the other’s personality, memories and such. You will immediately know their most recent memories, what they were doing, how they felt, and some other things about them. Including their last thoughts as they felt their body being stolen from them.
15. You will also have a rapidly dwindling sense of where your last body was. Along with all the gear that does not come with you. This starts off as an absolute compass direction with distance. Then it fades by the minute until you cannot perceive anything. This is based on your Wisdom modifier. You get 1 minute per wisdom modifier.
What happens in your new duds
16. When you died the first time, your ability scores are turned into modifiers. Your modifiers are applied to the new form’s stats and that’s your new body.
17. Your level, alignment, skill points, feats and class abilities pretty much stay the same.
18. Your hitpoints are reduced to your new threshold.
19. At the start of every new day you are alive in your new body, beyond the first, you get to make a character level check. DC equals your death toll. If you fail, nothing really happens. If you succeed, your death toll falls by 1. Your death toll can never reach 0. If you roll a natural 20 on the check, your death toll goes down by 2.
20. You are still not fully cemented to your body and are in your waking period. For at least 1 day after possessing someone, you can be ejected from their body if you are dropped to -1 or fewer Hit Points. The body may still be alive, but just without you in it. Also, any death effect also immediately ejects you. If you make the save against the effect, the body doesn’t die immediately, but you are ejected.
21. If you die sometime within this 24-hour waking period, you must wander for the remainder of that 24-hour period on top of the normal 24-hour period of wandering after death, as explained above as well.
New Terms and Processes
Death Toll: This is a value that represents how often you have died. It starts off as your character level. It cannot be less than 1. However, there is no limit to how high it can go. Every day you are alive, you have a chance to reduce your death toll by 1. You do this by making a character level check against your own death toll. If you succeed, the death toll goes down by 1. If you get a natural 20 on the check, it goes down by 2. If you do not succeed, your death toll remains where it is and you can suffer a penalty. Mostly, your death toll serves as a type of madness. Detrimental effects are applied to you when you possess a body and you fail the fortitude save to resist possession sickness.
Wandering: This is the period of time after death and before possession. You are incorporeal during this time; though really, nothing can actually interact with you. Except barriers that block incorporeal creatures such as various spell effects. You can also be turned while in this state, though you cannot be destroyed by turning. There are abilities you can gain that can make your corporeal during your wandering, but that comes with great risks of extending your wandering period and forcing you back into incorporeality.
Waking: This is the first day after you possess a body and represents your unfamiliarity with it. Under normal circumstances, this lasts for 24 hours. During this time you can be ejected from the body in a similar way to it dying. For your purposes, it would be considered a death. It increases your death toll, starts a new wandering period, etc. You can be ejected by being reduced to -1 HP or fewer regardless of stabilization or survivability. Any death effect also immediately ejects you even if you make the save. Making the save only means that your former host is still alive.
Ejection: This term is used to refer to being forced out of a host, usually during your waking period. Though your host may still live, this is treated as a death for you. You incur an increase to your death toll and enter a wandering period.
Ability Modifiers: Your ability scores become base modifiers that are applied to each new host you receive. These modifiers are equal to your base ability score minus 5 then divided by 2. A score of 18 is thus a 6. Apply 6 to whatever score the new host has. Yes, this might result in a lower score than what you had. It almost certainly unless you got ahold of a host that had at least a 12 in the example above. Sucks a bit. Good thing there are feats which let you unlock your fuller potential. Also, normally, you cannot have a combined score that is higher than your score or your hosts’ nature core, whichever is higher. If your score is 14 and theirs is 18, you get their 18. Congrats! That won’t normally happen though. Thus, if your host has an Int of 8, but yours is 12, you combine to get an 11. Yes, you might lose some casting ability due to your limited body.
Gestalt: If you are playing as a gestalt, your first death becomes the moment when you are gestalt. Until then, you’re just one side of the gestalt. Don’t worry about keeping things fully separated. Create your character as if they will be gestalt from the beginning. Just separate out the easy things like HP, BAB, class abilities and otherwise. But build the character with gestalt in mind.
Threshold: This is equal to your constitution score. You die when you reach negative threshold in HP. Explanation of your threshold are found elsewhere.
Art of Dying Character Progression
Level
Bonus Feats
Abilities
5th
Possession
6th
Bonus Feat
7th
Bonus Feat
Stabilize
8th
Bonus Feat
9th
10th
Bonus Feat
Deathwatch (sp)
11th
Bonus Feat
12th
Bonus Feat
13th
Death Knell (sp)
14th
Bonus Feat
15th
Bonus Feat
16th
Bonus Feat
17th
Death Knell, continuous
18th
Bonus Feat
19th
Bonus Feat
20th
Bonus Feat
Possession: The whole mechanic of dying and possessing someone above.
Stabilize (Su): You get two attempts to stabilize per round instead of just 1.
Deathwatch (Sp): You gain deathwatch as a spell-like ability usable at-will.
Death Knell (Sp): You gain death knell as a spell-like ability usable at-will. Every time you benefit from this spell, your death toll increases by the HD/level of the creature slain.
Death Knell, Continuous: As death knell above, but you cannot turn the effect off. It can only be dispelled for a number of rounds equal to the caster level of whoever targets you with an effect that would remove death knell.
Bonus Feats
Feat Name
Requisites
Description
Improved Numbers
--
Improve your ability scores after possession if they are still below your base scores.
Improved Numbers II
Character Level 12, Improved Numbers
Use your base scores if they are better.
Improved Numbers III
Character Level 16, Improved Numbers, Improved Numbers II
If your host has the same or better ability score, gain +2.
Lingering Control
Character Level 6, Diehard
Once dead, remain for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma Modifier
Palliation
Character Level 8
Donate your remaining HP to another creature
Palliation II
Character Level 10, Palliation
Donate your remaining HP to another creature
Picky Guest
--
Get a general idea of your target host before possession.
Rapid Possession
Character level 6
You can possess someone in 12 hours instead of 24.
Rapid Possession II
Character level 8, Rapid Possession
You can possess someone in 1 hour instead of 24.
Rapid Possession III
Character level 12, Rapid Possession, Rapid Possession II
You can possess someone immediately following death
Resist Death
--
Gain resistance against death effects
Resist Death, Immunity
Character Level 10, Resist Death
Gain immunity to death effects
Resist Death, Retribution
Character Level 16, Resist Death, Immunity Resist Death
Turn a death effect against its originator
Toll Strike
Character Level 6
Make an attack that kills you but deals extra damage
Toll Strike II
Character level 12, Toll Strike
Make an attack that could kill you and deal extra damage
Wandering Body
Character Level 14, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit
Your incorporeal form can interact with the living
Wandering Sight
Character Level 6
See what happens after your death.
Wandering Spirit
Character Level 8, Wandering Sight
Your incorporeal form can see and move about.
Wandering Vengeance
Character Level 20, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit, Wandering Body
You can attack in your incorporeal form
Improved Numbers: Req: None. Benefit: If, after combining yours and your host’s ability scores, the result is still less than your base ability scores, then receive half the difference. For example, if your base ability score is 18 but your host’s score is 10, you would normally receive a score of 14. Instead, with this feat, you will receive a 16. You can chose this feat for one of your ability scores. You can take this feat multiple times, each time applying it to a different ability score.
Improved Numbers II: Req: Character Level 12, Improved Numbers. Benefit: If your base scores are higher than the combined score with your host, then use your base scores. Taking this feat automatically applies it to any of your ability scores for which you have taken Improved Numbers.
Improved Numbers III: Req: Character Level 16, Improved Numbers, Improved Numbers II. Benefit: If your host has the same score or better than you in a particular ability score, improve that score by +2. You can take this feat multiple times, each time applying it to an ability score that you have also taken Improved Numbers.
Lingering Control: Req: Character Level 6, Diehard. Benefit: If you die by any means except a death effect or being ejected, such as by reaching negative threshold or -10 HP, then you may continue to control your body for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma Bonus. During these rounds, damage essentially inconsequential. You can still be slain via a death effect or by being beheaded.
Palliation: Req: Character Level 8. Benefit: You can make a touch against a willing target and donate hit points to that target. Doing so drops you to 0 HP. The target receives a number of hit points equal to one-half your remaining, non-temporary hit points at the time of the touch. These temporary hit points cannot cause the target creature to exceed their maximum hit points. This requires a willing target, so it cannot be used to damage an undead creature.
Palliation II: Req: Character Level 10, Palliation. Benefit: As Palliation, except you donate the full remaining amount of your HP as temporary hit points. Doing so drops you to -1 HP rendering you unconscious but stable.
Picky Guest: Req: None. Benefit: Before attempting possession of a potential host, you can get a look at their body and get an idea of their ability scores though not exact figures. You can then chose not to possess that target creature and move on to another. Doing so raises your death toll by 2 and requires an additional 12 hours of wandering. You can do this a total number of times equal to your character level.
Rapid Possession: Req: Character Level 6. Benefit: You can choose to have your wandering period cut to 12 hours instead of 24. This does not reduce the extra wandering hours added on by dying within a day of possessing another body. Doing so increases your death toll by 2.
Rapid Possession II: Req: Character level 8, Rapid Possession. Benefit: As Rapid Possession, except that you can reduce your wandering to 1 hour. Doing so increases your death toll by 6.
Rapid Possession III: Req: Character level 12, Rapid Possession, Rapid Possession II. Benefit: As Rapid Possession, except your wandering period of eliminated entirely. Doing so increases your death toll by 12.
Resist Death: Req: None. Benefit: You gain a +8 resistance to any effect that would cause instant death. This includes effects such as death from massive damage, finger of death spell or similar effects. This does not protect you against ejection during your waking period as those can affect you without a save. You still get this bonus during the saving throw, however, to affect your host.
Resist Death, Immunity: Req: Character Level 10, Resist Death. Benefit: You gain an immunity to death effects. This does not protect you against ejection during your waking period. In such instances, your host remains alive while you are ejected.
Resist Death, Retribution: Req: Character Level 16, Resist Death, Immunity Resist Death. Benefit: Any death effect directed at you damages the source of the death effect, such as a caster or creature with a death attack, dealing 1d6 magical damage per your death toll. If the target creature is also immune to death effects, this has no effect on them.
Toll Strike: Req: Character Level 6. Benefit: You can deliver an attack that deals extra damage. Take your current death toll and apply it as extra magical damage to an attack. If successful, you deal the extra damage and immediately are ejected from your host. You go into a wandering period. If you slay a target creature with this attack, you do not incur any increase in your death toll due to being ejected.
Toll Strike II: Req: Character level 12, Toll Strike. Benefit: As Toll Strike, but making the attack does not automatically eject you. You must make a Fortitude Save each time to avoid ejection. DC is equal to your death toll. If you fail the save, you are ejected. If you slay a creature with this attack, you are also ejected.e
Wandering Body: Req: Character Level 14, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit. Benefit: As Wandering Spirit, except that you can move up to one mile from the point of your death. You can also reach out and touch living creatures. They cannot see you, but they can detect you through any means that would detect an incorporeal creature. Once touched, you may speak with them. If they are unwilling, they may make a Will Save to avoid your contact, DC 10 + your character level + your charisma modifier. If successful, you cannot communicate with them. In addition to communicating, you can impart an insight bonus to attack, AC and prevent flanking bonuses if you so desire. You can impart a +2 to attack and AC.
Wandering Sight: Req: Character Level 6. Benefit: Your incorporeal form can see what happens around your corpse following death or ejection. You can remain for a number of minutes equal to your character level plus your charisma modifier. You can also only remain within 10 ft per character level of the point of death and can only see an area 10 ft across centered on you. You can move only 5 ft per round. You remain invisible and cannot be interacted with except by effects that target incorporeal creatures. If you are attacked and dealt any damage, you cease to be able to use Wandering Sight and resume normal wandering: blindly.
Wandering Spirit: Req: Character Level 8, Wandering Sight. Benefit: As Wandering Sight, except that you can see an area that is 20 ft across and can move as far as 100 ft per character level from the point of your death. Your move at a speed of 30 ft per round. In addition to sight, you can also hear, though hearing is limited to only those sources you can see.
Wandering Vengeance: Req: Character Level 20, Wandering Sight, Wandering Spirit, Wandering Body. Benefit: As Wandering Body, except you can deal an attack to living creatures. Your attack uses your Dexterity modifier to deliver a touch attack. You deal 1d6 + Charisma modifier in damage for every 2 HD/levels you possess.
Death Toll and Waking Sickness
The true impact of your death toll is when you finally do awaken into a new host and have to deal with the effects of continual death. Here are the following effects of waking, including having only a death toll of 1. These include effects of failing or passing the Fortitude save made upon possessing a host. If your death toll is at one level, you always gain the failing penalties of previous levels. If you pass at one level, you suffer the affects of passing at previous levels. In other words, these effects are cumulative with each other.
Death Toll
Pass
Fail
1
No effects. Begin play with full threshold in HP.
During your waking period, you cannot gain more than your threshold in HP.
2-8
You are staggered and sickened for 1 minute
You are staggered and sickened for 1 hour.
9-16
You fall unconscious for 1 round per character level. Upon gaining consciousness you are staggerd and sickened for 1 hour.
You fall unconscious for 1 hour per character level. Upon gaining consciousness you are staggered and sickened for the remainder of your waking period.
17-32
You begin with 0 HP. Upon gaining consciousness you are fatigued for the remainder of the day.
For the rest of your waking period, you cannot gain more than 0 HP. Any you gain is temporary and reduces at a rate of 1d6 per round.
33-48
You fall unconscious for the rest of your waking period.
You fall unconscious for the rest of your waking period. After that, you are sickened and cannot gain any HP above your threshold for another 2 days. Any additional gain is temporary and reduces at a rate of 1d6 per round.
49-64
Your sickened and temporary HP statuses remain for 4 days after your waking period.
Instead of -2 while sickened, you suffer -6.
65+
Your sickened and temporary HP statuses remain for 7 days.
Your sickened and temporary HP statuses remain for 14 days.