[3.5 PrC] The Unbound Mind, Take 2. Now Completely Different. (PEACH)

[finalepic]

Okay. The previous Unbound Mind was a bad idea, I think. This has nothing to do with it outside of the name and that it's a psion class.

The Unbound Mind

Telepathy is a great discipline. Being able to influence the thoughts and action of another creature is fantastic. However, this is often not possible. Perhaps the creature has no mind. Perhaps undeath is protecting it. To an unbound mind, such trifles are of little consequence.

Becoming An Unbound Mind
Becoming an unbound mind requires dedication to telepathy, a bit of luck, a bit of psychokinetics, but, most of all, a lot of workarounds. It is most often a mantle taken by those adventurers who would wish to use the power of telepathy but are frequently denied it's use.

Entry Requitements
Feats: Power Penetration
Skills: Psicraft 8 ranks, Knowledge (Psionics) 8 ranks, Knowledge (Any other) 8 ranks
Powers: Charm, Psionic, Control Object


Class Skills
The unbound mind's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Profession (Wis), and Psicraft (Int).

Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + Int

Hit Dice: d4

Unbound Mind
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Powers

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Unchained Power (Intelligent Undead)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Unchained Power (Vermin)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3|Unchained Power (Plant)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Unchained Power (Constructs and Mindless Undead)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4|Unchained Power (Anything), Open Mind|+1 level of existing manifesting class[/table]

Unchained Power (Su): The signature (and only) ability of an unbound mind is the ability to work around the outright immunity to mind affecting abilities of certain creatures through cunning use of telekinesis. If you attempt to manifest a mind-affecting power on a creature who is immune to it and that creature is of a type covered by this feature, you may augment the power for 2 PP and expend your psionic focus to treat the creature as if it had a PR of 11 plus it's HD.

This ability applies to intelligent undead at first level, vermin at second level, plants at third level, constructs and mindless undead at fourth level, and anything else at fifth.

Open Mind (Su): The capstone of the unbound mind is the ability to completely crush any resistance a creature may have to his all-controlling mind. At fifth level, the unbound mind may ignore an immunity to mind-affecting spells and powers outright. This costs them no aditional PP.

[DragoonWraith]

A. cool idea.

B. I personally feel that the myriad "no-buttons" against Mind-Affecting effects are ridiculous and unfair, and therefore I feel like a PrC that is designed to get around them does not have to be too harsh about it. In other words, I feel like you have over-compensated for your features by giving them very high costs - honestly, the 5 levels spent in this class as opposed to another PrC is debatably high enough (this would be more true for a Spellcasting class, though, since Manifesters have a very hard time avoiding progression loss).

I think this would be fine if it only gave a 10+HD Power Resistance to targets (50/50 chance against targets with equal HD, assuming no ML boosting, and ML boosting is very hard), and I don't think Open Mind needs to be limited to 1/day.

[finalepic]

A. cool idea.
Thank you very much, but I can't take credit-a player asked me for a PrC that did this and I whipped it up in a few minutes. PrC's are so much easier than base classes it's kind of unfair.


B. I personally feel that the myriad "no-buttons" against Mind-Affecting effects are ridiculous and unfair, and therefore I feel like a PrC that is designed to get around them does not have to be too harsh about it. In other words, I feel like you have over-compensated for your features by giving them very high costs - honestly, the 5 levels spent in this class as opposed to another PrC is debatably high enough (this would be more true for a Spellcasting class, though, since Manifesters have a very hard time avoiding progression loss).
And here I thought I was making something too powerful for it's own good again.


I think this would be fine if it only gave a 10+HD Power Resistance to targets (50/50 chance against targets with equal HD, assuming no ML boosting, and ML boosting is very hard), and I don't think Open Mind needs to be limited to 1/day.

This is actually how it was initially, but then I decided that it was too powerful. This puts my mind at ease. What about the PP cost? Keep it like a metapsionic feat?

[DragoonWraith]

I'm not sure about making it Metapsionic, honestly. I could go either way on that one.

Mostly, it comes down to how much you want to restrict your player on this. Mind-Affecting effects can be dangerous, which is why they're so easily defended against - it's problematic when the player can just Dominate the BBEG (or, more likely, the quest giver, or the ruler of the local government, or whatever) and have them reveal all their plans and secrets (or just shower them with riches and power). On the other hand, if you're not worried about that kind of thing, it's probably not necessary.

Hmm. I guess I'd say you're probably safe with the PR thing in there, really. A 50% chance to fail against even-leveled targets seems reasonable.

[Serania]

I happen to be playing the BBEG in the campaign this was designed for, as a matter of fact. I'm not really bothered by the idea that he can ignore the fact that I'm undead to try to mind control me. :smallwink:

[finalepic]

Mostly, it comes down to how much you want to restrict your player on this. Mind-Affecting effects can be dangerous, which is why they're so easily defended against - it's problematic when the player can just Dominate the BBEG (or, more likely, the quest giver, or the ruler of the local government, or whatever) and have them reveal all their plans and secrets (or just shower them with riches and power). On the other hand, if you're not worried about that kind of thing, it's probably not necessary.

I have no issue with this. I trust my players. I'd like this to be fine with other people, though I think that it's entire concept is something that really depends on the person using it. When I was making it, I admit that I had things like Mind Stab in mind more than Charm, though Charm and Dominate would be it's main uses, I think.