Inescapable Craving

[dark.sun.druid]

So, I'm planning on making an incorporeal undead character who will have the Inescapable Craving racial feature. It's going to be quite annoying to try and get something that I can do STR damage every day to keep myself from going insane and killing the rest of the party, because my DM likes to have the group travel long distances. I have exactly 2,000 gp left to spend (I had 36,000 to work with, but ghost-touched bracers of armor +5 are expensive). I thought about using a survival pouch (MIC, I don't remember what page) to summon a mule every day, but it costs more than I have.

I could do it by dropping the armor bonus from my bracers to +4, but that is undesirable and would leave me with excess money, but not enough to buy anything else (with ghost touched). I could also get enough money by removing ghost touched (I have the Ghostly Grasp feat, so I could still use them) from the bracers, but then I wouldn't be able to pass through objects anymore. As it is, whenever I need to pass though something I would need to drop the survival pouch or give it to a party member, and so the pouch isn't very useful for me anyway.

Basically, here's what I need. I need a spell (1st level sorcerer only), a psionic ability (1st level wilder only), an item costing less than 2,000 gp (only if no other solution exists), or a feat (this is by far preferable) that will either let me summon some sort of living creature (i.e. it needs to have a strength score) or will let me negate the inescapable craving.

Thanks ahead of time, I hope there's something that you can do for me.

[Jarian]

Sorry if this is really obvious, but... Summon Monster I?

Unless the creature has to be persistent, aka Called, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

[dsmiles]

Long distance traveling, you say? Rabbits, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and all sorts of other animals have strength scores...I'm just sayin'.

[Jopustopin]

You do have the feat "Ghostly Grasp" from libris mortis right?

[dark.sun.druid]

Sorry if this is really obvious, but... Summon Monster I?

Unless the creature has to be persistent, aka Called, I don't see why it wouldn't work.

The creature doesn't have to be persistent, but is Summon Monster I a 1st level Sorcerer spell? I was under the impression that is was a second level spell.

EDIT: I just checked and, yes, it is a first level spell for a sorcerer. I don't know why I thought it was second level. Thank you, this means my problem is solved.

Long distance traveling, you say? Rabbits, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, deer, and all sorts of other animals have strength scores...I'm just sayin'.

This would work most of the time, but we travel through some odd environments (for example at the moment we're trekking through a white-sand desert, where the only living things are strong and hostile).

You do have the feat "Ghostly Grasp" from libris mortis right?

I do.

[The_Snark]

A Bag of Tricks should work, and the cheapest version is very affordable (900 gp).

I'm not sure how much it would cost to get it made ghost-touched, but if it's over 1,100, you could always just have one of your companions carry it for you. You don't need constant access to it, and if you're separated from your companions... well, if you're separated from your companions it becomes much less important to have it.

[thubby]

be a sorcerer, abuse your familiar.
iirc, 0-ing str doesnt typically kill.

[Claudius Maximus]

It explicitly does for a shadow, and for several other undead. Check the ability's language.

[Thurbane]

Can anyone in your party take a level of Binder? Bind Naberius, who allows ability damage to be healed 1/round. Since you get temp HP from draining him, might be a useful tactic, especially if you take the feats that enhance your draning abilities.

[dark.sun.druid]

Okay, I'm officially reviving this thread. Two things have come up:

First of all, it turns out that an arcane focus is required for Summon Monster I, and so I can't use it (I remade my build and I won't be getting Ghostly Grasp until 5th level, and besides I wouldn't be able to carry it around if I wanted to pass through walls and such). I need a new solution.

Also, does anyone know an easy way to get access to low-level (with a low STR score) humanoids that I can convert into shadows under my control? Assuming that I won't have access to centers of population, because we spend a lot of time in the wilderness, and the only city where we ever spend time is Sigil, where the Lady of Pain is a constant threat to people-poachers.

[ThirdEmperor]

Bag of tricks, have someone carry it for you if you can't get a ghost touch version.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Okay, I'm officially reviving this thread. Two things have come up:

First of all, it turns out that an arcane focus is required for Summon Monster I, and so I can't use it (I remade my build and I won't be getting Ghostly Grasp until 5th level, and besides I wouldn't be able to carry it around if I wanted to pass through walls and such). I need a new solution.

Also, does anyone know an easy way to get access to low-level (with a low STR score) humanoids that I can convert into shadows under my control? Assuming that I won't have access to centers of population, because we spend a lot of time in the wilderness, and the only city where we ever spend time is Sigil, where the Lady of Pain is a constant threat to people-poachers.

Well once again the obvious answer is probably the best, if you are removing ghostly grasp, take Eschew Materials as a feat, no need to have the focus.

Summon Monster, if you are using Dragon Magazine's expanded lists, can summon aasimars and tieflings, both fairly humanoid.

[dark.sun.druid]

Well once again the obvious answer is probably the best, if you are removing ghostly grasp, take Eschew Materials as a feat, no need to have the focus.

Summon Monster, if you are using Dragon Magazine's expanded lists, can summon aasimars and tieflings, both fairly humanoid.

Unfortunately, Eschew Materials only works for material components, not foci. I know it's nit-picky, but that's the sort of thing my DM would exploit.

Also, the creature needs to be a Humanoid with a big H, as in it actually needs to have the Humanoid type.

[Miscast_Mage]

Well, one possibility is Leadership, although it really won't help untill you're mid-level(and/or have a high charisma), you *could* use cohorts untill you get 12 leadership score, but the "Caused the death of a cohort" -2 penalty is cumulative per cohort killed, making it impractical without some DM fiat, but when you do get 12 leadership score(10 to start getting followers, + 1 for moving around, + 1 for causing the death of followers which doesn't have the "* Cumulative per cohort killed.", RAW). It's 5 followers too, so even if your DM argues you can't get new followers while in the wilderness, you could 'stock up on supplies' when visiting a city.

[dark.sun.druid]

Well, one possibility is Leadership, although it really won't help untill you're mid-level(and/or have a high charisma), you *could* use cohorts untill you get 12 leadership score, but the "Caused the death of a cohort" -2 penalty is cumulative per cohort killed, making it impractical without some DM fiat, but when you do get 12 leadership score(10 to start getting followers, + 1 for moving around, + 1 for causing the death of followers which doesn't have the "* Cumulative per cohort killed.", RAW). It's 5 followers too, so even if your DM argues you can't get new followers while in the wilderness, you could 'stock up on supplies' when visiting a city.

An interesting idea. I'm taking the Undead Leadership feat, so if I get corporial undead followers I might be able to pull that off. I wouldn't get any shadows though, because undead aren't humanoid. And I believe it takes 1 month to get new followers... Okay, I had a thought. I'm taking 2 levels of Cleric, so I can swing a Summon Monster I divine spell (I got sanctified ghost-touched armor, so it works as a divine focus) once per day until I reach high enough level to get ghostly grasp, and can then use the arcane focus and burn a Sorcerer spell on it instead, leaving me more room to Summon Undead.

This still does not solve my humanoid problem though... maybe I'll just raid every small town we come to, and deal with not being able to resupply very often.

[Last Laugh]

An interesting idea. I'm taking the Undead Leadership feat, so if I get corporial undead followers I might be able to pull that off. I wouldn't get any shadows though, because undead aren't humanoid. And I believe it takes 1 month to get new followers... Okay, I had a thought. I'm taking 2 levels of Cleric, so I can swing a Summon Monster I divine spell (I got sanctified ghost-touched armor, so it works as a divine focus) once per day until I reach high enough level to get ghostly grasp, and can then use the arcane focus and burn a Sorcerer spell on it instead, leaving me more room to Summon Undead.

This still does not solve my humanoid problem though... maybe I'll just raid every small town we come to, and deal with not being able to resupply very often.

What exmactly is your build? Locate city can find you low-population settlements to devastate, significantly eviler than summoning tho. Aragorn may stop ya.

Set up a front? Orphanage is a good choice.

Edit: In any other situation I'd be opposed to people setting up orphanages just to siphon the vitality of children, thanks DND!

[Miscast_Mage]

I may be mis-reading something here, but couldn't you use your cohort as a cleric instead of/in addition to taking cleric levels yourself?

[dark.sun.druid]

What exmactly is your build? Locate city can find you low-population settlements to devastate, significantly eviler than summoning tho. Aragorn may stop ya.

Set up a front? Orphanage is a good choice.

Edit: In any other situation I'd be opposed to people setting up orphanages just to siphon the vitality of children, thanks DND!

My exact build is Bugbear (MM 29), Blue Dragonspawn (DrLa 222), Umbral Creature (LM 129), Evolved (LM 99). I'm going to take 2 levels of Cleric, enter the Ephemeral Exemplar paragon prestige class for 3 levels, and then prestige to Master of Shrouds, which will take me into the epic levels.

Is Locate City a divine spell, or an arcane spell? Or is it even a spell?

I like the idea of setting up a front. I could put up some sort of apartment complex or something in Sigil, and have a gate constructed that leads to a different plane. When I need to restock on shadows, I can get some of the residents to come through the gate, where I can safely drain their strength without angering the Lady of Pain, and thus replenish my mass of shadowy minions! I could even set up a really cheap rent system that I could use to pay a staff, making it even more legitimate looking!

I may be mis-reading something here, but couldn't you use your cohort as a cleric instead of/in addition to taking cleric levels yourself?

I could, but I need a PC class for 2 levels before I get the BAB I need to take Ephemeral Exemplar, and Cleric lets me finish out the prerequisites I need for Master of Shrouds.

I think I want my cohort to be some sort of undead fighter, to make up the areas in which I am lacking. Perhaps I'll get a Mohrg, starting at 7th level and progressing through the monster levels in the way described in the Libris Mortis (I get a bonus to my leadership score for attracting undead followers and cohorts, because of the Undead Leadership feat, so I can certainly attract a Mohrg).