Imposter


The imposters of the world are seen as Thieves of a perverse nature. They reach into a mind and copy your abilities to use for them selves, some are even able to remove abilities completely from the victim.


Class Skills: Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise self, Concentrate , craft, forgery, gather info, knowledge (all), move silently, Perform, Sense Motive, spot, Tumble
5+intelligence modifier (x4 at first level)

Hit Die d8

Class Abilities:
Scan, Once you have touched (landed a touch attack if hostile) an intelligent creature you may initiate a scan check verse the creatures will save. If the scan meets or exceeds the save you may “copy” any ability you are aware of that the creature possesses. If your check exceeds by 5 or more you become aware of any and all racial abilities, 10 or more abilities learned from class levels.
Scan check is 1d20 + cha mod + imposter level
If you control a grapple with the target you gain a +4 on a scan check.

Negate, If your scan check beats the targets will save by 10 more you can suppress 1 known ability it possesses for 2d6 rounds, if your scan beats it by 15 or more the target must succeed a fortitude save vs. the amount their save lost by or lose that ability permanently.

Control ability, Once an ability has been copied it can be used by the Imposter as long as it doesn’t require anatomy he/she does not possess. This ability is point based loose base being:
Special senses/ 0 lvl spells 1pt.
Super Senses/1 lvl spells (dark vision 120’, improved scent, tremor sense) 2pts.
Non-Offensive special/supernatural abilities 3pts.
Offensive abilities 1pt per die of damage ( 6d6 fireball = 6 pts./ high lvl magic missile 5d4+5 = 5 pts.)
Offensive non-damage based abilities 5pts
Once an ability is copied an imposter will forever know that ability as it was known by the original user (will always be as it was aka if you copied a 8th lvl casters fireball it will always be 8d6 with the same range able to be cast as many times as that lvl 8 caster was able to cast it,) However the imposter has to allocate points every mourning to be able to use them.
An imposter receives 1 pt per level plus your charisma modifier.

Bonus Feat, an imposter may only choose his/her bonus feats from the following list: *Studious Observer, *Nullifier, *Favored Form, Unarmed Strike, Improved Grappler, Expert Wrestler, *Master Impersonator

Studious Observer:
Prerequisites: the scan ability, 5 or more ranks in spot.
Benefits: Allows for the scan ability to be done at a range of 25’+5’ per level does not allow for a negate attempt
Normal: Scan can only be done on a touched target

Nullifier:
Prerequisites: The Scan ability
Benefits: Double your charisma bonus for determining a negate attempt.




Favored Form:
Prerequisites: Control Ability class ability.
Benefits: An ability to be chosen at the time you take this feat costs 2 points less to have active.
Special: this feat may be taken multiple time but must be used for a different ability.

Master Impersonator:
Prerequisites: The Scan class ability.
Benefits: Triple your charisma modifier on a scan attempt, This bonus is not counted in a negate attempt.



Level Base Attack Fort Reflex Will Class Abilities
1 0 0 0 2 Scan, Negate, Control Ability
2 1 0 0 3
3 2 1 1 3 bonus feat
4 3 1 1 4
5 3 1 1 4
6 4 2 2 5 bonus feat
7 5 2 2 5
8 6/1 2 2 6
9 6/1 3 3 6 bonus feat
10 7/2 3 3 7
11 8/3 3 3 7
12 9/4 4 4 8 bonus feat
13 9/4 4 4 8
14 10/5 4 4 9
15 11/6/1 5 5 9 bonus feat
16 12/7/2 5 5 10
17 12/7/2 5 5 10
18 13/8/3 6 6 11 bonus feat
19 14/9/4 6 6 11
20 15/10/5 6 6 12

Based off 3.5 rules tried for a balanced class with boundless possibilities. I was influenced by Heroes' "Sylar"

This is extremely overpowered. You just made Pun-Pun into a class.

Yeah, makes the Illithid Savant look under-powered almost.

Perhaps consider condensing this into a 5 level PrC, attainable by around level 10 or so. But any abilities gained through scanning only last a short time, perhaps tied to WIS. And they can only absorb a number of abilities based upon their CON score. (Making it multiple-ability dependent might help weaken it a bit.)

If you want this to remain a base class, consider spreading out the effect of "Control Ability". Right now, a 1st Level Imposter can do everything it's ever going to do. There's little (if any) reason to pursue this class beyond a 1 level dip. However, if you break up what you can copy with Control Ability and spread it out over several levels I think you'll help balance this. Start small: perhaps copy offensive and defensive ability (BAB and BSB), then move to feats, class features, and cap with spellcasting. Reference the Spellthief (CAdv) mechanics for examples of how "stealing" abilities might be adapted to this class.

Control Ability needs to be better defined. How many abilities can be copied? How long do they last? Can you drop a copied ability in favor of a new one?

Nullifier and Master Imposter need prerequisites. Nullifier should tie to an ability score minimum and perhaps a level minimum. Master Imposter should require Nullifier and perhaps another level minimum.

The opposed check mechanic for Scan is odd. Saving Throws aren't typically used in opposed ability checks. You either automatically hit and the target can attempt a saving throw to reduce or avoid the effect, or you use some other mechanic to resolve the attack. Consider changing this to a Charisma check opposed by the target's Wisdom check.

What kind of an action is Scan? What kind of action is Control Ability? Is all of this happening as part of a Standard Action?

First off thank you guys.


Ok the I see it working scan is a swift action and part of the "touch attack". Control ability is just how I was trying to limit the power of this class through the point system. Scanning abilities is like a wizard adding to his spellbook, and the abilities must be activated every day he wishes to use them by spending his point allowance if he wants tremor-sense everyday he must burn those points for it everyday.

I went with the opposed checks to give the defender a chance I see it as a mental grapple and that was the best I could think of, but I will check out the Spellthief mechanic thank you.

I'm not sure I like the "permanently know copied abilities" bit. There has to be a limit to that somewhere; blending the wizard's unlimited capacity for spells known with the at-will use of a spontaneous caster is incredibly unbalancing.

I understand the "what" of Control Ability. It's the "how" that needs work, mechanically.

+1 to Dr. Morganes. While I was sorely disappointed when I didn't read the fine print on the Spellthief before I began playing it, I definately saw the need for limitations on what and how long I could retain a stolen spell. In my mind I was already figuring out ways to get every utility spell imaginable and then becoming the ultimate skill-monkey, but alas, someone in the R&D department did their job well and made sure that wasn't a possibility.

Hmmmm... so basically you are building some kind of Blue Magic user, like Quina or another of the FF characters that use it.

Well, why not make a table of "Number of Copied Abilities known" and limit the character? Like having a "Number of Spells Known" but with the advantage that you will "fill in the spots" at your leisure, instead of beginning the game already with 3 0-lv spells and 2 1st level spells.

Because you can still end up making Pun-Pun if you allow a class like this to permanently retain spells/abilities they've copied. While it may sound like a fun concept, it would completely break the game. In order to allow the class to perma-steal abilities, you'd have to significantly restrict the types of abilities they could rip off in the first place.