When the champions made Borys the dragon, I figured the best idea to fit in the most is to have them also giving him 10 levels in the PrC as well. Using the lens and the pristine tower, they provide the EXP to both fuel the spells making him stage-10 but also provide the EXP directly to him to make him, at the end of the ceremony, be both a stage-10 dragon and have 10 shiny new levels of the PrC. That'd be a lot more scary than simply having a new stage-10 that is still casting and manifesting at the same level as before.
Now, going with that idea, I thought of Kalak making all 10 transformations at once. And thought maybe he had done something similar where he had stockpiled oodles of EXP in his ziggurat and part of the ceremony would have not only made him stage 10 but also granted him 10 levels of the PrC as well.
The line of thought being that while adventuring one gains EXp and eventually enough to take a new level in something, at which point it gets harder to get new EXP etc etc. But instead of taking a level one instead holds on to that EXP, stockpiling it over a long period of time and eventually uses it all up at once to take several (in this case 10) levels at once. Now one can say that this is cheating because your lower level means you get more EXP from encounters making these levels cheaper or something. To which I have an idea of virtual levels.
A virtual level increases your character level for purposes of calculating EXp from encounters while allowing you to stockpile EXP to take a number of levels in a class or classes all at once. So Kalak had a number of virtual levels and had stockpiled enough EXP to take 10 levels of a PrC all at once. Why would anyone do this? Why would they basically make it harder to gain EXP and adventure? In Kalak's case, because one cannot take new levels in the Dragon PrC without first having achieved that stage of the metamorphosis (this also being an idea I think makes sense and propose here and elsewhere).
So Kalak develops his spell. It will take him through all 10 transformation spells at once, making him a stage-10 dragon. If, however, he does this, won't all the other SMs gang up on him to prevent another Borys incident? So he sets up a process whereby he takes virtual levels and stockpiles enough EXP to take 10 levels of the PrC as well, making him powerful and scary enough to not be immediately taken down by all the other SMs if he rampages and they all retaliate.
Make sense? Anybody have thoughts on this?
More idea. Going on what I believe about Kalak, that he had no levels or stages of dragon under his belt and that his ceremony would have elevated him to stage 10 in one swoop, I thought of something else.
When the champions made Borys the dragon, I figured the best idea to fit in the most is to have them also giving him 10 levels in the PrC as well. Using the lens and the pristine tower, they provide the EXP to both fuel the spells making him stage-10 but also provide the EXP directly to him to make him, at the end of the ceremony, be both a stage-10 dragon and have 10 shiny new levels of the PrC. That'd be a lot more scary than simply having a new stage-10 that is still casting and manifesting at the same level as before.
Now, going with that idea, I thought of Kalak making all 10 transformations at once. And thought maybe he had done something similar where he had stockpiled oodles of EXP in his ziggurat and part of the ceremony would have not only made him stage 10 but also granted him 10 levels of the PrC as well.
The line of thought being that while adventuring one gains EXp and eventually enough to take a new level in something, at which point it gets harder to get new EXP etc etc. But instead of taking a level one instead holds on to that EXP, stockpiling it over a long period of time and eventually uses it all up at once to take several (in this case 10) levels at once. Now one can say that this is cheating because your lower level means you get more EXP from encounters making these levels cheaper or something. To which I have an idea of virtual levels.
A virtual level increases your character level for purposes of calculating EXp from encounters while allowing you to stockpile EXP to take a number of levels in a class or classes all at once. So Kalak had a number of virtual levels and had stockpiled enough EXP to take 10 levels of a PrC all at once. Why would anyone do this? Why would they basically make it harder to gain EXP and adventure? In Kalak's case, because one cannot take new levels in the Dragon PrC without first having achieved that stage of the metamorphosis (this also being an idea I think makes sense and propose here and elsewhere).
So Kalak develops his spell. It will take him through all 10 transformation spells at once, making him a stage-10 dragon. If, however, he does this, won't all the other SMs gang up on him to prevent another Borys incident? So he sets up a process whereby he takes virtual levels and stockpiles enough EXP to take 10 levels of the PrC as well, making him powerful and scary enough to not be immediately taken down by all the other SMs if he rampages and they all retaliate.
Make sense? Anybody have thoughts on this?
Interesting Idea, I think you will like the lifeshape seed when it is released. It will make your idea so much easier. As it is not just for making advanced beings but making changes to a creature that are truely permanent. (in other words the seed is duration instantainious not permanent.... so it cannot be dispelled and you do not revert when you die.) So it is a monster maker seed for epic spellcasting
Cannot give away information on it, but what about the idea of being able to take monster racial levels? would that fit your idea for kalak storing up for something better?Sorry I cannot provide more information on this but it is still under wraps.....
"I'm about to do something that has been done twice before: Once when Borys did it and became so f'in scary we all holed up in our cities and had to wait out his rage. Second when kalid-Ma did it, but that time he/she wasn't so scary and I helped Hamanu and Borys kill the resultant rampaging dragon. Now, I don't want to be another Kalid-Ma. I want to be another Borys. If I rage, I want to be so scary that nobody is going to take me down."
What made Borys special? I think, and I ardently hope that the majrity of people agree with me, that when they made Borys the dragon that they also granted him at least 10 levels of the PrC to go with it. Otherwise, no matter being a stage-10 dragon he would not have been so scary as to warrant the champs and co. hiding in their holes when they could band together and take him out. So I'm going to posit that he was granted 10 levels in the PrC. Again, back to thinking like Kalak, I would want to be a Borys and not a Kalid-Ma. So I would do something, plan something long-term to insure that, regardless of whether or not I rampage, when the transformation is complete that I am granted those levels in the PrC or something similar to make sure I'm so badass that the most anyone can do is stay out of my way and not team up to kill me off like Kalid-Ma.
remember that I don't believe Kalak was a dragon before he started that ceremony, so he wouldn't have had any levels at all in the PrC according to my line of reasoning.
Does this make better sense?
remember that I don't believe Kalak was a dragon before he started that ceremony, so he wouldn't have had any levels at all in the PrC according to my line of reasoning.
This is the part were we have a problem though..... if he was not a dragon before the spell how was he draining life energy to actually store in the orbs to pay the costs on the spells..... That is the big reason I think he was actually the first stage of dragon before hand. And if he was using kalid-ma's transformation it would have been for a 1st stage dragon to complete the transformation.
The lifeshape seed does sound awesome, but does not seem like it would mimic what I imagine Kalak wanting to do in this instance. In putting myself in Kalak's place and imagining what I would do were I him, I would think the following:
"I'm about to do something that has been done twice before: Once when Borys did it and became so f'in scary we all holed up in our cities and had to wait out his rage. Second when kalid-Ma did it, but that time he/she wasn't so scary and I helped Hamanu and Borys kill the resultant rampaging dragon. Now, I don't want to be another Kalid-Ma. I want to be another Borys. If I rage, I want to be so scary that nobody is going to take me down."
What made Borys special? I think, and I ardently hope that the majrity of people agree with me, that when they made Borys the dragon that they also granted him at least 10 levels of the PrC to go with it. Otherwise, no matter being a stage-10 dragon he would not have been so scary as to warrant the champs and co. hiding in their holes when they could band together and take him out. So I'm going to posit that he was granted 10 levels in the PrC. Again, back to thinking like Kalak, I would want to be a Borys and not a Kalid-Ma. So I would do something, plan something long-term to insure that, regardless of whether or not I rampage, when the transformation is complete that I am granted those levels in the PrC or something similar to make sure I'm so badass that the most anyone can do is stay out of my way and not team up to kill me off like Kalid-Ma.
The lifeshape seed is nice.... wish I could say more about it, but as we are still balancing it for the other metamoprhosis we are keeping it under wraps till it is finnished. I think there is one thing you are missing here...... this is a good idea but the reason they did not kill borys is wrong I think.
Remember they made Borys a dragon so he could watch over the prison of Rajaat. I dont think they were saying we cant take him and we are afraid of him..... it was more like..... you be the jailer and we will give you massive power. The combined Sk's could have taken down Borys, just like they did Dregoth and Kalid-Ma... that was not the issue. They did not go after him because they needed him.
If you are wantng to go this route, there are possiblilties once the lifeshape seed is released that would allow what you are wanting, kind of.