FEATS Spell Focus (Conjuration/Illusion) [Level 1]: Add +1 to the Difficulty Class for all saving throws against spells from the school of magic you select.
Augment Summoning [Racial Bonus Feat]: Each creature you conjure with any summon spell gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution for the duration of the spell that summoned it.
TRAITS Noble (Regional): You gain a +1 trait bonus on Knowledge (nobility) and Sense Motive checks.
Charming Smile, Cunning Soul (Social, Exemplar): You gain a +1 trait bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks. This bonus increases by 1 for every two other social traits you have.
Pride (Drawback): When someone threatens, accuses, or challenges you, you take a –2 penalty on Diplomacy checks and Sense Motive checks involving that creature until the creature apologizes to you.
Total Points: 12 [1x(6 Mesmerist + 3 Int + 1 fcb + 2 background)]
AC penalty is 0
LANGUAGES
Common, Abyssal, Infernal, Shadowtongue
EQUIPMENT
0 gold 0 silver 0 copper
SPECIAL ABILITIES Scent: Astomoi have the scent special ability.
Telepathic Senses: Astomoi can’t speak or see, but can mentally sense the area within 60 feet, as per darkvision, and can speak telepathically. An astomoi can’t see anything beyond 60 feet. An astomoi must provide thought components for spells that normally require verbal components. It can use language-dependent abilities with its telepathy, but not abilities that depend on audible components.
Sensitive Breath: Astomoi take a –2 penalty on saving throws against disease and inhaled poisons.
Mouthless: Astomoi don’t need to eat or drink to survive. Instead, they absorb the essence of food and drink; this consumes the nutrients of the meal as though it had been eaten, rendering the food useless to others. Astomoi consume potions and other ingested materials in the same fashion. Since they never actually ingest anything, they can’t normally be exposed to ingested poisons.
Diminished Spellcasting: An umbral mesmerist can cast one fewer spell of each level than normal. If this reduces the number of spells for a level to 0, he can cast spells of that level only if his Charisma score allows bonus spells of that level. This ability alters the mesmerist’s spellcasting.
Consummate Lair: A mesmerist adds 1/2 his mesmerist level (minimum 1) as a bonus on all Bluff checks. In addition, the mesmerist qualifies for the Improved Feint and Greater Feint feats, even if he doesn't have Combat Expertise or an Intelligence score of at least 13. He can also ignore Combat Expertise and an Intelligence score of 13 as prerequisites for other feats that require Improved Feint or Greater Feint.
Knacks: Mesmerists learn a number of knacks, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spells, but they do not consume any slots and can be used again. Knacks cast using other spell slots, due to metamagic feats, for example, consume spell slots as normal.
Hypnotic Stare: A mesmerist can focus his stare on one creature within 30 feet as a swift action. That creature takes a –2 penalty on Will saving throws. This penalty changes to –3 at 8th level. A mesmerist can maintain his stare against only one opponent at a time; it remains in effect until the mesmerist stares at a new target, the opponent dies, the opponent moves farther than 30 feet away, or the mesmerist falls unconscious or dies. The mesmerist can remove the memory of his stare from the target's mind; The creature doesn't remember that it was affected (nor does it realize that it is currently being affected) unless the mesmerist allows it. The hypnotic stare is a psychic effect, and relies more on the mesmerist's focus than the target's perception of his stare. It can't be avoided in the same ways a gaze attack can. The mesmerist can use this ability even while blinded, but must succeed at a DC 20 concentration check to do so. Staring at a creature requires the mesmerist's focus, so if he uses a gaze attack or similar ability, he must target the subject of his hypnotic stare or voluntarily end the stare. The penalties from multiple mesmerists' stares don't stack, nor do they stack with penalties from witches' evil eye hexes. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Painful Stare: When an attack that deals damage hits the target of a mesmerist's hypnotic stare, the mesmerist can cause the target to take an amount of additional damage equal to 1/2 the mesmerist's class level (minimum 1).
The mesmerist can use this ability as a free action, and can use it even if it isn't his turn. If the mesmerist uses this ability to increase his own damage, the additional damage increases by 1d6 points for every 3 class levels the mesmerist possesses. This damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit. A mesmerist can trigger this ability only once per round, but a single creature can take damage from multiple mesmerists' painful stares in a round.
Shadow Summoning: An umbral mesmerist gains the ability to summon quasi-real creatures as per summon monster I a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. The umbral mesmerist can use this ability as a standard action, and the creatures remain for 1 minute per level (instead of 1 round per level). The creatures summoned are only partly real, but have normal effects unless a creature affected by the illusion succeeds at a Will save to disbelieve (as per shadow conjuration.) The DC for this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the umbral mesmerist’s mesmerist level + the umbral mesmerist’s Charisma modifier. This is an illusion with the shadow descriptor.
A shadow creature has half the hit points of a normal creature of its kind (regardless of whether it is recognized as a shadow creature). It deals the normal amount of damage and has all of the base creature’s normal abilities and weaknesses. Against a creature that recognizes it as a shadow creature, however, the shadow creature’s damage is halved, and all special abilities that do not deal lethal damage are only 50% likely to work. (Roll for each use and each affected character separately.) Furthermore, the shadow creature’s AC bonuses are halved. A creature that succeeds at its save to disbelieve sees the summoned creature as transparent images superimposed on vague, shadowy forms. Objects automatically succeed at their Will saves against this spell. The umbral mesmerist cannot use this ability to summon creatures from more than one summon monster spell in this way at one time.
At 4th level and every 4 mesmerist levels thereafter, the power of this ability increases by 1 spell level, allowing the umbral mesmerist to summon more powerful creatures (to a maximum of summon monster VI at 20th level).
This ability replaces the mesmerist tricks gained at 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th levels.
Fluff:
Don’t tell me. Fighting. Oh yes, I can see it now. The blood spray, the thrill. You felt alive didn’t you? As you punched your fist into his chest. You felt powerful. It is good that you enjoyed it. Remember it.
”Help me! Let me out! I’m sorry!”
“Sorry? You ripped that Garrick’s chest open and you think ‘sorry’ is going to cut it? You’re in Brandescar now, scum! You’re going to die, but you’re going to have a nice long rest in the Black Cell first. Teach you to kill one of Mitra’s servants.”
”No! Please! You don’t understand! There’s something in here! It’s in my head. I can hear it! Whispering to me! Please, you have to let me out!”
So soon, Piotr? It’s almost as though you don’t like me. How unkind, and I was going to bring some friends to meet you…
-----------------------------------------------
“Warden, what happened here?”
“I’m not sure, Governor. We put this one in the Black Cell as ordered. Piotr Melik, he’s the one that killed Garrick three days ago. He was babbling about hearing voices in his head but they always do that once they’re in the Cell.”
”And is it normal for prisoners in the Black Cell to be found in pieces without a drop of blood to be found?”
“Err… No sir. Normally we leave them in there for a few days and then they come out. Meek as mice most of them. We had that witch from Farholde last year. Remember when he was burned, repeated all the prayers and went to meet Mitra with a smile on his lips? He spent three days in the Black Cell. Told me that after that the fire was a blessing.”
“There is the ghost, Warden.”
“Shut up Hurald. The Governor doesn’t need to hear your ridiculous stories.”
”Hold on Warden, I’d like to hear this man speak. Guardsman… Hurald was it? Tell me, what ghost are you talking about? Do I need a Brother of Alerion here?”
”No sir. It’s just… when I started here I was told about the Ghost of the Black Cell. They said that there’s a prisoner in there – some sort of spirit. It was fifty years ago – they caught the Shadow of Ghastenhall and imprisoned him here. Put blessed wards on the door to keep him there until he could be burned. But the Asmodeans, may Mitra cleanse them with his light, tied the case up for years and years. By the time the verdict came down the man or whatever it was had just… gone. Faded away they said and the cell was dark. Always dark. That’s why we keep two torches burning down there. Old Kenren who was here before me, he said if we ever let the torches go out then the ghost will slip past the wards – we still take a meal down there every day when we check the torches, you see –“
”That’s enough boy! I’m sorry Governor, I’ll make sure this superstitious nonsense is dealt with at once. I had no idea they were wasting good food like that.”
”It’s quite alright Warden. We can afford a few extra torches for the comfort of our guardsmen. You do a fine job men, you should be commended. I’ll send down a bottle for you to share. Mitra’s blessing on you all.”
“And on you sir. Three cheers for the governor lads! Thank you sir.”
Yes, thank you Governor, for the fine meal. Do send me another one soon.
“Are you quite alright sir? You’ve gone white.”
”Yes… yes I’m fine Warden. It was the draught down here. A trick of the wind. I’ll send that wine down for the end of your shift. Wait! Do you hear that? The scratching?”
“No sir. Probably just the rats sir. Quite a lot of them on these lower levels.”
”Ahh. Right. Rats… yes. Thank you Warden.”
”Did you see that Warden? The Governor heard something he did! You saw how quickly he ran out of here. It’s the ghost, I’m telling you!”
“Hurald. You’re going to shut up right now or I’m putting you in the Black Cell to make the point. There. Is. No ghost in the Black Cell!”
