Across Migdalia, audiences applaud the works of talented actors and playwrights. Dwarves gathered in giant auditoriums in Druskeden cheer as an actor portraying Nyrgund battles back the giants in mock combat. Meanwhile, elven nobles on the other side of the continent debate the merits of the previous night’s play, critiquing the long-lost elven prince’s witty banter with his oafish-seeming opponents. Far below the earth’s surface, dark elves watch an aspiring actor for any sign of weakness as he performs a difficult silique explaining his character’s feelings as he killed his beloved. Even in the brutal lands of the orcs, warriors hoot and bang weapons on their shields as an actor reenacts Gronz’s battles with the hated dwarven deities.Each culture, it seems, has some form of theater, and the master trouper appreciates each of them. From the witty, scathing banter of elven dialogue to the inspiring battle-siliques of dwarven heroes, the trouper has memorized every line, every posture of the characters, immersing himself in the role of his personas. He is a consummate actor, and the roles he plays are realer to him than people watching his performances.
Hit Dice: d6
Requirements
In order to qualify to become a Master Trouper, a character must meet the following criteria.Skills: Knowledge (theater) 4 ranks, Perform (acting) 8 ranks.
Feats: Skill Focus (Perform (acting))
Special: The character must have performed at least one extraordinary performance, a DC 30 Perform (acting) check. The character must have an audience of at least 30 people in order for this performance to count for this requirement. The character must select the role he played in this performance as his first persona.
Class Skills
The Master Trouper’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) (Int), Knowledge (theater) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (N/A), and Use Magic Device (Cha). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1 +0 +0 +2 +2 Assume Persona 1/day 2 +1 +0 +3 +3 Superior Acting (feat) 3 +2 +1 +3 +3 Assume Persona 2/day 4 +3 +1 +4 +4 Superior Acting (ability scores) 5 +3 +1 +4 +4 Assume Persona 3/day 6 +4 +2 +5 +5 Superior Acting (class abilities) 7 +5 +2 +5 +5 Assume Persona 4/day 8 +6 +2 +6 +6 Death Scene 9 +6 +3 +6 +6 Assume Persona 5/day 10 +7 +3 +7 +7 Legendary Actor
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Master Trouper prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Master troupers gain no new weapon or armor proficiency.
Assume Role (Ex): A master trouper is an extraordinary actor. When he prepares for a performance, he immerses himself in the role, essentially becoming the persona he adopts. His posture changes, he adopts new mannerisms, and even close friends have difficulty seeing past the persona he portrays. The master trouper may adopt one of his personas as a full-round action; he may do nothing else during this time, as he is essentially “getting into character.” While assuming a persona, the trouper loses any class abilities he may possess, other than those granted by this class. He may abandon his persona as a free action.The trouper gains one persona at 1st level, and may select a new persona at each new level. A persona is always a character from a play, and is always specific (for example, the trouper may select Regibald, the Althean prince’s wise-cracking friend, as a persona, but may not select a generic gardener or soldier as one). The trouper may select two skills for each persona he possesses; whenever he assumes the role of that persona, the trouper is considered to have a number of ranks in these skills equal to his class level plus five. The skills chosen must be appropriate for the designated persona. Once chosen, these skills may not be changed. When he abandons the persona, the trouper loses access to these skills.
A persona must be of the same race and gender as the trouper. While he is acting out the role of a persona, the trouper may not break character; doing so immediately ends that use of his persona ability. While acting as a persona, the trouper gains a +10 bonus on all Disguise checks to pretend to be that persona. Characters familiar with the theater may recognize a particular persona with a Knowledge (theater), Perform (acting), or Bardic Knowledge check, with a DC dependant upon the obscurity of the persona in question.
At 3rd level, the trouper may select personas of a different race that himself, though such personas must still be of the trouper’s same size and general body type. At 5th level, the trouper may select personas of a gender opposite of his own.
A trouper may assume the role of a persona once per day. At 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th levels, he gains an additional use of this ability each day.
Superior Acting (Su): As a trouper advances, his acting abilities reach extraordinary levels, allowing him to use skills which his personas would possess, which he would normally lack. At 2nd level, the trouper may select one specific feat for each persona he possesses. The selected feat must be appropriate for the designated persona. When the trouper assumes the role of that persona, he gains the chosen feat as a bonus feat. Once chosen, this feat may not be changed. When he abandons the persona, the trouper loses access to this bonus feat.At 4th level, the trouper may select two ability scores for each of his personas; whenever the trouper is acting out that persona’s role, he treats the selected ability scores as if they were each 2 points higher than normal. The ability scores chosen must be appropriate for the designated persona. Once chosen, these ability scores may not be changed. When he abandons the persona, the trouper’s ability scores return to normal.
At 6th level, the trouper may choose a class ability and apply it to a persona. The class ability selected must be appropriate for the designated persona. Once chosen, the persona’s class ability may not be changed. When the trouper abandons the persona, he loses access to the persona’s class ability. The persona may select one class ability from the following list for each persona he possesses: Cleric Spellcasting (see below), Druid Spellcasting (see below), Evasion, Favored Enemy (select enemy, +2 bonus), Fighter Feat (from the bonus fighter feat list), Monk Strike (Improved Unarmed Attack, base unarmed attack damage 1d8 Medium, 1d6 Small), Rage (1/day), Smite Alignment (Chaos, Evil, Good, or Law, 1/day), Sneak Attack (+3d6), Sorcerer Spellcasting (see below), Track, Turn or Rebuke Undead (1/day), Uncanny Dodge, or Wild Shape (same size, 1/day).
If the trouper selects a spellcasting ability for his persona, he uses the following table to determine spells known by the persona and number of spells allowed per day. All of a persona’s spells are cast spontaneously, and use the trouper’s Charisma modifier to determine spell save DC. Personas do not gain bonus spells for high Charisma. A persona may select any spells on the appropriate class list as spells known; once selected, these spells cannot be changed. Spells known must be appropriate to the persona.
Class Level Spells Known Spells per Day 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 6 2 - - - 3 - - - 7 3 1 - - 4 2 - - 8 4 2 1 - 5 3 2 - 9 4 3 2 1 5 4 3 2 10 5 4 3 2 6 5 4 3
Death Scene (Ex): A master trouper of 8th level or higher has enacted countless death scenes, and knows how to make even the most unbelievable death seem real. Once per day, when he would normally be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, the trouper may attempt to fake his own death. To use this ability, the trouper must attempt a Perform (acting) check with a DC equal to the damage dealt. If the check succeeds, the trouper takes only half damage from the attack, but pretends to be killed, falling prone.Creatures witnessing the trouper’s performance may attempt Sense Motive checks against a DC equal to the trouper’s previous Perform (acting) check to reduce the damage. Success indicates that the creature sees through the trouper’s act, while failure results in the creature believing the trouper to be dead. While ‘dead’, the trouper may take action as normal, but nearby creatures may attempt Spot checks to notice his actions, as appropriate. In general, the trouper must remain prone and relatively motionless and silent to continue his act of death.
A trouper may, however, stand up and pretend to be an undead creature following his death. As he does so, the trouper makes a Perform (acting) check opposed by the Sense Motive checks of any nearby creatures, who receive a +10 bonus on their checks. Successful Sense Motive checks pierce the trouper’s deception, but failed checks result in the creatures responding to the trouper as they would an undead creature, possibly fleeing from battle.
The trouper must be aware of an attack and able to react to it in order to execute his death scene ability – if he is denied his Dexterity bonus to AC, he cannot use this ability. This ability functions only against intelligent creatures, and may not be useful against certain creatures; a hungry animal attacking the trouper, for instance, may simply attempt to eat a trouper who has performed a death scene.
Legendary Actor (Ex): A master trouper who has reached 10th level has become a legend in his own time, and fans across Migdalia eagerly anticipate his next performance. Such mastery of his personas has a drawback, however; the trouper’s personas begin to slip into his daily activities, and he finds himself slipping into different characters unintentionally. The trouper gains the “Shapechanger” subtype, and may add half his class level to all Bluff, Disguise, and Perform checks he makes. Divination spells or abilities now reveal the trouper to actually be the persona whose role he is playing, rather than his actual self.Additionally, the maximum number of personas a trouper may possess is doubled.
Back to Skill-Based Classes
Back to Prestige Classes
Migdalia Home
