Resonance Mage (3.5 PrC PEACH)

[Kane0]

The Resonance Mage
Like most that lose their sight, the Resonance Mage has learned to push past what others see as a disability and surprise those unaware of how capable they are. They turn their weakness into their strength, their visual senses now devoted to hearing. Resonance Magi are capable of incredible feats of sonics, amazing both their audiences and opponents.


Prerequisites:
- Know (Arcana) 8 ranks, Listen 8 ranks
- Must know any four Sonic spells, one of which must be level 4 or higher
- Must be blind

Hit Dice: d4
Skills Per level: 2+Int
Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Know (Arcana), Listen, Profession, Spellcraft
Proficiencies: None

Special: If a Resonance Mage regains their regular/mundane sight temporarily they lose their special abilities related to blindness (Blind but not Deaf, Not as Blind as you Think, Never Unheard Nor Unhearing). This lasts until one hour after you lose sight again.

Ex-Resonance Magi: If you regain regular/mundane sight permanently you cannot progress any further in the Resonance Mage class and also permanently lose access to the the abilies you would lose if you regained sight temporarily. If you again lose your regular/mundane sight permanently you remain an ex-Resonance Mage, unless it was never your intent to regain your sight in the first place.

{table=head] Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Casting Progression
1st| +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Blind But Not deaf, Not as Blind as You Think | +1 of Previous Spellcasting Class
2nd| +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Vibrating Sonics | +1 of Previous Spellcasting Class
3rd| +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Disrupting Sonics | +1 of Previous Spellcasting Class
4th| +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Punishing Sonics | +1 of Previous Spellcasting Class
5th| +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Resounding Boom, Never Unheard Nor Unhearing | +1 of Previous Spellcasting Class
[/table]

Not as Blind as You Think: (Blindsight = Ex, Magical Sight = Su)
Being blind as no detrimental effect to a Resonance Mage. He gains Blindsight out to 30ft per Resonance Mage level, out to a maximum of 150ft at level 5, and can 'see' half that distance using a combination of this Blindsight and Magical aid.
This is not considered real sight and thus the Resonance Mage is still not subject to gaze attacks, cannot perceive color and is not subject to most displacement or blur effects.
- This magical 'sight' does not breach the Resonance Mage's special conditions.
- Magical sight spells (Arcane Sight, True Seeing, etc) work normally and do not breach the Resonance Mage's special conditions.
- Any effect that would deafen or similarly stop the Resonance Mage's hearing stops his Blindsight, but not his magical 'sight'.
- Any dispelling or antimagic effect disrupts the Resonance Mages' Magical sight, but not their Blindsight.
- Both under both a deafening effect and a dispelling/antimagic effect will negate this ability entirely, and thus the Resonance Mage will again be considered blind.

Blind But Not Deaf: (Su) At first level you gain +4 to saves against sonic effects and to listen checks.

Vibrating Sonics: (Ex) At level 2 your sonic spells work on deaf targets

Disrupting Sonics: (Ex) At level 3 you gain +2 to the DCs of all your sonic based spells, and all effects incurred on targets last for one extra round if you make a successful Spellcraft check (DC=20 + Spell level)

Punishing Sonics: (Ex)At level 4 The resonance mage adds a number of dice equal to his Resonance Mage level to the maximum damage dice cap to any sonic based spell, to a Maximum of 5 damage dice at level 5.

Resounding Sonics: (Su) At level 5 all your sonic based spells act as if under the effects of the expand spell metamagic feat with no spell level adjustment.

Never Unheard Nor Unhearing: (Su) At level 5 you and anything in your space become immune to magically based silence effects.


Edit: Altered abilities slightly
Edit: Altered blindsight/blindsense and added specifics regarding blindness and deafness.
Edit: Reworked the whole blind thing.

PEACH away!

[Soliloquy]

I love it, if there is a more combat based version out there somewhere, could someone direct me to it

But not as blind as you think seems sudden. Maybe scale it?

[Kane0]

Updated a little, changed abilities around slightly.

Sorry, i dont know of any combat based sonic casters. Maybe look around some bard builds and Prcs?

[Soliloquy]

Not a caster, I was thinking a more combat based class that specialized in fighting blind.

[Kane0]

I spose if you say mix together a monk/Diamond Mind initiator you might get something close. I can fiddle around and make a homebrew of it if you want me to try

[periscope69]

I like the concept and execution of this concept. However I do wish to nitpick a little. This will be a little long so get ready.

1) You didn't clarify if their abilities are Extraordinary, Supernatural, or Spell-like.

2)

Not as Blind as You Think: At level 4 you gain blindsense out to 30ft, and you gain another 30ft blindsense every Resonance Mage level up to a maximum of 150ft at level.

Why doesn't the Resonance Mage ever get blindsight? I mean if we look at the conditions and abilities in play here:

Blinded
The creature cannot see. It takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class, loses its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any), and takes a –4 penalty on most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks and on opposed Perception skill checks. All checks and activities that rely on vision (such as reading and Perception checks based on sight) automatically fail. All opponents are considered to have total concealment (50% miss chance) against the blinded character. Blind creatures must make a DC 10 Acrobatics skill check to move faster than half speed. Creatures that fail this check fall prone. Characters who remain blinded for a long time grow accustomed to these drawbacks and can overcome some of them.

Blindsense
Other creatures have blindsense, a lesser ability that lets the creature notice things it cannot see, but without the precision of blindsight. The creature with blindsense usually does not need to make Perception checks to notice and locate creatures within range of its blindsense ability, provided that it has line of effect to that creature. Any opponent that cannot be seen has total concealment (50% miss chance) against a creature with blindsense, and the blindsensing creature still has the normal miss chance when attacking foes that have concealment. Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see

Blindsight
Some creatures possess blindsight, the extraordinary ability to use a nonvisual sense (or a combination senses) to operate effectively without vision. Such senses may include sensitivity to vibrations, acute scent, keen hearing, or echolocation. This makes invisibility and concealment (even magical darkness) irrelevant to the creature (though it still can't see ethereal creatures). This ability operates out to a range specified in the creature description.

•Blindsight never allows a creature to distinguish color or visual contrast. A creature cannot read with blindsight.
•Blindsight does not subject a creature to gaze attacks (even though darkvision does).
•Blinding attacks do not penalize creatures that use blindsight.
•Deafening attacks thwart blindsight if it relies on hearing.
•Blindsight works underwater but not in a vacuum.
•Blindsight negates displacement and blur effects.

Upon comparison the resonance mage as is would still be considered flatfooted against all targets even with blindsense, and with either one they take a boatload of penalties and can't go more than 15ft on average (assuming a 30ft movement rate originally) until they've "grown accustomed to these drawbacks".

To counter this I would give them some level of blindsight (about half of the blindsense range maybe) and SPECIFICALLY point out that they do not suffer the skill penalties, the hindrances to their movement rate (Those who fall behind get left behind, after all), and the normal penalties that come from being blinded other than the obvious (not being able to read or see color for instance).

[Soliloquy]

Not as Blind as You Think: At level 4 you gain blindsense out to 30ft, and you gain another 30ft blindsense every Resonance Mage level up to a maximum of 150ft at level 5.

You say you still gain it at level four here. It's really minor but...

[Kane0]

Thanks for the input Periscope and Soliloquy, i've made changes to abilities and descriptions accordingly. I added the (ex) and (su) descriptors to abilities but i'm not very well acquainted with those so could I get them verified please?

[Soliloquy]

Is not as blind as you think hearing based?

[Kane0]

Yep, added that in.

[periscope69]

The Resonance Mage
Like most that lose their sight, the Resonance mage has learnt to push past what others see as a disability and constantly suprise those unaware of how capable they are. They turn their weakness into their strength, their visual senses now devoted to hearing. Resonance Magi are capable of incredible feats of sonics, constantly amazing both their audiences and opponents.


Special: If a Resonance Mage regains their sight temporarily they lose their special abilities related to blindness (Blind but not Deaf, Not as Blind as you Think, Never Unheard Nor Unhearing). This lasts until one hour after you lose sight again.

Ex-Resonance Magi: If you regain sight permanently you cannot progress any further in the Resonance Mage class and also permanently lose access to the the abilies you would lose if you regained sight temporarily. If you again lose your sight permanently you remain an ex-Resonance Mage, unless it was never your intent to regain your sight in the first place.

Not as Blind as You Think: (Ex) At first level you gain blindsense out to 30ft, and you gain another 30ft blindsense every Resonance Mage level up to a maximum of 150ft at level 5. Starting at level 2 you gain half this range as blindsight instead. The blindsense is hearing based and the blindsight is magic and hearing based.

Blind But Not Deaf: (Su) At first level you gain +4 to saves against sonic effects and to listen checks. Being blind also has no negative effect on your ability to cast magic or otherwise function normally. This is negated if you lose your hearing for any reason. You are also able to read again (this is a magical sight effect).

Vibrating Sonics: (Ex) At level 2 your sonic spells work on deaf targets

Disrupting Sonics: (Ex) At level 3 you gain +2 to the DCs of all your sonic based spells, and all effects incurred on targets last for one extra round if you make a successful Spellcraft check (DC=20 + Spell level)

Punishing Sonics: (Ex)At level 4 The resonance mage adds a number of dice equal to his Resonance Mage level to the maximum damage dice cap to any sonic based spell, to a Maximum of 5dx at level 5.

Resounding Sonics: (Su) At level 5 all your sonic based spells act as if under the effects of the expand spell metamagic feat with no spell level adjustment.

Never Unheard Nor Unhearing: (Su) At level 5 you and anything in your space become immune to silence effects

Most of the abilities I like (sonic spells don't get enough attention) but a few nitpicks.

1) I would really advise you to get them blindsight from level 1 on, otherwise the party will have to carry them to level 2.

2) How do they "read" with blindsight that's described as hearing and magic based? Are they actually "seeing" the writing itself (and thus violating their class restrictions) or what? Does this apply to all writings our just those relating to magic (spellbooks, scrolls, incantations scrawled on a wall somewhere, etc.).

3) Do spells like clairvoyance and prying eyes count as "temporarily regaining the ability to see" for the purposes of violating your class requirements?

4) Under Never Unheard Nor Unhearing, do I lose any functionality at all from silence effect or do I essentially ignore it?

5) Do you know of any sonic spells on the boards, as their aren't a whole lot in DND and the ones that are, are scattered across a bunch of extra books?

[periscope69]

SORRY! Double posted by accident while trying some edits. SORRY!

The Resonance Mage
Like most that lose their sight, the Resonance mage has learnt to push past what others see as a disability and constantly suprise those unaware of how capable they are. They turn their weakness into their strength, their visual senses now devoted to hearing. Resonance Magi are capable of incredible feats of sonics, constantly amazing both their audiences and opponents.


Prerequisites:
- Know (Arcana) 8 ranks, Listen 8 ranks
- Must know any four Sonic spells, one of which must be level 4 or higher
- Must be blind

Special: If a Resonance Mage regains their sight temporarily they lose their special abilities related to blindness (Blind but not Deaf, Not as Blind as you Think, Never Unheard Nor Unhearing). This lasts until one hour after you lose sight again.

Ex-Resonance Magi: If you regain sight permanently you cannot progress any further in the Resonance Mage class and also permanently lose access to the the abilies you would lose if you regained sight temporarily. If you again lose your sight permanently you remain an ex-Resonance Mage, unless it was never your intent to regain your sight in the first place.

Not as Blind as You Think: (Ex) At first level you gain blindsense out to 30ft, and you gain another 30ft blindsense every Resonance Mage level up to a maximum of 150ft at level 5. Starting at level 2 you gain half this range as blindsight instead. The blindsense is hearing based and the blindsight is magic and hearing based.

Blind But Not Deaf: (Su) At first level you gain +4 to saves against sonic effects and to listen checks. Being blind also has no negative effect on your ability to cast magic or otherwise function normally. This is negated if you lose your hearing for any reason. You are also able to read again (this is a magical sight effect).

Vibrating Sonics: (Ex) At level 2 your sonic spells work on deaf targets

Disrupting Sonics: (Ex) At level 3 you gain +2 to the DCs of all your sonic based spells, and all effects incurred on targets last for one extra round if you make a successful Spellcraft check (DC=20 + Spell level)

Punishing Sonics: (Ex)At level 4 The resonance mage adds a number of dice equal to his Resonance Mage level to the maximum damage dice cap to any sonic based spell, to a Maximum of 5dx at level 5.

Resounding Sonics: (Su) At level 5 all your sonic based spells act as if under the effects of the expand spell metamagic feat with no spell level adjustment.

Never Unheard Nor Unhearing: (Su) At level 5 you and anything in your space become immune to silence effects

1) I would give them blindsight from level 1 otherwise the party will have to carry them to level 2.

2) How do they read with blindsight? Are they actually "seeing" magically or what (since you described the blindsight as HEARING and magic based)?

3) I would lower the listen prerequisited to 4 ranks, since I don't think wizards or sorcerors have listen as a class skill.

4) Do things like clairvoyance or prying eyes count as temporarily regaining your sight for the purposes of violating your class restricitions?

5) Under Never Unheard Nor Unhearing, does this mean I can essentially ignore a silence effect?

6) Do you know of any sonic spells on the boards? What sonic spells DND does contain are scattered across a lot of splat books and not everyone has the spell compendium?

Great class! :D

[Soliloquy]

To kane0: blind sense allows you to know the locations of things, it just means that people you attack still have 50% miss chance and you are denied dexterity bonuses to armor class. You can still walk. and know where you're going

[periscope69]

To kane0: blind sense allows you to know the locations of things, it just means that people you attack still have 50% miss chance and you are denied dexterity bonuses to armor class. You can still walk. and know where you're going

Actually under the definition of blindsense it say's that "Visibility still affects the movement of a creature with blindsense. A creature with blindsense is still denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against attacks from creatures it cannot see."

It's the main reason as I'd say they need blindsight from level one otherwise they would at the very least need to hold someones hand to get around at any decent speed.

[Soliloquy]

I said that. You are always flatfooted for attacks, but you can see where walls are. It is, in a way, like looking at a map. you can see that a person is in a 5-foot square, but you cannot see where they are attacking from or where to attack them.

Wait, I said to kane0? that should read: to periscope69

[Kane0]

Would it be simpler to give magical sight to elude all the finer points of being blind with blindsight/blindsense?

[Soliloquy]

It would most certainly be simpler, but 3.5 was never very simple, and i don't think simplicity is the aim with homebrewing. You should ask "Is it thematically appropriate".

[Kane0]

I always try for simplicity, even though i know how much of a pain 3.5 and 3.P can be.

Actually im pretty surprised one of my 10 min 5 level prestige classes is getting more attention than all my other brews lol.

Im leaning of granting magical sight within 15ft per level and blindsight within 30ft per level, effectively negating all negative effects of being blind within that 15 ft/level through a combination of magic and hearing.

[Soliloquy]

So they have to be deaf in an antimagic field to not see, or would either work?

[Kane0]

Ok, ive reworked the whole blind with blindsight issue. Let me know what you think.

[periscope69]

I said that. You are always flatfooted for attacks, but you can see where walls are. It is, in a way, like looking at a map. you can see that a person is in a 5-foot square, but you cannot see where they are attacking from or where to attack them.

Wait, I said to kane0? that should read: to periscope69

While the flatfooted deal is an issue, what I was talking about was that if your blind, even if you have blindsense, you can only move at HALF your speed unless you want to be taking a dc 10 acrobatics (I think balance in regular 3.5) every turn.

Kane0:

I like the way you reworked the not as blind as you think class feature, however one question.

You said under an earlier version of it that the Resonance Mage could still read. Does this still apply to this version of blindsight, or will the Resonance Mage in question need to seek out a braille spellbook (or whatever equivelant you might have in your game)?

[Kane0]

The magical sight covers reading, although he would still be colorblind. So hes out of luck if he needs to know if its written in blood or a bright ink, or if hes trying to read in an antimagic'd area for that matter.

[periscope69]

Thank You!