| Rndmname |
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
So a whole bunch of questions, some which have been somewhat answered (but noone really counter argues so its odd) and some that havent been answered at all. Instead of playing around in about a dozen threads I decided to make a single one.
Q1: What types of undead (intelligent/nonintelligent) can you possess?
Target one creature
By casting magic jar, you place your soul in a gem or large crystal (known as the magic jar), leaving your body lifeless. Then you can attempt to take control of a nearby body, forcing its soul into the magic jar. You may move back to the jar (thereby returning the trapped soul to its body) and attempt to possess another body. The spell ends when you send your soul back to your own body, leaving the receptacle empty. To cast the spell, the magic jar must be within spell range and you must know where it is, though you do not need line of sight or line of effect to it. When you transfer your soul upon casting, your body is, as near as anyone can tell, dead.
While in the magic jar, you can sense and attack any life force within 10 feet per caster level (and on the same plane of existence). You do need line of effect from the jar to the creatures. You cannot determine the exact creature types or positions of these creatures. In a group of life forces, you can sense a difference of 4 or more HD between one creature and another and can determine whether a life force is powered by positive or negative energy. (Undead creatures are powered by negative energy. Only sentient undead creatures have, or are, souls.)
You could choose to take over either a stronger or a weaker creature, but which particular stronger or weaker creature you attempt to possess is determined randomly.
Attempting to possess a body is a full-round action. It is blocked by protection from evil or a similar ward. You possess the body and force the creature's soul into the magic jar unless the subject succeeds on a Will save. Failure to take over the host leaves your life force in the magic jar, and the target automatically succeeds on further saving throws if you attempt to possess its body again.
If you are successful, your life force occupies the host body, and the host's life force is imprisoned in the magic jar. You keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, level, class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, alignment, and mental abilities. The body retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, hit points, natural abilities, and automatic abilities. A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. You can't choose to activate the body's extraordinary or supernatural abilities. The creature's spells and spell-like abilities do not stay with the body.
As a standard action, you can shift freely from a host to the magic jar if within range, sending the trapped soul back to its body. The spell ends when you shift from the jar to your own body.
If the host body is slain, you return to the magic jar, if within range, and the life force of the host departs (it is dead). If the host body is slain beyond the range of the spell, both you and the host die. Any life force with nowhere to go is treated as slain.
If the spell ends while you are in the magic jar, you return to your body (or die if your body is out of range or destroyed). If the spell ends while you are in a host, you return to your body (or die, if it is out of range of your current position), and the soul in the magic jar returns to its body (or dies if it is out of range). Destroying the receptacle ends the spell, and the spell can be dispelled at either the magic jar or the host's location.
So I bolded a few important things for this question. it goes back and forth between soul and life force very liberally and then says you trap their life force (not soul) -- this suggests that you might be able to possess unintelligent undead since they do technically have life force. Thoughts?
Q2: How does you keeping your mental stats (I.E charisma) mess with undead (who has HP derived from charisma)
So we know that undead derive their hitpoints from charisma. And yes the spell says they keep their hitpoints, however as the charisma is modified by the spell, would you get bonus hit points if your charisma is higher than the undead you possessed?
Q3: Possess Undead specifies that you can use it on one minion in your Aura of Desecration. What happens if you walk farther than that distance from your body?
Pretty straight forward question, is the initial bit just the casting range and you can walk away from your body like magic jar is always used or does the wording limit it more than that (making it practically useless)?
That should be good for now until I get some answers, Thanks.
| Drimoran |
Q1: What types of undead (intelligent/nonintelligent) can you possess?
It actually doesn't define what an "undead minion" is to you. Buy taking into account that this archetype grants you the command undead spell, animate dead spell, control undead spell and Bonethrall class feature. I beleive that any undead that is under your control via these spells or bonethall class feature, can be possesed by you.
Q2: How does you keeping your mental stats (I.E charisma) mess with undead (who has HP derived from charisma)
That's a tough one. The magic jar spells says that the body retains its hitpoints, on the other hand you are gaining "temporal charisma" which could grant you some bonuses (Although you could have lesser charisma as well).
I beleive the answer is in the part that says that you retain you save bonuses, regardless of the CON or DEX the creature may have. Now an undead should not be an exception, if you had lesser CHA than the undead, you would still have your own Fortitude bonus.
If the body's CON or DEX doesn't give you benefits, your CHA shouldn't give him benefits either. That's what I get by reading. RAI I would say the exact same thing. It has his own hitpoints, no more no less.
Q3: Possess Undead specifies that you can use it on one minion in your Aura of Desecration. What happens if you walk farther than that distance from your body?
I think it is as you said. This is the initial range of casting. After this the "spell" (in this case ability) is already cast, and it should work just the same as the spell.
| Drimoran |
In regards to your answer to Q2, it doesnt say you keep your same saves, but instead your base saves (meaning the saves you have from your class, not your class+stats)
You keep your Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, level, class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, alignment, and mental abilities
Good catch. Then I change my mind. Perhaps you are supose to increase/decrease your hitpoints according to your new CHA score