The society mind grants a unique perspective for psionic manifesters, granting them the ability to augment their allies in a variety of ways and to share abilities over vast distances. Yet, they are also able to forcibly add members to their network, affecting those who might instead harm or hinder the society mind and his allies. For some society minds, this ability to manipulate others is better than any drug or other pleasure. Some take their soulbinding gaze to heights most society minds can only dream of; these are the soulbinders.
Becoming A Soulbinder:
Most society minds seek to use their psionic ability to enhance their companions; to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. Yet others feel that they should have a more active role in the network. As a soulbinder makes extensive use of his soulbinding gaze, only society minds may become soulbinders. Multiclass society minds, particularly those with a knack for subterfuge, such as those with levels in rogue, may also find the mantle of a soulbinder fitting.
Entry Requirements:
To qualify to become a soulbinder, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Skills: Intimidate 4 ranks, Knowledge (Psionics) 8 ranks, Psicraft 8 ranks
Feats: Iron Will, Persuasive
Psionics: Ability to manifest 3rd level powers
Special: Worldthought Network and Soulbinding Gaze class features
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Hit Dice: d6
Class Skills:
The soulbinder’s class skills are Autohypnosis, Bluff, Craft, Concentration, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (Local), Knowledge (Psionics), Listen, Profession, Psicraft, Sense Motive, Speak Language. Skill Points per Level: (2 + INT)
Class Features:
The soulbinder’s true power is within his soulbinding gaze. As such, much of his time is spent learning about and developing this ability. All of the following are class features of the soulbinder.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Soulbinders gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies
Manifesting: At every level indicated, the character gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if he had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that he adds the level of soulbinder to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, and then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly. If a character had more than one manifesting class before he became a soulbinder, he must decide to which class he adds the new level of soulbinder for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.
Intensified Gaze (Su): Every soulbinder learns how to target the soulbinding gaze on a single creature, focusing his willpower to make it difficult for the creature to resist. If the soulbinder uses his soulbinding gaze on a single target instead of a group of targets, the Will save DC is 10 + society mind class levels + soulbinder class levels + the soulbinder’s Charisma modifier.
Soulbinding Gaze (Su): A soulbinder’s class levels are counted as levels in society mind for calculating the save DC of his soulbinding gaze class feature.
Worldthought Network (Su): A soulbinder’s class levels count as society mind class levels for his worldthought network class feature.
Intimidating Demeanor (Ex): Masters of enforcing their will on others, at 2nd level, the soulbinder gains a +2 bonus to Intimidate checks. This bonus increases by 2 every three levels thereafter (+4 at 5th level, +6 at 8th level).
Extended Soulbind (Su): As a soulbinder gains in expertise, his soulbinding gaze becomes harder for creatures to break. At 3rd level, creatures caught in a soulbinder’s worldthought network against their will may only attempt to break from the network each minute instead of each round. At 8th level, the time between attempts increases to one hour.
Subconscious Gaze (Su): At 4th level, the soulbinder’s soulbinding gaze improves dramatically, working off of the same subconscious connections that provide his powers. When he uses his soulbinding gaze, he may choose to expend his psionic focus. If he does so, it is not treated as a mind-affecting effect, and can affect any creature with an Intelligence score. However, the subconscious mind naturally resists being linked to others, and the DC against the soulbinding gaze is reduced by 5 (to a total of 5 + half class level + the soulbinder’s Charisma modifier). If the soulbinder already has or gains subconscious gaze from another class, he no longer has to expend psionic focus to use subconscious gaze and the save DC is not lowered.
Dominating Thoughts (Ex): Experienced soulbinders learn to exert their will over those within their worldthought network. At 6th level, the soulbinder adds psionic dominate to his list of powers known as a power with the network descriptor, but he can only use it on members of his worldthought network added through the use of soulbinding gaze. If the soulbinder later learns psionic dominate through standard methods, he can use it normally or through his worldthought network on unwilling members.
Insight of the Soul (Ex): As soulbinders gain in experience, they learn how to use their soulbinding gaze more effectively. At 7th level, a soulbinder gains a +1 insight bonus to the save DC of his soulbinding gaze.
Thieving Connection (Su): By the time a soulbinder reaches 9th level, he has discovered how to tap into the psionic ability of those within his worldthought network. As a standard action, he may attempt to borrow a psi-like ability from a member of his worldthought network. The target may attempt to block this theft with a successful Will save (DC 10 + class level + the soulbinder’s Charisma modifier). On a failed save, the target loses access to the psi-like ability while the soulbinder gains access. A soulbinder may only gain one psi-like ability from his worldthought network in this manner at any time. The soulbinder is limited in using borrowed psi-like abilities in this fashion a total number of times per day equal to half his class level + his Charisma modifier, although he may not use any single borrowed ability more times per day than the creature would normally be capable. Access to the borrowed ability lasts a number of rounds equal to the soulbinder’s class level. Psi-like abilities borrowed in this fashion are treated as if the manifester level was equal to the soulbinder’s manifester level. The save DCs of borrowed psi-like abilities are Charisma-based.
Bound Soul (Su): The epitome of the soulbinder’s repertoire is when he can not only force an unwilling creature into his worldthought network, but when he can bind the very soul of the creature to his own psyche. At 10th level, a soulbinder may attempt to use his soulbinding gaze on a creature to bind the creature’s soul to his psyche. If the creature fails the save, the soulbinder always treats that creature as if it was an unwilling creature in his worldthought network, so long as the creature is alive. The creature does not get any subsequent attempts to break out of the soulbinder’s worldthought network. Effects that render the target immune to mind-affecting effects or effects such as bend reality, reality revision, or death break the connection. If a soulbinder used his subconscious gaze to add a bound soul, even effects that negate mind-affecting effects do not remove the target from the soulbinder’s network. Even if the creature is beyond the soulbinder’s network range, he still treats the creature as if it is in range, with all benefits associated. In addition, the creature does not count against the limit of creatures in the soulbinder’s worldthought network. A soulbinder may not bind more creatures’ souls in this fashion than half his Charisma modifier (minimum 1). As a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, the soulbinder may switch a bound soul to a normal member of his worldthought network. He may not exceed his normal limit by removing that creature from his list of bound souls.
