Cabinet Trickster

Description:

It is said that every changeling is a trickster, a deceiver and a thief. While this is not true for all of them, it is true enough that the reputation sticks. But most do so only out of need and desperation. Given a different life, or a different outlook, most changelings would prefer to be who they are. It is rare that a changeling adapts so cleanly to the life of deception that there is no doubt of his purpose. And it is from these select few that an organization selects it mebmers; an organization so rare that changelings, themselves, barely speak of it. They are the Cabinet of Faces and their agents are called Cabinet Tricksters.

To call a cabinet trickster a spy would a severe misunderstanding. Cabinet tricksters are masters of disguise without peer, but that level of disguise requires them stay on the move. No one can know a cabinet trickster's true persona or goals, not even his family. To stay in the confidence of the enemy for the long con is not their style... not unless that enemy never learns of the cabinet trickster's true identity.

Role: Cabinet tricksters are premier spies and social manipulators. They live, and die, by the weight of their words and their (completely false) reputation. They can be anyone, anywhere at anytime. They do not often work in regular groups, as prolonged time risks revealing who they really are. Instead, they prefer to work within large, anonymous organizations where the proper face, identification papers and a few key words gets them all they need.

Source: RoE, pg. 139

Alignment: Technically, cabinet tricksters can be of any alignment, but very rarely are they lawful. The life of wearing many faces and many names does not suit proper and honorable people very well, hence most cabinet tricksters are true neutral.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements:

To qualify to become a cabinet trickster, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Changeling.

Skills: Disguise 5 ranks.

Feats: Persona Immersion.

Special: Completing a trial assignment for the Cabinet of Faces.

Class Skills:

The cabinet trickster's class skills (and the key abilities for each skill) are Bluff (Chr), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Chr), Disguise (Chr), Intimidate (Chr), Knowledge (local) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis) and Sense Motive (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.

Table: The Cabinet Trickster

Class Features:

All of the following are class features of the cabinet trickster prestige class.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Cabinet tricksters do not gain any new weapon or armor proficiencies

Detect Thoughts (Sp): Starting at 1st level, the cabinet trickster gains Detect Thoughts as a spell-like ability. The caster level for this spell-like ability is your character level. The saving throw DC is 12 + your Chr modifier. At 1st level, you can use this spell-like ability twice per day, increasing to four times per day at 3rd level and then, eventually, at will at 5th level. At 3rd level, and again at 5th level, increase the saving throw DC for this spell-like ability by +1.

Doppleganger Insights (Ex): At 1st level, the cabinet trickster's racial bonus for Bluff, Intimidate and Sense Motive increases to +4.

Thought Trick (Su): Starting at 2nd level, the cabinet trickster learns to use their ability to detect thoughts to impact the minds of others. To use this ability, the cabinet trickster must have successfully used his Detect Thoughts spell-like ability on the target, however briefly. While a thought trick is usually done as a immediate action if the cabinet trickster is already reading the mind of his target, it can be combined with the same standard action as the actual use of the Detect Thoughts spell-like ability. In either case, use of a thought trick immediately ends that use of Detect Thoughts.

The type of thought trick that a cabinet trickster can do is based on his class level. At 2nd level, he can daze his target for 1 round. At 3rd level, he can break the concentration of the target, causing the target to take a -20 penalty on the next concentration check that the target makes, so long as it is within the next round. At 4th level, the cabinet trickster can confuse his target for 1 round and at 5th level, the cabinet trickster can stun his target for 1 round. Only one of this options can used per thought trick.

Bonus Feat: At 2nd level and again at 4th level, the cabinet trickster gains a bonus feat, selected from the following list: Ability Focus (Detect Thoughts), Deceitful, Master Linguist, Perfect Reflection, Persuasive, Quick Change, Racial Emulation, Recognize Impostor or Skill Focus (Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise or Sense Motive). The cabinet trickster must still qualify for the feat normally.

Change Size (Su): At 5th level, a cabinet trickster is now able to assume to the form of any Small, Medium or Large humanoid with their Minor Shape Change ability. While mimicking a Small humanoid, recalculate the cabinet trickster's attributes as if he was under the effect of Reduce Person. While mimicking a Large humanoid, recalculate the cabinet trickster's attributes as if he was under the effect of Enlarge Person. This does not change any other aspects of the Minor Shape Change ability (i.e. the Reduce or Enlarge Person cannot be dispelled, etc).