Originally posted by zombiegleemax:
The Mindkiller
You think, do you? Not for long.
– Shae’ras, Mindkiller.
Mindkillers are those people who, having been the subjects of devastating psychic attacks, find that a mysterious force awakens within themselves. Mindkillers learn to harness this force, a sort of negative psionic energy, through intense self-study and meditation. Mindkillers are dangerous individiuals, often found serving in the employ of Sorcerer-Kings or merchant houses as favourite assassins, although rarely found at all if they do not wish to be.
Most mindkillers are aarakocra, dwarves, half-elves, and humans. Elves and half-giants rarely have the mental discipline required to follow this path; those that do, however, are especially deadly. Pterrans and halflings both have societal beliefs that conflict with the mindkiller’s most common occupation: paid assasination. A renegade halfling might undertake this course, but despite pterrans’ natural affinity for telepathy almost no pterran mindkillers exist. Mul rarely have the opportunity to recieve the sort of psionic schooling required to become a mindkiller. Thri-kreen have no special inclination or disinclination towards becoming mindkillers; however, a kreen mindkiller would certainly be a formidable leader and protector of his pack, as well as a deadly hunter.
Almost all mindkillers are rogue/psions, often egoists or telepaths; they tend to have more levels of rogue in order to more effectively use their class abilities. A rogue/psychic warrior mindkiller would, however, be an extremely dangerous opponent.
Mindkillers tend to work alone, disdaining others who lack the mental discipline and capability for stealth that they have. They tend to get along well with other rogues and psions, especially when the latter shows what mindkillers feel is the well-deserved respect for their potent anti-psionic abilities. Most mindkillers recognize the purpose that warriors and divine casters serve, realizing that their work can always lead them to situations where extra muscle or healing magic could be helpful.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To become a Mindkiller, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any non-good.
Skills: Autohypnosis 6 ranks, Concentration 6 ranks, Hide 6 ranks, Move Silently 6 ranks.
Psionics: Ability to manifest 2nd-level powers.
Special: Sneak Attack +2d6; must have been the subject of a psionic attack which dealt her at least half her hit point total in damage, or reduced at least one of her ability scores to half its normal total or below.
Class Skills
The Mindkiller’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Psionics) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Psicraft (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill points at each level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table 1: The Mindkiller<br />Level / BAB / Fort / Ref / Will / Special<br />1 +0 +0 +2 +2 Sneak Attack +1d6<br />2 +1 +0 +3 +3 Mental Assault<br />3 +2 +1 +3 +3<br />4 +3 +1 +4 +4 Sneak Attack +2d6; Psionic Drain<br />5 +3 +1 +4 +4 <br />6 +4 +2 +5 +5 Focused Assault<br />7 +5 +2 +5 +5 Sneak Attack +3d6<br />8 +6 +2 +6 +6 Agonizing Backlash<br />9 +6 +3 +6 +6<br />10 +7 +3 +7 +7 Sneak Attack +4d6; Pierce Defences
Table 2: Mindkiller Manifesting<br />Level / Powers Known<br />1 +1 level of existing manifesting class<br />2 -<br />3 +1 level of existing manifesting class<br />4 +1 level of existing manifesting class<br />5 -<br />6 +1 level of existing manifesting class<br />7 +1 level of existing manifesting class<br />8 -<br />9 +1 level of existing manifesting class<br />10 +1 level of existing manifesting class
Class Features
The following are all class features of the Mindkiller.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Mindkiller gains no additional proficiency with weapons or armor.
Powers known: Except at 2nd level and every 3rd level thereafter (2nd, 5th, and 8th), the character gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting 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 (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, psicrystal special abilities, and so on). This essentially means that she adds the level of elocater to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly.
Sneak Attack: This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 at first level and at every third level thereafter (1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th). If a mindkiller gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage stack.
Mental Assault (Su): The mindkiller is able to channel a mysterious negative mental energy through precise physical strikes. Beginning at 2nd level, at any time a mindkiller has an active psionic focus and would deal sneak attack damage to an enemy, she may forgo dealing any amount of sneak attack damage up to one die per mindkiller level. For every die of sneak attack damage she forgoes, the mindkiller may force the target to lose power points from their own power point reserve equal to (Mindkiller level + Int mod) /2. If the target has a cognizance crystal or similar device physically located on their person (but not in a bag of holding or other extradimensional space) they may redirect this loss of power points to that item freely, as long as that item has any power points remaining in its own reserve.
Psionic Drain (Su): The mindkiller learns to take advantage of the psychic energy lost by the targets of her Mental Assault. Beginning at 4th level, whenever the mindkiller causes the target of her Mental Assault ability to lose power points, she recieves a number of temporary power points which last for a number of minutes equal to her mindkiller level. She recieves 1 temporary power point for every 3 power points she causes her target to lose. If the mindkiller does not use these power points by the time their duration expires, they simply dissipate.
Focused Assault (Su): The mindkiller learns to cause brutal mental damage through the negative mental energy she channels. Beginning at 6th level, at any time a mindkiller has an active psionic focus and would deal sneak attack damage to an enemy, she may forgo dealing any amount of sneak attack damage up to one die per two mindkiller class levels. For every 3d6 sneak attack damage she forgoes, the mindkiller may deal 1d6 points of temporary ability damage to her target. The target chooses whether this damage is dealt to its Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma ability score, unless it has manifester levels, in which case the damage is dealt to the ability which is key for the manifesting class in which it has the most levels. If a creature does not have one or more of these ability scores, it must choose from those it does have. If it has none of them, this ability is rendered useless.
Agonizing Backlash (Su): The mindkiller learns to use her psychic energy effectively and precisely. Beginning at 8th level, for every 9 power points the target of a mindkiller’s Mental Assault loses to this ability, the target is dealt one point of temporary ability damage. The target chooses whether this damage is dealt to its Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma ability score, unless it has manifester levels, in which case the damage is dealt to the ability which is key for the manifesting class in which it has the most levels. If a creature does not have one or more of these ability scores, it must choose from those it does have. If it has none of them, this ability is rendered useless.
Pierce Defences (Su): Through long use of her psychic abilities, the mindkiller learns to seek out holes in her opponents’ natural and artificial psychic defences, and strike mercilessly through them. Beginning at 10th level, a mindkiller may expend her psionic focus to affect even creatures that are normally immune to sneak attack damage with her Mental Assault, Psionic Drain, and Focused Assault abilities. The mindkiller must make a manifester level check opposed by the target’s Will save. If she succeeds, the mindkiller may affect the target with these abilities as normal, although she must regain her psionic focus in order to use them again. This ability does not allow the Mindkiller to bypass any sort of immunity to critical hits or fortitfication abilities for the purpose of dealing extra damage through sneak attack.