Fixer
When people are facing problems they cannot handle, you are the person who finds a way through the mess. When subtlety and discretion are required, you supply that in spades. When you need to slip in and then out of a situation without being recognized, no problem. You may be called on to speak publicly to represent someone else, or you may be undercover and unknown to all. Threats, blackmail, abuse, criminality -- some fixers solve those kinds of problem; other fixers use those tools as needed. Rescue, assassination, leadership, stealth, spying, and just plain common sense are your specialties.
You help your friends, or your friends of friends, or just maybe anyone with the right amount of coin. You may work for powerful people or the common folk, for a higher purpose or for yourself. Although people have specialized in fixing problems in every culture, the fixer is not a common fantasy trope; you may find it useful to preuse this Wikipedia article on fixers.
Role: Within an adventuring party, some fixers are team captains or guides, leading their parties through whatever it takes to fix the latest snafu. Or you may focus as an individual on fixing the problems your friends make for themselves! Rogues, bards, and rangers -- people with a diversity of useful skills -- make great fixers, but any class can have the wit and gumption to step into the breach when things go wrong.
Requirements: The Universal System tends to offer the Fixer prestige class to characters who have had remarkable experiences ...
- When faced with misadventures, you are the one who works out the solutions.
- You are ready for a range of challenges, from traps to terrain, from fast talking to fast shooting.
- You have an intuition for what makes people tick, and you know how to push their buttons.
- You have a skill for any eventuality, the right piece of gear for each challenge, the smarts to make a plan.
- You have a can-do attitude that others can sense. You exude confidence that you can handle it. And your track record has more wins than losses.
Base Attack Bonus: +0.50 / level.
Caster Level: Similar to +0.75 / level, see below.
Will Save: +0.50 / level.
Fort Save: +0.50 / level.
Reflex Save: +0.50 / level.
Hit Die: d6.
Table: Fixer Advancement Level Base Attack Bonus Caster Level Will Save Fort Save Refx Save Special 1st +0.50 +1.0 +0.50 +0.50 +0.50 Prestige Signature: The Fix Is In 2nd +1.00 +2.0 +1.00 +1.00 +1.00 Discretion or Can-Do 3rd +1.50 +2.0 +1.50 +1.50 +1.50 Surprisingly Skilled or Poisoner 4th +2.00 +3.0 +2.00 +2.00 +2.00 Eidetic Memory or Find Clue 5th +2.50 +4.0 +2.50 +2.50 +2.50 Prestige Tier Choice 6th +3.00 +5.0 +3.00 +3.00 +3.00 Master Signature: Quick Change Artist 7th +3.50 +5.0 +3.50 +3.50 +3.50 Read Minds or Thwart Magical Meddling 8th +4.00 +6.0 +4.00 +4.00 +4.00 Take Initiative or Backstab 9th +4.50 +7.0 +4.50 +4.50 +4.50 Emergency Responder or Short Cut 10th +5.00 +7.5 +5.00 +5.00 +5.00 Master Tier Choice
Skill Proficiencies
The fixer's proficient skills (and the ability scores used to boost each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Chr), Knowledge (all) (Int), Language (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), Use Magic Device (Wis), and Use Rope (Str).
Skill Ranks per Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
You gain no new proficiency with weapons, armor, or shields.
Spells and Spell Casting
Prestige classes do not add the usual fractional increase to caster level each time you advance. Instead, at some levels you add a full caster level, and at other levels you add none. The spell level of fixer spells varies from fixer to fixer -- see these rules on prestige class spell aquisition. When you cast spells gained through this prestige class, those spells are inherent in nature, and they follow the rules for inherent spells. The casting ability score for this prestige class is wisdom, which is used to set fixer spell DCs, and, if it is your highest casting ability score, to set concentration checks and bonus spells per day.
KNOWN SPELLS LIST: When you add a caster level, the spells you add to your known spells list are pre-selected:
- At level 1, add Charm Person and Invisibility.
- At level 2, add Clairaudience/Clairvoyance and Detect Scrying.
- At level 4, add True Seeing and Teleport
- At level 5, add Heart-To-Heart Chat and Antimagic Field.
- At level 6, add Scrying Major and Mislead.
- At level 8, add Lost Legacy and Discern Location.
- At level 9, add Limited Wish and Mind Blank.
- At level 10, add 0.5 to your caster level, and if that results in a whole number caster level increase, choose two spells known from your other class(es).
Class Abilities
PRESTIGE TIER
Level 1 Fixer Prestige Tier Signature Ability: The Fix Is In (Su) Excluding hit dice, you can spend eight lionheart points and "fix" any single die that you are about to roll -- instead of rolling, you declare the numeric result. When you "fix" the result, treat the roll as you declared, so long as the result is within the physically possible range of the die rolled. Each time you reach an even character level after first gaining this ability, reduce the lionheart point cost by one. If you have not used this ability today and you do not have enough lionheart points to do so, you may still use this ablity once, spending all the points you do have, but you cannot use it again for 48 hours.
Level 2 Fixer Prestige Tier Interaction Ability (pick one):
- Discretion (Ex): You can deceive truth-detecting magic. A creature using this sort of magic against you must succeed on a caster level check against a DC of 20 + your fixer class level to succeed (as if you were under the effect of a glibness spell); failure means the magic doesn't detect the your lies or force you to speak only the truth. This ability does not give you the glibness spell's bonus on Bluff checks. In addition, you can alter your alignment aura to deceive spells and SLAs that discern alignment. You may choose to detect as any specific alignment, or to detect as no alignment at all. This ability does not protect against spells or effects that cause harm based on alignment. Masking your alignment aura is a standard action, and lasts until you change it again or end the effect.
- Can-Do (Ex): You have an infectious can-do attitude that impresses others around you. You gain the Expert secondary class's "Expanded Uses of Skills" ability for Gather Information and Diplomacy. If you already have access to one or both of those expanded uses, choose expanded uses for other skills instead.
Level 3 Fixer Prestige Tier Combat Ability (pick one):
- Surprisingly Skilled (Ex): When you use one of the following skill rolls in combat, calculate your modifier as if you had maximum ranks in the skill. Using this skill does not increase the time required to make the roll. You can use this ability for a number of rolls per day equal to your even (Column B) wisdom bonus. No extra time is required to use this ability.
- Bluff used to feint in combat.
- Escape Artist used to escape a grapple.
- Heal used for first aid.
- Intimidate used to demoralize.
- Ride used to fight with a combat-trained mount, to control a mount in battle, or for cover.
- Sleight of Hand used for light or heavy weapon juggling.
- Stealth used while sniping.
- Tactics used to extend aid or attack from higher ground.
- Tumble used for tumbling in combat.
- Poisoner (Ex): You are trained in the crafting and use of poison. You cannot accidentally poison yourself when using or crafting poison.
Level 4 Fixer Prestige Tier Exploration Ability (pick one):
- Eidetic Memory (Ex): You easily remember all manner of details -- faces, texts, words spoken, directions, and so forth -- that you wish to recall. As a player, you can ask the game master for information your character has encountered in the past. In addition, once per day, you can spend a lionheart point and then ask your gamemaster to help your character remember a detail or hint that may help you fix your current problem, even if the game master never revealed that detail to you, the player.
- Find Clue (Ex): When you are using search, survival, or sense motive to find a clue investigating a creature, you can make a skill check vs DC10 plus the levels or hit dice of the target of your investigation. On succes, the game master offers you a clue that sheds light on your current problem or challenge, if such a clue is logically available. You can try again an hour or more later if you fail, but you can use this ability successfully only once per day.
Level 5 Fixer Prestige Tier Choice: Select a Fixer Prestige Tier Interaction, Combat, or Exploration ability that you have not yet chosen, or choose a feat from the Trickster or Sniper Feat Trees for which you qualify, treating your own tier as if it were one step higher.
MASTER TIER
Level 6 Fixer Master Tier Signature Ability: Quick Change Artist (Sp) With a standard action, you can physically polymorph your body and possessions in any way you prefer to assume the shape of another person, similar to the Alter Self spell. However, your ability scores do not change. Your move and vision are replaced with those of your new form, and unlike the spell, your racial weakness and special are also replaced if they are diferent from your original race. If your racial special includes a bonus feat, as for half-elves and humans, then the first time you take that form, pick the feat -- that is the feat you take every time you assume that form. Finally, you gain the ability to speak the new form's racial language as if you were a native speaker; and you can assume the form of a specific individual if you have spent at least one uninterrupted minute in their presence, using a standard action each round to study the person, watch their mannerisms, and listen to their voice. This ability can be used once per day, and it lasts until you revert to your normal form (as a move action), until you are affected by a polymorph effect, or until you use this ability again. Equipment you change reverts one minute after it leaves your possession unless you reclaim it. Magical properties of equipment do not change.
Level 7 Fixer Master Tier Interaction Ability (pick one):
- Read Minds (Sp): You gain the use of the Detect Thoughts spell, which you can activate as a spell-like ablity with a swift action. You can use this ability at will, but only once per target per day. Use your caster level to determine the duration. The will save DC is 9 plus your fixer level plus your odd (Column A) Wisdom modifier (plus any other bonuses granted by other powers). Whether the target saves or fails, it is unaware that it has been affected by this class ability. Note that unlike the spell, you must have line of sight to one target with this ability, you need not concentrate, and you can read surface thoughts starting in the first round.
- Thwart Magical Meddling (Su): You are immune to charm and divination magic, as is any gear in your possession.
Level 8 Fixer Master Tier Combat Ability (pick one):
- Take Initiative (Ex): Once per day, you can declare your initiative to be any number you desire, with no need to roll a die. You can use this ability at the start of a combat, when others are rolling, or at the start of any round of combat, before any creature has taken a turn.
- Backstab (Ex): You make devastating attacks against those who are off balance, especially if they trust you. When you attack a person who is surprised or flat-footed, you gain a +4 insight bonus to attack. Also, your total damage is doubled if the target has an attitude of Indifferent towards you (per the Diplomacy skill); or triple if the target is Friendly; or quadruple if the target is Helpful.
Level 9 Fixer Master Tier Exploration Ability (pick one):
- Emergency Responder (Su): When you need to travel fast in order to get to the scene of a problem, all of your movement rates are quadrupled in speed. If you are mounted or aboard a conveyance, its speed is also quadrupled. Your speed returns to normal once you have arrived.
- Short Cut (Sp): With a standard action, you can target yourself with a Find the Path spell, using twice your fixer level as your caster level. You can use this class ability once per day.
Level 10 Fixer Master Tier Choice: Select a fixer Master or Prestige Tier Interaction, Combat, or Exploration ability that you have not yet chosen, or choose a feat from the Trickster or Sniper Feat Trees for which you qualify, treating your own tier as if it were one step higher.