This Ability is Mine

[Pippin]

Hi there.

Recently I've been looking for all possible ways to steal or copy another creature's abilities (of any kind, but mainly extraordinary and supernatural). I've gathered a short list but I'm sure it is not complete yet.

Spells:

Ability Rip (Serpent Kingdoms)
Polymorph (Player Handbook)
Polymorph Any Object (Player Handbook)
Shapechange (Player Handbook)

Powers:

Feat Leech (Expanded Psionics Handbook)
Fusion (Expanded Psionics Handbook)
Greater Metamorphosis (Expanded Psionics Handbook)
Metamorphosis (Expanded Psionics Handbook)

Feats:

Assume Supernatural Ability (Savage Species)
Metamorphic Transfer (Expanded Psionics Handbook)

Classes:

Druid (Player Handbook)
Factotum (Dungeonscape)
Hellbreaker (Fiendish Codex 2)
Illithid Savant (Savage Species)
Master Transmogrifist (Complete Arcane)
Spellthief (Complete Adventurer)
Ur-Priest (Complete Divine)

Monsters:

Cadaver Golem (Heroes of Horror)
Ethereal Doppelganger (Monster Manual 2)
Greater Doppelganger (Magic of Faerun)
Hagunemnon (Epic Level Handbook)
Mindstealer (Web)
Reason Stealer (Monster Manual 2)
Yak Folk (Monster Manual 2)


What do you think? Please make no reference to Astral Seed, technically, it doesn't do what I'm looking for.

[Maat Mons]

Would you count Polymorph effects?

[Pippin]

Oh. I'd rather keep my current shape, so let's stay out of Polymorph and Shapechange indeed. Thanks for pointing it out!

I will add these two in the OP for the sake of completion though.

Edit. Updated.

[Saintheart]

Assume Supernatural Ability feat, Savage Species, albeit it only works while you're shapechanged.

[Jack_Simth]

Metamorphic Transfer from the XPH works similarly.

[Pippin]

Thank you everyone. Anything else?

[unseenmage]

Theres always straight mind control. The Dominate line of spells and especially Monstrous Thrall are good for this.
Combined with the slavery prices in Lords of Madness and literally their superpowers become yours.

Alternatively there are undead and Construct templates that allow the creature to retain some (and rarely all) of the base creature's superpowers.
I favor the Effigy and Elder Eidolon templates myself.

This is especially true of third party materials.
For example, Green Ronin's Advanced Bestiary has the Amalgam template which literally squishes two creatures together.

In PF one can make any Construct with a price based on its CR. Any creature combined with a Construct via Amalgam is a Construct. This let's us access any superpowers (except class abilities) we want via a laborious template application and construction process.

Wishing for an Aleax (in a Constructs are Magic Items enabled game anyway) would allow similar in 3.x.

Not sure of it counts as theft unless one is rubbing it in the face of the original subject that neener neener I made you and I can access your superpowers.
Might be good for an honorable mention though.

[Pippin]

Charm/Domination doesn't always help. For example, you would prefer to use Wild Surge yourself, and not have somebody use it for you.

But thanks for your insight, it's very much appreciated. (I have no doubt the OP could be improved though.)

[Malphegor]

Would posessing them count as having their ability? Magic Jar surprisingly doesn't work, but post-Ebberon devils/demons can outright posess people, I forget if they get Ex and Su abilities during that.

Oh yeah and isn't there a psionic power in XPH or Complete Psionic where you fuse bodies and become a singular entity, with their powers combined? Diplomancying people into willingly fusing with you is dark but interesting to attain their powers.

[MisterKaws]

Why am I surprised Serpent Kingdoms has a straight-up Ability Rip spell?

Also, Master Transmogrifist.

[Anthrowhale]

Simulacrum/Ice assassin?
(True) Mind Switch?

[Crichton]

Why am I surprised Serpent Kingdoms has a straight-up Ability Rip spell?


Well, yeah, but if I'm reading it right, the recipient of the new Su ability only gets it for 1 hour/CL of the caster, but they permanently lose one of their own Su abilities, or lose 2 class levels. That seems like a really bad trade, unless they use that new Su ability to enact something with lasting effects that outweighs what they lose

[Endril_69]

Spells: Spell Theft, Reaving Dispel, Replicate Casting

[MaxiDuRaritry]

The wizard's, (convert-spell-to-power) erudite's, and archivist's ability to learn spells (and powers) from others via scrolls, power stones, and (in the case of the erudite) direct flesh-to-flesh contact.

Any manifester can manifest from another manifester as if they were a power stone. It's not a permanent gain, but it does work well enough. And if you use another manifester as a psionic pspellbook (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?177889-Brainstorm-for-Psionic-Tricks-Tactics-and-Combos-Handbook&p=23801600&viewfull=1#post23801600)...

The Extra Spell and Expanded Knowledge feats.

Various other feats and PrCs that grant other classes' spell lists (such as ur-priest, trapsmith, or sand shaper).

Various soulmelds that grant class abilities.

Magic items that likewise grant spells and class abilities. (Ring of evasion, anyone?)

There's also the psychic chirurgery power. They have to give the power to you, but combined with psionic charm/dominate, Diplomacy, or simple monetary compensation, it's not impossible to "convince" someone to manifest it for you. And with either one or more thought bottles (preferably nested (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?217819-Nesting-Thought-Bottles-millions-of-wishes)), a negative level/greater restoration combo, or even all the ways to get free wishes out of monsters and PrCs, it's not terribly difficult to minimize XP X-penditures, either.

There's also the ethereal doppelganger, from the MMII.

Fiend of possession and the ghost's malevolence ability.

There are other ways that are 3rd party, but I don't think we want those.

[Endarire]

@OP (Pippin): I request you use the full source names (book/magazine and page #) so people can readily discern where to find stuff. I know what "HoH" means, but many don't. For things that are legal to link on this board (SRD stuff, official web articles, etc.), also provide a link for easy navigation. Thankee!

@OP: This post (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=9635) has charts on what abilities are gained per shapeshifting ability, such as Wild Shape or Alternate Form. (Direct link to chart (https://onedrive.live.com/view.aspx?resid=4783852B57E7CBCF!116&authkey=!AN9OWiICocfZsEc))

@OP: Surreal's Lists of Stuff (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=1412.0)

Wild Shape in its many versions! Divine Minion template (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a) and Bear Warrior (Complete Warrior 16) and Druid and Landforged Walker5 (Secrets of Xen'drik 123) and Wild Shape Ranger (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/UA:Ranger_Variant) are a small sampling.

The Hierophant (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/hierophant.htm) can transfer uses of Wild Shape, allowing parties to go wild!

The animal shapes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/animalShapes.htm) and polymorph any object (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Polymorph_Any_Object) spells. (PAO might be stackable for permanent - not instantaneous - duration!)

The spell feathers (Masters of the Wild) for mass bird form for 1 hour/CL.

The spell strength of the true form (Dragons of Eberron 15), which is useful if persisted and applied to shapechange. Relevant text: "This spell can be cast only by a creature that has been altered due to the use of polymorph, alternate form, or a similar effect. Compare the natural armor, damage reduction, and physical ability scores of the caster's current and original forms; for the duration of the spell, the caster uses the highest value in each category. This spell has no visible effect." (It's a Sor1 spell, not a Wizard spell, castable as an immediate action.)

Other form-altering magic here (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=519.0). Scroll down to post #6 for the start of the list.

Metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosis.htm) and greater metamorphosis (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/metamorphosisGreater.htm) powers! Alternate Form ability! Change Shape ability!

Cadaver Golem (Heroes of Horror) has the Assimilate Flesh (Ex) special attack. Make mention of this being SA so Warforged and Psicrystals can be transformed into this form and borrow abilities!

Teratomorph (Monster Manual II 194) has the Entropic Touch (Su) special attack. A touched living creature that fails a Fort save might be forcibly affected by polymorph any object (https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Polymorph_Any_Object).

Yak Folk (Monster Manual II 201) has the Body Meld (Sp) ability, where, on a failed Will save, the Yak Folk and victim merge bodies. (Only applies to Giant type creatures, Humans, (half)-Elves, Dwarves, and Orcs.)

Racial Emulation feat (Races of Eberron 110) for Changelings. (This allows them to treat themselves as the race they assume in terms of prerequisites, like qualifying for Dwarf stuff if in Dwarf form.)

[Anthrowhale]

Another niche one is Replicate Casting: Any L8- spell (arcane or divine) cast last round.

[Endarire]

Mirror move (https://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20000901a). Also, insert your summoning or calling ability of choice. Finally, add shadow conjuration, shadow evocation, Shadowcraft Mage, wish, miracle, etc to replicate abilities.

[Pippin]

Thank you for all your valuable input, I will be sure to add everything to the OP this evening when I get back home. Feel free to share more if you can.

Please note: this thread is about stealing or copying abilities: extraordinary, supernatural, spell-like or natural. Possibly feats too, but a spell that would transform you into an animal may not qualify, unless that animal has (interesting) abilities and you get to use them. Spells are not abilities. A spell that would steal buffs or replicate another spell may not qualify either.

Entropic Touch, Feathers, Magic Jar, Malevolent, Racial Emulation, Strength of the True Form do not grant abilities.