[Tome of Virtue] Totemist

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Mask_De_H
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Post by Mask_De_H »

FrankTrollman wrote:Thematically speaking, Ilithid are "evil people" and wouldn't fit the Totemist for the same reason that they wouldn't have a "Drow" totem or a "succubus" totem. It's not that those things aren't iconic, it's that they are people and not monsters n the traditional sense.

Of course, that makes me want to create a Master Doppelganger that uses the iconic abilities of different D&D people. Hmmm...

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Post by Koumei »

That's fair enough, though I tend to think of them as calamari more than people.

Such a class would fit right in with these.

For Drow, they put on blackface and get taken off air/sued.
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Post by Username17 »

So yeah, the Soldier is the class we were talking about there. And I threw in some more Totems.

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Post by virgil »

When the Purple Worm totem says that the victim cannot free himself, does that include using personal abilities to transport himself out? What about damage auras? I'm having trouble considering this ability as anything but insta-kill against whomever he can touch.

If the totemist finds enough victims with high acid resistance, he could set up quite the surprise for whoever does eventually kill him; the corpse suddenly exploding with a pack of digesters, a clutch of arrowhawks, a tojanida, two delvers, and a confused black dragon.
Last edited by virgil on Mon Nov 23, 2009 8:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Sunwitch »

So there's no way we're going to get a Balor soulmeld with a flaming tentacle and sword-arm? Because that's pretty disappointing.

Maybe it doesn't necessarily fit the flavour you're going for with the class. Would it make sense to have a PrC (probably not the best idea), feat, or something for a totemist or totemist-like guy who likes to assimilate humanoid-ish demons and such?
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Post by Username17 »

Mauver wrote:So there's no way we're going to get a Balor soulmeld with a flaming tentacle and sword-arm? Because that's pretty disappointing.

Maybe it doesn't necessarily fit the flavour you're going for with the class. Would it make sense to have a PrC (probably not the best idea), feat, or something for a totemist or totemist-like guy who likes to assimilate humanoid-ish demons and such?
I never cared for the Incarnate and could never figure what they were supposed to do. But there are probably enough outsiders that you could make an Incarnate who was a lot like the totemist but got Hezrou powers and quasit powers instead.

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Post by Koumei »

Yeah, it would have to be an Outsider-flavoured Totemist. Considering the Totemist is what sold Magic of Blue in the first place, that could work. Trying to make them a class that doesn't really know what it is, but does know that it feels hardcore about an alignment... is clumsy.
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Post by Username17 »

Koumei wrote:Yeah, it would have to be an Outsider-flavoured Totemist. Considering the Totemist is what sold Magic of Blue in the first place, that could work. Trying to make them a class that doesn't really know what it is, but does know that it feels hardcore about an alignment... is clumsy.
If I were to make such a class I would go for more of a Wizard feel. So I'd give them the ability to swap out Soulmelds only when the sun rises or sets, and give the soulmelds invokable powers only once between refresh periods. But then the invokable powers would encounter-enders like Wizard spells are. Then I'd use the Essentia terminology as an actual thing that would activate your soulmeld into doing some at-will thing like a reserve feat. And that would only come online later.

So at first level, the character basically starts with 2 minor magic items and 1/day sleep and color spray. At higher levels you'd gain the ability to swp those around more, a few extra magic items and linked death spells a day, and you'd start getting a coupe of at-will and/or utility powers that you could swap ou each day by moving your Essentia around.

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Post by Avoraciopoctules »

That does sound pretty cool. It would make an entire party of different people using the power of Blue quite viable. I should use that as a concept for my next game, maybe with the ice fort module I have about a quarter-done.
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Post by Koumei »

Oh godfuckingdamn it. I was typing the class up, and closed the wrong tab.

Fuck it, if people want it that bad they can invent it themselves.
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Post by Murtak »

Ctrl+shift+T reopens the last closed tab on firefox, including history and typed text.
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Post by Username17 »

I'm actually fine with writing one up this weekend. The big problem is that the "official" Incarnate is quite unlike the Totemist or Soulborn in that there is basically no part of the character that's salvageable. It's not like the Totemist where it's pretty cool but far too complicated or the Soulborn where it's way too weak but conceptually salvageable. It's a complete nonentity. It has no way to contribute to any party at any level. And it looks like this:

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Post by Koumei »

Indeed.

I basically gave it a similar progression of "Mantles" as the others gain their Soulmelds. Then they also slowly start gaining Essentia. Then I'd scatter in other random abilities like a flesh-bound familiar, and the level 20 ability "The King of Kings". I think we know what that ability does. Hint: it's the new standard.
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Post by Aktariel »

Any updates?
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Post by Koumei »

Quick question: the Unicorn's ability to heal people with a touch, does that work on yourself?
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Post by Maxus »

So you're asking if you can feel better by touching yourself?

Why, yes! Yes, you can.

I am so sorry, that was just too much a temptation for me to resist
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Post by Koumei »

Frank, I know you don't bother doing D&D stuff these days, but I figure you're still happy to answer questions.

I just hit level 9 in a game that has illithid bio-weapons (see: tyranids, though soime aren't attached, they're just alive).

Would the fabricate power let me make these? What about Grafts?
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Post by Username17 »

Koumei wrote:Frank, I know you don't bother doing D&D stuff these days, but I figure you're still happy to answer questions.

I just hit level 9 in a game that has illithid bio-weapons (see: tyranids, though soime aren't attached, they're just alive).

Would the fabricate power let me make these? What about Grafts?
Fabricate can make "high quality" items like alchemist fire, but it can't make "magic items" like enhancted swords. So Grafts, which are normally magic items, would be out of bounds for Corpse Fashion, but Delver Slime would not be. Are your Tyranid Bioweapons taking up someone's magic item slots, or are they just superior crossbows? If it's the former, Corpse Fashion can't do it, and if it's the latter it can.

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Post by Koumei »

Well, the game has Plasma Grenades and Lasguns and stuff, and they're basically those, without special magic features, so I guess they would be creatable.

Thanks!

(And if Delver Slime is that SS "Like acid but better, stupidly so against metal/stone" stuff, then yeah, had the party a Rogue I would be pumping that out like a sweatshop.)
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Post by fbmf »

Leviathan: The Totemist is Colossal as per the spell giany size for four rounds. This Totem is invoked as a Swift Action.
Where is giant sized from?

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Post by Hicks »

It is a Wu Gen 7th (?) level spell in the Complete Arcane.
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Post by OgreBattle »

This is how the final fantasy xi bluemage basically operates, diluting his soul withthat of monsters hes killed. Intereztingly i. Ffxi the mindflayer is actually a bluemage who has lost control of his soul and has transformed into a blasty tentacle head.

They dont have any special nature affinity though and are good swordsmen when not shooting razor feathers from their hands
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Post by angelfromanotherpin »

FrankTrollman wrote:Of course, that makes me want to create a Master Doppelganger that uses the iconic abilities of different D&D people.
I support that completely, but is there any chance you could finish the Incarnate first?

edit: Huh, didn't notice how old that was. Comment stands, though.
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Post by Koumei »

Frank did make the Soldier, which is similar to what the Master Doppelganger would be - using techniques picked up from studying other types of people. Except a lot of them are more designed from the point of view of "This synergises well with that race/a wizard" as opposed to actually gaining the abilities.

I played a Soldier, but didn't find it enjoyable - in the pre-ten levels they don't really bring anything to the table in the "not kicking people in the face" parts of the game, and the game had a soft ban on [Death] effects (as in "you can if you want, but then NPCs will start using them as well. I'm letting you guys avoid being dicked over by iterative probability"), which meant the character couldn't really do much. Swapping out for a Soulborn (Tome version) is good times and I never looked back. Possibly a bit over-the-top with the ability to just stack massive numbers together, other abilities are just good fun and useful.

Totemist has been one of my favourite classes and I thank Frank greatly, though it did teach me that yes, Leadership actually is beyond what a feat should give, if you pick the right companion.
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Post by ubernoob »

Koumei wrote:the game had a soft ban on [Death] effects (as in "you can if you want, but then NPCs will start using them as well. I'm letting you guys avoid being dicked over by iterative probability"), which meant the character couldn't really do much.
Does your game ban Reincarnate or something?
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