To create Alex Mercer

[Angry Bob]

The title says it all. For those of you that haven't played Prototype, he's a mutant creature with the ability to create weapons from his body, shrug off attacks the would gib ordinary(and some extraordinary) humans, and perform inhuman feats of strength and acrobatics. Now, a completely accurate rendition as a character in DnD would probably entail an epic character. So, I'll assume a lower power level for purposes of this exercise.

In a nutshell, I want a build that can do at least some of the following:

Grow natural weapons (assuming a house rule that allows a low number of natural attacks at once - claw/claw/bite or claw/claw/tentacle/tantacle being the maximum, for example.)
Jump/climb/run superhumanly well, including wall-running
Absorb an enemy's strength and/or memories, killing them in the process
Tolerate lots of damage or at least be able to recover quickly via fast healing or regeneration
Disguise self effectively

I've got two prospective builds that I feel could be ironed out, both using changeling and warshaper. Here they are, circa level 12. One is the 'beta' version, is poor in comparison, and is only here for posterity.

Beta:
Changeling Barbarian 7/Warshaper 4
Feats: Aberration blood (+2 Grapple), Multiattack, Bestial Hide(+1 Natural Armor per two aberration feats), Improved Natural Attack (Claw)

Improved:
Changeling Psychic Warrior 7/Warshaper 4
Feats: Speed of thought, Up the Walls, Multiattack, Psionic Meditation, Improved Natural Attack(Claw and Bite), Improved Toughness
Powers Known:
Lvl 1: Bite of the Wolf, Claws of the Beast, Expansion
Lvl 2: Psionic Lion's Charge, Empathic Transfer, Hustle
Lvl 3: Claws of the Vampire

One more thing: Our DM will allow anything from Wizards. The only caveat is that if it turns out to be very broken, it'll just die.

[Hyooz]

I homebrewed a base class to be exactly Alex Mercer. If your DM allows that kind of thing, check it out:

http://chughes4.webs.com/Blacklight%20Warper1.3.pdf

[Longcat]

IMO, Psychic Warrior is what fits Alex best:
Weapon mutations:
Claws: Claws of the Beast
Hammerfist: Hammer
Musclemass: Animal Affinity with +Str
Whip: Graft Weapon combined with Call Weaponry
Blade: same as Whip

Armor mutations:
Shield: Force Screen
Armor: Intertial Armor+Inertial Barrier

Generic powers:
Disguise: Expanded Knowledge (Metamorphosis)
Consume: Ok, this one's difficult. Best shot would be "Strengh of my enemy" or Psychic Reformation.

Movement powers:
Wallrunning: Wall walker
Glide: Psionic flight

Critical mass:
Extra HP: Vigor

[Gorbash]

Well, if you finished Prototype (if you didn't, don't read ahead) then you must know that protagonist of the game isn't Alex Mercer. He's the Blacklight Virus who animated body of Alex Mercer and that's why he doesn't have any memories after waking up in the morgue. So, if anything he's a Living Polymorph spell, so you could go start from there.

[Ecalsneerg]

Changeling Warshaper?

[Angry Bob]

Changeling Warshaper?

Yes. For the natural weapon size/deadliness increase, str/con bonuses, and regeneration.

Well, if you finished Prototype (if you didn't, don't read ahead) then you must know that protagonist of the game isn't Alex Mercer. He's the Blacklight Virus who animated body of Alex Mercer and that's why he doesn't have any memories after waking up in the morgue. So, if anything he's a Living Polymorph spell, so you could go start from there.

I did finish the game, I did realize the thing about him being blacklight. However, even if I could play as an awakened living spell, that's not quite what I had in mind. Like I said, I'm aiming to have the same abilities, not be him/it.

[Deth Muncher]

What about that Half-Daelkyr? I'd think the symbionts might emulate some of his powers.

[Demons_eye]

What about that Half-Daelkyr? I'd think the symbionts might emulate some of his powers.

Wheres that found?

Mercer always reminded me of venom.

[Deth Muncher]

Wheres that found?

Mercer always reminded me of venom.

You mean nu-Venom? Old Venom couldn't morph.

Half-Daelkyr is in one of the 3.5 Eberrons. Probably Magic Of. I'll check.

EDIT: Who's right? I's right. Page 37, MoE.

[Demons_eye]

You mean nu-Venom? Old Venom couldn't morph.

Half-Daelkyr is in one of the 3.5 Eberrons. Probably Magic Of. I'll check.

EDIT: Who's right? I's right. Page 37, MoE.

Thanks. I was thinking more Ultimate Spiderman Venom

[Deth Muncher]

Thanks. I was thinking more Ultimate Spiderman Venom

AH. Then yeah. Makes more sense.

Of course, US Venom is nothing like the Daelkyr Half-Blood, despite their use of symbio(n)t(e)s.

[mabriss lethe]

Changeling warshaper, definitely. Take the illithid heritage feats that qualify you to extract brains. figure out some way to take Illithid Savant(ritually changing your race should suffice, forget where the rules for that are.)

[Melamoto]

It's not a very good match all in all, but the Soul Eater from BoVD has 1 ability which works perfectly. The class has the ability to drain levels from opponents, and the Soul Radiance ability gained at level 6 allows you to shapechange into anyone killed by the negative levels. The other abilities are more or less based on gaining bonuses from draining energy (And 1 lets you fire an energy beam, which is a Devastator IIRC).

[Angry Bob]

Okay, lessee...

Changeling warshaper, definitely. Take the illithid heritage feats that qualify you to extract brains. figure out some way to take Illithid Savant(ritually changing your race should suffice, forget where the rules for that are.)

I'm not sure where the Illithid Savant is from, but I imagine that if I wanted to forgo my other feats, I could take a bunch of flaws so I could take Illithid Extraction from the Complete Psionic early on. Only problem is, it doesn't actually absorb their memories, just power points. If the Savant you mentioned does, then I'm all ears.

It's not a very good match all in all, but the Soul Eater from BoVD has 1 ability which works perfectly. The class has the ability to drain levels from opponents, and the Soul Radiance ability gained at level 6 allows you to shapechange into anyone killed by the negative levels. The other abilities are more or less based on gaining bonuses from draining energy (And 1 lets you fire an energy beam, which is a Devastator IIRC).

It actually works better than I'd thought at first, if I give up on the idea of using a changeling. Instead, I use a doppelganger, take alertness and proficiency to qualify and take levels of warshaper to fill the gap between the base doppelganger and the +5 BaB. I can of course easily get Knowledge(Arcana) to 2 ranks easily. Probably ends up something like this:

Doppelganger Warshaper 4/Soul Eater 6
Alertness and Weapon Focus(Slam) by virtue of its monstrous humanoid levels, then take some energy drain related feat or feats from Libris Mortis.

Edit: Scratch that, I can already look like whoever I want. I like the ability boosts and the blast ability. Probably it'll just end up five levels.

[Nada Rakshasa]

You mean nu-Venom? Old Venom couldn't morph.

Actually, the Eddie Brock incarnation of Venom was capable of altering their costume to mimic just about any sort of uniform or clothing or their surroundings, enabling them to blend in just about any circumstances. And they could generate claws and tentacles/pseudopods at will. Most writers/artists often ignored most of the latter of these abilities.

[Melamoto]

Edit: Scratch that, I can already look like whoever I want. I like the ability boosts and the blast ability. Probably it'll just end up five levels.

You may be able to look like anybody, but you can't steal their powers. That is what Soul Radiance is for.

[Angry Bob]

You may be able to look like anybody, but you can't steal their powers. That is what Soul Radiance is for.

Ah. I thought a conditional disguise self was kind of weak for a the sixth level of a prestige class.

[Melamoto]

Ah. I thought a conditional disguise self was kind of weak for a the sixth level of a prestige class.

No, it functions to the letter as a Shapechange into the target victim. The 7th level improves the energy drain attack, causing it to cause 2 negative levels rather than 1. 9th level doesn't fit at all however; it turns your dead victim into a Wight under your control (An interesting way to start a Wightocalypse though).

[Angry Bob]

No, it functions to the letter as a Shapechange into the target victim.

Yup. I figured that out.

[mabriss lethe]

Illithid savant is from savage species.

You gain the ability to permanently absorb the abilities of any foe that you kill and eat its brains. It starts off by absorbing skills, then feats, later class features. (including things like spell casting.)