nonsi
2016-05-03, 01:22 PM
.
The main problem I recognize with the official Binder, is that it's an attempt to cover many party roles in a single class, and does so to various degrees of success. The end result is "RIDICULOUSLY complicated" (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=15798) (as was stated by an expert in the ToM Binder) and requires a lot of juggling to handle.
The theme I'm aiming for here, is a class that summons creatures and conjures stuff and changes things, gaining innate resistances and abilities as result of the forces that the character is routinely exposed to. That's the vibe I'm getting from the title "Binder".
Quite a few options came to mind how to attack this problem, preserving the theme yet creating something new and a lot simpler to handle from a player's PoV. The mechanics I already had to draw from were mainly spells and invocations, as well as those given for the official Binder. I decided eventually to go for something that combines all three elements, while also drawing ideas from the CDiv Spirit Shaman class.
I traded power spamming (i.e. an endless supply of invocations) for greater flexibility in choice. I put a limit on known effects, mostly to make things easier for players to handle, not as a balancing factor.
Given that Conjuration and Transmutation are the most versatile schools, I thought that combining them with Abjuration would go a long way in providing the means for character versatility and character power.
I'm aiming for a solid Tier-2 class
Hit Die: d8
Table: The Binder
SavesSpell Retrieval
LevelBABFRWSpecialTFMEMax SL
1st+0+2+0+2Binding (Trivial), Retrieval (1 / day)
3
1st
2nd+1+3+0+3Suppress Sign
4
1st
3rd+2+3+1+3Soul Fortress (immune to fear & charm)
4
2nd
4th+3+4+1+4Bind Form
5
2nd
5th+3+4+1+4Retrieval (2/day)
5
2nd
6th+4+5+2+5Binding (Trivial / Formidable)
5
3
3rd
7th+5+5+2+5Cosmic Reach
6
4
3rd
8th+6+6+2+6Soul Fortress (immune to possession & domination)
6
4
4th
9th+6+6+3+6Aligned Breach, Dismissal
6
5
4th
10th+7+7+3+7Retrieval (3/day)
6
5
4th
11th+8+7+3+7Binding (Trivial / Formidable / Magisterial)
7
5
3
5th
12th+9+8+4+8Banishment, Plane Shift
7
6
4
5th
13th+9+8+4+8Soul Fortress (immune to ability drain & negative levels)
7
6
4
6th
14th+10+9+4+9Greater Plane Shift, Maze
7
6
5
6th
15th+11+9+5+9Retrieval (4/day)
7
6
5
6th
16th+12+10+5+10Binding (Trivial / Formidable / Magisterial / Empyreal)
8
7
5
3
7th
17th+12+10+5+10Etherealness
8
7
6
4
7th
18th+13+11+6+11Soul Fortress (mind blank)
8
7
6
4
8th
19th+14+11+6+11Perpetual Form Binding
8
7
6
5
8th
20th+15+12+6+12Retrieval (5/day), Timeless Outsider
8
7
6
5
8th
Class Features
Class Skills: (as the official Binder): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana, history, religion, the planes), Profession and Sense Motive.
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int-mod
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Binders are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor, but not with shields.
Binding (Su)
Binders tap into the very layers of reality, drawing residual power from powerful otherworldly entities inhabiting various planes of existence.
Drawing power in such manner is referred to as "Binding".
Similar to warlocks, binders arrange their power groups in 4 grades of powers, named according to the magnitude of entities they draw from and the scale of the powers they harness.
The various power groups are:
1. Trivial (1st level): 1st & 2nd SL effects
2. Formidable (6th level): 3rd & 4th SL effects
3. Magisterial (11th level): 5th & 6th SL effects
4. Empyreal (16th level): 7th 8th SL effects.
Unlike warlocks, binders gain SL access in a more gradual way. See the "Max SL" column in the Binder's table above.
Binders retrieve spell effects as spell-like abilities in a similar manner to that described for the CDiv Spirit Shaman but not exactly. They have a limited repertoire to draw from.
Binders may retrieve spell effects from the following list:
Benign Transposition (SpC)
Burning Hands
Ectoplasmic Armor (SpC)
Endure Elements
Enlarge Person
Magic Weapon
Mount
Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (choose one upon retrieval one which does not conflict with your lignment)
Reduce Person
Summon Monster I
Alter Self
Baleful Transposition (SpC)
Cloud of Bewilderment (SpC)
Protection from Arrows
Pyrotechnics
Resist Energy
Shatter
Summon Monster II
Undetectable Alignment
Wrathstrike
Attune Form (SpC)
Blink
Dispel Magic
Energy Vortex (SpC)
Magic Circle Against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (choose one upon retrieval one which does not conflict with your lignment)
Magic Weapon, Greater
Phantom Steed
Protection from Energy
Orb of Acid/Cold/Electricity/Fire/Sound (choose one upon retrieval)
Summon Monster III
Anticipate Teleportation (CArc)
Dimension Door
Dimensional Anchor
Displacer Form (SpC)
Flame Whips (SpC)
Planar Exchange, Lesser (SpC)
Polymorph
Sending
Stoneskin
Summon Monster IV
Baleful Polymorph
Blistering Radiance (CArc)
Break Enchantment
Contingent Energy Resistance (SpC)
Greater Blink
Planar Binding, Lesser
Summon Monster V
Telekinesis
Teleport
Zone of Respite (SpC)
Aspect of the Earth Hunter (SpC)
Dispel Magic, Greater
Ghost Trap (SpC)
Ooze Puppet (SpC)
Planar Binding
Planar Exchange (SpC)
Repulsion
Stone Body (SpC)
Storm of Fire and Ice (CM)
Summon Monster VI
Antimagic Aura (MoF)
Elemental Body (SpC)
Energy Immunity (SpC)
Ethereal Jaunt
Glorious Master of the Elements (DrMg)
Planar Bubble (SpC)
Plane Shift
Reverse Gravity
Summon Monster VII
Teleport, Greater
Dimensional Lock
Earthquake
Ghost Form (SpC)
Planar Binding, Greater
Planar Exchange, Greater (SpC)
Polymorph Any Object
Prismatic Wall
Repel Metal or Stone
Stormrage (SpC)
Summon Monster VIII
The number of spells a binder may retrieve from each power group is given in the Binder table, under the "Retrievals" column. A given spell may be retrieved more than once, if a binder so desires.
The total number of known spell powers a binder may retrieve goes as follows:
- At 1st level, they learn how to wield 5 + Int-bonus (if any) spell effects.
- At levels 6, 11 and 16, they learn 3 spell effects.
- At every other level, they learn a single spell effect.
Each bound spell power functions as a spell-like ability, usable twice between retrievals or between long rests (whichever comes first).
A "power slot" in a given power group may hold spell powers from a lower group, if a binder so chooses.
At each even level, a binder may lose a single known spell effect and gain another of the same SL as the spell that was discarded.
Special: Metamagic feats are available to binders, but operate differently for retrieved spell effects than they would for spells. The retrieved spells are modified in advance and are positioned in the power group that's appropriate to their modified level (note that +1 SL modifier might not shift a spell's group - e.g. a 1st level spell modified by Still Spell) may still accommodate a slot as a Trivial SLA.
Spell retrieval targets a specific power group, not all of them at once.
At 1st level, a binder may retrieve spells once per day. At 5th level and each 5 levels thereafter, a binder gains another daily use of spell retrieval.
Retrieving spells from a given power group takes 10 minutes of concentration.
Note: all retrieved powers operate at CL equal to the binder's class-level and are Cha-based.
Each spell effect a binder knows has its own sigil of power.
To retrieve SLAs for a given power grade, a binder draws a 5' circle and arranges the desired sigils inside.
This circle is regarded to as the binder's seal for retrieval. This takes 1 minute of concentration, and the act provokes AoOs.
You must touch the seal to summon its power. The seal then glows and disappears, and you retrieve its powers.
A seal not used within 3 minutes of its drawing loses all potency, and you must draw a new one to retrieve its power.
Binding carries the risk of being negatively influenced physically and mentally by random taint and the horrors the binder's body, mind and soul are exposed to. You must make your perilous pact alone; others cannot aid you in any way.
When binding, you must make a check: [1d20 + Binder level + Cha-mod].
This is evaluated vs. DC [10 + (5 x Power-Grade)].
Whether the binding check succeeds or fails, you gain the desired powers.
If you fail the binding check, your personality and your actions are influenced, and you are said to have made a poor binding (specifically, your general demeanor changes, and this can force you to perform or refrain from certain actions).
If your binding check is successful, your actions and your personality are not influenced. In this case, you are said to have made a good binding.
While under negative influence, you must adhere to its requirements to the best of your ability. If you are conscious and free-willed, each time you encounter a situation in which you cannot or will not refrain from a prohibited action or perform a required one, you take a 1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks until you re-bind that power group. If you are negatively influenced more than once, you must act according to all influences. If you fail to fulfill the requirements of more than one, the penalties stack.
As long as you are bound, you manifest a specific physical sign, as given below. This sign is real, not an illusory or shapechanging effect, and someone using true seeing perceives it just as it is. You can hide a sign by mundane or magical means without penalty, or you can prevent it from appearing at all if you have the Suppress Sign ability.
The sign and influence that a binder is exposed to, each time he retrieves his SLAs, is determined with a d20 roll.
Consult the table below:
d20 ResultInfluence
1 Adamant Conviction
2 Alien Vanity
3 Blasphemous Echoes
4 Call of the Wilderness
5 Hunger for the Flame
6 Intoxicating Dependency
7 My Better Self
8 Monophobia
9 Overshadowed
10 Plagued by Death
11 Rabid Destiny
12 Ram of the Sunless Winter
13 Righteous Fury
14 Self-Admiration
15 Shattered Personality
16 The Voice of the Many
17 Touch of the North
18 Weary Passiveness
19 Wild-eyed
20 Wrecking Truth
Sign: The flesh of your face settles into a grimace, making you appear to be constantly furious.
Influence: You become headstrong and recalcitrant. Once you make up your mind about a particular issue, very little can change your thoughts on the matter. In addition, whenever you don armor, employ a shield, or wear any other item that improves your AC, you will not remove that protection for any reason.
Sign: Your eyes appear as circular mirrors. In your peripheral vision, all other living creatures appear twisted, covered in tentacles, extra eyes, and vestigial organs. You gain the pseudonatural template (page 161 of Complete Arcane).
Influence: Never admit that you need help or that you are weaker than anyone else. You treat those that are weaker than you with scorn and contempt.
Sign: Your voice gains a peculiar quality, becoming both hollow and guttural.
Influence: You distrust priests and other devotees of deities. Whenever you enter a temple or some other holy or unholy site, you spit on the floor and utter an invective about the place. You attempt to destroy or steal any relic dedicated to a true god that you discover.
Sign: You always seem to be buffeted by a breeze that no one else can feel, even when youre indoors. The eerie wind makes no noise, but it tousles your hair and belongings, frequently changing direction.
Influence: You are averse to darkened areas and loud noises. Although you can endure such conditions, they give you a sense of panic and make you short of breath. You always carry an active light source with a brightness at least equal to that of a candle, and that you not cover it or allow it to be darkened for more than 1 round. Additionally, Orthos requires that you speak only in a whisper.
Sign: you give off a faint smell of ashes and charred flesh.
Influence: you adopt pyromaniacal tendencies, causing you to set fires and commit other acts of arson whenever possible.
Sign: Your teeth and tongue turn black.
Influence: You fall in love too easily. A kind word or a friendly gesture can cause you to devote yourself entirely to another person. Should that person reject your affection, your broken heart mends the moment another attractive person shows you some kindness. In addition, if you have access to poison, you must employ it against your foes at every opportunity.
Sign: A face appears on your torso, as though it were a vestigial conjoined twin. It seems lifeless most of the time, but when you activate any of your Binder-class features or SLAs, it opens its eyes and mouth, revealing a starry void within.
Influence: You feel an urge to walk about topless.
Sign: Your eyes turn to glass. Anyone meeting your gaze sees the movement of multiple silhouettes behind them, as though looking through a window at a busy street.
Influence: You cannot stand to be alone, and the more people you have around you, the better. You never voluntarily accept any task that requires you to be alone, and you argue vigorously against options that would split the party. If you have the opportunity to socialize with large groups of people (such as entering a boisterous tavern), you must take it unless doing so is overtly harmful, or you have reason to suspect the individuals are hostile to you.
Sign: You seem to be standing in shadow even on the brightest day. Furthermore, your own shadow never extends more than a few feet from your body, even if the ambient light suggests that it should be much longer. This effect does not grant you concealment.
Influence: You are filled with a sense of detachment and an aching feeling of loss and abandonment. You're never the first to act in combat. If your initiative check result is the highest, you must delay until someone else takes a turn.
Sign: You take on the look of the dead: jaundiced skin, sunken cheeks, stiff movements and your lips retreat to reveal your teeth and gums. You exude a faint odor of decay and preservative chemicals.
Influence: You cannot abide the presence of undead, necromancers, and death spells and effects. You seek any opportunity to slay undead, and you refuse to work with anyone who you feel uses necromancy and death effects. You are easily provoked by such individuals, seeing reasons to fight them that many miss. You feel the urge to find the most dangerous undead in the area and destroy it; if pitted against undead they are always your first target, even if there are some other, more dangerous enemies around.
Sign: Your lower jaw increases in size, and two long, sharply pointed tusks grow upward from it. You gain a secondary natural bite attack that deals damage according to your size (1d6 damage for a medium sized binder). You add your Str-mod to your damage roll. You cannot use this ability if you do not show the sign.
Influence: You cant help but be pessimistic. At best, you are quietly resigned to your own failure, and at worst, you spread your doubts to others, trying to convince them of the hopelessness of their goals. You voluntarily fail all saving throws against fear effects or any effect that imposes a morale penalty.
Sign: You grow a rams curling horns.
Influence: You become surly and irritable. You also develop innate dislike to spells and effects that are in any way associated with fire, sun, heat, light, law or good in any way. You resist even beneficial such spells. You must make a saving throw to resist such a spell if one is allowed; failure allows you to gain the benefit.
Sign: Your hair turns pure silver, and your eyes burn with silver fire.
Influence: You are driven to battle. You cannot withdraw from battle, or refuse any challenge of strength or skill.
Sign: Your voice deepens and acquires a gravelly, growling tone.
Influence: You love the sound of your own voice and are constantly pleased by your cleverness. Whenever you are presented with a pulpit, a stage, or any other place or object designed to give a speaker the floor, you immediately seize the opportunity to speak. Any topic will do, if others try to take control of the discourse, you either shout them down or mock them. Your speech must last a number of rounds equal to your effective binder level.
Sign: You become physically unattractive, clumsy and insecure. This is expressed as a -4 Cha reduction, to a minimum of 3.
Influence: You feel ashamed and occasionally bashful in the presence of beautiful creatures. You give deference to any creature you perceive as more attractive or charismatic than yourself. This deference might take the form of a bow, a salute, opening a door for the creature in question, not speaking until spoken to, or any other gesture that acknowledges the creature as superior to you.
Sign: While you remain silent, faint whispers whose meaning cannot be determined can be heard, which seem to come from your mouth.
Influence: You to conform, to put the many above the few. You obey the law, respect the majority, and above all, show as little difference as possible.
Sign: your skin and hair turn a pale white, and your eyes become blood-red.
Influence: you become accustomed to cold climates, and find warm temperatures almost intolerably unbearable. You must attempt to quench any fire or flames you encounter.
Sign: You look sickly and diseased, and your skin becomes sallow and pockmarked.
Influence: You lose any sign of aggression after just 1d4 rounds. You must refrain from offensive behavior during the following round.
Sign: Your eyes double in size and your eyelids become transparent. You receive a +4 insight bonus on Spot checks and Will saves versus figments, but you suffer a -4 penalty on Will saves versus patterns and gaze attacks.
Influence: You become overly trusting of and loyal to those you see as allies, even in the face of outright treachery. You may not make Sense Motive checks or use any ability to read thoughts or detect lies.
Sign: You gain a wracking cough that spews dust from your mouth. This coughing prevents you from casting any spells that have verbal components. You can resist the urge to cough (DC 15 Fort save) for a number of rounds equal your Con-bonus (minimum 1). You then cough for a round and then can try to resist the urge again.
Influence: You speak forthrightly and with confidence. You cannot use the Bluff skill, and when asked a direct question, you must answer truthfully and directly.
A binder may abandon all bound powers of a given power group and lose the physical signs and the mental influence, regaining access to bound powers (and risking imprints) upon next retrieval.
Until you complete a ritual of binding, or abandon a given binding, any preexisting binding persists.
Suppress Sign (Ex)
At 2nd level and higher, when you make a good binding, you can choose not to exhibit the physical sign that normally accompanies a binding. You can suppress or reveal the sign at will as a swift action. With a poor pact, you gain the powers of the binding, but you cannot suppress its sign. You show it for the duration of the pact and are influenced by it as normal.
Soul Fortress (Ex)
The process of binding involves constant exposure to forces that, with time, change your body, mind and soul, and gradually make you harder to influence.
- A 3rd level binder learns to embrace the horrors and hard truths of reality and becomes immune to fear effects of all kinds. The binder is now also experienced enough in manipulation to reject all forms of magical charm effects.
- An 8th level binder is experienced enough in summoning and dominating powers that he becomes immune to possession and domination.
- A 13th level binder's soul has been exposed to so much horror and influence that he becomes immune to ability drain and negative levels, be it for whatever reason.
- An 18th level binder's mind becomes inaccessible to mental influence. The binder now benefits from a continuous mind blank effect.
Bind Form (Su)
Binders of 4th level or higher may substitute any retrieved spell usage into a special variation of the Summong Monster spell of the same SL.
Instead of summoning an outerplanar creature, the binder summons its essence and binds it onto himself.
A binder has 2 different ways of expressing the result of this power:
1. The binder physically transforms into the summoned creature, acquiring all its powers/advantages/weaknesses, but not including any inherent spellcasting abilities.
2. The binder is physically transformed into an abomination a hybrid form between himself and the creature whose form he chooses to bind. When this alternative is applied, the binder's size is not modified to be appropriate for the bound creature the binder keeps his original size (modify the damage of any of the creature's physical attacks appropriately). Any attempt to identify the grafted form requires an appropriate Knowledge check with a +10 modifier to the DC.
In both cases, for any of the binder's currently active bad bindings, the binder shows the signs.
In both cases, if the binder is subject to Dismissal or Banishment effect and fails his save, the bound form is immediately stripped away.
Cosmic Reach (Su)
When confronting extraplanar and otherworldly beings, binders outshine all others.
A 7th level binder confers the Ghost Touch special ability to any weapon held for as long as he holds it. He also uses his normal AC against attacks delivered by incorporeal creatures.
Furthermore, all retrieved spell powers and all offensive class features targeted against a specific being, whether or not it requires touch attack or ranged touch attack to find its mark, the binder adds his Cha-bonus to overcome the target's SR. This ability does not extend to area effects - it applies only to powers directly guided by the binder.
Aligned Breach (Su)
Starting at 9th level, a binder's physical attacks bypass any and all alignment based DR.
Dismissal (Sp)
A 9th level binder gains the power to banish otherworldly beings back to their home planes.
A number of times per day equal to the binder's Cha-bonus (minimum 1), as a standard action, the binder may duplicate the Dismissal spell effect. A creature that makes its save ignores further dismissal attempts by that binder for the next 24 hours.
Banishment (Sp)
A 12th level binder gains increased power to banish otherworldly beings back to their home planes.
His Dismissal effect is elevated to Banishment, and the ability is now a supernatural ability.
This does not grant a binder more daily banishment attempts. It just makes them more potent.
Plane Shift (Sp)
A 12th level binder may duplicate the Plane Shift spell effect a number of times per day equal to the binder's Cha-bonus (minimum 1).
Starting at 14th level, this ability is improved to replicate Greater Plane Shift spell effect.
Maze (Sp)
A 14th level binder may duplicate the Maze spell effect a number of times between long rests equal to his Cha-bonus (minimum 1).
A target of this power ignores further attempts of Maze usage by that binder for the next 24 hours.
Special: If targeted by Maze spell effect, a binder may expend a usage of this ability as a free action to negate the effect.
Etherealness (Sp)
A 17th level binder may duplicate the Etherealness spell effect a number of times per day equal to the binder's Cha-bonus.
Perpetual Form Binding (Su)
A 19th level binder reaches the pinnacle of form binding.
From each Summon Monster group of forms available to the binder (I VIII), choose a single creature. Those 8 forms are now regarded to as the binder's perpetually bound forms.
A binder may acquire / shed / alternate between any of his selected forms as a standard action that doesn't provoke AoOs.
When exiting a given form, and then re-entering that form, any exhaustible abilities of that creature remain expended until the binder completes long rest.
Timeless Outsider
A 20th level binder becomes a native outsider, forever treated as an outsider or his original race for the purpose of spells and magical effects - whichever is more beneficial to him. Additionally, the binder no longer ages. He remains in his current age category forever.
Binding Feats
Expel Influence
You're an expert in the ritual of binding.
Requirements: Binder 6th
Benefits: Once between long rests, you may purge the influence of a bad binding without abandoning a given power group.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you're granted another daily use of this feat.
Expert Binder
You're an expert in the ritual of binding.
Requirements: Binder 5th
Benefits: When binding, you add +2 to your binding check.
This feat may be taken only once.
Frequent Binding
You've learned how to draw power more frequently.
Requirements: Binder 9th/18th
Benefits: You may retrieve power one more time per day.
Exceeding your regular daily amount of retrieving is strenuous. It raises the binding DC by +5.
This feat may be taken up to twice, at the indicated levels or later on.
Rushed Binding
You've learned how to retrieve powers very fast, but at a price.
Requirements: Binder 3rd
Benefits: You can choose to make a rushed binding check, as a full-round action instead of going through the entire ritual, at a -10 penalty to your binding check.
The main problem I recognize with the official Binder, is that it's an attempt to cover many party roles in a single class, and does so to various degrees of success. The end result is "RIDICULOUSLY complicated" (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=15798) (as was stated by an expert in the ToM Binder) and requires a lot of juggling to handle.
The theme I'm aiming for here, is a class that summons creatures and conjures stuff and changes things, gaining innate resistances and abilities as result of the forces that the character is routinely exposed to. That's the vibe I'm getting from the title "Binder".
Quite a few options came to mind how to attack this problem, preserving the theme yet creating something new and a lot simpler to handle from a player's PoV. The mechanics I already had to draw from were mainly spells and invocations, as well as those given for the official Binder. I decided eventually to go for something that combines all three elements, while also drawing ideas from the CDiv Spirit Shaman class.
I traded power spamming (i.e. an endless supply of invocations) for greater flexibility in choice. I put a limit on known effects, mostly to make things easier for players to handle, not as a balancing factor.
Given that Conjuration and Transmutation are the most versatile schools, I thought that combining them with Abjuration would go a long way in providing the means for character versatility and character power.
I'm aiming for a solid Tier-2 class
Hit Die: d8
Table: The Binder
SavesSpell Retrieval
LevelBABFRWSpecialTFMEMax SL
1st+0+2+0+2Binding (Trivial), Retrieval (1 / day)
3
1st
2nd+1+3+0+3Suppress Sign
4
1st
3rd+2+3+1+3Soul Fortress (immune to fear & charm)
4
2nd
4th+3+4+1+4Bind Form
5
2nd
5th+3+4+1+4Retrieval (2/day)
5
2nd
6th+4+5+2+5Binding (Trivial / Formidable)
5
3
3rd
7th+5+5+2+5Cosmic Reach
6
4
3rd
8th+6+6+2+6Soul Fortress (immune to possession & domination)
6
4
4th
9th+6+6+3+6Aligned Breach, Dismissal
6
5
4th
10th+7+7+3+7Retrieval (3/day)
6
5
4th
11th+8+7+3+7Binding (Trivial / Formidable / Magisterial)
7
5
3
5th
12th+9+8+4+8Banishment, Plane Shift
7
6
4
5th
13th+9+8+4+8Soul Fortress (immune to ability drain & negative levels)
7
6
4
6th
14th+10+9+4+9Greater Plane Shift, Maze
7
6
5
6th
15th+11+9+5+9Retrieval (4/day)
7
6
5
6th
16th+12+10+5+10Binding (Trivial / Formidable / Magisterial / Empyreal)
8
7
5
3
7th
17th+12+10+5+10Etherealness
8
7
6
4
7th
18th+13+11+6+11Soul Fortress (mind blank)
8
7
6
4
8th
19th+14+11+6+11Perpetual Form Binding
8
7
6
5
8th
20th+15+12+6+12Retrieval (5/day), Timeless Outsider
8
7
6
5
8th
Class Features
Class Skills: (as the official Binder): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana, history, religion, the planes), Profession and Sense Motive.
Skill Points Per Level: 4 + Int-mod
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Binders are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor, but not with shields.
Binding (Su)
Binders tap into the very layers of reality, drawing residual power from powerful otherworldly entities inhabiting various planes of existence.
Drawing power in such manner is referred to as "Binding".
Similar to warlocks, binders arrange their power groups in 4 grades of powers, named according to the magnitude of entities they draw from and the scale of the powers they harness.
The various power groups are:
1. Trivial (1st level): 1st & 2nd SL effects
2. Formidable (6th level): 3rd & 4th SL effects
3. Magisterial (11th level): 5th & 6th SL effects
4. Empyreal (16th level): 7th 8th SL effects.
Unlike warlocks, binders gain SL access in a more gradual way. See the "Max SL" column in the Binder's table above.
Binders retrieve spell effects as spell-like abilities in a similar manner to that described for the CDiv Spirit Shaman but not exactly. They have a limited repertoire to draw from.
Binders may retrieve spell effects from the following list:
Benign Transposition (SpC)
Burning Hands
Ectoplasmic Armor (SpC)
Endure Elements
Enlarge Person
Magic Weapon
Mount
Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (choose one upon retrieval one which does not conflict with your lignment)
Reduce Person
Summon Monster I
Alter Self
Baleful Transposition (SpC)
Cloud of Bewilderment (SpC)
Protection from Arrows
Pyrotechnics
Resist Energy
Shatter
Summon Monster II
Undetectable Alignment
Wrathstrike
Attune Form (SpC)
Blink
Dispel Magic
Energy Vortex (SpC)
Magic Circle Against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law (choose one upon retrieval one which does not conflict with your lignment)
Magic Weapon, Greater
Phantom Steed
Protection from Energy
Orb of Acid/Cold/Electricity/Fire/Sound (choose one upon retrieval)
Summon Monster III
Anticipate Teleportation (CArc)
Dimension Door
Dimensional Anchor
Displacer Form (SpC)
Flame Whips (SpC)
Planar Exchange, Lesser (SpC)
Polymorph
Sending
Stoneskin
Summon Monster IV
Baleful Polymorph
Blistering Radiance (CArc)
Break Enchantment
Contingent Energy Resistance (SpC)
Greater Blink
Planar Binding, Lesser
Summon Monster V
Telekinesis
Teleport
Zone of Respite (SpC)
Aspect of the Earth Hunter (SpC)
Dispel Magic, Greater
Ghost Trap (SpC)
Ooze Puppet (SpC)
Planar Binding
Planar Exchange (SpC)
Repulsion
Stone Body (SpC)
Storm of Fire and Ice (CM)
Summon Monster VI
Antimagic Aura (MoF)
Elemental Body (SpC)
Energy Immunity (SpC)
Ethereal Jaunt
Glorious Master of the Elements (DrMg)
Planar Bubble (SpC)
Plane Shift
Reverse Gravity
Summon Monster VII
Teleport, Greater
Dimensional Lock
Earthquake
Ghost Form (SpC)
Planar Binding, Greater
Planar Exchange, Greater (SpC)
Polymorph Any Object
Prismatic Wall
Repel Metal or Stone
Stormrage (SpC)
Summon Monster VIII
The number of spells a binder may retrieve from each power group is given in the Binder table, under the "Retrievals" column. A given spell may be retrieved more than once, if a binder so desires.
The total number of known spell powers a binder may retrieve goes as follows:
- At 1st level, they learn how to wield 5 + Int-bonus (if any) spell effects.
- At levels 6, 11 and 16, they learn 3 spell effects.
- At every other level, they learn a single spell effect.
Each bound spell power functions as a spell-like ability, usable twice between retrievals or between long rests (whichever comes first).
A "power slot" in a given power group may hold spell powers from a lower group, if a binder so chooses.
At each even level, a binder may lose a single known spell effect and gain another of the same SL as the spell that was discarded.
Special: Metamagic feats are available to binders, but operate differently for retrieved spell effects than they would for spells. The retrieved spells are modified in advance and are positioned in the power group that's appropriate to their modified level (note that +1 SL modifier might not shift a spell's group - e.g. a 1st level spell modified by Still Spell) may still accommodate a slot as a Trivial SLA.
Spell retrieval targets a specific power group, not all of them at once.
At 1st level, a binder may retrieve spells once per day. At 5th level and each 5 levels thereafter, a binder gains another daily use of spell retrieval.
Retrieving spells from a given power group takes 10 minutes of concentration.
Note: all retrieved powers operate at CL equal to the binder's class-level and are Cha-based.
Each spell effect a binder knows has its own sigil of power.
To retrieve SLAs for a given power grade, a binder draws a 5' circle and arranges the desired sigils inside.
This circle is regarded to as the binder's seal for retrieval. This takes 1 minute of concentration, and the act provokes AoOs.
You must touch the seal to summon its power. The seal then glows and disappears, and you retrieve its powers.
A seal not used within 3 minutes of its drawing loses all potency, and you must draw a new one to retrieve its power.
Binding carries the risk of being negatively influenced physically and mentally by random taint and the horrors the binder's body, mind and soul are exposed to. You must make your perilous pact alone; others cannot aid you in any way.
When binding, you must make a check: [1d20 + Binder level + Cha-mod].
This is evaluated vs. DC [10 + (5 x Power-Grade)].
Whether the binding check succeeds or fails, you gain the desired powers.
If you fail the binding check, your personality and your actions are influenced, and you are said to have made a poor binding (specifically, your general demeanor changes, and this can force you to perform or refrain from certain actions).
If your binding check is successful, your actions and your personality are not influenced. In this case, you are said to have made a good binding.
While under negative influence, you must adhere to its requirements to the best of your ability. If you are conscious and free-willed, each time you encounter a situation in which you cannot or will not refrain from a prohibited action or perform a required one, you take a 1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks until you re-bind that power group. If you are negatively influenced more than once, you must act according to all influences. If you fail to fulfill the requirements of more than one, the penalties stack.
As long as you are bound, you manifest a specific physical sign, as given below. This sign is real, not an illusory or shapechanging effect, and someone using true seeing perceives it just as it is. You can hide a sign by mundane or magical means without penalty, or you can prevent it from appearing at all if you have the Suppress Sign ability.
The sign and influence that a binder is exposed to, each time he retrieves his SLAs, is determined with a d20 roll.
Consult the table below:
d20 ResultInfluence
1 Adamant Conviction
2 Alien Vanity
3 Blasphemous Echoes
4 Call of the Wilderness
5 Hunger for the Flame
6 Intoxicating Dependency
7 My Better Self
8 Monophobia
9 Overshadowed
10 Plagued by Death
11 Rabid Destiny
12 Ram of the Sunless Winter
13 Righteous Fury
14 Self-Admiration
15 Shattered Personality
16 The Voice of the Many
17 Touch of the North
18 Weary Passiveness
19 Wild-eyed
20 Wrecking Truth
Sign: The flesh of your face settles into a grimace, making you appear to be constantly furious.
Influence: You become headstrong and recalcitrant. Once you make up your mind about a particular issue, very little can change your thoughts on the matter. In addition, whenever you don armor, employ a shield, or wear any other item that improves your AC, you will not remove that protection for any reason.
Sign: Your eyes appear as circular mirrors. In your peripheral vision, all other living creatures appear twisted, covered in tentacles, extra eyes, and vestigial organs. You gain the pseudonatural template (page 161 of Complete Arcane).
Influence: Never admit that you need help or that you are weaker than anyone else. You treat those that are weaker than you with scorn and contempt.
Sign: Your voice gains a peculiar quality, becoming both hollow and guttural.
Influence: You distrust priests and other devotees of deities. Whenever you enter a temple or some other holy or unholy site, you spit on the floor and utter an invective about the place. You attempt to destroy or steal any relic dedicated to a true god that you discover.
Sign: You always seem to be buffeted by a breeze that no one else can feel, even when youre indoors. The eerie wind makes no noise, but it tousles your hair and belongings, frequently changing direction.
Influence: You are averse to darkened areas and loud noises. Although you can endure such conditions, they give you a sense of panic and make you short of breath. You always carry an active light source with a brightness at least equal to that of a candle, and that you not cover it or allow it to be darkened for more than 1 round. Additionally, Orthos requires that you speak only in a whisper.
Sign: you give off a faint smell of ashes and charred flesh.
Influence: you adopt pyromaniacal tendencies, causing you to set fires and commit other acts of arson whenever possible.
Sign: Your teeth and tongue turn black.
Influence: You fall in love too easily. A kind word or a friendly gesture can cause you to devote yourself entirely to another person. Should that person reject your affection, your broken heart mends the moment another attractive person shows you some kindness. In addition, if you have access to poison, you must employ it against your foes at every opportunity.
Sign: A face appears on your torso, as though it were a vestigial conjoined twin. It seems lifeless most of the time, but when you activate any of your Binder-class features or SLAs, it opens its eyes and mouth, revealing a starry void within.
Influence: You feel an urge to walk about topless.
Sign: Your eyes turn to glass. Anyone meeting your gaze sees the movement of multiple silhouettes behind them, as though looking through a window at a busy street.
Influence: You cannot stand to be alone, and the more people you have around you, the better. You never voluntarily accept any task that requires you to be alone, and you argue vigorously against options that would split the party. If you have the opportunity to socialize with large groups of people (such as entering a boisterous tavern), you must take it unless doing so is overtly harmful, or you have reason to suspect the individuals are hostile to you.
Sign: You seem to be standing in shadow even on the brightest day. Furthermore, your own shadow never extends more than a few feet from your body, even if the ambient light suggests that it should be much longer. This effect does not grant you concealment.
Influence: You are filled with a sense of detachment and an aching feeling of loss and abandonment. You're never the first to act in combat. If your initiative check result is the highest, you must delay until someone else takes a turn.
Sign: You take on the look of the dead: jaundiced skin, sunken cheeks, stiff movements and your lips retreat to reveal your teeth and gums. You exude a faint odor of decay and preservative chemicals.
Influence: You cannot abide the presence of undead, necromancers, and death spells and effects. You seek any opportunity to slay undead, and you refuse to work with anyone who you feel uses necromancy and death effects. You are easily provoked by such individuals, seeing reasons to fight them that many miss. You feel the urge to find the most dangerous undead in the area and destroy it; if pitted against undead they are always your first target, even if there are some other, more dangerous enemies around.
Sign: Your lower jaw increases in size, and two long, sharply pointed tusks grow upward from it. You gain a secondary natural bite attack that deals damage according to your size (1d6 damage for a medium sized binder). You add your Str-mod to your damage roll. You cannot use this ability if you do not show the sign.
Influence: You cant help but be pessimistic. At best, you are quietly resigned to your own failure, and at worst, you spread your doubts to others, trying to convince them of the hopelessness of their goals. You voluntarily fail all saving throws against fear effects or any effect that imposes a morale penalty.
Sign: You grow a rams curling horns.
Influence: You become surly and irritable. You also develop innate dislike to spells and effects that are in any way associated with fire, sun, heat, light, law or good in any way. You resist even beneficial such spells. You must make a saving throw to resist such a spell if one is allowed; failure allows you to gain the benefit.
Sign: Your hair turns pure silver, and your eyes burn with silver fire.
Influence: You are driven to battle. You cannot withdraw from battle, or refuse any challenge of strength or skill.
Sign: Your voice deepens and acquires a gravelly, growling tone.
Influence: You love the sound of your own voice and are constantly pleased by your cleverness. Whenever you are presented with a pulpit, a stage, or any other place or object designed to give a speaker the floor, you immediately seize the opportunity to speak. Any topic will do, if others try to take control of the discourse, you either shout them down or mock them. Your speech must last a number of rounds equal to your effective binder level.
Sign: You become physically unattractive, clumsy and insecure. This is expressed as a -4 Cha reduction, to a minimum of 3.
Influence: You feel ashamed and occasionally bashful in the presence of beautiful creatures. You give deference to any creature you perceive as more attractive or charismatic than yourself. This deference might take the form of a bow, a salute, opening a door for the creature in question, not speaking until spoken to, or any other gesture that acknowledges the creature as superior to you.
Sign: While you remain silent, faint whispers whose meaning cannot be determined can be heard, which seem to come from your mouth.
Influence: You to conform, to put the many above the few. You obey the law, respect the majority, and above all, show as little difference as possible.
Sign: your skin and hair turn a pale white, and your eyes become blood-red.
Influence: you become accustomed to cold climates, and find warm temperatures almost intolerably unbearable. You must attempt to quench any fire or flames you encounter.
Sign: You look sickly and diseased, and your skin becomes sallow and pockmarked.
Influence: You lose any sign of aggression after just 1d4 rounds. You must refrain from offensive behavior during the following round.
Sign: Your eyes double in size and your eyelids become transparent. You receive a +4 insight bonus on Spot checks and Will saves versus figments, but you suffer a -4 penalty on Will saves versus patterns and gaze attacks.
Influence: You become overly trusting of and loyal to those you see as allies, even in the face of outright treachery. You may not make Sense Motive checks or use any ability to read thoughts or detect lies.
Sign: You gain a wracking cough that spews dust from your mouth. This coughing prevents you from casting any spells that have verbal components. You can resist the urge to cough (DC 15 Fort save) for a number of rounds equal your Con-bonus (minimum 1). You then cough for a round and then can try to resist the urge again.
Influence: You speak forthrightly and with confidence. You cannot use the Bluff skill, and when asked a direct question, you must answer truthfully and directly.
A binder may abandon all bound powers of a given power group and lose the physical signs and the mental influence, regaining access to bound powers (and risking imprints) upon next retrieval.
Until you complete a ritual of binding, or abandon a given binding, any preexisting binding persists.
Suppress Sign (Ex)
At 2nd level and higher, when you make a good binding, you can choose not to exhibit the physical sign that normally accompanies a binding. You can suppress or reveal the sign at will as a swift action. With a poor pact, you gain the powers of the binding, but you cannot suppress its sign. You show it for the duration of the pact and are influenced by it as normal.
Soul Fortress (Ex)
The process of binding involves constant exposure to forces that, with time, change your body, mind and soul, and gradually make you harder to influence.
- A 3rd level binder learns to embrace the horrors and hard truths of reality and becomes immune to fear effects of all kinds. The binder is now also experienced enough in manipulation to reject all forms of magical charm effects.
- An 8th level binder is experienced enough in summoning and dominating powers that he becomes immune to possession and domination.
- A 13th level binder's soul has been exposed to so much horror and influence that he becomes immune to ability drain and negative levels, be it for whatever reason.
- An 18th level binder's mind becomes inaccessible to mental influence. The binder now benefits from a continuous mind blank effect.
Bind Form (Su)
Binders of 4th level or higher may substitute any retrieved spell usage into a special variation of the Summong Monster spell of the same SL.
Instead of summoning an outerplanar creature, the binder summons its essence and binds it onto himself.
A binder has 2 different ways of expressing the result of this power:
1. The binder physically transforms into the summoned creature, acquiring all its powers/advantages/weaknesses, but not including any inherent spellcasting abilities.
2. The binder is physically transformed into an abomination a hybrid form between himself and the creature whose form he chooses to bind. When this alternative is applied, the binder's size is not modified to be appropriate for the bound creature the binder keeps his original size (modify the damage of any of the creature's physical attacks appropriately). Any attempt to identify the grafted form requires an appropriate Knowledge check with a +10 modifier to the DC.
In both cases, for any of the binder's currently active bad bindings, the binder shows the signs.
In both cases, if the binder is subject to Dismissal or Banishment effect and fails his save, the bound form is immediately stripped away.
Cosmic Reach (Su)
When confronting extraplanar and otherworldly beings, binders outshine all others.
A 7th level binder confers the Ghost Touch special ability to any weapon held for as long as he holds it. He also uses his normal AC against attacks delivered by incorporeal creatures.
Furthermore, all retrieved spell powers and all offensive class features targeted against a specific being, whether or not it requires touch attack or ranged touch attack to find its mark, the binder adds his Cha-bonus to overcome the target's SR. This ability does not extend to area effects - it applies only to powers directly guided by the binder.
Aligned Breach (Su)
Starting at 9th level, a binder's physical attacks bypass any and all alignment based DR.
Dismissal (Sp)
A 9th level binder gains the power to banish otherworldly beings back to their home planes.
A number of times per day equal to the binder's Cha-bonus (minimum 1), as a standard action, the binder may duplicate the Dismissal spell effect. A creature that makes its save ignores further dismissal attempts by that binder for the next 24 hours.
Banishment (Sp)
A 12th level binder gains increased power to banish otherworldly beings back to their home planes.
His Dismissal effect is elevated to Banishment, and the ability is now a supernatural ability.
This does not grant a binder more daily banishment attempts. It just makes them more potent.
Plane Shift (Sp)
A 12th level binder may duplicate the Plane Shift spell effect a number of times per day equal to the binder's Cha-bonus (minimum 1).
Starting at 14th level, this ability is improved to replicate Greater Plane Shift spell effect.
Maze (Sp)
A 14th level binder may duplicate the Maze spell effect a number of times between long rests equal to his Cha-bonus (minimum 1).
A target of this power ignores further attempts of Maze usage by that binder for the next 24 hours.
Special: If targeted by Maze spell effect, a binder may expend a usage of this ability as a free action to negate the effect.
Etherealness (Sp)
A 17th level binder may duplicate the Etherealness spell effect a number of times per day equal to the binder's Cha-bonus.
Perpetual Form Binding (Su)
A 19th level binder reaches the pinnacle of form binding.
From each Summon Monster group of forms available to the binder (I VIII), choose a single creature. Those 8 forms are now regarded to as the binder's perpetually bound forms.
A binder may acquire / shed / alternate between any of his selected forms as a standard action that doesn't provoke AoOs.
When exiting a given form, and then re-entering that form, any exhaustible abilities of that creature remain expended until the binder completes long rest.
Timeless Outsider
A 20th level binder becomes a native outsider, forever treated as an outsider or his original race for the purpose of spells and magical effects - whichever is more beneficial to him. Additionally, the binder no longer ages. He remains in his current age category forever.
Binding Feats
Expel Influence
You're an expert in the ritual of binding.
Requirements: Binder 6th
Benefits: Once between long rests, you may purge the influence of a bad binding without abandoning a given power group.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you're granted another daily use of this feat.
Expert Binder
You're an expert in the ritual of binding.
Requirements: Binder 5th
Benefits: When binding, you add +2 to your binding check.
This feat may be taken only once.
Frequent Binding
You've learned how to draw power more frequently.
Requirements: Binder 9th/18th
Benefits: You may retrieve power one more time per day.
Exceeding your regular daily amount of retrieving is strenuous. It raises the binding DC by +5.
This feat may be taken up to twice, at the indicated levels or later on.
Rushed Binding
You've learned how to retrieve powers very fast, but at a price.
Requirements: Binder 3rd
Benefits: You can choose to make a rushed binding check, as a full-round action instead of going through the entire ritual, at a -10 penalty to your binding check.