Dream Lord (3.5e Prestige Class)

Help Wanted
Someone thinks this page needs a bit of help... Dream Mechanics This template was placed here to direct user suggestions to the page. It may be removed at any time.

Author: Franken Kesey (talk) Date Created: 7/23/12 Status: Fin Editing: Clarity edits only please

Low - Moderate - High - Very High

Ratings for this homebrew: Average: 3 / 4  2 users favored it (4/4).  2 users liked it (3/4).  0 were neutral on it (2/4).  1 users disliked it (1/4).  0 users opposed it (0/4).

Rate this article Your rating for this article: Favor Like Neutral Dislike Oppose Submit | Cancel Discuss this article

5 7 Poor Poor Poor Other Class Ability=Spontaneous Spellcasting |Class Ability=Alternate Magic |Class Ability=Other Other

Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral. Lawful Evil, Neutral Good, Neutral Evil, Chaotic Good, Chaotic Neutral, Chaotic Evil

A dream lord pulling in subjects.

Dream Lord

“	What you intend to do to that hapless person over there is pure evil! Why don't you help her friends out, and turn on your master? It is the only way towards righteousness. Oh, and philanthropy gives you great respect - why don't you try with your new friends over there.	”
—Iris, Sentient Illusion Dream Lord

The masters of sleep and distillers of fear; lords are the Warriors of Morality, supplanting their own ideas on what is right and wrong. While suggestive by nature, most dream lords are in fact advents of good, punishing evildoers through nightmares or other forms of suffering.

Dream Lord are great for when you’re in town, and can usually give you a better relation with people. But they are also very powerful on the field of battle, controlling the body or mind of their enemies. In combat, most lords either force their enemies to sleep – fighting them in a more controlled atmosphere – or give key monsters lessons in Fear.

A lord is generally weaker in the company of another lord (lords have many abilities to negate each other). Yet, on occasion, some lords will form alliances to change morality in larger areas.

Becoming a Dream Lord

Charisma is the major ability of this class – if it is not ridiculous, you may want to rethink your character creation. Intelligence and Wisdom are useful for skills; Constitution enhances one’s concentration skill (a very important skill for this class); Strength and Dexterity are useful for the typical reasons, but neither modifies class abilities.

Bards are perhaps to quickest to think of ranking in this class; yet a Wizard, Sorcerer, or Cleric based lord is always going to be more powerful. The Witch, Sylvan Occultist, Paladette, Paladin, High Priest, Blackguard, Bishop, and Assassin are also solid classes to have levels in before taking this prestige class. Some lords have been known to advance in Viveka Spectre, Tormentor, Stranger with the Burning Eyes, Soulbinder, Schismsoul, Overmind, Hierophant, Celestial Beacon, or Barrister of the Nine after taking this class.

While any race can become a lord, this path is mostly made up of Unbodied, Succedaneum, Sentient Illusions, Mousa, Microforged Conglomerate, Mahaari, Eldritch Horrors, Archon Hounds, and Aasimars.

Entry Requirements

Skills:	10 ranks in concentration, craft (alchemy), and either bluff, diplomacy, handle animal or perform; and 5 ranks in knowledge (arcana).
Spellcasting:	Must be able to cast one 3rd-level compulsion and one 3rd-level illusion.
Feats:	Iron Will, Skill Focus (in a prerequisite skill).
Special:	A trainee can be immune to sleep-effects, but cannot be sleepless.
Special:	Training from a lord of dream of at least 2nd level.

Table: The Dream Lord

Hit Die: d4

Level	BAB	Saving Throws			Special	Spellcasting
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Aid Ally, Craft (Sedative), Modifier Alterations	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Crystal of Dreams, Sending	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+5	Crown of Dreams, Waking Visions	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+6	Throne of Dreams	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+8	Augmented Subtype	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level). Autohypnosis (Wis), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Alchemy) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana, History, Local, Nobility and royalty, Religion) (Int), Perform (Cha), Psicraft (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Psionic Device (Cha).

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Lords are proficient with tridents, throwing axes, light hammers, light crossbows, javelins, darts, daggers, and light armor, but not with shields.

Aid Ally: As a standard action, a lord may aid an ally with a Concentration or Wisdom-based skill check. This grants a +2 bonus (improving to +4 at 4th level), and may be done once per day per class level (5/day at 5th).

Craft (Sedative) (Ex): A lord becomes learned in the many manners to medically induce sleep. The below effects force sleep with greater intensity than most are able to; this allows a lord to put creatures that are immune to sleep or are sleepless into a deep meditation (which is treated the same as sleep for the purposes of this page). However, creatures that are normally immune have a +5 bonus to their Will saves to resist a sedative. Sedatives require very detailed knowledge to use, thus non-lords are rarely able to use them properly. After failure, the subject(s) do(es) not get to reroll, but an ally can negate with a heal check (DC 10+(class level)x2+Charisma bonus).

If a subject sustains more than two points of lethal damage, they awaken immediately, but are shaken. They may act normally the following round (i.e. no longer shaken).

Sleep Incense: With 100gp of alchemistical gear and 15 minutes of work, a lord may make a powerful incense. The incense causes 15HD of creatures to fall asleep (opposed Will save negates), in a 15’ radius, on inhalation. The sleep lasts for 5 minutes per class level. A lord is immune to the incense. It takes a move action to light the incense.

Sleep Tranquilizer: At 2nd level, with 200gp of alchemistical gear and 30 minutes of work, a lord may make a tranquilizer. The tranquilizer causes 20HD of creatures to fall asleep (opposed Will save negates), on injury. The sleep lasts for 10 minutes per class level. A lord is immune to the tranquilizer. It takes a move action to add the tranquilizer to a weapon.

Sleep Salve: At 3rd level, with 400gp of alchemistical gear and one hour of work, a lord may make a salve. The salve causes 30HD of creatures to fall asleep (opposed Will save negates), on contact (can fling it, making it a 10’ cone splash attack). The sleep lasts for 15 minutes per class level. A lord is immune to the salve. It takes a move action to apply or fling the salve.

Sleep Smoke: At 4th level, with 800gp of alchemistical gear and two hours of work, a lord may make a powerful smoke. The smoke causes 40HD of creatures to fall asleep (opposed Will save negates), in a 30’ radius, on inhalation. The sleep lasts for 15 minutes per class level. A lord is immune to the smoke. It takes a full-round action to disperse the smoke.

Sleep Pill: At 5th level, with 1600gp of alchemistical gear and four hours of work, a lord may make a pill that gives a permanent narcolepsy-like disorder (opposed Will save negates), on ingestion. This may be done only to one helpless creature. Thereafter, the victim has a 10% chance to forcefully fall asleep every hour (roll at the beginning of an encounter). The victim still treats the other 90% of its life as normal. The victim may be awoken with an aid action (from an ally), or when dealt lethal damage (from an enemy). It takes a move action to inject the pill, and 1d4+1 rounds to take effect.

Modifier Alterations: A lord is more tempered to using charm over strict cunning, and thus uses Charisma to modify their Will saves (instead of Wisdom). A lord also has improved mental stamina, giving a bonus to their concentration checks equal to half their Wisdom modifier (rounded down).

+1 level of existing spellcasting class: At 2nd, 4th and 5th level, the lord gains new spells per day, spells known, and maximum spell level as if they had also gained a level in a spellcasting class they belonged to before adding this prestige class. Lords do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a lord, they must decide to which class to add the new level for purposes of determining spells per day, spells known, and maximum spell level.

Crystal of Dreams (Ex): At 2nd level, a lord’s master gives them an unmodified crystal ball, to aid in finding subjects (at no cost). If lost, the lord must buy another, at the normal cost. The crystal ball signifies that the lord no longer has a need for a master, and may start to train other lords.

Training: For the purposes of flavor will mention training here. Only lords who have at least two levels in this class can train other lord. To retain a student: a lord must buy a crystal ball (worth 42,000 gold), which is used to teach the student; when the student reaches second level, the lord gives the crystal ball to the student, then the student walks away! (From a player’s standpoint, training other lord is almost worthless: the student leaves at second level, you have to give a substantial amount of gold to an NPC. There is also the concern with sharing the dream lord secret.

Sending (Ex): A lord’s keystone abilities relate to manipulating dreams. At 2nd level, a dream lord may suggest actions and permanent morality shifts to subjected dreamers. A lord must find their subject, be in the same plane, and the subject must be sleeping to do this. The GM selects form the below table the power level of the dream (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) based on the creativity of the sending that the player suggests (i.e. the more creative the higher the power – but also gives GM control over strength).

Sending Power Table

Power	Will	Possible Suggestions
1st	+1	The lord can change the subject’s attitude one step in a positive direction with regards to a singular individual. Or can make a subject do a simple task immediately after waking.
2nd	+2	The lord can change the subject’s attitude one step in a positive or negative direction with regards to a group (not exceeding 6 people). Or can make a subject do an average task sometime in the following day, but allows the subject to use judgment on when (in the day) the task has the best chances.
3rd	+4	The lord can change the subjects attitude up to two steps in a positive or negative direction with regards to any organized group (no maximum size restrictions). Or can completely reengineer the subjects alignment.

Then the dream lord rolls an opposed Will save against the subject, and must beat the subject by 2 plus the modifier on the above table (i.e. if power level 2, must beat by 4 or more). The above are permanent, but the spell break enchantment can dispel a singular sending’s effects (if multiple sendings on a subject will need an equal number of enchantments to turn the subject back to normal) only if the person casting break enchantment beats the lord’s opposed Will save after casting.

A sending can affect most who are immune to sleep effects or are sleepless, but only when under the effects of a sedative; however, mindless creatures are still immune to sendings even when sedated. A lord must beat the Will save of creatures, that are normally immune to sleep effects or are sleepless, by 5 or more to put them into a sending.

The subject will remember with great clarity all that occurred within a sending – but they do not nessisarily know who

Crown of Dreams (Ex): After studying and experimenting with their master’s gift, a lord learns how to manufacture a crown of dreams. To make a crown a lord needs 20,000gp of clockwork and rare chemicals, and a day’s worth of work inside a lab or jewelry shop (has lots of tiny parts). Each crown is thoroughly unique and can only be used by the one who makes it. The crown imparts an ability on the wearer that acts like the teleport spell, with the following changes: 1) can only teleport to a sleeping creature that has been found with the Crystal of Dreams in the last year; 2) a lord cannot bring other creatures or more than a medium load; and 3) the lord is instantly transported back two hours later (one can teleport back prematurely).

The crown is rather fragile, with a hardness of 5 and 15 hit points. As noted above, a crown can be a bit pricy to replace. Also, one cannot wear a helmet nor have any other magical head gear while wearing the crown; this decreases the AC bonus of all armor by one (to a minimum of 1).

Waking Visions (Su): At 3rd level, a lord may haunt others with impossible imaginations – they may pull nightmares from the plane of dreams into the waking world! This take tremendous will; a lord must beat a Will DC (creatures CRx2) to call creatures. If a lord fails the save by more than 5, they themselves fall into a nightmare, receiving 2d10 points of damage and becoming fatigued; if they fail by more than 10, they also (in addition to fatigue and damage) take 1d4 points of Charisma damage and fall unconscious for one minute. Some of the energy of real objects is absorbed by the atrocities, making the visions 30% real (much like shadow spells). Monsters have a minimum duration of five minutes; each minute after, a lord must beat a (DC 15+3/minute after) Concentration check to maintain the vision. Monsters have a “friendly” disposition to the lord, but are not in fact under the lord’s control.

Throne of Dreams (Ex): After further study, and a few experiments with their crown, a lord learns how to manufacture a throne of dreams. To make a throne a lord needs 80,000gp of clockwork and rare chemicals, and a week’s worth of work inside a machine shop. Each throne is thoroughly unique and can only be used by the one who makes it. The throne has a hardness of 10, 1800 hit points and weighs 25 pounds. The lord chooses its shape at 5th level; this cannot be changed once chosen. The throne only appears when the lord wishes it (making it unnecessary for a barbarian or horse to always carry it around). It takes a full-round action to materialize or dematerialize the throne.

The throne imparts an ability to curse creatures that act strongly against a lord’s morality – also known as the Immoral. A curse may only be place on sleeping creatures on the same plane, which the lord has given a sending to in the last six months. If the Immoral fails the opposed Will save, they become cursed. After finding the Immoral, it takes one hour to complete the curse; if the lord is interrupted during this time the lord must beat a DC 50 Will save to continue the process. The curse deals 1d6 temporary ability damage to one of their mental scores (lord’s choice), then 1d2 permanent to any score (Immoral’s choice), then has one of the following features applied:

• Poetic Justice: the Immoral gains a social impediment. This can range from: cannot lie, cannot speak directly (only in metaphor or rhyme), must always speak one’s mind – or for the darker sorts: can only lie (etc., talk to GM about what would be appropriate for your campaign). A social impediment must be something befitting the Immoral’s action; an ironic lesson, if you will.
• Mark of Pain: boring but effective, the lord selects an arm, leg, toe, finger, eye, or ear, and the Immoral loses it. An Immoral can only lose the aforementioned parts (i.e. no tongues) and cannot be without at least one set of the aforementioned. In other words, if the Immoral is already missing an eye, it cannot lose another from this feature; or if missing an arm, can only lose three fingers off it’s other hand (this feature does not remove thumbs).

The third part of a curse can be removed with an opposing dispel (chaos, evil, good, law), but only a miracle or wish can remove the second roll of permanent ability damage. A lord may only curse one Immoral per day.

The throne can be teleported when using the crown; when doing so, most restrictions of the crown apply, the exceptions being: 1) a lord may remain for up to eight hours; 2) the weight limit changes to a volume limit of: everything within a 5’ hemisphere; and 3) other creatures can be teleported with you, but they also teleport back after eight hours.

Augmented Subtype: At 5th level, lord with 15 ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) gain dreamborn as an augmented subtype (only if they have the necessary ranks). A lord is not longer required to make a save against insanity or similar effects when in a dreamland that is not their own. (This is especially useful in the Lovecraft Campaign.)

Ex-Dream Lord

There is no such thing as an ex-lord; once one goes down this road, they are forever marked.

Dream Lord Lore

“	Infect the hearts and minds of others and you will turn your enemies into friends.	”
—Valentine, Mahaari Dream Lord

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can research lords to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Arcana)

DC	Result
9	Dream Lords are very charming and diplomatic.
18	Dream Lords can enter into other’s dreams.
27	Dream Lords are Moral Warriors, redefining the principles of their enemies.
36	Specific info on a lord.

Variant

Instead of taking their spells from the more ridged orthodox lists (from previous classes), a lord may instead select their spells from the lord spell list. This replaces their previous spell list, but they maintain their spell progression and maximum spells known (with the new list). For example: an 8th level wizard ranks into this class (by one level), then chooses this variant (after talking to the GM), for purposes of spells, the maximum level spell the wizard cast is 4th-level (from the new list). Should the wizard rank again (in dream lord or wizard), they would gain access to 5th-level spells.

This only replaces one spell list (not multiple), and all spells from the lord list are considered arcane and may be cast spontaneously.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Prestige Classes