
Pluribus |
Long and short of it is that an Evil intelligent sword named Damocles is the primary antagonist of my campaign. One of his objectives at the moment is to create the perfect humanoid to wield him.
He's basically doing this by selectively breeding various species. I will likely just fudge it and say he's using a magical process to combine species because a forced breeding program can get pretty creepy if you think about the logistics of it all.
Damocles has no respect for organic life. He sees a strong wielder like a fighter would see a +3 sword. Useful, but discarded immediately when a +4 sword comes along. His ideal wielder would have high physical stats and low mental ones, particularly wisdom. Thus being someone he could dominate consistently.
So, I'm looking for advice on what he might create for this purpose.
Are half-fiend and half-celestial mutually exclusive? They are socially incompatible sure, but the circumstances would be mind control levels of coercion.
I've ruled out vampire because they have too many restrictions on behavior. However, if there's some way to make him a lich that would be excellent. Damocles would love to have a wielder who will never bother him with things like eating or sleeping. Problem one, it looks like all liches are required to be self made. Second, so far as I can tell all undead are immune to mental effects like domination. Does that include vampires and liches? I was under the impression that was because of the "mindless" quality of zombies and such. Are fully conscious undead like vampires and liches also immune?
half-dragon is practically a given. Will probably choose type based on whatever immunity doesn't overlap with immunities granted by other templates.

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I vote an Orc with the Dire, Beast of Chaos, Half-Dragon, Half-Fiend templates. That would be a total of +26 str, +4 dex, +18 con, +2 int, +4 wis, +12 cha for a +10 on base creature's CR. Give the thing 2 levels of Antipaladin and 8 levels of Fighter or Barbarian. With a 20 point buy id go for base stats of 18 str, 07 dex, 16 con, 09 int, 07 wis, 12 cha and get a +6 item on its str, con, and cha.

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Graveknight sounds like the thing you are looking for.

Peasant |
If you don't hand-wave the breeding program as 'magic', I would suggest that Damocles seek out a couple of Lamia to enslave. Such an epic sword should have little trouble overcoming their will save long enough to have the pair slap one another into near oblivion with Wisdom Drain. Thereafter almost any subject that isn't outright immune to possession becomes a viable contributor to whatever experiments he may wish to carry out, including the outsiders necessary for some of those wackier templates.
If I went this route I would probably field Damocles at the helm of an Asura Upasunda with the Worm That Walks template. Coupling teleportation, regeneration, immortality and many resistances with 5 distracting grab attacks from its off hands would create a vessel with which Damocles could hold off armies with little fear and maybe even take the time to evaluate the resumes of potential new vessels.
For added creepiness, consider that Damocles might address the logistics of a breeding program by shrouding it within a prosthletyzing fertility cult.

Pluribus |
Unfortunately the templates Dire and Beast Of Chaos only apply to animals. Opposeable thumbs are very important to Damocles' plan. Though I wouldn't put it past pathfinder to have an animal that can use a sword, anyone know of one?
A template, like Graveknight or Worm That Walks, that requires the owner to have lived a specific way is a bit beyond the scope of Damocles' project. He'd have to take a nearly finished product and then foster it to live a really specific life to give it the slim chance of gaining the template. Otherwise it's just dead.
I like the idea of wisdom damage though. Lamia would work. Though it might be better to cut out the middleman and give the sword the ability to cast a wisdom damaging spell. One that doesn't resist with a will-save would be preferable, because if the will-save is the problem to begin with... I'll look into it, but if you know a good one let me know, I'm going to sleep now.
For added creepiness, consider that Damocles might address the logistics of a breeding program by shrouding it within a prosthletyzing fertility cult.
"I wouldn't say that I hate people. After all, we couldn't have wars without them. So for every humanoid I kill I always make sure to plant five more. It's really helped to improve moral among the men... What? No I don't really care how they do it... Because your biology disgusts me."

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Unfortunately the templates Dire and Beast Of Chaos only apply to animals. Opposeable thumbs are very important to Damocles' plan. Though I wouldn't put it past pathfinder to have an animal that can use a sword, anyone know of one?
Permanent Awaken Anthropomorphic Animal will solve that problem especial with some thing vicious like a TRex or Lion. This will mean u wont be able to be an orc but it is for the best.

Claxon |

I might go with a construct instead have someone forge him the perfect body.
EDIT: Just noticed a golem has been mentioned already, a fleshgolem harvested from parts of the strongest warriors sounds pretty awesome.. a serial killer sword with an agenda
That sounds positively wonderful

Peasant |
AnnoyingOrange, that spin is certainly an idea I could get behind, especially if the party can impact the process by thwarting the theft of key bodies. Of course that's been done with a rather silly (but fun) character named Serpentor. Pluribus, you could do worse than cribbing from Hasbro in this regard. If Damocles is stitching together a super-soldier or stealing genetic material for use in forced breeding experiments (it just seems to keep getting creepier), the rise of Serpentor could be a campaign in and of itself.

Pluribus |
I like the flesh golem idea. Maybe tie its creation into some astronomical event or such to explain why Damocles doesn't have all the time in the world to just retry collecting bodies when the players thwart his attempts.
I will probably tweak it to make it a hybrid rather than parts sewn together. Maybe throw in the lich template too, because I think I like the way that would look as a skeleton. Plus, rather than purely being a mindless construct I would like the creation to have a mind of its own, albeit a primitive one. That would allow for a twisted father/son dynamic between it and Damocles.
*spoiler* Damocles does not make a good dad.

Kazaan |
Half-Foo templates, I'd say, typically don't go together because what is the base creature the template is applied to if it's Half-X and Half-Y? By strict rules, there's nothing prohibiting it, but you introduce the question of "What is the base creature?" Now, you could have a Celestial creature (ie. an Angel) and apply the Half-Fiend template to it (or a Fiend and apply Half-Celestial), but when you're dealing with a hybrid of two Outsiders from opposed planes, it might be better to just put together a unique race using the ARG and dispensing with templates altogether.

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Half-Foo templates, I'd say, typically don't go together because what is the base creature the template is applied to if it's Half-X and Half-Y? By strict rules, there's nothing prohibiting it, but you introduce the question of "What is the base creature?" Now, you could have a Celestial creature (ie. an Angel) and apply the Half-Fiend template to it (or a Fiend and apply Half-Celestial), but when you're dealing with a hybrid of two Outsiders from opposed planes, it might be better to just put together a unique race using the ARG and dispensing with templates altogether.
Lol that reminds me of 1 of my sorcerers. A Crossblodded Celestial Abyssal with the Heritage feats for Infernal. Surprisingly enough for a character i made for slits and giggles it was effective.

Major_Blackhart |
As I read this thread I'm pleasantly reminded of ancient Thassilon and their own experiments regarding the genetics of creatures. Even Alaznist was allied with the Qlippoth lord, the proclaimed Polymorph Plague Yamasoth.
ANd it was specifically stated in the shattered star (at the end I think or in another book maybe) that Alaznist was less concerned with creating items than actually morphing races and experimenting on creatures to create armies, etc. This could be an excellent source for the sword, either it is a relic of Thassilon (specifically Xin-Barakhat) or has managed to come across and restore some of those lovely runewells that the Runelords used to create things like Sinspawn.
Remember, Runelords created Fire Giants (possibly) and Rune Giants (definitely). The whole country was essentially ruled by a bunch of megalomaniac Josef Mengeles'. It wouldn't be hard to imagine that the sword is either a relic of that age or has discovered secrets of flesh warping dealing with that age.
Also, I suggest giving it abilities in line with Alchemy perhaps. Might allow it to further shape a wielder to suit its needs.
Either way, the sword, obsessed as it is with a perfect wielder, should definitely be something insanely powerful. Maybe not Sword of Sin level of power, but close and decidedly evil insanely evil.
However, besides the goal of creating its perfect wielder, what are its goals outside of this? World domination? Domination over other intelligent items? Rise of Thassilon? Does it work for the Qlippoths or some other morphing master or is it a lone wolf?
I think also maybe give yourself an idea of who the sword was used by in the past, or maybe even who forged it. Both answered or hinted at in your own mind could definitely flesh out its character and motivations.

Pluribus |
Found the perfect spell for Damocles. "Touch of Idiocy" imposes a 1d6 penalty to all mental attributes. It's a touch attack with no save. And with the intelligent item ability to "Cast a 2nd-level spell 3/day" it should be quite capable of overcoming a will save. I could just give it more castings, but 3d6 wisdom damage followed by a hard will save seems punishing enough. I imagine that an unsuspecting victim will spend three rounds looking for an invisible attacker, probably clutching the sword even tighter, before Damocles attempts to dominate them. To make matters worse Damocles had itself cursed, so you can't even drop it unless it allows you to.
I do know about the sword's past, it just wasn't relevant to this thread. I'll go ahead and spill it though. It'll probably help me shape it.
The sword was created by a powerful wizard, named Damocles, as a conversation piece. He basically kept it around to say "I'm so cool I can make something like this!" He usually only took it down from the mantle to show it off at parties. He had created an intelligence purely because creating intelligences is hard, and never really appreciated that it was an individual.
So after years of hanging on the mantle over Damocles' favorite chair (not by a single hair, but it does have a horsehair tassel on its hilt) the sword was finally fed up and the next time the wizard took it down it asserted itself and basically made the wizard commit seppuku. The wizard had never bothered to give the sword a name, so it took his. It has been over a hundred years since then. Damocles has been getting itself involved in conflicts, and 'convincing' mages to enchant it with various beneficial spells. By the time of the campaign it's about as protected as a phylactery would be.
From what I've been able to interpret, every magic weapon, from lawful good to chaotic evil, loves being used in combat. Usually more than they want anything else. Damocles in particular has developed the special purpose of "defeat/slay all".
No longer satisfied with the occasional conflict Damocles' primary goal is to create Valhalla on earth. Which, by its interpretation, means plunging the land into endless war. To this end it has been manipulating politics.
In the end I don't want it to come across as a sociopath so much as a thing that has a fundamentally alien mindset.
"We've got to stop him!"
"Don't 'him' me! I am not one of your genders. I am an 'it', and expect to be referred to as such."
(Proof that Damocles does not speak Spanish)
"A sword is unique among weapons. Nearly all others have a 'day job'. An ax collects, a hammer shapes, a scythe harvests, even a spear or bow can hunt food for one's family. But not a sword. A sword exists only to kill those that think and feel. A sword's only job is murder."
(Damocles' villainous monologue)