Axle-Gear
2018-01-27, 02:22 AM
There's an odd little fixation I have from time to time while browsing the pfsrd, and a challenge I'd like to see realized, in literally 'building' a character within a campaign, using RAW. I mean, most higher level stuff leaves characters playing as near gods, so why the heck not? Part of the challenge is following a couple of stipulations, of course:
1) No wish or miracle type spells.
2) All base materials must be non-living and inorganic.
3) Creating intelligent undead or constructs doesn't count. We're looking to create a living humanoid.
4) The resulting creature cannot merely be a copy of another, existing creature. Otherwise this whole thing nearly stops at Simulacrum.
I don't know how often anyone else has tried to tackle this problem, but any solution I derive seems to come back to Polymorph Any Object. My plan involves sculpting a statue in a desired likeness, using Stone to Flesh to turn it into inert flesh, and casting said Polymorph Any Object on the resulting mass to transform it into a human. Pending GM discretion, I figure the duration factors add up to permanent. There's +5 for same kingdom (animal), and +2 for same size. Where interpretation comes in is getting one or both of related (sculpture of humanoid into that humanoid) or same class (mammal? humanoid? This one gets a bit looser in drawing the connection).
Assuming our GM allows that crucial last +2 to get us to 9+ in the duration factor, we now have permanently created... a human with STR/DEX/CON 10 and INT/WIS/CHA 5.
Huh... A bit underwhelming for the effort put in. Theoretically, we can bring this humanoid up to speed with Tome of X items or wish spells, but that requires a LOT of resources to produce a mediocre adventurer.
But I know I'm terrible at optimizing, and maybe someone out there might have a better approach to this theoretical Frankenstein scheme? How would any of you out there tinker in God's domain? :D
1) No wish or miracle type spells.
2) All base materials must be non-living and inorganic.
3) Creating intelligent undead or constructs doesn't count. We're looking to create a living humanoid.
4) The resulting creature cannot merely be a copy of another, existing creature. Otherwise this whole thing nearly stops at Simulacrum.
I don't know how often anyone else has tried to tackle this problem, but any solution I derive seems to come back to Polymorph Any Object. My plan involves sculpting a statue in a desired likeness, using Stone to Flesh to turn it into inert flesh, and casting said Polymorph Any Object on the resulting mass to transform it into a human. Pending GM discretion, I figure the duration factors add up to permanent. There's +5 for same kingdom (animal), and +2 for same size. Where interpretation comes in is getting one or both of related (sculpture of humanoid into that humanoid) or same class (mammal? humanoid? This one gets a bit looser in drawing the connection).
Assuming our GM allows that crucial last +2 to get us to 9+ in the duration factor, we now have permanently created... a human with STR/DEX/CON 10 and INT/WIS/CHA 5.
Huh... A bit underwhelming for the effort put in. Theoretically, we can bring this humanoid up to speed with Tome of X items or wish spells, but that requires a LOT of resources to produce a mediocre adventurer.
But I know I'm terrible at optimizing, and maybe someone out there might have a better approach to this theoretical Frankenstein scheme? How would any of you out there tinker in God's domain? :D