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Laughingcarp
2008-10-20, 04:08 PM
Chosen Child of the Warped Ones
Prerequisite: Daelkyr Half-Blood
Through depraved intervention, you have a closer tie to your daelkyr parent than most of your mixed heritage.
Benefit: You grow a second Personal Symbiont from your flesh. The same rules that apply to the original Personal Symbiont apply to this second one.


Engineer of Flesh
Prerequisites: Daelkyr Half-Blood, level 5, Heal 4 ranks
Through a mix of curious biological study and insight gifted by alien minds, you have learned to shape the growth of life and flesh to suit your needs.
Benefit: Your Personal Symbiont(s) can be re-grown and evolve, gaining varying benefits. Upon reaching a level where you have access to new personal symbionts from the list on page 37 of MoE, you can instead choose to retain your previous symbiont, with additional benefits. You absorb your symbiont into yourself for the duration of the evolution (the 2d4 days required to grow a symbiont), after which the symbiont emerges in an new and improved state. Evolutionary traits depend on the kind of symbiont, and your level.
Crawling Gauntlet:
-Lev 5: 1d6 claw damage for medium size, claw treated as magic for purposes of bypassing DR.
-Lev 10: 1d8 claw damage, effective strength score when attacking with the claw or grappling increased by 2.
-Lev 15: 1d10 claw damage, claw treated as adamantium weapon.

Breed Leech:
-Lev 5: Bolster Body increased to +10hp, +2 fort
-Lev 10: Bolster Body increased to +15hp, Host gains immunity to poisons
-Lev 15: Bolster Body increased to +20hp, Host gains immunity to diseases

Throwing Scarab:
-Lev 5: Range increased to 30ft, shards last 2 rounds once detached from the symbiont.
-Lev 10: Range increased to 40ft, 1 additional shard/round is secreted and can be thrown.
-Lev 15: Range increased to 50ft, Shards deal an additional 1d6 acid damage on the following round.

Shadow Sibling:
-Lev 5: Blink useable 1/day at 5th caster level, +4 to move silently checks
-Lev 10: Blink useable 2/day at 10th caster level, +6 to hide checks
-Lev 15: Blink at 15th caster level, Shadow Walk 1/day at 15th caster level, +6 to move silently checks

Stormstalk:
-Lev 10: 3d6 ray damage, can be activated as a 5-by-30ft line, Call Lightning Storm 1/day at 10th caster level
-Lev 15: 5d6 ray damage, 5-by-60ft line (or 60 foot ray), Chain Lightning 1/day at 15th caster level

Winter Cyst:
-Lev 10: 3d6 ray damage, can be activated as a 30ft cone, 3/day targets suffer effect of slow at 10th caster level for 1 round (fort negates)
-Lev 15: 5d6 ray damage, can be activated as a 60ft cone, 3/day targets suffer effect of hold monster at 15th caster level for one round, then slow at 15th caster level the following round (fort negates, separate saves for each effect)

Spellwurm:
-Lev 15: Spellwurm can knows and can cast spells as 10th level sorcerer, host has access to those spells as though they were spells known, or the effects of the Spell Mastery feat

Tentacle Whip: (no access to ECS at the moment)
Tongue Worm: (no access to ECS at the moment)
(how do I turn this into a table?)
In addition, new symbionts can be grown, similar to researching a new spell or power. Talk to your DM.

Waddya think? What I want to know is, if you had a character suited to this idea, would you take these feats?

Should Chosen Child of the Warped Ones be allowed to be taken more than once?
As for Engineer of Flesh, I know it is gonna need some work. Any help at all is appreciated. I don't think it should apply to symbionts gained any other way, but that makes it seem kinda limited. Any ideas for balancing out the options, or just making the feat more viable overall? It was based loosely on the feat Improved Homunculus, in Magic of Eberron. So I'm also wondering how it should scale. For Improved Homunculus, it went up as the homunculus gained HD. How should it be worked for this one? Maybe dependent on your ranks in Heal? I also want to consider adding an XP cost, something you'll notice but nothing devastating.


Also, a new symbiont, available to Daelkyr Half-Bloods at level 5.

Carapace Crab
Small aberration(symbiont)
HD: 1d8+4 (8hp)
Init: +1
Speed: 20ft
Armor Class: 18 (+1 size, +1 dex, +6 natural)
Bab/Grp: 0/0
Attack: Bite +1 melee (1d4)
Space/Reach: 5/5
Special Qualities: Symbiont Traits, Darkvision 60ft, telepathy
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +2
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 13, Con 18, Int 5, Wis 12, Cha 6 Ego?
Skills: Hide +7, Spot +5, Listen +5
Feats: Alertness, Improved Grapple
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary
CR: 1 or host+1
Treasure: none
Alignment: usually lawful evil

With a clatter, a misshapen crab-like creature scuttles forward. Excess oily deep blue chitinous plating seems to flop and bounce all over as the carapace crab rushes toward it's unconscious target. The crab jumps onto the unwitting victim, and suddenly the purpose behind all those loose chitin places is revealed. They wrap around the humanoid in a flash, covering a substantial amount of the victim in hard carapace. With a last wriggle, the crab secures itself, and sends it's feeders into the target. Attaching or removing a carapace crab deals 1d3 points of Wisdom damage.

-Host Benefit: Due to the plentiful layers of chitin now covering you, the host gains the carapace crab's natural armor as an armor bonus (+6). This has a max dex bonus of +3, and an armor check penalty of -4, with a 25% arcane spell failure chance. It counts as Medium Armor, and weighs roughly 30lbs. There is no penalty for sleeping in the symbiont. It can be enchanted as normal armor.
-Symbiont Traits: See page 299 of the ECS.
-Telepathy: A carapace crab can communicate telepathically with its host, if its host has a language.

How does one figure out Ego, again?

The benefits of this symbiont with the Engineer of Flesh feat are as follows:
-Lev 10: Natural Armor and Host AC bonus increase to +7, Host gains the benefits of Powerful Build
-Lev 15: Natural Armor and Host AC bonus increase to +8, Host gains DR 5/byshek

Yea? Nay?

Username
2008-10-20, 05:27 PM
Daelkyr half-bloods and symbionts definitely needed a boost. This seems to have done so pretty handily, bravo! Though I worry the breed leech may be too good, it's strictly better than even the improved toughness feat (+1 HP per HD, if I recall correctly) and gives immunities as well.

Lappy9000
2008-10-20, 05:54 PM
New symbionts?

*Glee*

Laughingcarp
2008-10-20, 08:17 PM
Yeah, I was definitely worried about the breed leech being a bit too tough. But then at the same time I think just a bonus against poison/disease is a little lame. Thats like saying "thanks for waiting 10 levels, here is your hard earned bottle of antitoxin!"
Maybe at 10th it could be a +4 vs poisons and disease, then at 15th you get poison immunity. What do you think of that?
As for it being better than improved toughness, while it is a little more front-loaded, it ends up being the same. Besides, the original breed leech is stronger than toughness, so why not?

Primal Fury
2008-10-20, 11:01 PM
Hm. This is nice. The daelkyr half-bloods have always been a great concept, but the execution seemed sort of weak. And I noticed you didn't seem to mention the living breastplate. Do you plan on replacing it with the crawling carapace?

EDIT: Actually... it sounds like you could make a racial prestige class out of all of this. Just a thought. :smallwink:

Laughingcarp
2008-10-21, 02:30 AM
Note: Edited the Carapace Crab's evolution DR to DR 5/Byshek. Should have had that in from the start...

Yeah, and they've gotten absolutely no attention since then! The injustice!

Kinda forgot about the living breastplate. My ECS is currently out of commission, and thats my excuse. I had no plans on replacing the living breastplate, only plans on having some kind of armor available for anyone not of uber-epic-artifact level. Especially since armor is kinda good in keeping you alive to get the experience.

PrC, eh? That could work, but I wouldn't know where to start. Or to continue, or to end, for that matter. Any suggestions?

And at the same time as this could work as a PrC, I'd still like to keep it a feat somehow, in order to allow Daelkyr Half-Bloods with specific career destinations in mind to continue to gain benefits from their symbionts.

Primal Fury
2008-10-21, 01:56 PM
Well it seems quite obvious to me that the feat itself should be a requirement for the class. That would allow some half-bloods to keep to their chosen career path without having to get into a class they don't really want.

And rather than allowing them to take Chosen Child of the Wapred Ones a whole bunch of times, just make the ability to get oodles of symbionts a class ability for the PrC.

Laughingcarp
2008-10-21, 04:07 PM
Ah ok. That actually sounds wicked.

I'm thinking I'm definitely going to write up some new symbionts, or scrounge up those old threads I've kept somewhere with a couple of creations.

Do you think the focus of the PrC should be just gaining loads more symbionts? What kind of cap ability could we put in? Should the PrC enhance the symbionts more, or the Half-Blood itself? How about working with the idea of an increasingly mixed personality, eventually to the point of the psionic power Schism or something, as a result of the numerous symbiont voices running around in your head?

And then should the PrC be full, 3/4 or half bab?
For saves, I'm thinking maybe will & fort strong.

Some random conceptual ideas;
Alien Chorus
Legion (keeping mental contact with a symbiont in a short range, and having control over a new host the symbiont takes, similar to dominate or charm or something?)

Do you think the additional symbionts should be allowed to be affected by the Engineer of Flesh feat, or would that be too powerful?

2 more symbiont creations, wriggling their way free of the mire of ancient threads;

Perception Tentacle
Tiny Aberration (Symbiont)
Hit Dice: 1d8 (4 hp)
Initiative:+6
Speed: 10ft.
Armor Class: 15 (+2 size, +2 dex, +1 natural)
Bab/Grapple: +0/-10
Attack: +4 slam (1d3-2 and nerve slap)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft / 5ft
Special Attacks: Nerve Slap
Special Qualities: Symbiont traits, blindsight 60ft, telepathy
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 6, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 10, Ego 2
Skills: Hide +12, Move Silently +4, Listen +4*, Spot +4*
Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
CR: Host +1

Looking at the grounds of the mansion you are casing, you notice a guard with puslating fleshy strand wrapped over his eyes and ears. Ah drat, you think to yourself. A perception tentacle! This place isn't going to be as easy to break into as you thought...

A mass of sensory organs wrapped in a ropy length of muscle, a perception tentacle integrates itself into it's host's visual and auditory senses, granting improved detection capabilities. Usually wrapping itself around the eyes and ears of its host (this does not diminish the host's sight or hearing in any way, as is uses the tentacle's "eyes and ears" to aid). Unfortunately, this also means that it is very difficult to hide a perception tentacle. Attaching or removing a perception tentacle deals 1d3 points of wisdom damage.
Combat
A perception tentacle latches on to willing or helpless creatures, drawing nourishment from their connection.
Nerve Slap: If a tentacle hits with it's slam attack, it can secrete a stinging oil. This oil attacks the victim's nervous system, dazing them with pain for one round. Fort save DC 10 negates. Cannot use if attached to a host.
Host Benefits: A host enjoys a +4 bonus on it's listen and spot checks, as well as a +2 insight bonus to initiative. It's increased detection capabilities give it that extra moment's notice.
Telepathy: Can communicate telepathically with its host, if its host has a language.
*+4 racial bonus to listen and spot checks
Available at level one to half-daelkyr.

And here is a stab at something akin to (albeit weaker than) the venom suit.

Hulk Skin
Small Aberration (Symbiont)
Hit Dice: 2d8+5 (13 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20ft., climb 10ft
Armor Class: 17 (+1 size, +2 dex, +4 natural)
Bab/Grapple: +1/-1
Attack: +5 slam (1d4+1)
Space/Reach: 5ft / 5ft
Special Attacks: Improved Grapple
Special Qualities: Symbiont traits, Enhance body, Hungry, telepathy
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +1, Will +4
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 14, Ego 8
Skills: Jump +5
Feats: Toughness, Improved Grapple
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
CR: 2, or Host +~2(?)

A large blob of living goo surges onto the peasant, quickly encasing her. She no longer looks like herself: she is larger, stronger, more savage... and in a bad mood. The newly formed beast hunches over and gives a roar, bounding into the nearest man. It rakes him with razor claws, then picks him up and smashes him to the ground with little effort.

A hulk skin is a symbiont that gifts it's host with great strength, speed and stamina, as well as a veritable natural arsenal. It covers the host like a second skin, except that it significantly increases the overall mass. A single solid colour, with occasional patterns, an englufed host is unrecognizable. Unfortunately, these symbionts are strong-minded and like to take control, to further their own plots. Which happen to be smashing and killing anything they feel like.
Combat
A host becomes a killing machine when bonded to a hulk skin. Attaching or removing a hulk skin deals 1d3 points of constitution and wisdom damage. Also, one point of wisdom damage is drained every day, resulting in a net -1 to wisdom while the symbiont is worn.
Host Benefits:
Enhance Body (Ex): The host gets a +6 bonus to strength, +4 to constitution, and +4 to dexterity.
Powerful Build: Physical stature increases, letting the host function in many ways as though she were one size category larger. Whenever a host is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check, she is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to her. Also considered one size larger when determining whether a creature's special attacks based on size can affect her, and for carrying capacity. Can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, space and reach remain those of a creature of the host's actual size. Benefits of this stack with the effects of powers, abilities and spells that change the subject's size category.
Natural Attacks: Host gets a bite for 1d6 damage, and two claw attacks for 1d4 damage each. Also, all unarmed strikes are considered armed, and do lethal damage as though the host were one size larger (1d4 for medium size). The host has access to the skin's improved grapple feat while bonded. A side effect of the savage nature of the hulk skin is that the host gets a -4 on all attacks made with manufactured weapons. The overwhelming desire to rend and tear with your bare hands impairs any training or logical thought. Damage given assumes medium sized host.
Uncanny Dodge: Host retains dexterity bonus to AC regardless of being caught flat-footed or being struck by an invisible attacker. Dex to AC is still lost if immobilized.
Superior Movement: The host gains a 20 foot climb speed. Gains the benefits of the Run feat, and height is no longer a limiting factor in a jump.
Thick Skin: Grants a +2 bonus to the host's natural armor.
Hungry(Ex): With great power comes great hunger. The host must consume three times the normal amount of food and water every day while bonded. Any organic matter can be consumed (host is immune to filth fever disease, if from an in ingested source) and the symbiont has carnivorous tendancies. The flesh of intelligent victims is particularly enjoyed.
Telepathy: Can communicate telepathically with its host, if its host has a language.

It's powerful. Especially for eberron. So don't give it to your first level worm-hugger.

Laughingcarp
2008-10-21, 08:45 PM
Actually, after looking at that Hulk Skin, I'm thinking of making a PrC based on that one, too. Why not?

Laughingcarp
2008-10-27, 01:52 AM
So the one PrC, working off Engineer of Flesh, would increase the number of symbionts available.
Then the other, working off the Hulk Skin, would focus on growing a single symbiont to epic levels of power.
I'll add more when I've the time.