Psionic Chameleon, the adaption we never got (PEACH)

[Jervis]

This isn't a wand, its my uncle, he decided to true mind switch and live as a stick for a while.

Chameleon is somewhat famous and infamous for how fun and unintentionally powerful it is. It has one of the strongest features in the game for crafters, the famous floating bonus feat, as well as the ability to grab literally ever spell in the game below 7th level and cast them with the fastest CL progression in the game, matched only by beholder mage. The only downside is their limit to 6th level spells, which can be easily circumvented with cleaver feat usage. Needless to say, its one of the most fun classes to play in the game. In their typically helpful fashion, Wizards gave us a list of adaptations, all of which having the same amount of effort put in as Arcane Swordsage.

Chameleons can be reworked as a completely nonmagical class, where they have no spells but use Sleight of Hand to make items "disappear," and potions or powders to create smoke, fog, and fire. They could be made completely magical as well or even psionic, using spells or psionics to actually gain the abilities of other classes.

Ignoring the note about making them completely magic, which given their already ridiculous amount of magical versatility I assume would involve giving them the Ur-priest/Beholder mage spell progression with spontaneous casting of every spell ever printed and the ability to cast wish as a at will SLA, i find the line about psionics interesting. At first I was planning on making a psionic focus based on wilder but then i realized that was boring, so instead I'm making my own psionic chameleon manifester. This is "balanced" against the original keeping in mind how people actually play it in practice, cough extra spell illumian cheese cough so expect my usual above average power level. Though in practice i suspect this would turn out less powerful since, well, chameleons with divine focus are already absurd without late game optimancy.

Psionic Chameleon

Requirements
Race: Human, Doppelganger, Changeling, or Elan*
Skills Ranks: Bluff 8, Disguise 8, Sense Motive 4, Psicraft** 4
Feats: Able Learner
*Elan are questionably able to qualify for Able Learner due to their typing, if they can't then that feat requirement is waved
**In most games, mine included, psicraft and spellcraft are the same skill, if this is the case replace psicraft with spellcraft

Hit Die: d8
Skill Points: 4+int

Class Skills: As chameleon except noted, remove use magic device, add use psionic device, psicraft, and autohypnosis.

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Power Points per Day	Unique Powers Readied	Maximum Power Level Known
1st	+0	+0	+0	+0	Aptitude focus 1/day (+2)	17	5	2nd
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+0	Bonus feat	25	5	2nd
3rd	+2	+1	+1	+1	Mimic class feature 1/day	35	6	3rd
4th	+3	+1	+1	+1	Ability boon +2	46	6	3rd
5th	+3	+1	+1	+1	Aptitude focus 2/day (+4)	58	7	4th
6th	+4	+2	+2	+2	Mimic class feature 2/day	72	7	4th
7th	+5	+2	+2	+2	Ability boon +4, double aptitude	88	8	5th
8th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+2	Rapid refocus	106	8	5th
9th	+6/+1	+3	+3	+3	Mimic class feature 3/day	126	9	6th
10th	+7/+2	+3	+3	+3	Ability boon +6, aptitude focus 3/day (+4)	147	9	6th

Psionics
This variety of chameleon focuses on awakening and amplifying the user's innate psychic abilities. A Psionic chameleon manifests powers much like a Psion or Wilder does, except as noted below. Charisma is their psionic manifesting ability modifier. To manifest a power a Psionic Chameleon must have a Charisma score at least equal to 10 + the powers level. Saving throws against their powers have a difficulty class equal to 10 + the power's level + their charisma modifier. Their manifestor level is equal to 2 + their class level, effectively they treat their class level as 2 levels higher for determining their manifester level.

Powers Known(Repertoire)
A Psionic Chameleon begins play with 6 + their Int modifier powers from the Psion/Wilder power list, these must be powers of 2nd level or lower. At each level a psionic chameleon adds two powers to their repertoire from the general Psion/Wilder power list. The maximum level of power they can learn this way is shown in the chameleon table as their maximum power level known.

Unique powers per day
A chameleon cannot access every power in their repertoire. Instead when assuming a Aptitude Focus (see below) they must select a number of powers from their repertoire equal to their unique powers readied. They may manifest powers from their selection as if those where their powers known for the rest of the day or until they assume a new aptitude focus.

Power Points
Chameleons have a number of power points of each level as shown on their table. They gain bonus power points per day according to their manifester level based on their Charisma modifier.

Adding powers to their repertoire
A Psionic Chameleon is able to add powers to their repertoire through a number of ways. Firstly they may gain powers from the psion/wilder power list when gaining a level of psionic chameleon. Though they may gain powers through other means. They can learn psionic discipline powers, powers from other psionic classes, or a number of spells by copying them from others. A psionic chameleon may learn powers from another's repertoire of powers if the creature is willing or unconscious. Doing so requires that the chameleon make psionic contact. (this requires a full round of concentration and a psicraft check, DC 15 + the highest level power known) A Chameleon may then learn any number of powers from the creature, this requires 1 hours per level of the powers the chameleon wishes to learn and expending 20 experience per power level. A Psionic Chameleon may learn powers from the Psion/Wilder power list up to the highest level they can manifest, as well as powers from other class lists and discipline powers up to 1 level lower than the highest level power they can manifest. Treat spells as psionic powers from another classes list. Chameleon's rely their their innate psionic abilities to mimic the powers of others

A Chameleon can also rely on their psionic powers to recreate magical or psionic effects they can see. When a chameleon sees a power being manifested or a spell being cast, a chameleon may attempt a psicraft check (DC 35 + spell/power level) to attempt to understand the makeup of it. On a success the chameleon adds it to their repertoire so long as the power is of a level they can manifest.

Spells maintain their material components that cost more than 5GP however noncostly material componets as well as verbal and somatic components are ignored.

Aptitude Focus
Once per day, you can select one of five areas upon which to focus your ever-shifting talents. After meditating for 1 hour, you gain the chosen abilities for 24 hours or until you change your aptitude focus. An aptitude focus ability is usable once per day at 1st level, twice per day at 5th level, and three times per day at 10th level. At 5th level, you can change your aptitude focus one time per day, and at 10th level you can change your aptitude focus two times per day.

Discipline Focus: You focus your mind on the power of psionic disciplines. You may ready 2 additional powers when readying powers, these powers are not from your powers known but instead powers from one discipline of your choice, they must be at least one level lower than the highest level power you can manifest. You also gain 10 additional power points, this improves to 30 at 5th level. You gain a +2 bonus to knowledge (psionics), and psicraft checks as well as will saving throws, this improves to +4 at level 5.

Mystic Focus: You focus your mind on improving your psychic powers. You may ready 2 additional powers from your repertoire. You gain 10 additional power points, this improves to 30 at level 5. You gain a +2 bonus to psicraft and use psionic device checks as well as will saving throws, this bonus improves to +4 at 5th level.

Theurge Focus: You focus your mind on emulating the power of magic. Increase the DCs of spellcraft/psicraft checks to identify your powers you manifest by 5. If a creature fails to identify a power you manifest you can choose to have them instead believe that it was a different spell/power of the same level or lower. You gain +10 bonus power points, this improves to +30 at level 5. You also gain a +2 bonus on Knowledge (arcana) and Knowledge (Religion) as well as Will and fort saving throws, this bonus improves to +4 at level 5.

Monastic Focus: You gain improved unarmed strike as a bonus feat as well as the unarmed strike damage, unarmored AC bonus, and unarmored movement speed bonus of a monk of your class level. If you have levels in monk you can instead let your levels in Psionic Chameleon stack with monk levels for all monk abilities. You gain a +2 bonus to balance, climb, escape artist, and jump checks as well as all saving throws, this improves to +4 at level 5.

Lurk Focus: You improve your talents with stealth and infiltration. You gain the Trapfinding, and Evasion class features as a rogue. Additionally you gain a +2 bonus to disable divine, search, move silently, open lock, and hide checks as well as dexterity saving throws. This bonus improves to +4 at 5th level.

Champion Focus: You gain a great resilience against your enemies and gain the ability to fight more valiantly. You gain the Mettle class feature as a hexblade. Additionally, you gain a + 2 to attack and damage rolls with melee weapons and to Fort and Will saves. This bonus improves to +4 at 5th level.

Sage Focus: You focus your mind on the study of the esoteric and the creation of new knowledge. You may emulate spells or psionic powers for the purposes of creating a item similarly to how a Warlock does. If you cannot cast a spell or manifest a power needed for the creation of a item, you may attempt a use psionic device check (DC 15 + spell level) to emulate it. Treat your Manifester level as your caster level when emulating a spell. Regardless of emulating a spell or power, you must have a manifester level equal to the spell/power's level x 2 -1 to emulate it. If you fail to emulate it you cannot attempt to do so again until you gain at least one rank of use psionic device. You gain a +2 bonus on Use Psionic Device checks as well as all knowledge checks. This bonus improves to +4 at 5th level.

Bonus Feat(EX)
At 2nd level, you gain a bonus feat. You must meet the prerequisites for this feat. At the start of each day, you can choose to change your bonus feat to any other feat for which you meet the prerequisites.

Mimic Class Feature
As the Chameleon feature

Ability Boon(EX)
As the Chameleon feature

Double Aptitude(EX)
As the chameleon feature

Rapid Refocus(EX)
As the chameleon feature

[Jervis]

Saved

Also Design Philosophy

This is actually a fair bit weaker than normal chameleon over all. Chameleons get every spell is existence and divine focus alone nets you the cleric, druid, and wizard lists thanks to the Sha'ir technicality. Psionic powers are good but there's very little they give you that every published spell can't do. The change to manifester level from being Class level x2 to being class level +2 is self explanatory, that really would be the psionic equivalent of beholder mage. As is this is mostly my attempt to make a thematic psionic chameleon along with some fixes to normal chameleon and Erudite.

As for my reasoning for making manifesting get boosted by a focus instead of being a focus itself. Well, that always leads to weirdness. For one thing your average chameleon player will never use any focus that isn't Divine or Arcane until 7th, when they start using both. This is to improve options and fit the fully psionic theme. Gaining powers/spells is more costly than to a normal chameleon and ML trails CL by a lot. But its easier to get higher level powers with just heighten power and practiced manifester.

I also intend on adding more class feature mimic options later.

[bekeleven]

Ignoring the note about making them completely magic, which given their already ridiculous amount of magical versatility I assume would involve giving them the Ur-priest/Beholder mage spell progression with spontaneous casting of every spell ever printed and the ability to cast wish as a at will SLA

It's saying that you can make it so that all of their abilities are derived from sleight of hand (e.g. they're not casting spells) or all of their abilities are derived from magic (e.g. your "evasion" ability is actually a Wings of Cover variant).

Neither of these modes directly changes the power level of the chameleon, since they're basically just refluffs, although if you follow through on the mechanical side, the nonmagical version would arguably be able to cast 6th level spells in an antimagic field which is pretty

[Jervis]

It's saying that you can make it so that all of their abilities are derived from sleight of hand (e.g. they're not casting spells) or all of their abilities are derived from magic (e.g. your "evasion" ability is actually a Wings of Cover variant).

Neither of these modes directly changes the power level of the chameleon, since they're basically just refluffs, although if you follow through on the mechanical side, the nonmagical version would arguably be able to cast 6th level spells in an antimagic field which is pretty

Yeah I know but it’s funnier to go the meme route given how unintentionally powerful this can be. Still doesn’t explain how the psionic chameleon bit is suppose to work though.

Also, funny you commented. I was actually thinking of doing a rework of this soon, didn’t fit well thematically given what it’s based on. I was thinking of reworking it to keep Arcane and Divine, adding a Psionic focus, and making all of them manifest instead of casting. Probably making some rule about just not being able to use powers with material components.

[bekeleven]

My first thought for "psionic chameleon" would also be to make a psionic focus. To match the existing focuses... Goes up to 6th level powers, would probably have access to few powers per day (1/class level or so) and get the power points of a Psion of levels 3-12 or so.

If you're (deservedly) nerfing Arcane and Divine focus, of course, this would go down correspondingly.