Fire healing uber nationalist

[Jack_McSnatch]

It's almost my turn in the story circle, and I'm looking to give a villain the ability to heal via fire damage, but I can't seem to find any spells or abilities that do that. Yes, I COULD just rule zero it, but I try to stick with established mechanics as often as I can.

Villain breakdown, he's a lawful evil ex-adventurer noble, dedicated to his kingdom. He essentially wants to make his kingdom a global superpower and he's willing to do literally anything to ensure that comes to pass, regardless of who gets trampled in the process.

Level 12 at least, maybe up to 15. Still a proto build, as he's sort of just a miss mash of things that the characters won't be very good against. Mostly feats... Yes. He is the dreaded straight fighter so far. High dex build with a cane sword. He can lock the sword in and use it as a cane. Spinning defense, cause the party has two ranged characters. Mage slayer for the cleric, improved expertise for the duskblade, and pierce magic protection because all of them have some. Iaijustu for damage purposes. Considering twf and dead aim feats so he can throw some beastly fire attacks with produce flame, see below.

He is NOT a caster. Sorry optimizers. He has a heavy martial bent, and a pretty great disdain for those who can't solve their problems without the help of magic. (He took the mage slayer feats.) I am open to nonmagic options, including tome of battle.

That's not to say he doesn't use things like magic items, and that brings us to his ring. The Ring of Exhalted Flame. Epic level magic ring, fluff is that it gives the wearer control over all forms of fire. Their fire can hurt even things immune to fire, and -the part I started this thread about- fire heals them. The ring is permenantly attached to him. He can't take it off til he's dead. It's abilities are a permenant produce flame spell at max caster, with the searing spell metamagic feat. Control flame and fireball a few times per day each. Maybe pyrotechnics. I haven't decided all its powers quite yet.

Game is mid optimization. A psychic warrior/master thrower using SRD mind blade feats. He can throw a lot of powerful weapons, that can trip with every attack, but forgets he also has psychic powers. A ranger, super basic I-shoot-a-bow build, but he uses spellstoring arrows. He loves fireballs. Cleric is competantly built. Can spend turn undead to maximize his spells, but he's not a combat cleric. He might inflict wounds, or bestow curse, but he's old and rolled low hp. He's squishy. The duskblade is mine. Barb/duskblade/rage mage with expanded spell list, built to wear heavy armor and smash. Does a ton of damage in combat, has a lot of knowledge, and even a high diplomacy, but otherwise he has all the weaknesses you'd expect of a duskblade. No rogue character

Woo that's a wall. If you read all that, ideas? Suggestions?

[umbergod]

Fire Genasi can heal via fire with a feat iirc

[Buddy76]

DMG II has a unique npc ability called stormtouched (page 160). Basically the character survived a lightning strike as a baby and now heals 1 hit point for every 3 points of electricity damage that they would take from an attack (plus they get a couple of storm themed SLAs they can cast once a week) . You could change the fluff to firetouched, adjusting the damage type and changing the SLAs.

Fiend Folio has a planetouched race called Mechanatrix (descended from a denizen of Mechanus) that has the same ability as a character with stormtouched. You could, once again, change the damage type but I don't know if your villain already has a race.

It's not exactly fire healing, but could also give him the Spellfire Wielder feat, granting him some blasting and some healing.

Other than those, I don't know of any RAW way to heal through fire.

[One Step Two]

Book of Exalted Deeds has the Energetic Healing spell, a 5th level Divine Spell that makes a target Immune to one energy type, and heals 10% of the damage they would take from that source. The spell normally ends once it heals the target for a certain amount of HP, but embedding it into a Magic item, especially an epic one, can leave it on all day. Other flavourful abilities might include a Fireshield spell effect

I hope this helps!

[BowStreetRunner]

Fire Genasi can heal via fire with a feat iircI believe this is the Healing Flames feat from Races of Faerûn. It uses their Control Flame (Sp) ability which is 1/day, only works with nonmagical fire, and only heals 3d6 hp for a medium creature.

[Nifft]

There's a Soulmeld for that!

Phoenix Belt (Totemist) gives reduces fire damage, and gives you fast healing when it reduces fire damage. If you're immune to fire damage, then you just keep hitting yourself with fireballs or whatever, and (with DM permission) put the belt's fire resistance before your other fire immunity.

[Buddy76]

Not related to fire healing, but swordsage would be perfect for this character. Desert Wind has fire-themed maneuvers and if you decide to go for twf, Tiger Claw is also pretty good.

[Darrin]

Dragonborn Cleric 9 substitution level (Races of the Dragon p. 107), "Energy Sustenance (Su)" will heal you 1 HP per 3 points of fire damage.

[Afgncaap5]

Any 3rd party stuff allowable? Spheres of Power could fashion something like that pretty easily.

The general drawback of Material Casting (Glimmers of Fire) could allow/require a caster to be using the direct application of Fire for any healing or debuffing that such a villain might need, for instance. Apart from that, I'd say either the reworked Stormtouched NPC trait or the Phoenix Belt would be ways to handle it using 1st party stuff.

[BowStreetRunner]

How many of these abilities can be stacked on a single NPC?

[WhamBamSam]

In addition to making the Hairy Spider LA+0, the Monsters of Faerun update document made the Giant Strider, a 2 HD Magical Beast with Fire healing, LA+1. It only has Int 1, but hey.

Both of the Fire Healing creatures I know of (the aforementioned Giant Strider and the Ash Rat from MMII) have it as an (Ex) special quality, which means you unfortunately can't get it by form changing without being a Master Transmogrifist (or a Planar Shepherd if there's a selectable plane that they would live on).

[Nifft]

the Giant Strider, a 2 HD Magical Beast with Fire healing, LA+1. It only has Int 1, but hey.

The NPC is an uber-nationalist, so a low Int score might be in character.

[SangoProduction]

The NPC is an uber-nationalist, so a low Int score might be in character.

Should probably leave politics at the door, joke as it may be.

[Hish]

Phoelarches (MM3 121) heal one point of damage for every three points of fire damage they would take. I like the idea of a Phoelarch sitting in the campfire every night healing up to full health.

[Jack_McSnatch]

Sorry for the wait, been stuck working the last few days

These are all great suggestions! I never thought to look in BoED for an energy healing spell. I do have to go with the spell, as it's a magic item doing it, not the character himself, and if the characters DO manage to kill him before he flees, yes, they can get the ring, and the fire healing it comes with. I'll definitely be setting it higher than 1 for 10 though. 1 for 3 seems to be the standard based on these other abilities.

I did in fact replace some fighter levels with swordsage, as per Buddy's suggestion. Mostly desert wind, but he's got a few diamond mind, and tiger claw manuevers. Would it be broken for his various fire damage manuevers to do searing fire? As far as I can figure it'd be a strong ability, but nothing overwhelming. The PC's don't typically use resistance spells or abilities, but it'd be a nasty surprise if they tried it, and he hurt them anyway.

Manuevers, in no particular order, are; Flashing sun, sapphire nightmare, counter charge, leaping flame, fire riposte, ruby nightmare, searing blade, searing charge, pouncing charge, claw at the moon, desert tempest, and rapid counter. Stances are step of the wind, shifting defense, and blood in the water. Was thinking pearl of black doubt, but this guy already has a high AC. I don't need him becoming thoroughly untouchable.

I'm not very familiar with ToB. Can I use multiple strike manuevers at once? For instance could I combine searing charge with pouncing charge to fly at the enemy, and get a full attack where all my attacks get +4d6 fire? Any manuever I should be taking instead? I feel he's got a pretty good setup already, but I dunno. Maybe I missed something amazing.

[Aresneo]

I'm not very familiar with ToB. Can I use multiple strike manuevers at once? For instance could I combine searing charge with pouncing charge to fly at the enemy, and get a full attack where all my attacks get +4d6 fire? Any manuever I should be taking instead? I feel he's got a pretty good setup already, but I dunno. Maybe I missed something amazing.

Strikes are a standard action to activate and do not stack. However boosts are a swift action and can stack if you have multiple swift actions to activate them.

[OgresAreCute]

In addition to making the Hairy Spider LA+0, the Monsters of Faerun update document made the Giant Strider, a 2 HD Magical Beast with Fire healing, LA+1. It only has Int 1, but hey.

Both of the Fire Healing creatures I know of (the aforementioned Giant Strider and the Ash Rat from MMII) have it as an (Ex) special quality, which means you unfortunately can't get it by form changing without being a Master Transmogrifist (or a Planar Shepherd if there's a selectable plane that they would live on).

You can grab Ex abilities through wild shape by casting Enhance Wild Shape (4th level druid spell, Spell Compendium) or by taking 7 levels in the Master of Many Forms prestige class (Complete Adventurer) too. Doubt either of those will be relevant for this NPC, but hey.

[Katie Boundary]

The NPC is an uber-nationalist, so a low Int score might be in character.

It depends on what kind of nationalist they are. If it's the "the dirt on my side of the imaginary line is better than the dirt on your side" kind of nationalist, then yes... very low int. If they're the "good fences make good neighbors" kind of nationalist, then high int might be more fitting.

And that's as political as I'm going to get here.

[Nifft]

Villain breakdown, he's a lawful evil ex-adventurer noble, dedicated to his kingdom. He essentially wants to make his kingdom a global superpower and he's willing to do literally anything to ensure that comes to pass, regardless of who gets trampled in the process.


It depends on what kind of nationalist they are. If it's the "the dirt on my side of the imaginary line is better than the dirt on your side" kind of nationalist, then yes... very low int. If they're the "good fences make good neighbors" kind of nationalist, then high int might be more fitting.

And that's as political as I'm going to get here.

It's a villain whose goal is world-domination by trampling upon others, so it's probably not the good kind of anything.

-- -- --

Anyway, back on topic: the Soulmeld will fit into pretty much any build, on a vast majority of playable races -- having a waist slot is pretty common.

For another weird effect, how about an Iron Golem (perhaps as a mount) with an affinity link of some kind? If you could share damage / healing effects between yourself and the golem, you'd get its fire healing. Also you could make its head into a throne to look cool. Get yourself some poison immunity, perhaps with an enchanted Bane mask.

Ooo, or maybe the Half-Golem template? I think you get the magic immunity trait of the "parent" golem's type, and the Iron Golem (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/golem.htm#ironGolem)'s fire healing is a sub-paragraph within the immunity to magic trait.

[OgresAreCute]

Ooo, or maybe the Half-Golem template? I think you get the magic immunity trait of the "parent" golem's type, and the Iron Golem (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/golem.htm#ironGolem)'s fire healing is a sub-paragraph within the immunity to magic trait.

Half-golem (iron) would work, in addition to doing a lot of other stuff. Also, cyborgs are cool.

[WhamBamSam]

You can grab Ex abilities through wild shape by casting Enhance Wild Shape (4th level druid spell, Spell Compendium) or by taking 7 levels in the Master of Many Forms prestige class (Complete Adventurer) too. Doubt either of those will be relevant for this NPC, but hey.MoMF can't Wild Shape into magical beasts. Strange, but true.

The Phoelarch mentioned above and the related Phoera have (Su) healing by fire though. The Phoelarch being 7 HD and the Phoera being a Magical Beast means that you need something with a bit more oomph than Alter Self without chicanery, but they do at least make it a bit easier.