Prestige Class: Pretender of Lormed

[Torx]

Looking for some feedback on 5 priestly prestige classes meant to bring back the feeling of 2nd edit. specialty priests. I know I've made them too powerful, particularly the entry requirements. The point is to focus them on being a cleric for minimum 3 levels before entering the new class (something I probably need to rethink). So some feedback would be appreciated.

Two last notes: All abilities are treated as spell-like abilities unless otherwise noted. Members of these prestige classes are forbidden from casting spells belonging to the banned domains.

Pretender of Lormed

Requirements:
Alignment: Neutral or Chaotic Evil
Ability Score: Int 14, Cha 16
Base Attack Bonus: +3
Skills: Bluff 3, Disguise 3, Forgery 3, Pick Pocket 3, Sense Motive 3
Spellcasting: 1st level Arcane, 3rd level Divine

Domains: Chaos, Evil, Trickery
Banned Domains: Air, Animal, Death, Earth, Good, Healing, Law, Plant, Protection, Strength, Sun, War, Water

Lvl Att   F  R  W     Spells       Special
1 -- 0 --0--1--0--+1divine Alignment Mislead*
2 -- 1 --0--2--0--+1divine Undetectable Lie*
3 -- 2 --1--3--1--+1divine Inivisbility 1/day
4 -- 3 --1--4--1--+1divine Polymorph Self 1/3days
5 -- 3 --1--5--1--+1divine Mislead 1/day
6 -- 4 --2--6--2--+1divine Veil 1/day
7 -- 5 --2--7--2--+1divine
8 -- 6 --2--8--2--+1divine Polymorph Any Object 1/day
9 -- 6 --3--9--3--+1divine
10-- 7 --3-10--3--+1divine Shapechange 1/day

Class Features:
Hit Die: 1d8
Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Pick Pocket (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis)
Skill Points at each level: 6 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Armor (light) Proficiency, Rogue weapon proficiencies (PHB pg. 47). Favored weapon is Stiletto.
Weapon and Armor Restrictions: May not use any Pretender shapechanging abilities while wearing any armor.

*Alignment Mislead: May mask alignment to both the casual and magical observer. The Pretender chooses an alignment to act as, and may change at any time. Any magical spell attempting to discern alignment (such as Detect Evil) need to make an alignment check. The alignment check is as follows: 10 + Spell level + Caster's Wis vs. 10 + Pretender level + Pretender's Cha. A tie results in a indiscernible alignment (spells such as Detect Evil would therefore not detect evil in the Pretender). The Pretender can also mislead magical items attempting to discern alignment, dependent on level. Minor magical items will always be mislead, Medium at Pretender level 4, Major at Pretender level 8, Artifacts are never deceived.
*Undetectable Lie: May lie extremely convincingly, and undetectably. The casual observer may attempt to make an Sense Motive check to debunk the Pretender's lie. The Pretender rolls a Bluff skill check, doubling the amount of ranks and adding the Pretender level. One of the Holy Order of Justice can debunk the lie with a little more ease, doubling ranks in Sense Motive and adding their Holy Order of Justice level to the Sense Motive check. The Pretender can also mask the truth to magical items, dependent on level. Minor magical items will always be mislead, Medium at Pretender level 4, Major at Pretender level 8, Artifacts are never deceived.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Couple notes right off the bat:

1) You shouldn't really use Ability Scores for prestige class prerequisites, as far as I recall from the article in Dragon. If you definitely want to, they should be odd numbers, as with Feats.

2) The Undetectable Lie really needs a number of uses per day, otherwise it is much too powerful.

3) I would work the alignment masking ability to use items like Use Magic Device's Emulate alignment ability, but perhaps use Bluff + Pretender level for the check.

4) Six skill points per level is too much, considering that the only cleric ability really lost is Turn Undead. I think 4/level might be acceptable, with possibly a reduction of hit die to d6.

5) The restrictions on this class work out to be fairly steep, unless you go Bard 1/Cleric 5. A Rogue 1/Wizard 1/Cleric 5 would work if you're a Human or Half-Elf, otherwise you'll get multi-classing penalties. I'm a little confused as to why you even need arcane spells. Also, I would make the alignment restriction either exactly that of the god, or any alignment within one step of the god's.

Overall, you're right, it is overpowered. Since that's what you were going for... I think you should raise the skill requirements more and drop the arcane caster level. I would maybe require 4th level arcane spells as well... I don't see five level as being devoted to a cleric's life.

LightPhoenix