Chameleon? Why?

[Romnipotent]

I want to play it, no I dont, yes I do, no I dont, yes I do, no I dont, yes I do.

 

[Gez]

It reminds me of the shoe The Pretender.

There are Pretender shoes? Where will licensed merchandizing stop?

Me, it reminded of a show entitled Le Caméléon. Especially the "Chameleon Lore" thing:

DC 10: "Sometimes, people aren't what they seem. And some of them can seem to be anyone. Like a human chameleon, they blend in."

DC 15: "These people can masquerade as fighters, mages, thieves -- anything."​

That's practically what is said (if you replace the D&D fantasy stuff with real world stuff) during the introduction scenes. I kept expecting to hear about an evil Center that is hunting Chameleons to study them.

Then, someone reminded that in the original version, this show is entitled "The Pretender", not "The Chameleon".

Oh, and...

Like stars up in a clouded sky,
I stand oscured from view.
Will shining eyes that did not lie,
I turn the page for you.

The silent shadow in the night,
I smile, before I steal.
Behind locked doors in emptiness,
I am the thing you do.

Now, I am you only friend,
You must love the chameleon.

Not child, not man, no living thing,
You have no time for rest.
No thoughts, no words, to comfort you.
No smile or soft caress.

I am the rock, the wishing well,
The secret to your fear,
The lighted candle burning bright,
The call from distant years.

Now, I am you only friend,
You must love the chameleon.​

Noir Désir, the chameleon

 

[Lord Pendragon]

I like the concept. If a party member dies, the Chameleon can step in to fill the void. If the party knows it will be facing a certain kind of enemy, the Chameleon can change focus to bring more force to bear on its weakness. A Chameleon seems like it could be an especially good cohort class.

The flavor text doesn't appeal to me, though. "Mimic Mansion?" Ugh. As a DM, I'd probably dump the flavor text whole, and come up with a unique explanation for any Chameleon to appear in the campaign.

Consider Leora, a former thief in the grand city of Sestania. A competent expert, she was hired on by a disgruntled hedge wizard to steal an item of magical intrigue from a professor at the local College of Necromancy.

The caper started off well, as Leora managed to circumvent the College's security easily enough and quickly locate the item in question, a large crystal sphere of about the size of a human head. But just as she was about to filch the Orb of Eternal Life and make her escape, one of the guards (intending to sup from a hidden bottle of grog tucked away among the oddities,) walked in on her.

Leora can probably be forgiven for what happened next. She panicked. And in her panick, she forgot the stern warning given to her by her employer. "Do not touch the Orb with your bare hands!" Touch it she did, and as she'd never had a lick of magical training in her life, she was completely unprepared for the flood of spirits that rushed into her body, eager to escape their centuries-long confinement in the Orb. They overwhelmed her, and her last coherent thought was that her employer was not going to be pleased at all.

She awoke in a magical cell, her head hurting something fierce. Her thoughts felt...fuzzy. Indistinct. A babble of voices filled her ears, as if she were standing in a crowded room. Shaking her head to clear her confusion, she looked around and found her cell unguarded. After all, what need did the College of Necromancy have of guards? They were wizards, and she was not. Of course, her cell was spelled, and she did not have the magical knowledge to undo it.

Or did she? One of the voices in her head grew louder, more insistant. It was hard to make out what it was saying, but she was almost certain it was trying to help her. Leora sat down on her cot, closed her eyes, and focused on that single voice, trying her best to bring it to the forefront of her mind, while forcing all the others into silence.

After nearly an hour, she succeeded in suppressing most of the voices in her mind, until only the one lone voice remained. It giggled inside her head, and whispered arcane words she'd never known...until now.

Leora pointed at the door to her cell, and cast Knock.

The Orb, Leora realized as she cast Invisibility over herself to allow her to sneak past the clerk at the front desk. It's done something to me. The voices were more than just voices. They were talents. They were knowledge.

They were power.

So long as she remained in control, anyway. Leora shook her head. She wasn't sure if what had happened to her had been a good thing, or a bad thing. Only time would tell. Leora shrugged her shoulders, then cast Alter Self to take the form of a nondescript layworker, the better to blend in when she left the jailhouse. On the way out, she picked up a sword from a storage locker.

She had never used a greatsword in her life. But another voice was calling to her...

 

[Berandor]

Look at the requirements. You need a d8 hit die to become a chameleon. So how do they think a rogue can apply for that?



ETA: Now that I read it. It's alright. I once had a schieziphrenic bard/fighter that either had bard abilities or fighter abilities as an NPC. This might've fit him.

But if pressed, I'll use the Akashic from Arcana Unearthed.

 

[frankthedm]

Obviously, this PrC was meant to allow someone to play Red Mage from 8-bit Theater. Because someone who wants to play Red Mage is going to cheat to give themselves the abilities anyway, so may as well make it legal.

He figured it out!!!!

Send in the NOtC Thugs!

 

[Arcane Runes Press]

The Chameleon reminds me of both a more mystical version of the character from the Pretender, and a character that already appeared in a very good fantasy series by Dave Duncan.

In the Magic Casement series, there are four characters, a very typical adventuring party, that were cursed by a wizard and forced to share a single body.

At any one time, only one of the four could exist in the world, with the other three trapped as timeless spirits in the "living" one's mind. The living one could, at will, exchange his place with one of the others.

There was: a barbarian analogue, a thief, a bard, and a sage. Now, because of the nature of magic in the series, none of them had real magic, but that wouldn't be the case in D&D.

The character was very flavorful, and this PrC is an excellent mechanic for replicating that sort of character in D20.


It also reminds me a bit of a Power Class I wrote for Mongoose 2ish years ago, which was published earlier this year. The Mercenary does similar things, but in regards to combat only - the Chameleon is a more far-reaching version of the same concept.

I kinda like it.


Patrick Y.

 

[Gez]

I'm starting to think that they could also be a good starting point for a Bene Gesserit prestige class (with their second memories). With the Changelings from Eberron as Tleilaxu face-dancers (and Doppelgangers for the latest models), the Creature Collection 2's Darkwomb for the axlotl vats... You have the first elements for a D&D version of Dune d20.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

There are Pretender shoes? Where will licensed merchandizing stop?

Ain't you never watched Ed Sullivan? There'll be a really big shoe tonight folks...

Then again... I may be getting old, does anybody remember Ed Sullivan anymore?

The Auld Grump

*EDIT* And I agree the background fluff, well, stinks. Mimic Mansion reminds me of another show (shoe), one that I would rather not have recalled... (Maniac Mansion....*shudder*)

 

[Maldur]

Has anyone ever played Torment?

[offcourse you did, we all did, and was it a fun game? yes it was, wasn't it?]

 

[Napftor]

Actually, this prestige class concept was one I wrote for FFE's Encyclopedia of Prestige Classes. It is along the same lines but without a spell capability. See how you like this one...

Mimic
There are a few gifted begins in every society that have a knack for learning things quickly. They are neither instructed nor pressured to learn them, but rather do so instinctively. The mimic is representative of these people and has the ability to study and duplicate actions that most others would require years of patience to do. His life is one of constant discovery. By discontinuing (at least temporarily) the focus of other classes, he is free to adapt to any environment.

While this talent to accurately mimic skills and abilities is a great gift, it also supports a wholly subordinate mindset. Mimics are never leaders, their actions and even thoughts based on how they have observed other beings act in similar situations. Those who pursue this class depend as much on their personality as they do their intellect. But as noted above, a mimic’s ability comes naturally and therefore this prestige class is no more an extension of one class than it is another.

In one aspect, mimics are loners. They do not form collectives of their own kind. In fact, it is rare that one of this class even meets another. On the other hand, mimics are always found within some kind of group; be it a city, town, or even an adventuring band. Just as a mirror needs someone to throw a reflection, a mimic needs others from which to draw traits to emulate. In an urban setting, mimics can be found as errand runners, journalists, sellswords, scribes, teamsters, and even barkeeps. Essentially, any vocation that brings the mimic in contact with multiple persons and/or places is preferred by the class. Mimics generally do not hide their gifts and those people who know such characters appreciate them as a carpenter does a complete tool set. For what these characters are not trained in they can at least give a solid effort to.

Evilly-aligned mimics are another matter. While they still keep to a community, they are usually doing so to spy for a criminal organization. These characters present a threat much like a doppelganger in that they study a person for the purpose of eventually eliminating and replacing them. Particularly skilled mimics have even been known to replace thieving guild masters and barbarian tribesmen for a great length of time before discovery.
Hit Die: d6

Requirements
To qualify to become a mimic, the character must fulfill all the following criteria:
Attributes: Charisma 15+, Intelligence 15+
Base Attack Bonus: 4+
Skills: Listen 8 ranks, Spot 8 ranks
Feats: Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Expertise, Skill Focus (Concentration)

Class Skills
The mimic’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Bluff
(Cha), Concentration (Con), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (any)
(Int), Listen (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis). The mimic can attempt any other skills untrained with the condition that he be around someone who has used the skill for a short time (see “Bonus Class Skill” below for further explanation on this condition). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the mimic prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Mimics gain no initial proficiency in weapons or Armor (see the Bonus Proficiency ability below). Note that armor check penalties apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Slight of Hand, and Tumble.
Bonus Class Skill (Ex): Beginning at 1st level, the mimic may add any skill to his list of class skills. This skill can even be exclusive to another class, but it must be one that the mimic has regularly witnessed being performed. It is the GM’s discretion as to whether a mimic has been appropriately exposed to the desired skill. As a general rule, the skill should be granted if a fellow adventurer in the mimic’s party uses it regularly (once every adventure, for example). For each level gained as a mimic, the character adds another class skill in this way.
Bonus Proficiency (Ex): By bearing witness to another’s use of arms and armor, the mimic can permanently add one weapon or one armor to his list of proficiency feats. No item is forbidden (even exotic weapons) so long as the mimic has had the chance to see it used on a regular basis (as above, this is at the GM’s discretion). The class grants this ability at 2nd level and at every other level after (4th, 6th, 8th, and 10th).
Mimic Class Ability (Ex or Su): Any extraordinary or supernatural ability of another class can be used as if the mimic’s level was that class’ level. This means that a 4th-level mimic can try to emulate the special ability of another class at or under that level, but not over 4th level. For example, this mimic can attempt to emulate a rogue’s sneak attack at +2d6 damage (a 3rd level power) but not a sneak attack at +3d6 damage (a 5th level power). Mimicking a class ability is a move-equivalent action and requires a Concentration check (DC 20 + class level being mimicked) for each use. An ability that is used for more than one round forces the mimic to re-roll the Concentration check each round. Any special prerequisites of the ability must be met by the mimic (such as appropriate ranks in Perform for bards). As with gaining a bonus class skill, the ability mimicking can only be attempted for those powers seen in use more than a few times (at the GM’s discretion). Of course, the mimic has normal access to those special abilities he possesses from previously taken classes and need make no special roll to use them.
Mimic Opponent (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, the mimic can quickly assess the fighting technique of his opponent. After engaging in melee with the chosen combatant for one round, the mimic gains a +1 competence bonus to both his AC and attack rolls against that foe. This bonus increases at 5th, 7th, and 9th level and remains in effect as long as that foe remains the mimic’s target. This special ability can not be used at the same time as the Mimic Class Ability (see above). The concentration required for one offsets the ability to perform the other simultaneously.

Mimic
Base
Class Attack Fort Ref Will
Level Bonus Save Save Save Special
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Bonus class skill, mimic class ability
2nd +1 +1 +3 +3 Bonus proficiency
3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Mimic opponent +1
4th +3 +2 +4 +4 Bonus proficiency
5th +3 +2 +4 +4 Mimic opponent +2
6th +4 +3 +5 +5 Bonus proficiency
7th +5 +3 +5 +5 Mimic opponent +3
8th +6 +4 +6 +6 Bonus proficiency
9th +6 +4 +6 +6 Mimic opponent +4
10th +7 +5 +7 +7 Bonus proficiency