Master of Masks: How bad is it?

[roguerouge]

Okay, is this prestige class worthwhile? Is Bard 5/MoM 10 better than Bard 10/Sublime Chord 5?

If you enter the class as a Bard 5 and go 10 levels of Master of Masks, taking the wizard, high priest, lord, demon, lich, dragon and assassin masks, you end up with:

6: Summon Monster VI (CE only)
5: Summon Monster V (CE only)
4: 7 mask spells 1/day
3: 9 mask spells 1/day + 3 bard spells (as a 9th level bard with CL 11)
2: 9 mask spells 1/day + 4 bard spells (as a 9th level bard with CL 11)
1: 9 mask spells 1/day + 4 bard spells (as a 9th level bard with CL 11)

Plus, you have 10d8 cone breath weapon 3/day. (You have a +4d6 sneak attack with a terrible attack bonus.) +10 on four skills: Gather info, diplomacy, hide, and move silently.

The skills points are poor and the BAB is poor and the masks don't stack (so wearing the Gladiator and the Assassin doesn't help.)

Does this beat the straight bard? Does it compete with the other bard PrCs? What do you think?

 

[Starbuck_II]

Okay, is this prestige class worthwhile? Is Bard 5/MoM 10 better than Bard 10/Sublime Chord 5?

If you enter the class as a Bard 5 and go 10 levels of Master of Masks, taking the wizard, high priest, lord, demon, lich, dragon and assassin masks, you end up with:

6: Summon Monster VI (CE only)
5: Summon Monster V (CE only)
4: 7 mask spells 1/day
3: 9 mask spells 1/day + 3 bard spells (as a 9th level bard with CL 11)
2: 9 mask spells 1/day + 4 bard spells (as a 9th level bard with CL 11)
1: 9 mask spells 1/day + 4 bard spells (as a 9th level bard with CL 11)

Plus, you have 10d8 cone breath weapon 3/day. (You have a +4d6 sneak attack with a terrible attack bonus.) +10 on four skills: Gather info, diplomacy, hide, and move silently.

The skills points are poor and the BAB is poor and the masks don't stack (so wearing the Gladiator and the Assassin doesn't help.)

Does this beat the straight bard? Does it compete with the other bard PrCs? What do you think?

By Wizard, you mean Archmage mask? You get 1/day use of each spell-like ability.

At level 10, You can wear 4 masks, switching between them as a immediate action. You still must grab masks out of your pack if you want the other three to be used out of your seven total.

I'll say it would be a decent Prc, but I can't imagine that it would be broken, just effective.

A Straight Bard at summoning: yeah, that beats those bards.

Does it beat a Straight Bard ar spellcasting: Only in 2-3 battles (if there is 4, well, you'll have little left) and only in damage spells.

A bard prc? No chance at beating those. Sublime Chord blows this one out of the water in spellcasting/summoning. I mean, these guys get 9th level spells for Mr. Bard.

Also, Bard Prc improve Inspire Courage/Bardic Music use/day (not that we don't have enough but thee are feats to use those).

 

[Thurbane]

MoM is a good 1 level dip for a melee oriented bard, since one of the masks gets you proficiency with ALL martial and exotic weapons...

 

[Drowbane]

What book is Master of Masks from?

 

[roguerouge]

Complete Scoundrel. It just seems like such a neat idea, but the execution... The fact that the masks don't stack makes the melee masks (Assassin and Gladiator) hard to use in combination with the poor BAB.

 

[Starbuck_II]

Complete Scoundrel.

 

[Darklone]

That class is great for recurring BBEGs, not for players (except the abovementioned one level dips).

It's meant to take a NPC with 4 or 5 levels more than the players and play havoc without killing players. Every encounter you use totally different tactics and abilities. And get away if you planned carefully. All while the players try to find out who's behind the mask (their best friend?).