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Occupied Equestria - OOC
Anonymous
12e5d56
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No.179654
Parallel containment thread for out of character discussions related to the roleplay thread.
1713 replies and 208 files omitted.
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.183111
183112
Here's a good line for Posey: "The flesh may rot; the soul, fragment. Yet power--power endures."
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183112
183171 183172
>>183111
My need to hide my black magic and undead nature has deprived me of the opportunity to say cool Necromancer one-liners in most contexts...
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183114
183171
>>183105
[tickling intensifies]
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183125
>>182937
The only reliable way I can think of to reliably turn Dark Star into a Death Knight require Posey to be lvl 8, so you might have to wait a while.
We could try at lvl 6, but it would probably kill us both if it fails.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.183128
183131
When a character is 1st level, a 4hp slash is " a deep cut along the forearm. Not immediately life threatening, but dont take too many"
When a character is 12th level, and their fighting prowess has increased, that 4 hp slash is "A grazing strike, deflected mostly, leaving only a slight trace of blood".
The "character" doesnt beclme "more durable" by way of increased HP, the context for damage that is sufficient to incapacitate has increased. Descriptively, theyre more seasoned to combat and more able to turn serious blows into opportunistic dodges, evasions, deflections, etc.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.183129
Also, a 6hp character that loses 3hp from a single crossbow bolt is as scared for their life as the 200hp paladin who just lost 100hp to a failed dex save
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.183130
183131
Y'all dont even know about morale checks, and mental fortitude checks to avoid panic
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183131
183133
The DMG has like three pages of text describing the nuances of how to fluff HP
>>183128
>When a character is 1st level, a 4hp slash is " a deep cut along the forearm. Not immediately life threatening
According to the DMG, 99.99% of people are lvl 1 commoners with an average of 2 HP: being attacked with any kind of weapon by a proficient user is enough to put them in the dying condition, if not outright kill them.
Even lvl 1 adventurers are inherently superhuman, not just in their physicality, but in their ability to avoid damage, as well as their narrative heroic luck to not be killed by scrubs and continue their story. The most powerful swordsman irl could still be killed by a rock thrown by a child, but not in d&d because he's the protagonist/antagonist and that's now how his story is supposed to end.
HP isn't just how good you are at fighting or how much damage you can take: it's fate. It's a narrative mechanic that defines you as a hero.
Earlier versions of d&d described Achilles as a high lvl fighter. Achilles was described as being both the best at fighting and supernaturally invulnerable, but he still died from an arrow to the heel when his fate (HP) finally ran out.

Same applies in d20 Modern, except d20 modern has more gritty realism because the lower massive damage thresholds make it so that being shot once can still kill you (because being able to shrug off a crit from a bullet with no consequences is immersion breaking in a story based on contemporary fiction). Even then, it enforced the heroic luck by using action points by default, so that players can spend their limited points per level to overcome those massive damage rolls.
>>183130
Heroes Of Battle has Morale checks as an optional rule.
Heroes Of Horror does too.
Anonymous
3705283
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No.183133
183135
>>183131
This is all true, but it depends on the roleplaying of individual players. It's much easier to default to describing physical wounds from getting hit, and this what both the GM Pone and players have been doing from the start. The most egregious examples were Silver's combat dream sequences where he got shot a ridiculous amount of times but used medkits almost like a video game to keep himself alive. It strained suspension of disbelief.

Depending on roleplay is fine, but incorporating a better mechanical system is ideal because it means players don't have to way "evasion HP vs. physical HP" as much. I'm not sure how to do that. Constitution as a score boosts HP period, even though logically it would just help physical HP but dexterity would help evasion HP instead. In terms of game balance you don't want that, because dexterity is already a powerful stat and constitution needs to be important.
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183135
183136
>>183133
>it depends on the roleplaying of individual players
Yeah. You might notice that I prefer to fluff it as Posey taking direct hits, because playing an unkillable zombie/vampire is part of my fantasy for this character.
It's also part of Posey's biblical revelation theme
>one of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast
For Posey, I specifically prefer the aesthetic of taking fatal wounds and miraculously not dying. I also fluff damage reduction as wounds that heal instantly
>Wounds heal immediately, or the weapon bounces off harmlessly (in either case, the opponent knows the attack was ineffective)
It's specifically for Posey's undead antichrist theme though. With other characters I prefer to fluff it as evasion.
Anonymous
3705283
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No.183136
183138
>>183135
You aren't playing any other characters in this campaign yet, and mine haven't taken any lethal damage. I'm describing how other characters have lost HP in combat so far, whether that be Silver Sword, Iron Hooves, or any of GM Pone's countless NPCs. Might this change now that there is talk about it? I don't know. I want it to change but it's on the others.
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183138
183140
>>183136
>Might this change now that there is talk about it?
The easiest way to change that would be to adopt d20 modern system shock, but it would also change the roleplay dynamic from fantasy combat to gritty realism, so it should only be done with Action Points.
It might calm GM's worries about leveling up though.
Anonymous
3705283
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No.183140
183141 183150
>>183138
Let's say we do this and add action points. How would you go about mixing it into the homebrew? Would it allow characters to level up to 8 without making threats like gangsters inconsequential? That's the main concern GM has and it's a major problem with 3.5e. He started this campaign as 3.5e just for reasons of familiarity. It's now becoming increasingly necessary to come up with something new so don't be afraid of hare-brained ideas.
Anonymous
702b4b0
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No.183141
>>183140
One way to balance a restricted-xp game while allowing character advancement is through context-acquired feats, boons, and abilities. In doing so, a player is allowed to grow and expand a character's capabilities, while limiting the degree of increasing scale to the game.
GM Pony
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No.183144
183146 183150 183154
Is anyone going to be offended if I give monk levels fighter Base Attack Bonus? I don't feel like I should be looking at Monk stats, and seriously wondering if fighter is better at unarmed combat.
Anonymous
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No.183146
183154
>>183144
>looks at character sheet
I cant be unbiased, I stand to gain if u do
Anonymous
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No.183148
183150
In quick retrospect, I would argue against it, on principle that the Monk lack of increased BAB is complemented by their unarmed damage (which could do for a scaling up, imo)
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183150
183152 183154
>>183140
>How would you go about mixing it into the homebrew?
I'm not really sure what the homebrew is, so idk.
>Would it allow characters to level up to 8 without making threats like gangsters inconsequential?
Bullets fo the same amount of damage no matter who fires them (unless they have specialist damage boosters, like fighters, rogues, scouts, etc). Guns should still be lethal.
It really depends what the threats are supposed to be, and in what tactical context they're presented.
>That's the main concern GM has and it's a major problem with 3.5e.
Well, the 3.5e DMG says to refer to d20 modern for issues concerning modern mileau, so it might be a good place to start.
I think the system shock discrepancy is the main difference between fantasy combat and contemporary realism.
>>183144
Fighter is better than Monk at unarmed combat in certain builds, particularly Pugilist Fighter ACF. Barbarian too, with the City Brawler ACF, excellent if you specialize into fist of the Forest PrC. Ranger can be good at unarmed combat too if they take the
There's also a martial artist prestige class in d20 Modern:
http://dmreference.com/MRD/Characters/Advanced_Classes/Martial_Artist.htm
It has full BAB
Note that d20 modern has quite a few powerful unarmed combat feats, that become exceptionally powerful if combined with 3.5e feats and features.
I wouldn't object to you buffing Monks, but imo the solution isn't to try to patch up the Monk, but to replace it with Unarmed Swordsage.
Swordsages are good, despite having Monk BAB. They're favorwise very similar to Monk, except they have good features.
Monk/Swordsage Multiclass is great, especially if you PrC into Shadow Sun Ninja.
>>183148
Yes, this is the logic behind it.

If you take Improved Natural Attack and Superior Unarmed Strike, your punches will do more damage than howitzers at mid level. And that's just two feats; there are many more
Anonymous
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No.183152
183155
>>183150
In fairness, it makes sense that way. Your average dedicated martial artist (monk) would get bodied by a specialized/precise aescetic (Ryu from Street Fighter)
Anonymous
3705283
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No.183154
183158 183173
>>183144
That came out of left field
>>183146
I also would benefit. I don't know enough about DnD's balance to make that call, but monk is considered a weaker class in 3.5e.
>>183150
>I'm not really sure what the homebrew is, so idk.
None of it has been formalized just yet other than gun damage to match intended game balance, and a couple of races getting modifiers.
>martial artist prestige class
Another possible path for Cavaliere
>Unarmed Swordsage
I might just do that instead. Cavaliere could pick up fencing as a hobby even if swords are impractical for combat.
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183155
183156
>>183152
The sample "Martial Artist" in the DMGII is either a Multiclass Fighter/Monk, or a Multiclass Rogue/Monk.

I've played a lot of Monks, usually as an entry to a better PrC. The Monk class itself is kind of bad, but it has so many swappable features that you can use it to do any kind of non-casting build you want. I moved my Sidewinder Chaos Monk Ur Priest Sacred Fist.

I once ran a campaign with a Monk who specialized into Shadow Sun Ninja: she was the most powerful character in the game, more powerful than the Wizard, Cleric or Sorcerer. Admittedly, it was because I gave her overleveled equipment, but it was mostly because of her good build that maximized unarmed damage (superior unarmed strike, improved natural attack from fanged ring, monks belt, heavy scorpion kama sword which in hindsight made her way too powerful), while adding sneak attacks (Assassin Stance + Craven) and tactical teleports (Sun School + Shadow Blink + Flurry Of Blows).
She was like
>teleports behind you
>nothing personal bro
>free action sneak attack that trips you
>Flurry rushes you with seven more sneak attacks
Anonymous
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No.183156
183157 183158 183159
>>183155
The 5e Monk Shadow style (3rd level focus) allows you to do similar at 6th level, bamfing 60'/round as a bonus action into/from shadow, auto-critting your first strike. Lots of fun ^_^
Anonymous
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No.183157
>>183156
>lots of fun
Until the goddamn flame paladin decides to turn on a mini sun overhead, leaving you in the middle of a flock of harpies with no concealment
Anonymous
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No.183158
183173
>>183154
>I might just do that instead
I would strongly recommend it. Swordsage is good, and it multiclasses well with any other martial class.
Mystic Ranger 10 / Swordsage 10 is great for melee

Mystic Ranger 10 / Scout 10 with Swift Hunter might be better for ranged attacks though.

I mention Mystic Ranger, because none of you have Animal Companions, and you could get a lot better ranged damage boosters from Ranger spells, like Hunter's Eye or Hunter's Mercy.
>>183156
If you like 5e Shadow Monk, you would love a Shadow Hand Focused Swordsage / Sidewinder Monk / Shadow Sun Ninja.
Anonymous
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No.183159
183160
>>183156
I while back I made this unfinished sheet when I considered what Brie might look like if he were a Sidewinder Chaos Monk / Swordsage SS Ninja.
https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets//?id=2960519
I'd squeeze in a Ninja level too, if Ascetic Stalker works with Shadow Sun Ninja (advances Monk Abilities), and to get back the trapfinding ability alongside more benefit out of the bloodline bonus. Maybe Swordsage 2, Sidewinder Monk 3, Ninja 1, Shadow Sun Ninja 1, if the character were lvl 7. You always want Swordsage 2 for stances though, and this build would definitely want Assassin Stance.

I gave up after one hour of work, because I remembered it's none of my darn business making sheets for characters that aren't mine.
Food for thought though.
Anonymous
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No.183160
183161
>>183159
>food for thought
Thank you. Flaws is an area I could look more into. If I read through them, I'm sure Brie qualifies as displaying a bunch of flaws, and if I can get feats for them, awesome!
Anonymous
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No.183161
183162
>>183160
Light Sensitivity and Insomniac would be suitable flaws.
Anonymous
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No.183162
183163
>>183161
I would assume paranoid and belligerent would also work
Anonymous
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No.183163
183164
>>183162
I don't think those are printed flaws, but okay.
Anonymous
bd0fe75
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No.183164
>>183163
Regardless, ty ^_^. I will look them over as fuel for my next asks :3
Anonymous
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No.183165
183171 183173
I also made this sheet for my idea of Silver as an 8th level character, although I also gave up after an hour of work.
https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheets/?id=2957511
It uses a ponyfinder feat to attack with Int.
Also uses Faerie Mysteries Initiate, on the basis that a Unicorn can count as an elf.
Wasn't sure how to distribute stats, it's based on the original 43 points distribution. Faerie Mysteries Initiate + Keen Intellect + Advanced Horn Magic gives the option to dump Con, Wis and Str, although idk because I wanted enough to qualify for feats and good Concentration checks.
If craft points were available, I'd swap Silver Tongue with Craft Magical Arms & Armor.

Idk why I do this nonsense. It was just an idea that I had back when people were saying my sheet was too powerful compared to the party....
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.183171
183184
>>183114
giggly, wriggly noodle noises

>>183112
Posey will get the chance to say some cool one liners before you know it!

>>183165
Neat!
Anonymous
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No.183172
183184
>>183112
Just say them in a different language. Thestrali - the native tongue of everfree bats - is mayan maori, so Ive taken to having him utter comments in that language, via google translate ^_^
GM Pony
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No.183173
183176 183177 183178 183179 183184 183185
https://youtu.be/qHKoRbtvLYg?si=RaRte5nj0Yaln8BC
Posey’s player when you attempt to explain that having a real time conversation with someone in a language you don’t at all speak or understand, while trying to not be detected as not knowing that language, is a difficult task.

>>182768
I’ve been using “seduction” to mean a roll to see how receptive a target is to romance or sex. Manipulation is something different. If you’re going to roll for something, clarify what you’re trying to figure out. Is the roll for receptivity, or for manipulation?

Actually that’s just solid advice generally. Say what you’re trying to accomplish with a roll.

>>182856
> an already slow PbP game.
Your vote of confidence is noted

>>182861
Do you want to change it? I’m okay with maybe changing things

>>183154
>left field
no u

Virgin Flame’s player made a post about a monk build, so yes, I’m thinking about monk builds.

>>183165
You clearly like making character sheets. Why not?

>>183158
>none of you have animal companions
No, because Dark Star is playing an archetypal rogue, Garv is playing an archetypal paladin, and Kira is a monster.
Anonymous
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No.183176
>>183173
>Kira is a monster.
Rood!
Anonymous
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No.183177
>>183173
>changes
I AM changing them, Im talking about his personality
Anonymous
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No.183178
183180 183181 183182 183184
>>183173
I think every social check needs a roll, because some verbal or facial tic might get in the way, or you might accidentally present yourself more convincingly to a particular character than you had thought possible.
>Your vote of confidence is noted
We have been stuck at the ship for well over a week now despite wanting to get underway, though to be fair that's due to different players (including myself) exhausting every available action.
>Garv is playing an archetypal paladin
Paladins get a mount but mounts don't make sense in MLP's setting. I don't have enough ranger levels for animal companion, but I don't particularly want one either.
Dark Star
f7c39d5
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No.183179
DarkStar_.jpg
>>183173
>Dark Star is playing an archetypal rogue
GM Pony
f68f228
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No.183180
183185
>>183178
>We have been stuck at the ship for well over a week now despite wanting to get underway
How many discord or in person games would have moved past the ship in one or two weeks where the GM is on vacation and everyone is working?
Anonymous
d049ee6
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No.183181
183182 183184 183185
>>183178
There are some variant rules for paladins that make them better suited to settings where a mount doesn't make sense. I know one's called sword of celestia which I thought was funny.
Anonymous
d049ee6
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No.183182
183185
>>183181
>>183178
Whoops, forgot the link. I can't link it directly, but just go to classes > PHB > Paladin and scroll
https://srd.dndtools.org/
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.183183
183185
If I may weigh in on the system conversation, I know 3.5e isn't perfect for the setting GM pone is trying to establish, but I'm not sure I'd be a super big fan for Modern's idea of action points. I don't find Silver' resiliency to bullets particularly immersion breaking, he's just a really sturdy pony. Obviously no one in the show got shot, but characters in the show have survived hits that would kill or at least greviously injure a regular person.
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183184
183185 183187
>>183171
>Neat!
Is that a "I would totally play this" kind of 'neat', or a "Your obsessive compulsion to make sheets is fun and quirky", kind of 'neat'?
>Posey will get the chance to say some cool one liners before you know it!
I hope so.
>>183172
I could say them in infernal, like I did with the yeth hound.
>>183173
>Posey’s player when you attempt to explain that having a real time conversation with someone in a language you don’t at all speak or understand, while trying to not be detected as not knowing that language, is a difficult task.
Sorry...
>Your vote of confidence is noted
Not really how I meant it.
>You clearly like making character sheets. Why not?
I thought it kind of came off as pretentious and rude...
>No, because Dark Star is playing an archetypal rogue, Garv is playing an archetypal paladin, and Kira is a monster.
This is usually why I as a GM ask players to describe what they want to play archetypically before recommending a build and class.
Still, "Ranger" can still be used to describe all three of those archetypes.
Dark Star could be an Urban Ranger variant who tracks with Gather Information. Plus his most defining feature is his racism, so favored enemy. Could Multiclass Scout with Swift Hunter to be a bit more rogue-like while also synergizing ranger abilities.
The Ranger is also archetypically very similar to the Paladin. In earlier versions of D&D, it was virtually identical in concept: a high-rolled warrior with mystic powers because the gods love them, that had high stat requirements and required good alignment.
For Kira, Ranger is actually very good for monster builds, particularly with some of the more avant garde ACFs.
>>183178
>Paladins get a mount but mounts don't make sense in MLP's setting
They're a lot of ACFs that you can swap the mount for.
>>183181
This
Anonymous
3705283
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No.183185
183186
>>183173
>video
This isn't just rules lawyering, this is the rules Supreme Court.
>ad for scented candles mentions lakes of urine
many keks
Posey's player is definitely a rules sage for the most part
>so much is lost in written conversations and it can lead to misunderstandings, amplifying the problem
ain't that the truth
>>183180
You probably wanted the party to reach the lighthouse or another landmark during your vacation. I hope it was all enjoyable regardless.
>>183181
>>183182
That's another thing to read. I should make a list.
>>183183
It's a hard balancing act for the setting between being based on a kids' cartoon and being a gritty war story. Magic of friendship or no, ponies explicitly have physiology akin to their real-world counterparts and can take only so much punishment. I'd like there to be an injuries component to the game, but it's impossible to incorporate it mechanically without separating health and evasion/luck components of HP.
>>183184
>I thought it kind of came off as pretentious and rude...
Agreed
>ACFs
I'll look into one for ranger's animal companion unless if GM Pone finds a good thematic introduction for an animal companion
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183186
>>183185
Most ACFs are consolidated here:
https://srd.dndtools.org/srd/variant/variantList.html
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.183187
183188
>>183184
Kind of both, but in a good way. You know, it's just neat!

What the heck is an ACF?
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183188
183191
>>183187
Alternative Class Feature
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.183191
183192
>>183188
Hmmmmmmmmmmm...

So, one of the interesting facts about lamias that Posey would have liked to learn about if she asked Kira about her people is that they have the belief that by eating a creature whole, all or at least part of that creature's soul/lifeforce remains with the lamia, granting them a portion of the creature's power. Lamia hunters also have to perform a rite of passage when growing up where they have to track, hunt, and subdue a creature on the plains on their own with no tools or help, and bring them back to the tribe for a ritual which concludes with the hunter eating their first prey whole and getting a necklace carved in the likeness of the creature as proof of their having proved it. Do you think a combination of those could be used for an ACF, or maybe some kind of special summon in place of the normal animal companion?
Anonymous
782b1e7
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No.183192
183193
>>183191
Probably better represented as a combination of racial abilities and feats.
If you want the most of playing a monster, you should consider devoting part of your class levels to racial hit dice and play a refluffed variant of Constrictor Naga, Anthropomorphic animal, or tauric creature.

You can trade the companion for a lot of stuff, several of which are appropriate for what you're trying to do.

If you play a variant of Constructor Naga or Anthropomorphic Legendary Snake with the Enlarged Form mutation, you could count as Huge sized and qualify for Snatch, Snatch-And-Swallow, and Gape Of The Serpent.

Whatever Kira is qualifies as a scaled one, so she benefits from any of the snake monster feats printed in Serpent Kingdoms.
The Floof and The Noodle
f19f70d
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No.183193
183197
>>183192
Not exactly what I was imagining for Kira, but the input is appreciated! I don't imagine her ability to vore creatures would have a whole lot of use on the battlefield, myself. It would probably take multiple full round actions to swallow a creature whole, maybe longer if they're not helpless or otherwise incapacitated, giving their friends a good chance to come to their rescue.