first draught of the Bounto Puppeteer.
warning: much of this was written at 5am when my insomnia was playing up. it made sense to me then, I can't promise it will to you
also, not to sure about the balance of it all atm, but what the heck, puppetmasters are fun
Bounto PuppeteerEntry Requirements:feats: Leadership
Skills: Perform (puppet show) 8 ranks, Sleight of hand 8 ranks
Special: Must have a doll (not a bitto
)
The puppeteer is an unusual bount. Rather than finding the source of their power in one doll, the puppeteer instead controls a vast number of dolls, each one unique and different. The puppeteer prefers to find themselves in control of the situation, and by advancing their control over the dolls, they eventually learn that everything and anything can be made into a doll in the right hands.
Hit Dice: As base class
Skills: As base class
Level | Benefit |
1 | Puppet Play, Puppeteer's Poise. |
2 | Improved Puppets |
3 | Bonus Doll Ability |
4 | Stage Magic, Carnival Play |
5 | Improved Puppets |
6 | Bonus Doll Ability |
7 | Marionette Play |
8 | Improved Puppets |
9 | Bonus Doll Ability |
10 | Diabolical Puppet Show |
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: The puppeteer gains no new weapon or armour proficiencies.
Puppet Play: The Signature ability of the puppeteer is the ability to command multiple individual dolls at one time, using this carnival to both expand their effectiveness and cover their weaknesses. The dolls a puppeteer commands are often incredibly varied between each other, coming in a garish riot of shapes and colours.
At 1st level, the puppeteer gains the ability to create a number of puppets, following the rules outlined below
- The Puppeteer must have at least two dolls. Each doll must have at least one ability and one feat.
- the puppeteer gains a pool of doll abilities equal to the number of abilities her doll possesses when she takes her first level of puppeteer (including any extras etc) . This pool of abilities can be distributed in any amount between as many puppets as the puppeteer wishes. Whenever the Main doll gains an ability through the bount class (not feats etc), the puppeteer’s ability pool is increased by the same amount, and she can freely allocate these new abilities between her puppets
- The puppets have the same total number of feats as the Bounto's main doll, though these to can be distributed as she likes.
- Each Puppet has a total HP equal to the Dolls divided by the number of puppets.
- Each puppet has it's own strong and poor saves.
- Each Puppet has the same base attack bonus and attributes as the main doll.
- Each Puppet has it's own skills. The puppets have four class skills, and gain 4 skill points per level + int.
Unlike a normal doll, the puppets are not fully sentient. If the Bounto is ever more than (class level * 100) ft away from their puppets, they fall inert. The Bounto always know where their dolls are. As long as the Puppet is active, the bounto can communicate telepathically with her puppets.
For abilities such as Bount Defence, the bounto uses the closest puppet.
The Bounto still possesses her main doll, and this is the source of power for these puppets. When summoning her doll, the Puppeteer chooses whether to summon the main doll or the puppets. She cannot have both of them summoned at once, but she can gain any other benefit from the doll
Creating these puppets takes 24 hours of peace. The bounto can remake her puppets once a week. The destruction of these puppets does not have the same effect on the bount as the destruction of her main doll.
Puppeteer's Poise: Whereas most Bount fight alongside their puppets on the front lines, the Puppeteer much prefers to expend her abilities to bolster her dolls prowess than engage the enemy directly.
From 1st level, as a standard action, the puppeteer can activate this ability. Maintaining Puppeteer's Poise requires a standard action, but nothing else. Whilst the bounto maintains her poise, any of her dolls can activate her abilities that bolster their attributes or abilities (such as Bolster the attack).
The Puppeteer can act as a conduit to her dolls. She can share spells (see wizard/familiar) with any doll that is in her range
Finally, the Puppeteer can expend spiritual energy to support her dolls and help them overcome their limitations. She may pay 5 sep to have a doll of her choice ignore any penalties to
their attributes. This is a free action.
Improved Puppets: At 2nd level, and every 3 levels thereafter, the Puppeteer’s puppets become stronger. Her Doll Ability pool increases by 1. This new ability can be allocated immediately.
Extra Doll Ability: At 3rd level, and every 3 levels thereafter, her doll gains another doll ability. This counts towards her doll ability pool.
Stage Magic: Every good Puppeteer knows the value of showmanship and sleight of hand, and just because her puppets are slightly alive and contain souls doesn't mean the puppeteer has forgotten this lesson for her own performances. At 4th level, the puppeteer can expend x sep to swap places with any of her puppets or her doll, or have any of her puppets swap places. This is a swift action.
Carnival Play: Every good show has it's actors, and the Puppeteer knows which of her dolls can fill each role perfectly. From 4th level and onwards, the Puppeteer gains a number of
roles she can assign to her dolls when she summons them. Each role can only be filled by one doll, save the role of the
Pirouette, which can be occupied by any number of dolls.
- Ringmaster: A role most commonly filled by the main doll, the Ringmaster has the ability to temporarily access any abilities of it's compatriots. The Doll gains the ability to temporarily activate the abilities of the Puppet's for itself, so long as the ability does not have a prerequisite. It takes a swift action to obtain an ability, and this lasts for as long as the doll chooses to maintain the ability. The doll can only borrow one ability at a time, though it does not need to borrow an ability from a summoned doll. The other doll cannot use the ability whilst it is being borrowed. This costs x sep.
- Harlequin: The harlequin is the Motley clown, mischievous yet honest, witty yet dumb, the Harlequin capers throughout the show, ever laughing, stick ready. The Harlequin can swap places with the other puppets or the Bount as a swift action that does not provoke an attack of oportunity during it's own turn. This does not cost SEP, as the Stage Magic ability does
- Clown: The clown is an avatar of chaos and madness, who's very presence unnerves those right of mind.* The Doll has a frightful presence with a DC of (10 + ½ level). A creature that passes it's save again the clowns frightful presence does not need to test again for another 24 hours
- Fire Eater: The fire eater lives up to it's name, consuming the flames thrown at it, before consuming them and turning them against their former master. Whenever the Fire Eater is struck by an attack that allows a reflex save, they may elect to automatically fail the save. If they do so, and they survive the hit, they may duplicate the attack as an imitate action against the original user.
- Pirouette: Clad in black and white, the Pirouette's dance in an enchanting sight. The Pirouette is the youngest actor in the troupe, waiting in the wings to take their place. If another Doll is destroyed, the nearest Pirouette can take their role in the show.
Marionette Play: The puppeteer is skilled in making their own dolls dance as they will, why would others be any more difficult? By manipulating their targets spiritual power though string of their own, the Puppeteer adds a new toy to their collection.
From 7th level onwards, the Puppeteer can attempt to temporarily turn anyone nearby into a puppet. This is a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The puppeteer chooses one creature within (30 + level * 5) ft to try and control. This creature must be within one size category of the Puppeteer, and have some spiritual power to manipulate for the control to work. The target is entitled to a will save with a DC of (10 + ½ character level + reitsu modifier) to resist the control. Any victim receive a +2 Untyped bonus to resist further attempts to control them, regardless of the result of the save.
If the target fails, then the Puppeteer can control their actions. They can access any of their puppets abilities at the same consistency as the puppet themselves, though they must use their own SEP to activate abilities. The Puppeteer can effect these new puppets with the Carnival Play and Stage Magic abilities, as well as any other ability they possess which effects their puppets. They automatically receive the Pirouette role. The victim is still capable of performing purely mental abilities, as it's mind is still under it's control. Unless the Puppeteer purposely stops them, the subject can still talk. The Puppeteer cannot force their puppet to do something to harm themselves, though they can otherwise force any action out of them.
The Puppeteer can use any ability they could use on their puppets on this temporary doll, including bount defence (see below). This includes the telepathy.
To maintain this control, the temporary puppet must remain within the Puppeteer's control range for their normal puppets. It requires a concentration test to control someone who is resisting, with a DC equal to 10 + the puppets character level, which must be made once a minute. If the Bount is not rushed or hurried, the control test is only needed once per hour.
If the character suffers damage, or anything else that would impair their concentration, they must test again, with the DC increased by the amount of damage suffered/same dc change as spell casting for impairment. Whenever they would force the bount to do something specifically to harm themselves (such as jump in the way of an attack with Bount Defence) they are required to make a control test with the DC increased by 5.
If they fail the concentration test Maintaining control of a puppet this way is a standard action, which is reduced to a swift action when using Puppeteer Pose.
The Puppeteer can only use this ability on one creature at once. They can dismiss the link as a free action, however. If the controlled creature ever looses access to it's own spiritual power, for example running out of SEP or entering an anti-kido zone, then the control immediately ends.
The Puppeteer can also target a willing creature with this ability. In this case, the creature still gains the benefits of the link, but no control test is needed to maintain the link. In this case, the controlled creature can use it's own SEP or the bounto's for abilities (discuss with the controller before stealing their SEP). The creature is still limited by their normal SEP limit per turn.
Lastly, this control can be used on an unconscious creature so long as it possesses spiritual power. The creature is automatically controlled, and no control test is needed to maintain this control, however, the controller cannot access any of the creatures activated abilities (only it's basic stat-line and natural attacks). If the creature becomes conscious, it is entitled to an immediate will save to resist the control or be caught as a normal doll. If the creature does not wake up during it's control, it does not gain the bonus to will saves to resist further control.
Diabolical Puppet Show: the Puppeteer has finnaly perfected her performance, and she can bring as many would-be performers into the show as she wills, or permanently whisk away one lucky hopeful for a life in show-business.
At 10th level, the Puppeteer's control becomes much more focused, and much more varied. There is no upper limit to the number of creatures she can control with her Marionette play ability, though it only takes one standard action to maintain control. Her dolls gain the ability to ensnare new victims (as the Marionette play ability), but only the bount herself or one doll may use this ability per round.
The Puppeteer can also attempt to permanently add a puppet to their collection after ensnaring it. If they can maintain control of the victim for 24 hours, then the puppeteer can attempt a ritual once per day to take full control of their temporary doll. This ritual costs all of the Bounto's remaining SEP. The bount and her must make an opposed will test. If the victim wins, then the Puppeteer must make a control test, with the DC increased by the amount they lost the opposed will test by. If they succeed, then the victim is add to their doll collection. They can immediately reassign the abilities from their doll pool. The victim retains all of their previous abilities, but no longer gains experience. It levels at the same rate as one of the bounto's puppets instead. The victim retains their full personality, memories and mind, but are permanently unable to actively harm the bount, or disobey an order from them. They are treated in all respects like a doll. The Bounto can choose to free her doll at any time. If the bounto wishes to add another puppet to her collection in this way, she must free the previous puppet
The Bounto can instead choose to merge her main doll with the victim if they win the ritual. The victim immediately gains all of the doll powers of the main doll and any doll feats it possessed. The victim does not gain any other feats the doll may have had access to, nor does she gain any skills the doll had. It uses the highest out of the doll and the victim for her new attributes, as well as the highest hit point totals. From then on, the merged creature uses either her previous hit dice or the dolls, whichever where higher. The merged creature's appearance and personality change to an amalgamation of the base creature and the doll. The base creature gains the outsider type, with her previous types becoming sub-types. For every two levels thereafter the bount gains, their doll gains one level in its previous class before being taken over.
The Bounto is entierly unable to merge with the new doll, and the new doll cannot be merged with another victim, as it is already merged with something else. The doll retains it's weapon form ability (if it possesses one), but the weapon manifest differently; the combined doll looses all of it's doll abilities, but instead wields the weapon. If it had a weapon before (zanpakuto/fullbring etc) then it wields a weapon with the abilities and properties of both, as well as the highest damage and critical threat range/damage.
This new doll retains all the memories of both creatures, though the mind of the victim is more dominant. It must obey all orders from the bount, and cannot willingly harm the bount. Unlike a normal doll, this creature does not have a sealed form, though she can be summoned in the same way. If this new doll dies, then it is dead, not just broken, though it can be raised like a character. There is no way to undo this merger once it has occurred. This complete merger takes up the Bounto's cohort slot.
*Clowns are creepy, oh so creepy... Roles are based of a combination of classic Harliquinade and modern circus, so yes, a harlequin is different from a standard clown
and an alternate class table if this current one proves a little overpowering/boring. Abilites are obtained earlier but less bonus doll abilities:
Level | Benefit |
1 | Puppet Play, Puppeteer's Poise |
2 | Improved Puppets |
3 | Carnival Play |
4 | Stage Magic |
5 | Bonus Doll ability |
6 | Marionette Play |
7 | Improved Puppets |
8 | Diabolical Puppet Show |
9 | Bonus Doll Ability |
10 | Improved Puppets |