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View Full Version : The Mimic [3.5 Base Class] (PEACH)



Realms of Chaos
2010-04-10, 02:48 AM
The Mimic

http://th07.deviantart.net/fs71/300W/i/2010/024/9/1/Kabuto__Mirror_Mirror_by_Yakushi__Kabuto.jpg

"I’ve seen you. I’ve known you. I’ve been you"
-Rex, a mimic

Game Rule Information

Alignment: Any
Hit Dice: d6
Starting Gold: As Rogue

Class Skills:
The Mimic has all skills as class skills (as a Factotum)
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4+Int Mod) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: (4+Int Mod)


MIMIC
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Mimic Bonus

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0|Impersonation, Jack of All Trades, Mirror Combat|
+2

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Skills, Quick Adaptation|
+2

3rd|
+2|
+0|
+0|
+0|Master Profiler|
+2

4th|
+3|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Spells|
+2

5th|
+3|
+0|
+0|
+0|Impersonation|
+3

6th|
+4|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Training|
+3

7th|
+5|
+0|
+0|
+0|Masked Identity|
+3

8th|
+6/+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Attributes|
+3

9th|
+6/+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|Impersonation|
+4

10th|
+7/+2|
+0|
+0|
+0|Improved Disguise|
+4

11th|
+8/+3|
+0|
+0|
+0|Master Profiler|
+4

12th|
+9/+4|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Skills|
+4

13th|
+9/+4|
+0|
+0|
+0|Impersonation|
+5

14th|
+10/+5|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Magic|
+5

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|Masked Identity|
+5

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Training|
+5

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+0|
+0|
+0|Impersonation|
+6

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+0|
+0|
+0|Copied Attributes|
+6

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+0|
+0|
+0|Master Profiler|
+6

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+0|
+0|
+0|Superior Disguise|
+6 [/table]

Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Mimics are proficient with simple weapons and light armor.

Impersonation (Su): A mimic’s most impressive power is the near perfect imitation of others, including their strengths and defenses. In order to use this ability, you must first observe a target for three consecutive round, spending a swift action each round. If you ever lose a line of sight with the target, you must start from scratch.
After these three rounds, you adopt the target’s appearance, granting you a bonus to disguise checks made to imitate that creature equal to your mimic bonus x 5. You may only impersonate a creature whose form you could imitate with a disguise self spell, thus limiting the size and type of creatures you can imitate. Only your appearance is changed by this ability (not your scent, texture, voice, or taste).
Furthermore, you gain a bit of the target’s power. You add your mimic bonus to whichever saving throw and to whichever skill check the target has the highest modifiers in (if more than one saving throw or skill check is tied, you may choose which one you gain the bonus to). Impersonations last for 24 hours.
At 1st level, you can only maintain a single impersonation at a time. At 5th level and every 4 levels afterwards, you can maintain an additional impersonation. The benefits of multiple impersonations stack but you may only possess a single disguise at a given time. You may switch between disguises as a standard action.
While you possess your maximum number of impersonations, you may not use this ability until at least one has ended. Creatures with a true seeing spell or effect see through your disguise.

Mirror Combat (Ex): A mimic is adept at learning from his foes in the midst of combat, copying their moves. Whenever you miss with an attack, you may spend an immediate action to gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Mimic Bonus –1 for 1 round.
Whenever an opponent hits you with an attack, you may spend an immediate action to gain a bonus to all attack rolls equal to your Mimic Bonus –1 for 1 round.

Jack of All Trades: A mimic has a bit of experience with even the most obscure skills. You gain Jack of All Trades (complete adventurer, p. 110) as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the prerequisites.

Copied Skills (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a mimic can better copy a creature’s learned talents. So long as you impersonate a creature, you add your mimic bonus to whichever skill check the target has the highest modifier apart from the one chosen through your impersonation class feature.
Starting at 12th level, you add your mimic bonus to a second skill in which the target has the highest modifier apart from those already chosen through your impersonation class feature and this class feature.
If more than one such skill is tied, you choose which one that you gain.

Quick Adaptation (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a mimic can pick up small talents on the fly. With 1 hour of work, you may learn one language or gain proficiency with any weapon, armor, or shield. To learn a language, you must have the desired language spoken within earshot near continuously for this time. To gain a proficiency, you must have a sample of the desired equipment on hand.
After gaining a proficiency or learning a language, you must practice it for 10 minutes each day (under similar circumstances) or lose the benefit.

Master Profiler (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a mimic learns how to identify with whomever they copy, learning more about who they are than even they may know. You add your mimic bonus to bluff, diplomacy, intimidate, and sense motive checks against the current targets of your impersonation class feature. This bonus also applies to bluff, forgery, and perform (acting) checks made to imitate such targets.
Starting at 11th level, your knowledge of how your foes fight lets you predict their every move in combat. You add your mimic bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls against your targets, to your AC against the attacks of targets, and to your saving throws against the abilities of your targets.
Starting at 19th level, your knowledge of your foe let’s you take a bit more of their power. You double the normal bonuses of a single impersonation you have active. You may switch which impersonation is bolstered in this way as a full-round action.

Copied Spells: Starting at 4th level, a mimic learns how to imitate even a target’s most mystic techniques. So long as you impersonate a creature, you gain full access to its spellcasting ability, including any bonus spells or spell slots that it gains from a high ability score.
Your caster level when using the spells equals your class level and you may only cast spells with a spell level up to half of your class level. Use your mimic bonus in place of an ability modifier to determine spell DCs.
Casting even a single spell causes you to lose access to all of an imitated creature’s spellcasting power. You do not lose this power, however, if your use their spellcasting to counterspell other spells (unless casting dispel magic or similar spells for this purpose). You may only copy a creature’s spellcasting ability once per day, even if you dismiss their impersonation and impersonate them once more.
This ability does not grant you any other abilities of the targeted creature, even if they directly impact the creature’s spellcasting (such as a Tainted Scholar’s Tainted Spellcasting class feature).

Copied Training (Su): Starting at 6th level, a mimic learns how to copy techniques and mannerisms that the creature has spent a long time developing. When you impersonate a creature, select one feat that the target possesses and that you meet all prerequisites for. You gain that feat for the duration of the impersonation.
Starting at 16th level, you may select a second such feat. You must meet all prerequisites of that feat but you may use one copied feat to qualify for the other.
If a feat requires a decision to be made (such as the weapon chosen with weapon focus), you must imitate the target’s decision. You may not select a single feat twice unless the target has, even if it can normally be taken multiple times.

Masked Identity (Su): Starting at 7th level, a mimic learns how to hide his identity behind his disguise. You add your mimic bonus to saving throws against Divination effects. Also, whenever you are targeted by or enter the area of an alignment-discerning effect, the alignment of one of your impersonated targets is revealed instead, if any. You may suppress or reactivate this ability as a standard action. You may change which impersonation is detected as a move action.
Starting at 15th level, you instead add twice your mimic bonus to saving throws against Divination effects. Furthermore, effects that read your thoughts instead reveal shallow but realistic surface thoughts of an impersonated creature. You may suppress or reactivate this ability as a standard action. You may change which impersonation is detected as a move action.

Copied Attributes (Su): Starting at 8th level, a mimic learns how to copy even the most basic of a creature’s strengths. While impersonating a target, you gain a +2 bonus to whichever ability score that the target has the highest score in (if more than one ability score is tied, you select which gets the bonus).
Starting at 18th level, you also gain a +2 bonus to whichever ability score that the target has the highest score in apart from the one already boosted by this ability (if more than one ability score is tied, you select which gets the bonus).

Improved Disguise (Su): Starting at 10th level, a mimic learns how to make his disguise far more convincing. Impersonating a creature now allows you to impersonate its voice, taste, scent, and texture perfectly. Furthermore, whenever you don a creature’s disguise, your equipment melds into your body is replaced with a nonmagical copy of all equipment visible on the target. Any visible bulges in the target’s gear (such as with belt pouches or packs) are filled using rocks, soot, and other common items).
While hidden in this way, your items remain functional but tools (such as wands or potions) cannot be reached. You can spend a swift action to suppress or continue the disguise of a target’s equipment.

Copied Magic (Sp): Starting at 14th level, a mimic can steal even innate magical power. So long as you impersonate a creature, you gain full access to its spell-like abilities. Otherwise, this follows all normal rules for the Copied Spellcasting.

Superior Disguise (Su): At 20th level, a mimic reaches the peak of his power. You gain the shapechanger subtype and disguises created through your impersonation class feature are not pierced by the True Seeing spell.
More impressively, you may prematurely end one of your impersonation as a full-round action to use either Shapechange or Replicate Casting as a spell-like ability (caster level equals your class level). After ending an impersonation in this way, you may not replace it for 24 hours.

Realms of Chaos
2010-04-10, 02:58 AM
If any of you are getting deja vu, it's because this class was originally made by Forever Curious (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145069).

I got a couple of ideas when I was reading that class and decided to remake it in my own image. In truth, I've always wanted to make a mimic class and FC's version gave me the inspiration (and a few great ideas) that I needed.

I've gotten permission from Forever Curious to post this thread here, in case you are wondering.

In any case, there is one thing that I should explain about the class right now. The mimic bonus is not a type of bonus. It is a size of bonus that is applied (as an untyped bonus) to various things by your class features.

draco_nite
2010-04-10, 03:37 AM
Interesting class you have here. I haven't read it in depth yet, but I'd make it so that, rather than having NO saves, they have poor saves, and that at some point their mimicry can't even be fooled by true seeing.

Realms of Chaos
2010-04-10, 04:57 AM
Ironically, both of your problems could've been avoided if you had read in depth. If you pay attention to Impersonation, you eventually get 5 of them. Furthermore, each one of them grants a +6 bonus to a single saving throw by level 17. As such, you could potentially gain a +12 bonus to two saves and a +6 bonus to the third (effectively having two good saving throws).
Furthermore, when you get the final "master profiler" ability at level 17, you can double one of those +6 bonuses, meaning that you can effectively get all good saves.
You won't always have all good saves, mind you, but even stealing from your party members is likely to get you at least bad saves all around.

As for true seeing not bypassing your mimicry, read superior disguise carefully. :smallwink:

draco_nite
2010-04-10, 05:21 AM
Ironically, both of your problems could've been avoided if you had read in depth. If you pay attention to Impersonation, you eventually get 5 of them. Furthermore, each one of them grants a +6 bonus to a single saving throw by level 17. As such, you could potentially gain a +12 bonus to two saves and a +6 bonus to the third (effectively having two good saving throws).
Furthermore, when you get the final "master profiler" ability at level 17, you can double one of those +6 bonuses, meaning that you can effectively get all good saves.
You won't always have all good saves, mind you, but even stealing from your party members is likely to get you at least bad saves all around.

As for true seeing not bypassing your mimicry, read superior disguise carefully. :smallwink:

I think I understand how it's done now, but I don't get WHY it's done this way. It feels like an overlycomplicated system for just a small bit of flavor.
Unless, that is, you could give yourself a single, ridiculously high save at the cost of your other saves.

Although, my biggest problem with this class is its sheer complexity and/or wordiness.

EDIT: Okay, I think I have a good grasp of how this class works.

Is Copied Spells once per day period, end of story, or does it let me copy spellcasting once per day per person? (That is to say, could I copy spellcasting from a wizard A, B, and C all in one day?)

Also, I really think that the ability to learn a language in one hour should, at the very least, have an intelligence requirement. (If you want a suggestion, just ditch the language part of Quick Adaptation and maybe give a tongues spell-like ability usable X times per day at level 12 or so.)

Realms of Chaos
2010-04-10, 08:18 AM
I fail to see the complicated part of this class. It has a mere baker's dozen of abilities, most of which refer back to a single number (your mimic bonus). The wordiest ability is Impersonation and that is shorter than the description of a barbarian's rage... :smallconfused:

Copied spells was intended to be once per day per spellcaster but back when I made the ability, you couldn't dismiss your impersonations early. I realize now that even not counting the possibility of impersonating dozens of mages, the ability to impersonate person after person until you find an ideal creature (needed feats, abilities, and skills in one place) is more than a bit overpowered. :smalltongue:
As such, I have removed the ability to dismiss impersonations early. In this way, a character may be dissuaded from simply copying all of his/her party members in the off-hand chance that they need a disguise later on.

As for speaking languages, I don't see why it's so powerful that I'd have to delay the level. I know that the monk has to wait for it but this is far from a universal tongue.
What you get is a full hour spent trying to learn a single language, after which you need to spend time each day to maintain it. In my mind, it's a bit worse than Comprehend languages (a 1st level spell).
Consider that most mimics will need to be taught the language by another party member, meaning that this ability doesn't enact any special contact that the party couldnt' otherwise make. Most times, it just allows the mimic to pull off a more convincing disguise or to communicate with others in an obscure language.
I will acknowledge that learning such languages through extraordinary means would require great intellect but in truth, I originally intended for it to be another Supernatural power. I just happened to make a typo.
...
Hmm, guess I should've started out by saying that, huh? :smallredface:

Xzoltar
2010-04-10, 09:13 AM
Keep the language as it is, prefer this way more than having tongues at will or sometimes per day.

Overall its quite solid, the only part is about spellcasting, once per day is little low, I dont see what you can really do about that, but maybe a increase number of time per day depending on your class level...

But I like this a lot

Forever Curious
2010-04-10, 01:11 PM
...wow. Way to blow mine out of the water, Realms. :smalltongue:

I sincerely like this class over mine. Despite having similar abilities, yours are handled much more elegantly than i could conceive. Hats off to you sir.

Temotei
2010-04-10, 03:42 PM
1d6

That should be d6, not 1d6. Otherwise, mimics get six plus their Constitution modifier hit points forever. :smallbiggrin: