Need help making evil PC

[DingleDongus]

First off, I'm new to the forums. Though I've kind of been lurking (only "kind of" because this site comes up a lot when I'm searching for D&D stuff) for a while, so haldo to everyone.

If you don't care for the backstory you can skip to where it says "TLDR"

Well, me and my group will be starting our first "official" campaign in a few weeks. In it, we will be playing a band of evil characters who go around doing evil things. So far we have a Rakshasa Beguiler, an Orc Barbarian, and a Human Fighter. Because we have two melee characters and a hybrid character (not really sure what beguilers do), and because in our other campaign I play a support character, I decided I should be a wizard.

TLDR

I came up with the idea of a character who wouldn't actually travel with the other members of the party. Instead, he would be locked away in a tower or prison controlling a suit of armor or skeleton (or something) from afar and channeling his magic through it. The only problem is I don't know how to explain his means of doing so. We're starting out at level 1, which means I couldn't do this unless I said this guy (the actual wizard) was like level 12, and even then he could only do it for a few minutes.
So I would appreciate some ideas on how to execute this, because I'm pretty much stumped.

Also, we play a fairly easygoing combination of 3.0 and 3.5 using all the appropriate books

 

[xigbar]

I don't know of a low level method for that. I vaguely recall something about the Psion power Astral Construct, though. Maybe someone else will remember it.

 

[kitcik]

Let's see - ways to get XP remotely with no chance of harm at low levels?

Sounds balanced anyways.

 

[Jimlock]

Project Image
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Brd 6, Sor/Wiz 7
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect: One shadow duplicate
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)
Spell Resistance: No
You tap energy from the Plane of Shadow to create a quasi-real, illusory version of yourself. The projected image looks, sounds, and smells like you but is intangible. The projected image mimics your actions (including speech) unless you direct it to act differently (which is a move action).

You can see through its eyes and hear through its ears as if you were standing where it is, and during your turn you can switch from using its senses to using your own, or back again, as a free action. While you are using its senses, your body is considered blinded and deafened.

If you desire, any spell you cast whose range is touch or greater can originate from the projected image instead of from you. The projected image can’t cast any spells on itself except for illusion spells. The spells affect other targets normally, despite originating from the projected image.

Objects are affected by the projected image as if they had succeeded on their Will save.

You must maintain line of effect to the projected image at all times. If your line of effect is obstructed, the spell ends. If you use dimension door, teleport, plane shift, or a similar spell that breaks your line of effect, even momentarily, the spell ends.

Material Component
A small replica of you (a doll), which costs 5 gp to create.

 

[Dandu]

Warforged wizard who Astral Projects himself?

 

[Grogg of the North]

What about playing a Warforged? They are in Monster Manual 3. I've never played one before so I don't know how well they would do as a wizard or if they have racial hit die / level adjustment.

But if it is legal, you could say that your the construct of the above mentioned wizard and you are trying to get back to your master.

Maybe even later take leadership and play both?

 

[airwalkrr]

I don't think there is a RAW (Rules As Written) way to do what you are wanting at level 1, OP. Perhaps you could talk to your DM about it and see if he could help you come up with something. This would obviously have to come along with some sort of caveat. Your wizard character might have access to a magic item that allows him to project himself, but any damage done to his projection can do actual harm to himself. Maybe that negates the whole point of what you are trying to do, but you can't just sit alone in a tower protected from the dangers of actual adventuring and earn XP for it. It wouldn't be fair.

If it's purely a concept thing, then your wizard might be under a curse and imprisoned. He is forced to inhabit a skeletal form in order to interact with the outside world. Any damage dealt to his skeletal form is in turn dealt to him, which makes things rather difficult on him. And while he is able to return his consciousness to his true form at will, his skeletal form can still be damaged and manipulated while "uninhabited." This would force the character, by necessity, to project his power into the skeleton as much as possible, taking breaks only for sleep or meals as needed. Maybe he is searching for a way to break the curse.

Sorry, but there just isn't much in the actual rules to deal with this kind of situation so you are going to have to work with the DM to come up with something that bends the rules a bit.

 

[airwalkrr]

I don't think there is a RAW (Rules As Written) way to do what you are wanting at level 1, OP. Perhaps you could talk to your DM about it and see if he could help you come up with something. This would obviously have to come along with some sort of caveat. Your wizard character might have access to a magic item that allows him to project himself, but any damage done to his projection can do actual harm to himself. Maybe that negates the whole point of what you are trying to do, but you can't just sit alone in a tower protected from the dangers of actual adventuring and earn XP for it. It wouldn't be fair.

If it's purely a concept thing, then your wizard might be under a curse and imprisoned. He is forced to inhabit a skeletal form in order to interact with the outside world. Any damage dealt to his skeletal form is in turn dealt to him, which makes things rather difficult on him. And while he is able to return his consciousness to his true form at will, his skeletal form can still be damaged and manipulated while "uninhabited." This would force the character, by necessity, to project his power into the skeleton as much as possible, taking breaks only for sleep or meals as needed. Maybe he is searching for a way to break the curse.

Sorry, but there just isn't much in the actual rules to deal with this kind of situation so you are going to have to work with the DM to come up with something that bends the rules a bit.

 

[Shin Okada]

What about playing a Warforged? They are in Monster Manual 3. I've never played one before so I don't know how well they would do as a wizard or if they have racial hit die / level adjustment.

But if it is legal, you could say that your the construct of the above mentioned wizard and you are trying to get back to your master.

Maybe even later take leadership and play both?

Warforged is also (and originally) in Eberron Campaign Setting and is LA+0 race without racial HDs. And do at least moderately well as a wizard. In fact, as Warforged is a living construct, you would better have a sorcerer or wizard for casting repair damage spells instead of usual cure spells (cure spells heals only the half-amount of usual HPs when cast on a living construct).

 

[Empirate]

I'll second Grogg's suggestion. Play a Warforged, play as what you like (class etc.), and just talk like you're really a Wizard sitting in a tower miles away. Bemoan how you can't really make a pass at the tavern wench in you condition; rejoice that you didn't have to feel the pain of that fireball that just hit your 'vessel'; be glad that the constant rain doesn't 'really' make you wet, etc.
Mechanically, you're just playing a Warforged, and are limited to what that WF character can do, so balance-wise, you're fine. For all roleplaying purposes, you're quite something else. Sounds like a fun character concept to me!