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darklink_shadow
2013-11-20, 04:59 AM
This is my first homebrew on this website, well, except for a few things I ported over from other places at request of others. I'm not a very talented homebrewer, but let's see if I can't cook up some houses anyways.


Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special|Power Points|Powers Known|Max Power Known
0|0|0|0|2|Nothing|0|0|0th
1|0|0|0|2|Powers, Cleverly Hidden, Psispy|1|1|1st
2|1|0|0|3|Lurk, Art of the Spy, Liar|1|2|1st
3|2|1|1|3|Expanded Knowledge|2|3|2nd
4|3|1|1|4|Hide in Plain Sight|3|4|2nd
5|3|1|1|4|Telepathy (Same Language)|5|5|3rd
6|4|2|2|5|Lingering Psibond, Psibond(Sense Link)|8|6|3rd
7|5|2|2|5|Telepathy (Any Language), Psibond(Empathy)|13|7|4th
8|6|2|2|6|Psibond(Empathy)|21|8|4th
9|6|3|3|6|Telepathy (Any), Double Psibond, Psibond(Suggestion)|34|9|5th
10|7|3|3|7|Psibond(Dominate)|55|10|5th




Powers: The Psionic Spy gains Powers off the Psion Power list in addition to the Telepath Discipline Powers. Cha based.

Cleverly Hidden: The Psionic Spy may use his Intelligence Modifier or his Dexterity modifier for his Hide, Move Silently and Slight of Hand skill modifers.


Psispy: A Psionic Spy may create a disguise in half the time normally required. In addition, any penalties from assuming a disguise of a different gender, race, age, or size are reduced by 2.

Liar(Ex): A Psionic Spy is under a constant Glibness spell, except that the bonus to bluff is equal to your character level, up to twice your Psionic Spy level.

Lurk Starting at 2nd level, the Psionic Spy gets a bonus to his hide and move silently checks equal to half his level rounded down.

Art of the Spy(Su): Starting at 2nd level, the Psionic Spy gets Spell like abilities to aid him while spying. Caster level equal to Psionic Spy level plus half other levels and racial hit dice. Saves are CHA based.

Ventriloquism a number of times per day equal to half his Psionic Spy level. You gain this at 2nd Level

Minor Disguise at will. You gain this at 2nd level.

Minor Image a number of times per day equal to one third his Psionic Spy level. At level 10, you may use this at will. You gain this at 3rd level.

Pass Without Trace at will. You gain this at 3rd level.

Disguise Self three times per day. You gain this at 4th level.

Projected Image twice per day. You gain this at 5th level.

Halster's Image Swap once per day. You gain this at 5th level.

Spy Master At 8th level, you gain an array of special SLA. You gain:


Net of Shadows heightened to a level 5 spell at will.
Shadow Blink Maneuver once per 5 minutes.
Shadow Walk as the spell 3 times per day.
Dance of the Spider Stance at will.


Expanded Knowledge(Ex): Starting at 3rd level, and every odd level thereafter, the Psionic Spy gain the feat Expanded Knowledge, though he may only pick a power from one of the Psionic Disciplines.

Hide in Plain Sight(Ex): The Psionic Spy gets Hide in Plain Sight at level 4.

Telepathy(Ex): Starting at 5th Level, The Psionic Spy has Telepathy reaching out to ten times his Psionic Spy class levels, and can communicate with any creature who shares a language with him.

At Level 7, he can communicate with anyone who knows any languages via telepathy as if he knew that language and he can communicate emphatically with creatures with an intelligence score.

At Level 9, he can communicate with anything through any means they can communicate. This means he joins Hive Minds, although he cannot be commanded through them, or detected through them. It also means his Psibond can effect any creature, including swarms, constructs or the undead. (See Psibond)

Psibond (Su): Starting at 6th Level, The Psionic Spy has the ability to establish a Psionic Link between him and another creature he can communicate with telepathically. This takes a standard action to initiate, and lasts as long as the Psionic Spy concentrates, up to a maximum of 1 minute per level. An unwilling subject is allowed a Will save (DC 10 + Psionic Spy Level + your Charisma Modifier) to resist. This can only be used on a target you can communicate telepathically, however once established, the link persists even if they leave your telepathic range (although, the psibond is suppressed while the subject is on a different plane.) While Psibonded to a target, you are afforded various options for gathering information or manipulating your target. All saves are charisma based.

Sense Link: As the Psion Power, with the following exceptions: it can be activated or reactivated as a swift action, deactivated as an immediate action and lasts only until the Psibond lasts. You gain this ability at level 6.

At levels 8 and 10, you may sense with one additional sense.

Empathy: As the spell Detect Thoughts with the following exceptions: it can only target your Psibound target, and it reveals information as if you concentrated for 3 rounds. In addition, you gain +2 to bluff, diplomacy, sense motive and intimidate with any targets effected by your Psibond ability. You gain this ability at level 7.

Suggestion: As spell, with a caster level equal to half your Psionic Spy Level, usable only once per Psibinding. You gain this ability at level 8.

False Sensory Input: As the Psion Power, except it only take a swift action to activate or maintain each round and no save is allowed. You gain this ability at level 9.

Dominate: As Dominate Monster, caster level equal to your class level. This ability lasts for one hour and ends your Psibond, although you can reaffirm your Psibond by using it again. You gain this ability at level 10.

Lingering Psibond: At level 7, your Psibond lasts up to your Charisma Modifier rounds (minimum 1) after you stop concentrating on it. If you resume concentrating on it the following round, you retain the Psibinding as if you had never stopped concentrating.

Double Psibond: At level 9, you may maintain two Psibonds with the same concentration check. Any abilities used on either of your targets must be maintained separately, however.

Gaiyamato
2013-11-20, 05:25 AM
If this is a base class it is very weak on the Psionics, though it has a lot of good abilities. If it is a prestige class then you need to specify the entry requirements. I'll keep watching this as you have a bit more to go.
Well done for giving this a go however. :smallsmile:
First time can always be daunting.

darklink_shadow
2013-11-20, 05:36 AM
It's a base class, and it has more psionics than a Psychic Warrior, but less than a Psion. I could dump some more SLA's on it. Oh, or give it a psionic blast, much like an eldritch blast.

darklink_shadow
2013-11-20, 08:09 PM
Gai, I've updated it, adding in Art of the Spy and Psibolt. Does it look good enough for use now? I might change the Power Points given. Right now they are just the Fibonacci sequence.

JoshuaZ
2013-11-21, 12:37 AM
Base classes are generally 20 levels.

Is there a reason they get so little at level 1? That's the most unrewarding first level I've seen since Pale Master.

Skills are needed as well as it die. You also need to specify which abilities are supernatural or extraordinary. Some of them are not obviously in one or the other. The "Lurk" ability is one example.

darklink_shadow
2013-11-21, 01:19 AM
Base classes are generally 20 levels.

Is there a reason they get so little at level 1? That's the most unrewarding first level I've seen since Pale Master.

Skills are needed as well as it die. You also need to specify which abilities are supernatural or extraordinary. Some of them are not obviously in one or the other. The "Lurk" ability is one example.

I don't like 20 level base classes very much. And I am not going to make one. But everything else is valid.

I will give him something else at level one though, I guess.

I'll list Su and Ex where needed now. And skills... Yeah, he need skills. For now, we can all just pretend everything is class skills.

Gaiyamato
2013-11-23, 03:16 AM
Ok.. thought this over.
With the range of powers you have there this really needs to be a prestige class at least.

What you need to do is sit down and think about:


What power can I not get from pre-existing classes?
What themes are not covered that I want?
What would be the most suitable base class to advance the theme and powers I want?
What features of a base class do I want to advance?
What features of a base class am I willing to lose?
What would be a reasonable list of requirements to enter into the prestige class?
Are there similar prestige classes I could use as a template or a guide?


You have already answered them to a large degree. But worth re-thinking your goals a bit.

Copy one of my prestige class templates, delete my stuff and start filling the blanks in. Make a new post for it at first so you don't lose your existing work.
When completed then copy it back into the OP. :smallsmile:

darklink_shadow
2013-11-23, 05:58 AM
I'd rather have it toned down a bit. I want this as a base class. I'll drop some features.

Gaiyamato
2013-11-23, 07:08 AM
Well, base classes work a little differently. For a start it needs to be 20 levels long with the abilities stretched out over it. If you want to advance an ability or two faster you need to then build a prestige class that drops some abilities and advances others faster.

darklink_shadow
2013-11-23, 07:51 AM
Perhaps, but I've learned the majority of my homebrewing from Frank Trollman and Koumei. Many of their classes only intend to 10 levels, because it's well accepted that many base classes shouldn't be taken to twenty because you should prestige out.

I could make it go to 20, but perhaps at another time. For now, I only need 10 levels.

Perhaps I will make a series of prestige classes that are made special, ten levels long, that you can take to supplement this class. I'll work on that ... some time later.

Gaiyamato
2013-11-23, 07:55 AM
The point of making it to 20 is to work out how to stretch the class abilities out and make it reasonable. A good well designed class should be able to function fine if you take all 20 levels.
There are plenty of high-op builds using 20 levels of an existing class if that is what you are going for.

As a level 9 character you wont be getting more than 3 levels of a Prc anyway.
So it might be better to focus on fluff and what you would enjoy playing instead of trying to make a 10 level power class.

darklink_shadow
2013-11-23, 08:03 AM
This isn't a full caster or a full manifester, though. It keeps up in max power, but it has a crippled power point progression, and instead gets a bunch of spell like abilities, similar to a warlock's evocations, only the Psionic Spy doesn't get to cherry pick his abilities, they are focused towards stealth, illusion, and espionage.

I don't think there are many high op builds that take 20 levels on a non-full casting class.

I can extend the levels, but it doesn't really need it's power stretched out. I already did a same game test with it, and it's about T3 or so, and that's with optimizing.

It has a lot of stealth abilities, but it's own offensive power comes from it's limited amount of powers. In fact, I think I need to give it the psibolt back. I did the same game test with it when it had that bolt.

If I add 10 more levels, that is what I'd be doing, adding 10 more levels of stuff to it.

I encourage you to actually take the class for a spin. It's weak at everything short of breaking and entering.

General Patton
2013-11-23, 02:10 PM
...but it has a crippled power point progression...

Dude, the 20th fibonacci number, starting from the 1st 1, is 6765. As it stands, any progression of this beyond 10th level will be extremely broken.

darklink_shadow
2013-11-23, 06:58 PM
Dude, the 20th fibonacci number, starting from the 1st 1, is 6765. As it stands, any progression of this beyond 10th level will be extremely broken.

Oh, well, yes, that part is definitely true. Going to have to revert to psychic warrior pp.

TechnOkami
2013-11-23, 07:04 PM
Just a random mention: you should probably omit the Level 0 entirely. It does nothing for the class, an would make any player feel as if they were taking a dead level (which are never fun).

Gaiyamato
2013-11-23, 07:05 PM
Well as it stands this class is just taking a bunch of powers and granting them as free SLAs and PLAs and off-setting it with slightly fewer powers and power points, which is easy to get back.
Stack that with the right race/template combo and by level 8 you can pump out more stuff than a level 12 Wizard or Psion can and will be a better assassin than many level 15+ dedicated builds. Your ten levels give you more than most builds get within 20 levels excluding stupidly high-op stuff.
Just glancing over this gives me a huge listed of broken scenarios.

So unless you keep to the standard class structure for DnD and tone it down quite a lot I am going to have to just deny this.

Network
2013-11-23, 11:42 PM
I can extend the levels, but it doesn't really need it's power stretched out. I already did a same game test with it, and it's about T3 or so, and that's with optimizing.
The class has access to the psion's list of power with no level delay, so for me it is a very low T2* (low because they have few power known. However, unlike sorcerers, psionic characters have ways around it).

* Theoretically, all full manifesting classes should be T1 since they can learn all the powers they want if they can pay for it, but the general opinion is that they are only T2 because of their general lack of power selection compared to spellcasters.

Gaiyamato
2013-11-24, 12:39 AM
Boosting powers known and pp is a snap. It is not really much of a hindrance. In particular with a bucketload of SLAs and PLAs with little restriction on their use.
For me this is a low tier 1 class easily, and that is before you start stacking a prestige class on top of it later.
Combined with the right template and feat selection this can potentially easily shoot up to the top end of tier 1 without even trying hard.