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First Post
I ran a planescape campaign for 5 years that focused on two sensate characters. We had really fleshed out the philosophies and powers of the faction, and I decided to update these to 3e as a prestige class. Note that some of the ideas came from Dragon #287
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Sensate (Prestige Class)
The Society of Sensation makes their beliefs simple: To understand the multiverse, one must experience it. If one just searches in books, or keeps the same rut in life, one wastes the gifts of the multiverse. Unless you go
and experience it, you only see what others show you, and their coloring to the multiverse. With experience, you get it unedited and raw. Course, you can’t experience the entire multiverse; it is infinite after all. The Sensates think they’ve got a way around the problem. Nothing exists for you without sensing it, so it just may be that that fully exploring your senses reveals the secret of the multiverse.
Requirements:
Spot Skill: 7 ranks, Listen Skill: 7 ranks, Feat: Alertness
Skills points at each level: 2 +INT modifier Hit Dice: 1d6
Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Climb (Str), Concetration (Con), Craft (Int), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge [planes] (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Planewalking (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Level Attack Fortitude Reflex Will Special
1 +0 +2 +2 +0 Heightened Senses, Sensate Feat (Group A),
Can’t refuse offers of new experiences
2 +0 +3 +3 +0 Sensate Feat (Group A)
3 +1 +3 +3 +1 Sensate Feat (Group A)
4 +1 +4 +4 +1 Broad Experiences, Fascinate
5 +2 +4 +4 +1 Sensate Feat (Group A or B)
6 +2 +5 +5 +2 Sensate Feat (Group A or B)
7 +3 +5 +5 +2 Sensate Feat (Group B)
8 +3 +6 +6 +2 Sensate Feat (Group B or C)
9 +4 +6 +6 +3 Sensate Feat (Group B or C)
10 +4 +7 +7 +3 Sensate Feat (Group C)
Class Features
Heightened Senses: All Sensates gain a competance bonus equal to their Sensate class level to Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot. In addition, the Sensate may always take 10 with those skills even if the situation would normally disallow such an action.
Broad Experiences: Having gone to many places and experienced many things, Sensates of at least 4th level gain the Bardic Knowledge ability. They use this ability at their Sensate class level minus 4, plus class level for any other classes that provide this ability (plus INT modifier). Also, this allows the Sensate to make any knowledge skill check untrained.
Fascinate: In exploring their own experiences and those of others, Sensates at 4th level may fascinate, exactly like the bardic music skill of the same name, once a day. This spell-like ability is used at a skill level equal to the Sensate's class level minus 4 and bard levels (if any) combined.
Feats, Group A: Namers
Exceptional Immunity: (REQ: 13+ CON) The Sensate reduces all ability damage caused by poisons and disease by 2.
Focused Senses: Form of meditation wherein a Sensate loses all senses except one, which becomes extremely acute, within 5’ around them. The Sensates can see tiny cracks in a building, can hear the tumblers in a lock, and smell the faintest trace of sweat, gaining a temporary +3 to the relevant check. This power may be used 1+CON modifier times per day.
Keen Hearing: The Sensate can make checks against false sounds, ventriloquism, ghost noise spells, or bird calls. She can pinpoint the location of an invisible creature in an opposed Listen test if she beats the opponent’s Move Silently test by 10 or more. In any case her miss chance against invisible/concealed opponents (or when blinded) is 25% (instead of 50%). Finally she can identify musical notes with great accuracy. (+2 musical perform skills). However she gets -2 to save versus sonic attacks (shout but not deafness), and such attacks are double effective, their effects lasting twice as long.
Keen Sight: Gains Darkvision and Lowlight vision to 60 feet. Normal vision is doubled to 120’; if the Sensate already has one of these supernatural visions due to race, then its range is also doubled. Attacks involving over-stimulation of the eyes (dazzle but not blindness) are doubly effective and last twice as long. The Sensate gets +1 to two of theses skills: Appraise, Decipher script, Read lips, Search, or Spot.
Keen Smell: Sensate gains the Scent ability as described in the Monster Manual. However, she suffers -2 on saves versus nausea, and suffers double the effects twice as long.
Keen Taste: Ingested potions (and poison) are doubly effective on the Sensate. In addition, she may opt to taste a drink or potion and attempt to identify its contents. She uses her Alchemy skill to do this (DC of the poison type). If successful she knows whether its safe or not. If she beats the DC by 5 or more she understands the basic properties (i.e. “paralyzing” or “strengthening”).
Keen Touch: Touch spells (including a paladin’s lay on hands and a Sensate’s sensory touch, as well as the burning hands of an enemy) cast on, used upon, or employed by the Sensate are doubly effective. The Sensate gets +1 to two the following skills: Climb, Craft, Disable device, Escape Artist, Heal, Open lock, Search, or Sleight of hand.
Sensory Touch: Some Sensates have the ability to take the experience of pain from others and experience it themselves. This supernatural ability can only be used in a moment of quiet reflection. The individual touched heals 1d10 hit points, and the Sensate takes the same amount of damage as the other individual healed. This damage must heal naturally, and can't be healed by any magical method. This ability improves as the Sensate gains experience; at 5th level, the Sensate may use the ability twice per day and transfer 2d10 hit points, and at 8th level, this ability may be used thrice per day, transferring 3d10 hit points.
Feats, Group B: Factotums
Aegis of the Senses: The Sensate resists loss of her senses, whether blindness, deafness, muteness, paralyzation, or lack of taste (though not many spells target one’s taste). Whenever a circumstance or spell (besides loss of the sensory organ) would inflict such a loss, the Sensate gains +4 on her saves.
Eyes for the Blind: By sacrificing one sense, the Sensate can allow another, whether born deaf or temporarily deafened by a horn of blasting, to gain the benefit of that sense for up to one minute (12 rounds) per Sensate level.
Heightened Perceptions: Learning to distinguish well between real and fake experiences, the Sensate may make a Will save whenever encountering an illusion for the first time to determine its true existence. Also, the Sensate may make a Spot check to notice invisible or ethereal creatures within 30 feet of themselves (DC 25).
Retain Memories: While legend says a Sensate’s liable to jump into the Styx to make everything new, most treasure their experiences. This feat gives the Sensate +4 on saves against modify memorgy spells, Touch of the Styx spells, the River Styx itself, and against similar magics.
Sense Link (Sp): The Sensate may establish a mental link with a target within 30-feet gaining the effects of a clairaudience/clairvoyance spell centered on the target. Unwilling targets may make a Will save (DC 13 + Sensate's Charisma modifier) to resist. Once established, distance has no effect on the link, but the two linked must stay on the same plane. The duration is 1 minute/ Sensate class level. Creating the link is a standard action and may be broken by dispel magic with the Sensate's character level serving as the caster level for purposes of the dispel check.
Sensory Overload (Ex): By focusing an opponent’s senses on the wound, the Sensate can intensify her adversary’s pain. She must declare using this ability before attacking; a missed sensory overload attempt is wasted. If the strike is successful, the Sensate does damage as normal, then adds the exact same amount of damage as subdual damage to the target. Targets unaffected by subdual damage (such as constructs or undead) are immune to sensory overload. The Sensate must succeed on a touch attack versus the target before using this ability.
Sixth Sense: (REQ: 13+ INT) Add your Intelligence modifier to Reflex saves.
Feats, Group C: Factors
Blindsight: Only the most dedicated Sensates have blindsight to 60', regardless of facing (360 degrees around the Sensate's body). This supernatural ability is always active.
Clairsentience (Su): The Sensate gains the ability to hear and see in another locale (as per the clairaudience/clairvoyance spell) once per day. The Sensate is able to use magically or supernaturally enhanced senses to through this ability. Using this ability fatigues the Sensate.
Energy Acceptance (Ex): With this feat, a Sensate may choose to accept any spell, or spell-like or supernatural ability with an energy modifier (acid, cold, fire, lightning, sonic, etc.), forgoing any save, and suffering the full effects. The Sensate is then protected by a protection from energy spell, as if cast by a sorcerer level equal to the Sensate's class level.
Improved Sense Link: Anyone within 60 feet, and it lasts for 1 hour/ Sensate class level.
Manifest Recorder Stone (Su): (13+ WIS) By sacrificing 2 HP permanently and 100 exp, the Sensate can bring into existence a recorder stone. It takes five minutes of undisturbed meditation to do this, and it can only be attempted 1/week. A recorder stone is a magical device which can record the viewer’s experiences within for another to experience. For example, a Sensate activates a recorder stone while reading an illuminating text that adds +1 to her wisdom. Though the book vanishes, the Sensate can still share the stone with her allies, who gain a similar benefit. Non-Sensates who use a recorder stone must make a Will save (DC 13 for a mild experience, DC 18 for an intense experience, and DC 23 for a wild ride) or become addicted to the experiences in the stone while deriving no benefit from them.
__________________________________________
Sensate (Prestige Class)
The Society of Sensation makes their beliefs simple: To understand the multiverse, one must experience it. If one just searches in books, or keeps the same rut in life, one wastes the gifts of the multiverse. Unless you go
and experience it, you only see what others show you, and their coloring to the multiverse. With experience, you get it unedited and raw. Course, you can’t experience the entire multiverse; it is infinite after all. The Sensates think they’ve got a way around the problem. Nothing exists for you without sensing it, so it just may be that that fully exploring your senses reveals the secret of the multiverse.
Requirements:
Spot Skill: 7 ranks, Listen Skill: 7 ranks, Feat: Alertness
Skills points at each level: 2 +INT modifier Hit Dice: 1d6
Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Climb (Str), Concetration (Con), Craft (Int), Intuit Direction (Wis), Knowledge [planes] (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Planewalking (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Level Attack Fortitude Reflex Will Special
1 +0 +2 +2 +0 Heightened Senses, Sensate Feat (Group A),
Can’t refuse offers of new experiences
2 +0 +3 +3 +0 Sensate Feat (Group A)
3 +1 +3 +3 +1 Sensate Feat (Group A)
4 +1 +4 +4 +1 Broad Experiences, Fascinate
5 +2 +4 +4 +1 Sensate Feat (Group A or B)
6 +2 +5 +5 +2 Sensate Feat (Group A or B)
7 +3 +5 +5 +2 Sensate Feat (Group B)
8 +3 +6 +6 +2 Sensate Feat (Group B or C)
9 +4 +6 +6 +3 Sensate Feat (Group B or C)
10 +4 +7 +7 +3 Sensate Feat (Group C)
Class Features
Heightened Senses: All Sensates gain a competance bonus equal to their Sensate class level to Listen, Sense Motive, and Spot. In addition, the Sensate may always take 10 with those skills even if the situation would normally disallow such an action.
Broad Experiences: Having gone to many places and experienced many things, Sensates of at least 4th level gain the Bardic Knowledge ability. They use this ability at their Sensate class level minus 4, plus class level for any other classes that provide this ability (plus INT modifier). Also, this allows the Sensate to make any knowledge skill check untrained.
Fascinate: In exploring their own experiences and those of others, Sensates at 4th level may fascinate, exactly like the bardic music skill of the same name, once a day. This spell-like ability is used at a skill level equal to the Sensate's class level minus 4 and bard levels (if any) combined.
Feats, Group A: Namers
Exceptional Immunity: (REQ: 13+ CON) The Sensate reduces all ability damage caused by poisons and disease by 2.
Focused Senses: Form of meditation wherein a Sensate loses all senses except one, which becomes extremely acute, within 5’ around them. The Sensates can see tiny cracks in a building, can hear the tumblers in a lock, and smell the faintest trace of sweat, gaining a temporary +3 to the relevant check. This power may be used 1+CON modifier times per day.
Keen Hearing: The Sensate can make checks against false sounds, ventriloquism, ghost noise spells, or bird calls. She can pinpoint the location of an invisible creature in an opposed Listen test if she beats the opponent’s Move Silently test by 10 or more. In any case her miss chance against invisible/concealed opponents (or when blinded) is 25% (instead of 50%). Finally she can identify musical notes with great accuracy. (+2 musical perform skills). However she gets -2 to save versus sonic attacks (shout but not deafness), and such attacks are double effective, their effects lasting twice as long.
Keen Sight: Gains Darkvision and Lowlight vision to 60 feet. Normal vision is doubled to 120’; if the Sensate already has one of these supernatural visions due to race, then its range is also doubled. Attacks involving over-stimulation of the eyes (dazzle but not blindness) are doubly effective and last twice as long. The Sensate gets +1 to two of theses skills: Appraise, Decipher script, Read lips, Search, or Spot.
Keen Smell: Sensate gains the Scent ability as described in the Monster Manual. However, she suffers -2 on saves versus nausea, and suffers double the effects twice as long.
Keen Taste: Ingested potions (and poison) are doubly effective on the Sensate. In addition, she may opt to taste a drink or potion and attempt to identify its contents. She uses her Alchemy skill to do this (DC of the poison type). If successful she knows whether its safe or not. If she beats the DC by 5 or more she understands the basic properties (i.e. “paralyzing” or “strengthening”).
Keen Touch: Touch spells (including a paladin’s lay on hands and a Sensate’s sensory touch, as well as the burning hands of an enemy) cast on, used upon, or employed by the Sensate are doubly effective. The Sensate gets +1 to two the following skills: Climb, Craft, Disable device, Escape Artist, Heal, Open lock, Search, or Sleight of hand.
Sensory Touch: Some Sensates have the ability to take the experience of pain from others and experience it themselves. This supernatural ability can only be used in a moment of quiet reflection. The individual touched heals 1d10 hit points, and the Sensate takes the same amount of damage as the other individual healed. This damage must heal naturally, and can't be healed by any magical method. This ability improves as the Sensate gains experience; at 5th level, the Sensate may use the ability twice per day and transfer 2d10 hit points, and at 8th level, this ability may be used thrice per day, transferring 3d10 hit points.
Feats, Group B: Factotums
Aegis of the Senses: The Sensate resists loss of her senses, whether blindness, deafness, muteness, paralyzation, or lack of taste (though not many spells target one’s taste). Whenever a circumstance or spell (besides loss of the sensory organ) would inflict such a loss, the Sensate gains +4 on her saves.
Eyes for the Blind: By sacrificing one sense, the Sensate can allow another, whether born deaf or temporarily deafened by a horn of blasting, to gain the benefit of that sense for up to one minute (12 rounds) per Sensate level.
Heightened Perceptions: Learning to distinguish well between real and fake experiences, the Sensate may make a Will save whenever encountering an illusion for the first time to determine its true existence. Also, the Sensate may make a Spot check to notice invisible or ethereal creatures within 30 feet of themselves (DC 25).
Retain Memories: While legend says a Sensate’s liable to jump into the Styx to make everything new, most treasure their experiences. This feat gives the Sensate +4 on saves against modify memorgy spells, Touch of the Styx spells, the River Styx itself, and against similar magics.
Sense Link (Sp): The Sensate may establish a mental link with a target within 30-feet gaining the effects of a clairaudience/clairvoyance spell centered on the target. Unwilling targets may make a Will save (DC 13 + Sensate's Charisma modifier) to resist. Once established, distance has no effect on the link, but the two linked must stay on the same plane. The duration is 1 minute/ Sensate class level. Creating the link is a standard action and may be broken by dispel magic with the Sensate's character level serving as the caster level for purposes of the dispel check.
Sensory Overload (Ex): By focusing an opponent’s senses on the wound, the Sensate can intensify her adversary’s pain. She must declare using this ability before attacking; a missed sensory overload attempt is wasted. If the strike is successful, the Sensate does damage as normal, then adds the exact same amount of damage as subdual damage to the target. Targets unaffected by subdual damage (such as constructs or undead) are immune to sensory overload. The Sensate must succeed on a touch attack versus the target before using this ability.
Sixth Sense: (REQ: 13+ INT) Add your Intelligence modifier to Reflex saves.
Feats, Group C: Factors
Blindsight: Only the most dedicated Sensates have blindsight to 60', regardless of facing (360 degrees around the Sensate's body). This supernatural ability is always active.
Clairsentience (Su): The Sensate gains the ability to hear and see in another locale (as per the clairaudience/clairvoyance spell) once per day. The Sensate is able to use magically or supernaturally enhanced senses to through this ability. Using this ability fatigues the Sensate.
Energy Acceptance (Ex): With this feat, a Sensate may choose to accept any spell, or spell-like or supernatural ability with an energy modifier (acid, cold, fire, lightning, sonic, etc.), forgoing any save, and suffering the full effects. The Sensate is then protected by a protection from energy spell, as if cast by a sorcerer level equal to the Sensate's class level.
Improved Sense Link: Anyone within 60 feet, and it lasts for 1 hour/ Sensate class level.
Manifest Recorder Stone (Su): (13+ WIS) By sacrificing 2 HP permanently and 100 exp, the Sensate can bring into existence a recorder stone. It takes five minutes of undisturbed meditation to do this, and it can only be attempted 1/week. A recorder stone is a magical device which can record the viewer’s experiences within for another to experience. For example, a Sensate activates a recorder stone while reading an illuminating text that adds +1 to her wisdom. Though the book vanishes, the Sensate can still share the stone with her allies, who gain a similar benefit. Non-Sensates who use a recorder stone must make a Will save (DC 13 for a mild experience, DC 18 for an intense experience, and DC 23 for a wild ride) or become addicted to the experiences in the stone while deriving no benefit from them.
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