3.5 changeling chameleon HELP?

[Gustav]

Hi everybody I am Gustav,
I need help with a lv 10 changeling chameleon character... A very versatile one ... Some kind of spy able to infiltrate changing appearence and role...
Can you help me?
Thank you
Gustav

[Segev]

My go to build is Incarnate 3/Totemist 2/Chameleon 5 for level ten multishifter chameleon changelings. The incarnum soulmelds let you monkey with skill specialties and give room to fake other abilities that complement your disguise and your chameleon levels.

[Jack_Simth]

My go to build is Incarnate 3/Totemist 2/Chameleon 5 for level ten multishifter chameleon changelings. The incarnum soulmelds let you monkey with skill specialties and give room to fake other abilities that complement your disguise and your chameleon levels.
Won't using those Incarnate and Totemist levels come with a bunch of manifestations and signs that the person you're faking wouldn't have? Might be problematic. Perhaps Bard-5 or Factotum-5? Also has the added benefit of having a non-Chameleon caster level, which lets you qualify for item creation feats via that floating feat from Chameleon-2.

[Malphegor]

I think I left my notes for this at work (I mean no boss I was absolutely not dreaming up D&D builds) but I think somewhere I had plans for a changeling Beguiler/Chameleon, with the idea being that they’d use the enchantment magic when their cover was blown. I’ll check tomorrow if I remember.

I think somewhere in my plan the spell Consume Likeness (magical cannibalism) was suggested as a ‘make some forms give more’ method, giving the changeling a (mildly evil I suppose) boost to some disguises and giving them movement methods and survival stuff (eat a mermaid you can properly be a mermaid and breathe underwater whilst a mermaid) rather than normal changeling stuff that is more like Disguise Self than Alter Self.

[Gustav]

Thank you!

[Cerefel]

It kinda depends on whether your chameleon impersonates existing people or creates their own personas. If they're just creating their own personas then a fun option could be something like bard1/incarnate1/binder3/chameleonX. With this build you end up with a few ways to swap out abilities on a day-to-day basis

[Malphegor]

Needs some filler stuff to increase the skills to qualify for stuff (scrap exemplar if needed), but mainly would be statting for INT, CHA, and maybe WIS.

Changeling: Beguiler2/Exemplar2/Chameleon10/Shaper of Form 1

Corrupt spells- as Chameleon lets us prepare arcane spells, at level 10 Chameleon we can get the spell Consume Likeness, which we can use our ability boon from it to offset the wisdom cost.... Huh. Wait, are Chameleons basically perfect for long duration sacrificial spells then? Weird.
This lets us consume people to take on their physical form. This is something we can do anyway without eating people as a changeling, but +10 to disguise checks, plus we also get movement and survival option included too. (This basically just turns your disguise into more like alter self as a physical thing imo, but eh.)

Shaper of Form- Mainly because I really want to play with this one day. Once per day, you can change a non-magical object into another object of the same type, loose approximate size, and composition, and worth. Swords into scimitars, ropes into whips, that kind of thing. Depending how creative you can be with it, it could be handy to have as early as possible.

Chameleon lets you learn and write spells from any arcane or divine spellcasting class, up to level 6 spells. Arcane's a hassle since you have to learn them the old fashioned way (I think you don't get spells when you level up, so scroll learning's the way. Still worth it.), but divine spellcasting is ridiculously powerful.

Beguiler- probably not essential (from memory that was in my plans just to be an arcane caster from the getgo for something that's not in this any more), but having charm person immediately plus they get all their spells at once spontnaeously is nice for low levels. Light armour is useful for keeping up disguises at least. Plus at level 2 you can use bluff to feint- with a charisma heavy build that's fun, deny people dex AC bonus by being all errol flynnish.

Exemplar: As you're going to need to be skillful anyway, this lets you give a buff to your party's skills. (note- when disguising yourselves, take the hit to your disguise, buff your party, and have a makeover session. Aid Another action with the Exemplar's lend skill means you get more than you lose, so you disguise yourselves better with the power of friendship!)

Feats Needed
(note that Chameleon has a floating daily bonus feat at level 2. We can probably use that for a permanent thing if necessary for a prerequisite though not ideal as that bonus feat is pretty handy for simulating rare abilities (a lot of stuff needs turn/rebuke undead to fuel it, and it's kinda funny to imagine an uber shapeshifter getting that animal cleric feat that gives you laser wings). Otherwise use that occasionally for the changeling feat Persona Immersion, which lets us lave misleading results if we save vs a divination or psionic power of 3rd level or lower)

Chameleon: Able Learner

Exemplar: Skill Focus (Any (probably disguise))

Shaper of Form: Great Fortitude, Spell Focus (Transmutation)

Skills Needed
Chameleon: Bluff 8, Disguise 8, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 4
Exemplar: Diplomacy 6, any other skill 13
Shaper of Form: Craft Alchemy 5, Craft any 8, Knowledge Arcana 5

Weird Needed
Shaper of Form: Be able to Cast 6 transmutation spells (I think you should just have this just by being a Chameleon- divine spells should cover that and you have a lot of them, just a prayer away)

[Gustav]

needs some filler stuff to increase the skills to qualify for stuff (scrap exemplar if needed), but mainly would be statting for int, cha, and maybe wis.

Changeling: beguiler2/exemplar2/chameleon10/shaper of form 1

corrupt spells- as chameleon lets us prepare arcane spells, at level 10 chameleon we can get the spell consume likeness, which we can use our ability boon from it to offset the wisdom cost.... Huh. Wait, are chameleons basically perfect for long duration sacrificial spells then? Weird.
This lets us consume people to take on their physical form. This is something we can do anyway without eating people as a changeling, but +10 to disguise checks, plus we also get movement and survival option included too. (this basically just turns your disguise into more like alter self as a physical thing imo, but eh.)

shaper of form- mainly because i really want to play with this one day. Once per day, you can change a non-magical object into another object of the same type, loose approximate size, and composition, and worth. Swords into scimitars, ropes into whips, that kind of thing. Depending how creative you can be with it, it could be handy to have as early as possible.

chameleon lets you learn and write spells from any arcane or divine spellcasting class, up to level 6 spells. Arcane's a hassle since you have to learn them the old fashioned way (i think you don't get spells when you level up, so scroll learning's the way. Still worth it.), but divine spellcasting is ridiculously powerful.

beguiler- probably not essential (from memory that was in my plans just to be an arcane caster from the getgo for something that's not in this any more), but having charm person immediately plus they get all their spells at once spontnaeously is nice for low levels. Light armour is useful for keeping up disguises at least. Plus at level 2 you can use bluff to feint- with a charisma heavy build that's fun, deny people dex ac bonus by being all errol flynnish.

Exemplar: As you're going to need to be skillful anyway, this lets you give a buff to your party's skills. (note- when disguising yourselves, take the hit to your disguise, buff your party, and have a makeover session. Aid another action with the exemplar's lend skill means you get more than you lose, so you disguise yourselves better with the power of friendship!)

feats needed
(note that chameleon has a floating daily bonus feat at level 2. We can probably use that for a permanent thing if necessary for a prerequisite though not ideal as that bonus feat is pretty handy for simulating rare abilities (a lot of stuff needs turn/rebuke undead to fuel it, and it's kinda funny to imagine an uber shapeshifter getting that animal cleric feat that gives you laser wings). Otherwise use that occasionally for the changeling feat persona immersion, which lets us lave misleading results if we save vs a divination or psionic power of 3rd level or lower)

chameleon: Able learner

exemplar: Skill focus (any (probably disguise))

shaper of form: Great fortitude, spell focus (transmutation)

skills needed
chameleon: Bluff 8, disguise 8, sense motive 4, spellcraft 4
exemplar: Diplomacy 6, any other skill 13
shaper of form: Craft alchemy 5, craft any 8, knowledge arcana 5

weird needed
shaper of form: Be able to cast 6 transmutation spells (i think you should just have this just by being a chameleon- divine spells should cover that and you have a lot of them, just a prayer away)

amazing!!! Thank you!!!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Huh, as a spy Shaper of Form's power could be amazingly useful. Transform a treaty, letter, or other document into one that says something slightly different.

[DEMON]

Shaper of Form: Be able to Cast 6 transmutation spells (I think you should just have this just by being a Chameleon- divine spells should cover that and you have a lot of them, just a prayer away)


You can’t use any abilities gained from your aptitude focus, ability boon, or mimic class feature abilities to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other option. You can use your bonus feat to qualify for such options, but if you change the feat, you suffer the normal drawbacks for no longer meeting a prerequisite or requirement.

6 levels of Beguiler spellcasting could give you enough transmutation spells to qualify, 4 levels would leave you 1 spell short.

[Falontani]

Changeling Rogue 1! Grants 10+int mod x4 skills. That is probably going to be 48 skill points, but could be 60 skill points at first level.
Another one to look at is master of masks.

[DEMON]

Changeling Rogue 1! Grants 10+int mod x4 skills. That is probably going to be 48 skill points, but could be 60 skill points at first level.

That's a very solid advice. And not only does this give you the extra skill points, but also an extra knowledge skill and a skill mastery on steroids for all the social skills out there.
Costs you the Trapfinding class feature, but that shouldn't matter too much (and if it does, can be regained via Beguiler).
Rogue 1 / Beguiler 4 is a very reasonable entry to Chameleon and should fit the spy role very well.

Also, the Cabinet Trickster PrC might be worth looking at.