Master of the Mask 's

[ReD_Exorcist]

So I was flipping through the Complete Scoundrel Book and I saw Master of the Mask. I well be starting a Campaign with one my friends right now he is my DM for a campaign were in right now he plans to make a new campaign. So my question overall is what race is with Master of the Mask's. We are starting at lvl3 possibly using a point by system. Also it must be 3.5 and from the Wizards of the Coast

[Mithril Leaf]

Changeling is probably a decent choice. Eberron Campaign Setting.

[Darrin]

Changeling is probably a decent choice. Eberron Campaign Setting.

If you're looking for a source that's not campaign-specific, they were also printed in the MM3.

If you're looking for ideas on what to do with Master of Masks, you might want to look at Person_Man's Haberdash the Masked (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88633).

As far as races go... changeling is probably the best go-to for social engineering stuff. Whisper gnomes are fun for being sneaky. But it's still hard to beat the bonus feat from human or strongheart halfling.

[Telonius]

Changeling is good, and so is Human. But I'd give a little bit of caution - it's not a very powerful prestige class, except as a one- or two-level dip. Most often, you'll be entering it from either Rogue or Bard, or possibly Beguiler. Master of Masks has a worse BAB progression than Rogue or Bard, and fewer skill points than any of the three.

Bard and Beguiler both take a serious hit in power if you take all of the levels. You only gain four caster levels over ten levels, and it doesn't advance Bardic Music. The few spells you'd gain from the masks don't make up for the higher-level spells you'd lose by staying in your base class.

Even if you're coming in as a Rogue, take a look at the list of class skills. Notice what isn't on it: Diplomacy, Disable Device, Hide, Move Silently, Search, Tumble, or Use Magic Device. If you take more than a couple levels, your skills are really going to suffer for it. Able Learner can help, but it's a feat you wouldn't otherwise need to take.

That's not to say, don't take the prestige class at all. There are some very nice abilities just from a single level. The Gladiator mask, particularly, grants proficiency in all martial and exotic weapons. It's great for getting access to things like the Elven Thinblade or the Spiked Chain without having to spend a feat on proficiency. The Faceless mask is another nice one for a passive benefit.

(EDIT: The Haberdash build only uses a single level).