DM Entry: Reason Stealer (New Monster Class)

Reason Stealer (New Monster Class)

This monster class is ready for play testing. I made this monster class based on the reason stealer as published in Monster Manual II.

Level	HD	Base Attack	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skill Points	Class Feats	Ability Score Increase	Special	Devour Mind
1st	1d10	+0	+0	+0	+0	None	None	None	Dex -10, Int —, Wis -10, Cha -10, slam 1d6	Intelligence score, base attack, 1 feat, 1 skill
2nd	1d10	+0	+0	+0	+0	None	None	None	DR 1/ magic	1st extra ability score, base Reflex, 2 skills, 1 spell
3rd	2d10	+1	+0	+0	+0	None	None	None	DR 2/ magic	2nd extra ability score, 3 skills, 2 feats, 2 spells
4th	2d10	+1	+0	+0	+0	None	None	None	Improved grab	3rd extra ability score, 4 skills, 3 spells
5th	3d10	+2	+1	+1	+1	None	None	None	Str +2, DR 3/ magic	Base Will, 5 skills, 4 spells
6th	3d10	+2	+1	+1	+1	None	None	None	Grotesque form	4th extra ability score, 3 feats, 6 skills, 5 spells
7th	4d10	+3	+1	+1	+1	None	None	None	Con +2	Base Fortitude, 7 skills, 6 spells
8th	4d10	+3	+1	+1	+1	None	None	None	DR 4/ magic	All ability scores, 8 skills, 7 spells
9th	5d10	+3	+1	+1	+1	None	None	None	Str +4, DR 5/ magic	All feats, all skills, all spells

Class Skill: None.

Racial Traits

Type: Ooze.

Size: Medium (Space/Reach 5 feet/5 feet).

Vision: Blind, Blindsight 60 ft.

Speed: 10 feet, climb 10 ft. You gain a +8 racial bonus on Climb checks and you can choose to take 10 on Climb checks even if rushed or threatened. Most reason stealers like to hang motionless from a ceiling until an unsuspecting creature walks under it. It then drops on the creature, potentially gaining a +2 bonus to the attack for diving charge, and a +1 bonus to the attack for higher ground. The reason stealer will normally intentionally jump down with a DC 15 Jump check to lessen any falling damage and to avoid falling prone. Remember, though, that a speed of 10 feet equals a -12 penalty to Jump checks, so don’t climb up too high at low levels.

Languages: None. Even in an assumed form, you do not speak any languages, although you know all of the languages of the person whose mind you have devoured.

Physiology: In your true form, you are an ooze with one pseudopod that you can deal slam attacks with. However, with your devour mind and grotesque form abilities, you can assume the form of the most recent creature you have slain, as long as it had at least 1 point of Intelligence. If you assume the form of a creature that could wield weapons, you can also wield weapons. In your true form you have no magic item slots, but if you assume the form of a creature, you have the same magic item slots of that creature. In your true form, you have no opposable thumbs, cannot speak, and are blind (but you have blindsight). Even in an assumed form, you are still blind and have blindsight.

Racial Ability Penalties: You gain a racial penalty of -10 to Dexterity, Wisdom, and Charisma. Regardless of the score you put into one of these abilities, the minimum starting ability score is 1.

No Intelligence Score: In your true form you have no Intelligence score. Only by using your devour mind ability do you temporarily gain an Intelligence score. Because of this, you do not gain skill points, feats, or ability score improvements every four Hit Dice. If you devour the mind of a creature with at least a 3 Intelligence score, you can gain experience points, use weapons, and understand (but not speak) languages (although you do have the ability to speak the verbal components of any prepared arcane spells you have stolen).

Class Features

Proficiencies (Ex): You are proficient with your natural weapons only, but not with any armor or shields. However, see the devour mind ability, below.

Devour Mind (Su) You transfer an opponent’s Intelligence score to yourself upon dealing it a killing blow with your slam attack. This process also heals you of 5 points of damage per point of Intelligence gained. You also gain certain things from the slain foe (if the foe possessed it), as detailed below.

At 1^st level, you gain the Intelligence score, base attack bonus, one feat, and the ranks of a single skill from the slain foe. You can use any of these abilities or your own abilities, whichever are better.

At 2^nd level, in addition to what you gain at 1^st level, you also gain the creature’s base Reflex save, and you may also choose an additional ability score, the ranks from a total of two skills, and the ability to cast a single prepared arcane spell (you may need to rifle your foe’s spell component pouch for the spell’s material and focus components). Once you cast the spell, it is gone and cannot be prepared again (unless you slay another creature that just so happens to have the same spell prepared).

At 3^rd level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you may choose a total of two extra ability scores, the ranks from a total of three skills, a total of two feats, and a total of two prepared arcane spells.

At 4^th level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you may choose a total of three additional ability scores, the ranks from a total of four skills, and a total of 3 prepared arcane spells.

At 5^th level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you also gain the slain foe’s base Will save, the ranks from a total of five skills, and a total of four prepared arcane spells.

At 6^th level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you may choose a total of four additional ability scores, a total of three feats, the ranks from a total of six skills, and a total of five prepared arcane spells.

At 7^th level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you also gain the slain foe’s base Fortitude, the ranks from a total of seven skills, and a total of 6 prepared arcane spells.

At 8^th level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you gain all ability scores, the ranks from a total of eight skills, and a total of seven prepared arcane spells.

At 9^th level, in addition to what you gain at previous levels, you gain all feats, the ranks from all skills, and all prepared arcane spells.

All these acquired features last for 24 hours. If you devour the mind of a victim while you still have the abilities of a previous one, you use the higher of the two (the new victim’s or your current value) for ability scores, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, and skill ranks. You also may choose from any feats and prepared arcane spells possessed by the new victim that you did not already have.

Damage Reduction (Ex): At 2^nd level, you gain DR 1/ magic. This improves to DR 2 at 3^rd level, to DR 3 at 5^th level, to DR 4 at 8^th level, and to the maximum of DR 5 at 9^th level.

Improved Grab (Ex): Starting at 4^th level, if you strike a target of your size or smaller with a natural weapon or your slam attack, you may attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. When you are in a grotesque form (see below), you retain one pseudopod so you also retain your improved grab in an assumed form.

Grotesque Form (Su): Starting at 6^th level, if you have devoured the mind of a creature with an Intelligence score of 1 or higher, you can shape your body into a bizarre reflection of that creature. If you have abilities gained from more than one creature, you assume a form similar to the last one you killed. You always retain one pseudopod with which to make slam attacks. You can maintain a grotesque form as long as you have an Intelligence score.

Magic Item Body Slots in True Form	Quantity
Arms (armbands, bracelets, bracers)	None
Body (armor, robes)	None
Face (goggles, lenses, masks, spectacles, third eyes)	None
Feet (boots, sandals, shoes, slippers)	None
Hands (gauntlets, gloves)	None
Head (circlets, crowns, hats, headbands, helmets, phylacteries)	None
Rings	None
Shoulders (capes, cloaks, mantles, shawls)	None
Throat (amulets, badges, brooches, collars, medals, medallions, necklaces, pendants, periapts, scarabs, scarfs, torcs)	None
Torso (shirts, tunics, vests, vestments)	None
Waist (belts, girdles, sashes)	None

Adding Class Levels

What happens when I max out the monster class? Can I take normal class levels or prestige class levels? You can take any class or prestige class that a normal character could take.

Feats: The number of feats you have based on Hit Dice do not count any of your Reason Stealer Hit Dice, so when you gain 10^th level and take a level of wizard, for example, you are just now gaining your 1^st class feat that everyone else gains at 1^st level, and then you will gain your second when you reach 12 HD, and every 3 HD thereafter.

Skill Points: The same thing happens with skill points. When you take a class that grants skill points, you gain them as normal (and you do not multiply them by x4). The reason stealer never gains the benefit of the x4 skill point multiplier in their lifetime, since the multiplier is normally gained because of skills you learned while you were growing up, something reason stealers never experience.

Ability Score Improvements: Starting at your 10^th character level, count all classes that grant HD toward gaining ability score improvements, and not counting any reason stealer HD.