Sentient item as a player character

[llehctim]

So Ive been thinking about this for a while, but Ive wanted to play a sentient Item for a while now and Ive seen the rules for making sentient weapons and even items of legacy, but both of those assume the player also has a character wielding them, but I am trying to make an item that can be helpful even without a powerful wielder.

So would there be any means to convert a characters Level/Exp into power/gold cost of a sentient item?
Or possible some other method I'm missing, because I would be losing things like feats (or maybe not, depends on if there are item feats), and the ability to have class features, unless there is some sort of item class that I am unaware of.

[Private-Prinny]

Warforged characters are constructs that are sentient due to long and complex enchantments. It seems to fit the flavor you're going for.

[AustontheGreat1]

What exactly would you be able to accomplish as a sentient item? If you are just able to speak to the party and add to role play, then I wouldn't worry. Just talk to your DM and let him know. He might want you to have some mental stats and he should determine your HP and hardness appropriate for whatever item you are and what not, but other than that I don't think it should matter.

[Optimystik]

Be a Warforged Egoist, spend all your time shapeshifted into a box or a ring or something

[Anxe]

A dancing sword is a good example of an item that can function on its own. Or winged boots.

[tonberrian]

You could try using Fiend of Possession, but that requires you to be [Evil].

I keep thinking there's a sort of thematic niche for a PrC for manifesters that puts your mind into a weapon, which you can then enchant using class features. Maybe some sharing of personal buffs (since you can't move by your own volition).

[Anasazi]

For exactly what you're talking about, you're deffinately looking at a homebrew version. If you want to actually be an intelligent item/artifact, you will deffinately have to get it first approved by your GM. He/she will apply restrictions to such a thing also, so while we can come up with means of doing it, its best to talk to your GM first to get a feeling for where they're sitting at on the idea.

You'll probably have to home brew a leveling structure, as for skills, well that would be based on what type of item you are. Also, consider being an item ment for the group, not just one of the players, thus someone is always using you. Just remember, like an item, if you get in the way you'll be tossed aside, all the more easily now since you can't pick yourself up.

[Optimystik]

I keep thinking there's a sort of thematic niche for a PrC for manifesters that puts your mind into a weapon, which you can then enchant using class features. Maybe some sharing of personal buffs (since you can't move by your own volition).

The Soulbound Weapon ACF for Psychic Warriors gives you a weapon that you can enchant as you please.

[tonberrian]

The Soulbound Weapon ACF for Psychic Warriors gives you a weapon that you can enchant as you please.

The (main) idea of the PrC was that you were a living weapon. The enchantment was incidental and a possible source of class features.

[llehctim]

I figured I would have to work out a home brew, but I guess I was trying to see if there was something else to base it off of, because as of now I have no experience in home brewing anything, I suppose I will look into it. Thanks for the ideas.

[Prime32]

You could always go with the "psion sandwich" trick.

Polymorph any object a sandwich into a living creature
True mind switch with it (or more cheaply, commit suicide while under the effect of astral seed, then use regular mind switch and destroy the crystal)
Wait for PAO's duration to run out

[Divide by Zero]

You could always go with the "psion sandwich" trick.

Polymorph any object a sandwich into a living creature
True mind switch with it (or more cheaply, commit suicide while under the effect of astral seed, then use regular mind switch and destroy the crystal)
Wait for PAO's duration to run out

I did that once, but it was with the cleric's weapon rather than a sandwich. Fun times.

[Prime32]

I did that once, but it was with the cleric's weapon rather than a sandwich. Fun times.

There's a guy at BG who did it with an airship (well, technically it was a similar trick with Haunt Shift, but still). Consider that many encounters take place on the party's airship and you can see the advantages.

[Sinfire Titan]

There's a guy at BG who did it with an airship (well, technically it was a similar trick with Haunt Shift, but still). Consider that many encounters take place on the party's airship and you can see the advantages.

And this is the basis for the "Living in a Flying Box trick".


Really, you can do the same thing with Bestow Curse. It's just a bit more of a stretch than the PAO sandwich.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Two campaigns ago I had one PC play an intelligent item. The way we worked it out was that he added Item Familiar and Weapon of Legacy capabilities to the basic intelligent item chassis; when everyone else leveled up, he gained the abilities he'd have if his wielder was the corresponding level.

[Anxe]

You could always go with the "psion sandwich" trick.

Polymorph any object a sandwich into a living creature
True mind switch with it (or more cheaply, commit suicide while under the effect of astral seed, then use regular mind switch and destroy the crystal)
Wait for PAO's duration to run out

Wouldn't that just turn you into a mindless sandwich by RAW?

[shadow_archmagi]

Wouldn't that just turn you into a mindless sandwich by RAW?

No, because Polymorph doesn't alter your mental scores. When you changed back, you'd be a sandwich with a mind. But you still couldn't take any actions other than purely mental ones.

[Ranos]

Fiend of possession works very well for this. You get to change your enchantments on the fly, so you can have a lot of synergy with the group's fighter.
I think you can use a soulmeld to get the [Evil], I don't really remember the name though.

[Anxe]

No, because Polymorph doesn't alter your mental scores. When you changed back, you'd be a sandwich with a mind. But you still couldn't take any actions other than purely mental ones.

Polymorph Any Object changes your Int score.

[Hecore]

Polymorph Any Object changes your Int score.

That's right - The sandwich becomes a creature with an int score. You switch with it (becoming the creature that is currently not a sandwich). PAO runs out and you become the sandwich once again. Because you are switching with a creature that is currently not a sandwich (which has gained an int score thanks to PAO) it works.

[Eternal Drifter]

Intelegent item as a player character?

Right... I just had a player who, after going through about 10 humanoid characters in two years, decided to play a commoner... possessed by a crossbow. He had the commoner specialize in hit points, and poured all the gold into the crossbow. The Crossbow's special purpose: create anarchy.

He certanly did that. He caused riots in a city, forced the royal family to flee, and stole from an epic wizard that had gone insane. When the wizard caught up with him... Meteor Swarm.

So, he lost the commoner... but after some plane jumping (doing his best to avoid the elemental plane of fire, with good reasons), he found himself in front of the sleeping Tarrasque. I was hoping to get him to flee, but instead he woke the beast up, had the crossbow take control of it, and used the Dimention Door power (granted by following anarchy) to move the Tarrasque to city governments and destroy them.

To make a long story short, he devestated a contenent before a group of angry epic level adventurers intervined and slew the beast. The crossbow escaped... but the overgod was not pleased with what had been done, so...
zip! off to the elemental plane of fire, to burn for all eternity!

Edit: As for creation... choose a character level that the rest of the party is at, take that amount of gold, and put as much of it as possible into that magic item. Be sure to create a character too...but due to not being the master, he will probably not be optimized with the normal equipment, and probably will have a weak will save (so the item CAN control him).

[Sydonai]

I have been thinking of this for a while. My initial thought was a Psion Deep-Crystal Greatsword, But then I thought how hilarious a Warlock would be as a sentient item. If I could wave somatic components, or even get Mage Hand as an enchantment, it wouldn't effect the character very much. Imagine an enchanted sentient dagger(with warlock levels) weilded by a rogue, Hidious Blow plus the rogue's sneak attack.

(telepathy is a must)

[megabyter5]

Couldn't you just be an intelligent weapon with the Dancing enchantment? The DM would probably rule that you can activate by yourself, so just say you're in the possession of your friendly neighborhood full-BAB guy, and you're good to go!

[Just_Ice]

Shouldn't there be stats for the moving chest from Discworld?

[Sydonai]

Couldn't you just be an intelligent weapon with the Dancing enchantment? The DM would probably rule that you can activate by yourself, so just say you're in the possession of your friendly neighborhood full-BAB guy, and you're good to go!

But its so mush more fun to buff until you get overkill.(Could the Item take rogue levels and aply sneak attack to its damage?)

[Anxe]

That's right - The sandwich becomes a creature with an int score. You switch with it (becoming the creature that is currently not a sandwich). PAO runs out and you become the sandwich once again. Because you are switching with a creature that is currently not a sandwich (which has gained an int score thanks to PAO) it works.

So when PAO runs out your old body becomes braindead? And you remain a talking sandwich? That makes sense too.

[Starscream]

Maybe just refluff something? For instance, if you want to be a sword, play a ghost with a ghost-touch sword. Only instead of being a ghost holding the sword, you are the sword. Then simply advance as normal with a class.

A little homebrewing might be required. Maybe in return for not counting as undead (so you can't be turned, etc) you die if the sword is ever sundered. To be ressurected, the sword has to be expensively reforged. If you have the ghostly power of possession, you can only use it by getting your victim to hold the sword.

A PrC like Kensai could be fun, with you adding further enchantments to yourself.

[theMycon]

This brings up a question- Since a +2 weapon is more expensive than "raise dead", +3 more than "resurrection", & +4 more than "True resurrection"...

How would you handle death? I forget the cost of intelligence rules, but "Half the price of forging as a resurrection" seems about fair.