Subsystems without classes

[Flickerdart]

I'm curious what all the ways are of partaking in 3.5's various subsystems without any sort of class level investment. Let's start a list! For the purposes of the list, a subsystem is an ability normally granted by a class that provides the character with access to a list of options that are normally unavailable.

Feats

Arcane spellcasting:
Magical Training (PGtF) - Arcane CL 1, three cantrip slots, 2 spells known as sorcerer or 3 as wizard.

Psionics:
Hidden Talent (XPH) - ML 1, one power known from any list, and 2 PP.

Meldshaping (Incarnum):
Bonus Essentia (MoI) - 1 bonus essentia, 2 if you can already meldshape
Various "blue" feats (MoI) - 1 bonus essentia
Extra Chakra Bind - Bind 1 more chakra
Open Least/Lesser/Greater Chakra - Gain the ability to bind a soulmeld to a chakra
Shape Soulmeld - Gain the ability to shape a soulmeld from any list at MeL of 1/2 your level

Initiating (Martial Adepts):
Martial Study - Learn one maneuver from any list.
Martial Stance - Learn one stance from any list.

Binding:
Bind Vestige - Bind a 1st level vestige and gain one specific power from it, BL 1
Improved Bind Vestige - Bind up to a 3rd level vestige and gain one of two specific powers from it, BL 5

Spells and Powers

Divine Spellcasting:
Imbue with Spell Ability - A cleric gives you some of his spells (up to 2nd level) using the cleric's level and Wisdom for variables.

Psionics:
Mental Pinnacle - Gain ML = CL, CL*3 PP and knowledge of 5 specific powers

Incarnum:
Open Least/Lesser/Greater Chakra - Gain the ability to bind a soulmeld to a chakra
Psionic Open Chakra - Gain the ability to bind a soulmeld to a chakra

[Dread_Head]

You should probably add the third binding feat (Improved Binding?) which lets you get the second vestige power.

You can take Precocious Apprentice after Magical Training to gain a 2nd level spell 1/day.

Planar Touchstone (Catalogues of Enlightenment) gives you a domain ability, although I'm not sure that qualifies as a subsystem.

[Xaotiq1]

Dare I mention the feats that allow characters to use utterances from the Truename section of Tome of Magic?

[Ruethgar]

Magically Adept and Magical Affinity can never remember which does which but one lets you switch out your Gnome Cantrips and the other gives you a few 0 level spells per day based on Int from Dragon Magazine and KoK.

Minor Divine Spellcaster from Dragon Magazine gives up to 7 orisons per day and it's prereq Divine Channeler gives you access to the Turn/Rebuke subsystem.

Sculpt Self from DrgMg can do all of the subsystems that can be put into magic items via the custom prestige race guidelines.

[Flickerdart]

Dare I mention the feats that allow characters to use utterances from the Truename section of Tome of Magic?
Those all have prerequisites of "X utterances known" unless I missed one.

[Xaotiq1]

Those all have prerequisites of "X utterances known" unless I missed one.

Nope. The first of the chain, Minor Evolving Mind only requires Truespeak ranks, 6 I think. Also, you can get all of them without any actual levels in Truenamer. It does eat 5 feats; but it's possible. :smallsmile:

[Flickerdart]

Nope. The first of the chain only requires Truespeak ranks. Also, you can get all of them without any actual levels in Truenamer.

Which one is the first one?

[Nashira]

Does rune casting fall into this list? As I recall there are several feats to help facilitate it.

[Telok]

The luck system that shows up in... Complete Scoundrel? Completely feat based (bad), one PrC (also bad), but with some interesting effects. Unfortunately there are too few uses per day to be worth the cost, that can be fixed by taking enough levels of the PrC but then you lose your level appropriate class abilities.

[thorr-kan]

Oooh! I wanna play!


You can take Precocious Apprentice after Magical Training to gain a 2nd level spell 1/day.
Some claim that Precocious Apprentice and use of spellbook rules allow 9th-level casting. I don't cotton to that myself, and I'm not going to derail the thread with an argument about it.

But it allows:
Reserve Feats! Only one, depending on your one 2nd-level spell, but hey! You're a sorcerer!

It and 4 ranks in Spellcraft allow:
Practiced Caster. Congratulations! Your caster level can now equal up to CL 5.

CL 4 allows Extra Spell. CL 3 allows Extra Slot. You now can add 0-level and 1st-level spells as long as the feats hold out.

CL 3 and 4 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) allow:
Obtain Familiar!

You've now got: spellbook, a familiar, cantrips, an at-will ability, and you're acquiring spells. Congratulations! "Yer a wizard, 'arry!"

I've always wanted to strap these to a Commoner chassis and mess with some fellow players brains.

[Ruethgar]

I actually made a campaign setting that was E6 and entirely mundane NPC classed characters. So much magical training.

[mabriss lethe]

There are also, off the top of my head:

The feats that grant a handful of spells as SLAs in Complete Arcane

The various heritage feats that allow access to spells as SLAs or psionic powers

Draconic Auras

Devotion feats

[Calimehter]

For the sake of completeness, Wild Talent should probably be listed alongside Hidden Talent. It does not unlock psionic powers like Hidden Talent does, but it does unlock psionic focus and psionic feats.

Hidden Talent is strictly superior, but Wild Talent does not have the "intended for high psionics" tag on it, so might be allowed in some campaigns where Hidden Talent is not. I can personally attest to at least one example. ;)

Edit: bad sentence structure

[WhamBamSam]

Planar Touchstone (Catalogues of Enlightenment) gives you a domain ability, although I'm not sure that qualifies as a subsystem.The higher order ability lets you cast a spell out of the domain in question 1/day - actually cast as a (presumably divine) spell mind you, not a SLA thing - if you've got enough Wis, a character level high enough to cast the spell (presumably equal to the requisite Cleric level by RAI, but who knows what the RAW might be). You need to keep Plane Shifting back to recharge it every few days though.

While it's a SLA as opposed to an actual spell you cast, you'd be surprised what you can leverage from the Draconic Rite of Passage, possibly with Draconic Resevoir for a few extra uses/day.

[Novawurmson]

For Pathfinder, the eldritch heritage feat line gets you the sorcerer bloodline abilities. The variant multiclass rules can get you a ton of "subsystems" like arcane discoveries, magus arcana, wild shaping, and the like. Occult Adventures has feats to get a couple psychic spells per day.

[Dread_Head]

If items that grant abilities count then there is also the Crown of the White Raven line of items that grant manoeuvres 1/encounter.

[ben-zayb]

Soulbound items are essentia receptacles

[kulosle]

Now what would be a build that used as many of these as possible. Like say in E6 where feats are abundant. how confusing of a character can you make?

Also you can put kobold shenanigans on the list.