Arabesu's Eyes of the Lich Queen, w/ Boons! - OOC

[Arabesu]

Welcome Fangor!

Wren, Human Dragon Shaman 5. Copper Dragon or Brass dragon would be his totem dragon, as he would like the ability for Spider Climb at will or Endure Elements as Eberron would be in favor of.

Thats funny, I play a Copper Dragon Shaman in my buddy's Undermountain campaign: Ronald Copperbottom, halfling dragon shaman. For a halfling he is a spectacular physical specimen

So yes a dragon shaman would work fine. The spider climb ability will really come in handy as will the endure elements; knowing what I know about the module I'd be uncertain which I'd take!

What would your boon item be? I'd recommend a dragon spirit cincture, with con enhancement and perhaps strength since both share the belt affinity and con is such a big deal for the dragon shaman. Or instead, you could make it intelligent if you took one or the other and could get a cool power...

 

[Arabesu]

Welcome Jack!

I'd be interested in this could I play a shapeshift-variant druid?

A good choice, but you'd either have to choose the shapeshifter-variant OR the shifter racial substitution levels; it won't work if you try both for obvious reasons.

As for boon item, I'll have to look those up again as I'm not sure precisely what it is. From my interpretation though I'd make it a single gauntlet that aided with magic casting (since items don't help while shapeshifted). I could provide a combination of spellcasting, buffs and fighting.

The boon item is just a magic item customized to your character, kind of like a legacy item but without the onerous penalties. Remember that your gear melds into your form and becomes non-funtional while shapeshifted; thus the first thing you would want to purchase would be a wildling clasp or its equivelent to make sure you can use your boon item while shapeshifted. This could be treated as your single augment crystal type add on. MIC has both the wildling clasp and the crystals.

As for a boon to your spellcasting +1, it'd have a base of 15k similar to the orange-prism ioun stone, but slotted to gloves so a 50% discount, that leaves about 5k to pick up the wildling clasp for 4k, and for 1k you could make it like bracers of armor +1 giving you an additional boon when shifted: 15 + 4 +1. Of course you're free to pick something else, but this is just my humble suggestion.

You'd need to provide a background of course...

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Ok, for Boon item, I would think this guy would need a good weapon. How about a +1 Impaling/Returning Longspear of Changeling. Costing me 20,305gp (had to dip into the 4k alloted for items), it would enable me to use a Longspear, Shortspear or Spear as a swift action each round, and also grant me 3/day chances to have next melee attack be a Touch Attack. That, along with the Returning Property, allows me to throw and still be effective with my aura's. Plus, it would be harder (hopefully) to lose the item if it had the returning property.

He would be all in favor of having said weapon, learning that his aura's work best when he's near the center of the group. Finding out the hard way, that he could not rely on one type of weapon, he found a perfect symbiotic relationship with this new weapon's ability to be versatile, just as he was. Able to stand in the second line of defense, he could skewer the foes and make use of the front liners as his defense.

Having been used to not being able to defend the front ranks, but needing to offer some offensive abilities, he came across the needs of a weapon to be usable in all situations. His breath attack is fire based, as he would like to show that his dragon totem, the brass dragon, is one of power and control. Able to withstand the harsh environments he usually finds himself in, (having Endure Elements at will), he is a person that can continue to weather most things thrown at him. His survival skills are used to the advantage of the others as well, having learned to survive on what the land can offer (Skill Focus Survival).

Now, with being able to lend a hand in most situations, he is learning to try to provide some much needing healing. But that power seems so close, yet not in his hands now. (Next level, ability to heal limited amount per day)

 

[Arabesu]

Not to be a stickler, but technically it'd have to be a +1 impaling/Returning Spear of Changeling, since a longspear can't be thrown. You could use it as a longspear thanks to the changeling property but when you want to throw it you'd have to activate the changeling property to revert it back to a spear. My recollection is that it was a swift action to use that ability. So most of the time this won't be a problem, except on rounds when you want to switch auras. Please check on the activation time on the changeling ability, at work I don't have access to MIC only memory which is unfortunately fallible. If it is a free action or no action to reshape the weapon then disregard what I just wrote. If swift, at higher levels you can upgrade it to be no action to change and have the returning be immediate, rather than at the end of the round, at a cost of +50% of the returning and changeling properties alone.

Pretty cool concept... when do you think you'll have a sheet ready?

 

[Jack of Tales]

I know there is the Wild [or something like that] trait for armors but from what I recall reading this usually (always up to DM interpretation) does not work while shapeshifted. I searched through all the crystals (and a general word search since I converted all my books to pdf) for anything about wildshape, wildling, etc but couldn't find anything matching the description you gave.

So it looks like I'd be stuck being unable to use whatever benefits the boon item gave while shapeshifted. If that's the case I'm thinking of mixing in either deflection or natural armor with that 15k +1 caster level bonus. Extra DC's, buff durations and longer disabling spells are always useful.

As for the item itself, I really like the way it looks/story behind it so far:
Boon Item background: [sblock]Boon item: This strange object encases Faris's left forearm. It appears to be a large, single bracer of iron with
small rubies inset in spiraling patterns. The bracer extands down over the back of her fist where it splits into several small chains with individual
silver rings for her fingers. The unique item was found rather then created for the family although since it was found no one has been able to use it but
those of her bloodline. Her great, great, grandmother began the tradition of heading out on adventure on one's seventeenth birthday. In this case, her ancestor found her way into
an old wizard's complex located somewhere in the Aldeen Reaches. While the location of the place is no longer known, it is said that it had previously been looted
before her great, great grandmother ever arrived. However the band found a door with large spirals full of inset rubies. These rubies were stuck fast and neither magic nor strength
could remove them. When the Ravenblood approached the door it spiralled open to reveal a large, dust covered room with numerous old skeletons scatterred about. Further investigation
showed strange gnaw marks on the bones. Situated on a pedestal behind a stone alter sat this bracer. The first to remove it was a gnome hunter who provided guiding to the location
but he could not figure out how to use or wear the strange object. After Faris's relative took the item it seemed to put itself on. The band took this as a sign and let her keep the object.
The strange item is said to provide a small amount of protection to its wearer in addition to increasing the effects of any spell cast while wearing it. (+2 deflection bonus (6k) and +1 caster level (15k) =21k and digging into the 4k for other equipment. I considered making it a Wis bonus instead, but I like the gauntlet idea so much better and Wis only adds to throat/head)[/sblock]

EDIT: Okay question about if I wanted to use shifter (not the racial sub. levels) as the race. Could I shift while shapeshifting? And if so would the attribute bonuses stack? The shifting ability does not label the increase as an enhancement bonus. And thirdly, if I chose a type with a natural bite or claw attack could I add the bonuses (+1/4 character levels)that I would normally get for using a claw attack while shifted in addition to bonuses for using the same bite or claw attack with shapeshift? (+1 enhancement/4 druid levels)

 

[Douane]

I'd be interested in playing a ranged combatant (ranger-fighter multi-class).

His boon would be his weapon of choice, a bow fashioned from the dead tree of his late lover, a Dryad. Probably with some degree of intelligence as some of her sentience still lingers within.

 

[Jack of Tales]

Wow that's a combination of really cool and really creepy.... Here's my favored weapon, carved from my lover's leg.

 

[Fangor the Fierce]

Yeah, I didn't edit the above post, as it should have been a spear, as you noted. I can have a character done in an hour, or so. I need to know about the dice rolls for stats, is that 4d6 taking highest three?

 

[Douane]

Success!!

The original idea was the bow being carved unwittingly from a sentient tree, but then I thought "Why not kick it up a notch?". As far as he is concerned, being tied to the tree still did not make her part of it. (That's what he keeps telling himself, at least.)

 

[Arabesu]

That is a cool item. Well described.

The wildling clasp is the last or next to the last page of the "things you wear" section of the MIC not the augment crystals section.

I see no reason why a wildling clasp couldn't be added later..

As to the shapeshifting and shifter abilities, my recollection is that unlike true wildshape, you still keep access to your ability scores and racial abilities while shapeshifted, you simply loose access to worn items. So yes, shifter would work well. In fact, in our other campaign, we have just that, a moonspeaker shifter with shapeshifting and we've always allowed him to shift and shapeshift. Unless one of the other PbP players objects, and I can't imagine they would, then thats how I will rule it. Your already taking a bit of hit if you don't get access to your boon part of the time, so I see no reason to kick you while your down so to speak.