Deep One Hybrid questions

[Gibblewrett]

So I have a player who is a deep one hybrid, and he has chosen to start Venerable aged. It reads when they die:

Final Change (Su) A deep one hybrid ages at the same rate as a half-orc. A mere 1d12 months after a deep one hybrid reaches venerable age (at 60 years old), it dies a painful, agonizing death, only to have its body transform into that of a mature deep one. This transformation functions as the reincarnate spell, with the newly formed deep one gaining the following modifications to its physical ability scores: +6 Strength, –2 Dexterity, and +6 Constitution.


Aside from this being just a brutal way to start at level 1 so I'm down with it, I am curious what some of the text means.

So it says as the reincarnate spell, I assume that means with in at least a week of this player dying he will rise again. Instead of being random though it will be a Mature Deep One.

I guess mature does not matter since a deep one is immortal from aging. So does that mean there is no longer any penalties or bonuses to the stats?

Does changing into this deep one, mean they gain 1 racial hit dice because the stat block shows 2 HD. Or do they get 2 racial hit dice?

As a GM would you rule they become CE, or do would it maybe match the divinity to which they become obsessed with? (I understand this is purely a GM call but I want to know your thoughts)

It also says - A deep one can activate spell-trigger items like staves and wands as if it were a spellcaster of the appropriate class, so is it only wands and staves or literally anything because pretty much all magical devices are activated by spell triggers right?

Thanks all!

[ExLibrisMortis]

I'm pretty sure your player is trying to cheese out some extra HD/stats at level 1, because if your monster race has 2 HD, you keep both (you don't replace one).

Aging-wise, I'd imagine you stop being venerable, but I think the rules state that your scores increase when reaching mature/old/venerable age, not that they are boosted while at that age, so you keep the increases (and decreases).

Not all magic items use spell triggers, but the ones that don't are usually easy to use by anyone (like potions and many wondrous items).

[Gibblewrett]

It's fine, I've already rolled when they will die, and it won't be until they are well into level 4 maybe even 5, and if they play their cards right level 7, at which point I'm not really concerned. It's an evil module and I have them on slow progression with only four people.

I'm totally fine with people using age bonuses.

And I know at least one of the people are getting craft wondrous items so they could realistically have offset the penalties anyway.


as far as the 2 extra HD, im not concerned because I will call those character levels and it just means over all he'll never get above 18. (price to pay for everything!)

So you're saying he may just end up offsetting the penalties from age, but also keep the mental advantages?

[ExLibrisMortis]

So you're saying he may just end up offsetting the penalties from age, but also keep the mental advantages?
Well, yeah sort of. I mean, the str/con reductions are still there, but with the +6es from the template, you just about avoid the real depths of having a penalty to "not dying" and "moving stuff incl. self". The net result would be -8 dexterity and +3 to all mental ability scores, which is decent (until you start looking at (touch) AC, ranged touch attacks, and initiative).

[DrMotives]

I know what a Deep One is because I've read Innsmouth, but what source are you getting Deep Ones from? I've not run across them anywhere in 3.x

[inuyasha]

I know what a Deep One is because I've read Innsmouth, but what source are you getting Deep Ones from? I've not run across them anywhere in 3.x

In this case, they're referring to the Deep One stats from Pathfinder's Bestiary 5 (http://legacy.aonprd.com/bestiary5/deepOnes.html)

[Aka-chan]

I guess mature does not matter since a deep one is immortal from aging. So does that mean there is no longer any penalties or bonuses to the stats?

There are a few prestige classes where the capstone ability is turning into a fey or outsider which, like deep ones, don't age. The way those are generally handled is that any bonuses/penalties already accrued remain, but you don't get any new ones. I would assume this works in the same way.




As a GM would you rule they become CE, or do would it maybe match the divinity to which they become obsessed with? (I understand this is purely a GM call but I want to know your thoughts)


For alignment, I would say they become Evil of some sort, but their position on the Law-Chaos axis would depend on the character's goals and outlook.

[noob]

There are a few prestige classes where the capstone ability is turning into a fey or outsider which, like deep ones, don't age. The way those are generally handled is that any bonuses/penalties already accrued remain, but you don't get any new ones. I would assume this works in the same way.





For alignment, I would say they become Evil of some sort, but their position on the Law-Chaos axis would depend on the character's goals and outlook.

That is quite fun to imagine bob the cleric of a good god which then evolves and lose his spellcasting.
A weird interaction is that in fact neutral clerics which picks the turn undead ability are unable to gain an evil alignment since they can not change their kind of power they have over undead and that becoming evil would give them rebuke undead.
so a neutral cleric with turn undead would not gain an evil alignement when it evolves but a good cleric would gain an evil alignement on evolution.