Complete Scoundrel

CHAPTER 1Scoundrels ofAll Types20For a psychic warrior, ardent, or divine mind, two levelsof ninja provide a good array of stealth-based skills, theability to turn invisible, and the ability to add your bonusfrom Wisdom (likely one of your higher ability scores)to AC.As Charisma-based manifesters, the wilder and the lurkbenefit from picking up a level in a class with Charismabasedskills; either rogue or bard is a good choice. Thespellthief is another interesting option, particularly ifyou also select the Psithief feat (page 80).Best Prestige Classes: The shadowmind (CompleteAdventurer) is ideal for the psionic scoundrel focusingon stealth. The ebon saint (Complete Psionic) fits well for ascoundrel willing to dedicate himself to a cause. Psionicscoundrels with no regard for personal freedoms find thethrallherd (Expanded Psionic Handbook) ideal, though suchcharacters might drift over time from being scoundrelsto near-warlords.Variant Options: Though most consider the soulknifea psionic character, the class actually has very little incommon with others of that ilk. A soulknife scoundrelfunctions best either as an acrobatic, swashbucklingrascal—with ranks in Climb, Jump, and Tumble and featsto match—or as a master of stealth, focusing on Hide,Listen, Move Silently, and Spot. See the acrobatic andstealthy scoundrel archetypes in this chapter for moreadvice.RingmasterThe ringmaster forms a menagerie of useful and helpfulanimals, which she uses as spies, scouts, thieves, and—inextreme cases—murderers. She trusts their ubiquitousand nonthreatening presence to put them into placesshe cannot reach. Taken to the extreme, the ringmastercares little for her fellow humanoids.Personality: Often an extreme introvert, you findbetter companionship and more meaningful relationshipswith animals than with people. You can dispassionatelywatch a fellow humanoid writhe in pain before finallydying, but you rage and weep when seeing the smallestwound on an animal. Not all ringmasters are so antisocial,but all share at least a little of this bizarre trait.Strengths: As the head of an organization of sorts, youplace multiple layers of separation between yourself andwhatever crime or con you devise. Often cunning andcharismatic (more around animals than people), you are astrong planner and a loyal friend. Because of your menagerie,you can perform (or rather, orchestrate) a number ofdifferent tasks simultaneously. Your wide network givesyou dozens, if not hundreds, of informants.Weaknesses: Alone, a ringmaster is weak. You can dovery little when separated from your animal servitors.Best Classes: Those classes with abilities aimed atanimals, such as druids and rangers, make the bestringmasters. The druid’s animal companion is tougherthan a ranger’s, and druids have more access to animalaffectingspells, although the ranger has a wider choiceof skills.Best Skills: Handle Animal and Ride are, not surprisingly,the best skills for a ringmaster. You shouldmaintain them at the maximum ranks possible, even ifyou multiclass. Of only slightly less importance, Knowledge(nature) allows you to identify new animals and todiscern which kinds might be common (and thereforeunobtrusive) in any given setting.Best Skill Tricks: Most skill tricks don’t apply to yourarea of expertise, but a few can come in handy.Clarity of Vision: This trick lets you pinpoint invisibleenemies, saving your animal friends the actions neededto track them down.Dismount Attack: If you ride a mount, this trick lets youdeliver a potent charge.Healing Hands: Sometimes you’ll want to save yourprecious cure wounds spells for more important tasks.Best Feats: These feats are optimal choices for aringmaster.Augment Summoning: When you summon a menagerieof helpers, they should be the best.Companion Spellbond (PH II): Keep your animal companionalive and bolster it with spells that improve itssurvivability and help it avoid detection.Natural Bond (Complete Adventurer): This feat is especiallyimportant for rangers or multiclass ringmasters,because it gives you the most powerful animal companionpossible.Best Spells: Ringmasters are druids or rangers (possiblymulticlass), or at least have some connection withnature through a class or prestige class feature. All thesummon nature’s ally spells are automatically recommended.In addition to those nine, the following spellsare particularly useful and important. Keep in mind thatyour class choice might prohibit some options. All spellsappear in the Player’s Handbook unless otherwise noted.0—naturewatch (Complete Divine): As a ringmaster, youare always concerned about the welfare of your animals,and this spell lets you know in a moment the conditionof each.1st—speak with animals: This is the core spell of the ringmasterarchetype. Use it to instruct your menagerie.2nd—reduce animal: This spell increases your optionson a vast scale. You can sneak an animal into a securelocation, bring along a trusted companion too largeto otherwise fit (such as a horse in a dungeon), send aTiny scout into a place too small for it to fit normally,and so on.3rd—dominate animal: Sometimes you need an animalto perform an action exactly, with no mistakes. Whencommunicating simple concepts fails, this spell succeeds.