PDA

View Full Version : Suspicious One, take two



Stycotl
2008-05-03, 04:45 PM
This is the same ttapavoiia (pronounced tap-a-voy-a) that i posted last week. no one seemed to want to comment on it, and my theory is that it is because i tend to go overboard on fluff writing. so i shrunk it down to manageable sections, and would really appreciate it if people would offer their input. this is one of the more ambitious projects that i have done; it required a lot of time, and i wrung every ounce of creativity out of my brain that i could, so again, i would very much like to see what people think.

particularly about the individual neuroses.

and about the capstone contingency ability.

Stycotl
2008-05-03, 04:49 PM
Ttapavoiia

Ttapavoiia is the simplified pronunciation of a word in the truename language that corresponds indirectly to “Suspicious One”

At his best, the ttapavoiia is the crazy old hermit that lives in the ruined fortress at the top of the hill, scowling at all of the villagers below. Or he might be the crazy old hermit that lives in the gutter along the side of the road, mumbling about extraplanar conspiracies that plot to steal his kidneys. But at his worst, the ttapavoiia is a maniacal fiend, clever and calculating, and operating outside of the laws of what normal people would consider reason and sanity.

Though he is a master of truenaming, among other arts, strangers might see the ttapavoiia as merely a harmless lunatic. Those that know him firsthand are generally quick to note his dark cunning and his incredible focus. As he progresses in whatever path he is on, the suspicious one attains unequaled knowledge of noticing and avoiding the unwanted attention of others. His personal philosophy—translated into terms that a normally rational being could comprehend—would be something along the lines of, “That which cannot find me cannot affect me, and cannot know that I am waiting with garrote in hand to strangle the life from its miserable, scheming flesh.”

Needless to say, the suspicious one is a charming individual, certain to bring life and style to any occasion.

Becoming a Suspicious One

The ttapavoiia have no organization, no creed, and no brotherhood—their secrets have been passed on informally and not without suspicion, and at times at the point of a sword, or the coercive force of a mental compulsion. Within the realms of their neurotic studies, they are usually self-taught, though it is not uncommon for a ttapavoiia to instill some of his paranoid tendencies on his apprentices—if he has indeed kept any. A ttapavoiia that is still under the influence or tutelage of a sorcerer, archwizard, or prelature, will most likely find himself disowned rather quickly—often merely for the unease which he causes in others, though in no small from the paranoid rants and conspiracy theories spouted at any opportunity. Two ttapavoiia are not likely to recognize each other as such unless they had a shared history of some sort. Rather, they would soon become suspicious of the motives and abilities of the other, especially once it was realized that the other shared some talent for misdirection and truenaming. In fact, rather than cooperate, ttapavoiia that run into each other are more liable to begin a personal war than they are to recognize a kindred spirit and to offer alliance or aid.

Hit Dice: d4

Requirements
Abilities: Intelligence 18, Wisdom 14, Charisma 14
Base Will Save: +5
Feats: Iron Will, Obscure Truename, Truename Research
Skills: Bluff 5 ranks, any two Knowledge skills 10 ranks each, Perform 5 ranks, Sense Motive 10 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks, Truespeak 10 ranks
Spellcasting: caster level 7th; able to cast detect scrying and nondetection or suitable alternatives* (as determined by the GM).
Truenaming: ability to utter up to 2nd level utterances from the Lexicon of the Evolving Mind, among them hidden truth
Special: The character must know his personal truename. He must already exhibit traits that would qualify it as somewhat mentally and socially unstable. This qualification is not determined as evidenced by those around the character (citing the fact that many alien creatures would already be thought of as crazy, neurotic, and paranoid by the societal standards of normal humanoids; e.g. most dragons, undead, and evil outsiders), but must be an individual state of paranoia or neurosis. This can be exhibited through a flaw (such as neurotic, obsessive-compulsive, etc), a derangement, a willing deformity feat, or superb roleplaying if the GM determines it sufficient.
* The invocations gaze of the old ones, and dark mirror (thanks demented one) count for warlocks qualifying for this prestige class.

Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentrate (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (all; Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Truespeak (Int).
Skill Points: 4+Intelligence modifier

Ttapavoiia
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2| Alias-1, Dissonant Reality, Paranoid Awareness I |--

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3| Alias-2, Neurosis, Unhinged +1/-1, Utterance |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+3| Alias-3, Paranoid Awareness II |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| Alias-4, Anticipate Divination, Neurosis, Unhinged +2/-2, Utterance |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+4| Alias-5, Paranoid Awareness III |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

6th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| Alias-6, Neurosis, Unhinged +3/-3, Utterance |--

7th|
+3|
+2|
+2|
+5| Alias-7, Paranoid Awareness IV, Personal Truename Backlash |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

8th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+6| Alias-8, Neurosis, Unhinged +4/-4, Utterance |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|
+4|
+3|
+3|
+6| Alias-9, Paranoid Awareness V |+1 level of existing spellcasting class

10th|
+5|
+3|
+3|
+7| Alias-10, Neurosis, Unhinged +5/-5, Utterance, contingency |+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Spellcasting: At every level except for 1st and 6th level, the suspicious one gains new spells per day (and new spells known if applicable), and an increase in caster level, as if he gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he had belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit that a character of that class would have gained. If he had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a suspicious one, he must choose to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, spells known, and arcane caster level.

Truenaming: Ttapavoiia levels are stack with any other truenaming class for purposes of truenamer level in order to determine the highest level of utterances he can learn, etc. At every even-numbered level, the ttapavoiia learns one utterance of equal or lower level than the highest level utterance that he can learn. If the suspicious one does not possess any truenamer levels, then he gains any of these four feats: Minor Utterance of the Evolving Mind (1st-level utterance), Utterance of the Evolving Mind (2nd-level utterance), Utterance of the Crafted Tool (1st-level utterance), or the Utterance of the Perfected Map (1st-level utterance). He must qualify for the feat by Truespeak ranks and utterances known in order to take it.

Alias (Su): At 1st level, the ttapavoiia can create various pseudonyms, each one crafted by subtly altering and warping the syllables of his personal truename in ways that entrap individuals that are ignorant or imprecise in their research or pronunciation. The Paranoid One will learn at later levels how to ‘rig’ the syllables of an alias with powerful wards and traps. Others who attempt to speak the ttapavoiia’s personal truename without being tutored by the ttapavoiia himself will almost invariably utter at least one of the rigged syllables when they fail their truespeak checks.

These aliases ultimately serve to confuse and sidetrack those that would attempt to learn or speak the suspicious one’s personal truename, giving them an additional +1 to the DC of any such check for every alias that the ttapavoiia has created.

Dissonant Reality (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, and at every even level thereafter, the ttapavoiia gains a +1 bonus to Will saves as his skewed vision of reality has begun to stubbornly anchor his mind against all effects that would dominate and cripple lesser—or less suspicious—personalities. Someone attempting to read the mind of a ttapavoiia would have less of an idea as to what the fractured, chaotic thoughts would actually mean. Someone trying to control the actions of a ttapavoiia through mental compulsions would be hard pressed to even know where to begin squeezing the mental vice. Someone attempting to alter the perceptions and realities of the ttapavoiia through illusions would have to be able to wade through the already warped perceptions that continuously vie for the honor of being the ttapavoiia’s current reality.

This bonus increases by +1 for every Neurosis that the Paranoid One possesses—including Neuroses bought through the Deepening Neurosis feat.

Paranoid Awareness (Su): At 1st level, the ttapavoiia gains a level of supernatural consciousness that allows him to sense when he is the focus of another’s attention. Any time another creature pays the suspicious one any attention as described below, he will automatically be made aware of it. Though he will know that someone is paying him mind, the details that he learns are dependent upon how experienced he is within his ttapavoiia path. As the ttapavoiia becomes more powerful, he can sense increasingly more obscure and powerful variants of attention, and the distance at which he can sense these attentions grows. The actions which he can take—either offensive or defensive—when he is the target of another’s attention also increase as he becomes more powerful.

With a successful Sense Motive check (DC=10+1.5*CR of individual) attempted as a standard action, the ttapavoiia can gain rudimentary knowledge of who or what it is that is focusing on him; he learns whether the intent is benign, hostile, or indifferent, and he learns the alignment of the target. If he succeeds in this roll by 5 or more points, he gains insight as to the intentions of the snooping creature (as regarding the ttapavoiia himself, and no other details). If he succeeds in his roll by 10 or more points, he learns the race and class of the creature who has paid him mind. If he succeeds on the roll by 15 or more, he learns the approximate power level of the creature (challenge rating) of the creature. And if he succeeds on the roll by 20 or more, he gains a +10 bonus to any future attempt to learn the creature’s personal truename, based off of the information which he has received through this ability, and the research that would have to be conducted as normal.

If a ttapavoiia becomes aware of the attentions of another creature whose personal truename the ttapavoiia knows, he immediately recognizes the creature, no matter what his level, and any offensive or defensive attempts made against that creature are made with a +4 competence bonus. This is a divination effect, and is blocked as such an effect by nondetection, and the escape detection psionic power.

—Paranoid Awareness I: At first level, the suspicious one can automatically sense when his personal truename (or any alias he possesses) is spoken or attempted (even on an unsuccessful attempt). His Paranoid Awareness senses such intrusions to within one mile.

—Paranoid Awareness II: At third level, the ttapavoiia can automatically sense when he is the target of any kind of divination or clairvoyant effect, such as scry, locate creature, detect thoughts, etc. His Paranoid Awareness now reaches out to 10 miles away. At this level, he is learning to sort rapidly between hostile and benign attention, though it would be against his paranoid nature to ever really be at ease with someone out there speaking his name.

—Paranoid Awareness III: At fifth level, the suspicious one can automatically sense when his real name, or any unofficial nicknames are spoken. His Paranoid Awareness now reaches out to within 100 miles.

—Paranoid Awareness IV: At seventh level, the suspicious one can automatically sense when someone is researching him, his history, his personal truename, or any of his aliases. His Paranoid Awareness now senses the attention of others anywhere within 1,000 miles. As his awareness increases substantially, the ttapavoiia becomes adept at not becoming distracted by the routine mental interruptions that occur as someone somewhere speaks his name or begins to study his background—provided of course that he senses no hostile intent.

—Paranoid Awareness V: At ninth level, the ttapavoiia can automatically sense when someone is looking for him, asking around about him, or following him. His Paranoid Awareness can now sense the attentions of others anywhere on the same plane.

Neurosis (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, and at every even level thereafter, a ttapavoiia can pick a neurosis effect. These are not neuroses in the clinical sense, but portray a set of quirk and eccentricity-based abilities and strengths that are tied specifically to the ttapavoiia’s overactive sense of preservation, mistrust, and superiority. These traits are never passive or easily hidden—though it is possible; Bluff and Disguise checks with DCs of between 20 to 40 are not out of the question. The neuroses are loud, at times uncontrollable, and constantly distracting. Many of these traits are similar in description and effect, and can easily be played as separate symptoms of the same deficiency. Many of these traits can be very difficult for the character to play, and very difficult for the GM to monitor (such as Absurd Visionary); they should be weighed carefully for compatibility with not only the character, but also the group as a whole, and with the direction and goals of the campaign.

The list is not meant to accurately represent actual, related, diagnosable conditions in any way.

Neuroses:
• Absurd Visionary (Ex): The suspicious one senses things that are not there. These phantasms can be seen, heard, touched, tasted, and smelled. The ttapavoiia sometimes creates these stimuli from nothing but his own mind, and sometimes perceives things that are there to be something else. However he is observing these phantasms, they are more or less real to him. He will carry on conversations with nonexistent characters, open invisible doors, carry an umbrella for imaginary rain, insist on seating the family dog at the table with the rest of the ‘humans’, attempt to light and smoke a bottle of ink, and otherwise interact with things that only he is aware of, or aware of their supposed identity and purpose. However, his constant exposure to his own phantasms has made him extremely difficult to trick with illusions from outside sources. The ttapavoiia gains spell resistance equal to his caster level plus his Charisma modifier against all illusory effects. If he possesses other sources of spell resistance, both must be defeated by the opponent’s caster level check in order for him to be affected by the illusion.

• Anxiety (Ex): All ttapavoiia are nervous; this one is just exceptionally nervous. Skittish, often shaking, twitching, sweating profusely, or wringing his hands, the suspicious one has a hard time controlling even the outermost symptoms of his neurosis. His extreme paranoia has caused him to be more cautious and to concentrate on the body language and demeanor of those around him. He gains a bonus equal to half of his class level, or his Charisma modifier—whichever is greater—to all Sense Motive checks.

• Compulsive (Ex): The suspicious one has learned that incessant ritual can aid in the sorting and judging of so much otherwise overwhelming information and stimuli every day. He has learned to combat stress and disappointment with tedious, at times nonsensical behaviors, whether it be neatly and alphabetically arranging books in a row, counting prime numbers, keeping his necktie at an exact, pre-calculated length, or anything else. Most often, a ttapavoiia will have more than one compulsion, and many of them change over time. These seemingly meaningless chores give reason and direction to his shattered reality, and encourage an extraordinary meticulousness and attention to detail. The ttapavoiia adds Appraise to his class skills, and gains a bonus equal to his Charisma modifier to both Appraise and Search checks.

• Consumptive Coping (Ex): The ttapavoiia has found something that soothes him, and it involves his stomach. Whether he is starving himself, gorging himself, binging and purging, or consuming something strange or even possibly dangerous, he has a habit that he swears brings him enlightenment, safety, and clear thought. Some suspicious ones (those with a phobia of poison or filth perhaps) are so afraid of ingesting something harmful, that they refuse to eat at all. Others have claimed that when they eat until they can no longer move, they receive visions from the future. Others do it just because they know it upsets those of ‘normal’ society. Whatever the reasons, the ttapavoiia has strangely found an increase in stamina, rather than a decrease, by partaking of this deranged habit. He gains a bonus equal to his Charisma modifier to all Fortitude saves to resist any poison, disease, nauseating, or sickening effect.

• Crazy Eye (Ex): The ttapavoiia is more than a little deranged, and he has decided not to hide the fact. His eccentricity comes out in very obvious ways, to the point of warping his physical appearance. Though he might never attract the opposite sex again, the suspicious one will certainly cause heads to turn and little children to clutch timidly to their mothers’ skirts. Whether a hideous grin, an awful scowl, a bug-eyed stare, or some other physical manifestation of his neurosis, the ttapavoiia adds Intimidation to his list of class skills, and gains a bonus equal to his Charisma modifier on all such rolls.

• Drama Queen (Sp): Even as he is suspicious of the attention of others, the Paranoid One has an unhealthy taste for it, and craves it like air or water. At first, this histrionism might seem contradictory to the reclusive nature of the ttapavoiia, but in reality, it is merely an offensive and defensive tool which he uses to misguide and manipulate those around him. By guiding the focus of others to him in a manner that he controls, he can completely dominate a crowd and intimidate or enchant them to his will. Two times per day, by throwing a tantrum, making a dramatic entrance, seducing someone, or performing any other attention-grabbing drama, he can utilize cause fear or fascinate as a spell-like ability (caster level equaling his ttapavoiia class levels).

• Insomniac (Ex): The ttapavoiia doesn’t sleep. He sees too many opportunities for his enemies to take advantage of his slumber. There is too much to think about, and to sleep is a waste of precious time. Instead, he rests, studies, paces quietly, but he never sleeps. This has caused quite a bit of distress to an already stressed individual. However, his lack of adequate sleep has left him extremely alert and focused. He gains a +2 bonus on initiative checks, as well as Spot and Listen checks.

• Klepto (Ex): The ttapavoiia has no qualms with taking that which does not belong to him; it is necessary for the survival of one so ‘obviously’ envied and hated by others. These many years living by his wits have taught the suspicious one that he is indeed above the laws of the ignorant masses, and that what he can, he ought to take, whether by force or fraud. It doesn’t matter if the item is of any monetary or symbolic value at all—it only matters that the suspicious one thinks he needs it, or that he might in the future. Sleight of Hand becomes a class skill for him, and he always gains a bonus equal to his Charisma modifier on such rolls.

• Logorrhea (Ex): The ttapavoiia can’t shut up, literally. He speaks in his sleep, while chewing, when attending religious services. He even mouths entire silent conversations while hiding from enemies or making love. Most of the time this evolves as a defensive mechanism against those that might make more meaning of his words than he would otherwise enjoy (spellcasting and truenaming in particular), but sometimes it is just to sate his craving to sound intelligent, or to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Anyone that he does not specifically allow that is attempting to understand his words, or listening to his thoughts, must make a Will save (Charisma based), or understand nothing of the encounter, whether or not he is speaking, or thinking, in a language that the other understands. This save must be made every round in situations where the uninvited listener sticks around for longer than one round.

• Manic (Ex): His mind relentlessly awhirl, the suspicious one can barely keep up. He becomes so distracted by one curiosity after another that at times he forgets to eat. The ttapavoiia experiences a jumble of emotions and ideas that it becomes difficult for him to sort where one ends and the other begins, and often has to verbally share his thoughts with others, no matter how deranged or disturbing they might be. He moves constantly, always fidgeting, always trying to fix the tangle of thoughts, dreams, and goals that strive for dominance in his head. This can be excruciatingly frustrating, and at times terrifying, to the ttapavoiia, a creature in desperate need of control and safety. His frustration manifests in startling fits of wrath and violence at times, and impulsive, normally unimaginable acts the next. But, this same tornado of logic and passion gives him an adrenaline-fueled resistance to physical harm. He gains a +1 bonus to Fortitude and Reflex saves.

• Multiple Personalities (Sp): The suspicious one is a master of misdirection and manipulation, and his aliases are a large part of that fraud. But sometimes he takes it too far. The ttapavoiia has given the syllabic aliases more than just a variant name; he has given them personality, and through the conduit of his own body, voice and action. He might only possess one alternate personality lurking within the recesses of his mind, or he might have thousands. Whatever the case, they occasionally come out and interact with the rest of the world while the original lies dormant somewhere in the dark. These personalities can be completely allied to his cause, or more or less completely against it; they share their own individual characteristics to include alignment, though some of them have definite, if not well hidden, similarities with the original, and see eye to eye on some levels. These personalities might be the result of a mind fractured by earlier crimes or traumatic experiences, or they might have resulted from the always dangerous experimentation with the realms of truenaming, and his Art. Forgetfulness, even to the point of complete amnesia, is a common factor between many of the suspicious ones with this condition. The exact nature of the various identities is up to the player and the GM, but the benefit to the ttapavoiia is that he is able to rally the personalities to the same cause for a few, rare moments every day. He is able to the spell, lesser celerity, as a spell-like ability 2 times every day. The aftermath of such an assembly leaves him generally more dazed and confused than he normally is for a few seconds as his personalities all separate back into their distinctive niches.

• Narcissistic (Ex): Though sometimes hiding a deeper, unconscious fear of personal weakness, a narcissistic ttapavoiia shows absolutely no inclination that he is anything but divinity made mortal. If the idiots around him were to realize his greatness, they would worship him as a god. Until then, their continued lack of deference grates on his nerves and drives him to acts of cold apathy and red-hot rage. He considers himself above the petty governing of other creatures, above laws, social contracts, moral considerations. He often does not recognize the difference between good and evil, or care that his actions cause the suffering of others. He exists only within his own idealism. Alignment ceases to have any meaning for the ttapavoiia; he can use any spell, gain levels in any class or prestige class, or take any feat, regardless of alignment restrictions (note that certain deities will still not accept him, dependent upon his actions, among other things). Spells and effects that help or harm only a certain alignment, whether it is good, evil, law, or chaos, do not function on him. This does not necessarily make him idealistically evil, as far as roleplaying goes. Many narcissistic ttapavoiia show a willingness to cooperate and help others, though it is generally short-lived, and less than altruistic in nature. Acting in a manner that is not befitting a certain alignment can still have roleplaying consequences such as the loss of a deity’s favor, or the retribution of a slighted noble, etc.

• Obsessive (Su): The suspicious one is emotionally attached to something on a level that has surpassed reason. The object of his desires might be a tool, a creature, a philosophy, or anything else, though it is never considered normal, romantic, or healthy. He believes that his world will end without the proximity, contact, and/or affection of the focus of his addiction. Though he might be aware that this level of attachment is illogical, the ttapavoiia does not usually care. It has become a comfort and strength to him, and he will go out of his way to ensure its sustained influence. In some cases, this might mean he will resort to criminal activity in order to keep it with him. He gains inspiration from the object of his obsession when it is with him, and accesses the deepest wells of determination and stubbornness when it is not. Once per day, he can inspire himself as with the inspire greatness bardic ability. This lasts for 10 minutes, gives him two bonus d10 Hit Dice, with the accompanying temporary hit points (including any Constitution modifier), a +2 competence bonus to attacks, and a +1 competence bonus to Fortitude saves for the duration. Additionally, both of these Hit Dice are counted as class levels in order to determine any initiator level, manifester level, spellcaster level, truenamer level, etc. This ability is normally available when thematically appropriate, meaning that the object of the obsession is in danger, has just been threatened, has just been rescued, has just declared its undying love for the suspicious one, etc.

• Panic Attacks (Su): One close call too many has left the ttapavoiia a little frazzled. Stressful situations often send him into a fit of rage, imagined pain and suffering, and an extreme need to escape. Once per day as an immediate action, the suspicious one can willfully trigger a nervous fight-or-flight reaction to a certain stimuli. The panic attack lasts for one minute per level, during which the ttapavoiia gains a +4 bonus to both Strength and Dexterity, a +20-foot enhancement to his base movement rate, and can reroll once per round any saving throws against mind-influencing effects that currently affect him, or that begin to affect him during the duration of the panic attack. While this lasts, the ttapavoiia can take no actions that do not directly lead to the escape of whatever triggered his panic attack. This means that if there is an open hallway to his left, and the terrifying beholder that caused his attack is to the right, he will go left instead of right. He can utilize spells, utterances, skill checks, and other tactics, so long as they are the most direct means to his survival/escape. After the duration of the panic attack, the ttapavoiia is fatigued until he can rest for at least one hour. Though the ttapavoiia can only willingly trigger these attacks once per day, the GM may feel the need to trigger them whenever dramatically appropriate, and in this case, the bonuses, rerolling of saving throws, and fatigue do not apply (unless the GM also feels that to also be dramatically appropriate), only the need to escape.

• Phobia (Ex): The ttapavoiia has found something that scares him silly—generally something not only benign, but ridiculous, such as sunlight, windows, or wines of a vintage older than himself. He will do his utmost in order to maintain a respectful distance from such overwhelmingly overlooked perils. However, with the large quantity of his attentions going toward the prevention of his untimely demise at the hands of whatever it is that he fears, he has learned a remarkable deal about it. Pick a Craft or Knowledge skill that could be associated with his phobia; he now gains a bonus on all rolls involving this skill equal to half his class level, or his Charisma modifier—whichever is higher.

• Relative Truth (Ex): The ttapavoiia has so thoroughly absorbed the evasive strategies of his craft that his shifting realities and ephemeral aliases have taken on a life of their own. He gains a bonus equal to half of his class level, or his Charisma modifier—whichever is higher--to all Bluff (social situations only; no feint checks or other combat related uses) and Perform skill checks. His vision of truth is all that matters to him now, and that vision is as malleable as is needed for any situation he may find himself in.

• Woe Is Me (Ex): The suspicious one is a forlorn being, devoid of all hope and optimism. His experience has shown him that there is nothing to be happy about in life. Whether it be that he has foreseen the multiverse in a downward spiral of entropy, that it must soon crash into the blackness of oblivion, or if it is merely that he despises his own miserably self-centered existence, he feels constantly the gnawing sorrow and depth of the darker reality of creation. Though he might never crack a smile or enjoy a sunset, the ttapavoiia cannot be brought any lower than he already imagines himself; he is immune to any effect that would give him a morale penalty of any kind.

Unhinged (Ex): At 2nd level, the ttapavoiia’s mental processes and behavioral habits become increasingly alien and unnerving to those that come in contact with him. He gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Intimidate checks, and a -1 penalty to Diplomacy checks as the effects of his neuroses become more and more prominent. This effect increases at every even level, to a maximum of +5 Intimidate/-5 Diplomacy at 10th level.

Anticipate Divination (Su): At 4th level, any time the ttapavoiia would be the subject of any spell or effect with the scrying descriptor, he becomes aware of it, and his considerable truenaming defenses—as well as those of whatever other Art he employs—delay the effect for one round, giving him time to prepare as he sees necessary.

Personal Truename Backlash: At 7th level, the suspicious one gains the Personal Truename Backlash feat, whether or not he qualifies for the feat.

Contingency (Sp): At 10th level, the ttapavoiia gains contingency as a spell-like ability that can be used 1/day. The conditions to which the suspicious one can set the contingency are restricted to any of the events which his Paranoid Awareness would detect (in other words, any time someone pays him any kind of unwanted attention, such as a scry spell, or researching his personal truename), but the contingency itself does not count toward the suspicious one’s limit of one contingency at a time. Other than that, all of the rules to the spell apply normally. This ability can be very useful as a last-ditch defense against someone that has mastered the ttapavoiia’s personal truename, and is intent on destroying or enslaving him with it.

Supplemental Material

Feats

Deepening Neurosis (Feat)
Prerequisites: Base Will Save +7, Neurosis Class Feature
Effect: Gain another Neurosis, as well as all of the benefits that go along with it.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times, each time gaining another Neurosis. Each time the feat is taken, the Base Will Save requirement is two higher (ex—Xorent wants to take the feat a second time. He must have a Base Will Save of +9 in order to do so, and if later he wants to buy it a third time, the Base Will Save prerequisite would be +11).

Transcendent Paranoia (Epic Feat)
Prerequisites: Paranoid Awareness V Class Feature, 10 Aliases
Effect: The suspicious one’s Paranoid Awareness now extends across planar boundaries. He can sense—and his defensive and offensive initiatives operate—without regard for distance, dimension, or plane.

Extra Alias (Epic Feat)
Prerequisites: Base Will Save +14, Paranoid Awareness V Class Feature, 10 Aliases, Transcendent Paranoia
Effect: Gain another Alias, as well as all of the benefits that go along with it.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times, each time gaining another Alias. Each time the feat is taken, the Base Will Save requirement is two higher (ex—Xorent wants to take the feat a second time. He must have a Base Will Save of +16 in order to do so, and if later he wants to take it a third time, the Base Will Save prerequisite would be +18).

Invocation

Gaze of the Old Ones (Scrying)
Lesser Invocation (4th level)
Standard Act
Somatic and Focus
Instantaneous
As the scrying spell, but the warlock must concentrate throughout the casting, there is no maximum duration, and he can speak to the subject as with the message spell at any time, with no chance of failure. The warlock must utilize some method of folk divination (blood, chicken bones, mirror, palm reading, etc) in order to use this invocation.

Stycotl
2008-05-03, 04:52 PM
Roleplaying Information

Playing a Ttapavoiia

Owing to their incredible scarcity and their focus on not being found, the ttapavoiia are not likely to be a group that the PCs will be able to track down easily. Any interaction with one of them will most likely be when the group interferes with the plots or fronts of a suspicious one. And if any of the PCs are talented or manipulative enough to be able to divine the ttapavoiia’s secrets from him and begin the journey himself, it will most certainly drive a wedge between that PC and the rest of his group.

As a suspicious one, you have a great talent for manipulating the awareness of others, for deciding what they are allowed to know about you, and what they are not allowed. Ttapavoiia are masters of deceptive magic; many of them come from specialist illusion or enchantment schools, and utilize phantasms and mind tricks to their utmost in order to confuse and mislead their ‘foes’. No matter what their direction, scrying effects are a cherished, and much sought talent among the suspicious ones. A ttapavoiia that does not have the ability to spy on those that he assumes are spying on him, will not long be able to stay ahead in the cat-and-mouse game that sometimes only he is aware of.

Truenaming represents not only the ability to wrench possible control of your destiny from others, but the ability to in turn dominate and completely obliterate any foolish enough to have attempted such an act. You utilize truenaming as the wild card in your hand that will turn almost any encounter to your advantage. In particular, if you are wily enough to have prior research of your targets before you confront them, or are confronted by them, you might have the power to bend their own personal truename to your will.

Remember, above all, nothing is safe, nothing is certain. You cannot trust your companions—you cannot even trust your grandmother. In fact, that might have been her that was trying to peek in your windows as you slept last night. You should not up and declare war on the rest of the world—at least not now—as there are more of them than there are of you, and you might find uses in them yet. Not to mention the fact that they are all acting subtly, thinking that you are unaware of their games. If you were to do something too drastic or obvious, their covert war might become overt, and as a master of misdirection, you have them right where you want them even now, as they plot and connive against you.

Combat

Suspicious ones are only about as likely to enter melee combat as are other casters. Some of them are fairly martially skilled, and eager to aggressively confront perceived hostility. Others are as sly and patient as snakes, willing to study a foe for months before moving in and ending it with one spell or utterance. Over all, though, ttapavoiia share some similarities in common when it comes to combat. Most of them are not keen on explosive, attention-drawing evocations, or multitudinous summonings and necromancy effects. Most of them would rather utilize powerful defensive abjurations and transmutations, battlefield control effects such as divinations and conjurations, and the potent, if often overlooked, assaults of the illusion and enchantment realms. Whatever the form, arcane might, divine authority, or fiendish invocation, these are generally the staples of a ttapavoiia’s arsenal, coupled by a penchant for planning and strategy.

Advancement

A ttapavoiia gains new insight and power as he foils the plans of his foes and exacts his own retribution and justice. He learns something new and startling from every encounter, and these epiphanies help to send him spiraling down the path of his neurosis ever faster. Any time a foe catches him by surprise or utilizes a nonstandard method of research, confrontation, or domination, a suspicious one stores the information away and meticulously concocts defensive measures until he has found the perfect answer—and even then he is never satisfied. Should he ever learn the appropriate counter to ay and every form of intrusion or assault known to the multiverse, he would still struggle and obsess about hidden weaknesses, and newer and better methods of warfare.

Notables

Of all of the ttapavoiia in the planes, Zo’sstek (it would be a safe bet that this is not his real name) is perhaps the most famous—despite his attempts to remain inconspicuous—though most that know of him have never heard of the suspicious ones themselves. Zo’sstek is one of the first banelar naga, from the lands once dominated by the Imaskari nation of Faerűn, and has been around for thousands of years perfecting his potent magic. After the decline of his Imaskari allies, Zo’sstek found himself beset upon by their former enemies, and having been naturally paranoid to begin with, and eager to rid himself of so much opposition without the support of his annihilated associates, he fled to the outer planes. There, he began the studies needed that would hide him from those that sought him out. He learned of truenaming there, and utilized his newfound talent to change his own name, his personality, and even his historical impact on the planes. Legends say that he learned this knowledge primarily from the baatezu, though no one knows for sure. However he learned it, he was the first to bend the art of truenaming to his neurotic purposes. His benefactors were not as tight-lipped as he, however, and soon his name—or variants thereof—were spread across the planes, whispering of his might in the art of truenaming and wizardly magic. Others have since copied many of his techniques, and sought the teaching of the original baatezu that supposedly tutored the naga in his lessons, but none have ever found his teachers—they were removed from existence after their careless gossiping—and no reliable records have ever shown that any have found Zo’sstek and recognized him for who he was. It is said that the naga now resides in the Realms again, behind the masks of various aliases and multiple henchmen. It is unclear as to what his motives might be, though one can be certain that he takes no comfort in the relatively recent freedom of the Mulhorand or Unther civilizations.

Daily Life

A ttapavoiia adventures for many reasons, and each one has motivations as eccentric and unique as himself. Many of them take to the road merely to remain unattached to any particular area or group for too long, seeing the nomadic life as a defense against familiarity. Others adventure because of the multitudes of potential enemies in the planes; it is better to study and conquer them now before they can become aware of your presence and power, before they can join the plots of others.

The ttapavoiia’s day to day life generally consists of frantic study, tedious planning, and the occasional carefully planned ambush or expedition. They move around a lot, especially if they feel their low-profile stay in an area has been compromised.

Surprisingly, there are a few suspicious ones that have taken up a cause greater than themselves. Most of them do for short periods of time at point or another in their lives if only for the benefits they receive, but there are a few that have been rumored to actually find working for a cause greater than themselves to be the only true method of growing beyond the machinations and influence of those that would otherwise oppress and destroy. These ttapavoiia are a rare breed, but rumors have become increasingly common within the last centuries of such unfathomable altruism coming from one of the suspicious ones.

NPC Reaction

Having long ago dropped any tiring concerns of inhibition or social etiquette, the suspicious one now lives according to his own rules of social interaction, and does not seem to mind the odd stares and blatant dislike of his peers. Most individuals are aware of his strange mentality and behavior from the first few seconds of meeting him, and those that are slow to catch on, realize soon enough that he is not normal, or healthy, or rational. Generally that makes him dangerous and unworthy of respect in their eyes. Some, particularly official types, might feel the need to contain him in order to keep him from hurting himself or others. They might seek to lock him up in institutions of healing monasteries. This kind of reaction only serves to firmly reassure the ttapavoiia of his beliefs.

Ttapavoiia Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (planes), or Knowledge (religion) can research ttapavoiia in order to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from the following DCs. Any use of a Knowledge skill other than Knowledge (arcane) has a +5 DC penalty to the roll, but supplies information particular to ttapavoiia techniques of a certain Art; Knowledge (nature) would provide additional information concerning druidic ttapavoiia, while Knowledge (psionics) would allow additional information concerning the rare psionic variants of the ttapavoiia. A Knowledge (arcane) check can be made at +5 DC in order to find out additional information concerning the methods and practices of the sorcerer and wizard ttapavoiia out there.

DC 25: Ttapavoiia are truenaming lunatics that cannot separate reality from fantasy and innocuous conversation from dark conspiracies.
DC 30: A ttapavoiia learns to hide his identity by manipulating his personal truename, and mastering obscure, anti-scrying magic.
DC 35: A ttapavoiia can warp the pronunciation of his own personal truename enough to create multiple aliases, and to hinder, or even harm those that cannot precisely pronounce it. They combine their knowledge of truenaming with whatever other arts they manipulate in order to establish dazzling defenses against scrying and tracking of any kind.
DC 40: A ttapavoiia’s fears preclude him from dealing with even others of his own kind, and his mental deficiencies, though strange and alarming, give him irrational, nonlinear insight and ability that others would not be able to perceive, given their normal penchant for reason and order.

Any creature deliberately trying to find and contact a ttapavoiia is probably already within the creature’s crossbow sights, as it is nearly impossible to research the incohesive group as whole without doing extensive research on individual suspicious ones. Obviously such a feat has been made deliberately hard, and possibly dangerous. Still, those who learn of them can make an attempt to contact one of the ttapavoiia, provided it can make a DC 40 Gather Info check.

Suspicious Ones in the Game

The ttapavoiia could be a campaign’s first introduction to truenaming, or it could be introduced after the characters have become familiar with the mechanic. Either way, the ttapavoiia represents an unpredictable, canny foe, or a versatile, unconventional ally.

Adaptation

It would not be too hard to replace either the spellcasting or the truenaming requirements with something else. While truenaming certainly lends some potent concepts to the class, it is not a necessary element in any paranoid individual. Truenaming requirements and further abilities could easily be replaced by arcane spell requirements and casting ability, or divine, or even psionic manifester ability. It is very conceivable of a binder or a warlock to walk down this road, as they would constantly be fighting the prejudices and mistrust of others. It would even be possible to remove one of the two requirements altogether and to focus only on arcane or divine casting, or only on truenaming. Going this route would require raising other prerequisites to rebalance the class, but could allow for more of a focus on one system.

Sample Encounter

Forthcoming...

lord of kobolds
2008-05-03, 06:06 PM
This could just be the best blend of fluff and crunch that I have ever seen.
Great work.
I can't think of anything that needs to be added.

Stycotl
2008-05-05, 12:16 AM
glad to hear you like it. i am still interested in mechanical analysis of the class from those that feel they are sufficiently knowledgable about truenaming (among other things) to undertake it.

Stycotl
2008-05-08, 11:22 AM
bump. i know some of you have wanted to play a crazy, deranged character, and what combo could possibly be better than crazy+antiscrying+divination+contingency+truenamin g?