The Mimic

{table]Level|B.A.B|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Mimic Reserve
1st|+0|+0|+0|+2|Anything You can Do|1
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+3|Bonus Feat|1
3rd|+2|+1|+1|+3|Follow My Lead|1
4th|+3|+1|+1|+4|-|2
5th|+3|+1|+1|+4|Neat Trick|2
6th|+4|+2|+2|+5|One Step Foward|2
7th|+5|+2|+2|+5|Sometimes Your Better|3
8th|+6/+1|+2|+2|+6|Bonus Feat|3
9th|+6/+1|+3|+3|+6|Hate to Rain on your Parade|3
10th|+7/+2|+3|+3|+7|-|4
11th|+8/+3|+3|+3|+7|Looking in a Mirror|4
12th|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|-|4
13th|+9/+4|+4|+4|+8|Spell Resistance|5
14th|+10/+5|+4|+4|+9|Your Blood is my Blood|5
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+5|+9|-|5
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10|Bonus Feat|6
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+5|+10|Two Steps Back|6
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+6|+11|-|6
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+6|+11|Thats the Way Things Go|7
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+6|+12|Make a Move|7[/table]

Abilities: Charisma and Intelligence are the most important abilities for the mimic, as they tie directly into their class abilities. A good constitution and dexterity aids the mimic in surviving long enough to put his abilities to good use, and a good strength allows his to fight along side the rogue in combat.
Alignment: Any
Hit Dice: d8

Class Skills
Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Jump, Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Local), Listen, Perform, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Swim, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6+ Int modifier) X 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int Modifier

Class Abilities
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The mimic is proficient with all simple weapons, as well as the long sword, short sword, rapier, broad sword, light flail, lance, halberd, longbow, and short bow as well as with light armor and light shields.

Anything You can Do(Sp): At 1st level, the mimic’s eyes have become adept at seeing his opponent’s skills and mimicking them. As an immediate action during the turn the skill is being used, a mimic can make a gather information check (DC= to 10+level of the person using the skill+1/2 the ranks of the skill user). If this check succeeds, the mimic has stored it into his memory, and can at any time use the skill with the same roll as his opponent.

Mimic Reserve(Sp): A mimic stores the stolen abilities of his opponents deep within his mind, but this process is a difficult and strenuous. A Mimic can only keep several abilities in his mind at the start of his career , and gains more as he gains levels. A Mimic may store any such ability for 1d4 minutes plus his charisma modifier. Should he attempt to mimic another ability while his pool is full the oldest mimicry is lost and the new one added to the pool. A mimic may only use one mimicry ability a round. Any use of a mimicry is a standard action.

Bonus Feat: At second level, and 8th and 16th, a Mimic may chose a bonus feat for which he meets all prerequisites.

Follow My Lead(Su): At 3rd level, the mimic learns that all is not about your opponent, but sometimes about your friends. At anytime an ally fails a skill check, the Mimic may expend one of his unused abilities in his mimic reserve to make the same skill check. Everyone in 30 feet of the Mimic may take his roll as if they rolled it.

Neat Trick(Sp): At 5th, a mimic learns to duplicate feats he has seen in use. This ability does not work on passive feats, metamagic feats, reserve feats, bloodline feats, or ambush feats. As an immediate action on the round the feat is being used a mimic may make a gather information check(DC= 10+Level the Feat was taken + CR of the feat user). Any time after he has mimicked this feat he may attempt to pull it from his mimicry pool, requiring a successful gather information check. If this check pass’s you successfully duplicate the feat, even if you do not have the prerequisites, if the check fails you lose the mimicry with no harmful affects. You must be able to see the feat in use to attempt a mimicry.

One Step Forward(Su): At 6th level, the Mimic, continuing to learn how best to aid his comrades in battle, has learned swift sequences to teach his friends how best to avoid certain attacks. At the expense of two abilities in his mimic pool, a Mimic may roll a reflex, fortitude, or will save for any ally in 30 feet he has line of sight to. The Mimics roll must be taken even if it is lower.

Hate to Rain on Your Parade(Sp): At 9th level, a mimic has learned to steal the gestures and words of power of the wonderworks of the world. Any time a spell is cast within 30 feet of you, you may attempt a gather information check(DC=10+level of the spell+ CR of the spell caster). If this check succeeds, you add the spell into your mimic pool. Should this spell have metamagic feats applied you do not gain the benefits. Unlike other mimicries, the forces of this ability are harder and more complex and as such you may only keep such a spell in your pool for 1d4 rounds plus your charisma modifier. When attempting to use the spell, you must make a successful gather information check. Should the check succeed the spell is cast as normal, if the check fails, you sustain 1d6+level of the spell nonlethal damage.

Looking in a Mirror(Sp): At 11th level, the Mimic has learned to mimic speech patterns, hand motions, and even the appearances of others. A Mimic may copy any humanoid or monstrous humanoid he has seen for at least 10 rounds. This ability can not change the Mimic’s height, though he may make use of stilts or other enhancing objects. A Mimic must succeed at a disguise check and expend one ability in his Mimic Reserve. This ability lasts for one hour plus the Mimics charisma modifier.

Spell Resistance(Su): At 13th level the mimic has gained a bubble of personal energy that negates harmful spell affects. The mimic gains spell resistance equal to his class level + 10.

Your Blood is my Blood(Sp): At 14th level a Mimic learns to change the flow of his blood to mimic that of other monsters, and in doing so learn to copy their spell-like abilities. This ability is otherwise identical to Rain on Your Parade. Along with the ability to mimic spell like abilities, the Mimic can attempt to learn a metamagic feat with his Neat Trick ability.

Two Steps Back(Sp): At 16th level, the Mimic has studied on many abilities that those in his world possess, allowing him to copy these abilities while barring them from those he took them from. A Mimic must succeed on a successful melee touch attack that provokes an attack of opportunity. A Mimic must then succeed a gather information check, equal to the opponents AC plus 5. If the check succeeds the Mimic may copy a single class feature from the opponent. If he chooses a spell casting ability he has spells equal to the opponent minus one from the highest level of spells known. A Mimic must meet the prerequisites for the class ability to use it. Using this ability requires the expenditure of two abilities in the Mimics reserve, and lasts for a minute plus the Mimics charisma modifier.

That’s the Way Things Go(Sp): At 19th level may attempt to use two abilities in his mimic reserve in a single turn. Both abilities require the applicable gather information check, but the second ability is a move action and a failed check deals 5d10 nonlethal damage plus charisma modifier.

Make a Move(Sp): At 20th level the Mimic has learned to watch the battlefield like a hawk and memorize his opponent’s abilities faster then he ever thought possible. At 20th level, a Mimic can use any ability during a foes turn, so long as he has enough spaces within his mimic reserve. Also the range in which he can learns these abilities increases by 30 feet, and he does not need to see an ability used to make an attempt to mimic it.

I like the concept but there are too many dead levels.

what would you suggest?

Realms is right. The idea is awesome, but the dead levels kill it. Perhaps a small spell progression?

thank you for the good reviews, i was really leery on this class since i came up with it in an hour...how about something that rewards them for not spending thier mimic reserve on using the ability. I was going to do that with the feats but...well here was the idea. Take what follow my lead was going to do. Instead of using a mimic reserve to use a copied power it was going to allow the Mimic to roll a skill check and everyone in 30 feet could use that roll. Sort of like the savant from Dragon. So if everyone blew thier search check the mimic would just go "follow my lead" and everyone would go "OOOOOOOOOOOOH"

Here's something to fill in some deal levels:

Acquired Feature [General]
You can assume the features of a class other than your own.
Prerequisites: Intelligence 15+, Wisdom 15+
Benefit: You can take any one class feature from any class & use it, even if it you have no levels of that class. You must follow all rules & restrictions of a class feature to use it.
Also, you must have a BAB equal to or greater than the feature’s native class + 3 to use that feature. For example, to use the Trackless Step feature available to 3rd level druids, you must have a BAB of 3 or more, like a 4th level druid.
Furthermore, in order to use a feature that is dependent on a lesser feature, you must have the lesser feature. Another example, if you wish to obtain the feature of a 4th level barbarian to rage twice a day, you must first gain the ability to rage once per day.
Spellcasting abilities are excluded, but spell-like abilities (such as a paladin’s Lay on Hands or a monk’s Abundant Step) are permissible. You cannot use this feat to gain bonus feats. You cannot use a class feature from a Prestige Class that you do not qualify for.
This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time you take this feat, it applies to a different class feature.

Change it to a class feature, nerf the snot out of it by spreading it out its power across a bunch of levels, & viola! It's a feat idea I had a while back, but it was ill conceived & even more poorly received. But if used as an evolving class feature, then it could be appropriate, as it's total powers approach epic capability.

i tired to make a class around that....it got ugly...quickly...though i think it gives me an idea...thank you Zeta...perhaps you would like to help me make a decent uncrazy generic class when this thing is said and done? And perhaps i should give them straight good saves? And i have added several abilities to them, what do you all think?

Feats

Monkey See
Prerequisites: Mimic level 6, Charisma 15
Benefit: With this feat, the mimic may, as an immediate action, try to mimic a targets attack. The Mimic must successfully make a gather information check (DC=10+Attack roll)). If the check succeeds, the Mimic may make a single attack, using the opponents attack roll. The Mimic must survive the initial attack to use this ability, and it expends a single ability in the Mimics Reserve. This may not be taken as a bonus feat.