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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Feb 2011

    Default [3.5e PrC] Master of Masks Revisited

    MASTER OF MASKS (revisited)
    Belief and perception shape reality. In worlds where religions derive might from the faith of believers and where amazing magic sways the mind, those who command the senses hold great power. In such an environment, the master of masks takes center stage. Wearer of a thousand faces, with an identity as fluid as that of a crowd of strangers, this thespian of possibilities decides what is real and what can be.

    Becoming a Master of Masks
    A master of masks must be a consummate actor. Anyone capable of shifting from role to role convincingly might enter the prestige class. Many are bards, who are the most obviously talented in the performing arts. Particularly theatrical rogues or those who specialize in disguise also sometimes become masters of masks, as do some multiclass sorcerers or wizards—especially those with a fondness for illusions. Characters of a more martial bent or serious personality usually see acting as frivolous and do not pursue the class.

    Entry Requirements
    Skill: Bluff 8 ranks, Disguise 8 ranks, Perform (act) 8 ranks.
    Languages: Any four.
    Special: Must have successfully impersonated an individual,
    fooling even that person’s friends and associates.

    The Master of Masks Hit Die: d6

    Class Features
    You take on roles as befits your situation. Whether adopting the persona of the jester to entertain a crowd or the persona of the gladiator and joining battle, your greatest talent is your versatility.
    {table]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will |special|Class|Personae|Slots/Borrow|Copy pts
    1|0|0|2|2|Persona mask, Switch full action, imprint persona|+1 existing|3|2/0|0
    2|1|0|3|3|+1 steal damage per steal| |4|2/0|0
    3|1|1|3|3|Add slot (3), copy abilities,mask specialist|+1 existing|5|3/1 (4hr)|3
    4|2|1|4|4|Switch as move action, +2 steal damage per steal||6|3/1 (8hr)|4
    5|2|1|4|4|Hidden mask,Add slot (4)|+1 existing|6|4/1 (12hr)|5
    6|3|2|5|5|+3 steal damage per steal||7|4/1 (24hr)|6
    7|3|2|5|5|Switch as swift action, Add slot (5) |+1 existing|7|5/2 (1d)|7
    8|4|2|6|6|+4 steal damage per steal||8|5/2 (2d)|8
    9|4|3|6|6|Add slot (6)|+1 existing|8|6/2 (3d)|9
    10*|5|3|7|7|Actor- Switch as immediate action, Add slot (7) no switch /day checks||10|7/3 (4d)|10
    10*|5|3|7|7|Chimera- *switch imm, no mask, any persona||10|0|0
    10*|5|3|7|7|Facestealer- Add slot(8), switch imm, no persona, enhanced stealing, no switch /day checks||0|0/8|20
    [/table]
    * You must choose between these three at level 10

    PERSONA MASK:
    Your Persona Mask allows you to change who and what you are based on character personae you develop drawn indirectly from the world and those around you, or stolen or copied abilities or characteristics you’ve drawn directly from others. Your mask occupies your face slot.

    As your character progresses and you experience more and more of the world you will be able to develop new personae to imprint onto your mask. You’ll also have the capability to improve your mask by adding new slots and you’ll learn to switch personae more easily and quickly.

    Character Personae: These are similar to characters you might play. They fall under certain archetypes and bring with them set abilities.</li>
    Stolen Personae: By leaving a slot empty on your mask starting at level 3 you can attempt to borrow or steal qualities from another.</li>

    You gain the ability to develop potent magical personalities, each of which allows you to take on a different persona and gain some aspect of that creature or archetypal character. Creating a new persona requires 8 hours of work. To gain the benefit of a persona, you need to add it to a slot on your persona mask (see Imprinting Character Personae below)
    Your master of masks level is your caster level for any spell-like abilities produced by a mask.
    In addition to its other benefits, a persona conceals your alignment, replacing it (for the purpose of detection spells or abilities) with an alignment appropriate to the mask. You still retain your normal alignment for all other purposes (such as if a paladin uses smite evil against you).

    IMPRINTING CHARACTER PERSONAE:
    Imprinting a personae on your mask takes a full hour of uninterrupted work. You can not imprint the same personae multiple times on your mask. Removing a personae from your mask takes ten minutes time. You can create more than one mask (or a replacement if the first mask is lost or destroyed) but only one mask can be active and activating a second mask makes the previous mask becomes inert and useless. Activating a personae requires a successful successful Perform(acting) + MM level check must be made against DC 20 plus a concentration check if distractions are present. Only one check can be made every 10 minutes.

    IMPRINTING COPIED PERSONAE:
    Imprinting a copy is a two step process. First you take the imprint from the subject and then a successful Perform(acting) + MM level check must be made against DC 20 + pts spent plus a concentration check if distractions present to activate them. Only one check can be made every 10 minutes.

    Copy abilities: You can start using the copy ability at level 3 and from that point on your have copy ability points equal to your level, ie at level 3 you have 3 points, at level 10 you have 10 points.

    Ability check (+MM level + cha/int bonus if applicable) against DC 15 + Total Point Cost + Subjects will save. Willing subjects get there will save only if damage is being done and only up to the amount of damage that will be caused in successful. Unwilling subjects get their full will save. MMs without a spell casting class can attempt this but only add their MM level.

    The way to instigate a copy depends on the circumstances:
    1. Unwilling target (normal status) - first target must be grappled (see Blank persona below), then a touch attack must be made with the mask. Effect is then determined normally.
    2. Unwilling target (other status) - target may be stunned, dazed, unconscious, charmed etc. if a saving throw is permitted to resist charm or something like that then they receive another opportunity to save. If touch attack is automatic then go straight to determining the effect of the attack.
    3. Willing target - If the target permits the transfer then they forgo their will save unless hp damage is going to be caused. In which case they receive their will save up to the amount of damage being caused, ie if the transfer will cause 2pts damage and they have a +4 will save they would save at +2 NOT +4. As part of the Blank persona you have the option to add a Steal damage bonus and you can decide to do non-lethal damage.


    Failure - You are stunned for 1 minute, you take damage as determine below
    Success - Subject stunned for 1 minute, you can decide how damage as determined below is split, from 100% to yourself to 100% to subject. If subject dies from the damage caused you can keep using this persona indefinitely though this persona is not added to your known persona list and once removed can not be added again.

    Table 1 : Copy Abilities
    {table]Ability|Points Spent|Damage taken (willing/unwilling)|Duration|Special
    Appearance|1|0/1|Total of 10 min per/mm lvl per day|+10 disguise, as disguise self
    Voice|1|0/1|Total of 10 min per/mm lvl per day|+14 diguise
    Mannerisms|1|0/1|Total of 10 min per/mm lvl per day|+20 disguise
    Information|2|2/2|Receive when activated|
    Special Quality1 |2|2/2|MM/2 times per day|
    Physical Form|4|4/4|Total of 10 min per/mm lvl per day|As alterself
    1pt Characteristic bonus2 |1|1/1|While active|
    2pt Characteristic bonus2 |3|2/2|While active|
    3pt Characteristic bonus2 |6|4/4|While active|
    4pt Characteristic bonus2 |10|10/10|While active|
    [/table]
    1 Some special qualities like flight or darkvision require the physical form to function.
    2 You can only steal characteristics above your own. For example if you have a strength of 10 and the subject has a strength of 12 you could only steal 2 points.

    SWITCHING CHECKS:
    The more persona switches you make per day the greater the chance of difficulties.
    {table]Persona Count |Will save: |Failure
    5|DC 10|+1 persona count
    10|DC 12|+2 persona count
    15|DC 15|+3 persona count
    30|DC 20|MM - d10 : result < 0 Can’t use persona for result number of hours / result = 0 persona is stuck for d4 hours / result > 0 persona works at level equal to result
    [/table]


    Mask Specialist (Su): Starting at 3rd level, you innately enhance the abilities of any magic mask you wear (such as the mask of the skull, DMG 262). If the mask creates an effect that requires a saving throw, the save DC increases by 2. If the mask grants a bonus on skill checks, that bonus is increased by 2. Otherwise, the mask’s caster level is treated as two higher. This ability has no effect on the persona masks you create and use.

    Hidden Mask (Su): Beginning at 6th level, you can make your mask become invisible (or return it to visibility). Activating or deactivating this ability requires a swift action. The mask’s benefit applies regardless of whether it is visible.

    Destiny (Su): At level 10 you have become a true Master of your Mask and of the abilities it grants you and may choose how that mastery is expressed:

    Chimera: You have discovered that your mask was merely a tool for channeling the power you yourself contain. Through the ritual destruction of your mask you gain the ability to channel any of your known persona at will as an immediate action. You forgo the ability to steal abilities but as you have come to realize that was a symptom of the mask’s imperfections. You no longer run the risk of problems from overusing switching. There is no non-persona face to you now and you must always have one persona selected.

    Facestealer: You have discovered that the true power of the mask is to take the best of the world and make it yours. The persona of the mask were shadows and illusions and have kept you from realizing your true potential. You no longer have access to the learned character persona but now have 8 blank slots, 20 steal points, your steal attack grapple now causes paralysis d4 minutes (will save DC 25 to resist), and you get a +2 bonus to your ability check for stealing.

    The Actor: You continue along the path of balance. You move between characters, disguises, assumed roles, and stolen faces with ease. Those expecting the simple assassin dressed in black with a dagger will never see you coming.

    Persona List
    {table]Angelic Persona|Angel related abilities
    Archmage Persona|Wizardly abilities
    Assassin Persona|Stealthy assassin abilities
    Blank|Ability stealing
    Crone Persona|Divination abilities
    Demon Persona|Demonic abilities and demon summoning
    Draconic Persona|Fire breathing (maybe allow different breath weapons?) fear
    Duplicitous Persona|Deception abilities
    Elemental Persona|Fire, Water, Earth, Air Elemental abilities
    Entertainer Persona|Performance bonus and some mass charming
    Fey Persona|Fey and enchantment abilities
    Gladiator|Weapon proficiency, bonus, temp hp, small AC bonus
    Guardian Mask|AC bonuses, stoneskin, poison resistance
    High Priest|Cleric spells and divine caster bonus
    Infiltrator Persona|Disguise, bluff
    Jester|Perform comedy, balance, tumble, enthrall
    Lich|fear, cold resistance, vampire touch, etc.
    Lord|Diplomancy, gather information, remove fear, heroism, etc.
    Magician Persona|Prestidigitation (improved, master, sublime) some illusions
    Mermaid Persona|swimming and water breathing, small # of water spells
    Savage|Claws, low-light visions, bonuses to balance, climb, and jump
    Scholar Persona|bonus to knowledge, can use knowledge untrained, comprehend languages, decipher script
    Brute Persona|+ str, small - int, + str skills per/day
    Acrobat Persona|+ dex, small - con, + con skills per/day
    Sage Persona|+ wis, small - cha, + wis skills per/day
    Charmer Persona|+ cha, small - wis, + cha skills per/day
    Genius Persona|+ int, small - str, + int skills per/day
    Stalwart Persona|+ con, small - dex, + con skills per/day
    [/table]

    VARIATION OPTIONS:
    • Perform(acting) check for each persona check
    • Need to observe someone fitting the person character type before being able to create persona
    • Something other than a mask: coat, wig, something difficult to remove though
    • Roleplay personalities to go along with the active persona.
    • Changing mask by verbal or somatic action allowing for mechanisms to prevent switch
    • Choose the persona available each day like spells for the day
    • Limit the number of times you can use each person per day.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Pixie in the Playground
     
    RedWizardGuy

    Join Date
    Feb 2011

    Default Re: [3.5e PrC] Master of Masks Revisited

    This is my first attempt at something like this so apologies for any obvious missteps. I haven't included the details of the personae just to save space but I took most of the existing ones in the class as it appears in the Complete Scoundrel but tried to add to them a bit logically. Things like reading up on what angels can actually do and adding a few low level abilities that they also have other than fly. I think the main weak areas for me are in the whole stealing ability thing as I'm not really sure how that would play out and some of the DC ability checks. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

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