Nightmare Spinner

Requirements

Skills: Bluff 4 ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks.

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd-level arcane spells; ability to cast at least one fear spell and at least one mind-affecting illusion spell.

Summary

Dreams come to all sentient creatures, and some of those dreams are dark enough to frighten the heartiest of souls. The nightmare spinner can reach into the darkest recesses of the mind, draw forth his victim's nightmares, and make them seem all too real. He wields fear as his weapon and uses it to cut down even the mightiest opponents. It is irrelevant whether his magic produces real threats or not; they are real enough to his victims.

Because the nightmare spinner relies heavily on illusion magic, illusionists are drawn to this prestige class. Sorcerers are also excellent candidates, since a high Charisma score keeps the save DCs high for many of the class features. However, generalist wizards, wu jen, and even some bards find the path of the nightmare spinner attractive. Taking a few levels of rogue or bard can help a character meet the skill requirements more easily, but doing so tends to delay entry into the class because it takes longer to achieve the spellcasting requirements. Assassins can make good use of the class, but their spell lists are too restrictive to meet the prerequisites without a few levels of some other arcane spellcasting class. Because of its extensive use of fear, most good-aligned spellcasters shy away from it, but neutral and evil characters see great value in playing on the fears of their victims.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Frightful spellslingers that can kill from fear and protect themselve from it

Source: Complete Mage

Game Rule Information

The Nightmare Spinner has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma is key to instituting your fear effects so you need a high one to best make use of this class, also having other stats like Dexterity and Constitution to keeping yourself alive is important as well.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Nightmare Spinner's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis).

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

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Nightmare Spinner.

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

Spellcasting: At each level beyond 1st, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a nightmare spinner, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Bonus Spells Ex: If you normally prepare spells, you can prepare and cast one additional illusion spell per spell level each day. This ability works just like (and stacks with) a specialist wizard's extra school spell.

If you don't need to prepare spells, you gain one extra spell slot per spell level, which can be used only to cast an illusion spell.

Immunity to Fear Su: Beginning at 1st level, you gain immunity to all fear effects.

Inspire Fear Su: As a standard action, you can create a mind-affecting fear effect that makes a living creature within 30 feet ill at ease. The target becomes shaken for a number of rounds equal to your nightmare spinner class level; a successful Will save (DC 10 + your class level + your Cha modifier) halves this duration.

You can use this power a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Cha modifier. Multiple uses of this ability on the same creature don't stack.

Nightmare Phantasm Su: Beginning at 2nd level, when you cast a figment or glamer spell, you can choose to weave a thread of nightmare phantasm into it as a free action. The spell gains the phantasm descriptor. Each time any enemy attempts a Will save to disbelieve the affected illusion spell, a tiny portion of the spell transforms into a phantasm effect that targets that enemy. The enemy becomes shaken for 1 round (no save). This ability has no other effect on the original spell's duration or effectiveness.

You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Cha modifier. No creature can be affected by your nightmare phantasm ability more than once in a 24-hour period. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Spirit Chill Su: Beginning at 3rd level, creatures affected by a fear effect you cause (whether by a spell, class feature, or other effect) take nonlethal damage as well, depending on the potency of the fear created. Any creature that is shaken takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A creature that becomes frightened takes 2d6 points of nonlethal damage, while a creature that becomes panicked takes 3d6 points of nonlethal damage.

Deadly Nightmare Su: At 5th level, you can create a mind-affecting fear effect that can make a living creature literally drop dead. You can target one living creature within 30 feet of you, which must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + your class level + your Cha modifier) or literally die of fright. Even if the save succeeds, the subject is panicked for 1 round. Any creature whose Hit Dice exceed twice your character level is unaffected by this power. This is a mind-affecting fear death effect.

You can use this power three times per day.

Table 1-1: Nightmare Spinner Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Bonus spells, immunity to fear, inspire fear	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Nightmare phantasm	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Spirit chill	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	—	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Deadly nightmare	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class