The Impostor Prestige Class

I haven't really been particularly active lately in any efforts to
convert SJ to 3e, so I thought I would get to work on converting a
2e kit I have always enjoyed in my games into a 3e prestige class,
the Impostor.

Note that this impostor is not meant as a complete adaptation
of the 2e kit. The concept of the stock persona has been discarded
for several reasons, one of the most notable being it is no
longer necessary as a balancing factor as it was with the kit.
Overall, the prestige class was designed to be more useful overall,
focusing less on any one spell, allow many of its abilities to
be used with any disguising spell.

I created this class just today, so not surprisingly, it hasn't
received any playtesting. I have included a sample impostor
below (who might be familiar :) to show how it works and
to check for balance. On first glance it seems balanced.
Feel free to comment, of course.


Impostor (Prestige Class)
Impostors are spellcasters who use magic to disguise
themselves as other people. The motives behind this
are many, and include spying and infiltration, cons
and  scams and sometimes even entertainment or self
amusement. Whatever the reasons, those who have reason
to believe they may have become involved with an
impostor become justifiably paranoid, for a skilled
impostor has the potential to masquerade as almost
anyone.
 Wizards and sorcerers are the most common people to
take up this class, but because it requires skills not
normally pursued they are often multi-classed wizard/
rogues, sorcerer/rogues or sorcerer/bards, the latter
being very common. Humans are the most likely to
follow this career path,  though gnomes seem to have a
knack for it as well.

Requirements
To qualify to become an impostor, a character must
fulfill all the following criteria:
 Spells: Ability to cast alter self and change self.
 Bluff: 5 ranks
 Disguise: 5 ranks
 Spellcraft: 7 ranks

Game Rule Information
Impostors have the following game statistics.
 Alignment: Any.
 Hit Die: d4.

Class Skills
The impostor's class skills (and the key ability for
each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con),
Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Chr), Disguise (Cha), Forgery
(Int), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis),
Read Lips (Int), Scry (Int, exclusive skill), and Spellcraft (Int)
 Skill Points at Each Level: 2+Int modifier

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the impostor:

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Impostors do not gain
proficiencies with armour, weapons, or shields.

Spells per Day: An impostor continues training in magic.
Thus, when a new impostor level is gained, the
character gains new spells per day as if she had also
gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to
before she added the prestige class. She does not,
however, gain any other benefit a character of that
class would have gained (improved chance of
controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item
creation feats, and so on). This essentially means
that she adds the level of impostor to the level of
some other spellcastng class the character has, then
determines spells per day and caster level accordingly.

If a character had more than one spellcasting class
before she became an impostor, she must decide to
which class she adds each level of impostor for
purposes of determining spells per day when she adds
the new level.

Extend Disguise Spells I (Ex): Any disguise spell of
3rd level or less that has its duration defined as 10
minutes per level or less instead has a duration of 20
minutes per level. A disguise spell is alter self,
change self, or other similar spells designed to allow
the caster to take on the appearance of some other
person or creature, as defined by the Dungeon Master.

Whenever under the conditions of a disguise spell, her
alternate form is used by spells that use illusion or
other magics to display his form, such as mirror image
or project image.

Shielded Mind I (Ex): Whenever the impostor is under
the affects of a disguise spell and her mind is read
via magic the intruder must roll 1d20 + caster level
against a DC of 11 + the impostor's caster level. If
he succeeds, the spell works as normal. If he fails,
the impostor can freely dictate what the intruder
perceives. This requires no effort from the impostor,
and works even when asleep or otherwise unconscious.
The intruder does not detect this effect regardless of
the roll.

In some circumstances this may require a Bluff roll to
be convincing, such as trying to replicate the
thoughts of someone else when being probed by someone
who knew whomever she is masquerading as.

This effect also includes divination magics that
indicate alignment or that would detect that the
disguise magic is affecting the character (i.e. detect magic).

Alterable Form I (Su): When using a 1st level disguise
spell that requires the form be set at casting, such
as alter self, the impostor can change the appearance,
as if she has just cast the spell. Doing so is a standard action.

Alteration Susceptibility I: Because the form of the
imposter has become slightly more malleable, she is
more susceptible to alteration through the magic of
others. Any time she is required to make a save against
a spell or effect of the Transmutation school of magic
the DC of the save is at +1.

Extend Disguise Spells II (Ex): Any disguise spell of
5th level or less that has its duration defined as 10
minutes per level or less instead has a duration of an
hour per level.

Alterable Form II (Su): As Alterable Form I, but it
now works with spells of second or third level.

Alteration Susceptibility I: As Alteration
Susceptibility I, but the total modifier to the DC is +2.

Shielded Mind II (Ex): As Shielded Mind I, but the
impostor now makes all rolls with a +10 bonus,
including any Bluff rolls that may be required.

Formidable Disguise (Ex): Your disguise spells are
hard to dispel; add 10 to your level to determine the
DC of dispelling your disguise spells.

Alterable Form III (Su): As Alterable Form I, but it
now works with spells of fourth or fifth level.

Alteration Susceptibility III: As Alteration
Susceptibility I, but the total modifier to the DC is +4.

True Form (Su): When under the effects of
Transmutation disguise magics, whatever form the
imposter has taken is considered her true form, when
magic or other abilities are used on the character,
such as force shapechange or true seeing.



Table: The  Impostor
  Base
 Class Attack Fort Ref Will
 Level Bonus Save Save Save Special
 1 +0 +0 +0 +2 Extend Disguise Spells I, Shielded Mind I +1 Spellcaster
Level
 2 +1 +0 +0 +3 Alterable Form I, Alteration Susceptibility I +1 Spellcaster
Level
 3 +1 +1 +1 +3 Extend Disguise Spells II +1 Spellcaster Level
 4 +2 +1 +1 +4 Alterable Form II, Alteration Susceptibility II +1
Spellcaster Level
 5 +2 +1 +1 +4 Shielded Mind II, Formidable Disguise +1 Spellcaster Level
 6 +3 +2 +2 +5 Alterable Form III, True Form, Alteration Susceptibility III
+1 Spellcaster Level

Sample Impostor

Daphne Jergstoll

Female human Brd3/Sor3/Imp5: CR 11; Medium-size
humanoid (human); HD 3d6+3 plus 8d4+8; hp 43; Init +2;
Spd 30; AC 18 (+2 Dex, +4 armour, +2 deflection);
Atk +7 melee (1d4+2 daggr +2); SA spells; SQ extend
disguise spells II, shielded mind II, formidable disguise,
alterable form I & II; AL N; SV Fort +4, Ref +7, Will +13;
Str 9, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 17, Wis 12, Chr 20

Skills and Feats: Bluff +18, Concentration +10,
Diplomacy +14, Disguise +18, Gather Information +9,
Perform +10, Speak Language (Common, Elven, Dwarven,
Orcish, Draconic, Shou), Spellcraft +10; Extend Spell,
Heighten Spell, Iron Will, Silent Spell, Silver Tongue*

Bard Spells Known (3/2; base DC 15 + spell level):
0-dancing lights, daze, detect magic, ghost sound,
mage hand, prestigitation; 1st-charm person, silent
image, expeditious retreat

Sorcerer Spells Known (6/7/7/6/4; base DC 15 + spell level):
0-ray of frost, detect poison, light, dancing lights,
mage hand, mending, open/close, prestidigitation;
1st-change self, comprehend languages, message,
ventriloquism, sleep; 2nd-alter self, invisibility,
detect thoughts; 3rd-suggestion, major image;
4th-polymorph other.

Possessions: dagger +2, bracers of armour +4, ring of protection +2,

*This adds +2 to Bluff and Diplomacy rolls.

Daphne Jergstoll was born on the Rock of Bral, the
daughter of a dockworker. She would have been destined
for work as a bar maid, given her station, but her
quick wit and charm landed her a position with an
acting troupe that toured the nearby planets and the
Rock itself. She studied under the troupe's founder
and leader, a bard of some renown, who saw the
potential in Daphne.

Earning a reputation for fine acting skills, Daphne
did well, as did her troupe, until one of the troupe's
stage managers fled one night into space from Bral,
taking with it the troupe's ship and equipment. Having
nothing to fall back on, Daphne took to the streets.
She found this life far to rough, but discovered that
with her spells, most notably change self, she could
earn cash and a degree of comfort through cons and
subterfuge.

Over several years Daphne moved from port to port,
running cons and changing her identity. She found that
with practice she could enhance her disguise spells,
making them last longer and work more effectively.

With these new skills under her belt Daphne felt it
was time to move from smaller cons to something much
more befitting her talents, and put into motion a plan
to con a wealthy shipbuilder who worked out of the
port she was in. The man's daughter had shipped out
several years ago to find work on Bral, and he later
received word she had never made it. Her ship had been
attacked by slavers, and she had not survived. Daphne
used her magic to masquerade as his daughter, who had
managed to miraculously survive after all, and was now
home.

Daphne's plan would have worked, if it had not been
for Kervaln, the arcane who was resident in the port
at the time. Kervaln was overseeing some work the
shipbuilder was doing for them, and seem to see right
through her magics somehow. Daphne managed to escape,
but only barely. She left the port with little more
than the clothes on her back.

Daphne is now back on the Rock, and looking to regain
the wealth and comfort she has become accustomed to.
She has managed to get her hands on a few magic items
and a small bit of gold. Her efforts, though, have
been tempered by a recent reanalysis of her past
actions, feeling she may have been going overboard
with the scheme with the shipbuilder, both in scope
and morality. [She was once neutral evil, and has
recently moved to neutral.]

Daphne is currently masquerading as Princess Carlyn,
visiting nobility from a distant planet few have heard
of.  She is unaware that a group of impostors who call
themselves the Guild of Masques have become aware of
her and her efforts, and are watching her closely,
most notably Jak Edwin, a half-elf wizard (Wiz 8/Imp 6)
who finds her recent change of heart interesting. Jak
often chats with Daphne at the High Roost tavern,
masquerading as Duke Wargom VII, a down-on-his-luck
exiled noble.


Leroy Van Camp III
malacoda@?????????.com
http://www.users.qwest.net/~malacoda/TarkasBrainLabIV.html
ICQ #20039817

"Where you come from is gone. Where you thought you were
going to weren't never there. And where you are ain't no
good unless you can get away from it."

              Ministry, "Jesus Built My Hotrod"