Possible Epic Progression: Alienist PrC

[Pax]

Well, I've been putting a LOt of thought into this; one of the (IMO) coolest PrCs in tome and Blood is the Alienist; it's chock full of potential style, and for a creature-summoning caster, not too shabby in terms of sheer "throw weight", either.

Unfortunately, once you hit Epic levels, even Summon Monster IX starts to look underpowered; most creatures on that list just can't keep up, even with the pre-epic pseudonatural template.

OTOH, just giving the Epic Pseudonatural template, all at once, would be a phenomenal jump in power. Too much power, in fact. The solution seems clear, then: spread those benefits out, so that the Epic Alienist slowly eases into that enhanced power.

At the same time, the Alienist is fun because of his slow slide away from humanity; so, having been inspired already by the Epic Insights article on Transformational Prestige Classes, I decided "wouldn't it be grand, if the Alienist himself slowly became pseudonatural ... ? Even epicly pseudonatural?

Hence, the quote below. It took me 50 levels to feel comfortable with the speed of progression, and I think it MIGHT still be a bit fast. Considering the best things the Epic Alienist is likely to summon are still only SuMonIX critters, though, I'm not sure that faint feeling of "too fast" is accurate.

Still, this class gets a lot of goodies in somewhat short order, so a VERY slow bonus feat rate seemed best; I pegged it at 1/6 levels, starting at Epic Alienist 16. Slower, in fact, than ANY Epic Progression I've seen from official sources.

So, what do people here think? Any suggestions, further feedback, or the like? Recommended feats to put on the class' Epic Bonus Feats list?

I'll also be trying to come up with some feats, metamagics heavily among them, of both pre-Epic and Epic levels, that would be of especial use to summoners (Augment Summoning was a good start, but ... they stopped. 8).

Possibly even a few dealing directly with pseudonatural summoned creatures (both to make the creatures better, and, to better fight them).

Ideas along those lines would definitely be welcome.

Transformation (Ex): The Epic Alienist slowly transforms, himself, intoa truly Pseudonatural being, taking on the listed aspect of the Pre-Epic or Epic pseudonatural template. Any HD-dependant abilities are based solely on class levels in Epic Alienist, where applicable.

Improved Summon Alien (Su): the Epic Alienist gains the ability to grant the listed portion of the Epic Pseudonatural Template to any creatures he summons via the summon alien ability; all ability gains are cumulative, so a 13th level Epic Alienist grants both the Damage Resistance and Energy Resistances to summoned creatures.
The maximum benefit granted is based on either the creature's actual HD, or a number of HD equal to half the Epic Alienist's class levels, whichever is lower. (for example, an Epic Alienist 12 casting Summon Monster IX and summoning a 20 HD creature, grants Damage Resistance from the Epic Pseudonatural template based on a 6HD creature, not a 20HD creature.)

EPIC ALIENIST PROGRESSION
LVL ABILITY
11 Improved Summon Alien (Damage Resistance, Maximum Hitpoints)
12 Transformation (Pre-Epic Resistances)
13 Improved Summon Alien (Energy Resistance)
14 Transformation (Pre-Epic Damage Reduction)
15 Improved Summon Alien (Natural Armor +10)
16 Bonus Feat, Transformation (Pre-Epic Spell Resistance)
17 Improved Summon Alien (Improved Grab, Doubled Speed)
18 Transformation (Pre-Epic Special Attacks)
19 Improved Summon Alien (Rotting Cosntriction (half damage), Insight +5)
20 Transformation (Pre-Epic Alternate Form)
21 Improved Summon Alien (Half Attributes, Natural Armor +20)
22 Transformation (Epic Damage Resistance)
23 Improved Summon Alien (Extra tentacle rakes, Insight +10)
24 Bonus Feat, Transformation (Maximum Hitpoints)
25 Improved Summon Alien (Spell Resistance (HDx3), Natural Armor +30)
26 Transformation (Epic Energy Resistance)
27 Improved Summon Alien (Spell-like abilities, Rotting Constriction
(full damage))
28 Transformation (+10 Spell Resistance)
29 Improved Summon Alien (Full Template)
30 Bonus Feat, Transformation (Improved Grab, Doubled Speed)
31 -
32 Transformation (Natural Armor +10)
33 -
34 Transformation (Rotting Cosntriction (half damage), Insight +5)
35 -
36 Bonus Feat, Transformation (Natural Armor +20)
37 -
38 Transformation (Extra tentacle rakes, Insight +10)
39 -
40 Transformation (Natural Armor +30, Insight +15)
41 -
42 Bonus Feat, Transformation (Spell-like abilities, Rotting Constriction
(full damage))
43 -
44 -
45 -
46 -
47 -
48 Bonus Feat
49 -
50 Perfect Transformation (gain entire Epic Pseudonatural Template)

 

[Pax]

What, half a hundred views, and noone has ANYthign to say, at all?

 

[KingCroMag]

There is a similar prc question down a page or so. I like the transformative qualities of your class, although I prefer the other classes summon mechanic - it allowed for epic psuedonatural template to be added to a summon monster as a meta magic at a +8 or +9 level cost (can't remeber final number). Something I was also curious why so litttle bonus material in the early to mid forties?
-KCM

 

[Pax]

I felt that giving the Epic Alienist the entire, full Epic Pseudinatural template is a BIG benefit; that last package, I couldn't figure a way to "Water it down" into multiple smaller jumps.

The Feats are on a "one bonus per six levels" rate, because of all the benefits gained in other terms (the transformative stuff, the slow weaning-in of the Epic pseudonatural benefits for summoned monsters, etc). I felt the rest of the class might be "too good to be true" if the bonus feats didn't scale WAY back ... to about half the rate of a Sorceror or Wizard. Thus, a Wizard(10)/Alienist(10) would actually have to CHOOSE: lots of epic feats, or, (much) better Alienist abilities.

For the special abilities, I chose an every other, "one for me, one for my pets" pattern, and went with stronger pets before, and faster, than stronger alienist.

After all ... "it's all about the Epic Pseudonatural Advanced Bebiliths, baby" ...

That metamagic is a nice idea, but, even a Summon Monster I creature, with the Epic pseudonatural template, is way beyond the power you could get from a moderately-metamagicked Summon Monsyer IX.

Were I to go the metamagic route, I'd split the template up into "fields", and make a metamagic for each one. Start them all off high, and then give a class ability to reduce the costs of all "Alien Metamagicks" by 1 level.

Thus, as you get more andmore aspects of the Epic Pseudo, you'd also be able to apply any one given aspect with less cost in terms of added levels.

IMO though, the REAL problem there, is, a SORCEROR-alienist would get SEVERELY shafted, having to take TWO full-round actions to cast a summon monster with the Epic pseudo template applied.

I was designing this with a sorceror/alienist in mind ... hence not wanting to go the Metamagic route.

 

[Siuis]

Alienists rock!

Hm. Well, there is an easy solution, there. Remove the restriction on metamagic when summoning terrors from parts best left unnoticed. It's a touch of bunkum that summoing takes a full round anyway - although that is an entirely biased notion. I've never seena player really get anything good out of summoning critters, but that is because they are unimaginative, and our DM has no concept of power scaling. I so despise DMs who make up DC numbers, hoping for failure...

A second though is, break up the progression. First, add the psuedonatural template over the course of a couple levels. Its a CR +2 template, so for a PC, an epic PC at that, it's not worth much more than 3-4 levels if you really wanna stretch it. Then start to substitute, augment and replace those abilities with the Epic Psuedonatural template. It is a big jump, agreed, but a dedicated character at around elvel 25 can already do betterr than this for combat -- the difference is, the powers aren't constant like they are for the template.

My personal take would be to give the Xenomagulus two forms; His normal, castery humanoid form, and his Other form. As a normal (psuedonatural) creature, he would have full casting capacity, his alien trancedence (tentacle, multiple eyes, ears which hear colors, or whathaveyou), and can, as per the template, enter into a more grotesque tentacled form. I would give THIS version of the character the scaling benefits of the E. P. template, but make it so the character loses his spell-casting abilities. He'd become a freakish, fearsome melee combatant, but not a freakish, fearsome melee casting combatant.

You could even give the human form a slower progression (say something like, the alternate form of the caster functions as if he were X levels higher for purposes of this prestige class) so over time, more and more of his alien nature becomes insupressable. A 40th level Epic Alienist would have more grotesque mutations than a 25th level epic alienist.

Finally, you could dismiss this entirely. It's pretty easy for a relatively low-level epic caster to just grant themself the whole template; even if only temporarily. Doing something like granting them the Demonologist's improved summoning class feature would be just as good, if you had increased tables for Summon Monster spells. Or every extra level of Summon Monster can be an additional +4LA, whether advanced hit dice or added templates, or both. This would let a high enough level Alienist summon Epic Psuedonatural wolverines, and such. Not to terribly strong, but still worth keeping in the fight.

Just suggestions, of course. I feel 50 levels is WAY too much, becuase the power curve becomes a curve, all right -- The difference in power from one level to the next becomes almost exponential, for a caster. You may find that by the time the PrC is maxed out, a straight wizard would trounce them in a fight.