The LA-assignment thread: Making monster PCs VI-able

[GreatWyrmGold]

(unless you ask WotC, in which case more stat boosts = more LA regardless of how many RHD you pay for it).

Stat boosts make you stronger, above and beyond the benefits of getting the RHD. They're additional features, why should you get features for free when you take levels?
Darn, I never managed to work the word "class" into there...

Next is Shattering Shriek, which lets the stonesinger deal 12d6 nonlethal damage by making a Perform(Sing) check that exceeds the target's touch AC (apparently, being nimble allows you to dodge sound in D&D).

That makes...only slightly less sense than a Reflex save for half damage.
Anyways, the Shattering Shriek is a good way to open encounters. Skill checks are pretty easy to boost, and most enemies will have mediocre touch ACs (because there aren't a lot of ways to boost those, especially for enemies which tend towards big-tough-and-clumsy), meaning that they immediately lose about 72 hit points. The stunning and not-killing-enemies-you-don't-want-to is just gravy.
...That said, I have no idea where you'd go after that, either in the sense of "What do you do on round 2" or "What do you do at level 10". Maybe you could go rogue, try to get some sneak attacks on the stunned enemies? I'm not sure that one (maybe two) big stunning blasts per combat and potentially some d6 sneak attacks are going to compete with what humanod rogues or even single-classed fighters are going to do with equal consistency, let alone what happens when even low-tier casters break out the big guns. Out of combat, they're not completely devoid of utility, but their special abilities are pretty situational and arguably counterbalanced by the lack of hands.

A Burrow speed through flesh of even 10' per round would make a monster nearly unstoppable. Why deal hit point damage when you can just drill a hole through people?

This discussion got weird fast.