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monty
2008-10-14, 07:03 PM
I was looking through the SRD monster entries, and came across the nymph - 6 HD, 7th level druid casting. The MM confirmed this. Is this correct, and if so, is there any way to abuse it (that is, more casting levels than HD)?

Pie Guy
2008-10-14, 07:10 PM
Levels in druid? Iuon stone?

KillianHawkeye
2008-10-14, 07:10 PM
That is correct, and it already has more casting levels than HD. LA +7, though, so not better than being a 13th level human druid or something like that. Although, if you're going to be a nymph, you're doing because you want to be pretty, not powerful. :smallwink:

Tokiko Mima
2008-10-14, 07:14 PM
I was looking through the SRD monster entries, and came across the nymph - 6 HD, 7th level druid casting. The MM confirmed this. Is this correct, and if so, is there any way to abuse it (that is, more casting levels than HD)?

There are plenty of ways in gestalt to mess with this, but it's not a huge difference. NPC Nymph's are just slightly better druidic casters than players can possibly be at the same level, but not as good at wildshaping. That's why Nymph's have that +7 Level Adjustment, so a PC Nymph would still be 6 levels behind in casting, and 13 levels behind in druid class features. LA kills most of the utility.

In gestalt though, you could have a nymph that was a slightly better caster than any other race by loading your LA onto the other side of the gestalt, and advancing druid casting every level. You'd have one of the advantages wizards have over sorcerers, you get new spell levels a level sooner.

Xallace
2008-10-14, 07:19 PM
I was looking through the SRD monster entries, and came across the nymph - 6 HD, 7th level druid casting. The MM confirmed this. Is this correct, and if so, is there any way to abuse it (that is, more casting levels than HD)?

Yeah, taking prestige classes that advance divine casting will work with the nymph's racial abilities. But as others have said, there is that pesky LA to get around. But if you don't care about that and/or are playing in a game that ignores it, you can have lots of fun with things like Master of Radiance, Fochlucan Lyrist... I don't know any other druid PrCs that focus on casting.

olelia
2008-10-14, 08:31 PM
I think Talic makes some horribly disgusting nymph builds...I'll look around.

Entry Title:Lillendra, Corrupted Nymph
Minimum Playable level: 7
Cheese Points: 0 (though the build can diplocheese or UMD-athon with very little tweaking... pretty much put 23 ranks in either, and it'll rock both with a minimum roll of 40)
Power Break: Level 9. Level 2 Cleric Spells (CL7), Level 5 Druid spells (CL 9), and a good blinding save DC. (with a +2 cha item, 2 stat boosts, and Charm domain, DC would be 25. Stat would be 34 for 1 minute per day, 30 the rest of the time. That's also a +10-12 to AC and a +10-12 to all saves)
Also Level 12, when wild shape is gained.

Build: Nymph/Cleric 14...ECL/Druid 13

Nymph (Neutral Evil)
6D6 + 14D8 + 20 (106hp)
Speed 30 (swim 20)
BAB: +13/8/3
AC: 37 (29 touch)
Initiative: +3
Space/Reach: 5/5
SA: Blinding Beauty, Spells, SLA, Stunning Glance
SQ: DR 10/Cold Iron, Low Light Vis, Unearthly Grace, Wild Empathy
Saves: 28/28/38
Stats: Dex +6, Con +2, Int +6, Wis +6, Cha +8

S 10
D 16
C 12
I 14
W 26
C 42

5 Stat boosts in Cha

Spell Like abilities: 1/day: Dimension Door (CL7)

Casts Spells as a 7th level Druid

Level 1: Nymph / ECL
Level 2: Nymph / ECL
Level 3: Nymph / ECL
Level 4: Nymph / ECL
Level 5: Nymph / ECL
Level 6: Nymph / ECL
Level 7: Cleric 1 / ECL
Level 8: Cleric 2 / Druid 1
Level 9: Cleric 3 / Druid 2
Level 10: Cleric 4 / Druid 3
Level 11: Cleric 5 / Druid 4
Level 12: Cleric 6 / Druid 5
Level 13: Cleric 7 / Druid 6
Level 14: Cleric 8 / Druid 7
Level 15: Cleric 9 / Druid 8
Level 16: Cleric 10 / Druid 9
Level 17: Cleric 11 / Druid 10
Level 18: Cleric 12 / Druid 11
Level 19: Cleric 13 / Druid 12
Level 20: Cleric 14 / Druid 13

Final casting: Cleric 14/Druid 20 (CL for cleric is 18)
Domains: Charm, Trickery

Feats: Practiced Spellcaster (Cleric), Natural Spell, Pick 5 more.

Skills: A lot, pick, focus on Cha related skills.

Blinding Beauty: All humanoids within 30 feet of Lillendra who look directly at her must succeed of a DC 29 Fortitude save or be blinded permanently as though by the blind spell. Lillendra can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

Stunning Glance: As a standard action, Lillendra can stun a creature within 30 feet with a look. The target creature must succeed on a DC 29 Fortitude save or be stunned for 2d4 rounds.

Unearthly Grace: Lillendra adds her Charisma Modifier as a bonus on all her saving throws, and as a deflection bonus to her Armor class.

Wild Empathy: Functions as the Druid ability (at level 20), except that Lillendra has a +6 racial bonus to the check. (Total +42).

Animal Companion: Dire Bear
Nature Sense
Trackless Step
Resist Nature's Lure
Venom Immunity
Wild Shape 4/day (Large, Tiny, Plant) - Maintains her own supernatural abilities in alternate forms.
A Thousand Faces
Turn undead: As a 14th Level cleric.

Skills: +8 Racial bonus to Swim checks to perform special actions or avoid hazards. May always choose to take 10 on a swim check, even if distracted or endangered. Can use the Run action while swimming.

760,000
Items: Tome of Leadership and Influence +5 (used) (137,500)
Cloak of Charisma +6 (36,000)
Periapt of Wisdom +6 (36,000)
Bracers of Armor +8 (64,000)
Cloak of Etherealness (55,000)
Ring of Evasion (25,000)
Ring of Freedom of Movement (40,000)
Metamagic Rod (Quicken) (75,500)
Metamagic Rod (Extend) (11,000)
Dark Harvest (Adamantine Sickle +2, Vorpal, Wounding, Spell Storing) (203,318)
Padded Armor +1, Heavy Fortification, SIlent Moves Improved, Slick Improved, Glamered) (66,155)

Gold and gems totalling: 7827

Note: Lillendra can be remade as a character of any alignment. Just change the weapon and the domains to suit your taste. I wanted to make a fey creature so obsessed with "protecting" the forests that she regularly blasts humanoid lands, even complacent ones that don't encroach on. Enthralling the strong to her will, deadly storms, and eventually, strolling through the towns, blinding and slaying all who oppose her. She is anyone, at all times, and loves putting a Poison into her sickle. That sorta thing. Fun times.

Most of the feats are open, as the build is very flexible and forgiving. Metamagic rods give her a casting edge against similarly powered foes.

Edit: Please note, that with 19 turn attempts per day, and 5 open feats, DMM isn't just possible, it's beautiful.


EDIT: Found one

Temp.
2008-10-14, 08:56 PM
Like K (I think) brought up a while ago, strict reading of PHB2's "Polymorph Subschool" rulings breaks Polymorph even further when combines with monsters like this.

The PHB2 dictates that characters keep prior alignments, HD totals, HP and ability to understand languages while Polymorphed. Beside that, the character's entire ability set is replaced by that of the creature a character polymorphs into. This includes spellcasting (spellcasters lose it; characters polymorphed into spellcasting creatures gain it).

The rule goes on to say that spell descriptions override subschool rulings in all other areas.

The Polymorph spell defines itself as Alter Self with a limited set of exceptions, none of which are relevant here.

Alter Self explicitly states spellcasters keep their spellcasting and explicitly states that they gain no use of Supernatural special attacks or abilities or Spell-Like abilities from the assumed form. Spellcasting is not a Supernatural special attack, Supernatural ability or a Spell-like ability.

This would allow a sufficiently sleazy and power-hungry player to be able to fully support the stance that Polymorph now allows a 6th level character access to 7th level Druid casting on top of their normal spellcasting abilities.

[edit:]Wow, my English gets bad when I get tired.

monty
2008-10-14, 11:25 PM
This would allow a sufficiently sleazy and power-hungry player to be able to fully support the stance that Polymorph now allows a 6th level character access to 7th level Druid casting on top of their normal spellcasting abilities.

So you could polymorph a druid into a better druid. They're even more broken now!

Flickerdart
2008-10-14, 11:43 PM
So you could polymorph a druid into a better druid. They're even more broken now!
No, that wouldn't stack either way. But you could polymorph people into better Druids than the Druid, which would make them cry crocodile tears. Literally, thanks to Wildshape.