Raising a Succubus

[Sunseeker]

Is there anything that says that a detect alignment ability has to be a single alignment? Because it would kind of make sense for her to be able to use both Detect Good, and Detect Evil- so why not just throw it all into one Detect (Good/Evil) ability, and decrease it to, I dunno, 3/day or something?

Neither "Detect Evil" or "Detect Good" are particularly powerful spells(unless you run them as being the world's greatest radar for finding those things), you could give her both, or a generic "Detect Anything I feel like." and not do anything particularly horrid to your game.

My NPCs always have "DM knowledge" to some degree. Does the party know there are dangerous magical traps in this room? No. But the bard traveling with them may say "Something seems off in this room, we should watch out for traps." Or they may say something like "I saw him run through the door on the left!"

 

[dragonfriend7738]

So, something that I only just came across today, thanks to the Half-Celestial thread and a snarky remark from Dandu (Thanks, Dandu!). http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20050824a

This article presents a CR 8 Succubus with full access to her abilities, plus two levels of Paladin. According to Savage Species, this would result in a level 14 player character. Does this make sense to anyone? Would it really take a level 14 character to single handedly take down or equal a level 8 character?

I understand that I could just throw her into the campaign however I want with the tag of "I'm the DM, and here's this interesting thing I created," but I like being able to go back afterwards and show my players how they can play something similar to what I created, or use the same gimmics myself in a campaign where I'm not the DM. Is there any way to streamline this for less of a WTF? reaction when players see something interesting and try to apply it to themselves?

 

[Dandu]

This article presents a CR 8 Succubus with full access to her abilities, plus two levels of Paladin. According to Savage Species, this would result in a level 14 player character. Does this make sense to anyone?

I would take anything written by Sean K. Reynolds with a few grams of sodium chloride.

Would it really take a level 14 character to single handedly take down or equal a level 8 character?

Well, that's a bit harder to answer. I can imagine a Monk having a harder time than a Druid, for instance...

But offhand, a Succubus with two paladin levels should not be the equivalent of a level 14 character. According to the Fight Club article, she should be a CR 8 encounter, which is more reasonable.

 

[nomotog]

I have played around with this type of character before and my suggestion is to limit powers to just the basics. Outsider type and energy resistance. Particularity if you want them to play against type. (I mean if you want them to be a soul sucking succubus then ya include everything.) Limiting there innate powers gives you more room to expand there character. That goes for both mechanics and role play.

Mechanically, limiting abilities means a lower LA that gives you more class levels to play with, more ability to multi class too. Role play wise it gives you more opportunities to define their personality because everyone expects a succubus to seduce the guard, but when they see her do something else then they get questions that you can then answer with a background dump.

 

[Dozen]

This article presents a CR 8 Succubus with full access to her abilities, plus two levels of Paladin. According to Savage Species, this would result in a level 14 player character. Does this make sense to anyone? Would it really take a level 14 character to single handedly take down or equal a level 8 character?

You would know how to get around that... if you listened to me Or you did, just decided to act like you didn't? What have I done? Was it the dirty joke? It was the dirty joke, wasn't it. Damn it!

 

[Sunseeker]

So, something that I only just came across today, thanks to the Half-Celestial thread and a snarky remark from Dandu (Thanks, Dandu!). http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fc/20050824a

This article presents a CR 8 Succubus with full access to her abilities, plus two levels of Paladin. According to Savage Species, this would result in a level 14 player character. Does this make sense to anyone? Would it really take a level 14 character to single handedly take down or equal a level 8 character?

No, Savage Species is about as close to balanced math as Korean MMOs are to balanced classes.

I understand that I could just throw her into the campaign however I want with the tag of "I'm the DM, and here's this interesting thing I created," but I like being able to go back afterwards and show my players how they can play something similar to what I created, or use the same gimmics myself in a campaign where I'm not the DM. Is there any way to streamline this for less of a WTF? reaction when players see something interesting and try to apply it to themselves?

Using the rules to be creative is not the same as DM fiat. There's an important difference.

You can for example, take a human, give them the "half fiend" template(LA+4) and then stack on 3 levels of X class for a ECL *class* of 8. It's a perfectly legit way to build an NPC or a character in 3.5. Templates are frankly, amazing.

I mean you can make such silly things as a half-dragon(LA+2 pathfdiner, +3 3.X) vampire(LA+2) Goliath(LA+1) with 2 levels in Bard for a very creative ECL 8/9 NPC, and use the exact same rules to build a PC as well.

The problem I feel with taking a creature and breaking it down is that it's complicated. It's much easier in 3.X to take a creature and build it up, which the rules provide ample material for.

 

[gyor]

The OPs first post reminds me of Alu-Fiends. Thier basically like a Succubi with human dads. They don't get the full set of abilities of a Succubus, but they get the basics, like wings, shape change, and a vampiric attack. Big difference is thier not born evil, they have natural free will, many are neutral instead of evil or even good. Sharess is served by the none evil Alu-Fiends even though she's a good deity and they are still Tan'arri.

 

[gyor]

Dragon Magazine has an artical on Succubi this month called Fallen Angels: Ecology of the Succubus, for what its worth so thier a small chance they'll be a playable Alu-Fiend or Succubus in it.

 

[Dandu]

Fallen Angels

But that's Devils, not Demons...

 

[Shemeska]

But that's Devils, not Demons...

The 4e "succubus" is a devil. One of a number of retcons that hopefully will be moved away from in 5e.