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View Full Version : [3.5] I am Bender, Please Insert Free Will (A reimagined mindbender, PEACH)



Parvum
2013-07-01, 11:24 AM
The Mindbender

Prerequisites:

Alignment: Any nongood.
Spellcasting: Able to cast a spell of both the charm and compulsion subschools
Skills: Bluff 2 ranks, Diplomacy 2 ranks, Intimidate 2 ranks, Sense Motive 2 ranks
Feats: Spell Focus (Enchantment), Greater Spell Focus (Enchantment)
Special: Arcane Caster level 5th



Hit Dice: d4
Class Skills: The mindbender has Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Forgery, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (All skills, taken individually), Profession, Sense Motive and Spellcraft
Skill Points: 2+Int per level

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Spellcasting

1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Telepathy|

2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Charm Spell Power, Master of Manipulation (1)|+1 existing spellcasting class

3rd|+1|+1|+1|+3|Eternal Charm (1)|+1 existing spellcasting class

4th|+2|+1|+1|+4| Master of Mind Control, Enchantment Spell Power +2 |+1 existing spellcasting class

5th|+2|+1|+1|+4|Pierce Immunity, Eternal Charm (2)|

6th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Compulsion Spell Power |+1 existing spellcasting class

7th|+3|+2|+2|+5|Endless Compulsion, Eternal Charm (3)|+1 existing spellcasting class

8th|+4|+2|+2|+6|Pinnacle of Domination |

9th|+4|+3|+3|+6|Enchantment Spell Power +4, Eternal Charm (4)|+1 existing spellcasting class

10th|+5|+3|+3|+7|Thrall|[/table]

Class Features:

Spellcasting: At every level except 1st, 5th, and 10th, a mindbender gains new spells per day, spells known and an increased caster level as if she had gained a new level in an arcane spellcasting class that she belonged to before she took levels in mindbender. If she has multiple arcane casting classes, she only advances one, chosen when she gains the level.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mindbenders gain no proficiency in weapons or armour.

Telepathy (Su): A mindbender gains the most basic mental craft at first level, becoming able to communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 ft. that has a language.

Charm Spell Power (Ex): The basic implement of an enchanter’s skill set is even more potent when cast by a mindbender. All spells of the charm subschool cast by the mindbender have their DC increased by 2. This ability also affects mindbender abilities based off of charm spells (but not abilities from other classes).

Master of Manipulation (Ex): Magic may be the easiest path to domination, but it is far from the only one. Mindbenders gain a bonus to all bluff, diplomacy, intimidate and sense motive checks equal to ½ her mindbender level.

Eternal Charm (Sp): Starting at third level, a mindbender is able to make a spell she casts from the charm subschool last indefinitely. Once per day, she can apply this effect to any charm spell she casts (before the save is made). She can not charm more than one creature in this way- if the spell affects multiple targets she must choose one. If she uses this ability with a creature already charmed then she must choose a charmed subject to release. The spell to be affected must be longer than one round, have a non-random duration, and cannot be instantaneous or already permanent.

Every second level after third, she may charm an additional creature to a maximum of four at 9th level. If a charm spell affects multiple targets she may use this ability to charm up to her maximum number of servants at once. She is still only able to use Eternal Charm once per day.

Master of Mind Control (Sp): At fourth level, a mindbender is so adept at subverting free will that she gains access to the following as spell-like abilities. She can use any ability she chooses to a combined maximum of three times per day. The DC of these abilities is equal to 10 + mindbender level + primary ability score, and using each is a standard action. They receive bonuses from a mindbender’s Spell Power boosts, but not from other feats or abilities that improve spells.

Mindread (Sp): A mindbender can concentrate on any intelligent creature within range of her telepathy to read it’s surface thoughts continuously. She may concentrate for a number of minutes equal to her mindbender level. On the first round she only detects the intelligence score of the creature. On the second round the target must make a will save or the mindbender will be able to read the target’s surface thoughts. If the target succeeds, the mindbender can continue concentrating and force another will save in the following minute, and again after that if the creature saves again. A creature gets no additional saves if it fails any of these will saves. When a mindbender can read the creature’s thoughts, she is better able to manipulate it both magically and mundanely. She receives a +4 bonus to bluff, diplomacy and intimidate against the target creature, as well as a +10 bonus to sense motive. Any of the target’s attempts to resist the mindbender’s mind-affecting abilities and spells are made at a -4 penalty until the mindreading ends. Casting such a spell ends the mindread.
Mindread has a range equal to the mindbender’s telepathy, but the mindbender must be able to see her target. If she maintains concentration, the ability continues to function through barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of dirt or wood blocks it.

Push the Weak Mind (Sp): As Suggestion, except the range is any target within range of the mindbender’s telepathy and the suggestion can affect creatures with no language or intelligence score. Creatures with an intelligence of 2 or less (including mindless creatures) make saves against this ability at a -4 penalty.

Unbreakable Charm(Sp): As Charm Monster, except the duration is two hours per mindbender level, the range is equal to the mindbender's telepathy, the target receives no bonus to the saving throw if the mindbender or her allies are currently threatening it and the charm is not immediately broken if the mindbender or her allies threaten the subject. The subject does, however, get to make a new saving throw with a +2 bonus whenever hostile actions are taken against it by the mindbender or her allies. The mindbender may use her Eternal Charm with this ability. If she does so, the unbreakable charm lasts its normal duration, after which it functions as a normal charm (the subject is not freed if the mindbender threatened it during the initial duration, but it would be freed if the mindbender threatened it after two hours per mindbender level had passed).

Enchantment Spell Power (Ex): A mindbender’s enchantments are naturally stronger. At fourth level, she casts enchantment spells at +2 caster level. This bonus improves to +4 at 9th level.

Pierce Immunity (Su): At 5th level, the mindbender gains the power to pierce a creature's immunity to mind-affecting abilities, whatever the source. If a creature has protection from a magical source (such as a mind blank spell) the effect is treated as spell resistance which the mindbender can overcome with a caster level check. The mindbender receives her spell power class feature as a bonus on this check, as well as her bonuses against spell resistance (if any).

If the resistance to enchantments is natural (such as a doppelganger’s immunity to charm), then the target is instead treated as having a +4 racial bonus on the save. Mindless creatures remain unaffected by this ability- hope you saved a few uses of Push the Weak Mind.

Compulsion Spell Power (Ex): At 6th level a mindbender’s mastery of the basics is officially complete. The DCs of all her compulsion spells and mindbender abilities based off of compulsion spells increases by 2.

Endless Compulsion (Su): Once per day, a mindbender can stupefy an opponent’s mind so thoroughly that they are locked in hysterics or mental fog until long after the sun sets. Whenever she casts a compulsion spell with a duration in concrete rounds, minutes, or hours (variable durations, such as those from Rage or Irresistible dance, are not affected) she may use this ability to set the duration to 24 hours. She chooses whether to use this ability before the will save is rolled. If the mindbender or her allies attack the subject before the duration has expired, the subject receives another save with a +4 bonus to shake off the effect.

Pinnacle of Domination (Sp): At 7th level, the mindbender learns the ultimate form of mental domination. Once per day, she may use dominate monster as a spell-like ability, except for the following: the range is equal to her telepathy, and the duration is 24 hours. DC is equal to 10 + mindbender level + primary ability modifier. The mindbender cannot use Eternal Charm with this ability, but see Thrall, below.

Thrall (Su): At 10th level, the mindbender gains three new possible uses for her Endless Compulsion ability: creating a loyal, unwavering thrall. Using any of the following uses up her daily use of Endless Compulsion, and no more than one creature can be made a thrall at one time. If she attempts to create a new thrall, she must release the old one. A mindbender can communicate telepathically with her thrall at any range so long as they are on the same plane. When the mindbender releases a thrall (which she can do any time as a standard action) a secondary effect takes place. The mindbender can choose to have the subject charmed (no save), as the charm monster spell with a caster level equal to her mindbender level, for twelve hours after the thrall is freed. Alternately, the mindbender may choose to erase all memory of her, as the modify memory spell. Doing so removes every trace of the mindbender’s influence from the ex-thrall’s mind. A will save (DC 10 + mindbender level + primary ability modifier) does not negate the memory modification, but does prevent the subject from rationalizing any strange behavior he performed while a thrall (thereby realizing something strange occurred, but not remembering exactly what). If the effect is ended prematurely, then the thrall is automatically charmed.

While a mindbender can only have one thrall at a time, she is free to use Endless Compulsion to extend the duration of her less domineering spells without setting her thrall free (such as using the ability on Daze Person).

Endless Quest (Sp): If using this ability while casting Geas or Lesser Geas, the duration of the spell becomes permanent. The subject gains spell resistance 20 against divination spells not cast by the mindbender (or its own spell resistance, whichever is higher). At any time, the mindbender may send a Demand to the thrall as a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, caster level equal to mindbender level and a duration of 24 hours. The subject is treated as if under the constant effects of mindread with no concentration required by the mindbender. The subject is not charmed or dominated, and is in fact free to hate the mindbender (as he has quite a right to). Endless Quest does not inherently prohibit the subject from explaining his situation, but the endless Demands sent by the mindbender often do. Incautious mindbenders may often find that the spell does not prohibit the subject from abandoning the quest to kill the mindbender, but simply punishes them for doing so.

Eternal Dominate (Sp): When using Thrall with dominate (either the spells or the ability granted by this class) the duration becomes permanent. When a subject is forced to take actions against their own nature, they may make a will save with a -10 penalty. If they succeed the effect is not broken, but the action is not taken and future attempts to resist that action are made with a +10 bonus on the save.

Permanent Ally (Sp): The mindbender may choose to use this ability when casting a charm spell. If he does so, the duration becomes permanent and the charm functions otherwise as Unbreakable Charm. The subject becomes immune to mind-affecting effects not cast by the mindbender (treat as a magical abjuration of the mindbender’s caster level). A mindbender receives a +10 bonus on all bluff, diplomacy, and intimidate checks against her charmed thrall. The subject does not count towards the mindbender’s Eternal Charm limit. Unlike the other abilities, the mindbender may choose to both charm and modify the subject’s memory if the effect is dismissed. Both effects are automatically activated if the charm is broken prematurely. Though this is a charm effect, the mindbender must still use her daily use of Endless Compulsion, not Eternal Charm.

____

Da-daaa.

I’m going for a mindbender in our little campaign because I like the class. I like it very much. But as much as I am fond of it, I am forced to admit that it sucks. I took a look around for some sort of homebrew fix, and did find this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220124), but the DM (and I) thought it was a bit too powerful. Mostly, though, I’m put off by the strange class feature of a level dependant DC boost and the snipping of all fluffy side-abilities until all that’s left is the core superbuffs. So I’ve put this together in the hopes of making something more... less. And also more more, if you get my meaning.

Now this would be the first homebrew anything I’ve done in recent memory, and I’d really appreciate some feedback on... well, anything. From the abilities to the caster level increases to even the names of the abilities used. The wording, too- I don’t want the meaning to be muddy. Please speak up if any of the above is worded confusingly!

Everything in this spoiler is pretty much ranting and some of the thought behind these decisions.

The dominate and thrall abilities are something I’d really like to spitshine properly. I’m trying to make something more than permanent dominate, since dominate already lasts a day per caster level. A charmer that chooses to ignore the mindbender entirely can have multiple slaves dominated at a time and all he has to do is concentrate for one round a day at any time on each of them. Sure, a permanent effect means he doesn’t have to spend spells to renew it- but the mindbender only gets one thrall, and an extra spell per day just doesn’t seem like an interesting ability for the final level. So I made a super dominate effect that lets the mindbender communicate with the subject more concisely than normal dominate and has a panic-button charm that would take hold if the dominate was removed somehow. Originally this ability was at seventh level because dominate was at that level in both other mindbenders, the duration becoming permanent at 10th level. That stank, so it became normal dominate and all the fancy stuff got moved to the tenth level ability... which could then be used on the dominate ability but was otherwise independent.

I split it into three abilities simply to spice it up a bit, and allow for more flexibility for the enchanter. So far I haven’t been able to see any terrible abuse of the three varieties, but this was a very last minute addition. Also I might just be overlooking obvious power abuse, if so let me know. The quest one is more or less made with spiteful, vitriolic slaves in mind. Eternal dominate is based off of a spell from the cleric’s Dominion (or Mastery or Domination or something) domain. The charm one is for someone preferring more spirited help (and to make the list a nice three) but it might be open to some abuse, now that I think about it. Doesn’t it basically amount to a permanent Mind Blank (sans divination) on a creature of the player’s choice? It’s not as if a charm effect would impede an ally. But the player IS giving up a permanent, ultraloyal minion for it...

The trio of spell-like abilities earlier on was an attempt to bring back something the first mindbender reimagining lacked: casual, thoughtless thought manipulation. More than just being copies of spells, as with the original mindbender, they’ve been messed with to make for effects (hopefully) unique to the class. They are supposed to be mostly for flavour, though Push the Weak Mind will probably be invaluable in certain situations. Again, I’m not sure how much the combat charm will affect gameplay, namely for it’s invulnerability to mindbender hostility.

In the end, this mindbender ends up only getting a single level of spellcasting above the original. But the abilities he receives feature unique perks, rather than simply being extra uses of what the mindbender would already get if he focused on casting. At least... that's what I'm trying to achieve.

Arcanist
2013-07-01, 03:58 PM
I always wondered why most just don't modify this class as a 9/10 spell progression and make it ever more tolerable :smallconfused: