Dungeons And Dragons 3.5,

[Guest DCPagesAdmin]

Please see the original post at

 

http://pub36.ezboard.com/fgameschat19968fr...picID=438.topic

 

[Guest DCPagesAdmin]

Here is how my DM ended up incorporating Void Incarnate/Void Presence into our campaign.

 

The Void Presence ability works against everyone, sans undead (and those immune to Mind Affecting abilities). Even party members/other players have a hard time concentrating on me. If they can’t remember me, then clerics will have a hard time healing me mid-battle.

 

While I won't have to Tumble out of combat to receive healing, as per the DM's original ruling, the cleric will have to make a Concentration Check to ensure that she "remembers" me when she casts a Mass Heal spell. I’m not sure what the DC is going to be to “remember” me. Healing outside of melee will not require said check, as all I have to do is remind her "in character" before the heal.

 

In addition, the DM included a ring of fast healing 3 that I ended up with. While the ring won't make a huge difference in combat, it should lighten up our cleric's load quite a bit. Four minutes after a battle, I will be fully healed again.

 

Void Presence (Ex): Opponents of a void incarnate unconsciously ignore the void incarnate's presence starting at 3rd level. They are always treated as flat-footed to the void incarnate (and thus may not apply their Dexterity modifier to AC). This lasts until the void incarnate attacks the opponent, but resumes again at the start of the void incarnate's next turn. This is a mind-affecting effect.

 

 

My DM interpreted Void Presence in a very interesting way. Not only would I be able to catch my mark flat-footed, the DM felt that they would probably not be able to remember me long enough to attack me were I to delay until after my mark had attacked someone. In turn, he saw VP as almost always allowing me to avoid attacks.

 

For example….The party comes across an uber hill giant...say....DC 30. The party attacks, and I delay my initiative. The hill giant attacks someone, and I go at the end of the round. I hit and do damage. My Void Presence lasts until I attack. If I delay, Void Presence lasts until the end of the round, and the Void Presence carries over to the next round. Again, I delay until the end of the round....wash, rinse, repeat. They consciously avoid me until I attack. If I willingly delay until the end of the round, and if I beat their initiative, then I am nearly invincible. With a modified 27 Dex and Superior Initiative, that’s a +16 modifier to initiative. With those numbers, it’s safe to assume that I would be able to beat the initiative of most monsters.

 

We needed a compromise.

 

So, the DM worked up a very interesting formula to incorporate Void Presence into the campaign. Every round, the mark has to make a special Spot Check to be able to react/remember me. 10 + my Ranks in Concentration, + my inverted Charisma Modifier vs. his d20 and Spot. The lower the Charisma, the better…lol. He included Concentration as a Void Incarnate skill class. If the mark can’t see/remember me, he ignores me.

 

I just made 25th level: Rogue 24 and VI 1. I dumped 6 ranks into Concentration, plus 1 point for having a 13 Int….plus 2 more points from an Headband of Intelligence +4. At 27th level, Rogue 24 and VI 3, I will have 27 Ranks in Concentration: 21 natural ranks, and 6 from a Headband of Intelligence +4. My formula will end up being 10 + 27 + 2 (for a low charisma). As most + non-epic (over level 20) mobs don’t have a high spot <speaking very generally>, I will be able to carve a bloody path through most lower-level stuff. This is nice, given the fact that I got my but kicked for the first 25 levels…so far, the campaign has been extremely melee oriented, and most mobs are immune to critical hits: outsiders, undead, etc. /insert frown. For Epic mobs, it may end up being a 50/50 chance, depending on their Spot. And Epic Dragons will always be able to see me.

 

Perhaps it's just me, but I see a city campaign as the place were rogues can shine: Gather Information, Sense Motive, Bluff, Hide/Move Silently, negotiating shady deals, and back-alley politics.

 

It seems pretty fair to me. What say you?

[Court Jester]

I really like the idea.

 

The downside of having to dump skill points into Concentration will be that you will probably have to delay feats such as Epic Dodge and Self-Concealment. You'll need to spend a few levels dumping all of your skill points into Concentration to take your ranks up to your level +3. While you're doing that, get as many Tombs of Understanding as possible. While you can't go over 5 stat points from Wish/Tombs, those extra points wont hurt at all.

 

Keep me informed of how this turns out.....my curiosity is piqued.

 

Court Jester

[Guest Ryfte]

Void Presence (Ex): Opponents of a void incarnate unconsciously ignore the void incarnate's presence starting at 3rd level. They are always treated as flat-footed to the void incarnate (and thus may not apply their Dexterity modifier to AC). This lasts until the void incarnate attacks the opponent, but resumes again at the start of the void incarnate's next turn. This is a mind-affecting effect.

It's all fine and well to tweak a class ability if you want to as a DM but there is a particular facet of this ability which I believe all of your are overlooking.

 

"This is a mind-affecting effect."

 

Thus, all creatures or individuals with immunity to mind effects are automatically immune. Numerous magical items, class abilities, and spells grant this and numerous types of creatures are immune to this as well, undead being a classic example. IMHO I don't see it as overpowered in the sense that at epic levels there should be numerous opponents who simply are NOT affected. Granted it does make the character virtually immune to lower level mobs but considering it's an epic prestige class feature... shouldn't it really be powerful in that fashion?

 

Ryfte

Real Adventures boards

[Guest Holly]

You have to read the description better, it says "opponents" not friends, team mates, bar tenders, etc. It only effects opponents that are not immune to mind affecting effects.