So the Shabti race fascinates me, it has fascinated me for yeas and I've always wanted to use one to make a character.
Today my living room is being torn apart, my boyfriend is in Greece and I have the day off work. Today is the day I make a Shabti!
Now enough about me!
Concerning the Shabti, due to their nature as something of a departed soul, back from the other side, I thought it made sense to give him some innate powers, as if its something they didn't have to work on. Rather something that is being carried over from the other side.
To that end I thought magic made the most sense and I've been looking at three class ideas.
An Ancestor Oracle - This would be the most martial/combat way to go with the character, potentially going with a warrior prince vibe. Aiming for a character arc that starts with a charming warrior vibe and builds his arc towards slowly becoming more mystic and cerebral and discovering his past and what the implication of said past are.
Mechanically I think this character would be a bit clunky, I like the idea of conjuring a signature weapon and divine buff spells are very nice, but I think he'd be very standard action hungry. Ancestral Weapon + Blood of Heroes + Divine Favour is a nice combo of buffs. And a horrible combination of actions.
Perhaps a martial reach weapon would be the way to go as a result. Aesthetically a ranseur is pretty cool.
A Vestige Sorcerer - This leans more into the divination and knowledge style character which I think is very cool in general and is a theme I enjoy. I like the bonded Object thing, the idea of an ancient empire's magical staff is cool. This guy would be a pretty passive, sage type character, knowledge based diviner. I'm not sure what I'd want to do with the spell list, but this is the best sell list, I'm sure I can find something fun to do with it.
Rebirth Psychic - This again goes more towards the knowledge based character but lies more in memory than the sorc. Which I think makes a little bit more sense from the lore of the Shabti. This would be less of a sage that the above character, and more of an intelligent sort of apex person, struggling with memories slowly flooding back into his head.
Also Mnemonic Esoterica is f*&~ing AMAZING if I'm reading it right. Cherry picking one spell a day from the wizard or cleric list would be amazing. Although I do believe I'd have to choose the list I pick from and stick with it. Again I don't know what direction I'd go with the spell list but I think I'd be leaning to a buffer/debuffer that much I can say for sure.
Also outside 4th horse is the spiritualist, which I think would make sense with the class but I've made 3 already and I'm unsure where to go with it to make a special shabti one.
Well yes that is rather sexy, that’s another point for the vestige sorcerer because their arcana gives spell level as a boost knowledge, hence divination seems a fun route to go.
As such a knowledge based diviner shanti vestige sorcerer, with bonded object and some useful bonus feat. I think I’ll start putting something together with the vestige Sorc in mind.
To be honest the more I think about it the more I lean towards a Vestige Sorc or Rebirth Psychic.
So what I managed to come up with is below.
Wasn't too sure where to go with feats although in terms of bloodline feats it would make sense to go with skill focus knowledge areas and Spell Focuses. Although which schools who knows, picking a spell list true to concept and also useful has frazzled my brain.
Str: 10
Dex: 14
Con: 16
Int: 14
Wis: 10
Cha: 18
Trait:
Feats:
1) Noble Scion
3) Cunning
5) Steadfast Personality
7)
7)
9)
11)
13)
13)
15)
17)
19)
19)
Spell List
0) Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Detect Magic, Read Magic, Mending, Light, Jolt, Scrivener’s Chant, Message
1) Shadow Trap, Burning Disarm, Silent Image, Identify, Mage Armour, Feather Fall
2) Hideous Laughter, Mirror Image, Share Memory, Boneshaker, Invisibility, Knock
3) Haste, Battering Blast, Arcane Sight, Heroism, Tongues
4) Acid Pit, Dimension door, Hypercognition, Resilient Sphere, Scrying
5) Overland Flight, Wall of Stone, Telepathic Bond, Telekinesis, Teleport
6) Chains of Light, Analyze Dweomer, Sirocco, Dispel Magic Greater
7) Reverse Gravity, Vision, Plane Shift, Teleport Greater
8) Clone, Discern Location, Shadow Evocation Greater, Moment of
Prescience
9) Prismatic Sphere, Foresight, Wish, Dominate Monster
While the sorc/wiz spell list is still good, the actual arcana and powers other than the arcane bond look pretty terrible to me for the vestige bloodline. As in, designed for an NPC which the GM wants to show living in ruins which patch themselves up for that NPC only. The rebirth psychic looks much better even if the ability scores are less perfect.
I mean the only one that really stick out to me as terrible is Restored Glory, which I think is pretty crap I won’t lie.
But bonded object is fine, call Ancestors is niche but has uses even if it’s just to get a second roll on a knowledge check if I got unlucky. I can also imagine some creative uses for a simulacrum of myself.
The create mindscape stuff isn’t terrible, it’s kind of boggling my mind I won’t lie.
That said I agree that the rebirth psychic is generically stronger.
Yet I find myself even more at a loss over feats. And slightly uninspired beyond ego whip when it comes to the spell list.
The psychic I would want to be quite arrogant, self righteous, a know it all, capable of diplomacy but struggling and self absorbed. Not liking to use his discipline powers, his precious mind flooding with emotions and thoughts he doesn’t like or recognise.
I’d want a spell list to represent that, more violent and straight forward than the Sorc one. The Sorc one reflects someone more accepting of his powers and memories, exploring his ancestry, rather than flooded by an alien mind.
I like spell like and character to reflect one another.
The sorc has real problems getting enough skill points to make full use of knowledges even with a feat spent on cunning; you'll want some other skills. And the simulacrum can't do anything much - no spells, no attacks, no hostile actions - which limits its creative uses a lot.
An arrogant, self-righteous spellcaster is an old stereotype. Possibly less interesting than the guy exploring past ages which come to life around him, true, but certainly easier to make effective. Color spray, mortal terror, ego whip (+undercast), telekinesis, {hold monster, possession and/or greater forbid action}, disintegrate looks like a start on a dominating spellcasters offensive magics.
Yeah I see what you're saying.
Perhaps I should re-address what the psychic could be like.
The way I see it a Shabti isn't going to be able to conceal that they're different, even if the party doesn't know exactly how different.
So generally in those situations I lean into honesty conflict coming from memories rushing back to the character.
conflict mostly coming from the memories coming which I think the rebirth dicipline supports.
Oooo I know what, if the character himself is a lovely charismatic leader/face type - but the person who made the shabti in the first place was a cruel powerful caster.
So he finds that whilst he is lovely the spells he keeps learning always seem to have darkness in them.
That sounds fun.
Str: 10
Dex: 14
Con: 14
Int: 17
Wis: 10
Cha: 16
Trait:
Feats:
1)
3)
5)
7)
7)
9)
11)
13)
13)
15)
17)
19)
19)
Phrenic Amplification:
Spell List
0)
1) Burst of Insight, Ear-Piercing Scream, Silent Image, Shadow Trap, Feather Fall, Disguise self.
2) False Life, Howling Agony, Mirror Image, Invisibility, Knock, Disguise Other
3) Contact Other Plane, Strangling hair, Haste, Dispel Magic, Aura Sight
4) Ancestral Memory, Fear, Mental Barrier III, Dimension Door, Resilient Sphere
5) Reincarnate, Overland Flight, Etheric Shard, Plane Shift, Teleport
6) Transformation, Mind Thrust VI, Contingency, Disintegrate
7) Ethereal Jaunt, Ego Whip V, Reverse Gravity, Limited Wish
8) Bilocation, Scintillating Pattern , Moment of Prescience, Death Clutch
9) Akashic Form, Maze of Madness and suffering, Dominate Monster, Transmute blood to Acid.
I tried picking at least one nasty cruel spell at every level. Level 4 was a bit tricky.