PDA

View Full Version : Open Your Mind [PrC]



The Demented One
2007-06-13, 03:48 PM
Trepanner Savant
Trepanner Savants are psychics who believe their full psionic potential can only be unleashed through the use of trepanation–drilling holes through the skull in order to awaken the brain’s full potential. It is a grisly practice, and few manifesters ever hear of, much less think of following, the way of the Trepanner Savant. However, despite their seeming savagery and self-mutilation, their power cannot be denied.

d4 HD

Requirements
To qualify to become a Trepanner Savant, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any Evil
Feats: Willing Deformity (http://realmshelps.dandello.net/cgi-bin/feats.pl?Willing_Deformity,all)
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Psicraft 8 ranks
Powers: Must be capable of manifesting 3rd-level psionic powers.

Class Skills
The Trepanner Savant’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (All) (Int), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Use Psionic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Powers

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Telepathy, Trepanation|+1 level of existing manifesting class

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Psychosis 1/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Metapsionic Surge 1/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Psychic Endurance, Psychosis 2/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Dementia|+1 level of existing manifesting class

6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Metapsionic Surge 2/day, Psychosis 3/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class

7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5|Third Eye|+1 level of existing manifesting class

8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6|Psychopath, Psychosis 4/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class

9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6|Metapsionic Surge 3/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class

10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7|Inner Demons, Psychosis 5/day|+1 level of existing manifesting class [/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Trepanner Savant prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
You gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Manifesting
Whenever you gain a new Trepanner Savant level, you gain new power points per day and powers known as if you had also gained a level in a manifesting class you belonged to before you added the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.

Telepathy (Su)
At 1st level, you open up the parts of your mind that allow you to communicate telepathically–literally. You gain telepathy out to a range of 100 ft.

Trepanation
Every time you gain a Trepanner Savant level, you must perform a ritual trepanation on yourself in order to gain the abilities granted by that level. Until you perform that ritual, you do not gain the class features granted by that level, although you do still gain the increased base attack bonus, saves, and manifester level granted by that class. In addition, until you perform the trepanation ritual, you cannot gain any more levels in the Trepanner Savant class.

The trepanation ritual takes 4 hours, and requires you to use 250 gp worth of incense, crystals, herb salves, surgical tools, and similar. In addition, the ritual is inherently dangerous–every time you perform a trepanation, you must make a Fortitude save, DC 10 + your class level. If you fail the save, you permanently lose 1 point of Wisdom, determined randomly.

Psychosis (Su)
By 2nd level, you are truly mad...and you trepanations let you unleash the full power of your madness. Once per day, as a swift action, you may enter a state of psychosis. You take a -2 penalty to Wisdom, but gain a +2 insanity bonus to Intelligence and Charisma. In addition, you gain a number of temporary power points equal to your manifester level, which last until the state of psychosis ends. You can remain in the state of psychosis for a number of rounds equal to 3 plus your manifesting stat. You gain one additional use of the psychosis ability at each subsequent even level.

Metapsionic Surge (Su)
At 3rd level, your freshly-opened mind revels new power to you, allowing you to increase the potential of your psionic talents. Once per day, when you manifest a power, you may use this ability. You may apply any metapsionic feat you know to it without expending your psionic focus. In addition, the power point cost of that feat is decreased by an amount equal to your class level, to a minimum of 0. You may use this ability twice per day at 6th level, and three times per day at 9th level.

Psychic Endurance (Ex)
At 4th level, you have achieved a tenuous grasp on sanity–enough to keep yourself from delusional catatonia, at least. You cannot be brought below 1 Wisdom by ability burn, damage, or drain, and you are immune to effects that would cause you to become confused.

Dementia (Su)
At 5th level, your madness worsens...and your power improves. Whenever you enter a state of psychosis, you take a -4 penalty to Wisdom, but gain a +4 insanity bonus to Intelligence and Charisma. In addition, while in a state of psychosis, you may gain psionic focus as a move action, and gain an insanity bonus on Concentration checks made to gain psionic focus equal to your class level.

Third Eye (Su and Ps)
At 7th level, you drill through your forehead, creating a grisly third eye. You gain the ability to see invisible and ethereal objects and creatures without difficulty. You may use detect psionics at will as a psi-like ability, with manifester level equal to your own. In addition, you may use psionic true seeing once per day as a psi-like ability, with manifester level equal to your own.

Psychopath (Su)
By 8th level, you have shed your sanity like a snake sheds its scales, leaving behind only untamed, all-powerful madness. Whenever you enter a state of psychosis, you take a -6 penalty to Wisdom, but gain a +6 insanity bonus to Intelligence and Charisma. In addition, while in a state of psychosis, you gain an insanity bonus on manifester level checks made to overcome power resistance equal to half your class level.

Inner Demons (Su)
At 10th level, your multiple trepanations allow you to unleash your inner demons. As a full-round action, you may channel your inner darkness into the form of a Cerebrilith (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/cerebrilith.htm), which bursts out of your trepanation holes. It appears on your turn, and acts immediately on your initiative. This process causes you to take 1 point of Wisdom burn.

Once called in this way, the Cerebrilith serves your will loyally, following your verbal or telepathic commands. It cannot use its summon tanar’ri or greater teleport spell-like abilities. After a number of rounds equal to your manifester, the Cerebrilith dissipates into a pile of blood and misformed grey matter.

Krimm_Blackleaf
2007-06-13, 10:32 PM
I must say I really like this class, it's one of the things I think about when I think of raw, utter mental power: Madness. My next character might just have to be a CE psion.

Maldraugedhen
2007-06-13, 10:57 PM
Hmm. I think there should be a Good-based equivalent for Willing Deformity dealing with martyrdom, partly so that this class could be either Good or Evil.

MolotovH
2007-06-13, 11:29 PM
The "Good version" of Willing Deformity is Sacred Vow, although it hasn't been used much beyond the Book of Exalted Deeds.

Overall, a very nice BBEG class. The capstone ability is both a perfect fit, and very, very cool.

However, I'd only want to use it as a PC class if the DM was using the "Training" optional rules. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to be worth it to have to "pay" for class abilities, much less risk losing those precious mental (a.k.a: casting) stats, when everyone else gets their abilities just for levelling up.

Fizban
2007-06-14, 01:41 AM
3 plus your manifesting stat. I believe you meant manifesting stat bonus.


After a number of rounds equal to your manifester, the That would be manifester level.

Nice class, freaky, spell-rage type ability that gives useful abilities, excellent. The only thing I don't like is the fort save to avoid ability loss at every level, I hate it when just leveling up in a class requires saves and checks. But it's not that bad of a save, and it won't kill you outright, so it's livable.

YPU
2007-06-14, 05:11 AM
Nice class, especially considering there have been (even quite recently) people who drilled holes in their head to reach greater spiritual awareness. It looks very theme fitting and quite balanced to me.

The Demented One
2007-06-14, 08:39 AM
The "Good version" of Willing Deformity is Sacred Vow, although it hasn't been used much beyond the Book of Exalted Deeds.

Overall, a very nice BBEG class. The capstone ability is both a perfect fit, and very, very cool.

However, I'd only want to use it as a PC class if the DM was using the "Training" optional rules. Otherwise, it doesn't seem to be worth it to have to "pay" for class abilities, much less risk losing those precious mental (a.k.a: casting) stats, when everyone else gets their abilities just for levelling up.
The point of the potential ability loss is to balance out the full manifesting and powerful abilities. Also, note that it's been changed to only cause a loss of Wisdom.