Hypnotist

Requirements

Spells: Must have the ability to cast Hypnotic Pattern

Skills: Knowledge (arcana)(8 ranks), Profession (Hypnotist) (8 ranks)

Feats: Illusion Focus (Pattern)

Summary

Hypnotists are quite useful in many areas. Some are entertainers who specialize in making their audiences perform acts they would not normally do. Others still are expert interrogators and information brokers. No matter what the hypnotist's occupation, he has an eerily fascinating voice that can pause his friends and enemies. Later on in a hypnotist's career, he even gains the ability to hypnotize those he comes in eye contact with by subtly creating a hypnotic pattern within his own eyes. Whatever the hypnotists area of expertise one should never underestimate the power of suggestion.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Enthralling casters who use their eyes and voices to enthrall other

Source: Encyclopedia Arcane: Illusionism

Game Rule Information

The Hypnotist has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma for your ability to influence others and hypnotize them

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Hypnotist's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Scry (Int), 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 Hypnotist.

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

Spells per Day: When a hypnotist gains a level the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats and so on.) This essentially means that he adds the level of hypnotist to the level of any other arcane spellcasting class the character has, then determines spells per day, spells known, and caster level accordingly.

Fascinating Voice Su: At 1st level the hypnotist gains the ability to fascinate all creatures that are within a 30 foot long cone emanating from the hypnotist's mouth. The creatures must be able to hear the hypnotist in order to be affected by his voice (deafened creatures are also unaffected). Mindless creatures are also unaffected. In order to make a fascinate the hypnotist must make a successful Profession (hypnotist) check (with a +4 inherent bonus) opposed by the creature's Sense Motive skill. If the creature is successful in their Sense Motive check, then they gain a +4 bonus to their Will save (DC 10 +1/2 the character's level in Hypnotist + the hypnotist's Charisma modifier) to avoid fascination. If the creature fails their Will save the hypnotist has fascinated the creature in question for one round plus however many rounds the hypnotist wishes to maintain the fascination. Not that if at any time the hypnotist loses voice contact with the creature being affected, then the fascination is broken. A fascinated creature is unable to take actions and suffers a -4 penalty to Spot and Listen checks. Any potential threat (such as an armed party member moving behind the fascinated creature) allows the creature another saving throw at -2 to the DC of the Will save. Any obvious threat, such as casting a spell, drawing a sword, or aiming an arrow, automatically breaks the fascination, as does shaking or slapping the creature. A fascinated creature's ally may shake it free of the spell as a standard action. Using fascinating voice is a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity, as is maintaining fascination.

Bonus Feat: At 5th and 10th level the hypnotist gains a bonus feat. These bonus feats must be drawn from the following list: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Illusion Focus, Illusory Insight, Imbue Illusion, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Concentration), Split Concentration, Spell Mimicry, and Still Spell. Some of the bonus feats cannot be acquired until the figmentist has gained one or more prerequisite feats.

Pattern Resistance Ex: At 2nd level a hypnotist becomes partially resistant to pattern spells. He gains an inherent bonus to his Will saves versus patterns equal to one half of his level rounded down. Even if resisted the hypnotist still sees a faint outline of what the pattern is meant to look like and may make a Spellcraft check to identify the originating spell. He may choose to have the outline disappear from his view at any time. This ability is continuous and supernatural.

Hypnotic Eyes Su: At 5th level the hypnotist gains the ability to hypnotize one creature within 30 feet with his eyes and voice. This ability has all the effects of the Fascinate Voice ability but with the additional restrictions and effects:

When attempting to hypnotize a creature, the hypnotist requires not only auditory but visual contact also, thus if a creature is blinded or otherwise concealed they are unaffected by this ability. In order to hypnotize the targeted creature, the hypnotist must make a successful Profession (hypnotist) check (with a +4 inherent bonus) opposed by the creature's Sense Motive skill. If the creature is successful in its Sense Motive check then it gain a +4 insight bonus to its Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 character's levels in hypnotist + the hypnotist's Charisma modifier) to avoid being hypnotized.

While the creature is hypnotized, the hypnotist can make a suggestion or request (provided the hypnotist can communicate with it). The suggestion must be brief and reasonable. An affected creature reacts as though it were two steps more friendly in attitude. Even once the hypnotist ends his hypnotic voice ability, the creature retains its new attitude toward the hypnotist, but only with respect to that particular suggestion. A creature who fails its saving throw does not remember that it has been hypnotized.

Table 1-1: Hypnotist Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Fascinating voice	+1 level of existing class
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Pattern resistance +1	+1 level of existing class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	—	+1 level of existing class
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Pattern resistance +2	+1 level of existing class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus feat, hypnotic eyes	+1 level of existing class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Pattern resistance +3	+1 level of existing class
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	—	+1 level of existing class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Pattern resistance +4	+1 level of existing class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	—	+1 level of existing class
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Bonus feat, Pattern resistance +5	+1 level of existing class