Empath

Requirements

Base Stats: CHA 14

Feats: Spell Focus (enchantment)

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd level spells, must be able to cast at least three compulsion-designator spells and two necromantic spells, including Vampiric Touch

Skills: Bluff (5 ranks), Diplomacy (5 ranks), Gather Information (5 ranks), Sense Motive (5 ranks)

Summary

The power of emotion is not lost on a spellcaster who works enchantment spells. Simple friendship magic such as Charm Person can be a lifesaver and for a time, can provide companionship and protection.

An empath knows this better than anyone else. Focusing on the emotional aspect of enchantment, an empath can achieve more from charm-type magics than normal spellcasters. Empath spells last longer and have greater effects due to their enhanced abilities with manipulating emotions.

A rare few among empaths discover an ultimate truth to their style of spellcasting/ At a certain point, the line between the mind and the body begins to blur. The bond they can establish with other allows them to the work physical effects, though at a great cost to themselves.

There is no true society among those who would walk the path of an empath. Those with a flair for being in command through the enforcement of magic do not often tolerate the company of others like them. Personality conflicts almost inevitably tear apart what few groups do try to form.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Don't worry guys I'm an Empath! These casters sense and control emotions

Source: Encyclopedia Arcane: Enchantment

Game Rule Information

The Empath has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma is by far your most important stat as you need it for manipulating the emotions of others.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Empath's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Empath.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Empath is proficient with whatever they were already proficient with prior to taking levels in this class.

Spells per Day: An empath continues training in magic while he practices the art of sensing and shaping emotions. Thus, when an empath gains a new level in the prestige class, except for levels three, six, and nine, he gains new spells per day as if a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before had also been gained

If the character belongs to more than one spellcasting class, he must choose which one is improved by this ability.

Striking Appearance Su: The first ability developed by an empath is Striking Appearance; a subtle enchantment magic that surrounds him at all times.

Whenever the empath rolls a skill check based on Charisma, the bonus listed with the Striking Appearance ability is added to it. This ability applies only if the audience the skill is directed towards is primarily (more than half) comprised of beings who are on neutral or better terms with the empath's race, and it does not affect any other roll except skill checks.

Shapechanging and illusion magic interferes with this ability, reducing the bonus by half, rounded down. Thus, a human with 7 levels in this prestige class would get a +3 bonus on Bluff checks when dealing with a human or elven guards but only a +1 when trying to intimidate some orcs.

This is a magical, mind-affecting, charm effect and requires that the empath be conscious to use it. While it is always active and does not require even a free action to use, it does not exist at all while the empath is dazed, shaken or stunned.

Detect Emotion Su: The basis for many of an empath's more advanced abilities, Detect Emotion is a form of the Detect Thoughts spell that the empath can use at will as a standard action.

This ability requires lone of sight and does not offer a saving throw. It is automatically blocked by anything that would prevent detect thoughts and cannot penetrate any form of psionic defense. SPell resistance applies to Detect Emotion normally.

This ability provides the empath with the knowledge of the target's current emotional state. This can be as detailed as the empath wishes to delve but only the current emotions felt by the target can be determined. Regardless of how closely the empath scrutinizes the target's emotions, this ability takes only one standard action to use.

For example, if an empath sees a man leave a house, he could see that the man was happy. If he wishes to probe more deeply, he could learn amount of money he had just won inside at the gambling tables. Since the man is only happy at the moment, the empath could not learn that the man's wife detested his gambling or normally he feels very guilty about coming here.

Calm/Enrage Su: The empath quickly learns to alter emotions. Once a target's emotional state has been determined with Detect Emotions it can be manipulated.

At this level, the alteration possible is still quite simple. The empath can only calm emotions or enrage them. In either case this power requires a full attack action to use and inflicts 1d6 subdual damage on the empath (representing the strain of its use). Each use lasts a number of rounds equal to the user's empath prestige class levels.

A calmed target suffers a -1 morale penalty to attack, damage and saving throw rolls versus fear and mind affecting effects. The only time this ability offers a will saving throw is if it is used on a being with the Rage or Barbarian Rage special ability. Then a successful save avoids all effect. If the save fails, the target cannot rage and any rage it is currently in ends immediately.

An enraged target gains +1 morale bonus to attack, damage and saving throws versus fear and mind-affecting effects. This ability does not offer a saving throw and if its affects a creature with the Rage or Barbarian Rage ability, it immediately triggers a use of that ability (and stacks its effect with it).

Calm/Enrage is considered a mind-affecting, compulsion, enchantment effect.

Bonus Feat: At 3rd level, the empath gains a bonus feat. This can be Spell Mastery, or any Metamagic feat. All prerequisites for the feat chosen still apply.

If the Spell Mastery feat is taken, all of spells selected with it must be from the enchantment school.

Aura of Empathy Su: At this level of ability, the empath's Detect Emotions power can be used on several different targets at once. The maximum number of targets equals 4 + the empath's Charisma bonus. If there are targets within range, the empath must detect their emotions if he has the ability to do so; no one can be specifically excluded.

All other conditions, limitations and abilities of Detect Emotions apply. The targets of this ability do not all have to be in the empath's line of sight at the same time (i.e., the empath can use this power on people in front of and behind him) but the empathy must be able to trace line of sight to each.

Emotional Mastery Ex: Empaths at this level have learned enough about emotions that their power over them has grown considerably. This newfound mastery is reflected in the following changes to their previous abilities:

Detect Emotions now operates without requiring line of sight. Within 30 feet, even complete concealment or cover will not prevent its use.

Calm/Enrage can be used to inflict any emotional state allowed by the spell Emotion also applies, but its DC is based on the empath's prestige class level, not the level of the spell in question. The 1d6 subdual damage still occurs.

The Aura of Empathy can now affect every target within 15 feet. The empath can choose to exclude targets if desired.

Also, the empath is now in complete control of his emotions. Any effect that specifically alters or controls emotions is automatically negated as if the empath had unbeatable Spell Resistance.

Shielding Bond Su: Once the empath has discerned someone's emotions, he can establish a bond with that target. Only one of these bonds can be active at a time.

The Shielding Bond is a risky affair, as it links the physical well-being of the empath with that of another creature. A Will save (DC 10 + prestige level) negates the Bond instantly if the Bonded creature is unwilling, and the empath can dismiss it at any time.

While the Bond is in effect, the empath and the creature act as if they were both the caster and the recipient of a Shield Other spell. All limitations and conditions except focus required and duration apply.

The shielding bond can be used as often as desired, but if either affected being dies while the Bond is in effect, the other is automatically stunned for 1d4 +1 rounds.

Empathetic Healing Su: An extension of the Shielding Bond power, this allows the empath to 'take' damage from one source and inflict it upon himself. Some of the damage is usually lost in the transfer as the mind of the empath tries to mitigate the wound.

This power is usable as many times a day as the empath's Charisma bonus. It requires physical touch and heals 3d6 hit points to the target. At the same time the empath takes 2d6 damage. This does mean that, depending on the roll, the empath may take more damage than is actually cured. Such is the risk of empathetic healing.

This power cannot affect any creature the empath cannot successfully use Detect Emotions on, though actual use of the ability is not required.

Willcrafting Su: This dangerous and formidable power is the true zenith of an empath's abilities. The use of it can drastically change a target's alignment, the end result being permanent.

To use this power, the target must be rendered paralyzed, stunned or otherwise helpless for 10 full rounds. During that time, the empath must make physical contact and concentrate on using Detect Emotions. This process can be interrupted during any given round as if the empath prestige class levels are added as a bonus to any Concentration checks required.

At the end of the 10 rounds the empath suffers 1d4 subdual damage per level of the target. Even if the empath goes unconscious from this damage, the target must make a Will Save (DC 20 + The empath's Charisma Bonus). Since this save is defending the target's inner psyche, no current penalties to Will save or Wisdom score apply for it. Thus, the target always gets to make this Will save as if fully healthy and restored.

A successful saving throw stuns the empath for 1d4 +1 rounds and immediately frees the target of any mind-affecting magics currently active on it. In addition, if the target was suffering Wisdom loss for any magical reason, it is likewise negated.

Failure results in a massive and immediate change in the target's alignment. The empath declares the intended new alignment and makes a Will saving throw against a DC equal to 10 times the number of steps removed from the desired alignment is from the original.

The change that results from this (if any) is permanent, not subject to effects such as break enchantment, cannot be dispelled and becomes an accepted part of the target. As soon as possible, the target will seek to perform some action that confirms the new alignment.

Regardless of the results of this attempted alignment change, the empath can use this power only once a month.

Table 1-1: Empath Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Striking appearance, detect emotion	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Calm/enrage	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Bonus feat	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Striking appearance +2	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Aura of empathy	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Emotional mastery	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Striking appearance +3	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Shielding bond	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Empathic healing	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Striking appearance +4, Willcrafting	+1 level of existing spellcasting class