User:Leziad/Mentalist

Author: Leziad (talk) Date Created: 21st January 2019 Status: Finished Editing: Clarity edits only please

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A rework of the Pathfinder Mesmerist for VH 3.5e, a class with the ability to hypnotize themselves and others. {{{length}}} 1

Alternate Magic Partial

This is a rework of the Pathfinder Mesmerist to work in VH 3.5e, I do not take credit for the original ideas. It has been heavily reworked and while some material for one might work for the other this is not guaranteed.

Mentalist

The masters of the mind, the mentalists originated from an ancient cabal of occult researchers and magicians who practiced hypnosis. Their research eventually lead to the development of unique techniques, allowing them to passively access the deepest recess of the mind, both within themselves, in their allies and in their foes. The mentalist is able to unleash the true potential of herself and her allies, while greatly undermining her targets with her stare and her ability to cast powerful mind-affecting spells.

The mentalist is neither an arcane or divine class, instead it relies on strange occult secrets and mild psionic potential (without using powers).

Making a Mentalist

The mentalist is a spellcaster with early access to plenty of powerful enhancement and illusion, their ability to lower Will save and other enhancers allow them to both be extremely effective by themselves and be useful to allies. They are not particularly tough and are lacking in defensive abilities and thus usually must stay back at least a little.

Abilities: A mentalist needs a high Intelligence or Charisma for her spellcasting and DCs, a few of her class features are based on Charisma while Intelligence grant her more skills. As most characters a good Dexterity and Constitution increase her abilities to fight and survive.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: As Rogue.

Starting Age: Complex.

Table: The Mentalist

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells
		Fort	Ref	Will		0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Beguiler, Bonus Feat, Mentalist Stare, Psychic Suffering	∞	2	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Egoist Shield, Subconscious Trick	∞	3	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+1	+1	+3	Hypnotic Therapy, Mesmeric Stare	∞	4	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Subconscious Trick	∞	5	1	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Bonus Feat	∞	6	2	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+2	+2	+5	Expert Hypnotist, Hypnotic Therapy (Improved)	∞	6	3	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+2	+2	+5	Mesmeric Stare, Psychic Suffering (Ranged)	∞	6	4	1	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+6	Subconscious Trick	∞	6	5	2	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+3	+3	+6	Bonus Feat	∞	6	6	3	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+3	+3	+7	Mental Edge	∞	6	6	4	1	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+3	+3	+7	Mesmeric Stare	∞	6	6	5	2	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8	Expert Trick Access, Hypnotic Therapy (Break Enchantment), Subconscious Trick	∞	6	6	6	3	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8	Bonus Feat	∞	6	6	6	4	1	—
14th	+10/+5	+4	+4	+9	Psychic Suffering (Instant Death)	∞	6	6	6	5	2	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+5	+9	Mesmeric Stare	∞	6	6	6	6	3	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Subconscious Trick	∞	6	6	6	6	4	1
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Bonus Feat	∞	6	6	6	6	5	2
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+6	+11	Mental Superiority	∞	6	6	6	6	6	3
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Mesmeric Stare	∞	6	6	6	6	6	4
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Mental Supremacy, Subconscious Trick	∞	6	6	6	6	6	5
Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Appraise (Int), Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Control Shape (Wis), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Mentalist.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Mentalist is proficient with all simple weapon, martial ranged weapons, as well as the estoc, hand crossbow, sap, short sword, spearcane, swordcane, rapier and whip. A mentalist is proficient with light armor but no shields.

Spells: A Mentalist casts spells spontaneously, however instead of drawing on arcane or divine source she instead relies on her own occult research and mind, making them psychic spells. She does not need to prepare her spells in advance, much like other spontaneous casters, she is drawing on a pool of spells known. Unlike other spontaneous casters however, whenever a mentalist rests to regain her spell she may trade one of her spells known for another of the same level.

A mentalist uses her Charisma for the purpose of her spellcasting, such as the DCs of her spell, bonus spell per day and minimum ability score requirement. The DCs of a Mentalist spell is 10 + Spell Level + her Charisma modifier.

A Mentalist's spellcasting cannot be made into scrolls or consumable items as is. She may still [Item Creation] feats with the spells on her spell list, but they are treated as of the same level as they are found on either the Cleric, Druid or Wizard spell list.

A Mentalist select her spells from the following list:

0— Azore's trick candle, clothes swap, daze, dazzle ward, detect magic, light, love ward, mage hand, mending, message, open/close, power word dazzle, spook, read magic, obedient light, prestidigitation.

1st— Astral fugue, cause fear, charm person, color spray, disguise self, Dyfen's induce pleasure, fanservice, Ishara's enticing directive, Nealan's unbuckling, phantom palm, power word pain^V, shadowknife, silent image, sleep, thought seed, ventriloquism.

2nd— Aura of doom, Cain's curse of covetousness, calm emotions, covert transposition, daze monster, detect thoughts, dire wound, Dyfen's violent flashback, enthrall, expeditious invisibility, greater hypnotism, hold person, hypnotic light, minor image, mirror image, rage, still invisibility, suggestion, totemic power, touch of idiocy, touch of madness.

3rd— Charm monster, confusion, crushing despair, deep slumber, dimension door, dispel magic, displacement, drowsing hypnosis, Dyfen's mind corrosion, espoir, fear, glibness, good hope, insidious suggestion, invisibility sphere, lesser geas, major image, pronounce doom, scare, scrying.

4th— Alter memory, clockstopper, daunting ray, Dyfen's oneiric daemon, dominate person, Dyfen's self erasure, feeblemind, greater invisibility, hold monster, mind fog^V, mirror image, greater^PHBII, persistent invisibility, phantasmal killer, rainbow pattern, sensory deprivation, suicidal command, ur charm person.

5th— Dream, false vision, fatal geas, greater dispel magic, improved dimension door, insidious domination, mass espoir, mass suggestion, mislead, nightmare, persistent image, power word blind.

6th— Break morale, dimension pathway, ethereal jaunt, geas/quest, greater scrying, identity death, improved phantasmal killer, insanity^V, irresistible dance, oblivion, permanent image, power word stun, programmed image, project image, time stop, veil.

Table: Mentalist Spells Known

Level	Spells Known
	0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	4	2	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	5	3	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	6	3	—	—	—	—	—
4th	6	4	2	—	—	—	—
5th	6	4	3	—	—	—	—
6th	6	4	3	—	—	—	—
7th	6	5	4	2	—	—	—
8th	6	5	4	3	—	—	—
9th	6	5	4	3	—	—	—
10th	6	6	5	4	2	—	—
11th	6	6	5	4	3	—	—
12th	6	6	5	4	3	—	—
13th	6	6	6	5	4	2	—
14th	6	6	6	5	4	3	—
15th	6	6	6	5	4	3	—
16th	6	6	6	6	5	4	2
17th	6	6	6	6	5	4	3
18th	6	6	6	6	5	4	3
19th	6	6	6	6	6	5	4
20th	6	6	6	6	6	5	4

Beguiler (Ex): A Mentalist is an expert at lying and manipulating others, she gain half her class level as a bonus on her Bluff checks made to lies or otherwise deceive.

Bonus Feat (Ex): At 1st level, a Mentalist gain access to the following feat she can gain as a bonus feat: Combat Expertise, Improved Feint, Insomnia, Skill Focus, Spell Focus or Weapon Focus. She must meet the prerequisite of the feat as normal.

At 5th level and each 4 levels thereafter she gain an additional bonus feat from the list, additionally she add the following feat to the list of bonus feat she can pick: Greater Spell Focus, Greater Stare, Intense Suffering, Psychic Convulsion.

Mentalist Stare (Su): As a swift action, a Mentalist can direct her focus at a creature within 30 feet of her and start subtly hypnotizing it. The target of the Mentalist stare takes a -2 penalty on Will saves. The penalty lasts until the mentalist switches target, either moves more than 30 feet or the mentalist falls unconscious or dies. A Mentalist's Stare is a mind-affecting, which requires line of sight but not line of effect. The target does not realize that it is affected by the Mentalist Stare but other creatures might, as the Mentalist show some display such as glowing eyes which are not registered by the target.

A Mentalist may command the target of her Mentalist Stare with a DC of 10 + 1/2 level + her Charisma modifier. If a target succeeds she becomes immune to further attempts for 1 minute. If she fails, she obeys the command and does not remember having done it.

Psychic Suffering (Su): A Mentalist can inflict tremendous suffering in the psyche of her target, whenever the target of her Mentalist Stare takes damage she may activate this ability as a free action usable outside of her turn. The creature takes an amount of extra damage equal to twice the Mentalist's class level. Psychic Suffering may only be activated once per round, no matter how many times the creature takes damage.

Alternatively the mentalist may cause catastrophic psychic damage herself, she must make a melee attack against the target of her Mentalist Stare as a standard action (she may even deliver with a simple touch, which requires a melee touch attack but deals no innate damage). If it hits, the attack triggers Psychic Suffering and deals 1d6 extra damage, which increases by 1d6 at each odd class level thereafter.

The extra damage dealt by Psychic Suffering is not precision damage, instead it is mind-affecting and pain-based effect.

At 7th level the mentalist may damage the foe by simply stabbing into a doll, simply making the motion of the attack or simply staring at the target maliciously. She may deliver the catastrophic psychic damage as above with a ranged touch attack that deal no innate damage.

At 14th level after triggering Psychic Suffering herself, she may force the damaged creature to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 Class Level + Charisma modifier) or die outright from the psychosomatic trauma. This can be done a number of times per day equal to half her Charisma modifier, a creature who succeeds it saves is immune to this instantaneous death for 24 hours. This is a [death] effect.

Egoist Shield (Su): A 2nd level Mentalist knows how to shield her mind from harm, she adds her Charisma modifier to her Will save. She is now capable of making Will save even while unconscious or in other situations where she would automatically be considered as 'willing'.

Subconscious Trick (Su): A 2nd level Mentalist can create hypnotic bonds between herself and her allies, implanting psychic suggestions in their minds that he can later activate. She may only have a single trick implanted in each creature and up to two tricks in total. At 5th level and 5 levels thereafter she may implant two additional tricks, but she is still limited to one per creature.

To implant a subconscious trick, the mentalist must take a minute to hypnotize the target, the target must be willing and within touch range. The mentalist can trigger the subconscious trick as a free action, even if it isn’t her turn. The subject must be within medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per level) for the mentalist to trigger the trick. The subject must have an Intelligence score of 3 or above in order to be implanted a subconscious trick.

The mentalist monitors for the trick’s triggering condition through a subtle telepathic connection, so she doesn’t need line of sight to trigger it—but anything that blocks telepathic contact prevents her from triggering tricks. An implanted trick lasts for 24 hours, they can be changed for another trick by the mentalist by simply implanting a new trick in their mind.

Once triggered, a trick stays implanted and may be triggered again and again. Each day, she can trigger a number of these suggestions equal to 1 + half her level + her Charisma modifier per day. Implanting a trick does not consume a daily use, but triggering it does. The duration of the effect caused by triggering a trick is either instantaneous or appears in the trick’s entry. The DC for any subconscious or expert trick that requires a saving throw or skill check is 10 + 1/2 the mentalist’s level + her Charisma modifier.

The mentalist knows one trick at 2nd level, she learns an additional trick at 4th level and each 4 levels thereafter. The mentalist may implant any tricks she knows. Unless specifically noted in the subconscious trick’s description, a mentalist can’t choose a particular trick more than once. Whenever she rests to regain her spell, the Mentalist may induce herself in a hypnotic session to replace a single Subconscious Trick she knows with another.

A Mentalist select her subconscious tricks from the following list: Mentalist (3.5e Class)/Subconscious Trick List

Hypnotic Therapy (Su): At 3rd level Mentalist can use one of her Subconscious Trick uses for the day to attempt remove any condition or status effect with a non-instantaneous duration on a willing creature within close range. The creature is allowed to reroll their save to end the effect, if the effect didn't offer a saving throw then Hypnotic Therapy cannot remove it. If it is a [compulsion], [fear] or a [pain]-effect the creature is granted a +4 bonus on its saving throw. If she fails to remove a status effect she may not attempt to do so again for 24 hours. She may use Hypnotic Therapy . The Mentalist may use Hypnotic Therapy on herself as a swift action.

At 6th level she may spend an use of Hypnotic Therapy to remove 1 point of ability damage per class level on a single ability score, or half that as ability drain. If she makes the target reroll and effect and it still fails, reduce the duration of the effect by half.

At 12th level she may spend two uses of Hypnotic Therapy to replicate the effect of break enchantment.

Mesmeric Stare (Su): At 3rd level and each 4 levels thereafter, the Mentalist augments her Mentalist Stare. She chooses a single ability from the list below which increases the potency of her Mentalist Stare, they require no activation unless specified otherwise, they simply enhance the already existing stare. She may choose a single Mesmeric Stare once unless specified otherwise and may not change them after she chooses them. The DCs of any Mesmeric stare is DC 10 + 1/2 Class Level + your Charisma modifier.

• Amnesia: Whenever you target a creature with your mentalist stare you may force it to make a Will save as a free action. If it fails it does not form memories for the round, essentially forgetting the event of the round. In combat this causes the target to become flat-footed upon the start of its next turn for 1 round, as it suddenly realizes its new situation. You must be 7th level or higher to select this stare.

• Creepy Stare: Your stare induces an additional penalty to Will save and any other penalty instilled by your stare increase by -1. You must be 7th level or higher to select this Mesmeric Stare.

• Commanding Stare: The command ability of your Mentalist Stare instead change to greater command.

• Deception: If the subject of your stare succeeds at a Will save against one of your ability, it is not aware that it succeeded a Will save. On the other hand, if a creature fail a Will save against one of your [charm] or [compulsion] spell while under your mentalist stare, it take a -4 penalty on any secondary will save to shake off the effect which persist even after the target is no longer the target of your stare. Finally upon successfully casting an enchantment spell on a target, you may make a Bluff check, you use result as the DC of sense enchantment, a domination is made at a -10 penalty.

• Deep Hypnosis: You are able to induce a powerful subconscious hypnosis, allowing you to now affect creatures immune to mind-affecting effect with your Mentalist Stare. If a creature is under the effect of your Mesmeric Stare it loses any immunity to mind-affecting effect, including charm, compulsion and fear effect against your abilities for as long as it is under your stare and for 1 round thereafter. If the effect lasts for more than 1 round, there is a 50% chance of not being affected by any of such effect each round while under your Mentalist Stare. A mindless creature is still fully immune to your mind-affecting effect.

• Gaslighting Stare: If the target of your stare successfully sees through your lies, even with magic, it must make a Will save or fail to believe that you lied. It will accept the lie even if otherwise impossible, questioning its own sanity before your words. If you made the target believe an impossible lie this way, it makes an additional Will save at a +4 bonus after it cease being the target of your Mentalist Stare, on a success it realize the deception.

• Long Stare: The range of your Mentalist Stare increases to 60 feet. You may take this Mentalist Stare a second time, increase it range to 120 feet the second time.

• Piercing Stare: Your stare is so powerful that it now pierce into the soul of the target, inducing vulnerability within them. The target takes a -2 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks and AC as long as it under your Mentalist Stare. You may suppress or resume Piercing Stare as a free action.

• Weakening Stare: A creature under the effect of your Mentalist Stare counts as 4 HD lower for the purpose of interacting with your spells.

Expert Hypnotist (Su): A 6th level mentalist uses a mind-affecting spell or ability on a flat-footed creature she increases the DC of that ability by +2. Additionally if a creature is the target of her Mentalist Stares she knows whether or not a creature succeeds or fails a saving throw against one of her mind-affecting spells.

Mental Edge: A 10th level mentalist is able to cast her spells at their highest potential. Whenever she cast a spell in a higher spell slot, the DC of that spell counts as if it was of the appropriate level. This function for spells whose level is increased by metamagic, or cast in a higher spell slot for other reasons. The spell also counts as the level of the slot used to cast it whenever beneficial.

Expert Trick Access (Su): At 12th level, the Mentalist gains access to Expert Tricks. Unlike a normal Subconscious trick, an expert trick requires a great amount of focus and expertise to learn and thus cannot be replaced once learned.

Mental Superiority: At 18th level, a Mentalist's spell which affects a specific type now affects all types. Thus she could use dominate person on an outsider.

Mental Supremacy: A 20th level Mentalist is now a flawless master of the mind, whenever she casts a mind-affecting spell that targets only the subject of her Mentalist Stare she no longer needs to expend a spell slot.

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