Revision as of 09:42, 5 October 2009

Mimic

Gogo, iconic mimic

"Anything you can do, I can do better."

Sometimes, the best thing to do has already been done. This is the stratagem of the mimic: rather than develop a suite of abilities of her own, she mimics the abilities of those around her.

Adventures: For the mimic, life is an adventure. While she has hobbies, skills, and goals of her own, a mimic is often in a state of near-perpetual awe regarding the world around her. An adventuring mimic is one who has grown tired of the sights of wherever she hails from, and seeks new and exciting experiences.

Characteristics: Mimics are often intensely curious creatures, seeking to understand the world around them even as they copy nearly perfectly what is happening in that world. Akashics are too withdrawn and distant from their subjects of study, learners are too martially-driven to really put much thought into their abilities, and trainers only make use of the Blue by a technicality; mimics, however, are right in the thick of the creation of memory, and deal with it while it is still fresh. Despite being tied to the world memory, they are more interested in the now than the past.

Ethos: Mimics usually straddle the line between Blue and Red ethoi, favoring the thinking and curiosity of blue beliefs while also holding creativity and freedom to be paramount virtues. Like almost all users of world memory, mimics' beliefs are often tinged White, believing in order. In terms of beliefs, mimics have more in common with anarchs than akashics.

Religion: Coming soon...

Background: Coming soon...

Races: Any race with a penchant for curiosity has potential to give rise to mimics; moogles in close proximity to gnomes, in particular, are more likely than most to look to the path of the mimic. As with most classes, almost any race in existence has the potential to give rise to mimics, given the right circumstances.

Other Classes: Despite their Force alignments clashing, mimics often get along swimmingly with anarchs; oftentimes the philosophical opposition is abstract and removed enough that members of the two classes can work in tandem. Surprisingly, mimics do not get along well with most other members of their Force, primarily due to the other classes heavy into memetics are too far removed from the present for the mimic's taste. In general, mimics prefer their companions to be as varied as possible, to better experience more and different things more readily; as such, mimics tend to be welcoming to almost anyone.

Role: A mimic is limited to what the creatures and people around her are capable of; on her own, a mimic is almost completely without skills. Provided she has companions, however, the mimic is able to fulfill any role her companions can fill, though perhaps not as well. The saying "jack of all trades, master of none" almost certainly applies to the mimic.

Game Rule Information

Mimics have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Blue.

Force Resistances: TO 5 + level, CO 5 + level.

Abilities: All ability scores are important to a mimic; however, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma improve her memetics, allowing her to mimic more, longer, and better.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills: The mimic's class skills are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Disguise (Cha), Listen (Per), Mimic Voice (Cha), Perform (Cha), Read/Write Language, Search (Per), Speak Language, and Spot (Per).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Age: Moderate.

Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10gp.

Favored By: None.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the mimic.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A mimic is proficient with simple weapons and light armor, but not shields.

Memetics (Me): As with all classes aligned with the Blue, the mimic utilizies memetics. Unlike other Blue-aligned classes, however, the mimic is much more active in her usage of memes; whereas other classes pull deep from the world memory, mimics' talents lie in utilizing just-formed memories.

Active Memes (Me): A mimic's active memes are those she learns through her class features.

At the end of each of her turns, a mimic's active memes are flushed.

You gain additional active meme slots equal to your Wisdom modifier.

Action Mimic (Me): Whenever an action is taken, the mimic may - as a non-action - declare the action as an active meme. If she does so, she records the type of action and what d20 rolls were made, as well as their modifiers.

If she takes the action, she uses the exact same modifiers for any d20 rolls involved that the original action used. Rolls made that are independent of the origin of the action - such as equipment - are informed by the mimic's equipment and independent effects, rather than the origin.

Example: A creature makes an attack with a masterwork greatsword, which the mimic - who is wielding a +2 longsword - uses action mimic on. The creature has a +4 attack roll. The mimic can make an attack with her weapon at +5 to attack (+3 from the creature's own attack roll, +2 from her own sword), but uses her normal damage bonuses.

This ability allows the mimic to use skills and feats she otherwise does not possess or meet the prerequisites for. If a mimic uses this ability to copy the use of a Force ability, she uses one-half her mimic level (round down, minimum one) as the Force-user level, and uses her own ability scores to set the saving throw DC.

If the mimic has insufficient active meme slots open, she may flush an active meme slot and fill it with the new action.

Mimic Save (Me): At third level, the mimic can mimic the saving throw of another creature, if she is affected by the same effect. As an immediate action, she can use an active meme slot to make a saving throw with the same bonus as the mimicked creature; the active meme slot is then flushed.

If the character in question benefits from an ability that improves their saves in some fashion, such as evasion, the mimic enjoys the benefit of that ability for a mimicked save.

Belief-Space (Me): Beginning at fifth level, a mimic can begin fully imitating the abilities of those around her. At the beginning of each day, she may gain a "virtual level" for every belief-space she has open; this virtual level gives her the class features of the first level of any one base class. A creature must be present who has at least as many levels in the class as she desires virtual levels, and must remain present for at least an hour, during which the mimic studies the creature.

A mimic can, if she has enough belief-space, acquire multiple virtual levels in a class. She must invest one belief-space in a class for each virtual level she desires.

If you gain virtual levels in a class that grants access to Force abilities (such as spells or memes), you must select them from the Force abilities the creature you are imitating the class from can access.

If you have a Charisma modifier, you gain an additional belief-space at seventh level and every two levels after, until you have bonus belief-space equal to your Charisma modifier.

Memory (Me): Beginning at fifth level, a mimic has become sufficiently advanced in her understanding of the Blue to begin investing part of herself and her memory into the abilities she mimics.

As a free action, a mimic can assign her memory to her active memes. If she does so, gain one of the following benefits: she gains a +1 insight bonus to any d20 roll involved in the active meme; or, she gains a +1 bonus to her effective caster level when using a Force ability. A mimic can only invest memory into an active meme equal to her mimic level.

You gain additional memory equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Movement Mimic (Me): At seventh level, the mimic may copy the movements of a creature. As an immediate action, in response to a creature moving, she may move the same number of squares in the same direction, provided that she can traverse the terrain she covers and can end her movement in the final square.

For Large and larger creatures, use the creature's center point to determine how the mimic moves.

Example: A creature moves two squares northeast and one square east. The mimic can move two squares northeast and one square east, even if the mimic cannot normally move that far, and provided she can move through those squares end her turn in that square.

This movement is concurrent with the original action; that is, each time the origin of the effect moves a square, the mimic moves a square, as well, until the move action is finished. As such, the mimic nor the original creature provoke attacks of opportunity from each other for moving through or out of threatened squares.

Using this ability requires an open active meme slot, which is flushed after the movement action. If a mimic uses this ability, she cannot use an action to move on her next turn.

Mimic Talent: At 10th level and every two levels thereafter, the mimic gains a deeper understanding of the ways of mimicry. Choose one of the abilities below.

• Act the Part (Me): When the mimic is using the Bluff, Disguise, and/or Mimic Voice skills to imitate another person, creatures who use supernatural means to attempt to identify her must make a level check with DC 10 + mimic level. If the check succeeds, the means used identify the mimic correctly; otherwise, they identify the mimic as the individual she is imitating (if the ability in question is Chaos- or Time-aligned, the Force-user must also make a Force-user check to overcome the mimic's CO or TO).
• Counter Mimic (Me): When the mimic is the target of an attack or other ability, she may - as an attack of opportunity, after the ability is resolved - use an active meme to mimic the ability (as per action mimic) and use it against the origin of the ability. The active meme slot is then flushed.
  • Final Mimic (Me): When the mimic is the target of an attack or other ability that drops her below 0 hit points, she may - as an attack of opportunity, after the ability is resolved - use an active meme to mimic the ability (as per action mimic) and use it against the origin of the ability. The active meme slot is then flushed, and the mimic falls unconscious and/or dies. (Prerequisites: Counter Mimic)
• Extended Memory (Me): When the mimic's active memes would be flushed, she may invest memory into them to avoid this. At the end of each of her turns, if she invests a point of memory into a meme, it is not flushed that round; this is cumulative. If she frees up the memory invested in an active meme for this purpose, the slot is immediately flushed.
• Mimic Mastery (Me): When the mimic acquires an action as an active meme, she may use the original rolls for the action rather than make her own.
  • Mirror Mimic (Me): The mimic may, rather than select a single action taken by a creature, choose to mimic a creature's entire turn. Declaring a usage of mirror mimic is an immediate action, and requires the mimic to use all of her active meme slots to do so; on her turn, the mimic must perform the exact same actions in the exact same order. She uses the exact same results the original creature had for any rolls. If she takes an action that the creature did not perform, her turn immediately ends after the resolution of that action. (Prerequisites: Mimic Mastery)
• Mimic Subconscious (Me): Whenever a creature attempts to detect the mimic's mental state, such as reading her alignment, thoughts, or emotions, the mimic subconsciously and automatically mimics the detector's alignment, thoughts, or emotions, for the duration of the effect; the detector may make a caster or equivalent level check against DC 10 + mimic level, with success indicating that they see through the ruse and can read the mimic's mind normally (if the ability in question is Chaos- or Time-aligned, the Force-user must also make a Force-user check to overcome the mimic's CO or TO).
  • Anonymity (Me): The mimic has become adept at hiding herself, making her mind and temporal signature resemble the world around her through mimickry, and is no longer detectable through supernatural means. She becomes immune to any ability that would detect her presence; this ability only affects the mimic and her possessions. Chaos- or Time-aligned Force-users who attempt to detect the mimic may attempt to overcome the mimic's CO or TO and ignore this ability for the duration of a single effect. A mimic can suppress or resume this ability at will. (Prerequisites: Mimic Subconscious)
• Photographic Reflexes (Me): Whenever an action is taken, the mimic may - as an immediate action - use an active meme to mimic the ability (as per action mimic) and use it; the mimic's action happens after the initial action. The active meme slot is then flushed.
  • Concurrent Mimic (Me): When the mimic uses her photographic reflexes ability, the actions are resolved simultaneously. (Prerequisites: Photographic Reflexes)
• Feat: A mimic may take a bonus feat in place of a mimic talent.

Design Notes

In terms of memetics, I envision the mimic using belief-space to acquire class features, and memory to power them. Active memes would be actions taken...