The Mind's Eye04/11/2007


Expanded Classes, Part Three
Seer, Shaper, Telepath



The Players Handbook II introduces us to expanded classes, which provide us with a way to enhance the basic classes of D&D. In this series, we present some expanded class options for the base psionic classes detailed in the Expanded Psionics Handbook.


Expanded Class: Psion (Seer)

You are a serene soul, always patient, always seeming to be expecting whatever comes next. Some think you are just lucky, always in the right place at the right time. Some think you are a pacifist, but you just know when to get out of the way. Some call you an oracle and prophet; you just wave them off, not taking credit but helping people with what they need. You choose your moves carefully since you know that the world can change on a butterfly's wing. You recognize the value of knowledge and learn everything you can about everything you encounter. And you continue down the road, just a few steps ahead of everybody else.

Prophecy plays a part of being a seer and Player's Handbook II, page 43, has a sidebar on how to use prophecy in your game.

Suggested Backgrounds (choose one):Ascetic, Drifter, Tribal Origin.

Suggested Personality Archetypes (choose one): Companion, Daredevil, Prophet, Sage, Seeker, Strategist, Theorist.

Character Themes

One or more of the following character themes could apply to you.

Lore Seeker: They say "knowledge is power" and if that is true, one day you will be among the most powerful in the world. You may be a historian, unlocking secrets of the past with clairsentient powers. You might be a scholar of the present, watching history unfold around you, trying to be in the right place to see great things with your own eyes. You may follow the path of the sage, seeking knowledge in specific fields -- perhaps dragons, or maybe elven goldfish. You might be a relic hunter, seeking lost artifacts in forgotten tombs. No matter what path you follow, you seek knowledge the way a thief seeks gold.

"I believe I read something about this once. . . ."

Daredevil: It is the fear of failure, and the consequences it brings, that keep most people from risking their lives on dangerous stunts. But what if you knew exactly when to jump, the moment when the rope would break and when that log was going to wash by in the river? You use your powers to see just that and that allows you to take risks that others would not dare. Some do it for the thrill of adventure, some do it for god and country, and some really don't know what drives them, but they know that every challenge faced must be overcome. You live every moment like it is your last, enjoying every dance, relishing every meal, and just savoring life as it comes to you.

"Last one in is a neo-otyugh!"

Oracle: You are what most people expect in a seer: You divine the future, read people's fortunes, and occasionally make prophecies. You study ancient prophecies, seeking to understand them and hoping that understanding will help you make your own prophecies. As you discover lost prophecies, you help some come to pass and stop others from becoming true. But most of the time, you just try to help people as a simple fortune teller, trying to guide them from harm. You are not quick to make decisions; usually you need to divine the future to decide your path. You are a student of history, trying to understand how past prophecies actually did come true.

"I knew you would say that and yes, I know you will kill me if I keep saying that."

Fate Weaver: Some people are very manipulative by nature; they might use power, money, sex, or magic to control the world around them. You don't waste time manipulating people, because you can manipulate fate itself. You weave probabilities like a tailor weaves threads. You are selfish by nature, trying to make your life easier and better, but you recognize the danger of karma, and try to always send the bad stuff someone else's way.

"We can do this the hard way or the very hard and much more humorous way."

Counterseer: With all the people looking in crystal balls and divining the future, you realize that someone needs to "fog the mirror." You are a little paranoid since you realize just how easy it is to scry into a private room or to foresee the proper moment to rob someone. You learn the tricks to stop scrying, learn the powers that block it, and learn how to hide from those "looking." You might become a professional security expert, being hired to keep conversations and business deals secret. Or maybe you just live in fear of being watched, and possibly you have a reason to fear. Maybe someone powerful is looking for you because of something your family did or some magic item you have -- or perhaps some strange prophecy sent them after you. It doesn't really matter why; you just know you need to hide.

"If knowledge is power, you will never have any power over me."

Psychic Knowledge

You gain bits and pieces of knowledge from all the divinations you do.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: You lose the bonus feat at 1st level.
Benefit: You gain the psionic equivalent of bardic knowledge. It functions just like a bard's class ability, except you use your manifester level in place of bardic level.

Fate Points

You have the ability to change your fate due to your knowledge of the future.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: You lose the bonus feat at 1st level.
Benefit: The Eberron Campaign Setting introduced action points (see page 45) with the setting. If you play outside of Eberron, action points can be used for seers and diviners as an ability to see the future and get out of its way. You can use a fate point to improve the results of an attack roll, a skill check, an ability check, a level check or a saving throw. When you spend an action point, you add the result of a roll of 1d6 to your d20 roll to help you meet or exceed the target number for the roll. You can declare the use of a fate point after you have made the roll, but before the Dungeon Master reveals whether you succeeded or failed. See the Eberron Campaign Setting and Magic of Eberron for more information and feats that work with action points.

If you are playing in the Eberron setting or using action points already, you gain the Action Boost and the Action Surge feats at 1st level. These allow you to be a master of your own fate.

Starting Packages

Package 1: The Prophet
Half-Elf Psion (Seer)
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 9.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Gather Information, Knowledge, Listen, Psicraft.
Languages: Celestial, Common, Draconic, Elven.
Feats:Focused Skill User (Autohypnosis, Concentration, Psicraft), Psicrystal Affinity[B].
Weapons: Club (1d4), light crossbow and 20 bolts (1d8/19-20, 80 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 10 gp.
Power Points: 3.
Powers: Call to mind, déjà vu, precognition.

Package 2: The Daredevil
Human Psion (Seer)
Ability Scores:Str 14, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 14, Wis 9, Cha 13.
Skills:Autohypnosis, Concentration, Gather Information, Listen, Spot, Tumble.
Languages: Common, Goblin, Halfling.
Feats: Mental Leap, Psionic Body (human), Up the Walls[B].
Weapons: Quarterstaff (1d6), dagger (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 7 gp.
Power Points: 3.
Powers: Catfall, float, synchronicity.

Package 3: The Problem Solver
Synad Psion (Seer)
Ability Scores:Str 8, Dex 12, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 16, Cha 13.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Knowledge, Listen, Psicraft, Spot.
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Orc.
Feats: Enhanced Synad Multitask, Quicken Power[B]
Weapons: Shortspear (1d6), dagger (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 17 gp.
Power Points: 6.
Powers: Deflection field, mind thrust, precognition.


Expanded Class: Psion (Shaper)

You have the soul of an artist -- creating is your life. Even without your powers, you spend hours crafting a new bow for your ranger, repairing the armor of your fighter, or whittling a whistle for the innkeeper's son. Even dealing with others, you are always making new friends and acquaintances, and exploring new ideas. On the other hand, you can be temperamental while you are creating and crafting items, always striving for perfection in your work. As a craftsman, you tend to use tools a lot and not just when crafting. You use your constructs to fight for you, you use your powers in creative ways to aid your allies and impede your enemies, and you are the one most likely to craft new wondrous items for your friends to wield.

Suggested Backgrounds (choose one): Artisan, Ascetic, Drifter, Gladiator, Noble Scion.

Suggested Personality Archetypes (choose one): Agent, Daredevil, Mercenary, Rebel, Renegade, Seeker, Strategist, Trickster.

Character Themes

One or more of the following character themes could apply to you.

Psychemist: Like an alchemist, you craft using chemicals and reagents; the only difference is that you can create your lab with a thought. Your favorite power is fabricate -- with this one you can bypass the lab and just create whatever you need at a moment's notice from the raw ingredients at hand. In the field, you are a problem solver; whatever is needed, you just pull out of thin air: a rope to climb down into a pit, a bag of flour for that invisible foe, or the tools you need to use your craft.

"No, I cannot make you some gems out of thin air!"

Constructor: You are defined by a single power: astral construct. But despite that, you feel no limitations because each construct you craft is a unique work of art. You may master the ectopic forms (see Complete Psionic), you may have your own mental list of preconstructed constructs just waiting to be manifested, or perhaps you truly are an artist in ectoplasm, crafting each as needed with no two alike. You tend to have a manipulative personality, expecting others to do what you tell them as your constructs do.

"I call you, Ebony Stinger!"

Crystal Weaver: Your focus is in the crystals, you most likely have a psi-crystal, and most of your psionic items are crystal-based as well. You wield crystal as a weapon and a tool, but you don't just create weapons -- all of your created items have a crystalline aspect to them. Your personality has many facets as well, but all aspects are organized and in their proper place. In fact you are a very organized person -- possibly too organized for others to bear -- but you expect everything to be in its proper place.

"But I thought you wanted some crystal from the thin air?"

Ectomancer: You prefer to use raw ectoplasm with your powers; most of your constructs tend to have an "oily" look to them, dripping with extra ectoplasm. You can entrap, entangle, and even entomb your enemies in ectoplasm. You can use it to protect yourself and stop those following you. Your personality is malleable as well, never making waves; you just go along with the flow of things.

"Mind the puddles."

Trinkets

You can create little items by sacrificing your psionic focus.
Level: 1st.
Replaces: The bonus feat at 1st level.
Benefit: By sacrificing your psionic focus, you can create a temporary item as a move action. It is like minor creation, except the object you create is smaller and you create it more quickly. You can create one unattended, nonmagical object of nonliving plant matter, up to 1 cubic inch. For instance, you could create a wooden ring, a piece of paper, a handkerchief, a thin glove, or other item. You cannot create a dried herb, a poison, or other distillate of dead plant matter that has special secondary effects. The created object has a duration of 1 minute and can be recognized as a "created" object easily. This ability is considered a psi-like ability and treated as a 1st-level power for purposes of dispelling the effects.

Personal Construct

You have a favored astral construct form that you can summon at a moment's notice.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: The bonus feat at 5th level.
Prerequisite: You must know the astral construct power.
Benefit: You can create a specific astral construct that you have chosen as your favored as if you had the Quickened Power feat, by only sacrificing your psionic focus. This personal construct, once chosen, always has the same abilities and appearance every time you summon it. Each time you gain a level, you may change the abilities and appearance of your favored construct.

Starting Packages

Package 1: The Summoner
Halfling Psion (Shaper)
Ability Scores: Str 8, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Craft, Use Psionic Device.
Languages: Common, Elven, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling.
Feats: Boost Construct.
Weapons: Morningstar (1d6), light crossbow with 20 bolts (1d6/19-20, 80 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 10 gp.
Power Points: 3.
Powers: Astral construct, force screen, psionic grease.

Package 2: The Problem Solver
Human Psion (Shaper)
Ability Scores: Str 12, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 15, Wis 10, Cha 13.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Bluff, Concentration, Craft.
Languages: Common, Giant, Orc.
Feat:Encode Stone, Intuitive Craftsman[B].
Weapons: Longspear (1d6/x3), dagger (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.), light crossbow with 20 bolts (1d8/19-20, 80 ft.).
Armor:Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 7 gp.
Power Points: 3.
Powers: Astral construct, bolt, minor creation.

Package 3: The Support
Githzerai Psion (Shaper)
Ability Scores:Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 10.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise.
Languages: Common, Draconic, Giant, Gith, Gnoll.
Feats:Quicken Power.
Weapons: Spear (1d8/x3), dagger (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.), 5 javelins (1d6/30 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 17 gp.
Power Points: 5.
Powers: Astral construct, crystal shard, entangling ectoplasm.


Expanded Class: Psion (Telepath)

You can hear what other people are thinking. You hear when they lie and then think the truth. You hear when they fantasize about doing bad things while they are doing good things. You hear when they daydream, but you probably didn't hear what they just said because of all the other noise in your head. You are a student of the mind, knowledgeable in ego and id, aware of the conscious and subconscious minds, and a librarian of memory. As a telepath, you can't help but be a bit of a voyeur, listening to people gossip, watching when others turn away. You tend to be very diplomatic with people since you already know what they want and you have learned to read faces and body language better than most since you can see what they are thinking as they move in that manner or make that face. Sometimes you just have to be alone, away from all the thoughts of others before they overwhelm you.

Suggested Backgrounds (choose one):Artisan, Ascetic, Drifter, Noble Scion.

Suggested Personality Archetypes (choose one):Agent, Companion, Explorer, Leader, Orphan, Sage, Seeker, Simple Soul, Theorist, Wanderer.

Character Themes

One or more of the following character themes could apply to you.

Charmer: Even without your powers, you are a charming individual. You can talk yourself into and out of the most dangerous situations. But when you need a little bit more, that's when you resort to using your powers to charm, confuse, and eventually dominate your opponents. Personally, you do not like to fight, so that's what your friends are for -- well that and helping you achieve your goals and pleasures.

"Why, yes, I do need some help. It is so nice of you to offer."

Mind Spy: You are a listener, always paying attention to what those around you have to say. You have learned the value of information and know that one person's secret is worth gold to another. With your powers, you can now listen to their very thoughts or, if necessary, pry the information from their brain if you have to. Often you are hired to spy on someone, but you also keep your ears open for any useful bit of gossip that could provide you with more money and maybe a new client.

"Does this involve that illegal trade route of yours or the three mistresses you keep?"

Diplomat: You are a peacemaker, always stepping between those fighting to stop them. You are sensitive to the emotions of all and are not above manipulating them to stop violence. Your telepathic powers allow you to better understand both parties in a dispute so that you can make sure that any treaties are fair to all involved.

"There are always alternatives to war!"

Chameleon: You are an actor and a master of disguise to start with. When you add in your powers, you become a true chameleon, actually becoming the people you pretend to be. Your specialty is replacing someone, perhaps to fool an assassin or to hide a kidnapping, but your telepathic abilities allow you to understand your target better than even their own relatives could.

"Sorry, the prince is elsewhere, but I will try to provide you with the attention you deserve."

Mental Warrior: You are a warrior; you have trained yourself to be unstoppable in battle -- an overwhelming force to those that oppose you and an indestructible enemy to those that attack you. But none of this is perceived by those around you because your battlefield is the mind. The weapons you wield are thought and ego, your armor is will and imagination, and your battles can take place without others even realizing combat is happening.

"Have I fought many battles, eh? I have fought two in front of you tonight."

Telepathic Communication

You gain the supernatural ability to communicate with any creature with your telepathy.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: The bonus feat at 5th level.
Benefit: You gain the supernatural ability telepathy from page 316 of the Monster Manual. You can communicate telepathically with any other creature that has a language within 5 feet per manifester level. You can address multiple creatures at once telepathically, although maintaining telepathic conversation with more than one creature at a time is just as difficult as simultaneously speaking and listening to multiple people at the same time.

Harbinger

Your mental attacks have a specific symbolism to them that aids you in your mental combat.
Level: 5th.
Replaces: The bonus feat at 5th level.
Prerequisite: You must also take the power false sensory input at 5th level.
Benefit: You have learned to incorporate symbolism into your psionic attacks and defenses. When you manifest powers that specifically target another's mind or defend your mind, you gain an augmentation option.

Augment:If you spend an additional 5 power points, you can add a mental illusionary aspect to your attack. This takes the form of a harbinger, a mental symbol that conveys a confusing or threatening message to the target's mind and momentarily distracts or disables them. The target gets a Will save to negate the effects of the harbinger. If the target fails the Will save, the power you manifest is considered 1d3 levels higher than its actual level for purposes of DC.

The form of the harbinger can vary wildly. An offensive power could have a harbinger of a sword, a flame, or a spider. A defensive power could have a harbinger of a shield, a wall, or brambles with thorns.

Starting Packages

Package 1: The Diplomat
Psi-Forged* Psion (Telepath)
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 12.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Diplomacy, Sense Motive.
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling.
Feats: Psi-Forged Body*.
Weapons: Quarterstaff (1d6).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 10 gp.
Power Points: 5.
Powers Known: Empathy, mindlink, telempathic projection.
* See Magic of Eberron.

Package 2: The Mind Spy

Human Psion (Telepath)
Ability Scores: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 10, Cha 17.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Bluff, Concentration, Hide.
Languages: Common, Goblin, Orc.
Feats: Chain Power, Psionic Body[B].
Weapons: 4 daggers (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.), light crossbow with 20 bolts (1d8/19-20, 80 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 7 gp.
Power Points: 3.
Powers Known: Attraction, eidetic lock, sense link.

Package 3: The Mental Warrior
Elven Psion (Telepath)
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 17, Wis 15, Cha 10.
Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Psicraft.
Languages: Celestial, Common, Draconic, Elven, Sylvan.
Feats: Mental Juggernaut.
Weapons: Quarterstaff (1d6), 2 daggers (1d4/19-20, 10 ft.).
Armor: Chain shirt (+4 AC).
Other Gear: Standard adventurer's kit, 17 gp.
Power Points: 3.
Powers Known: Empty mind, mind thrust, psionic daze.

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