Shapeless Master (Swarmlord-Ozodrin Prc) PEACH

[qazzquimby]

Shapeless Master

Ozodrin tend to be reclusive, doing their best to hide their true nature from the rest of the world. For those with the power of a Swarmlord however, this is never an option. Driven with the power to collect weaker minds, the Shapeless Master combines the instability of the far realms with extreme mutability to build an army of versatile squid people.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Special Tentacle feature* and Evolving Swarm adaption**
Skill: Knowledge (The Planes) 8 Ranks
*From the Ozodrin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=153536) class by Owrtho
**From the Swarmlord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=253053) class by Lix Lorn

Hit Die: D8

Class Skills:
The Shapeless Master’s class skills are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Psicraft (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex)
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier



Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special
Psionic Advancement
Ozodrin Advancement
Shape Points


1st

+1


+1


+0


+2

Vacillating Form
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability

-


5



2nd

+2


+1


+0


+3

Adaptation
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability

-


10



3rd

+3


+2


+1


+3


-

+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
+1 effective Ozodrin level

15



4th

+3


+4


+1


+4

Adaptation
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
-
20


5th

+3


+4


+1


+4

-
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
+1 effective Ozodrin level
25


6th

+4


+5


+2


+5

Adaptation
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
-
30


7th

+5


+5


+2


+5

-
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
+1 effective Ozodrin level
35


8th

+6/+1


+6


+2


+6

Adaptation
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
-
40


9th

+6/+1


+6


+3


+6

-
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
+1 effective Ozodrin level
45


10th

+7/+2


+7


+3


+7

At the Very Sight
+1 level of Swarmlord Psionic ability
-
50



Psionic Advancement
Every level the Shapeless Master is considered one level higher when calculating her number of power points, number of powers known, and maximum power level with the Swarmlord class.

Vacillating Form
A Shapless Master’s Form points are added to their Evolution points. You can call this new total shape points (or formvolution points if you like, or just evolution or form points since they all mean the same thing with this ability, and we really don't need any more kinds of "points"). Both features and evolutions can be bought from this new total. Features and evolutions can be used interchangeably, as if they were from the same list. For example, an a Shapeless Master can take evolutions as if they were features, and can apply features to itself and its Infested, Assimilated, Embraced and Swarmlings, all drawing from the same points total.

Unless they sacrifice 10 Evolution points, Infested, Assimilated, Embraced and Swarmlings do not obtain the ability to manifest form. Instead they are considered to always be in their manifested form.

Adaptations
Aberrant Swarm
Infested, Assimilated, Embraced and Swarmlings get aberration blood as a bonus feat and gain a bonus to their evolution points equal to the number of aberrant feats they have.

Rebirthing Chamber
For the purposes of the Infestation, Assimilate and Embrace the Swarm abilities, targets inside your stomach are automatically hit by the required touch attack. In addition, the dc for fortitude saves to resist the abilities is increased by 4 inside your stomach.

Living Earth
If you have a creep node, you may place features onto creep as if you had the corrupting land feat (See Ozodrin feats) and access to the shifting augment. These features cannot be moved once they are placed except by leaving the effects range as normal. Only features from the Ozodrin work with this ability, ignoring the effect of the Vacillating Form ability.

Aberrant Taint
Infested may remove two feats they possess to add a single aberrant feat. Assimilated need only remove feat to add an aberrant feat. The feat bestowed must be chosen at the time the adaptation is chosen. This adaptation can be taken multiple times, each time choosing a different aberrant feat.

Odd Movement
You gain access to the Strange Movement ability as an evolution for all Infested, Assimilated, Embraced, Swarmlings and yourself. For every four points the Swarmling gains 5 ft of strange movement

Many Mouths
Each Infested, Assimilated, Embraced and Swarmling can take the stomach feature once, for 8 evolution points. Taking this feature grants the devour ability. Creatures can take stomach augments if the Shapeless Master's Ozodrin level meets the requisite.

Gastronomical Networking
Infested, Assimilated, Embraced and Swarmlings given the stomach feature can choose whether to make a new pocket dimension or share a pocket dimension with one of the Shapeless Master’s stomachs

Ravenous Horde
You and each Infested, Assimilated, Embraced and Swarmling gain the Horrific Hunger optional ability as well as access to a reduced regenerative flesh feature, for 4 evolution points. For each pound of food consumed you gain 2 hit points, at a rate of 2 hit points per round. You gain none of the normal benefits of having a flesh feature. This Adaptation can be taken multiple times, each time adding 1 to the number of hit points gained per pound of food and number of hit points per round.

Ozodrin Advancement
On third level, and every other level after, the Shapeless Master is considered one level higher when determining which features and augments he has access to, as well as determining the DCs of Ozodrin abilities.

At the Very Sight
When the Shapeless Master uses her manifest form ability, all creatures within line of sight that become shaken as a result are subject to either infestation or assimilation, as available, as if they had just been hit by the required touch attack.

I haven't done a lot of homebrew before, so please tell me if there are any glaring flaws. Or little flaws, I like criticism.

[menelvagor]

You managed to take my two favorite homebrew classes and combine them into one. For that alone I will love you forever.

I don't quite understand what you mean by "Features and evolutions can be used interchangeably..." does that mean form and evolution points are interchangeable?

I like the Adaptations you came up with
can minions given stomachs through the Many Mouths adaptation use augments on those stomachs? and what point pool would be used for those augments?

as I said, I really like the idea behind this PRC

[qazzquimby]

Hooray a comment! I was worried it would fall onto the second page and be lost forever.
Yes, form points and evolution points are added to a single total. This is actually surprisingly balanced since for the first 10 levels they grant about the same number of points. Afterwards the swarmlord grants more, but later ozodrin levels grant new features, so it balances out okay. Also, although both sides have some evolutions/features with similar abilities, they usually cost nearly the same amount, or have some bonus if they cost more.

Creatures with the many mouths evolution can take stomach augments if the Shapeless Master can, as with all features. I added that in just to be clear.

[inuyasha]

now we need to mix in harrowed and evolutionist...that will be awesome

[qazzquimby]

I'll get on it as soon as I'm finished this and my other current projects.
I'm surprised no one has put up any red flags on balance issues.
I was half dead when I was writing it, I thought most of it would go through the shredder.

Edit: Its actually not that hard with the various prcs laying around. There's no way I could find to buy harrowings with points, but you can get evolutionist mutations for 4 points each. Kind of makes you want to make a build doesn't it?

[Hanuman]

now we need to mix in harrowed and evolutionist...that will be awesome
Already on it, I have 2 megaprojects going and have a full week so don't expect swift delivery. I'd love to see other people start stabbing away at these things.

I see having more levels in ozodrin here, which raises DC and unlocks augments but does not grant FP or feature unlocks, is this intentional?

I'd like to see more rule references in this PrC, half of the mechanics it relates to do not have citations or links, Evolution Points for instance do not have a use within the class.

I don't know swarmlord well enough to call this balanced or not, but full BAB on ozodrin is already good, lots of higher level ozodrin stuff (more actual levels in ozodrin rather than ozodrin FP progression) is based around utility and general power increase which makes it unlike a caster, so it is worked into PrC's pretty well. I could see this being more powerful than a flat ozodrin for sure.

[qazzquimby]

I reworded the vacillating form ability since people seem to be confused. When it lists evolution points in the class table, that simultaneously advances form points due to the vacillating form ability. It combines the two kinds of points into one total.

I also added sections explaining both the psionic and Ozodrin advancement, since that really wasn't clear at all.

[Hanuman]

What you mean by v. form is that both EP and FP draw from the same pool.

If you are always in manifested form then you cannot change your features and augments with FP at all? Is this intentional?

Here's some data from Ozodrin²

Table.a1 (Original Ozodrin FP Balance Ranges)
{table=head]Level|FP RANGE|AVR. FP
1st|
4-11|
7.5|
2nd|
7-14|
10.5|
4rd|
13-23|
18|
8th|
25-38|
31.5|
10th|
31-45|
38|
13th|
37-64|
50.5|
16th|
46-76|
61|
[/table]

[Necroticplague]

If you are always in manifested form then you cannot change your features and augments with FP at all? Is this intentional?


The shapeless master themselves doesn't have that restriction, just their minions. The shapeless master is still free to to de-manifest their true form as they please.

[qazzquimby]

I'm aware that the Shapeless Master gives out more form points than base Ozodrin does, and there's a reason for that.
While the Ozodrin gains a flat 3 per level, plus a few bonuses, the Swarmlord gains 1 more than they had gained the previous level, so the points total accelerates. Granting 5 points per level is better than Ozodrin, but simultaneously locks out many Ozodrin features and augments. 5 points per level is less than Swarmlord, but has no such penalty, because the swarmlord gains access to all evolutions immediately .

[Necroticplague]

I'm aware that the Shapeless Master gives out more form points than base Ozodrin does, there's a reason for that.
While the Ozodrin gains a flat 3 per level+ a few bonuses, the Swarmlord gains 1 more than they had gained the previous level, so the points total accelerates. Granting 5 points per level is better then Ozodrin but simultaneously locks out many Ozodrin features and augments. It's less than Swarmlord, but has no such penalty, because the swarmlord gains access to all evolutions immediately .

Well, it actually can end up a bit larger than it looks, since pretty much everything can use evolution points, including the swarmlord itself, has some amount of "free points" that can be used up before actually having to get into the actual Shape point amount, and adaptions can be taken that provide free evolutions to further stretch it. Unless you have the spare time to just Infest everything you come across, Shape points shouldn't be in very short order.

[qazzquimby]

Sorry, I've read that a few times and I have no idea what you mean.
Your first sentence is 3 lines long and uses it before establishing a subject.