Awakened animals with class levels? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Awakened animals with class levels? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
stolenchariot
08-26-07, 01:03 PM Well, it's theoretically and mechanically possible. What about character wise? Can anyoe help me come up with the back-story for an awakened wolf rogue/ assassin?
JulesCARV
08-26-07, 11:07 PM Awakened wolf rogue/assassin?

Hmm... I see him as an agent of House Vidalis. House Vidalis uses him to kill people who need to be killed (people who successfully do magical experimentation/augmentation on animals without Vidalis approval, uppity druids who disapprove of Vidalis's "unnatural" breeding practices, animal rights activists, etc) while still maintaining plausible deniability, and to kill unauthorized magebred livestock that Vidalis can't just capture and make use of themselves.
Cowtessa
08-28-07, 04:07 PM I've actually played this before...the biggest issue you're likely to run into is talking with the DM about a reasonable starting level. Animal HD + extra HD from awakened is how I personally think it should go, but I've talked with people that think it should require a LA as well. You do have benefits, yes, but you also: have no hands so you can't use (most) weapons, any armor will be barding, ergo, more expensive (+50% I think?) and even then you'll have to have help putting it on, just a slight prejudice in dealing with people ("So I go into the bar, sit down and order an ale" DM: "The bartender looks at you like some sort of unholy abomination shortly before yelling and everyone in the bar moves to chase you out") so you can't really interact socially on your own without some sort of pretext, etc. etc. I think those sort of issues should outweigh or at least balance any sort of bonus that you have.

As far as history? Heres the brief rundown of the character that I played:

Grew up and became close, intimate friends with another female elf, swore an oath to each other to help and protect one another "for as long as they both live", being that they each had different strengths. Short while later she (my character moved away. Her new home was attacked a few years later and it was the typical murder/rape/pillage scenario, when she was killed. A short while later a druid came upon the scene, having seen the smoke and did what he could, finding a mother panther and her cubs nearby. One of the cubs rummaged through a burned building and pulled out a necklace (inside had a portrait of her and her lover), then latched onto the druid. Druid tried to leave her behind, but the cub would have no truck with that. The druid spoke with the mother who pretty much said "if she goes, I go, we all go" and so the druid now had a small caravan of kittens and a mother panther. He carried the locket as any time he even appeared intent to leave it the one cub would bring it back or lightly nip his leg.

Over the following year or so he talked with all of the cubs, but the one in particular that was acting strange more often than most. He eventually talked with his superiors/elders about the animal to which they told him to use his own judgment as to how to deal with it. So, after much debate, he awakened the cub. She screamed as her old life came flooding back to her (int 12 or 13 mind trapped in an int 2 animal, she couldn't really focus or do anything...the thoughts were there, just fuzzy, so when he talked with her it was like talking to an insane toddler) and she was suddenly completely aware of what had happened. Her deity (Sune) had heard her oath and felt she never had a chance to make good on it, so had her reincarnated into the nearest available body, not quite yet born cubs. After talking at length with the rather confused druid, she convinced him to take the locket and craft it into a collar for her before heading out to find her friend. Her 'mother' stayed with the druid as his companion creature, wise enough to realize that though there would always be a tie between her and the cub, she was not her daughter.

Crossing the realm she stopped at a few villages to find out where she was, stopping at the extreme periphery and waiting in the middle of the road. When people started waking up and came across her they would, of course, make a fuss and summon a guard. When the guard/defender was close enough she could actually talk to him, she would startle him as she announced that a wizard had enchanted her to deliver a message to such and such a person, could they tell her where she was/what village she was in currently/what direction was it to X town? After she had her answer, she turned and left. Eventually she found her friend (and pounced her in the middle of a city street), and traveled with her afterwards as her 'pet' or 'familiar', keeping an eye on her and those around her, comfortably wrapped around the feet of her chair/at the foot of her bed/the foot of her bedroll/etc.

Amusing bit: It was about 6 or so sessions before the rest party found out (in character) there was more to her than just a cat. She came back from a spy mission on some enemy buildings, cleared a bit of ground and traced it out by claw (terribly suspicious in its own right). When the rest formed their plan of attack, her 'master' asked her what she thought of the plan, to which the cat replied, after some thought, "I don't like it." Was even more unnerving to the baddies she ran into in said buildings. (when an animal comes into your barracks, and closes the door behind it while smiling, how are you supposed to react?)

Think of it as the second ed reincarnate, or the third ed reincarnate rolling a 00 (DMs choice) + awaken. 'Twas fun!
KenSolo
08-30-07, 07:51 PM We just did this in my game. The paladin got killed in an Evil Mountain. The efefct of the mountain was that anyone who died animated a few hours later as a zombie. The party spent some time debating, then the druid started a Reincarnate spell (which takes a while as the new body forms). As it happened, the die roll indicated that the dead body animated before the Reincarnation was finished. The PCs had no problem with one lone zombie, but what were the effects on the Reincarnate?
I ruled that there was some interferance, so I made a table that would tell me what D&D edition druid reincarnation table to use. I rolled 2nd ed. I dragged out my 2nd ed book, rolled on that table and lo he came back as a lynx.
I could not find stats (or a miniature) for a lynx, so he became a lion. (Also a big cat)
So the character was a 5 hit dice animal with 14 paladin levels. Most of the class abilities were unavailable due to his 2 intelligence.
The next day, the druid prepared Awaken, cast it on the lion, and rolled as per the spell. His Int and Wis are actually higer that when he was a human. He is now a Magical Beast Lion 5/Paladin 14, with almost all of the class abilities. He can Smite, he can Lay on Paw, but spell casting is hard because almost all Paladin spells have Somatic components.
When he earns enough experience and gains another Feat at 20th level, he can take either Still Spell or Wild Shape Casting (normaly reserved for druids, but it seems apropiate here)
Obviously, he can't use all those spiffy magic armor, shield, and weapons he collected, but he can bite and rake while Smiting Evil. So, he's good with that.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
stolenchariot 08-26-07, 01:03 PM	Well, it's theoretically and mechanically possible. What about character wise? Can anyoe help me come up with the back-story for an awakened wolf rogue/ assassin?
JulesCARV 08-26-07, 11:07 PM	Awakened wolf rogue/assassin? Hmm... I see him as an agent of House Vidalis. House Vidalis uses him to kill people who need to be killed (people who successfully do magical experimentation/augmentation on animals without Vidalis approval, uppity druids who disapprove of Vidalis's "unnatural" breeding practices, animal rights activists, etc) while still maintaining plausible deniability, and to kill unauthorized magebred livestock that Vidalis can't just capture and make use of themselves.
Cowtessa 08-28-07, 04:07 PM	I've actually played this before...the biggest issue you're likely to run into is talking with the DM about a reasonable starting level. Animal HD + extra HD from awakened is how I personally think it should go, but I've talked with people that think it should require a LA as well. You do have benefits, yes, but you also: have no hands so you can't use (most) weapons, any armor will be barding, ergo, more expensive (+50% I think?) and even then you'll have to have help putting it on, just a slight prejudice in dealing with people ("So I go into the bar, sit down and order an ale" DM: "The bartender looks at you like some sort of unholy abomination shortly before yelling and everyone in the bar moves to chase you out") so you can't really interact socially on your own without some sort of pretext, etc. etc. I think those sort of issues should outweigh or at least balance any sort of bonus that you have. As far as history? Heres the brief rundown of the character that I played: Grew up and became close, intimate friends with another female elf, swore an oath to each other to help and protect one another "for as long as they both live", being that they each had different strengths. Short while later she (my character moved away. Her new home was attacked a few years later and it was the typical murder/rape/pillage scenario, when she was killed. A short while later a druid came upon the scene, having seen the smoke and did what he could, finding a mother panther and her cubs nearby. One of the cubs rummaged through a burned building and pulled out a necklace (inside had a portrait of her and her lover), then latched onto the druid. Druid tried to leave her behind, but the cub would have no truck with that. The druid spoke with the mother who pretty much said "if she goes, I go, we all go" and so the druid now had a small caravan of kittens and a mother panther. He carried the locket as any time he even appeared intent to leave it the one cub would bring it back or lightly nip his leg. Over the following year or so he talked with all of the cubs, but the one in particular that was acting strange more often than most. He eventually talked with his superiors/elders about the animal to which they told him to use his own judgment as to how to deal with it. So, after much debate, he awakened the cub. She screamed as her old life came flooding back to her (int 12 or 13 mind trapped in an int 2 animal, she couldn't really focus or do anything...the thoughts were there, just fuzzy, so when he talked with her it was like talking to an insane toddler) and she was suddenly completely aware of what had happened. Her deity (Sune) had heard her oath and felt she never had a chance to make good on it, so had her reincarnated into the nearest available body, not quite yet born cubs. After talking at length with the rather confused druid, she convinced him to take the locket and craft it into a collar for her before heading out to find her friend. Her 'mother' stayed with the druid as his companion creature, wise enough to realize that though there would always be a tie between her and the cub, she was not her daughter. Crossing the realm she stopped at a few villages to find out where she was, stopping at the extreme periphery and waiting in the middle of the road. When people started waking up and came across her they would, of course, make a fuss and summon a guard. When the guard/defender was close enough she could actually talk to him, she would startle him as she announced that a wizard had enchanted her to deliver a message to such and such a person, could they tell her where she was/what village she was in currently/what direction was it to X town? After she had her answer, she turned and left. Eventually she found her friend (and pounced her in the middle of a city street), and traveled with her afterwards as her 'pet' or 'familiar', keeping an eye on her and those around her, comfortably wrapped around the feet of her chair/at the foot of her bed/the foot of her bedroll/etc. Amusing bit: It was about 6 or so sessions before the rest party found out (in character) there was more to her than just a cat. She came back from a spy mission on some enemy buildings, cleared a bit of ground and traced it out by claw (terribly suspicious in its own right). When the rest formed their plan of attack, her 'master' asked her what she thought of the plan, to which the cat replied, after some thought, "I don't like it." Was even more unnerving to the baddies she ran into in said buildings. (when an animal comes into your barracks, and closes the door behind it while smiling, how are you supposed to react?) Think of it as the second ed reincarnate, or the third ed reincarnate rolling a 00 (DMs choice) + awaken. 'Twas fun!
KenSolo 08-30-07, 07:51 PM	We just did this in my game. The paladin got killed in an Evil Mountain. The efefct of the mountain was that anyone who died animated a few hours later as a zombie. The party spent some time debating, then the druid started a Reincarnate spell (which takes a while as the new body forms). As it happened, the die roll indicated that the dead body animated before the Reincarnation was finished. The PCs had no problem with one lone zombie, but what were the effects on the Reincarnate? I ruled that there was some interferance, so I made a table that would tell me what D&D edition druid reincarnation table to use. I rolled 2nd ed. I dragged out my 2nd ed book, rolled on that table and lo he came back as a lynx. I could not find stats (or a miniature) for a lynx, so he became a lion. (Also a big cat) So the character was a 5 hit dice animal with 14 paladin levels. Most of the class abilities were unavailable due to his 2 intelligence. The next day, the druid prepared Awaken, cast it on the lion, and rolled as per the spell. His Int and Wis are actually higer that when he was a human. He is now a Magical Beast Lion 5/Paladin 14, with almost all of the class abilities. He can Smite, he can Lay on Paw, but spell casting is hard because almost all Paladin spells have Somatic components. When he earns enough experience and gains another Feat at 20th level, he can take either Still Spell or Wild Shape Casting (normaly reserved for druids, but it seems apropiate here) Obviously, he can't use all those spiffy magic armor, shield, and weapons he collected, but he can bite and rake while Smiting Evil. So, he's good with that.