The Operative

Information, according to many, is the greatest source of power in existence. And as such, it follows, the greatest path to power lies in mastering the arts of acquiring and safeguarding information. Perhaps the undisputed masters of these arts are the operatives, psionic spies who can adopt new identities as easily as others could change their clothes. Virtually no secret is safe from these masters of deception, while their own secrets may be some of the most secure in existence.

Adventures: Operatives find adventuring to be a useful day job, since claiming to be an adventurer provides a ready excuse to show up nearly anywhere. This provides an operative with a convenient excuse to travel wherever their missions take them, while arousing minimal suspicion. Furthermore, freelance operatives often find adventures an excellent way to hone their combat abilities without attracting unwanted attention.

Characteristics: Operatives posses a mix of potent psionic powers, enabling them to effectively manipulate the minds of others, though they generally lack the breadth of abilities available to psions or wilders. These powers are supplemented with an extensive mundane skill set and a nearly unmatched ability to shield their identities through a mixture of mental training and false identities.

Alignment: Despite embracing an existence defined by deception, operatives don’t display any particular leanings towards chaos. While many operatives, particularly those who operate independently, are chaotic, just as many see their abilities as tools to enforce law and order. Similarly, operatives as whole lack any strong tendency towards good or evil. An operative’s skills can be used to protect the weak and ensure peace just as easily as they can used for wanton murder.

Religion: Few operatives are particularly religious. On occasion, an operative might choose to venerate a deity of trickery, but most are hesitant to put faith in anything beyond their own abilities.

Background: Most operatives are recruited in their early teens when they start to display psionic talent. Typically, a prospective operative will be trained by an older member of the class, relentlessly subjecting them to mind games of varying degrees of dangerousness while forcing them to hone both their psionic abilities and talent for deception. A rare few operatives, however, are self-taught. These individuals were likely already experienced liars, embracing their latent psionic abilities as an extension of their existing talents.

Races: Humans and half-elves make up the majority of operatives, members of both races typically finding it easy to integrate and disappear into different places. Halflings make up a significant minority, putting the tendency of other races to overlook them to good use. Elves to often find their pride as an impediment to being effective as an operative, and neither dwarves nor half-orcs have the knack for deception the class demands.

Other Classes: Operatives tend to get along best with classes that can match them in subtlety, such as bards, rogues, or spellcasters with a focus on illusion or enchantment. However, most operatives are willing to work with anyone that can be useful, and its easy to blend into the background when standing next to a raging barbarian or a fireball throwing sorcerer.

Role: An operative can make an excellent scout for the party, able to move quietly and unseen while negotiating all manner of hazards. Operatives are also a natural choice for the face of the party, courtesy of their significant social skills.

GAME RULE INFORMATION
Empaths have the following game statistics
Abilities: Intelligence is the most important ability, as it determines their power points per day and the strength of their psionic abilities. Dexterity is useful as well, as operatives typically wear light armor. Finally, Charisma is valuable to most operatives, as it boosts many of their key skills.
Alignment: Operatives can be of any alignment.
Hit Die: D6
Starting Age: As barbarian
Starting Gold: As cleric

Class Skills:
Appraise, Autohypnosis, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (all), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Perform (any), Psicraft, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spot, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope
Skill Points at 1st level: (6 + Intelligence Modifier) x4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Intelligence Modifier

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Power Points / Day Powers Known Maximum Power Level Known
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Acrobatics +2, Cover Identity, Trapfinding 2 2 1st
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Bonus Feat, Poison Use 6 3 1st
3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Masked Alignment 11 5 2nd
4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Subtle Manifestation 17 6 2nd
5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Cover Identity 25 8 3rd
6th +4 +2 +5 +5 Bonus Feat 35 9 3rd
7th +5 +2 +5 +5 Evasion 46 11 4th
8th +6 +2 +6 +6 Acrobatics +4 58 12 4th
9th +6 +3 +6 +6 Cover Identity 72 14 5th
10th +7 +3 +7 +7 Bonus Feat 88 15 5th
11th +8 +3 +7 +7 Shadowed Mind 106 17 6th
12th +9 +4 +8 +8 Deep Cover 126 18 6th
13th +9 +4 +8 +8 Cover Identity 147 20 7th
14th +10 +4 +9 +9 Bonus Feat 170 21 7th
15th +11 +5 +9 +9 Acrobatics +6 195 23 8th
16th +12 +5 +10 +10 Improved Evasion 221 24 8th
17th +12 +5 +10 +10 Cover Identity 250 26 9th
18th +13 +6 +11 +11 Bonus Feat 280 27 9th
19th +14 +6 +11 +11 Improved Shadowed Mind 311 28 9th
20th +15 +6 +12 +12 Master of Masks 343 30 9th


Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An operative is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, short sword and shortbow. Operatives are proficient with light armor but not with shields.

Power Points/Day: An operative’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points he has available. His base daily allotment of power points is given on the class table. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see EPH page 18). His race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Power Points/Day: An operative begins play knowing two operative powers of their choice. Each time he achieves a new level, he unlocks the knowledge of new powers.
Choose the powers know from the operative power list. (Exception: The feats Expanded Knowledge, EPH page 46, and Epic Expanded Knowledge, EPH page 34, do allow an operative to learn powers from the lists of other classes.) An operative can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than his manifester level.
The total number of powers an operative can manifest in a day is limited only by his daily power points. In other words, a 9th-level operative (with a total of 72 power points) could manifest a power costing 1 power point 72 times in one day, a power costing 9 power points 8 times in one day, or any combination of power point costs that do not exceed 72 power points in total.
An operative simply knows his powers; they are ingrained in his mind. He does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though he must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all his spent power points.
The Difficulty Class for saving throws against operative powers is 10 + the power’s level + the operative’s Intelligence modifier. For example, the saving throw against a 6th-level power has a DC of 16 + Int modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known: An operative begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As he attains higher levels, he may gain the ability to master more complex powers – for example, a 5th-level operative can learn powers of 3rd level or lower, a 9th-level operative can learn powers of 5th level or lower, and so on.
To learn or manifest a power, an operative must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the power’s level. For example, an operative with an Intelligence score of 13 can manifest powers of 3rd level or lower.

Acrobatics (Su): An operative is able to use their psychic energy to boost their physical abilities. As long as the operative is psionically focused, they receive a +2 bonus to Balance, Climb, Jump and Tumble checks. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level, and increases again to +6 at 15th level.

Cover Identity (Ex): An operative begins with one specific cover identity (such as “Murek, the tailor from Sumberton”). While operating in that identity, they gain a +4 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks and a +2 circumstance bonus on Bluff and Gather Information checks.
An operative can add an additional cover identity to their repertoire at 5th level and every four levels beyond that (9th, 13th, and 17th).
Should an operative wish to “retire” a cover identity and develop a new one, they must spend one week rigorously practicing subtle vocal intonations and body language before they earn the associated bonuses. Cover identities doe not in themselves provide the operative with additional skills, proficiencies, or class features that others might expect of the professions pretended. Thus, an operative must be careful to choose identities that can withstand ordinary scrutiny.

Trapfinding (Ex): An operative can use the Search skill to locate traps with a DC higher than 20, and he can use Disable Device to bypass a trap or disarm magic traps.

Bonus Feats: An operative gains a bonus feat at 2nd level and at every four levels beyond that (6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th) from the list given below. The operative must meet the prerequisite for the feat they select.
Bonus Feat List: Acrobatic, Agile, Alertness, Deceitful, Deft Hands, Investigator, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Nimble Fingers, Persuasive, Stealthy or any psionic feat.

Poison Use (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, an operative never risks accidently poisoning themselves when apply poison to a weapon.

Masked Alignment (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, an operative masters the ability to hide their alignment from divinations. As long as the operative is psionically focused, any attempt to detect their alignment with divination magic automatically fails. Alternatively, if an operative is acting under a cover identity, they can elect to display the appropriate alignment of their cover identity.

Subtle Manifestation (Ex): An operative of 4th level has finely honed the ability to use their psionic powers while attracting minimal attention. They may now manifest any psionic power they know without the normal display, without needing to succeed on the normal Concentration check (EPH 58).
The operative still incurs potential attacks of opportunity for manifesting powers as normal.

Evasion (Ex): At 7th level and higher, an operative can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can only be used if the operative is wearing light or no armor. A helpless operative (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Shadowed Mind (Su): An operative of 11th level or higher develops a potent ward against magical attempts at detection. Any time the operative is targeted by a divination or similar effect, the caster must succeed at a caster level check against a DC equal to 15 + the operative’s class level. If this check fails, the spell fails and provides the caster with no information.
However, if the operative is acting under a cover identity, the operative may instead elect to have a caster who fails this check to perceive an illusion appropriate to the nature of their cover identity instead (such as a scry spell showing them in their room at an inn instead of their actual location). The caster may attempt a Will save (DC 13 + the operative’s Int modifier) to see through this illusion. On a success, the caster realizes that it was shown an illusion and that their divination failed, but receives no further information.

Deep Cover (Ex): At 12th level, an operative becomes able to completely immerse themselves into their cover identities. From this point forward, whenever the operative is acting in a cover identity, divinations detect only information appropriate to their cover identity and reveal nothing relating to their operative persona.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 11th level, an operative’s evasion ability improves. He still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon’s breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless operative (such as one who is unconscious or paralyzed) does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Improved Shadowed Mind (Su): An operative of 19th level completely masters their ability to ward themselves against divinations and mental intrusion. This ability functions like the spell mind blank, except that an operative acting in a cover identity can elect for divination effects to perceive information that would be appropriate for their selected identity. If this ability would produce an illusionary result for a scrying effect, the Will DC to recognize the illusion is 19 + the operative’s Intelligence modifier.

Master of Masks (Ex or Su): At 20th level, the operative’s ability to take on new identities reaches is zenith, which comes with several benefits:
* The skill bonuses the operative receives for acting in a cover identity double to +8 to Disguise checks and +4 to Bluff and Gather Information checks
* The operative can don a disguise in one-tenth the normal time (1d3 minutes) at no penalty.
* Should the operative wish to retire a cover identity and create a new one, they can do so with a single day’s work.
* Finally, as long as the operative is psionically focused while in cover identity, all Sense Motive and Spot checks made to see through the operative’s cover identity are made with a -10 penalty.

Operative Power List
Spoiler
Show
1: attraction, burst, call to mind, catfall, charm, psionic, conceal thoughts, control object, control light, create sound, daze, psionic, déjà vu, demoralize, destiny dissonance, detect psionics, detect teleportation, disable, distract, empathy, empty mind, far hand, know direction and location, mindlink, mind thrust, missive, precognition, sense link, synesthete, telempathic projection

2: aversion, brain lock, chameleon, clairvoyant sense, cloud mind, control sound, detect hostile intent, ego whip, forced sense link, id insinuation, identify, psionic, knock, psionic, levitate, psionic, mass missive, mental disruption, object reading, read thoughts, recall agony, sensitivity to psychic impression, suggestion, psionic, tongues, psionic

3: crisis of breath, danger sense, darkvision, psionic, dispel psionics, ectoplasmic form, eradicate invisibility, escape detection, false sensory input, fate link, forced share pain, mind trap, psionic blast, telekinetic force, telekinetic thrust, time hop

4: aura sight, correspond, death urge, detect remote viewing, dimension door, psionic, divination, psionic, dominate, psionic, fabricate, psionic, fly, psionic, mindwipe, modify memory, psionic, remote viewing, trace teleport

5: [/I]clairtangent hand, mind probe, plane shift, psionic, psychic crush, second chance, shatter mind blank, teleport, psionic, teleport trigger, true seeing, psionic[/I]

6: [/I]aura alteration, greater precognition, greater psionic fabricate, mass cloud mind, mind switch, overland flight, psionic, remote view trap, retrieve, temporal acceleration[/I]

7: [/I]crisis of life, divert teleport, dream travel, ethereal jaunt, psionic, fate of one, insanity, personal mind blank, phase door, psionic, sequester, psionic[/I]

8: [/I]greater psionic teleport, hypercognition, mind blank, psionic, mind seed, shadow body, telekinetic sphere, psionic[/I]

9: [/I]etherealness, psionic, metafaculty, microcosm, psychic chirurgery, true mind switch[/I]