#dreamthief

 The idea of a thief of dreams hearkens back to folklore and mythology of beings that rule over sleep and dreams, everything from the Greek Morpheus to the Sandman of Scandinavian folklore and beyond, painting the idea of a whimsical trickster that grants sleep and pleasant dreams, and even occasionally steals away bad dreams, is a pretty iconic ideal.

In Pathfinder, the so-called dreamthieves are less otherworldly beings and more gifted mortals, in this case, they are those who have a mass of crystalized dreamstuff in their soul which gifts them with otherworldly abilities tied to sleep, emotions, and dreams.

Some may be benevolent protectors, hunting predators from both the Dimension of Dreams and more mundane nocturnal predators alike, while others may be more akin to predators themselves. Others use their abilities as a means to an end as spies, thieves, and the like as well.

Exactly how they came by the shard that grants them their powers varies greatly, some find and merge with it in a rare dream, while others might manifest one due traumatic events related to the world of dreams. Of the latter, some may be survivors of attacks from otherworldly beings, or have witnessed some otherworldly or uncanny event.

Either way, a dreamthief boasts some unlikely but powerful abilities.

 The core, both figuratively and literally, of the dreamthief is their dreamshard, each one of which has an emotional focus similar to that of a spiritualist’s phantom, to the point where they gain the various abilities associated with phantoms of that emotion. Furthermore, they can charge any weapon or strike they make with that emotion, allowing them to add various effects that a phantom would normally add to their slam attack to their ordinary weapon rolls.

As one might expect, these rogues have greater control over their own minds and dreaming selves, both when sleeping normally and when entering the Dimension of Dreams by other means.

With a touch, mystical tricksters can steal away negative emotions and sensations, soothing their allies.

Eventually, they also master magic to delve into the dreams of others to learn things. Later on, they can even use dreams to travel far and wide.

An interesting archetype, combining the skills and tricks of the rogue class with phantom abilities and dream-related powers. What’s more, unlike the Id Rager, this archetype actually works without any corrective homebrewing! Just remember that you’re not getting much burst damage out of it due to the loss of sneak attack, but the otherworldly powers this archetype grants can be quite appealing to those seeking supernatural utility. With that in mind, I’d recommend at least some focus on information gathering and spycraft.

 It’s not a major leap in logic to assume that these dreamthieves would have personalities or emotional baggage that reflects the emotional focus in their dreamshard. After all, in many cases, the dreamshard either is or imprints upon a part of their psyche. However, what about those that gained their dreamshard by other methods? Would they feel like these emotions are thrust upon them? Did the dreamshard seek them because of the emotions they already possessed, or perhaps they have no special connection to that emotion at all?

  Though it has been years since he saw them. Lacu, also known as the Dream Wolf, thinks of his former clan every day, and carries on in their absence, channeling his dedication into protecting dreamers, having become something of a local legend.

 Many a noble lives in fear of the Nightmare Bite, a jorogumo assassin who possesses a knack for slaying her targets as they sleep, avoiding all defenses by slipping in through their very dreams. To protect themselves, many turn to alchemical drugs that induce dreamless sleep. However, there may be consequences to such manipulation.

ahhhh thank you so much all of this is so sudden lol I’ve been sitting on this news since july (my agent and I accepted the pre-empt offer from the publisher the same day taylor swift’s album came out, which is why I’ve been hinting for LITERAL MONTHS that the last great american dynasty meant something especially significant to me) and yeah, wow, I’m about to talk more about it because I have so many people to think in regards to this specific manuscript, but if anyone is reading this and wondering what the hell is going on

draco malfoy for @dreamthief

“ you see, i, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that i, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments. ”

i’m not gonna number them so, in no particular order