[3.5] The Lovecraftian Binder

[Selenir]

The more I read about the Binder class, the more I can see it being used for a brilliantly creepy, terrifying Cthulhu-esque cultist/summoner archetype, especially when used in a more "typical" fantasy party (your wizard, your rogue, your cleric, and your fighter types). Even better if the other party members don't know what class I'm playing.

Having little experience with Binders myself, other than the interesting list found here (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=9094.0) of summoner tricks the Binder can play, I was looking for interesting/powerful/flavorful options for making the Binder a true lovecraftian terror.

The ideas I had so far were these:

Binders with Zceryll can summon "angelic" creatures, but they're Pseudonatural aliens. Sounds to me like they're twisted, hollow copies - a mockery of angelic perfection, with distorted and mutated forms. This would work even better in a campaign with a lot of exposure to "real" celestials.
A binder who slowly became more and more tainted as he bound vestiges and gains levels. Perhaps a variant of the Taint mechanic, or the Tainted class from Dragon Magazine?


I think this would be a fun way to play up the creepiness factor of a character, and bring some scary Cthulhu-mythos material into the campaign. Any ideas you have, from prestige classes to feats to roleplaying suggestions, would be a great help!

[The Mentalist]

If homebrew is allowed The Demented One has some Mythos Vestiges (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7315805&postcount=52)

[Selenir]

If homebrew is allowed The Demented One has some Mythos Vestiges (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7315805&postcount=52)

While this is awesome-looking, I'd like to avoid homebrew for the time being, since I'm unsure of what campaign this would even be in (so I can't get the DM's approval due to not knowing who the DM shall be! :P).

[Gildedragon]

Well there's a lot that can be done with the binder flavor. Horror-wise:
Failed checks should increase the binder's taint. Certain vestiges are more corruption-y and others more depravity-y. The hide sign ability also grants the internal corruption property

Vestige influence always happens. Failed checks produce unconciousness for 1d6 hrs during which the vestige has full control of the body

Vestige appearances are not illusory, but pseudoreal. Trying to bind a vestige higher than your max level is possible, but the vestige might break loose and attack

Pacts are for goals, not just sensory experience. Binder must accomplish X or Y or further X or Y

[llehctim]

I once played a binder (which was supposed to be a secret from the rest of the party, but one of them basically looked at my character sheet when I wasn't paying attention and blurted it out ruining that).

But she was from a noble family charged with watching over the ancient creatures sealed away for eternity. However she was a follower of vecna, and learned how to gain their powers in exchange from giving them a small amount of freedom. This was a great character and I was sad that despite asking for one i could find no reason to continue adventuring with a group of as she saw them 'incompetent unreliable idiots' who at several points blackmailed her into helping, stole stuff (at sword point) from her to give to someone who was obviously scamming them, and several other things.

I am also using the vestiges as a basis for some of the creatures in a campaign I am running, they are a sign of the walls of reality cracking and things pushing through, and once bound they cannot be unbound.

I am absolutely in love with the concept and fluff behind them. I also like the idea behind truenaming, but apparently they are so bad they are banned in most games I wanted to play in.

[Pally din]

For Lovecraft, binding elder evils: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258840
But I suspect that is more power than you want.

[sreservoir]

For Lovecraft, binding elder evils: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=258840
But I suspect that is more power than you want.

ah, wrong kind of binding.