General Prestige Class : Chameleon

Sometimes its good to be a fighter, able to wield any weapon. Other times, you'd be better off as a rogue, with stealth and the ability to backstab foes. And sometimes nothing but spells will do the trick. When these situations collide and you need one answer, you need a chameleon.

Chameleons are dilettantes in every class and masters of none. They know enough of each class's skills and abilities to mimic that class effectively. You can masquerade as a fighter, a rogue, or even a wizard or a cleric. Part of its power, of course - you learn to harness your own natural energy, shaping it into whichever class you require that day. But the rest is pure attitude - you are a talented performer, and when you walk into a room with a holy symbol around your neck, people believe you have true faith.

Becoming A Chameleon

A member of any class can become a chameleon - because, after all, a chameleon can become anyone. The easiest path is through the rogue class, since the rogue's large number of skill points makes meeting the skill requirements easy. Bards also make excellent chameleons, since they are talented performers who already know some magic.

Chameleons who were spellcasters have a clear advantage because their spell lists are not as limited. Chameleon clerics are rare, but extremely valuable, because they can heal and turn undead with more potency than a chameleon merely posing as a priest. The class is also an interesting choice for monks - their discipline makes it easier to adapt the body to each new role, even if their poor social skills hamper their performances.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Chameleon, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The chameleon's class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Profession, Sense Motive, Swim, and Use Magic Device.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The chameleon's class features allow you to adopt a variety of roles, from armored warrior to spellcaster to sneaky rogue.

You can't use any abilities gained from your aptitude focus, ability boon, or mimic class feature abilities to qualify for a feat, prestige class, or other option. You can use your bonus feat to qualify for such options, but if you change the feat, you suffer the normal drawbacks for no longer meeting a prerequisite or requirement.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: You gain proficiency with all simple weapons and with all forms of armor, including shields (but not tower shields).

Aptitude Focus (Ex): Once per day, you can select one of five areas upon which to focus your ever-shifting talents. After meditating for 1 hour, you gain the chosen abilities for 24 hours or until you change your aptitude focus. An aptitude focus ability is usable once per day at 1st level, twice per day at 5th level, and three times per day at 10th level.

At 5th level, you can change your aptitude focus one time per day, and at 10th level you can change your aptitude focus two times per day. If you change to the arcane focus or divine focus ability, you must still obey the normal rules for preparing spells (including any rest required).

Arcane Focus: You gain the ability to prepare and cast arcane spells, which may be chosen from the spell list of any arcane spellcasting class. You prepare and cast these spells just as a wizard does, including the use of a spellbook (chameleons often use stolen or borrowed spellbooks). Your spells per day are noted below. You gain bonus spells for a high Intelligence score, just as a wizard does. When the table indicates that you get 0 spells per day of a given spell level, you gain only the bonus spells you would be entitled to based on your Intelligence score for that spell level. Your caster level is equal to twice your class level.

You also gain a +2 competence bonus on Knowledge (arcana) checks and Spellcraft checks and a +2 bonus on Will saves; at 5th level, the bonuses improve to +4

Combat Focus: You gain proficiency with all martial weapons. You also gain a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls and weapon damage rolls and a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves. At 5th level, the bonuses improve to +4.

Divine Focus: You gain the ability to prepare and cast divine spells, which may be chosen from the spell list of any divine spellcasting class. You prepare and cast these spells just as a cleric does, except that you cannot spontaneously cast spells. You can only prepare new divine spells at sunrise. Your spells per day are noted below. You gain bonus spells for a high Wisdom score, just as a cleric does. When the table indicates that you get 0 spells per day of a given spell level, you gain only the bonus spells you would be entitled to based on your Wisdom score for that spell level. Your caster level is equal to twice your class level.

You also gain a +2 competence bonus on Knowledge (religion) checks and a +2 bonus on Fortitude and Will saves; at 5th level, the bonuses improve to +4.

Stealth Focus: You gain trapfinding, uncanny dodge, a +2 competence bonus on Disable Device, Hide, Move Silently, Open lock, and Search checks, and a +2 bonus on Reflex saves. At 5th level, the bonuses improve to +4.

Wild Focus: You gain wild empathy (treat your druid level as equal to your class level), woodland stride, a +2 competence bonus on Climb, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge (nature), and Survival checks, and a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves. At 5th level, the bonuses improve to +4.

Bonus Feat (Ex): At 2nd level, you gain a bonus feat. You must meet the prerequisites for this feat. At the start of each day, you can choose to change your bonus feat to any other feat for which you meet the prerequisites.

Mimic Class Feature: At 3rd level, you gain the ability to mimic a certain class feature possessed by other characters. Once per day, you can use any of the class features described below. At 6th level, you can use this ability twice per day (either to mimic the same class feature on two different occasions or two different class features at separate times). At 9th level, you can use this ability three times per day.

Evasion (Ex): As an immediate action, you can avoid damage from certain attacks with a successful Reflex save. You can activate this ability after you have rolled a successful Reflex save, but before you have taken damage. This ability lasts for 1 minute.

Rage (Ex): You can fly into a screaming blood frenzy. See the barbarian class feature, except that the duration of the rage is 1 round + 1 round per point of your (newly improved) Constitution modifier.

Smite (Ex): You can smite a foe with a normal melee attack. You add your Charisma bonus (if any) to the attack roll and deal 1 extra point of damage per class level. See the paladin smite evil class feature.

Sneak Attack (Ex): You can deal an extra 1d6 points of damage per three class levels when flanking an opponent or any time the target would be denied its Dexterity bonus (except on ranged attacks, which must be point-blank to deliver the extra damage). See the rogue class feature. Treat your rogue level as equal to your class level for the purpose of defeating improved uncanny dodge.

Turn/Rebuke Undead (Su): You can turn or rebuke undead creatures (your choice when activating the ability) by channeling the power of your faith through a holy symbol. See Turn or Rebuke Undead. Treat your cleric level as equal to your class level.

Ability Boon (Ex): At 4th level, when choosing an aptitude focus, you also gain a +2 competence bonus to an ability score of your choice. This bonus lasts until you change your aptitude focus. At 7th level this bonus improves to +4, and at 10th level to +6.

Double Aptitude (Ex): At 7th level, you can adopt two aptitude focuses in the same amount of time it previously took for you to adopt one. For example, you could adopt both the combat focus and the wild focus to mimic a ranger, or the divine focus and arcane focus to mimic a mystic theurge. You can't adopt the same aptitude focus twice simultaneously. You can still only adopt as many focuses per day as indicated by your aptitude focus ability.

Rapid Refocus (Ex): At 8th level, you gain the power to change your aptitude focus in only 10 minutes.

ChameleonHit Die: d8
CLBABFortRefWillSpecialSpells
1st+0+0+0+0Aptitude focus 1/day (+2)420----
2nd+1+0+0+0Bonus feat431----
3rd+2+1+1+1Mimic class feature 1/day4320---
4th+3+1+1+1Ability boon +24431---
5th+3+1+1+1Aptitude focus 2/day (+4)44320--
6th+4+2+2+2Mimic class feature 2/day44431--
7th+5+2+2+2Ability boon +4, double aptitude444420-
8th+6+2+2+2Rapid refocus444431-
9th+6+3+3+3Mimic class feature 3/day4444420
10th+7+3+3+3Ability boon +6, aptitude focus 3/day (+4)4444431

Source: Races of Destiny

[Back]
General Prestige Classes