Discreet Companion

Requirements

Skills: Gather Information (10 ranks), Bluff (6 ranks), Diplomacy (8 ranks), Innuendo (4 ranks), Perform (4 ranks), Profession (escort) (5 ranks)

Feats: Alertness, Skill Focus (Gather Information)

Special: An established career or at least a sideline, in some form of "Companionship for pay" trade or profession, with the associated Profession skill. How sexual this profession is dependent upon the culture of the character, but the nature of the discreet companions is such that anyone over-nice about such things is unlikely to be invited to join.

Summary

The discreet companions exist, in an informal and unspoken way, throughout the civilized lands of most fantasy campaign settings. They are, nonetheless, strongest in decadent empires, high courts, wealthy city-states, and sprawling trading centers. The companions exist, as their name implies, discreetly, and few outsiders can distinguish them from concubines, escorts, courtesans and sacred prostitutes who populate the elegant houses of wealthy merchants and the palaces of great kings.

The discreet companions are traders in information and intrigue, and they acquire their merchandise through the oldest of means. Of all genders and races, discreet companions can be found in the courts of kings, the temple of high priests, and back alleys of the seediest cities. They ply their trade with apparent disregard for the nature of their putative employer, though, in their own way, they are amazingly discriminating. Only those with knowledge to gain will find one of the companions entering their lives, though, of course, the true nature of the relationship remains well hidden from the individual in question.

There is no way to seek out the discreet companions. Those of intelligence, cunning, and charisma who are already engaging in their primary apparent occupation will be contacted. If it becomes evident contact was unwise, the prospective member will find his memory wiped and will return to his life unharmed and unaware anything unusual occurred.

The discreet companions support themselves by selling the information they acquire to the highest bidder, the bidder usually unaware he is dealing with an organization and not just an individual. The money itself is funneled deep into the order, to serve unknown purposes.

Role: Utility

Characteristics: Best for NPCs, touch power laden utilities that can seduce others.

Source: Traps and Treachery I

Game Rule Information

The Discreet Companion has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma is needed to seduce others and apply your touch abilities

Alignment: Any Nonlawful

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Discreet Companion's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Discreet Companion.

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

Special Restriction: Mentioning that the order exists is absolutely forbidden, as is allowing any genuine emotion to influence your relationship with your current "partner". Any member of the order who breaks these rules will be quickly and discreetly eliminated.

While great Charisma is not a requirement, it is unlikely anyone with low or average Charisma will enter the companions, nor will they benefit much from such membership, as many of the powers and feats of the class rely on the Charisma ability.

Secret: At 1st level, and every three levels thereafter, the character learns one important secret. The exact information gained depends on the character's circumstances and the DM's judgement, but it should be something known only to an elite few - one of whom obviously, must be a patron of the companion.

Resist Charm Ex: The character may apply their Charisma modifier (if positive) to any Will save versus Enchantment or charm effect.

Charmtouch Ex: This ability grants the extraordinary ability to charm, as the Charm Person spell someone by touch alone. This ability maybe be used a number of times per day equal to the companion's Charisma bonus. It takes 10 minutes of reasonably close physical contact, usually accompanied by enthralling conversation. The DC to resist the charm is 10 + the companion's Charisma bonus.

Bonus Class Abilities: The character may select from one of the following special abilities. Members may also pick one of these abilities when they are entitled to select a feat, as long as they meet the prerequisites.

Talking Touch

Prerequisite: Innuendo (4 ranks)

Talkingtouch is a special form of Innuendo. It allows two people with the skill to communicate through simple physical contact. This is not telepathy or psionics; it is the art of carefully orchestrated muscle movements and body language too subtle to be noticed by outsiders (DC 27 spot check to notice; a character with the Talkingtouch ability receives a +2 synergy bonus).

Truthtouch

Prerequisite: Sense Motive (4 ranks)

Truthtouch is distantly related to talkingtouch, in that it involves an intimate knowledge of small muscle movements. However, truthtouch is a means of gathering information, not communicating. A character using truthtouch can tell if a person they are touching is lying. Flesh on flesh contact is required. Using this ability on beings of races the character is unfamiliar with is difficult. the base DC for a familiar race is 10 + the target's Wisdom bonus, with additional modifiers as seen in Table 1-2: Truthtouch modifiers. These modifiers as seen in the table stack, so the DC for reading a non-humanoid, undead outsider, if done by a human would be DC 24 + the target's Wisdom modifier.

Paintouch

Prerequisites: DEX 15+ The character's knowledge of muscles and nerves enables them to do an extra 1d6 points of subdual damage with a succesful unarmed strike. This ability only works on humanoids and monstrous humanoids.

Magekiss

This feat makes any spell with a Will Save significantly harder to resist, at a cast of casting time and combat utility. To successfully cast a prepared spell with magekiss, the caster must maintain flesh-to-flesh physical contact with an unresisting (willing or helpless) target for at least five combat rounds ( 30 seconds). The spell is cast without any additional verbal or somatic components required once this contact is completed. The DC of any Will save required by the spell is increased by the caster's Charisma bonus, with an additional +2 to the DC if the target is being touched willingly. This of course, does not require that the target is the willing subject of a spell, or even being aware that one is being cast. Only spells requiring a Will save can be prepared with Magekiss. The use of this feat has created the legend of mortals so alluring they can "enslave a man with a single kiss."

Siren's Song

This feat allows the companion to add his levels in the discreet companion prestige class to any bard levels he has for purposes of using the Perform skill. It is, obviously of no use to a companion without any bardic training.

Caress of the Lost Hour (Ex):

Prerequisites: DEX 15, CHA 15, Charmtouch

With a combination of extraordinary knowledge of anatomy and overwhelming personal magnetism, the companion can cause a victim to forget recent events that occurred while the individual was in the presence of the companion. At most, one hour of time spent with the companion can be erased, and the time must be continuous. The victim may make a Will save (DC 20 + the companion's Charisma bonus) to resist. The victim is not simply "blanked" - they will have a vague sense of a pleasant time, but exact details are blurred and indistinct. This ability, mastered only by the most skilled companions, is used when subtlety has failed and someone who has given up information involuntarily needs to forget about it. This is an extraordinary ability.

Table 1-1: Discreet Companion Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Secret, bonus class ability
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Resist charm
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Secret
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus class ability
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Secret
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Charmtouch, secret, bonus class ability

Table 1-2: Truthtouch Modifiers

Activity	DC Modifier
Casual contact (holding hands)	+2
Close contact (dancing, massage)	+0
Intimate or prolonged contact	-2 to -4
Unfamiliar humanoid (any race not prevalent to companion)	+2
Non-humanoid (dragon)	+4
Undead	+4
Outsider	+6