Psion Prestige Class : Shadow Mind
Mark A. Jindra and Scott Brocius
"Don't be afraid of the dark."
Some psionic characters who delve into the subconscious mind are cautious and unlock its secrets slowly. Others choose to embrace it and recklessly hurl themselves into the abyss of the subconscious mind. Psionic characters that choose this path are known as shadow minds. Unlike their arcane counterpart the shadow adept (Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting) they have found it relatively easy to understand and control the very substance of shadow with relatively little sacrifice to their psionic studies.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Shadow Mind, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any non-good.
- Skills: Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks, Psicraft 8 ranks.
- Feats: Conjunctive Mind and any metapsionic feat.
- Manifesting: Ability to manifest a 3rd-level power.
Class Skills
The shadow mind's class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Hide, Knowledge (psionics), Profession (any), and Psicraft.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the shadow mind prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A shadow mind gains no proficiency in any armor or weapons, though they retain any knowledge gained from former classes.
Power Points*: When they gain a level, shadow minds gain power points per day as though they gained a level of psion. These power points are added to the characters' previous totals. Shadow minds gain bonus power points based on the key ability score for their primary ability. If a character previously could not gain bonus power points for high ability scores (as is the case for psychic warriors), he now chooses a primary discipline and can gain bonus power points based on the related ability score.
Powers Discovered: Shadow minds discover powers each level as though they gained a level of psion. Powers are chosen from the psion power list. The effective manifester level of a shadow mind is increased by one for each level of the prestige class.
Psionic Combat: Psionic attack and defense modes are discovered as though the character were a psychic warrior of the same level as the prestige class. (Characters do not forget previously discovered attack and defense modes.)
Psicrystals: Shadow mind levels count toward the level of psion for purposes determining psicrystal intelligence and special abilities. Psicrystals are a class ability of psions. You must take at least one level of psion if you wish to encode a psicrystal.
0-Level Powers: Shadow mind levels count toward the level of psion for purposes determining the number of free manifestations per day of 0-level powers.
Subpsionic Feats: A shadow mind gains the Insidious Mind, and Tenacious Mind feats at 1st-level and the Tainted Construction feat at 3rd-level.
Control Shadow (Sp): A shadow mind can manifest the control shadow power for free a number of times per day equal to his level of shadow mind. The shadow mind can manifest control shadow as though he has the power on his list of known powers. He can manifest the power even if he does not meet the minimum ability score requirement.
Subpsionic Defense (Ex): At 2nd-level and for every three levels after that, the shadow mind gains another point of subpsionic defense. Add this value to a shadow mind's saving throws against powers from the Psychometabolism, Psychoportation, or Psychokinesis disciplines.
Low-light Vision (Su): A shadow mind gains low-light vision if he doesn't already have it.
Subpsionic Power (Ex): At 3rd-level and for every three levels after that, the shadow mind gains another point of subpsionic power. Add the subpsionic power value to the DC for saving throws and manifester level checks to overcome power resistance for powers the shadow mind manifests from the Metacreativity, Clairsentience, and Telepathy disciplines. This stacks with other spell/power effects that affect the specified powers.
Subpsionic Shield (Sp): A shadow mind can create a mobile disk of purple-black force as a standard action. The subpsionic shield is made up of shadowstuff and psychokinetic force and intercepts attacks, providing a +7 cover bonus to Armor Class and three-quarters concealment (30% miss chance) against attacks from the other side of the shield. The disk protects you only against attacks from one direction. You designate half the battlefield (with yourself on the dividing line) as being blocked by the shield. The other half is not. You can change the defensive direction of the shield (that is, rotate the dividing line) once as a free action on each of your turns. You can see and reach through the shield and it moves out of the way when you attack, so it does not provide cover or concealment to opponents.
The subpsionic shield lasts 1 round per manifester level per day and need not be used all at once. Creating or dismissing a subpsionic shield is a standard action.
Dream Travel (Sp): A shadow mind can manifest the dream travel power for free once per day. The shadow mind can manifest dream travel as though he has the power on his list of known powers. The shadow mind can manifest the power even if he does not meet the minimum ability score requirement.
Darkvision (Su): A shadow mind can see in the dark as though he were permanently affected by the darkvision power.
Greater Subpsionic Shield (Sp): The greater subpsionic shield acts much like the subpsionic shield with the following exception: At 8th level, the greater subpsionic shield grants power resistance of 12 + the character's shadow mind level on attacks against the shadow mind that originate from the other side of the shield, as if the shadow mind were under the effects of the power resistance power.
Shadow Body (Sp): A shadow mind can manifest the shadow body power for free once per day. The shadow mind can manifest shadow body as though he has the power on his list of known powers. He can manifest the power even if he does not meet the minimum ability score requirement.
Subpsionic Double (Sp): Once per day a shadow mind can use a standard action to create a double of himself woven from shadowstuff and psychokinetic force. The double looks, sounds, and smells like its creator and has the ability scores, base AC, hit points, saves, and attack bonuses as its creator, but no equipment. (Any apparent clothing or equipment is nonfunctional.) The double mimics the shadow mind's actions (including speech) unless he concentrates on making it act differently. It can attack the creator's enemies if given a weapon or items (since it can use anything its creator can).
The shadow mind can see through its eyes and hear through its ears as if he were standing where it is, and during his turn in a round he can switch from seeing through its eyes to seeing normally, or back again. If he desires, any power he manifests whose range is touch or greater can originate from the double instead of from him. (The double is quasi-real -- just real enough to manifest powers that the creator originates.) The double can manifest powers on itself only if those powers affect shadows.
Mentally commanding the double is a free action. Using it as the originator of a power counts as an action for the creator and the double. The shadow mind must maintain a line of effect to the shadow at all times. If his line of effect is obstructed, or he manifests teleport, plane shift or similar power that breaks his line of effect, even momentarily, the double is dismissed. Causing the creator or the double to leave the plane they share dismisses the double.
The double lasts 1 round per manifester level. The death of the double does not affect the shadow mind or vice versa. The double still lasts to the end of its duration if the creator dies.
| Shadow Mind | Hit Die: d4 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | PP/day | Special | Powers |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | *see text | Subpsionic feats, control shadow | +1 level psion |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Subpsionic defense +1, low-light vision | +1 level psion | |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Subpsionic power +1, tainted construction | +1 level psion | |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Subpsionic shield | +1 level psion | |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Subpsionic defense +2 | +1 level psion | |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Subpsionic power +2 | +1 level psion | |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Dream travel, darkvision | +1 level psion | |
| 8th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Subpsionic defense +3, greater subpsionic shield | +1 level psion | |
| 9th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Subpsionic power +3, shadow body | +1 level psion | |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Subpsionic double | +1 level psion | |
Source: Web