Effigy masters

[JWhitehead]

Heya, I intend to play an effigy master from complete arcane for a campaign later in the year. I am as of yet unsure of the rules for creating human effigies.
Does anyone know whether it would be possible to create multiple hitdie human effigies. would they get feats every 3 hd? what would their stats be?

[Bryn]

It's actually a bad idea to take levels in the Effigy Master PrC - you can create effigies with Craft Construct, and you can use that feat to create any other conscruct (Homunculi, Golems) as well. It is slightly feat-intensive, but in my experience a wizard has plenty of feats to spare. Effigy Master loses some casting progression and doesn't give much of benefit in return.

That said, if you make a human effigy, they lose all but one of their hit dice, and all of their feats except for those that improve its attacks. Their stats would be modified by the effigy template as described on pg 152 of the Complete Arcane.

[Iku Rex]

I agree with Z-Axis - a human effigy would have one HD, no more.

If you want to add HD to the base creature you need an effigy based on a creature with HD-based monster advancement. (Like dire animals.)

You could try negotiating with your DM about it. Adding HD to a creature with class-based advancement could cost more gold/XP, or it could replace one of the PrC abilities of the effigy master.

Either way, no feats. I belive you'd technically get the free +1 to an ability score every four HD though.

[Everyman]

Actually, they wouldn't get a +1 bonus to an ability score per 4 HD. Those kind of adjustments are already calculated into a creature's ability scores. Now, if you could advance their HD, then they would gain a +1 bonus per every multiple of four BEYOND their racial HD.

That said, if you really want to play an effigy master (and it is fun...I've done it), then I recommend a this link here. It will give you a bunch of good leads on what kind of effigy to make.

[Iku Rex]

Actually, they wouldn't get a +1 bonus to an ability score per 4 HD. Those kind of adjustments are already calculated into a creature's ability scores. Now, if you could advance their HD, then they would gain a +1 bonus per every multiple of four BEYOND their racial HD.

Uh, yes. That's what I meant. +1 every four HD after you start adding HD. I thought that was a given.

(Example: 7HD creature advanced 1 HD = 8HD, so +1 to an ability score.)

I'm not 100% convicned it's the intent though.

[JWhitehead]

Thankyou very much for your input I guess it was as I feared then. Sigh I so wanted my character to have her own children
Anyway thankyou also for the effiggy link i think she can make some fun things without relying on human form now

[Koji]

well, if your DM allows templates, you could make a templated human effigy. Half-fiend of half-dragon would be slightly better than just a plain old human. I don't really remember the rules, but demons and devils have HD advancement and some of those look human, so you could go that route.

[JWhitehead]

Also, sorry to be a pain here, how long does it take to make an effigy? I swear blind I cant see it in the book. Will it be the same as making a golem. Aka 1 day per 1k market price?

[AtomicKitKat]

It probably uses the same rules as regular Craft Construct.

Effigy Masters are really just another interpretation of Thrallherd/Mindbender. Without the messy moral dilemmas of using actual living creatures.

[AaronH]

I know this is totally cheap, but I think you could probably create higher HD human effigies if you made them human for Werecreatures. Of course, this is bending the rules so far that you might just as well create HD advanced human effigies.

Oh, and I think Effigy masters rock too. Just havent had a chance to play one.

[The Glyphstone]

Uh, yes. That's what I meant. +1 every four HD after you start adding HD. I thought that was a given.

(Example: 7HD creature advanced 1 HD = 8HD, so +1 to an ability score.)

I'm not 100% convicned it's the intent though.

I don't think it works that way..it says (paraphrashed) that the existing HD don't count towards ability score bonuses. So in the above example, starting at 7HD, you'd get your first ability boost when you hit 11HD, not 8.

[Iku Rex]

I don't think it works that way..it says (paraphrashed) that the existing HD don't count towards ability score bonuses. So in the above example, starting at 7HD, you'd get your first ability boost when you hit 11HD, not 8.

That's not what it means. From the MM, with example:

Ability Score Improvement: Whenever a monster reaches a number of Hit Dice divisible by 4, it improves one ability score by 1 point. For example, a lammasu of 7 Hit Dice increased to 14 Hit Dice gains an ability score improvement at 8 HD and another one at 12 HD. Monsters do not gain ability score increases for levels they “already reached” with their racial Hit Dice, since these adjustments are included in their basic ability scores.