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Sliver_Slave
2008-06-07, 09:56 PM
IS there any appreciable difference between the 3.0 druid and the 3.5 druid? I'm stuck without a 3.0 PHB, and I need to know if there is much of a difference, if not I'll use a 3.5 druid. Once I know, I'll either stat up the thing, or abondon it because I don't seem to have the PHB anymore and I've never actually played a druid.

The Plant Lich

true lichs and plant lichs are similar in that they are both beings that seek to prolong their lifespans, are usually of an evil bent, and often control many minions, but that is where the two diverge.

Where a true lich uses magic and arcane and unspeakable knowledge to achieve immortality, a plant lich creates a bond to the natural world, to the point where the plant lich is more vegetation than flesh. A plant lich allows magical plants to grow inside of it, until they make up the majority of the plant lichs body. Vines meld with muscle and sinew, bone becomes striated with bark, and fungus becomes synonymous with skin. the body, of course, doesn't immediately accept the plants, so the process of changing from skin to plant is very gradual, and at some point the plant lichs body will start decaying even before the plants outnumber the flesh.

As the plant lich is still actually alive, it requires either food, or in the later stages, to root into the ground, absorb sunlight, or derive energy from its own decay.

While almost all druids hate true lichs, and good ones will hate plant lichs, an evil druid will see a plant lich as nothing more than an extreme case of symbiosis, two beings keeping each other alive indefinitely.

As plant lichs cannot truly regenerate their forms from nothing, they can grow almost all body parts back. A plants lich contains all of its knowledge either in a seedcase, a spore or some other such container. If this "phylactery" can attach itself to a humanoid, (dead or otherwise), in the case of its body's near total destruction, it can regrow its plant form onto that body, at the same pace as when it first became a plant lich.

So, does this idea have promise? (sorry for the over exposition.)

Shinton
2008-06-07, 10:49 PM
To tell the truth:

I think its a good idea.

So were making a druid lich instead of a wiz/sorc lich. Alright

I like how you took the phylactory idea, and it makes sense its not as powerful.

I'd like to see some expansion on it. But, since I stay more towards the bashy (warrior/paladin/ranger) side, I wouldn't know anything about lich-dom.

weishan
2008-06-08, 07:48 AM
So it's baisically a living chia pet? How many levels of progression do you want?

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-08, 01:29 PM
So it's basically a living chia pet? How many levels of progression do you want?

To 20th level, I guess? I was going to make being able to wildshape into a plant some sort of prerequisite for becoming a plant lich.

EDIT: To tell the truth, I didn't really think out the actual rules too much.

Norr
2008-06-08, 02:00 PM
If you want a 20 level base class with the goal of becoming a plant lich, you could base it loosely on the druid and dread necromancer classes.

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-08, 02:03 PM
If you want a 20 level base class with the goal of becoming a plant lich, you could base it loosely on the druid and dread necromancer classes.

I'm kinda hung up on whether this should be a monster ala lich, or a prestige class for the druid.

If its a prestige class, I think druids should be able to take it at around 12th-16th level.

Adumbration
2008-06-08, 02:14 PM
I'm kinda hung up on whether this should be a monster ala lich, or a prestige class for the druid.

If its a prestige class, I think druids should be able to take it at around 12th-16th level.

Take a look at Walker in the Waste, Sandstorm prestige class. It's basically a prestige class for divine casters that eventually turns him into a dry lich. It should be a good place to look at to figure out balance and such.

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-08, 07:06 PM
Take a look at Walker in the Waste, Sandstorm prestige class. It's basically a prestige class for divine casters that eventually turns him into a dry lich. It should be a good place to look at to figure out balance and such.

Sadly, I don't actually own Sandstorm, but I'd check it out if I could.

EDIT: I've got some ideas for class features, and will stat it up soon enough. If anyone has any ideas to add, I'd like to hear them.

Jack_Simth
2008-06-08, 07:07 PM
IS there any appreciable difference between the 3.0 druid and the 3.5 druid? I'm stuck without a 3.0 PHB, and I need to know if there is much of a difference, if not I'll use a 3.5 druid. Once I know, I'll either stat up the thing, or abondon it because I don't seem to have the PHB anymore and I've never actually played a druid.

If you have your 3.0 PHB, you can get the 3.0 version there. For the 3.5 version, you can try that section of an online System Reference Document (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm).

Pie Guy
2008-06-08, 08:13 PM
What about wildshaping?

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-08, 08:17 PM
If you have your 3.0 PHB, you can get the 3.0 version there. For the 3.5 version, you can try that section of an online System Reference Document (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/druid.htm).

Woah...that site has what, nearly everything? I'll definitely being checking back there.

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-08, 08:49 PM
What about wildshaping?

I'd been thinking about upping the ability to plant wildshape, but I haven't really thought it through.

Jack_Simth
2008-06-08, 09:53 PM
Woah...that site has what, nearly everything? I'll definitely being checking back there.
It's missing a lot of things - world building (cities, for instance, aren't covered), xp tables, stat generation, and such - things you don't generally need at the table so much as when you're sitting down planning a campaign.

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-08, 10:39 PM
I'm beginning to think that there shouldn't be any alignment stigma attached to being a plant lich, but I'd thought to originally restrict it to evil characters. Thoughts?

SurlySeraph
2008-06-08, 10:45 PM
I'd restrict it to characters whose alignment is partly neutral, to emphasize how druid-based it is.

Chronos
2008-06-08, 11:07 PM
If you do this in more detail, leave it open somehow to rangers, too, so we can use it to stat out Goblin Slayer (http://goblinscomic.com/d/20080213.html).

Eurus
2008-06-08, 11:43 PM
The phylactery thing is interesting, but it seems less potent than a true Lich's phylactery. If you want it to be druid-oriented, why not make them pick a natural feature as their phylactery, sort of like a domain? Either an entire area, like a forest to which they've bonded their souls, or a single feature, like one tree or a natural pool. Just a thought.

Anyway, the druid lich sounds neat to me. Go for it, dude!

Norr
2008-06-09, 06:09 AM
After taking anoher look at the srd I think you might consider wild shape (plant) as a prerequisite for druids and make the PrC a 5-levels long. This way it could be entered at 12th level and finished at 17th. It could offer partial spellcasting, but if you leave out spellcasting entirely from the class you can ramp up its abilities instead.
If you want to leave it open to rangers as well, change the prerequisites to: Base Fort save +8, ability to cast tree shape and Camouflage OR wildshape (plant). This will automatically qualify druids at level 12 and rangers at level 13.

Concerning the phylactery you could give the option to either keep it within you as a seed (which will grow a new body out of your remains after death but is vulnerable to disintegration and such) or to plant the seed somewhere safe so it grows into a sapling, which will slowly transform into a new body for you if you die. Of course, this leaves it vulnerable to loggers and stuff, but druids don't like loggers anyway... heh heh...

Also, there are some plant grafts in 'magic of eberron' that you may want to take a look at for ideas.

Sliver_Slave
2008-06-09, 10:14 PM
Actually, I have exams in a week, and most of my time will be taken up by studying and freaking out. I won't have time to finish this now. Stupid me, wasting the Giant's server space.