[Feats] Mental Abuse [Archive] - Wizards Community

[Feats] Mental Abuse [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
The Vorpal Tribble
02-09-08, 09:27 PM Deformity (Cranium) [Psionic, Vile]
By removing of much of your skull and subjecting yourself to psionic and electrical stimuli you have managed to swell your brain to an aberrant size.
Prerequisite: Willing Deformity
Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to your Intelligence and 4 extra power points, however this unnatural enlargement has left you prone to fits of hallucinations and insanity. You take a -4 penalty to saves against confusion and illusions. As well, the vulnerability of your unprotected cerebrum grants those attempting Sneak Attacks or verifying a critical hit a +2 bonus to their check.

Deformity (Id) [Psionic, Vile]
Through meditation and constant indulgence of primal desires you have awakened the beast within.
Prerequisite: Willing Deformity
Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to unarmed or natural attacks and may deal lethal damage if you wish. You may also manifest Claws of the Beast, Bite of the Wolf, and Vigor once per day, manifester level equal to your HD. However, you are easily provoked, greedy, and covetous. You require twice the ammount of sustenance as is normally required for your race and at the slightest provocation go into a homicidal rage. If ever you are unable to gain the neccessary food or drink for the day, or are provoked, you must succeed on a DC 20 will save or attack the nearest creature, be it friend or foe, until you or they are dead. If you have the Rage ability granted from a class you must use it.

Deformity (Masochistic) [Psionic, Vile]
You have opened your mind wide to the pain and suffering of others and forced yourself to experience their agony. After a time you began to enjoy it...
Prerequisites: Willing Deformity
Benefit: You gain immunity to pain. You may also use Empathy at will, manifester level equal to your HD, though are only capable of sensing negative emotions and do not gain a bonus to any listed skill aside from Intimidate.

Deformity (Neuronecrotic) [Psionic, Vile]
By unspeakable methods of psychometabolic application, you have managed to simultaneously kill your brain and ressurect it with negative energy. This necroctic mass of tissue now resonates with the thoughts of the deceased.
Prerequisites: Willing Deformity
Benefit: You gain the ability to use mind-affecting powers on creatures with the Undead type that possess an intelligence score.

Deformity (Nightmare) [Psionic, Vile]
Through application of lucid dreaming and meditation you nightly expose yourself to the most horrible images your subconscious can dredge up.
Prerequisites: Willing Deformity
Benefit: You gain immunity to fear, as well as abilities dealing with dreams, such as those with the Oneiromancy descriptor. These nightmares however make it difficult to rest properly and require two extra hours of rest to regain power points or prepare spells. You are also Fatigued for an hour after sleep or any other kind of unconsciousness.

Deformity (Psi) [Psionic, Vile]
Through rigorous and horribly dehabilitating meditation you have forced your mind to draw psionic energy from your life force.
Prerequisite: Willing Deformity
Benefit: You regenerate power points at a rate of 1 point per hour. However, you take 2 points of damage each time you gain a point. You can discontinue this regeneration at will.
Special: You may take this feat multiple types. Each time you take it you increase the number of points you regenerate per hour and damage you sustain by 1.

Deformity (Third Eye) [Psionic, Vile]
You have drilled an extra socket into your forehead.
Prerequisite: Manifester level 3rd, Willing Deformity
Benefit: You manifest Clairsentient powers at a +1 manifester level.
dman11235
02-09-08, 09:48 PM Eww, vile feats!

Deformity (Cranium) should not give a +4 bonus to people attempting sneak attacks. Make it just when they are flat-footed or something.

Also, I'd up the prereqs of some of these feats to include another deformity feat.

And it's "manifester level", not caster (third eye).

For (psi), I'd make it so that each time you take the feat it increases the PP regen and damage by one each, not one PP and 2 damage.
calronmoonflower
02-09-08, 11:18 PM Looks nice, but the Deformity (Cranium) should say power points. Not psionic points.
The Vorpal Tribble
02-10-08, 10:13 AM Adjusted the typos. Thanks!

Deformity (Cranium) should not give a +4 bonus to people attempting sneak attacks. Make it just when they are flat-footed or something.
Well, except that you now have this big ole unprotected vital organ pulsing just under thin skin. Sounds like a very inviting target.

Also, I'd up the prereqs of some of these feats to include another deformity feat.
Which ones in particular?

For (psi), I'd make it so that each time you take the feat it increases the PP regen and damage by one each, not one PP and 2 damage.
Yeah, considered that, but wasn't sure if that was enough of a penalty for a possibly quite powerful feat.
dman11235
02-10-08, 12:44 PM Well, yeah, but a +4 bonus to sneak attacks is a straight +4 bonus on attack rolls for rogues. That's a pretty big boost right there (the equivalent of taking epic prowess four times).

Cranium, Id, and psi.

It's not that many PP every hour. If you take the feat 10 times, that's only 10 PP every hour, and that's 20 damage. And you can't even take advantage of it before you manifest at least one power in the morning. Just once and it's only 24 PP a day, which is only if you manifest a power right when you wake up. And the ones over the 8 hours of rest are wasted. In order to make it useful as PP regen, you'd need to take the feat at least three times IMO.
CrimsonDeath
02-10-08, 03:11 PM Rather than letting the character take Deformity (psi) multiple times, the benefits could be based on the number of Deformity feats the character has.
dman11235
02-10-08, 03:46 PM I like that way.

EDIT: How about this: you recover 1 PP per hour per vile feat you have, and take damage equal to the number of PP you recover plus 2.
MnemonicSV
02-10-08, 06:01 PM Deformity (nightmare) should specifiy that you require 2 extra hours of rest to recover your power points, not necessarily sleep. Sleep is not actually required to recover power points, it's just that the rest you do require most conveniently occurs while you are sleeping.

Also, change "cast spells" to "prepare spells."
The Vorpal Tribble
02-10-08, 07:02 PM A'ight, have adjusted them, though not sure I care for the 1 pp per deformity feat. It's exchanging life force not vileness... though that gives me an idea for further feats.
dman11235
02-10-08, 08:05 PM You still haven't changed Third Eye to manifester level.

As for the 1 PP per vile feat, it's the evil that is allowing you to more effectively exchane life force. Not the evil for PP, evil lets you trade more life for PP.
CrimsonDeath
02-11-08, 03:23 AM The reason I suggested +1PP per Vile feat was because it's a design feature that's been used by several other categories of feats recently-- Aberrant feats from Lords of Madness, for example.

And yes, the ability to gain more PP the more Vile feats you have (or merely the more Willing Deformity feats you have, if you prefer) could be attributed to the fact that additional Vile feats represent a greater degree of comfort with self-mutilation, which makes the use of this particular deformity more efficient.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
The Vorpal Tribble 02-09-08, 09:27 PM	Deformity (Cranium) [Psionic, Vile] By removing of much of your skull and subjecting yourself to psionic and electrical stimuli you have managed to swell your brain to an aberrant size. Prerequisite: Willing Deformity Benefit: You gain a +2 bonus to your Intelligence and 4 extra power points, however this unnatural enlargement has left you prone to fits of hallucinations and insanity. You take a -4 penalty to saves against confusion and illusions. As well, the vulnerability of your unprotected cerebrum grants those attempting Sneak Attacks or verifying a critical hit a +2 bonus to their check. Deformity (Id) [Psionic, Vile] Through meditation and constant indulgence of primal desires you have awakened the beast within. Prerequisite: Willing Deformity Benefit: You gain a +1 bonus to unarmed or natural attacks and may deal lethal damage if you wish. You may also manifest Claws of the Beast, Bite of the Wolf, and Vigor once per day, manifester level equal to your HD. However, you are easily provoked, greedy, and covetous. You require twice the ammount of sustenance as is normally required for your race and at the slightest provocation go into a homicidal rage. If ever you are unable to gain the neccessary food or drink for the day, or are provoked, you must succeed on a DC 20 will save or attack the nearest creature, be it friend or foe, until you or they are dead. If you have the Rage ability granted from a class you must use it. Deformity (Masochistic) [Psionic, Vile] You have opened your mind wide to the pain and suffering of others and forced yourself to experience their agony. After a time you began to enjoy it... Prerequisites: Willing Deformity Benefit: You gain immunity to pain. You may also use Empathy at will, manifester level equal to your HD, though are only capable of sensing negative emotions and do not gain a bonus to any listed skill aside from Intimidate. Deformity (Neuronecrotic) [Psionic, Vile] By unspeakable methods of psychometabolic application, you have managed to simultaneously kill your brain and ressurect it with negative energy. This necroctic mass of tissue now resonates with the thoughts of the deceased. Prerequisites: Willing Deformity Benefit: You gain the ability to use mind-affecting powers on creatures with the Undead type that possess an intelligence score. Deformity (Nightmare) [Psionic, Vile] Through application of lucid dreaming and meditation you nightly expose yourself to the most horrible images your subconscious can dredge up. Prerequisites: Willing Deformity Benefit: You gain immunity to fear, as well as abilities dealing with dreams, such as those with the Oneiromancy descriptor. These nightmares however make it difficult to rest properly and require two extra hours of rest to regain power points or prepare spells. You are also Fatigued for an hour after sleep or any other kind of unconsciousness. Deformity (Psi) [Psionic, Vile] Through rigorous and horribly dehabilitating meditation you have forced your mind to draw psionic energy from your life force. Prerequisite: Willing Deformity Benefit: You regenerate power points at a rate of 1 point per hour. However, you take 2 points of damage each time you gain a point. You can discontinue this regeneration at will. Special: You may take this feat multiple types. Each time you take it you increase the number of points you regenerate per hour and damage you sustain by 1. Deformity (Third Eye) [Psionic, Vile] You have drilled an extra socket into your forehead. Prerequisite: Manifester level 3rd, Willing Deformity Benefit: You manifest Clairsentient powers at a +1 manifester level.
dman11235 02-09-08, 09:48 PM	Eww, vile feats! Deformity (Cranium) should not give a +4 bonus to people attempting sneak attacks. Make it just when they are flat-footed or something. Also, I'd up the prereqs of some of these feats to include another deformity feat. And it's "manifester level", not caster (third eye). For (psi), I'd make it so that each time you take the feat it increases the PP regen and damage by one each, not one PP and 2 damage.
calronmoonflower 02-09-08, 11:18 PM	Looks nice, but the Deformity (Cranium) should say power points. Not psionic points.
The Vorpal Tribble 02-10-08, 10:13 AM	Adjusted the typos. Thanks! Deformity (Cranium) should not give a +4 bonus to people attempting sneak attacks. Make it just when they are flat-footed or something. Well, except that you now have this big ole unprotected vital organ pulsing just under thin skin. Sounds like a very inviting target. Also, I'd up the prereqs of some of these feats to include another deformity feat. Which ones in particular? For (psi), I'd make it so that each time you take the feat it increases the PP regen and damage by one each, not one PP and 2 damage. Yeah, considered that, but wasn't sure if that was enough of a penalty for a possibly quite powerful feat.
dman11235 02-10-08, 12:44 PM	Well, yeah, but a +4 bonus to sneak attacks is a straight +4 bonus on attack rolls for rogues. That's a pretty big boost right there (the equivalent of taking epic prowess four times). Cranium, Id, and psi. It's not that many PP every hour. If you take the feat 10 times, that's only 10 PP every hour, and that's 20 damage. And you can't even take advantage of it before you manifest at least one power in the morning. Just once and it's only 24 PP a day, which is only if you manifest a power right when you wake up. And the ones over the 8 hours of rest are wasted. In order to make it useful as PP regen, you'd need to take the feat at least three times IMO.
CrimsonDeath 02-10-08, 03:11 PM	Rather than letting the character take Deformity (psi) multiple times, the benefits could be based on the number of Deformity feats the character has.
dman11235 02-10-08, 03:46 PM	I like that way. EDIT: How about this: you recover 1 PP per hour per vile feat you have, and take damage equal to the number of PP you recover plus 2.
MnemonicSV 02-10-08, 06:01 PM	Deformity (nightmare) should specifiy that you require 2 extra hours of rest to recover your power points, not necessarily sleep. Sleep is not actually required to recover power points, it's just that the rest you do require most conveniently occurs while you are sleeping. Also, change "cast spells" to "prepare spells."
The Vorpal Tribble 02-10-08, 07:02 PM	A'ight, have adjusted them, though not sure I care for the 1 pp per deformity feat. It's exchanging life force not vileness... though that gives me an idea for further feats.
dman11235 02-10-08, 08:05 PM	You still haven't changed Third Eye to manifester level. As for the 1 PP per vile feat, it's the evil that is allowing you to more effectively exchane life force. Not the evil for PP, evil lets you trade more life for PP.
CrimsonDeath 02-11-08, 03:23 AM	The reason I suggested +1PP per Vile feat was because it's a design feature that's been used by several other categories of feats recently-- Aberrant feats from Lords of Madness, for example. And yes, the ability to gain more PP the more Vile feats you have (or merely the more Willing Deformity feats you have, if you prefer) could be attributed to the fact that additional Vile feats represent a greater degree of comfort with self-mutilation, which makes the use of this particular deformity more efficient.