Multitasking diopsid build

[Elves]

This is an idea I had in Disc the other day: assume LA buyoff. Be an insectile diopsid (+3 LA, so can buy off by 20th) for 10 arms with no RHD.

Take the Multitasking feat from 3.0, which allows you to "perform a distinct standard action with each pair of arms" as a single standard action.

Suddenly, you have a character who can cast five spells per round.

This may be worth it even without LA buyoff since you can still get fullcaster 17th for 9ths.

--

While obviously best for a caster/UMDer, this combo also has interest for a martial build. Why?

The insectile template says: "Attacks: Despite having six arms, insectile creatures gain no additional attacks." In other words, you don't gain any additional attacks from your additional arms, but aren't actually precluded from making attacks with them. Thus, you can use each separate pair to attack with Multitasking.

That means you could, for example, initiate five standard-action strike maneuvers on your turn. That's a powerful way of leveraging standard-action strikes, most of which normally have the downside of precluding full attacks.

One way to leverage this is bloodclaw master 3 for its "pouncing strike" ability (different from the maneuver of the same name), which lets you attack once with each of two weapons as a SA. That's ten attacks with a standard action which isn't bad at all. You have to burn five Tiger Claw maneuvers whenever you do this, but here's the great part: those maneuvers are expended as if they had been initiated, but you didn't actually initiate any maneuvers, so if you slap this on a warblade chassis you can refresh same-round and never run out of maneuvers to fuel it. Warblade 4/bloodclaw master 3 gives you the 5 readied maneuvers you need to do this.


What are your thoughts on how to best use the Multitasking feat?

Edit: looks like this combo has been mentioned a few times before (https://www.google.com/search?q=diopsid+multitasking+site:forums.giantitp .com). Snowbluff suggested duskblade channeling with it, but I don't like that as much as maneuvers because spell slots are less easily renewable.

[Morphic tide]

You'd need to remove verbal components for a spellcaster, but getting to essentially four times over Quicken for only +1 spell level is still a dramatically good deal.

[Elves]

Easy Metamagic (Silent Spell) would solve that part.
Yeah, it's pretty ferocious.

[Kalkra]

Easy Metamagic (Silent Spell) would solve that part.
Yeah, it's pretty ferocious.

Easy Metamagic can't reduce below +1, but there are other methods. The real challenge will be just meeting all the prerequisites, and surviving until that point, considering that if you're a caster, it'll probably take you a while to get to +9 BAB. The payoff is totally worth it though.

[Elves]

Easy Metamagic can't reduce below +1, but there are other methods. The real challenge will be just meeting all the prerequisites, and surviving until that point, considering that if you're a caster, it'll probably take you a while to get to +9 BAB. The payoff is totally worth it though.

Improved Multiweapon Fighting's BAB req would be reduced to +6 if updating to 3.5, just like ITWF. But you probably still want abjchamp or at least a 3/4 BAB PRC on this to speed it up.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

That's an interesting idea, and I like it a lot!

If that 3.0 feat is forbidden, how about using a Spellweaver from Monster Manual II as a base? It's a tall CR 10 creature with lots of arms + lv12 Sorcerer casting + 1000 miles of Telepathy for excellent Mindsight. Spellweavers can cast a number of spells level per round equal to their number of arms (6 natively, can presumably be increased by spells that grant extra arms and by templates), which can be subdivided among multiple weaker spells. Spellweavers with the right feats are pretty much instant caster-killers at their level, obliterating the party's squishier members with a barrage of souped-up Scorching Rays (or Magic Missiles) and keeping their stronger spell slots for defensive purposes (or utility, or Contingency, etc).

Honestly, the biggest problem with this sort of build is the lack of spell slots. Even Theurges would run out fast.

[Luccan]

Does Multitasking override Diopsids not being able to use their lower arms for attacks?

[Rebel7284]

How about Anthropomorphic Giant Squid with Insectile Template and the Obah-Blessed template for 8 + 4 + 4 =16 arms for the low cost of 3HD and 5LA

...For the lolz

(Away from books, so didn't check qualifications)

[Elves]

Does Multitasking override Diopsids not being able to use their lower arms for attacks?

Don't think that's true:
"If a diopsid carries a weapon or shield in its secondary arms while one or more of its primary arms also carry an item, it suffers a number of penalties. When using a shield, the diopsid takes the shield's armor check penalty on its attack rolls and skill checks even if it has proficiency with the shield. When using a weapon, the diopsid gains only half its Strength bonus on damage rolls."

For the caster version, of course, it's irrelevant anyway.



How about Anthropomorphic Giant Squid with Insectile Template and the Obah-Blessed template for 8 + 4 + 4 =16 arms for the low cost of 3HD and 5LA

...For the lolz

(Away from books, so didn't check qualifications)

anthro squid having 8 arms is a misconception. anthro animals work like the base animal and a squid's arms are a single natural attack.

obah-blessed can only be added to base creatures with 4 arms or less but you can use extra limbs from DMG2 (+2 LA for +1 pair of arms and MWF as bonus feat).

[Luccan]

Don't think that's true:
"If a diopsid carries a weapon or shield in its secondary arms while one or more of its primary arms also carry an item, it suffers a number of penalties. When using a shield, the diopsid takes the shield's armor check penalty on its attack rolls and skill checks even if it has proficiency with the shield. When using a weapon, the diopsid gains only half its Strength bonus on damage rolls."

For the caster version, of course, it's irrelevant anyway.




anthro squid having 8 arms is a misconception. anthro animals work like the base animal and a squid's arms are a single natural attack.

obah-blessed can only be added to base creatures with 4 arms or less but you can use extra limbs from DMG2 (+2 LA for +1 pair of arms and MWF as bonus feat).

Gotta reread the Diopsid, I guess. Way too many clauses in the arms, it's confusing

[Anthrowhale]

Anthropomorphic squid has a single "arms" attack and a bite. An Anthropomorphic Giant Squid has 8 tentacle attacks and a bite.

[Elves]

Anthropomorphic squid has a single "arms" attack and a bite. An Anthropomorphic Giant Squid has 8 tentacle attacks and a bite.

is it clear they're prehensile?


An opponent can attack a giant squid’s tentacles with a sunder attempt as if they were weapons. A giant squid’s tentacles have 10 hit points each. If a giant squid is currently grappling a target with the tentacle that is being attacked, it usually uses another limb to make its attack of opportunity against the opponent making the sunder attempt. Severing one of a giant squid’s tentacles deals 5 points of damage to the creature. The creature regrows severed limbs in 1d10+10 days.


An anthropomorphic animal has the natural attacks of the base creature, but it can also use weapons if it did not have hands already

one reading is your tentacles have hands; the other is that you have regular arms with hands in addition to your tentacle natural attacks.

Edit

All anthropomorphic animals have humanoid arms and hands (SS 215)
Which sounds like regular arms + 8 tentacle natural attacks is right.
Though under a cheesy reading that could imply 10 hands if you maintain that the "can also use weapons" clause applies to the tentacles.

[Anthrowhale]

Which sounds like regular arms + 8 tentacle natural attacks is right.
I believe this is the best interpretation.

Savage Species has "Gloves of Man" which convert a pair of tentacles into tentacles with hands for 42K gp.