The Nightmare Seeker

[koz]

Once again, all suggestions are greatly appreciated, as this is not quite finished, again. This represents a very different take on a user of mental powers, so there is some overlap with the psion (but as little as possible).
Edit: As usual, ubernoob to the rescue! Thanks for that.
Edit 2: Some additional Field abilities. The asterisked ones to come soon.
(What I hope is the) final edit: Asterisked abilities, and a change to the main class.

Nightmare Seeker

“I have lived your nightmares; now, it’s your turn.”

Although many who enter The Dream every night experience the touch of pleasant, bizarre and perhaps somewhat unsettling dreams, a few, whose tired minds are put under great duress during the day experience the touch of the nightmare. Many, lacking sufficient force of will, allow themselves to be carried away by their power, but there are those who do not bend so easily. At first, they seek to dominate these dark dreams. After they have learned to compel the darkness within their own minds, they learn how to project it onto the Material Plane and others when they are awake, using their powerful personalities to ‘force’ reality into their own nightmares. These individuals are nightmare seekers.

A nightmare seeker, unlike a psion, is driven by emotions and unrestrained passions, rather than awareness and control. They use fear, anger and contempt as their tools, seeking to impose their personality upon the Material Plane. Unlike others, who fear nightmares, nightmare seekers actively pursue them, as they inspire their psionic powers in new ways. The Dream tends to indulge such individuals, filling their nights with the most terrifying images their minds can produce. Reality obeys the nightmare seeker, but it does so in ways that are best left unimagined.

Hit die: d8
BAB: Average
Saves: Fort good, Ref poor, Will good
Class skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Swim and Tumble
Skill points per level: 4+Int (x4 at level 1)
Starting age: Simple (as sorcerer)
Starting gold: 4d4 x10gp (100gp)

1: Psionics (one Field, basic access), Nightmare Release, Nightmare Assault
2: Reality Distortion
3: Psionics (two Fields, basic access), Fear Immunity
4: Strikes of the Nightmare
5: Psionics (three Fields, advanced access)
6: Fears of the Mindless
7: Psionics (four Fields, advanced access)
8: Terrify the Weak Mind
9: Psionics (five Fields, expert access)
10: Unleash the Darkest Nightmare

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: A nightmare seeker is proficient with all simple weapons, as well as one martial weapon of their choice. They are proficient with light armour but not with shields.
Psionics (Sp): A nightmare seeker draws upon the inner powers of his mind and nightmares. At 1st level, and every odd level thereafter, he gains basic access to a new Field. At 5th level and every odd level thereafter he upgrades his access in a field he has already. A nightmare seeker may not upgrade the same field twice in a row (meaning that expert access cannot be gained until level 9).
All abilities derived from Fields are considered to be spell-like abilities unless otherwise noted, and any saves that they call for have DCs of 10+1/2 the nightmare seeker’s character level+the nightmare seeker’s Cha modifier. Furthermore, you gain additional Field abilities according to your nightmare seeker level, or levels in classes which are considered similar to the nightmare seeker.
Nightmare Release (Su): Starting at 1st level, a nightmare seeker learns to fuel his psionics with his nightmares. However, doing so is dangerous. Whenever a nightmare seeker uses a spell-like ability, he may choose to use a nightmare surge. This gives the spell-like ability a +4 to its save DC. However, every time this ability is used, roll 1d10 after the spell-like ability has finished resolving. If a 4 or less is rolled, something has gone wrong, and the nightmare seeker is dazed for 1 round. Immunity to daze effects does not protect against this.
Nightmare Assault (Sp): A nightmare seeker can unleash a powerful nightmare at an opponent within Close range as a standard action. The target of this ability must make a Will save or be dealt 1d8 damage per character level of the nightmare seeker. This is a mind-affecting ability.
Reality Distortion (Su): A nightmare seeker imposes his will on reality almost subconsciously, altering it to better suit his desires. Starting at 2nd level, he may use his Charisma modifier instead of his Dexterity modifier for his AC and Reflex saves.
Fear Immunity (Ex): By 3rd level, the nightmare seeker pays no attention to things which make other beings wet themselves. As a result, he is immune to fear.
Strikes of the Nightmare (Su): From 4th level, a nightmare seeker weighs combat in his favour by simply calling forth the nightmares of his opponents to empower his fighting and weaken their own. As a result, he may use his Charisma modifier instead of his Strength modifier on attack rolls.
Fears of the Mindless (Su): Starting at 6th level, a nightmare seeker treats creatures immune to mind-affecting effects (for any reason) as having a bonus on saves against such effects equal to 10-the nightmare seeker’s character level instead.
Terrify the Weak Mind (Sp): As a standard action, a nightmare seeker of 8th level can use fear, as the spell, with a caster level equal to his character level. If you have the Field of Terror at any access level, this receives +2 to its DC.
Unleash the Darkest Nightmare (Su): At 10th level, a nightmare seeker can attempt to take an opponent into their worst nightmare, acting as a gateway to this realm. To use this ability, the nightmare seeker makes a touch attack. If it hits, both the nightmare seeker and the target are transported into his darkest nightmare, effectively removing them both from combat, and placing them in a place that is impossible for others to reach, for 1d10 rounds. At the end of this time, both the nightmare seeker and the target return, with both fatigued as a result of their experience. Only freedom, miracle or wish can return either or both of them prematurely, and divinations designed to reveal their location do not give this information.

Nightmare Seeker Fields

Field of Mentat
A little logic is a dangerous thing.
Basic: You gain a competence bonus equal to your character level on Intimidate checks. Additionally, you can negate size bonuses and penalties to Intimidate checks.
Advanced: You are immune to fear. If you are already immune to fear, you gain 1 hit point per hit die.
Expert: The future is just as easy to see as the past to you. You may expend an immediate action at any time to reroll any die roll.
1: Cause Fear
3: Ego Whip*
5: Mentat Sense*
7: Mental Reformation*
9: Magic Jar
11: Geas/Quest
13: Greater Teleport
15: Clone
17: Foresight
19: Imprisonment

Field of Motion
Reality is a fragile thing, and the mind is the chisel that shapes it.
Basic: You may use mage hand, as the spell, with a caster level equal to your character level, at will as a standard action.
Advanced: Your armour and shield bonuses to AC apply to touch attacks as well.
Expert: Your attacks deal damage as if you were one size category larger.
1: Animate Rope
3: Control Body*
5: Fly
7: Animate Objects
9: Telekinesis
11: Disintegrate
13: Control Weather
15: Iron Body
17: Mass Hold Monster
19: Energy Drain

Field of Control
The strong rule the weak. The strong mind rules the weak mind.
Basic: If you fail to affect something with a social skill (Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate), you may reroll the check, with a -5 penalty.
Advanced: You become immune to fear. If you are already immune to fear, you gain 1 hit point per hit die instead.
Expert: Any opposed rolls against your social skills must be rolled twice, and the worse result used.
1: Charm Monster
3: Calm Emotions
5: Suggestion
7: Confusion
9: Dominate Monster
11: Mind Switch*
13: Mental Shutdown*
15: Call Ally*
17: Mass Dominate Monster
19: Soul Bind

Field of Terror
“Minds are very fragile little things, precious.”
Basic: You can demoralise multiple opponents at no penalty.
Advanced: You may demoralise creatures that are immune to fear, and the effects of this use of Intimidate last for 1 round per character level.
Expert: Individuals you demoralise become frightened rather than shaken.
1: Cause Fear
3: Crisis of Breath*
5: Fear
7: Phantasmal Killer
9: Nightmare
11: Symbol of Fear
13: Insanity
15: Antipathy
17: Weird
19: Crisis of Breath (can be used as an immediate action)

Field of Nightmares Made Real
“We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.”
Basic: Even if someone disbelieves an illusion of yours and then tells people about it, they do not get the usual +4 bonus on their saves. Furthermore, even when presented with incontrovertible proof of the illusion being false, a Will save is still required to disbelieve it, but with a +10 bonus.
Advanced: Anyone who must make a Will (disbelief) save against an illusion of your creation gets a penalty to his save equal to your Charisma modifier.
Expert: You can maintain a number of illusions equal to half your Charisma modifier (rounding down) without recourse to concentration.
1: Silent Image
3: Minor Image
5: Major Image
7: Hallucinatory Terrain
9: Persistent Image
11: Permanent Image
13: Project Image
15: Screen
17: Weird
19: Mirage Arcana (can be used as a swift action)

Field of Killing Dreams
“So, if you die in the Matrix...”
Basic: Anyone who fails a save against a [Mind-Affecting] ability of yours is also dealt 1d4 damage per character level. You may waive this ability as a free action against any target (but you usually don’t, because you’re a jerk).
Advanced: You make make a coup de grace as a standard action.
Expert: Any SLA of yours that requires a Fort save has the save rolled twice, with the worse result taken.
1: Power Word Pain
3: Inflict Pain*
5: Forced Share Pain*
7: Death Urge*
9: Crush Mind*
11: Disintegrate
13: Finger of Death
15: Symbol of Death
17: Power Word Kill
19: Wail of the Banshee

Field of Dark Creatures
“There are some things gods dread to deal with.”
Basic: Any [Summoning] SLA you use takes a standard action rather than a full round.
Advanced: Your summoned creatures receive +4 enhancement bonuses to Str and Con.
Expert: If you choose to summon multiple creatures, you always receive the maximum number.
1: Summon monster I
3: Summon monster II
5: Summon monster III
7: Summon monster IV
9: Summon monster V
11: Summon monster VI
13: Summon monster VII
15: Summon monster VIII
17: Summon monster IX
19: Elemental Swarm (all have maximum hit points, new creatures appear after 1 round, not 10 minutes)


New Abilities

Call Ally [Mind-Affecting]
Time: 10 minutes
Range: Special (see text)
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 day/level
Save: Will negates
SR: Yes

You attempt to call an outsider to aid you for a time. You must have sufficient knowledge of the outsider to call it successfully (you must pass a Knowledge check as if to identify it by 5 points or more - if you fail this check, you cannot call that kind of outsider again until you gain a level), and cannot call upon templated outsiders, or those whose CR exceeds your caster level -2. When it appears, you attempt to bend it to your will. If you defeat its spell resistance, and it fails its Will save, it will serve you as a cohort would for the listed duration. If you fail to beat SR, or it passes its Will save, you do not get its services, and cannot try to call that type of outsider again until you gain a level.

Control Body
Time: Standard action
Range: Medium
Target: One creature
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 min/level
Save: Will negates
SR: Yes

You mentally control the actions of a single creature to which you have line of sight. You can cause the target to move (but not speak), or be helpless, according to your choice. You cannot force the target to perform anything which is not simply a function of its body movements. If you force the subject to fight, it uses your BAB, and your Wis modifier instead of whatever stat it would normally add to attack rolls, receives a bonus on damage rolls equal to your Wis mod, and uses your Wis score as its Dex score for AC and Reflex save purposes.

Crisis of Breath [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Standard action
Range: Medium
Target: One breathing humanoid
Duration: 1 round/level
Save: Will negates, Fort partial; see text
SR: Yes

You make the target too afraid to breathe, purging all of its air in one blast, unless they make a Will save. From that turn onward, provided they failed their Will save, the subject must take a standard action each round to breathe. If they do not, there is a chance they will black out from lack of air. They must make a Fort save at the end of every turn they did not take an action to breathe or be dropped to 0 hp. In the following round, they drop to -1 and are dying, and in the round after that, they die.
At caster level 5, this ability also affects all types except dragons, outsiders and aberrations. At caster level 7, all types can be affected. At caster level 9, this ability becomes an area effect, affecting up to four creatures in a 20ft radius burst.

Crush Mind [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Standard action
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Will partial; see text
SR: Yes

You quickly and painfully attempt to crush the mind of an individual. If the target fails his Will save, he drops to -1 hit points, unconscious and dying. If he passes, he is instead dealt 9d6 points of damage. For every caster level above 9th, this damage increases by 1d6.

Death Urge [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Standard action
Range: Medium
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round
Save: Will negates
SR: Yes

You make the target wish to kill itself. On the subject's next turn, it looks for the quickest way to end its life. If it is suitably armed, it will immediately attack itself, which scores an automatic critical hit. If it is not armed, but there is an opponent nearby, it will attempt to move near them, provoking an AOO. If there is a hazard (such as a cliff) nearby, the subject will throw themselves off it or something similar (based on the hazard). If there are no hazards, no opponents nearby and the subject is not armed, he will simply do nothing.
For every 4 caster levels above 7th, this ability's duration increases by 1 round.

Ego Whip [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Standard action
Range: Medium
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Will half, see text
SR: Yes

The target of this ability is dealt 1d4 Cha damage, with a Will save for half (minimum 1). This damage increases to 2d4 at caster level 6, and an additional 1d4 for every 4 caster levels after that (3d4 at 10th, 4d4 at 15th, etc). Additionally, any target that fails its Will save against this ability is dazed for 1 round.

Forced Share Pain
Time: Standard action
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level (D)
Save: Fort negates
SR: Yes

You create a link between yourself and another individual, forcing them to feel all your pain equally. If the subject fails its Fort save, for the duration of this ability, you take half damage from any attacks that reduce hit points, and the target takes the other half. Note that this ability applies after DR, immunities and suchlike - it is the final damage, not the initial damage, that is halved and transferred in this way.

Inflict Pain [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Standard action
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: 1 round/level
Save: Will partial; see text
SR: Yes

The target feels horrible pain, which inflicts a -4 penalty on all attack rolls, skill checks and ability checks. If the target passes his Will save, the penalty is halved. For every 2 caster levels above 3rd, this ability can affect an additional target. All additional targets cannot be more than 15ft from any other target of this ability.

Mental Insight [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Swift action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: Instantaneous

You may use this ability before making a skill check. You gain a competence bonus to that check equal to 5+1/2 your character level.

Mental Reformation [Mind-Affecting]
Time: 10 minutes
Range: Close
Target: One creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: None
SR: No

When you use this ability, the target may re-make all the choices they made upon gaining their last level, including skill point assignation, feat choices etc. Their choices must have been possible at the level that had been gained. With multiple successive uses of this, it is possible to alter multiple levels, all the way back to level 1, but the uses must be successive; they are considered to 'reset' if more than 1 minute passes between them.

Mental Shutdown [Mind-Affecting]
Time: Standard action
Range: Close
Target: One living creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Save: Fort negates
SR: Yes

You forcefully shut down a part of the subject's brain. The subject loses all cerebral function, all senses and all motor control, essentially becoming a limp, unconscious mass. Without a greater restoration or similar effect of 7th level or higher, the subject will die in 1d4 days.

Mentat Sense
Time: Standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 min/level (D)

You mentally feel an area 60ft around you. You ignore invisibility, darkness and concealment, although you need line of effect to a creature to perceive it, and do not need to make Listen and Spot checks for creatures within this area. For every 2 caster levels above 5th, the area of this ability increases by 10ft.

Mind Switch [Mind-Affecting]
Time: 1 round
Range: Close
Targets: You and one other creature
Duration: 10 min/level
Save: Will negates; see text
SR: Yes

You take control of a nearby creature whose CR does not exceed your caster level. You possess its body, and force its mind into your body, unless it succeeds on a Will save. Essentially, you gain the target's statistics, but retain your own thoughts and motivations, while the target gains your statistics, but retains its own thoughts and motivations.

A targeted dispel magic or similar effect on one of the targets causes both to return to their original bodies.

[Avoraciopoctules]

Nice. I'd definitely like to see this and the Psion in the next Tome pdf.

A few questions about Call Ally: Does the summoner have the option to call specific entities like a normal summoner? Do you have the option of calling something, but not trying to take control of it? Do called allies remember being summoned?

[koz]

Nice. I'd definitely like to see this and the Psion in the next Tome pdf.

A few questions about Call Ally: Does the summoner have the option to call specific entities like a normal summoner? Do you have the option of calling something, but not trying to take control of it? Do called allies remember being summoned?

Glad to have a ringing endorsement.

About Call Ally: I don't understand your first question, no and no. It is assumed that you summon a 'generic' creature of that type, which means that each time you use it, you end up with a different gelugon, or glabrezu or whatever.

[Foxwarrior]

I realized the most wonderful thing about Basic Field of Nightmares Made Real today: the reason illusionists don't get tricked by their own illusions, is that they have the incontrovertible proof of having just cast the illusion spell.