Classes similar to Mindbender?

[WarKitty]

Are there any prestige classes out there with a similar feel to mindbender but without the non-good entry requirement? I like the feel of a character that works primarily on mind magic and manipulation but I don't want to change alignment. I'm using a bard base, this is a current character so that is not open to change. I don't want to have to deal with a cohort or anything, so no leadership - the setting doesn't really allow for easy keeping track of a follower.

Edit: before someone says it, yes I know I could just ask my DM to waive the requirement. I don't think he will though, he doesn't like houserules.

Second edit: Spellcasting progression is preferred. Other class types are ok, but I don't want to go into a melee class.

[dextercorvia]

For manipulation, there is evangelist, from CAdv I believe.

Edit: It's not what you asked for, but there is also the Beguiler base class.

[WarKitty]

For manipulation, there is evangelist, from CAdv I believe.

Edit: It's not what you asked for, but there is also the Beguiler base class.

It's for an already-started character, so I can't exactly change the base class. Evangelist would need some heavy refluffing to fit a passionate but not strongly religious character.

[G3N3R3L GHOST]

I don't know how set in stone your base class is but if you could change it at all you could go psionics and go into the thrallherd PrC. They gain 2 followers as from leadership and get a whole lot of neat charm/domination things to boot. But I dunno if its too late for you to change. For just being a bard mindbender is obviously the best choice. I am not sure what else you could do with that other than juts taking the appropriate spells and mindbending that way.

[Tinydwarfman]

Thrallherd, arcane adaption. If you're not opposed to playing 3 characters at once.

EDIT: nooooooo, Lurk'd!

[TooManyBadgers]

My first thought was Thrallherd, but that's already out here.

So I'll just point at this thread, which has a bunch of ideas, including PrCs.

[WarKitty]

Ok the setting does NOT allow for me to have any sort of cohort or follower. And the base class really is set in stone because we're already in play. Besides, the character isn't about charming her way into long-term followers as much as using her abilities to get what she needs from whoever is there right then. It's a quasi-urban campaign.

[Yorrin]

You're looking for Psibond Agent from C.Scoundrel. Manipulative and tricky without your victims realizing anything had happened to them. No caster/manifester progression, sadly, but it's a very fun class.

[Roga]

Virtuoso is a bard PrC that allows you to do a mass diplomacy check with your music and eventually Dominate people with it. It's vaguely similar to Mindbender.

[Toliudar]

I'll add this just in case it hasn't been seriously considered: have you asked the DM to waive the alignment requirement on mindbender?

[WarKitty]

I'll add this just in case it hasn't been seriously considered: have you asked the DM to waive the alignment requirement on mindbender?

See first post. If he says no (which I think is likely) I'd like to have a back-up plan right away.

[casper]

Pure bard is good in mindbending, both by social skills and magic :-)
But if you want a prestige class, Virtuoso fom CAdv is really not a bad choice. Worse skill choise and caster level loss, but easy prerequisites and class feature with a word "mindbending". :-)

[Tetrasodium]

You could ask your DM to let you play a Cabinet Trickster and swap out some of the changeling specific aspects that don't fit your character for caster progression. Cabinet tricksters get detect thoughts x/day and eventually at will along with some fluffed daze/stun/confuse creatures with = or lower HD abilities and some useful shape changing type stuff. If you go that route, mindspy is a nice secondary class that you might be able to convince your DM to give caster progression in exchange for dropping the HD a bit or something.

If you do wind up getting him to let you waive the alignment on mindbender, mindsight from lords of madness is an awesome feat.