My wife loves the idea of a Cipher, but as I told her, that's some of the most broken stuff in the game... all the 'special' of being a Cipher pretty much never works... not enough targets, too easy to save against, etc... But I always help a player get a balanced version of what they want to play (hence all my Unchained archetypes), so am making a balanced version where they basically evolve into at-will Invisibility (Like Kinetic Invisibility), remove the Compulsion, etc...
Before I go undully influencing anyone's opinion too much on how best to do this, thought I'd ask you guys how YOU would go about making Cipher an interesting archetype... I'll post my thoughts in a few hours after I think it through some more. :)
Okay, this is attempt one for me.
It's a rough-draft, so nothing set in stone... just trying to get that sense of balance right.
Take 1:
A cipher may use his stealth skill as a move action to go unnoticed, even when in plain view. If used in this way, any creature that uses sight as a primary sense and has a CR of no more than twice the level of the cipher, will overlook the cipher unless it succeeds in a contested roll with its perception skill. The cipher adds half of his level to his stealth roll to go unnoticed in this manner. This replaces Trapfinding.
At 2nd level, a cipher may use a move action to hide in plain sight, allowing him to use the stealth skill even while being observed. This only works if the cipher has not done anything, in the current or previous round, to draw attention to himself, such as having engaged in combat, or having been the target of an attack. Anyone currently observing the cipher directly is immune to this effect, so while he could use this in a crowd to pass unseen (as long as he isn't bumping into or pushing people), it would have no effect on someone intent on keeping their eyes on the cipher. This replaces Poison Lore.
At 5th level, the cipher may use a full round action to disappear from sight entirely, as the Invisibility spell. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to half his level, and grants only half the bonuses of the Invisibility spell to stealth rolls, so +10 while moving and +20 while perfectly still. This replaces Poison Resistance and Trap Sense.
At 10th level, the cipher may use a standard action to gain the effects of the Invisibility spell. This replaces Poison Immunity.
I forgot to state that this only changes the archetype, replacing Inattention Blindness (Su) and removing the Hide in Plain Sight (Su) from the archetype... Will also need to state that Just Another Face is (Ex), and the others are (Su).
Some mistakes made in the previous, here's take-2. :P
Unassuming (Ex)
A cipher relies on subtlety, rather than skills that would draw attention to him. A cipher removes Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Perform from his list of class skills, and he can never use them with inspiration, regardless of any talents or other abilities he might have. A cipher can use his inspiration on any Disguise, Escape Artist, Knowledge (local), Sleight of Hand, and Stealth check without expending a use of inspiration, provided he is trained in the skill, instead of the normal investigator ability to use inspiration on any Knowledge, Linguistics, or Spellcraft check without expending a use of inspiration.
This alters the investigator’s class skills and inspiration.
Just Another Face (Ex)
A cipher may use his stealth skill as a move action to go unnoticed, even when in plain view. If used in this way, any creature that uses sight as a primary sense and has a CR of no more than twice the level of the cipher, will overlook the cipher unless it succeeds in a contested roll with its perception skill. The cipher adds half of his level to his stealth roll to go unnoticed in this manner.
This replaces Trapfinding.
Unseen Presence (Su)
At 2nd level, a cipher may use a move action to hide in plain sight, allowing him to use the stealth skill even while being observed. This only works if the cipher has not done anything, in the current or previous round, to draw attention to himself, such as having engaged in combat, or having been the target of an attack. Anyone currently observing the cipher directly is immune to this effect, so while he could use this in a crowd to pass unseen (as long as he isn't bumping into or pushing people), it would have no effect on someone intent on keeping their eyes on the cipher.
This replaces Poison Lore and Poison Resistance.
Vanish from Sight (Su)
At 3rd level, the cipher may use a full round action to disappear from sight entirely, as the Invisibility spell. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to half his level, and grants only half the bonuses of the Invisibility spell to stealth rolls, so +10 while moving and +20 while perfectly still.
This replaces Trap Sense.
Evasive (Ex)
At 3rd level, a cipher can avoid unusual attacks. He gains the evasion ability, and at 11th level, he gains the improved evasion ability.
This ability replaces the investigator talents gained at 3rd and 11th levels.
Null Aura (Su)
At 4th level, a cipher becomes much harder to notice with divinations. He gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against divination spells, spell-like abilities, and effects. The caster of the divination effect does not discover that her target succeeded at a saving throw.
This ability replaces swift alchemy and the investigator talent gained at 9th level.
Tenuous Threat (Su)
At 5th level, a cipher’s opponents tend to forget that he is a threat. The first time each day that he successfully hits an opponent who is not the target of his studied combat with a melee attack, the opponent must succeed at a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the cipher’s investigator level + his Intelligence modifier) or be affected by the cipher’s studied strike. This is a mind-affecting effect.
This ability alters studied strike, and replaces the investigator talent gained at 5th level.
Invisibility (Su)
At 11th level, the cipher may use a standard action to gain the effects of the Invisibility spell.
This replaces Poison Immunity.
I apologize, I'm a bit confused about your assessment... I sincerely hope you're not suggesting that my rewrite was a "half measure"...?
The goal is not to try and align it with some origin-story, it's to make the mechanics match the written theme.
A cipher is a student of nonexistence. He trains himself to remain undetected and ignored in order to conduct his investigations without opposition or bothersome questions. By staying unseen, a cipher can follow and observe his quarry; being overlooked in a crowd suits him just fine.
Person reading that theme, should have a character to match.
The thing broken was Inattention Blindness (Su)... which has
* Too few targets: 1 at 1st level, 2 at 5th level, 3 at 8th level... That's not remaining undetected... that's having the enemy's allies tell you that you're there.
* Too easy to save against: 50% chance at 1st level, and that percent increases every level so by level 20 it's useless.
* Ignored by too many: mind-affecting compulsion.
The goal was to break that into mechanics that matched the Investigator.
Trapfinding: let's a skill be used in a unique way, and adds a bonus.
Just Another Face: let's a skill be used in a unique way, and adds a bonus.
Poison Lore/Poison Resistance: An upgrading improvement of the character that focuses on the theme.
Unseen Presence: An upgrading improvement of the character that focuses on the theme.
By not lumping everything into a single (broken) mechanic, it insures that even if something is a bit off, the archetype is still interesting.
And by trying to mirror existing mechanics of the class when creating replacements for it, the balance should remain the same, so you don't end up with a more powerful version of the class itself. (And if anyone thinks this is more powerful than a vanilla Investogator, I'm 100% down with changes).
There's the confusion between invisibility and hidden presence spell effects.
These are pretty different, even if thematically similar. Unseen Presence only affects stealth rolls, which should be made per move action as normal, and which can be beaten with a perception check, especially with a higher number of potential observers. While it sounds a lot like some prestige class abilities (Shadowdancer specifically), it's very different because, unlike a Shadowdancer who can disappear before your eyes, even in combat... this can only be used against those not observing the character, and never in combat. It's the Sherlock Holmes (RDJ movies) where he pulls a cloak over his head, places a newspaper in front of his face, and observes as a background figure that is easily overlooked.
Then there's the gathering of several powerful prestige class abilities into one class.
Well, there's one, and I just addressed that. But Invisibility by 11th level is not broken, a Kineticist can have that as a free at-will (Standard Action) ability by 6th level. Vanish from Sight is just a weakened version of the 1st level Vanish spell made into an (Su) for a thematically sensible reason.
Limiting skills for a skill based class tells you there are issues.
It tells me that it went against the theme, not that there are issues. They took away every class skill that can not be done while trying to be unseen (Ie: Charisma skills). The unseen aren't going to use Diplomacy, or perform an oratory monologue, can't be seen to intimidate, and you're not going to bluff anyone that can't see you.
A cipher may use her stealth to go unnoticed alone, amongst a crowd, or even during combat. As a swift action she makes a steath check using inspiration(no cost) adding half her level and uses this enhanced stealth check against observers perception for up to her level in rounds (ending or breaking Stealth or having to make a new Stealth check ends the current enhanced Stealth). She can use JAF without cover, concealment, or while being observered but not against hostile foes in that combat episode that have inflicted to or taken damage from the cipher.
Oh... that's good, you're right, better than mine. But typically, Stealth doesn't require an action, it's the movement that does, so unless they stand still, they need to make a stealth roll every round (as part of their Move Action), right? I had a slightly different idea while reading yours... lemme try this...
The idea being that we remove the whole "hide in plain sight" aspect, so if they can't normally make a stealth check, then performing the action to go unnoticed also wouldn't be possible. Also means they COULD use a bluff roll (which they don't get inspiration for), to try this as well.
Sounds like Sanctuary, but as a mind affecting power that affects them when they even think of attacking. Also they have to save or they immediately forget about the person. Disguise and stealth are probably class skills.
Okay, last take:
well, Bluff provides a distraction (to your observer(s)) which then might let you succeed on a Stealth check. I don't know if an Investigator can inspire two rolls in a round.
Ciphers are forbidden to use Inspiration on Bluff rolls, so that's not a thing. :)