Template: Empath . . . . . is this balanced?

[nonsi]

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Empath (template)
You’re blessed with unnatural intuition and mental empathy.
Requirements: on character creation only
Benefits: You gain a +2 Wis increase, as well as the following 3 benefits:
1. As a move action, you may concentrate w/o moving to feel the mental state of an individual creature within 30’. You may tell if the creature is happy, worried, anxious, angry, eager, fascinated, depressed and so on. You may even tell whatever mixed emotions the creature is experiencing.
2. As a free action, you may converse telepathically with a creature within 30’. This form of telepathy is language-based.
3. Your intuition grants you +2 on all opposed Wis-vs.-Cha and Cha-vs.-Wis skill checks.
LA: +1

[ShedShadow]

So basically the cost is your level 1 feat? Seems a bit OP to me since you get for the cost of one feat a +2 to Wisdom, which in itself is better than most feats until you get to epic level feats, but then you also get telepathy and a limited life sense. You also may invalidate sense motive when faced with someonw who is lying since you can tell when that person is lying by simply focusing. As such, the answer is no, it is not balanced. For a +1 LA it would be better, but the sense insincerity is too powerful.

[nonsi]

So basically the cost is your level 1 feat? Seems a bit OP to me since you get for the cost of one feat a +2 to Wisdom, which in itself is better than most feats until you get to epic level feats, but then you also get telepathy and a limited life sense. You also may invalidate sense motive when faced with someonw who is lying since you can tell when that person is lying by simply focusing. As such, the answer is no, it is not balanced. For a +1 LA it would be better, but the sense insincerity is too powerful.


You're right.
I've refined that part. Hope it's OK now.

[ShedShadow]

You're right.
I've refined that part. Hope it's OK now.

Jup, looks great! When giving it the LA, you might even consider dropping the feat tax, since you are already paying it with a level, so to speak.

[nonsi]

Jup, looks great! When giving it the LA, you might even consider dropping the feat tax, since you are already paying it with a level, so to speak.


Good to know. I wanted to make sure that LA+1 alone is not overreaching.