User:ThunderGod Cid/Chameleon

Chameleon
"I was just kidding before...I'm not your father."

A chameleon is a master at being other people. He can copy anything from their looks, their mannerisms, their memories, even their abilities. Simply put, a chameleon can be anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Making a Chameleon
The chameleon is not the same as a Marty Stu; he is not a superman capable of performing a particular skill as well as those he impersonates all the time. But his abilities are unquestionably useful in that they allow him to switch between specialized forms, each of which can fill a particular need in a party nearly as well as a specialist.

Traditionally, those who multitask are put at an inherent disadvantage than those who specialize, since horizontal power means less without vertical power to back it up. But the chameleon mixes versatility with the ability to imitate even others' most powerful abilities.

Abilities: A chameleon requires balance across all stats in order to copy other classes effectively, but Charisma is his most important overarching stat, for even if he refrains from calling upon his plethora of shapechanging abilities this effects his ability to blend in with his environment and serve his duties as a master spy and party diplomat.

Races: Changelings and doppelgangers are natural fits to be chameleons.

Alignment: Chameleons can be of any alignment, even though the nature of their work often coincides with being on the wrong side of the law. In fact, many chameleons find gainful employment working as agents for lawful agencies. Even paladins have to get their information somehow.

Starting Gold: 1d6&times;10 gp (25 gp).

Starting Age: Simple.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the chameleon.

Weapon & Armor Proficiency: A chameleon is proficient with all simple weapons and martial weapons as well as light armor.

He may pick up a new language (gaining all the benefits of the Speak Language skill without having to invest a skill rank) after only an hour of exposure to it. This even applies to secret languages or languages that do not require verbal communication; if the language requires a unique physiology that the chameleon lacks, he may understand it but not be able to converse.

 (Ex): A chameleon has the ability to freely change how others perceive his allegiance and disposition. He is now treated by any effect that detects alignment as an alignment of his choosing.

At 8th level, the chameleon is now as the most favorable alignment possible whenever he is targeted with an alignment-dependent attack or effect; whether this only changes one axis of his alignment or both is dependent on the individual effect. Even if caught between two simultaneous alignment-dependent effects, he is treated as favorable to both.

 (Ex): A chameleon may replicate the effects of a disguise self spell at will. Any changes caused by this ability are also real and in no way illusory, and as such cannot be dispelled by any means. He also gains the shapechanger subtype, which allows him to reverse any polymorph effect placed upon him.

At 6th level, this ability improves, allowing him to use alter self at will.

Starting at 3rd level, he has the ability to selectively mimic the abilities other classes. The nature of these new powers varies based on the class selected. If the class being copied has full BAB, the chameleon gains full BAB accordingly for every class level he possesses; if the copied class has poor BAB, the chameleon retains his normal BAB.If the class copied has a higher Hit Die than the chameleon’s he gains the difference as temporary hit points that stack with any other source of temporary hit points; he may, however, only gain up to four extra hit points per class level.

Copying a class is a swift action; unfortunately, the energy expended from faking supernatural abilities and the like is high, limiting the duration of his copy ability to one round per class level or a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier, whichever is higher. Plus, copying a class cannot be used in conjunction with mimicking a creature via the grifter ability.

The chameleon’s ability to copy other classes increases as he gains levels. Starting at 3rd level, he gains any ability under “novice” when he copies that class. He then gains access to the “expert” and “master” benefits at 9th and 15th levels, respectively.

Not only does this allow him to change the type of equipment he is wearing, but he may also change any enhancement bonuses on the items as he desires so long as the weapon's enhancement bonus does not exceed its normal value. The chameleon must follow the normal rules of weapon enhancement. Use of this ability is a swift action when used independently, but can also be used as part of the copy ability.

The chameleon can only change a monetary amount of weapon or armor properties (in gold pieces) equal to his class level squared and then multiplied by 20,000. If the chameleon has an item that is not a weapon or piece of armor, he may transform it into any item of the same type that has an equal or lower monetary value than the original item. All of these effects end when the duration of Copy expires.

 (Ex): When he copies a class, the chameleon sometimes needs an extra boost to make himself more believable. When a 4th level chameleon uses his copy ability, he may substitute his Charisma score for the key ability of the class he is copying (if that class’s key stat is already Charisma, there is no change). See the section on Copying Classes for more details on key stats and copying.

At 8th level, the chameleon may add one half of his normal Charisma modifier (round up) to any other stat of his choosing, except for Charisma or the key stat of the class he is copying. These bonuses stack with all other ability score enhancements he may possess.

 (Ex): As his name suggests, a chameleon has the ability to melt away into his surroundings. He may use the Hide skill even when observed.

When he copies a particular class, a 4th level or higher chameleon gains a competence bonus on all class skills for the copied class equal to one half his chameleon level.

He must still meet all the prerequisites for these feats, but any additional bonuses from copying a class are factored in when determining if he can qualify for these feats. If he stops copying a class, he loses the benefits of these feats and regains his original feats.

Unless his own racial traits are dependent on his original physical form (such as size and all associated benefits or something dependent on a unique anatomical structure), he retains them as well; if they conflict with his new form‘s racial traits (for example, an elven chameleon transforms into a dwarf, and the bonuses and penalties to Constitution cancel each other out).

 (Ex): By maintaining physical contact with a target for at least one round, a chameleon can assimilate their memories and identity. He now knows everything that that person knows and, in combination with his shapechanging abilities, no longer needs to make any Disguise checks to pass himself off as that person.

 (Su): An 18th level chameleon now has a convenient way to dispose of evidence, gaining the ability to manipulate someone else’s appearance and memories. This triggers both the effects of both shapechange and mindrape (Publication:Book of Vile Darkness 99) simultaneously on a target you designate by means of a melee touch attack. The target is forced to make two saving throws, one Fortitude and one Will, to resist each respective effect. Both of these effects are permanent unless the target is restored with a successful wish or miracle spell; any other attempts to change the affected character's form or psyche automatically fail.

When he copies another class, he gains every class feature accorded to that class.

Copying Classes
The chameleon's signature ability comes from his ability to mimic other classes. Below is a list of classes that he can emulate and the abilities he gains from each at each level of expertise. Each class also has at least one key ability to which the chameleon's Ability Boon bonus can be assigned. Any save DC’s offered by the copied class are equal to 10 + ½ the chameleon’s class level + his modifier for that class’s key stat.

Assassin
"My blade hungers for you. Who am I to refuse it?"

Key Ability: Dexterity


 * Novice: You gain a death attack that allows you to deal bonus damage equal to 3d6 plus an additional 1d6 per class level on a single melee or ranged attack (provided you are within normal sneak attack range) if you study the target for one round and then catch them flat-footed. You also no longer risk poisoning yourself when applying poison to a blade.
 * Expert: Your death attack now applies to all attacks you make in a round.
 * Master: You may trap the souls of those you kill while copying this class so long as you are holding a gem with a value of at least 100 gp. This ability works as the soul bind spell.

Barbarian
"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!"

Key Ability: Strength


 * Novice: You gain the ability to rage as an immediate action as a barbarian of your class level does, gaining the appropriate damage reduction, attack and damage bonuses, Armor Class penalties, and Rage Dice. Your rage is subject to all the same limitations as a normal barbarian's.
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Bard
Key Ability: Charisma


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Cleric
Key Ability: Wisdom


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Druid
"I’m working on getting close to nature. I’ve smoked so much hemp I could shit a rope."

Key Ability: Wisdom


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Fighter
"I am damn good at fighting."

Key Ability: Strength


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Jester
"They call me the Killer Clown."

Key Ability: Dexterity


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Monk
"I know kung fu."

Key Ability: Wisdom


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Paladin
"If I told you I was the holy knight of holy knights, would you be able to tell I was joking?"

Key Ability: Charisma


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Ranger
Key Ability: Wisdom


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Soldier
"Soldiering a tough life, but copying them is easy."

Key Ability:


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Sorcerer
"My descendants weren't dragons, but you might have guessed they were."

Key Ability: Charisma


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Warlock
"How good am I? I tricked the forces of Hell into giving me power."

Key Ability: Charisma


 * Novice: You gain an eldritch blast that deals 1d6 points of damage per class level to a single target within close range.
 * Expert:
 * Master:

Wizard
"They study for their whole lives; I can copy them in under a minute. They really hate me for that."

Key Ability: Intelligence


 * Novice:
 * Expert:
 * Master: