Building a Confessor!

[Matthias]

Hello,
For those of you familiar with Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, I am trying to figure out a way to make/build a confessor for PF for my GF to play. Looking for either someone that has an idea for using preexisting material, but my main line of thinking was making a 1-20 Ala Samurai or Ninja for it if I can't find a reasonable substitute.

[Alwaysafk]

Wouldn't you be looking for a perma-dominate person?

[wraithstrike]

I think a bard would work better since they are decent in melee and get the mind control spells.

[Matthias]

Alwaysafk wrote:

Wouldn't you be looking for a perma-dominate person?

Yea at the higher end it would pretty much function like that, though as is, dominate with a 1 day per CL is pretty much the same thing for someone wishing to control something forever.

@wraithstrike
I had thought about bard but the instrument part doesn't really fit the feel, had also though about a cleric with charm domain

[Cuchulainn]

A bard, sorcerer, or witch would be the obvious places to start.

Focus on enchantment/charm spells. Charm person, Hypnosis, and Daze are all spells right off the bat that you could use to simulate a confessor's controlling abilities.

You just have to realize that, since Pathfinder is a level-based game, that you won't be able to get the true confessor effect until you are fairly high-level.

[Matthias]

Cuchulainn wrote:

A bard, sorcerer, or witch would be the obvious places to start.

Focus on enchantment/charm spells. Charm person, Hypnosis, and Daze are all spells right off the bat that you could use to simulate a confessor's controlling abilities.

You just have to realize that, since Pathfinder is a level-based game, that you won't be able to get the true confessor effect until you are fairly high-level.

True, I would also probably stick to making the dominate work on only a few types of creatures at the middle anyways (Thinking Fey and Humanoid/Humanoid monsters). Something of a progression of charm person -> charm monster -> Dominate person -> Dominate Humanoid/Fey -> Dominate monster @ 20. have them be spell-like abilities based on wisdom (willpower) with a DC of 10 + 1/2 confessor level + wisdom mod.

[Psion deXanthus, Inquistor]

I could see Confessor being a Prestige Class. But I think the stat should be CHA based to better represent the Confessor's training to have a forceful personality.

At first level get the Spell-like ability to for Permanency contingent on 1) it may only be used on a Dominate Person/Dominate Monster usable 1/month (representing the need to recharge) and 2) require a grapple/melee touch attack (representing the need for the Confessor to touch her intended target for the power to work.) Every few levels get more Dominate Permanency castings or lower the recharge frequency (1/month -> 1/week -> 1/day)

Then for the ultimate:

10th level Confessor ability, Con Dar.

Functions like a Barbarian Rage, but based off of CHA instead of CON and the Con Dar Rage CANNOT be stopped (unlike the Barbarian Rage) until all rounds are spent.

Allows for Permanency Burst (30' burst, centered on Confessor, Selectable (to avoid getting allies)) and Negative Energy Chain Lightning (CL = Confessor Level + 1/2 non-Confessor levels) that functions as Chain Lightning, but does negative energy damage instead of Electricity damage PLUS 1d6 negative level damage. Both these abilities burn rounds off the Con Dar rage.

Then for the catch: if an ally showing signs of taking offensive action (even against enemies) comes within 15' of the Confessor in Con Dar, the Confessor must make a Will check. Failure results in the Confessor believes the ally is against her and must consider the ally an enemy for the duration of the Con Dar.

[Weables]

Since most 3.5 is compatible with pathfinder, might wanna take a look at the mindbender. one of the completes, arcane or mage. Basically had perma minions as the idea.

[Steelfiredragon]

magus?

[Glutton]

magus channeling dominates would be pretty close, as Confessors needed to touch their target

[Steelfiredragon]

how about the inquisitor also

[J.A.Kempton]

Weables is right, mindbender prestige class is what you are looking for, it takes charm to a new level, you completely dominate someone, but you can only control one creature at a time this way.It's on P:54 of "Complete Arcane" the power that duplicates the "confessor effect" is Eternal Charm , it's permanant and you get at the fourth level of the prestige class.

[Steelfiredragon]

you know, the witch class would work too.

it has a few charm hexes

[Brambleman]

well consider this. What makes a confessor really boils down to permenant Dominate by touch. This sounds like a powerful template, not a class.
After all, they were made by wizards as an interrogation tool.

I recommend having the template add a charm/dominate touch attack
if necessary to reign in power, trade out a feat or make it human only and trade the racial abilities.

Force will save to avoid automaticly discharging the ablity on every touch.

Have the power grow by hit dice, reducing charge time and upgrading the spell which it emulates.

You may need to nix the permenent aspect of the touch for sanity sake
You may need to allow the other characters a boon, something to even out power levels.
You may want to bring back LA buyoff.

[John Ehrhart]

Guys, none of you are addressing her melee abilities. She fights with two daggers very well. Her confessor dominate ability is a last resort. Clearly, she can not have a wizard BAB, or she wouldnt be effective in melee. And since she does not cast other spells, I am thinking her confessor
ability is not a spell (like Dominate) but is instead a class feature or perhaps even due to a secret magic item.

John

[MatthewN]

Just because Kahlan Amnell (who was raised by her warrior father and then trained by Richard even more) could fight well, does not mean all Confessors could fight well. Matter of fact most of them were not warriors at all.

[Choon]

I'm going to give a +1 to Psion deXanthus's power progression for the touch and Brambleman's idea for a template.

I like the template idea because it's hereditary, passed down the female line. I also like forcing a will save every time she touches someone skin to skin because the book describes her letting the power go, not forcing it on someone.

And emphasize skin contact. Touching any other point (armor, clothing, etc) and it won't work. Maybe bump it to an unarmed attack vs full AC? That nerfs it a bit and makes full plate immunity-granting.

[Taenia]

Wasn't it generally assumed that they sent groups of 4 men after a confessor. One would be dominated, two of them would deal with their former comrade while the fourth would finish off the now vulnerable Confessor.

So if one soldier was sufficient then they can hardly be trained warriors, Kahlan of course was an exception, not a rule.

[Choon]

Indeed. So the template should be a +2 or so to solo 4 men