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Optimystik
2009-03-09, 07:25 AM
So I was flipping through Tome of Magic again, but instead of jumping around the back to Truenamer like I usually do, I decided to give the Binder a second look. It still seemed rather... quirky... to me. But then I saw one of the greatest PrCs I'd ever laid eyes on: the Anima Mage.

It was love at first sight. Both the mechanical and roleplay opportunities are endless. At first I thought binders had weaker flavor than shadowcasters and truenamers but the sheer oomph of this class knocked the wind clear out of me.

Mechanical Bonuses:
Turn vestiges into metamagic;
Full DUAL caster progression;
Trading vestige abilities for spell slots (of any level you can access!);
Gain an (unnamed!) Initiative bonus every time you make a good pact;
Immediate action any spell once per day, which becomes Stilled and Silenced for free (if I read that right...)

Roleplaying Opportunities:
Hiding eerie signs from your party members;
A laundry list of wacky influences (which are even optional, although penalties apply;)
Opportunities to play riddles/word games/arm wrestle/staring contests with your DM, with circumstance bonuses to your binding check riding on the outcome;
Keeping a wary eye out for witch hunters in every village;
Living a double life: mild-mannered party wizard by day, covert summoner of the unknowable by night (or whenever each particular vestige demands to be summoned :smallwink:

Has anyone ever played this class and come away with some stories to share? Are there any good builds I should know about? Is there another class with this much crazy flavor and mechanical goodness? (Besides Planar Shepherd obviously!) Is it possibly too good to be true?

Darth Stabber
2009-03-09, 08:45 AM
Played it, it leads to some crazy interactions. And trust me Binder is the best of the 3 base classes in that book for flavor, and mechanics. The shadow caster, oh blah, blah blah, I like shadows, bla, bla SLA prgression, bla, bla, Not particularly original. The Truenamer is just buggy. Binder, amuzing flavor of a person effectivly allowing themselves to become partially possessed to gain a form of magic. All of the vestiges have interesting stories behind them. Binder is the best 1/3 of the book. Anima mage is probably the best dual progression class that i have seen.