The Hidden Trickster (Ninja Mountebank)

Before the Streetfighting Sage (already publishes here), I made this character for my younger son. It could still be useful some day.
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The Hidden Trickster (Ninja Mountebank)

Aasimar (Musetouched) mountebank (Phantom Thief) 1

LG Medium outsider (native)

Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +2

Defense

AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +3 Dex)

hp 10 (1d8+2)

Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +4

Resist acid, cold, and electricity 5

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee unarmed strike +3 (1d3)

Ranged shuriken +3 (1d2)

Special Attacks analytical gaze +2

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1, MSD 12, Concentration +4
Tradition Shinobi (Verbal Casting, Somatic Casting, Mental Focus); CAM Cha
Spell Points 5

Illusion Sphere - DC 13; Duration Concentration, 1 min/level; Range Close (25 ft); Talents Invisibility, Silence; Drawbacks Disappearance

- Trick (effects, alter)

- Illusion

- Invisibility

- Silence

Mind Sphere - DC 13; Duration None; Range Close (25 ft); Talents none; Drawbacks none

- Suggestion (Lesser, Greater)

Martial
Tradition Shinobi (Equipment sphere: Finesse Fighting, Monk Weapon Training; Open Hand sphere; Scout sphere); PAM Cha
Equipment sphere - DC 13, Talents Finesse Fighting, Monk Weapon Training
- finesse fighting (use Dex bonus on attacks with finesse weapons)

- monk weapon training (discipline) (proficiency with all monk weapons)
Open Hand sphere - DC 13, Talents none, Drawbacks none

- sweep (attempt a trip combat maneuver with a -2 penalty as a move action)

Scout sphere - DC 13, Talents Lurker, Drawbacks none

- scout (swift action, identify creature's weaknesses)

- lurker (stealth functions against unusual senses)

Statistics

Str 10, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 16

Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 13

Traits Innocent, Slippery

Feats Skill Focus (Stealth)

Skills Acrobatics +7, Bluff +7, Diplomacy +9, Escape Artist +4, Perform (sing) +9, Stealth  +11, Survival +3

Languages Celestial, Common

SQ invigorating kiss 1/day, scoundrel’s touch, trickster training

Gear leather armor (10 gp), liquid life (2 doses) (40 gp), rogue’s kit (50 gp), 10 shuriken (2 gp), 3 gp

Special Abilities

Analytical Gaze (Ex) At 1st level, whenever a phantom thief successfully identifies a creature with the scout ability of the Scout sphere, she gains a +2 circumstance bonus to damage rolls against the analyzed creature for 1 minute. In addition, the phantom thief does not take the normal -5 penalty when using the scout ability. A phantom thief can only use this ability against a creature a number of times equal to her casting ability modifier every 24 hours. At 5th level and every four levels afterwards, this bonus increases by +2 (to a maximum of +10 at 17th level).
This ability replaces thief’s mark.

Equipment: Finesse Fighting You may use your Dexterity modifier in place of your Strength modifier when calculating your melee attack rolls with light weapons and weapons with the finesse weapon special feature. You may take this talent a total of two times. If taken a second time, whenever you make an attack using your Dexterity bonus on attack rolls and your Strength bonus on melee damage rolls, you may also add 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1) as a bonus on that damage roll. Associated Feat: Weapon Finesse.

Equipment: Monk Weapon Training (discipline) You gain proficiency with all weapons with the monk special feature. If you have this talent and either the brawler’s flurry or flurry of blows class feature, you may make one additional attack with a weapon in this group as a free action whenever you make an attack action with a weapon from this group or an unarmed strike, but both attacks take a -2 penalty. You must decide whether or not to use this ability before making the first attack roll for your attack action. Attacks made using this ability apply your full Strength bonus to the damage roll, regardless of whether the weapon is wielded with two hands or with an off-hand.

Illusion Sphere You may craft images and impressions of things that aren’t there. Illusion sphere abilities have a range of Close and do not allow spell resistance unless placed on a creature with resistance (Such as with the Illusionary Disguise talent). Unwilling targets are allowed a Will save to resist an illusion or trick being placed upon them. An illusion may shed as much normal light as a torch and may cast a shadow.

Disappearance You cannot create illusions or tricks, except to make things disappear, fade or be suppressed. You must select Blur, Invisibility, Muffle or Silence talent as your bonus talent granted by this drawback.

Illusion: Trick As a standard action, you may create small, simple illusions called tricks, which persist for 1 minute per level or until dismissed.

Illusion: Trick: Effects You may create unconvincing illusions. This is the same as creating an illusion (see below) and can include all senses you can affect through Illusion talents, except it is obviously fake (i.e., it is translucent, unrealistic, etc.), requiring no one to make a save to disbelieve. However, the effects can still be used to create distractions, display images, draw a map, or be used for entertainment. This counts as possessing the required tools to make any appropriate Perform check (such as creating a melody with the Audible Illusion talent).

Illusion: Trick: Alter You may make minor changes to objects or creatures up to your Illusion maximum size, such as changing their color, making them appear clean or dirty, making writing appear, or other minor alterations. This counts as having a disguise kit when making Disguise checks (which take the usual time instead of a standard action), but such a disguise still counts as being magical for the purposes of detecting magic or for spells and effects that allow a target to see through magical effects and illusions.

Illusion: Illusion (sensory: sight) As a standard action, you may spend a spell point to create a silent visual illusion within range for as long as you concentrate, to a maximum of 1 minute per caster level. You cannot move further away from the illusion than your illusion range while maintaining it through concentration, and the illusion is limited in size according to Table: Illusion Maximum Size. The image may be anything you may clearly imagine, and behaves according to your desires.

Table: Illusion Maximum Size
Caster Level    Illusion Maximum Size    Maximum Size in cubes
1st    Medium    5 ft cube
3rd    Large    10 ft cube
5th    Huge    15 ft cube
8th    Gargantuan    20 ft cube
11th    Colossal    30 ft cube
15th    Colossal+    40 ft cube
20th    Colossal++    50 ft cube
25th    Colossal+++    60 ft cube

Simply perceiving an illusion isn’t enough to detect it as fake, but any target who interacts with the illusion or carefully studies the area is allowed a Will save to disbelieve the image, recognizing it for what it is. Anyone who finds obvious evidence of trickery (ex: throws a rock through an illusionary wall) automatically disbelieves the illusion.
You may only create visual illusions although certain talents may be taken to add more senses. The more complex an illusion is, the more talents it requires to be convincing, with the chart below serving as a guideline and the GM serving as the final arbiter for what talents are required to create a specific illusion.

Table: Example Illusions
Example of Illusion    Required Talents
An illusionary wall    Base sphere only
A glen full of trees    Complex Illusion
A warrior blocking the target's way    Illusionary Sound, Illusionary Touch (to engage in combat w/ target)
A table laden with food    Illusionary Odor, Illusionary Touch (to be consumed by target)
A room filled with fire    Illusionary Sound, Illusionary Touch
An army of orcs chasing the target    Illusionary Sound, Complex Illusion, Illusionary Touch (to engage in combat w/ target)

If creating an illusionary creature, your illusion has an attack bonus equal to your caster level + your casting ability modifier, and a touch armor class equal to 10 + its size modifier + ½ your caster level + your casting ability modifier. An illusionary creature may provide a flanking bonus against targets who fail to disbelieve it. Any creature who strikes an illusion in combat automatically disbelieves it.

Illusion: Invisibility (glamer) You may make things disappear. As a trick, you may add ½ your caster level to Sleight of Hand checks made to palm a small object or hide a light weapon.
You may also place an illusion on a creature or object that makes it harder to see. Rather than make a Will save to disbelieve, creatures must make Perception checks to detect the hidden creature or object. Objects have a flat Perception DC equal to 10 + their size bonus + your caster level, while creatures gain a bonus to their Stealth checks equal to your caster level. In addition, since they are invisible, creatures may make Stealth checks even while being observed and do not require cover to retain or initiate Stealth. Even when detected by another creature, an invisible creature gains a +2 bonus to attack rolls against sighted targets and ignores their Dexterity bonus to AC. Attacks against the invisible creature have a 50% chance they will simply miss, even if the attack has targeted the correct square. Making a creature or object invisible also hides its magical aura from such effects as detect magic or the base Divination sphere divine ability.

Illusion: Silence (figment) (glamer) (suppression) You may place an illusion on a creature or in an area that negates sound. The creature (or creatures standing in the area of effect) makes no noise, and cannot perform verbal components of any skill or magic. Creatures in an area of silence are immune to sonic or language-based attacks, spells, and effects, and gain a +4 bonus to Stealth checks.

Mental Focus Your magic requires you to have a focus that is not always possible to achieve. You normally have focus, but lose it whenever you fail a save versus mind-affecting magic, have a critical hit confirmed on you, or a condition causes you to lose the ability to concentrate (such as being nauseated or helpless or failing an enforced concentration check such as from being entangled). Using magic without your mental focus requires you to make a concentration check (DC 20 + 1/2 caster level) to produce the desired effect. Failure means time (and any spell points) are spent, but no effect happens. If focus is lost, the caster can refocus by meditating as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Mind Sphere You gain the ability to alter the minds of others, causing them to act as you see fit. All mind sphere abilities are Enchantment (compulsion) mind-affecting abilities.
Note: Some Mind sphere abilities allow the caster to make a request of the target creature and have different effects depending on the particular request made. While the final decision on what request falls into what category is up to the GM, the examples in Table: Example Requests are a shorthand for players and GMs hoping to quickly determine what an enchanted creature might or might not be asked to do.

Table: Example Requests
Creature    Very Simple Request    Basic Request    Would not normally do    Against the creature's nature
Paladin    Provide healing to an injured person    Protect the innocent from danger, hunt a monster in the area    Ignore minor criminal activity, hide a creature of dubious guilt    Attack teammates, slaughter the innocent, renounce her religion, desecrate a temple
Evil-Aligned Professional Thief    Steal a simple, unattended object, visit a tavern    Share non-compromising information, teach someone thieving skills    Donate a few coins to charity, reveal secret plans, stab their co-conspirators in the back    Give up their most valuable magic items, reveal their greatest secrets, turn themselves in for their crimes
Bear    Grab fish from a stream    Calm down and not attack an unassuming target.    Ignore a humanoid sitting in its den.    Ignore the kidnapping of its cubs.
Orc Bandit    Mug a weak, unguarded target    Join a raid on a town, or the hunting of a monster.    Help run a farm, ignore a rich-looking target, fight a target where survival is uncertain.    Fight a target where survival is unlikely, join a raid against its own people.
Ancient Dragon    Eat an annoying humanoid    Eat an unassuming humanoid.    Give up a valuable item.    Give up its hoard.
Middle-Aged Farmer    Eat lunch    Give a kind stranger a meal and a hayloft to sleep in.    House and feed a squadron of questionable men, help a team of adventurers as a cook and porter on their quests.    House wanted criminals, allow the kidnapping of his family, take up arms and become a soldier.

Mind: Charm You may place charms on creatures. Charms require a standard action to use and have a range of Close. You may only use charms on targets that possess your own creature type (humanoid for humanoids, etc.) although the Expanded Mind talent changes this. Each charm has three strengths; lesser, greater, and powerful. Lesser charms are at-will abilities, but you may not target an individual creature more than once in a day with any individual lesser charm. Greater charms cost a spell point to use and powerful charms cost 2 points to use. You must possess the Powerful Charm talent before you may use any powerful charms.
When you gain the Mind sphere, you gain the following charm:

Mind: Suggestion You may plant thoughts into a target’s mind.
Lesser Charm: You may plant a suggestion in a target’s mind, which they obey as if the thought had been their own (Will negates). The suggested course of activity must be limited to a sentence or two and must be a very simple request. The creature performs the suggested action until it finishes, or for 1 hour per caster level, whichever comes first. If you choose, you can instead specify conditions the creature should look for, (i.e., “you should search the next person who enters this room, looking for weapons.”) If the condition is not met before this duration expires, the activity is not performed.
Greater Charm: This is the same as the Suggestion lesser charm, but may be up to a basic request. Very simple requests cause the save to be made with a -2 penalty. The target cannot be asked to do anything it would not normally do.
Powerful Charm: This is the same as the Suggestion lesser charm, but the creature obeys any course of action given, so long as the suggestion is not obviously fatal or against the target’s nature. Basic requests cause the save to be made with a -2 penalty, while very simple requests cause the save to be made with a -4 penalty.

Open Hand Sphere Masters of unarmed combat, Open Hand practitioners are known for their varied styles and unorthodox combat technique. Open Hand practitioners are unarmed fighters who deal additional damage with their unarmed strikes as described in the unarmed strike practitioner table. Associated Feat: Improved Unarmed Strike.
In addition, all practitioners of the Open Hand sphere gain the following ability:

Open Hand: Sweep You may attempt a trip combat maneuver with a -2 penalty as a move action, although you may not use a manufactured weapon to make this trip attempt. This does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Scoundrel’s Touch A phantom thief must select the Scout sphere with the first talent they gain from this class.
This ability replaces natural scoundrel.

Scout Sphere Training in the Scout sphere teaches you how to hide from danger, identify potential threats and hazards, track opponents through almost any environment, and identify a creature’s key weaknesses. When you gain the Scout sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Stealth skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Scout sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the Stealth skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.
All practitioners of the Scout sphere gain the following ability:

Scout: Scout As a swift action, you may identify a creature’s weaknesses (DC 10 + creature’s CR) as described under the Knowledge skill, but may substitute a Perception check for the appropriate Knowledge check at a -5 penalty. This only reveals the target’s weaknesses, or lack thereof, (such as damage reduction types and vulnerabilities), and does not reveal any additional information about the target. Once you have succeeded at a scout attempt or Knowledge check against a target, any talents or effects that require you to scout a target may be used against the target for the next 24 hours; after this period you must successfully use the scout ability against the target again to continue benefiting from related effects.

Scout: Lurker Creatures using unusual forms of sensory perception such as blindsight, greensight, or tremorsense cannot automatically foil your use of Stealth; such creatures must make a Perception check as normal to detect you when you make use of the Stealth skill.
Lurker foils divination spells and Divination sphere sense abilities in the manner described above, but has no effect on spell, sphere, spell-like, or supernatural abilities specifically used to uncover information about you rather than enhancing the user’s perception, such as when scrying or using the Divination sphere‘s divine abilities.

Somatic Casting You must gesture to cast spells—a process that requires you to have at least 1 hand unoccupied. When using magic, you cannot wear armor heavier than light without incurring a chance of arcane spell failure. You may select this drawback twice. If taken a second time, you cannot wear any armor or use a shield without incurring a chance of arcane spell failure.

Trickster Training A mountebank gains the Illusion sphere as a bonus magic talent and uses her class level as her caster level with the Illusion sphere. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources.

Verbal Casting You must speak in a loud, clear voice to cast spells. Using magic alerts all nearby hearing creatures to your presence and location, effectively breaking stealth. You cannot cast in an area of magical silence, or in any other situation where you are unable to speak clearly.

Build
The Hidden Trickster is built with a 20-point buy and 105 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is +⅕ Life sphere talent. If using a lower point buy, you can lower Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Charisma and Dexterity. Charisma is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic and martial talents and your spell pool; Dexterity makes you a great finesse warrior and archer, increases your initiative and bolsters your Reflex save. Constitution is important too, since it increases your hit points.

Playing a Hidden Trickster

You are invisible, a spy, a martial art expert, and a jester when needed. Your aura of celestial innocence makes you difficult to identify as the mischievous schemer that you are. You dance on the battlefield or throw fistfuls of shuriken from afar, and when you wish not to be found, you are not.

Future Abilities

Magic Talents Aggressive Vitality*, Disrupt Focus, Energizing Vitality*, Enthrall, Group Charm, Life Sphere*, Muffle, Powerful Charm, Sustaining Vitality*

Martial Talents Active Camouflage, Capoeira Spin, Deadly Strike, Finesse Training (2nd), Hidden Focus, Hurricane Kick, Judo Throw, Kick-Off, Mystic Fists, Reflexive Stealth, Sniper Sphere, Spinning Heel Kick, Sweeping Kick, Walk Unseen

Rogue Talents Acrobatic Stunt, Charmer, Eerie Disappearance, Fast Stealth, Escaping Stunt, Stealth Stunt

Social Talents Feign Innocence, Renown, Social Grace, Subjective Truth

Skill Unlocks Bluff, Escape Artist, Perform, Stealth.

Feats Dodge, Owl Style, Point-Blank Shot, Startoss Comet, Startoss Shower, Startoss Style, Stunning Fist, Weapon Focus (shuriken), Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)