About Mind-Switch True [Archive] - Wizards Community

About Mind-Switch True [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Infinitum
03-18-07, 09:29 PM Hello =)

Mind-Switch True enables you to permanently swap bodies with a target creature at the expense of 10,000 XP. My question is, would it be feasible to utilize this ability to swap minds with a more powerful being, such as a more powerful epic monster? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Bacris
03-18-07, 09:33 PM As long as the hit dice are equal to or lower than your manifester level, sure... and so long as it's a living creature.
Infinitum
03-18-07, 09:36 PM Thanks much, this helps greatly =)
PhaedrusXY
03-18-07, 10:17 PM That's pretty much the point.
AntiDjinn
03-19-07, 03:14 AM There are basically three major reasons to want to jump a particular bod with TMS (of course, simple immortality by bodysnatching is always on the table, but this is about why you might select a specific body):

1) The body is physically powerful or has very useful innate abilities (wings, natural armor, etc.). Good mental stats or powerful learned abilities are not a good reason because you keep your mental stats and don't gain the subject's spells, powers, class levels, and other learned game elements. If you are planning to stay with a body, might as well pick one that is powerful.

2) The body just happens to belong to a billionaire, the ruler of a nation, the subject of a world-conquering prophecy, or otherwise has a face or title that is useful to you. If you are planning to stay with a body, might as well be comfortable.

3) The body belongs to a hated foe and you really want to trap him in your previous bod. If you are about to die of old age, might as well just let the person you hate most die in your stead. If you have the XP to spare you can even jump something that would be repugnant to your target, then jump your target so he winds up permanently trapped in a body he detests.
Rageheart
03-19-07, 12:55 PM Ooooo...

I wonder hom many rich Ebberon Psions contracted to have Psiforged Personal servants created... then True Mindswitched them. (Before the treaty of course.)
SlanderPanic
03-19-07, 03:03 PM Imagine your PCs participating in a tournament, a sporting and martial competition to find the greatest athlete in the land. In a revel after the great competition, the elderly King seeks a private audience with the champion. The next day, the King announces that he has named this champion his heir. Two weeks later, the King dies.

Now, imagine the PCs caught up in this web of body-snatching intrigue. Imagine if one of the PCs was the winner...
Coridan
03-19-07, 05:06 PM Ooooo...

I wonder hom many rich Ebberon Psions contracted to have Psiforged Personal servants created... then True Mindswitched them. (Before the treaty of course.)

Just remember that Mind Switch, True is a 9th level power available to only one discipline (not even Erudites can get it). So even out of all Psions it should be a rare power.
AntiDjinn
03-19-07, 05:44 PM It is available to other manifesters with access to 9th level powers with an epic feat. If you cross paths with an opponent who is doing this all the time, then odds are he is epic level anyway. A body snatcher may have centuries of accumulated experience. Eventually, the 10 KXP and even the potential level loss become negligible if the body's abilities and the new lease on life mean you will more than recoup this loss during your time in that body.
Lokiyn
03-19-07, 06:01 PM Also lets not forget that quintessential Body snatcher the Body Leech (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040925a)

With it you can "safely" start your body swapping career at level 16
angellis_ater
03-20-07, 07:27 AM Or the Seidmadr from Untapped Potential which brings bodysnatching to a new high! With the "Death is only the beginning" class ability which lets them Mind Switch with their killer you have a perfect badguy... one who was killed by the Champion of Good.
Rageheart
03-20-07, 11:24 AM Just remember that Mind Switch, True is a 9th level power available to only one discipline (not even Erudites can get it). So even out of all Psions it should be a rare power.

well, barring Research and Psychic Chirurgery anyway.

:P
PhaedrusXY
03-20-07, 12:20 PM Imagine your PCs participating in a tournament, a sporting and martial competition to find the greatest athlete in the land. In a revel after the great competition, the elderly King seeks a private audience with the champion. The next day, the King announces that he has named this champion his heir. Two weeks later, the King dies.

Now, imagine the PCs caught up in this web of body-snatching intrigue. Imagine if one of the PCs was the winner...That is a fantastic idea. :D If I ever get to start a campaign up again, I will use it.
ArcTan
03-20-07, 12:54 PM Ooooo...

I wonder hom many rich Ebberon Psions contracted to have Psiforged Personal servants created... then True Mindswitched them. (Before the treaty of course.)

Well, according to the official plot, Psiforged (which I take to mean warforged with psionic abilities in general, rather than warforged with the lackluster Psiforged Body feat) are secret experiments created by Merrix d'Cannith after the war in his illegal Creation Forge, to try to expand the mental power of a warforged mind. He's been sending them secretly out into the world to learn about it and see how they react to challenges. Very few people know about their existence.

Of course, this is moot -- the target of a true mind switch doesn't need to have manifester levels for you to keep your *own* manifester levels after you switch. In fact, it's a good idea for them not to, so they won't be able to do anything to you once they're in your body (the ideal true mind switch is you being a Psion with crappy physical stats switching with a big bruiser who has crappy mental stats -- you get the best of both worlds and they get the worst).

An unscrupulous character with psionic powers would probably purchase or hire a powerful adamantine warforged to use as the target for a true mind switch if physical power was what he was obsessed with. Perhaps this is what happened to Aaren d'Cannith...

(Of course, all this is unlikely, because psionics is almost completely unknown in the main continent of Khorvaire, aside from a few obscure psionic families from ancient Sarlona who may still exist in the Lhazaar Principalities, or mutants who have been infected by the influence of the daelkyr. Agents of the Dreaming Dark from Riedra, though, could wreak all kinds of havoc using mind switch and true mind switch if they wanted, though they seem to prefer mind seed.)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Infinitum 03-18-07, 09:29 PM	Hello =) Mind-Switch True enables you to permanently swap bodies with a target creature at the expense of 10,000 XP. My question is, would it be feasible to utilize this ability to swap minds with a more powerful being, such as a more powerful epic monster? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Bacris 03-18-07, 09:33 PM	As long as the hit dice are equal to or lower than your manifester level, sure... and so long as it's a living creature.
Infinitum 03-18-07, 09:36 PM	Thanks much, this helps greatly =)
PhaedrusXY 03-18-07, 10:17 PM	That's pretty much the point.
AntiDjinn 03-19-07, 03:14 AM	There are basically three major reasons to want to jump a particular bod with TMS (of course, simple immortality by bodysnatching is always on the table, but this is about why you might select a specific body): 1) The body is physically powerful or has very useful innate abilities (wings, natural armor, etc.). Good mental stats or powerful learned abilities are not a good reason because you keep your mental stats and don't gain the subject's spells, powers, class levels, and other learned game elements. If you are planning to stay with a body, might as well pick one that is powerful. 2) The body just happens to belong to a billionaire, the ruler of a nation, the subject of a world-conquering prophecy, or otherwise has a face or title that is useful to you. If you are planning to stay with a body, might as well be comfortable. 3) The body belongs to a hated foe and you really want to trap him in your previous bod. If you are about to die of old age, might as well just let the person you hate most die in your stead. If you have the XP to spare you can even jump something that would be repugnant to your target, then jump your target so he winds up permanently trapped in a body he detests.
Rageheart 03-19-07, 12:55 PM	Ooooo... I wonder hom many rich Ebberon Psions contracted to have Psiforged Personal servants created... then True Mindswitched them. (Before the treaty of course.)
SlanderPanic 03-19-07, 03:03 PM	Imagine your PCs participating in a tournament, a sporting and martial competition to find the greatest athlete in the land. In a revel after the great competition, the elderly King seeks a private audience with the champion. The next day, the King announces that he has named this champion his heir. Two weeks later, the King dies. Now, imagine the PCs caught up in this web of body-snatching intrigue. Imagine if one of the PCs was the winner...
Coridan 03-19-07, 05:06 PM	Ooooo... I wonder hom many rich Ebberon Psions contracted to have Psiforged Personal servants created... then True Mindswitched them. (Before the treaty of course.) Just remember that Mind Switch, True is a 9th level power available to only one discipline (not even Erudites can get it). So even out of all Psions it should be a rare power.
AntiDjinn 03-19-07, 05:44 PM	It is available to other manifesters with access to 9th level powers with an epic feat. If you cross paths with an opponent who is doing this all the time, then odds are he is epic level anyway. A body snatcher may have centuries of accumulated experience. Eventually, the 10 KXP and even the potential level loss become negligible if the body's abilities and the new lease on life mean you will more than recoup this loss during your time in that body.
Lokiyn 03-19-07, 06:01 PM	Also lets not forget that quintessential Body snatcher the Body Leech (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040925a) With it you can "safely" start your body swapping career at level 16
angellis_ater 03-20-07, 07:27 AM	Or the Seidmadr from Untapped Potential which brings bodysnatching to a new high! With the "Death is only the beginning" class ability which lets them Mind Switch with their killer you have a perfect badguy... one who was killed by the Champion of Good.
Rageheart 03-20-07, 11:24 AM	Just remember that Mind Switch, True is a 9th level power available to only one discipline (not even Erudites can get it). So even out of all Psions it should be a rare power. well, barring Research and Psychic Chirurgery anyway. :P
PhaedrusXY 03-20-07, 12:20 PM	Imagine your PCs participating in a tournament, a sporting and martial competition to find the greatest athlete in the land. In a revel after the great competition, the elderly King seeks a private audience with the champion. The next day, the King announces that he has named this champion his heir. Two weeks later, the King dies. Now, imagine the PCs caught up in this web of body-snatching intrigue. Imagine if one of the PCs was the winner...That is a fantastic idea. :D If I ever get to start a campaign up again, I will use it.
ArcTan 03-20-07, 12:54 PM	Ooooo... I wonder hom many rich Ebberon Psions contracted to have Psiforged Personal servants created... then True Mindswitched them. (Before the treaty of course.) Well, according to the official plot, Psiforged (which I take to mean warforged with psionic abilities in general, rather than warforged with the lackluster Psiforged Body feat) are secret experiments created by Merrix d'Cannith after the war in his illegal Creation Forge, to try to expand the mental power of a warforged mind. He's been sending them secretly out into the world to learn about it and see how they react to challenges. Very few people know about their existence. Of course, this is moot -- the target of a true mind switch doesn't need to have manifester levels for you to keep your own manifester levels after you switch. In fact, it's a good idea for them not to, so they won't be able to do anything to you once they're in your body (the ideal true mind switch is you being a Psion with crappy physical stats switching with a big bruiser who has crappy mental stats -- you get the best of both worlds and they get the worst). An unscrupulous character with psionic powers would probably purchase or hire a powerful adamantine warforged to use as the target for a true mind switch if physical power was what he was obsessed with. Perhaps this is what happened to Aaren d'Cannith... (Of course, all this is unlikely, because psionics is almost completely unknown in the main continent of Khorvaire, aside from a few obscure psionic families from ancient Sarlona who may still exist in the Lhazaar Principalities, or mutants who have been infected by the influence of the daelkyr. Agents of the Dreaming Dark from Riedra, though, could wreak all kinds of havoc using mind switch and true mind switch if they wanted, though they seem to prefer mind seed.)