Any race or template with Detect Thoughts

[Veldrane]

I've been thinking about a Warshaper / Mindspy since Complete Warrior came out, but the +4 LA of Doppelgangers is a bit too much for me... ...i thought they'd publish a half-doppelganger in Races of Destiny, but they didn't, so I'm looking for a template or a race that gives Detect Thoughts as a Su or Sp ability.
Any idea?

P.S. IIRC, there's a feat out there that changes one Sp ability from 1/day to 3/day, anybody remembers where is it?

 

[Ferret]

I can't think of any template that gives you detect thoughts of the top of my head, I am almost certain that a half-doppelganger template exists though. I don't think it is official mind you....

Do you have any details on the PrCs? i assume you have to have Detect thoughts, but does it have to be a Spell-like ability? Why not just a Spell?

 

[Ankh-Morpork Guard]

Half-Doppelganger was in a Dragon magazine...don't remember which. Had lots of other half-templates in it. Also, I believe the Half-Illithid can give you Detect Thoughts.

 

[Veldrane]

Half-Doppelganger is in Dragon 313, but doesn't give Detect Thoughts, just a custom spell described in a sideboard.

Do you have any details on the PrCs? i assume you have to have Detect thoughts, but does it have to be a Spell-like ability? Why not just a Spell?

Both PrCs are in Complete Warrior, one requires the Shapechanger subtype or Alter Self / Polymorph, the other Detect Thoughts as a Sp ability or a spell.
Mind that I need Det.Th. at least 3 to 5 /day, since I'll need it every encounter.

I believe the Half-Illithid can give you Detect Thoughts

Interesting, but I can't stand illithids, so I'll probably pass it... ..thanks anyway...

So far all I have is Changeling Barbarian 1 / Battle Sorcerer 4 / Warshaper 2 / Mindspy 5 / Warshaper 3&4 / Something else, probably Paladin of Freedom 2 / Holy Liberator 4)
Still, I'd like to have Detect Thoughts as a Sp or, even better, Su ability, in order to focus my class levels on martial classes...

 

[Yeoman]

Half-Doppelganger is in Dragon 313, but doesn't give Detect Thoughts, just a custom spell described in a sideboard.



Both PrCs are in Complete Warrior, one requires the Shapechanger subtype or Alter Self / Polymorph, the other Detect Thoughts as a Sp ability or a spell.
Mind that I need Det.Th. at least 3 to 5 /day, since I'll need it every encounter.



Interesting, but I can't stand illithids, so I'll probably pass it... ..thanks anyway...

So far all I have is Changeling Barbarian 1 / Battle Sorcerer 4 / Warshaper 2 / Mindspy 5 / Warshaper 3&4 / Something else, probably Paladin of Freedom 2 / Holy Liberator 4)
Still, I'd like to have Detect Thoughts as a Sp or, even better, Su ability, in order to focus my class levels on martial classes...

I've been looking at the same thing for awhile now, and short of spellcasting, like your build has, doppelganger seems the only way to go racewise. Hopefully, I can find a monster class writeup for the doppelganger since savage species left that one out.

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

May try running this by your dm:

Half Doppleganger
-Humanoid (shapechanger subtype)
-Medium size.
-Base land speed 30 ft.
-Low-Light Vision, half doppleganger can see twice as far as a human in poor lighting conditions.
-SA: Detect thoughts, as the doppleganger ability (including giving +4 bluff and disguise checks when it works), but 3/day
-SQ: Change shape, as doppleganger ability (including +10 to disguise), but 3/day; +2 vs sleep and charm effects.
-Favored class: Rogue

Just a stab in the dark looking at the MM, but that looks like a +1 lvl adjustment to me. Add say +2 wisdom +2 cha, raise the sleep/charm resistance to immunity, and +1 natural armor would make a balanced +2 adj. IMO.
Notice: this has not been taken from any sourcebooks, and is not intended to be passed off as such


EDIT: Heh, I checked SS too, I thought I remembered a section on making a half-monstrous race, no dice.

 

[Egres]

Try an Exorcist of the Silver Flame.

It's a PrC found in the Eberron C.S., that gives you the Detect Thoughts Sp ability at will at 4th level.

 

[Veldrane]

Try an Exorcist of the Silver Flame.

Thanks for the input, but if I factor in 4 additional level to gain Detect Thoughts, I'll have my Warshaper / Mindspy levels much too late.... ...and I want my build to be effective asap....

 

[Rath the Brown]

Well, this race has a +4 LA as well, but a Pixie would give you everything you needed for both Warshaper and Mindspy (Polymorph and Detect Thoughts as spell-like abilities) as well as a large list of great abilities (DR, SR, invisibility, flight, spell-like abilities, etc). Also, since the Pixie's single hit-die is replaced by the first class level, the Pixie's ECL would only be 4 + class levels, versus a Doppleganger's 8 (LA and racial hit dice) + class levels.

 

[Perun]

You might try using psionics to meet all the prerequisites. A changeling (from Eberron) psychic warrior 8 can fulfill the prerequisites (provided your DM agrees that the 2nd-level psionic (telepath) power Read Thoughts can be substituted for Detect Thoughts).

Also, you might want to look into the battle sorcerer from teh Unearthed Arcana.