Schismsoul (3.5e Prestige Class)
Schismsoul[edit]
| “ | Now you've done it, you've made both of them angry. I don't think I'm going to be able to hold them off for very much longer... RUN. | ” |
| —Sloshy, Pixie Schismsoul | ||
Through mental trauma and other means, not everyone ends up right in the head. They act strangely sometimes, as if they were different people. Many minds in one body leads to madness, a terrible thing. But sometimes a being with strong enough will manages to bind his other minds through spell and force of will, and unite them into a powerful force.
Becoming a Schismsoul[edit]
The mad and insane take this class, perhaps coming to terms with their other selves, perhaps seeking a cure, or perhaps as the culmination of their madness manifest.
| Alignment: | Any nonlawful. |
|---|---|
| Skills: | At least 5 different skills, all 8 ranks. |
| Feats: | Lunatic. |
| Special: | Must be mentally unbalanced. Minimum base Will save +3. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | Alter Egos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Bind Alter Ego (Standard) | +1 level of existing class | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Alter Form | +1 level of existing class | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Mental Synchronization | +1 level of existing class | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bind Alter Ego (Move) | +1 level of existing class | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Echo Madness | +1 level of existing class | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Improved Mental Synchronization | +1 level of existing class | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Aura of Mental Chaos | +1 level of existing class | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Bind Alter Ego (Swift) | +1 level of existing class | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Greater Mental Synchronization, Unfathomable Mind | +1 level of existing class | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Mental Fusion | +1 level of existing class | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features[edit]
All of the following are class features of the Schismsoul.
Bind Alter Ego (Su): A Schismsoul scribes a rune into her body somewhere, acting as a binding point for her other mental psyches and enabling her to control her other forms while retaining a semblance of sanity. Once bound these fragments of personality are hers to control. A Schismsoul starts out with two separate egos chosen from the list below, and gains another at 3rd, and every 2 levels afterward. Switching between egos is a standard action. When an ego is active, the appropriate rune lights up, and subtle changes become apparent on the subject, who channels the particular mind. Egos change your visible alignment, but it is a false alignment and will not matter for magical effects such as Unholy Blight. All spell-like abilities of the egos are 10 + 1/2 character level + Cha with a caster level equal to your character level. At 4th level switching egos becomes a move action. This improved to a swift action at 8th. In any case, discarding a particular ego is a free action.
The Courageous (Su): It doesn't matter if it's the tarrasque or god himself, the courageous has no fear. He bravely charges into battle, recklessly so. While manifesting the courageous you cannot retreat from battle (though it is easy enough to just drop the ego). You are immune to fear in this ego. You also gain a morale bonus on attack and damage rolls against enemies larger than you. For every size category larger than you, you gain a +1 bonus, to a maximum up to your class level. At level 10, you can even stave off death, fighting to the bitter end. When you drop below -10 or when you would otherwise die, you may make a Fortitude save equal to the amount of excess damage. Succeed, and you may continue to fight until you fail a fortitude save, or your body is destroyed through vorpal, disintegrate, or other means. While manifesting the courageous, your alignment appears to be Chaotic Good.
The Depressed (Su): Life is pain and there is little point to it. The depressed is so depressed it's a miracle it is not a danger to the Schismsoul herself. However, the depression is so thick it's almost tangible. The depressed gains an Aura of Despair which causes all enemies in 10 ft. to take a -2 penalty on saving throws. The depressed also gains the following spell-like abilities, usable once every 1d4 rounds each: At 1st level, Hideous Laughter but with crying instead as you tell them of your woe. At 3rd level, Calm Emotions with your supreme apathy. At 5th level, Crushing Despair. At 7th level, Mind Fog. At 9th level, Waves of Exhaustion. At 10th level the depressed's Aura of Despair improves to -4. While manifesting the depressed, your alignment appears to be True Neutral.
The Disbeliever (Su): You'll never convince the disbeliever that he's insane. Obviously it must be a trick or some clever ruse. The disbeliever gains 1/2 his class level as a bonus to saves vs spells of the Illusion school. Shadow spells in addition have their effect reduced by 10% on a successful save. At 10th level, the disbelief becomes strong enough to enable him to see the truth in all things, granting him True Seeing at will. While manifesting the disbeliever, your alignment appears to be True Neutral.
The Faithful (Su): The faithful is dedicated, wise and brave. He needs not proof to know he is doing the right thing. The faithful gains the ability to make smite attacks as the paladin class feature. He adds his Charisma bonus (if any) to her attack roll and deals 1 extra point of damage per Schismsoul level. The target need not be evil, but cannot be of the same alignment as the Schismsoul. He may do this 1 + Cha times a day. At 10th level, the faithful gains his Cha modifier to saving throws. While manifesting the faithful, your alignment appears to be Lawful Good.
The Fool (Su): A joker and a prankster, the fool does not know seriousness. Everything is a game to the fool. The fool gains 1/2 his class level to Sleight of Hand and Bluff checks. At 1st level, the fool may tease and make fun of an opponent up to 1 time per class level. The opponent makes a Will save against DC 10 + 1/2 character level + Cha or feel uncomfortable, giving a -1 morale penalty to all skills, attack rolls, and saving throws for 1 minute. At 3rd level, this becomes -2, at 6th level it becomes -3, and at 9th level the penalty becomes -4. This is a mind-effecting affect that only works on creatures with an Int score of 3 or higher. However, you do not have to speak the same language if you are good at pantomiming. At 10th level, your foolishness has the additional effect of increasing the enemy's fumble range to 1-3. While manifesting the fool, your alignment appears to be Chaotic Neutral.
The Logical (Su): There is a side of emotion, and there is a side of pure pragmatism. Smart, unfeeling, and somewhat dull, the logical is a perfectionist, and often has the urge to fix what seems out of place. The logical gains SR against chaotic aligned spells or spells cast by chaotic creatures equal to 15 + class level, maximum 25. The logical also gains an insight bonus to either attack or AC, which he may change every round as a swift action if desired. The bonus starts at +1 at level 1. At level 3 it rises to +2. At level 6 is rises to +3. At level 9 it rises to +4. At level 10, the logical becomes a bane to all that is chaotic, and all his natural and manufactured weapon attacks are treated as adamantine and lawful aligned for bypassing damage reduction. While manifesting the logical, your alignment appears to be Lawful Neutral.
The Optimist (Su): Ever cheerful, the optimist is not about to let the fact he's crazy get him down, and he is happy to spread this joy to others. You gain a special form of a bard's inspire courage ability, which functions the same way. You gain a +1 morale bonus at 1st, which rises to +2 at 4th level, and +3 at 8th level. You are treated as if you had maximum ranks in all perform skills, and gain +3 to all social skill checks (including perform). At 10th level, you become excited, and any morale effects bestowed upon you are doubled in effect. While manifesting the optimist, your alignment appears to be Chaotic Good.
The Paranoid (Su): The paranoid knows better, everyone is watching him, and something is stalking him. It's good to be cautious. You gain 1/2 your class level as an insight bonus to Spot, Search, and Listen checks. In addition you gain a dodge bonus to AC, +1 at 1st level, +2 at 3rd, +3 at 6th, and +4 at 9th. At 10th level, you gain the evasion ability while using this ego. While manifesting the paranoid, your alignment appears to be Chaotic Neutral.
The Pessimist (Su): The pessimist just knows this is going to go wrong. Rather than try to avoid the obvious disasters, he rather ensure than his foresight allows him to recover and endure through the troubles to come. The pessimist gains DR 1/- at 1st level, and another point of DR at 3rd, 6th, and 9th to a maximum of DR 4/-. This DR stacks with any similar DR from classes such as barbarian, but not with spells. Also, this DR does not apply if the Schismsoul is caught flatfooted or otherwise unaware. At 10th level the pessimist is used to the slings and arrows of fortune, and gains fast healing 2. While manifesting the pessimist, your alignment appears to be Lawful Neutral.
The Power (Su): Power gets to one's head sometimes, the power is obsessed with it, always seeking new ways to find more power. There need not be a reason, the journey itself is the goal. The power receives several, limited, spells. He selects spells from the sorcerer/wizard list, once chosen he cannot swap out his spells. All spells he can cast at each level may be cast 1 + Cha/day. At 1st level he gains a 1st level spell, and another at 2nd level. At 3rd level he gains a 2nd level spell and another at 4th level. At 5th level he gains a 3rd level spell and another at 6th level. At 7th level he gains a 4th level spell, and another at 8th level. At 9th level he gains a 5th level spell, and at 10th level he gains a 6th level spell. These spells are spell-like abilities. While manifesting the power, your alignment appears to be Neutral Evil.
The Pride (Su): Pride manifest, the pride resembles the courageous in that he does not back down, but for entirely different reasons. The pride is so full of himself, that he defies failure. The pride gains an 'ego pool' of points equal to his class level to fuel his abilities every day. At 1st level, the pride may re-roll any skill check which has come up as a natural 1 by spending a point from the ego pool. At 3rd, he may re-roll any saving throw which has come up a 1 as well. At 5th you may re-roll natural 1s on your attack rolls. At 7th, the ability expands so that you may re-roll ANY skill check, natural 1 or not. At 9th, you may re-roll any saving throw, natural 1 or not. And at 10th you may re-roll any attack roll, natural 1 or not. Using an ego point is a free action, but it can be done only once per check, you must accept the results of the second check. While manifesting the pride, your alignment appears to be Lawful Evil.
The Saint (Su): The saint just wants to help everybody. Nothing makes the saint happier than tending to the wounded, healing the inflicted, and other acts of kindness. The saint gains a Lay On Hands ability like the paladin, using twice his class level as his effective paladin level for Lay On Hands. He also gains the following: At 1st, he may cast Bless every 1d4 rounds. At 3rd level, he gains a constant Protection from Evil effect. At 5th level, he may cast Lesser Restoration every 1d4 rounds. At 7th level he gains a constant Consecrate effect centered on himself, able to be suppressed or restored as a free action. At 9th level, he may cast Remove Curse and Remove Disease each every 1d4 rounds. At 10th level, his aura of goodness radiates out in an aura of light, illuminating the area as a torch and healing 1 point of damage every round in 10 ft. Undead in this area instead take 1 point of damage, Will negates. While manifesting the saint, your alignment appears to be Neutral Good.
The Slasher (Su): The slasher is a lunatic who revels in the pain of others, and does to methodically by his own mad plans. Uncaring, he excels at causing suffering to others. While manifesting the slasher, you gain the ability to sneak attack, which stacks with any pre-existing sneak attack you have. You have 1d6 at 1st level, and every 2 levels to 5d6 at 9th level. At 10th level you gain the ability to Hide In Plain Sight. While manifesting the slasher, your alignment appears to be Lawful Evil.
The Suave (Su): The suave is a lady's man. All the people want to be him, his charisma is undeniable. Against those who would find the suave's race and gender attractive in some circumstance, the suave gains 1/2 his class level as a bonus on all social skills against them. The sauve's dramatic feel for piazza grants him his Cha to his AC, to a maximum of the number of class levels you possess while unarmored. This does not stack with the Battle Dancer's (Dragon Compendium) Cha to AC but does stack with monk. At 5th level, he also gains his class-level limited Cha bonus to his attack rolls in place of Str or Dex if desirable. At 10th, the Cha applies to his damage rolls as well. While manifesting the suave, your alignment appears to be Chaotic Neutral.
The Subtle (Su): Be it shy, or be it sneaky, the subtle simply does not get noticed in a crowd. The subtle receives 1/2 their class level to Hide and Move Silently checks. At 1st level, you are able to make hide checks in a crowd of people without actually ducking or being suspicious. At 3rd level you are under the constant effect of a Nondetection effect. At 5th, you gain Invisibility every 1 + Cha mod/day (minimum 1), as the spell. At 7th you become aware of anyone attempting to scry you as if under the effects of Detect Scrying. At 9th your invisibility becomes Greater Invisibility if you so desire. At 10th, unless trying to be noticed, people must make a Spot check against you even if you walked into the room, the DC being your Hide score + 1. While manifesting the subtle, your alignment does not appear at all, as if the caster attempted to scan an object.
The Thinker (Su): The thinker is a planning, careful sort. He plots and plans and makes sure things go just right, and with his skill and knowledge he knows he's right. You gain 1/2 your class level to all Int based skill checks. In addition, the thinker can make all Knowledge checks untrained, and can craft alchemy with no magical ability. At 10th level the thinker's mighty brain power allows him to predict the future through sheer cunning, effectively giving him the ability to cast Augury up to Int modifier a day, minimum 1. While manifesting the thinker, your alignment appears to be Lawful Neutral.
The Wrathful (Su): You don't even know why, but everything makes you... so... very... angry! The wrathful is a ball of seething rage, and he takes it out upon his opponents. You gain a limited form of rage able to be activated Con modifier times a day, minimum 1. While in rage, you gain +2 Str, +2 Con, +1 Will saves and -2 AC. At 4th level, this rises to +4 Str and Con, +3 Will saves, and -2 AC. At 8th level it becomes +6 Str and Con, +3 Will saves, and -2 AC. At 10th level you may end your rage prematurely for a +8 boost to Strength for one round. While manifesting the wrathful, your alignment appears to be Chaotic Evil.
Alter Form (Sp): At 2nd level the Schismsoul is able to shift her body to resemble the form of the mind she desires. She gains the ability to use Alter Self at will, but can only shift into a limited number of pre-set forms. She can have up to the number of alter egos she has available, for example, an 8th level Schismsoul has 6 different alternate forms to choose from.
Mental Synchronization (Ex): At 3rd level, the Schismsoul manages to invoke some harmony within her mental framework, and the various minds help each other when it comes to survival. The DC and caster level for any of her ego powers rises by +1. At 6th level this improves to +2 DC and caster level. At 9th level the improvement rises again to +3 DC and caster level.
Echo Madness (Su): At 5th level when subjected to any enchantment spell which is successfully resisted through a successful saving throw, or immunity, the Schismsoul may reflect the spell back at its caster with the same DC and caster level as before by inflicting herself with 1 point of Wisdom damage. In the case of such spells such Charm Person the caster in control of their behavior is the Schismsoul.
Aura of Mental Chaos (Su): At 7th level a Schismsoul projects an aura of mental noise at will out to 30 ft. Any enemies must make Concentration checks to cast spells and perform other such activities equal to 10 + 1/2 character level + Cha. All allies within this field instead gain +2 on saving throws vs enchantment spells. Raising or lowering the aura is a swift action, and it lasts as long as the Schismsoul is conscious.
Unfathomable Mind (Su): At 9th level, a Schismsoul's mind becomes such a crowded, confusing place that it transcends any attempt to understand it. A Schismsoul becomes under the effect of a continuous Mind Blank effect with a caster level equal to her character level.
Mental Fusion: At 10th level the Schismsoul gains mastery over her other egos. She may now employ two separate egos at the same time. One or both egos can be manifested as a swift action.
| Level | Special |
|---|---|
| 11th | Bonus Feat |
| 12th | 8 Alter Egos |
| 13th | |
| 14th | 9 Alter Egos, Bonus Feat |
| 15th | |
| 16th | 10 Alter Egos |
| 17th | Bonus Feat |
| 18th | 11 Alter Egos |
| 19th | |
| 20th | 12 Alter Egos, Bonus Feat |
Bind Alter Ego (Su): The epic Schismsoul continues to gain new alter egos as they level, every 2 levels.
The epic Schismsoul gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Schismsoul feats) every 3 levels after 11st.
Epic Schismsoul Bonus Feat List: <-list of bonus epic feats->
Ex-Schismsouls[edit]
If a Schismsoul ever becomes lawful they retain all abilities, but can no longer level in this class.
Campaign Information[edit]
Playing a Schismsoul[edit]
Combat: A Schismsoul can fit into any role well, thanks to her multiple personalities and varied powers.
Advancement: Master of Masks and Montebanks are both fitting PrCs which synergize well with the Schismsoul.
Resources: Schismsouls are alone in the world, or at least as alone one can be when there's an entire party inside one's mind.
Schismsouls in the World[edit]
| “ | Hello, I'm Gneiji, and this is myself, Pinky, and my other self, Gaston. | ” |
| —Gneiji Pinky and Gaston, Gnome Schismsoul | ||
Schismsouls are rejected by the world, for good reason. They're all crazy!
NPC Reactions: Schismsouls belong in asylums, under medical care or in jail. For that reason, a schismsoul will do his best not to reveal his madness to others, if he can.
Schismsoul Lore[edit]
Characters with ranks in Knowledge Local can research Schismsouls to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 10 | Schismsouls are crazy, they have multiple personalities. Scary thing is, you can see the other personas too. |
| 15 | A Schismsoul channels his madness to gain multiple powers at whim, he could be anybody or do anything. |
| 20 | The chaotic minds of a Schismsoul prevent others from controlling his madness. It's dangerous to even try. |
| 30 | Those who reach this level of success can gain information on a particular Schismsoul, his other personalities, legends, and last known location. |
Schismsouls in the Game[edit]
Perhaps there was a case of horrible mental trauma. Perhaps they were just born that way. In any case, a Schismsoul is as crazy as a derro and twice as dangerous.
Adaptation: Perhaps they aren't crazy, perhaps they host multiple spirits inside their body. In which case, waive the alignment restriction. This version has more of a Binder flavor.
Sample Encounter: A crazy pixie is on the loose, with insane plans to build an army of cute, adorible, yet terrible dangerous animated dolls and use them to destroy a nearby village. Can you stop him when, indeed, he may be hiding in town under guise at this very moment?
EL whatever: 10.
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