The Worm That Walks

[Lysander]

I was browsing epic monsters and came across The Worm That Walks. Interestingly, it's a template that can theoretically be applied to any arcane spellcaster:

Worm That Walks Characters

By making eldritch preparations on a burial plot, a powerful spellcaster can improve the likelihood of a worm that walks emerging from the ground. The body is buried in an elaborate ritual that, the spellcaster hopes, will attract a critical mass of worms or maggots. The spellcaster performing the ritual must spend 10,000 gp in rare reagents for the ceremony. Furthermore, the ritual drains 2,000 XP from the spell-caster and requires the following spells: limited wish, polymorph any object, summon swarm (heightened to 7th level), and sympathy. Even if the ritual is performed correctly, there is only a chance that the deceased spellcaster will arise as a worm that walks. For each prepared but uncast arcane spell the deceased had at the moment of death (or unused spell slots if a spontaneous caster), there’s a 1% chance that a worm that walks will slither from the grave soil in 1d4 days. Some worms that walk arise spontaneously from ordinary burial plots, but such an event is exceedingly rare. And an epic spell can create worms that walk every time without fail.

Here's what I find really interesting. Only the caster performing the ritual needs to be high level. The subject can be any level at all. While it's unlikely that a lower level person would transform, it's still possible. Someone really determined could perform the ritual repeatedly until it works.

My question is, what would a low level Worm That Walks be like?

[Zom B]

Hmm, with no level adjustment, that could be...well, extremely powerful. I also don't see where it requires that the recipient be an arcane caster.

“Worm that walks” is a template that can be added to any evil wizard or sorcerer.

Nevermind. Was thinking with the big bonuses to things like move silently that this would make for a nice rogue.

Also, the Discorporate ability is giving me a nice idea. It seems logical that the WTW could seperate a few maggots off of itself and keep them alive in a nutrient-rich environment and basically have a phylactery. Or several hundred of them.

[Yuki Akuma]

Hmm, with no level adjustment, that could be...well, extremely powerful. I also don't see where it requires that the recipient be an arcane caster.

He needs to have prepared but uncast arcane spells in order to even have a chance of raising as a Worm That Walks. Each gives a 1% chance.

[JeenLeen]

Could the caster use the epic spell that forces the 'walking'?

I imagine a low-level Worm that Walks would quickly be taken by a Control Undead or Rebuking, becoming a powerful minion. Or be turned and destroyed by the clerics that rumors of a Worm that Walks would attract.

[Zom B]

I imagine a low-level Worm that Walks would quickly be taken by a Control Undead or Rebuking, becoming a powerful minion. Or be turned and destroyed by the clerics that rumors of a Worm that Walks would attract.

It's not undead; it's an aberration.

[Yuki Akuma]

There must be a domain that lets you rebuke aberrations. Probably somewhere in Eberron.

[Zom B]

There must be a domain that lets you rebuke aberrations. Probably somewhere in Eberron.

Only thing I'm finding is the Wild Domain from the D&D Wiki. Other than that, googling "turn aberrations", "turn or destroy aberrations", and "rebuke aberrations" shows a plethora of more homebrew domains and feats.

[robotrobot2]

Its the same cost to perform on another creature as on yourself. It would probably easier to just cast it on yourself and then simulacrum up a copy under your control.

[Lysander]

Could the caster use the epic spell that forces the 'walking'?

Yes. That guarantees the corpse will return (if willing, otherwise it gets a save). You could cast it on a melee character that took a single level of wizard or sorcerer to qualify. A one level dip would be worth it for the Worm template's benefits.

[Stegyre]

He needs to have prepared but uncast arcane spells in order to even have a chance of raising as a Worm That Walks. Each gives a 1% chance.

Or by RAW, an epic level spell can guaranty that result:

And an epic spell can create worms that walk every time without fail.

[Yuki Akuma]

Or by RAW, an epic level spell can guaranty that result:

Sure, but the template can only be added to wizards or sorcerers anyway. Not even wu jen can become Worms That Walk.

[Lysander]

Sure, but the template can only be added to wizards or sorcerers anyway. Not even wu jen can become Worms That Walk.

Simple. Multiclass for one level to qualify. Fighter 9/Sorcerer 1 can become a Worm That Walks.

You know, a Worm That Walks is effectively immortal since its insects can always breed anew and replace themselves. Is becoming a Worm a better alternatively to lichdom for an evil caster? You get immortality without undead weaknesses.

[Adumbration]

An Ultimate Magus would probably have the best shot at rising.

[Zom B]

You know, a Worm That Walks is effectively immortal since its insects can always breed anew and replace themselves. Is becoming a Worm a better alternatively to lichdom for an evil caster? You get immortality without undead weaknesses.

Yup, and as I pointed out, RAI seems to say that you can create little maggot clone-jar phylacteries.

[AirGuitarGod32]

However, I have a personal question:

Could a PC "resist" the evil urge, such as an evil wizard who does this to a good wizard, who in retaliation, kills the evil one and continues his holy path

either that, or he becomes Neutral axis, and at the end, reobtains his "goodness"

[Telonius]

However, I have a personal question:

Could a PC "resist" the evil urge, such as an evil wizard who does this to a good wizard, who in retaliation, kills the evil one and continues his holy path

either that, or he becomes Neutral axis, and at the end, reobtains his "goodness"

The template can only be added to an evil caster. The ritual would have no effect on a good caster.

[Lysander]

Yup, and as I pointed out, RAI seems to say that you can create little maggot clone-jar phylacteries.

What could prevent that is that is that you might have to stay disincorporated to use the bugs like phylacteries. The second you reform whatever is stored back in your laboratory isn't really part of you anymore. When the bugs separate and breed I think you can only choose one cluster to become you again. The other ones just become normal worms I assume.

The template can only be added to an evil caster. The ritual would have no effect on a good caster.

What if a caster became evil with a Helm of Opposite alignment, became the Worm That Walks, and then had the curse removed?

[Zom B]

What if a caster became evil with a Helm of Opposite alignment, became the Worm That Walks, and then had the curse removed?

I'm not so sure magic items function for a corpse. This seems to be supported by all the cursed items that detach from its owner upon the owner's death.

Actually, for that matter, does a dead person even have an alignment?

[arguskos]

Actually, for that matter, does a dead person even have an alignment?

Yes, kinda. Their soul has it's alignment from life. The corpse is a pile of meat, and thus doesn't have squat.

[Lycanthromancer]

How to guarantee that you became a worm that walks via the ritual:

A wand of mnemonic enhancer.

Take ranks in UMD, and you have a wormy walking rogue.

Factotums would still be better, though...

[Lysander]

What's kind of ridiculous here is that you can have a level 1 character that's capable of dealing 100 damage with a successful touch attack.

[golentan]

Yes, you can do this. It's a fairly good Ikea Tarrasque (not great, but good). Epic Sorcerer takes Epic Leadership, gains 1500 little sorcerer followers. Epic sorcerer has feat that lets you sacrifice people to gain XP for spells and item creation. Sacrifice followers, use resultant XP to fuel development of "Gathering of Maggots" in a mass version. Use resulting bodies as components to cast gathering of maggots.

Congrats, you now have sorcerer minions who are virtually unkillable by anything in their range, great melee-ers, have some 20th CL SLAs, continue to advance as rapidly as they would have before, and provide no XP to anything nasty enough to dispose of them because... they're only CR 4. Slap a contingency Celerity on them (any attack that would destroy them grants them enough time to discorporate instead) and point them in the general direction of your enemies.

[Trixie]

Can it be stack with lich, to create a mass of undead maggots, or just a mass of maggots on a skeleton?

By either burying a "body" (lich) or making a phylactery?

Mmmm, Demilich That Walks. Almost impossible to kill, and you don't lose your items when you discorporate. Sure, you lose a few levels, but with these bonuses and the way epic magic works it isn't really a problem.

[Flickerdart]

Trick is to get the Helm on the Worm after its rebirth, then you have your Good Worm That Walks.

[Fortuna]

Is there any reason why a Good character couldn't create minions using something like the following process:

Step 1: Take Epic Leadership, and Legendary Commander if you feel it necessary.
Step 2: Put Helms of Opposite Alignment on all your followers, one by one.
Step 3: Develop an epic spell which converts a living creature directly into a worm that walks.
Step 4: Cast said spell on your followers, one by one.
Step 5: After each casting, follow it up with remove curse.
Step 6: ???
Step 7: Profit!

[Dimers]

Does a dragon disciple sorcerer become a wyrm that walks? ...

[Yuki Akuma]

Is there any reason why a Good character couldn't create minions using something like the following process:

Step 1: Take Epic Leadership, and Legendary Commander if you feel it necessary.
Step 2: Put Helms of Opposite Alignment on all your followers, one by one.
Step 3: Develop an epic spell which converts a living creature directly into a worm that walks.
Step 4: Cast said spell on your followers, one by one.
Step 5: After each casting, follow it up with remove curse.
Step 6: ???
Step 7: Profit!

Well, Good characters tend to have these pesky things called "morals" and "respect for other living beings"...

[Bibliomancer]

Well, Good characters tend to have these pesky things called "morals" and "respect for other living beings"...

And yet, Soon didn't mention to these people that by signing up they would be stuck in the throne room instead of going to Celestia. I'm sure that you could found an order of schmucks paladins to help you remake the world in your own image save the multiverse.

[Yuki Akuma]

And yet, Soon didn't mention to these people that by signing up they would be stuck in the throne room instead of going to Celestia. I'm sure that you could found an order of schmucks paladins to help you remake the world in your own image save the multiverse.

...Who says he didn't?

And it's not like they were there for long. They got to go to Celestia right after being 'killed' - that's one of the reasons why Deathless are considered Good.

Now, turning a bunch of people into walking horrors by using magic to mess with their minds? Kinda iffy.

[Mando Knight]

And yet, Soon didn't mention to these people that by signing up they would be stuck in the throne room instead of going to Celestia. I'm sure that you could found an order of schmucks paladins to help you remake the world in your own image save the multiverse.

Who says they didn't? What if the souls of the fallen Sapphire Guard were set to a "recall" spell of epic proportions (powered by the Guard's Oath) that allowed them to return to the mortal realm in case of danger to the gate? (like a personal legion of not-quite-angels) The ones that died in the throne room just shifted into the Deathless state immediately rather than possibly resting in Celestia first.