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    Firbolg in the Playground
     
    MaxiDuRaritry's Avatar

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    Dec 2015
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    Default 3.5/PF - Monster With the Most HD? Other Ways to Boost Max Skill Ranks?

    I've been looking around at epic monsters, wondering how to get the most out of three levels in illithid savant. In this case: skill ranks to eat. Preferably without more than a couple of templates, to make it easier to actually find the thing.

    Not really familiar with PF beyond a few classes and feats, so my focus has been on 3e monsters. So far, my ponderings have turned up a few things: mainly take a war beast devastation vermin from the Epic Level Handbook, which is easy enough. 129 HD. Cast polymorph any object on it to turn it into a Gargantuan 15 HD giant. (Isn't there a mountain giant that fulfills this that isn't the one in the MMII?) Now apply the entomanthrope template four times (possibly via the curse of lycanthropy spell, from Complete Divine), turning it into all four types of devastation vermin. Since polymorph any object gives the newly-minted giant/entomanthrope an Int score, it now has skill ranks equal to its HD + 3, and it now has 641 HD thanks to its original HD and its new devastation vermin entomanthropy.

    You can then apply the Trained Basiran (Kalamar: Stealth & Style) + Primary Contact feats for Perform (Dance) to increase its skill cap to HD + 5, so 646. The bard's inspired greatness adds +2 HD (which a judicious use of psychic reformation would allow for swapping around skill points to take advantage of the additional ranks) for another +2, to 648. Versatile Performer allows you to apply those skill ranks to a number of Perform skills equal to your Int modifier.

    So if you have some illithid savant and devour one of these things and have the Versatile Performer feat, you can gain 648 skill ranks to multiple Perform skills.

    Any bigger, tougher monsters to take advantage of?

    Any other ways to abuse this?
    Last edited by MaxiDuRaritry; 2019-06-24 at 11:12 AM.

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