As the title suggests, but it's me, so I'ma get wordy, but try to clarify. (Thought maybe I'd discussed this before, but can't find anything in my old threads).
Is it possible to build a character like ShadowCat from the X-MEN? I think the relevant game mechanic keyword is either "incorporeal" or "intangible", not sure which.
Ideally, the goal would be to access at least a small version of this at level 1, but if not possible, what's the minimum level this can be achieved?
At the most basic level this would be a defensive and utility ability allowing one to pass through solid objects or avoid physical attacks, perhaps for just a round at a time. As levels are gained, durations should increase. Greater application would allow for the phasing of touched objects or allies, air walking to move up or down through ceilings and floors, and eventually some form of phase attack to corporeal beings. I imagine that progression might look something like non-lethal damage, staggering effects, lethal damage, stun effects, ability damage.
It is preferable if this ability is at least somewhat divorced from ties to either the Astral or Ethereal Planes, but that may not be possible in the system. More important is that the intangibility not automatically come with invisibility.
Gas, mist, or liquid forms aren't truly in the spirit of this, but may be low level necessary stepping stones.
Casters are the most likely path here, but it's a bonus if this could be done without a bunch of extraneous spells or abilities diluting the theme. Acceptable extras would be taking things the other direction by "massing" or "condensing" which I would just assume are reflavored skin/armor/shield spells.
I'm trying to search, but I look forward to any help or ideas you all may have :)
In all honesty the concept you are trying to play would work better in a different game system like Champions. Pathfinder is simply not suited for this type of character. It is designed to simulate a completely different genre.
The abilities you are looking will usually be extremely limited and only available at higher levels.
the easiest way is to have your PC killed off by a shadow or shade.
ooooh, wait, you wanted something you could play as a PC... lol...
incorporeal is the right term. here's your search list
You'd have to see if your GM would let you play one, maybe using the old Emancipated Undead PrC.
You'll need Ghost Touch on any usable objects. Ghosts get a freebie but they are higher CR dramatic challenges.
A similar effect is from the spell Blink:T3. Not quite the same.
Magic Jar would be the other way but you need a "life force" to displace/target.
Incorporeal is a higher level ability for some classes/bloodlines/ archetypes:
Spiritualist:
Incorporeal Bonded Manifestation: When a spiritualist uses this ability and chooses incorporeal form, she becomes shrouded in a haze of insubstantial mist, granting her concealment against ranged attacks. At 8th level, the spiritualist can better affect incorporeal creatures with melee attacks; her unarmed strikes and melee weapon attacks are treated as if they had the ghost touch magic weapon special ability. At 13th level, the spiritualist can take a standard action to become invisible (as the invisibility spell) until the start of her next turn. At 18th level, the spiritualist gains the incorporeal subtype and a fly speed of 30 feet (good) while using this form of bonded manifestation.
Undead bloodline Sorcerer:
Incorporeal Form (Sp): At 15th level, you can become incorporeal for 1 round per sorcerer level. While in this form, you gain the incorporeal subtype. You only take half damage from corporeal sources as long as they are magic (you take no damage from non-magic weapons and objects). Likewise, your spells deal only half damage to corporeal creatures. Spells and other effects that do not deal damage function normally. You can use this ability once per day.
Formless Adept Psychic:
Formless adept Formless Body: A formless adept gradually sheds his body, taking on increasingly nebulous forms. A formless adept can assume a formless body as a standard action. He can remain in each formless body type for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. The rounds don’t have to be used consecutively, but must be used in 1-round increments. Resuming his physical form takes another standard action; otherwise, the formless adept continues spending rounds of formless body until he runs out of them. The formless adept must return to his physical form before assuming a different formless body.
Blurred Body (Su): At 1st level, a formless adept can act under the effect of a blur spell. At 5th level, the formless adept can use this ability for a number of minutes per day instead of rounds per day. These minutes don’t have to be used consecutively, but must be used in 1-minute increments.
Gaseous Body (Su): At 5th level, a formless adept can become gaseous as gaseous form. At 13th level, the formless adept can use this ability for a number of minutes per day instead of rounds per day. These minutes don’t have to be used consecutively, but must be used in 1-minute increments.
Incorporeal Body (Su): At 13th level, a formless adept can become incorporeal (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 301).
This ability replaces the psychic discipline and discipline powers class features.
Benefit: As a swift action, a ninja with this trick can pass through walls as if she were a ghost. Until the end of her turn, she can pass through a wall or other surface that is up to 5 feet thick per level as if she were incorporeal. She must exit the solid material by the end of her turn. Each use of this ability uses up 1 ki point.
Are you trying make a race/unique character with the inherent ability, or are you trying to design a class or talent/mutation that allows these things (like the ninja or an oracle with a ghostly curse or some other things)?
Otherwise we can build it like a curse/mutation or something that increases with the character's Hit Dice.
Mostly I'd probably start with an immediate action blink effect and maybe raise the duration a bit (keeping it balanced with when a character normally can get blinking. Probably have some restrictions at first on what can blink with the character until they're higher level, maybe restrict worn magic items to Charisma modifier. Either not being able to be brought along (which players probably wouldn't like) or just not functioning unless 'attuned', similar to being melded into a polymorphed form while intangible.
Well, well, well . . . . it appears I've found something you can't really do in Pathfinder at least not at low levels.
That said, the Windy Escape spell is level 1; but building a character around that one spell with no advancement on the theme until Lvl. 5 doesn't seem reasonable.
I'm not trying to create any new races, classes, or powers with this concept. I was just curious if it was possible within the system. I'm usually open to 3pp content, so maybe there's still something out there, but it doesn't seem like it. Not really excited by a concept that can't even get truly started until level 5.
Still open to suggestions though. Maybe someone can prove us wrong.
Yep. I don't care wether it comes from race, class, traits, feats, or whatnot, just that you can get incorporeal at first level and build up.
Windy Escape makes sense as the first seed of this idea/build, but at most you could cast it 5 times a day. After that, you're doing nothing more until level 5 or 6 when you can cast Blink. That's just not enough to be a character's main schtick. I'm a touch surprised there's not something for this in Psychics.
Your best bet would be with stuff like Burrow and Gaseous Form (or both at the same time which I think works; Burrow is extraordinary ability so seemingly not lost). But they are spells so obviously only usable limited number per day for a limited duration.
Alchemist can use those spells as low as level 4 (with Alchemical Allocation), but would take 2 turns to cast. In theory an alchemist (or at least Investigator dipped) could get more ("unlimitedish") uses per day via Inspiring Cognatogen Inspired Alchemy. Wizards can cast it much faster (standard action), but don't get it until level 5 and generally can't cast both many times per day (without spending 9000 gp for extra casts per day)
Overall like people said Pathfinder is probably not the option for this. The one case where it might be a valid option is if you or someone else spends time to make a custom class that gains these sorts of abilities (and not much else unfortunately, due to it's high power), and that the party starts at a high enough level (probably minimum level 9 or such). Certainly you'd want someone knowledgeable in game balance to review/create the custom class.
option #1:
4th level (see *note* below) unchained monk who pick up the empty body ki power (it surprisingly has no minimum level cap) can turn ethereal for 1 minute for each 3 ki used (2 ki with a charged up ki mastery ring):
"Empty Body (Su) (Pathfinder Unchained pg. 16): A monk with this ki power gains the ability to assume an ethereal state for 1 minute as though using the spell etherealness, using his monk level as his caster level. Using this ability is a move action that consumes 3 points from the monk’s ki pool. This ability affects only the monk and cannot be used to make other creatures ethereal."
---
option #2:
drinking the addictive Numerian Fluids drug and getting very lucky (rolling a 100 in a d100% and then 3 in 1d10):
100 = Roll on the table below. All exceptional effects are permanent.
3 = Phasing: The drinker gains the ability to become incorporeal for 1d4 rounds as a swift action, but takes 1 point of Con damage when he does so. Phasing can be extended as a free action by taking 1 additional point of Con damage. Coming out of phase inside a solid object is instantly fatal. Phasing cannot be used by creatures that are immune to Con damage.
---
option #3:
to become permanently incorporeal (not like shadowcat) you can drink the
Ghost Syrup necrotoxin (base price of 6,000 gp) and if you succumb to it and lose all of your str you permanently become incorporeal. need wish\miracle and such to come back. so make sure you got something like ghost touch armor and probably ghost touch amulet of mighty fists to be able to do things.
---
option #4:
adding the Etherealness magical ability to your magic armor (add a flat 49,000 gp to the armor cost) will let you become ethereal for 1 hour a day.
---
*Note*
Your wish to be able to do it at level one is kinda hard as it's an issue with breaking the game's powers balance. a level 1 character is not meant to be able to go through walls unchecked anymore then to be flying at supersonic speed and shooting death lasers out of his eyes.
Consider the unchained monk option and think of levels 1-3 as training yourself to be able to do it. (flavor wise maybe you barely flicker on and off, without a real game mechanic effect, when meditating. Until you fully grasp the ki ability at level 4)
Thank you all for the further responses. While this looks like a difficult character concept, that definitely needs more to flesh it out, it no longer seems impossible.
I particular like the Monk idea. So now, I need to look at options for semi-intangibility at levels 1 through 3. Gas or liquid forms, reflavored Blurs or other things that add miss chances, air steps, small daze/stagger/stun attacks, etc. More and more, U.Monk sounds like the right path with maybe some feats or traits to grab a spell or SLA or two. Maybe a dab of casting VMC?
intangible?
some options you might want to look at:
look up the Wayang, specifically the alt ability of Dissolution’s Child:
Once per day, you may change your appearance to look as if you were little more than a 4-foot-tall area of shadow. Your physical form still exists and you are not incorporeal—only your appearance changes. This works like invisibility, except it only lasts 1 round per level (maximum 5 rounds). This is a supernatural ability. This racial trait replaces shadow magic.
--
if allowed (and you don't mind playing one, some do) then a Duergar can be realy nice here. they got invisibility and enlarge person 1/day , a bunch of immunities and +2 vs spells and such. and the +2 to con and wis also help a monk. you can pick up the innate flexibility feat to gain 2 more uses a day (and take it more then once)
---
getting 1 minute of invisibility from being a heavy drinker is also an option.
Thanks zza nl, but wrong direction. Reflavored Blurring could maybe represent pseudo-intangability, but I specifically want to avoid invisibility effects. The goal is hard to touch, not hard to see.
