You just gained a level in real life! What class would you take?

[Quertus]

@Troacctid

Any comment on the meta level of how we should approach this thread? Specifically,

* We are answering these questions, we are getting these powers. I tend to reject this, as I don't seem to be regenerating per Troll-Blooded.

* An alternate reality us, who is getting these powers, is answering these questions. This one is tricky, as their life experiences diverged from our own as of the first post. So we're only guessing what they'd want.

* We are answering these questions, an alternate reality version of us is getting the powers. This is, of course, the easiest to answer, but then we're only guessing what they'd do with said powers.

If the person getting the powers is making the choices, what is the interface like? In particular,

ISpeaking of understanding the rules: I've been going under the assumption that *something* has let us know that we get to level up, take feats, etc (for simplicity, I've visualized it similar to a HUD). I've similarly assumed that the exact same something provides feedback if we attempt to take something invalid (homebrew, things we don't have the prerequisites for, etc) - and that this feedback exists for when we, say, try to Sculpt Self something that won't be allowed yet due to your "no early entry" rule. Is the feedback of the form (as I visualize it in my HUD) "not available until 20xx", or simply greyed out? In other words, by wanting to do something that goes against the "no early entry" rules, could I have divined the "no early entry" rules?

Or would / could I have spent the XP, but the power itself is greyed out / "not until 20xx"?

[Troacctid]

@Troacctid

Any comment on the meta level of how we should approach this thread? Specifically,

* We are answering these questions, we are getting these powers. I tend to reject this, as I don't seem to be regenerating per Troll-Blooded.

* An alternate reality us, who is getting these powers, is answering these questions. This one is tricky, as their life experiences diverged from our own as of the first post. So we're only guessing what they'd want.

* We are answering these questions, an alternate reality version of us is getting the powers. This is, of course, the easiest to answer, but then we're only guessing what they'd do with said powers.

If the person getting the powers is making the choices, what is the interface like? In particular,



Or would / could I have spent the XP, but the power itself is greyed out / "not until 20xx"?

Whichever way you want to imagine it is fine, I guess.

[Elricaltovilla]

I'm curious why so many people are pursuing the goal of conquering the world. When you have spells like planeshift or interplanetary teleport, or the ability to research and build a Starjammer, why waste your time on this dinky little backwater rock? The universe is so much bigger than all of this.

I'll tell you what. If all you would be Dr. Dooms agree to leave me and my loved ones alone long enough to finish researching how to turn myself and my loved ones into immortal psionic humanoid aberrations, I'll take myself and my family off this rock and let you all fight over it. If you throw in enough Magic Cards, I'll even leave instructions on how to become a Pathfinder style Elan behind for you. Deal?

[ColorBlindNinja]

I'm curious why so many people are pursuing the goal of conquering the world. When you have spells like planeshift or interplanetary teleport, or the ability to research and build a Starjammer, why waste your time on this dinky little backwater rock? The universe is so much bigger than all of this.

I'll tell you what. If all you would be Dr. Dooms agree to leave me and my loved ones alone long enough to finish researching how to turn myself and my loved ones into immortal psionic humanoid aberrations, I'll take myself and my family off this rock and let you all fight over it. If you throw in enough Magic Cards, I'll even leave instructions on how to become a Pathfinder style Elan behind for you. Deal?

Hey, I never said anything about taking over the world.

[Elricaltovilla]

Hey, I never said anything about taking over the world.

Then I wasn't talking to you. Want to join the crew of my Starjammer? I'm going to start construction around 8th level, I think. So you've got about 4 years to decide.

[Kalkra]

I'm curious why so many people are pursuing the goal of conquering the world. When you have spells like planeshift or interplanetary teleport, or the ability to research and build a Starjammer, why waste your time on this dinky little backwater rock? The universe is so much bigger than all of this.

I think that people tend to focus on world domination because any time they think about doing magic stuff, it turns into an episode of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I'll tell you what. If all you would be Dr. Dooms agree to leave me and my loved ones alone long enough to finish researching how to turn myself and my loved ones into immortal psionic humanoid aberrations, I'll take myself and my family off this rock and let you all fight over it. If you throw in enough Magic Cards, I'll even leave instructions on how to become a Pathfinder style Elan behind for you. Deal?

Step 1. Cast Aberrate.
Step 2. Get an item of permanent Alter Self.

And now you're an Elan.

[ColorBlindNinja]

Then I wasn't talking to you. Want to join the crew of my Starjammer? I'm going to start construction around 8th level, I think. So you've got about 4 years to decide.

I very well may.

[Deophaun]

Step 1. Cast Aberrate.
Step 2. Get an item of permanent Alter Self.

And now you're an Elan.

The problem is, at some point you get old enough where walking into an AMF kills you.

[Red Fel]

I think that people tend to focus on world domination because any time they think about doing magic stuff, it turns into an episode of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Which season? Because I'll be honest, while I can see myself living my super-life in some of the later episodes, the early season would be a no-go. Also this most recent season. Show's been kind of all over the map.

Also, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not trying for world domination. Shocking, I know. I just want a slice of the world. Enough wealth and importance to enjoy a comfortable, independent life. Being ruler of the world is just so much work, especially if it's a real world with bureaucracies and consequences, instead of a fantasy world where those things are detrimental to the plot and thus ignored.

Honestly, in the real world, it's better to be a Lex Luthor or a Victor Von Doom than a Darkseid. Give me my own personal Latveria and I'll be quite satisfied, thank you.

[ColorBlindNinja]

The problem is, at some point you get old enough where walking into an AMF kills you.

Where would you find an AMF?

[Deophaun]

Also, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not trying for world domination. Shocking, I know. I just want a slice of the world. Enough wealth and importance to enjoy a comfortable, independent life. Being ruler of the world is just so much work, especially if it's a real world with bureaucracies and consequences, instead of a fantasy world where those things are detrimental to the plot and thus ignored.

I've never considered the Red Fels to be an existential threat because of this honest selfishness.

It's the people that are driven by their conscience to take over the world to make it better that are the problems.

Where would you find an AMF?

Don't worry. They'll start popping up 13 years into this experiment.

[Quarian Rex]

Honestly, in the real world, it's better to be a Lex Luthor or a Victor Von Doom than a Darkseid. Give me my own personal Latveria and I'll be quite satisfied, thank you.

This right here. Also, it would be pretty easy to change the world just through leading by example. If you can turn your slice of the world into something substantially better then others tend to get on board to do things your way.

This is probably one of the things that has always annoyed me about the Luthors and Von Dooms of the comics. Latveria should resemble MCU Wakanda, not 19th century Russia. If Doom did a better job uplifting his country then the world might actually pay attention when he gives advice on how things should be done.

[Elricaltovilla]

Which season? Because I'll be honest, while I can see myself living my super-life in some of the later episodes, the early season would be a no-go. Also this most recent season. Show's been kind of all over the map.

Also, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not trying for world domination. Shocking, I know. I just want a slice of the world. Enough wealth and importance to enjoy a comfortable, independent life. Being ruler of the world is just so much work, especially if it's a real world with bureaucracies and consequences, instead of a fantasy world where those things are detrimental to the plot and thus ignored.

Honestly, in the real world, it's better to be a Lex Luthor or a Victor Von Doom than a Darkseid. Give me my own personal Latveria and I'll be quite satisfied, thank you.

Countries are full of bureaucracy too. Latveria only looks like it doesn't because all the bureaucrats have been replaced with doombots. Which, while not a bad idea, still begs the question of "why stop there?"

Really, my endgame is more Star Trek than anything else.

[Kalkra]

The problem is, at some point you get old enough where walking into an AMF kills you.

I was assuming that you don't age when you're an elan. Does it say otherwise somewhere? Also, tinfoil hat. Also also, that Savage Species ritual. I was going for the easiest way, not the most foolproof way, but you should be able to do a ritual to turn into an elan (or whatever else you want) by the time other people are getting AMFs.

With the S.H.I.E.L.D. thing, I just meant that if you start doing superhuman/supernatural things in public, some folks in suits will come and ask you exactly what you can do, and how you do it, and where your abilities came from, and if they determine that you might pose a risk they'll either lock you up (and possibly experiment on you) or kill you (and possibly experiment on your corpse.)

[ben-zayb]

I'm curious why so many people are pursuing the goal of conquering the world. When you have spells like planeshift or interplanetary teleport, or the ability to research and build a Starjammer, why waste your time on this dinky little backwater rock? The universe is so much bigger than all of this.

I'll tell you what. If all you would be Dr. Dooms agree to leave me and my loved ones alone long enough to finish researching how to turn myself and my loved ones into immortal psionic humanoid aberrations, I'll take myself and my family off this rock and let you all fight over it. If you throw in enough Magic Cards, I'll even leave instructions on how to become a Pathfinder style Elan behind for you. Deal?

Thing is, if the existence of magic is found out by those who wield RL power at these early levels, you staying free or at least alive long enough to learn Teleport could be its own challenge.

Once interested parties pick up the connection to this forum, it'd be cakewalk to identify and track most, if not all, who posted here. Heck, once they pick up how this really works, compromising the forum or the user accounts will hypothetically prevent anyone from gaining levels.

Having enough resources and pull to match are ultimately just means to thwart plans that will prevent me from leveling up to the point where I wouldn't care at all, which hypothetically includes plans to take down the forum.

Thus, my goals would also help every poster in the long run. See, good ol altruistic me was on your side all along!.

[Florian]

It´s also the case that we tend to overrate the effectiveness of magic because we often simplify how things work in our games and media doesn't help here as things like West Wing or House of Cards depict how power and might actually work as the pure relationship and machinations between a small handful of individuals.

[Jack_Simth]

I was assuming that you don't age when you're an elan. Does it say otherwise somewhere? Also, tinfoil hat. Also also, that Savage Species ritual. I was going for the easiest way, not the most foolproof way, but you should be able to do a ritual to turn into an elan (or whatever else you want) by the time other people are getting AMFs.

Elans have aging tables, just no maxium age. So yes, an Elan ages.

However: There's no listed interaction between polymorph effects and natural aging otherwise. The question: "If I polymorph into something ageless, does my base form continue to age 'underneath' the polymorph effect?" doesn't have a RAW answer to the best of my knowledge.

If it does, then even with the tinfoil hat trick, you've got a nasty problem eventually: The tinfoil hat trick still leaves you very briefly exposed to the antimagic field. If your agelessness relies on magic, you could - potentially - die of old age in that brief moment of exposure.

Me, I plan to get immortality via simple, straightforward class features. Starts coming online at 10th, which is also where my "essentially unlimited funds without interacting with anyone" comes online (Blood Money + Fabricate - and yes, I'm currently playing a game under a DM that permits such things as long as I don't stay at home and do nothing but such things) (Essentially unlimited funds with interaction comes online at 4th, via Greater Hat of Disguise).

With the S.H.I.E.L.D. thing, I just meant that if you start doing superhuman/supernatural things in public, some folks in suits will come and ask you exactly what you can do, and how you do it, and where your abilities came from, and if they determine that you might pose a risk they'll either lock you up (and possibly experiment on you) or kill you (and possibly experiment on your corpse.)

This is part of why I wanted ways to disguise myself well prior to cleaning out the list. Otherwise, it's just "don't attract attention".

Also, of course, nobody knows if that would actually happen, or how "significant" demonstrations of power would need to be for any of it to be taken seriously by folks who can arrange for that sort of thing.

I just want a slice of the world. Enough wealth and importance to enjoy a comfortable, independent life.

Yeah. Pick up enough wealth to never need to work again while enjoying your own private island. Well, until you can build your own planes, and no longer have a need for an island anyone without magic can reach. With my build, that's ... looks like 16th with Permanency and Create Demiplane (14th with Permanency and Lesser Create Demiplane will do for resting, but will be rather boring). At 18th, I can give it a proper network connection, even. Arguably earlier via self-resetting traps, but eh, Blood Money + the actual spells makes for a much more straightforward method.

[Red Fel]

Countries are full of bureaucracy too. Latveria only looks like it doesn't because all the bureaucrats have been replaced with doombots. Which, while not a bad idea, still begs the question of "why stop there?"

But smaller bureaucracies. Manageable ones. Handling things like taxes and laws within your own finite borders is much simpler (although not simple) than keeping entire nations in peaceful coexistence without resorting to mind control. And honestly, if you have to mind control the entire planet to get your way, you're doing something wrong.

The best thing about a bureaucracy is that, if set up properly, it basically runs itself, unless the human element interferes. As scale increases, so does the likelihood of interference. But if you run only a small country - we're talking particularly small, I'm greedy, not stupid - that bureaucracy remains proportionately slim and streamlined.

Besides, if the paper-pushers step out of line, they know what will happen to them.

Really, my endgame is more Star Trek than anything else.

I would love to be the one whose powers revolutionize the world. But I've read Tom Smith and His Incredible Bread Machine. I know what happens. You get five minutes of public adoration, followed by hatred and punishment for daring to buck the world order.

No, the trick isn't to, for example, build a Starjammer. The trick is to trick other people into inventing the tech under your supervision. That's what my Latveria would do, in effect - draw corporate investment and infrastructure via tax incentives, thus creating an economic surge, and use that newfound wealth to demonstrate what positive legislation and regulation can do for an economy and a country. Thus - as was suggested above - resembling "MCU Wakanda." Under my watch, companies investing in my tiny nation would be able to pursue great advancements, if not Starjammers, and the world would see what a government like that would do.

That's how you pursue innovation. Not by doing it yourself, but by creating the environment in which it can happen. (And maybe exerting just a little bit of influence.)

[Elricaltovilla]

But if I build a Starjammer and leave then I don't run into those issues. The only way to win is to not play and all that.

[Kalkra]

If it does, then even with the tinfoil hat trick, you've got a nasty problem eventually: The tinfoil hat trick still leaves you very briefly exposed to the antimagic field. If your agelessness relies on magic, you could - potentially - die of old age in that brief moment of exposure.

I don't think old age kills you instantly. It's just like, organ failure and stuff. Even if you flatline for a moment, if you're body is okay he next moment I think you'd be fine. Admittedly, I'm just spitballing at this point. There's no real way to know without testing it. I nominate somebody else. Preferably a clone.

[TherianTheorist]

Surprised myself by thinking this over for a few days, and still having trouble answering. Pretty sure I'll split things between third party and official, though.

A longer life is one of the most tempting options, but not something I'd normally build around getting. Honestly wouldn't mind some improvements to my body in general, but haven't been able to narrow down what that means other than looking into getting a wizard to pay for a permanent polymorphing?

And while there was a tempting path to a long lasting dragon form, that technically met everything I wanted, I know better than to try that.

[Jack_Simth]

And while there was a tempting path to a long lasting dragon form, that technically met everything I wanted, I know better than to try that.

Wizard is the easy way to do that. Use PaO to turn yourself into a Medium sized dragon of your Int when you hit 15th - 16th, as a Sorcerer, 17th as a Sublime Chord.

Note that the spell is a serious moneymaker, regardless, as it lets you do the best plastic surgery very quickly and safely.

[TherianTheorist]

Wizard is the easy way to do that. Use PaO to turn yourself into a Medium sized dragon of your Int when you hit 15th - 16th, as a Sorcerer, 17th as a Sublime Chord.

Note that the spell is a serious moneymaker, regardless, as it lets you do the best plastic surgery very quickly and safely.

Lots of nice forms it offers. The dragon bit was an example, and that method offered up to Colossal by level 20. Which is even more trouble than it sounds. Can't exactly post future threads when you're that big by default.

[TalonOfAnathrax]

Surprised myself by thinking this over for a few days, and still having trouble answering. Pretty sure I'll split things between third party and official, though.

A longer life is one of the most tempting options, but not something I'd normally build around getting. Honestly wouldn't mind some improvements to my body in general, but haven't been able to narrow down what that means other than looking into getting a wizard to pay for a permanent polymorphing?

And while there was a tempting path to a long lasting dragon form, that technically met everything I wanted, I know better than to try that.

Ever heard of Wedded to History? A feat that makes you stop ageing, available at level 1!

[Quertus]

So, I'm after immortality, of the "the heat death of the universe needs to be a solvable problem" variety.

Now, if I can use Plane Shift etc to get to some of my worlds, I'll know that that's not an issue. Otherwise, yeah, I've got lots of work to do. But, in the short term (the next, say, few thousand years), I'd probably be safer (barring PvP or things not everyone believes in) on a Spelljammer in this universe than on one of my worlds.

But getting to the point where any of that is an option is made difficult by the number of people who, in the first year of this thread, made themselves obvious - if we're in the same world, that is.

As to becoming an Elan (which I thought i was in the first year), the OP has declared no early entry tricks, and, when I asked about becoming an Elan, I was told PaO x2. So, apparently, becoming an Elan before, what, 15th level is impossible in this scenario.

Thing is, if the existence of magic is found out by those who wield RL power at these early levels, you staying free or at least alive long enough to learn Teleport could be its own challenge.

Once interested parties pick up the connection to this forum, it'd be cakewalk to identify and track most, if not all, who posted here. Heck, once they pick up how this really works, compromising the forum or the user accounts will hypothetically prevent anyone from gaining levels.

Having enough resources and pull to match are ultimately just means to thwart plans that will prevent me from leveling up to the point where I wouldn't care at all, which hypothetically includes plans to take down the forum.

Thus, my goals would also help every poster in the long run. See, good ol altruistic me was on your side all along!.

So, imagine if one world is making the choices, and an alternate reality copy of that world (that diverged in the first year of these threads) is the one benefiting. Yes, those who posted could be tracked, but shutting down the forums just makes it impossible to track those who started in year 2 or later.

Also, imagine your confusion if you got abilities different from the one you picked, because alternate reality you had different experiences, and different priorities.

[Troacctid]

As to becoming an Elan (which I thought i was in the first year), the OP has declared no early entry tricks, and, when I asked about becoming an Elan, I was told PaO x2. So, apparently, becoming an Elan before, what, 15th level is impossible in this scenario.

Excuse me, PAO x1 tyvm. You're a "Yes" on all five of the duration factors, so it's permanent. Also, Shaper of Form does it at level 6.

[vasilidor]

Once again I take a level of arcanist, and if I remember correctly that puts me at level three. For my feat i take scribe scroll (no xp cost in pathfinder for item creation). I need to go back to previous threads to see what I did.
Never mind, looked through my post history, I only did this last year, thought I had started the year before. I am now a second level character with arcanist 1, investigator (imperialist archtype) 1. for an overall level 2 character. I still take scribe scroll though as I can get a Item creation feat as an exploit.
15 point buy attributes (pathfinder)
str 12
dex 13
con 12
int 15 (including +2 for human)
wis 13
cha 12
feats: point blank shot, deadly aim
arcane exploits: scribe scroll
extracts per day level 1:2
spells per day level 1:3
spells prepared per day 0:4 1:2
extracts known:cure light wounds, ant haul, endure elements, crafter's fortune, and Expeditious retreat
spells known: mage armor, sleep, obscuring mist, disguise self, heightened awareness.
skills points: 12 total, max of 2 per skill
skills: knowledge (history) 2 ranks, knowledge (arcane) 2 ranks, stealth 2 ranks, perception 2 ranks, perform (story telling) 1 rank, survival 1 rank, craft (drawing) 1 rank, knowledge (geography) 1 rank

[Quarian Rex]

Excuse me, PAO x1 tyvm. You're a "Yes" on all five of the duration factors, so it's permanent. Also, Shaper of Form does it at level 6.

Looks like Shaper of Form can actually pull this off by taking Renaissance with their Modify Self ability at 1st level which is actually pretty sweet.

[Troacctid]

Looks like Shaper of Form can actually pull this off by taking Renaissance with their Modify Self ability at 1st level which is actually pretty sweet.

Yes, that's what I said.

[Andor13]

I'm curious why so many people are pursuing the goal of conquering the world. When you have spells like planeshift or interplanetary teleport, or the ability to research and build a Starjammer, why waste your time on this dinky little backwater rock? The universe is so much bigger than all of this.

I'll tell you what. If all you would be Dr. Dooms agree to leave me and my loved ones alone long enough to finish researching how to turn myself and my loved ones into immortal psionic humanoid aberrations, I'll take myself and my family off this rock and let you all fight over it. If you throw in enough Magic Cards, I'll even leave instructions on how to become a Pathfinder style Elan behind for you. Deal?

Amusingly, I just started re-reading "Methusalah's Children" today.