Spy (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Spy[edit]
| “ | A true Spy can be in and out without you ever realizing that he was there in the first place. | ” |
| —Dirk, Elf Spy | ||
Spies rarely work with others unless they are under cover. The special skills that serve them so well in the field ironically make them exceptional leaders, but a Spy's natural inclination toward secrecy pushes her away from the limelight. Note that a spy among adventurers may not intend to betray them; armed heroes provide excellent cover for a spy's true mission, whether or not they know the spy's intent. They are skilled at infiltration, stealing, and assassination, and thus often must go undercover to avoid their identity being revealed. The spy can contribute utility, scouting, and/or fighting prowess to a party. They are extremely versatile, and are trained to expect the unexpected.
Becoming a Spy[edit]
Rogues are the most common class to become spies, as their skills coincide and they synergize with sneak attack, but fighters or rangers may become spies as well. Wizards and Sorcerors can become excellent spies, adding a dash of utility with their spells.
| Alignment: | Any |
|---|---|
| Base Attack Bonus: | +3 |
| Race: | Any but Half-Orc |
| Skills: | +8 Hide, +8 Disguise, +4 Bluff, +4 Open Lock |
| Feats: | Dodge, Weapon Finesse |
Class Features[edit]
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spies are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Art of Deception (Ex): A Spy may adds her levels in the Spy Prestige Class to all Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Forgery and Sense Motive checks.
Master of Disguise (Ex): A Spy may create a disguise in half the time normally required. In addition, any penalties from assuming a disguise of a different gender, race, age, or size are reduced by 2.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This ability is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 at every second level (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th). If a Spy gets a sneak attack bonus from another source, the bonuses on damage stack.
Bonus Feats: At 1st level, a Spy gets a bonus feat. The Spy gains an additional bonus feat at 4th, 7th and 10th level. These bonus feats are in addition to the feat that a character of any class gets from advancing levels.
Iron Will (Su): A Spy is trained to resist mind affecting magic, and gains the feat Iron Will for free.
Glib Lie (Su): A Spy of 2nd level or higher can deceive truth-detecting magic. A creature using this sort of magic against the spy must succeed on a caster level check against a DC of 15 + the Spy's class level to succeed (as if she were under the effect of a Glibness spell); failure means the magic doesn't detect the Spy's lies or force her to speak only the truth. This ability does not give the Spy the Glibness spells bonus on Bluff checks.
Shadow Dance (Su): A Spy of 2nd level or higher may, while in an area shrouded in shadow, teleport to a nearby shadow, a number of times equal to the Spy's class level. The distance that can be traveled increases by 5 ft. every two levels (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th).
Disguise (Ex): The Spy's training prepares her for creating realistic disguises, and they gain +1 to their disguise checks, increasing by one every second level (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th).
Spy Tactics (Ex): Over the course of their career, spies develop certain talents that pertain to their trade. A Spy gains one Spy Tactic for every two class levels they attain. A spy cannot select an individual tactic more than once.
Infiltrator: The spy is trained in infiltration and gains a +2 bonus on Jump, Tumble and Balance checks.
Coax Information: A spy with this talent can use Bluff or Diplomacy in place of Intimidate to force an opponent to act friendly toward her.
Swift Dodge: The spy adds her reflex save to AC instead of her Dex modifier. The spy will still lose this bonus when flat-footed. Do not add any enhancement bonuses to reflex to AC.
Opportunist: Once per round, the spy can make an attack of opportunity against an opponent who has just been struck for damage in melee by another character. This attack counts as an attack of opportunity for that round. Even a spy with the Combat Reflexes feat can't use the opportunist ability more than once per round.
Well Prepared: The spy is skilled at researching and remembering background information about their persona, and may add their total level to any knowledge checks pertaining to their persona.
Good Under Pressure: The spy can take 15 on any Bluff, Disguise, or Sense Motive checks, even under pressure and in a stressful environment.
Deceptive: You get a +2 bonus on all Bluff and Disguise checks.
Canny Observer: The Spy gains a +4 bonus to Listen and Search checks while listening to conversations or looking for concealed objects.
Surprise Attack: During the surprise round, opponents are always considered flat-footed to a Spy with this ability, even if they have already acted.
Weapon Training: A Spy with this talent gains Weapon Focus as a bonus feat.
Feat: A spy may take any feat that she qualifies for in place of a Spy tactic.
Minor Magic (Sp): The Spy learns to cast a limited number of spells through his training. The Spy's class level is counted as the caster level. The DC for one of these spells is: 10+ Spy Character Level+ Intelligence Modifier. The spy can cast 3 spells each 4 level of spy lvl + Int, per day out of this list, as a swift action without preparation: Acid splash, Alter self, color spray, darkness, daze, disguise self, feather fall, flare, ghost sound, grease, longstrider, Mage Hand, Jump, Mage armor, Magic weapon, Obscuring mist, Pass Without Trace, True Strike
Honeyed Words (Ex): The Spy's quick wit allows her to recover from a bad lie, and regain confidence. The Spy may choose to reroll on any bluff check, but must keep the second result, even if it is lower than the first. This ability can not be combined with the Skill trick Social Recovery.
Concealed Thoughts (Ex): A 5th-level Spy can conceal her schemes from mind-reading magic. When a creature is using detect thoughts or similar magic to read her mind, she decides what surface thoughts her opponent detects, and her true surface thoughts remain private. This ability does not protect against mental attacks or mind-reading that delves deeper than surface thoughts.
Non Magical Aura (Sp): At 5th level, a Spy can use Magic Aura twice per day, but only for the purpose of making an object appear nonmagical.
Slippery Mind (Ex): At 7th level, a Spy can slip away from mental control. This functions as the rogue advanced talent of the same name. If the spy has the slippery mind ability from another class, these abilities stack, but she can still only use slippery mind once per round.
Major Magic (Sp): The spy adds the following spells to his arsenal: air walk, bear’s endurance, blacklight, blur, bull’s strength, burning hands, cat’s grace, chill metal, cone of cold, death knell, deep slumber, eagle’s splendor, fear, flaming sphere, fox’s cunning, gust of wind, or haste, invisibility, keen edge, lightning bolt, mage armor, melf’s acid arrow, mirror image, owl’s wisdom, poison, rusting grasp, shadow walk, shatter, shocking grasp, soften earth and stone, stone skin, web, hallucinatory terrain
Advanced Spy Tactics (Ex): At 8th and 10th level a Spy can choose one of the following advanced talents in place of a spy tactic.
Poison Sneak Attack: The spy's sneak attack applies a deadly poison that deals 1 damage per round for each sneak attack dice rolled. This poison lasts for 1d4+2 rounds.
Deadly Sneak: Whenever a spy with this tactic uses a sneak attack, they can treat all the 1's and 2's rolled as 3's.
Another Day: Once per day, when the spy would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by a melee attack, they can take a 5-foot step as an immediate action. If the movement takes them out of the reach of the attack, they takes no damage from the attack.
Redirect Attack: Once per day, when a spy with this talent is hit with a melee attack, she can redirect the attack to strike at an adjacent creature with a free action. The creature targeted must be within melee reach of the attack that hit the spy, and the creature that made the attack against the spy must make a new attack roll against the new target.
Death Attack (Ex): At 9th level, a Spy learns the art of killing or paralyzing a foe with a careful strike. This ability functions as the assassin's death attack ability. If the spy has levels in another class that grants the death attack ability, these levels stack with her Spy level to determine the DC of her death attack, even if she has not yet reached 8th level as a Spy.
Hidden Mind (Su): At 9th level, a Spy gains the benefit of a constant mind blank spell at a caster level equal to her character level. The Spy can suppress or resume this protection as a standard action. If dispelled, the Spy cannot resume the mind blank for 1d4 rounds.
Assumption (Su): The ultimate ability of the Spy is to take over another persona entirely, making it her own. As a full-round action, the Spy can touch a helpless creature and shift her aura to that of her target. This confuses divination effects and spells, even ones as powerful as discern location, such that they register the Spy as being the creature she has touched. This ability is not proof against the actions of deities or similarly powerful beings. The assumption of an identity lasts until the spy ends it (a standard action) or she uses the ability on another creature.
Spies in the World[edit]
Many aspire to become spies, and most cities are teeming with mediocre spies. However, the good spies are quite uncommon, and often charge a small fortune for their work. Most employers would agree that the price, though monumental, is worth it.
| “ | Yeah, it cost me an arm and a leg, but without that information, well, I probably would have lost them anyway. | ” |
| —Anonymous, Spy Employer | ||
NPC Reactions: Spies are looked up to by the aspiring rogue, and they often exchange techniques when they meet. Paladins and Fighters have a tendency to look down upon spies as dishonorable and cowardly. Most people would not know of the spy's skills, and just treat them like normal citizens.
It is worthy of note that spies usually form networks in a city that provide them safe houses, and secret passages. These allies have, on occasion, succumbed to greed and sold out their spy. They do not have a track record of living very long.
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