Tome of Prowess (3.5e Sourcebook)/Concentration

Concentration

Key Attribute: Wisdom

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Untrained Uses

None. Sorry, you actually can’t do this stuff without a bit of training.

Rank 1 Uses

Ignore Distraction

It’s tough to pick a lock while you’re being melted with acid, pick a pocket while you’re bleeding out of your ears, or cast a spell while you’re being molested by plants. If you focus hard enough though, you can block these distractions out. Generally, a distraction will be listed as a modifier on a different skill check. As a free action made at the time your action takes effect, or after each full round for long actions, you may attempt to block the distraction such that you suffer no penalty from that condition or interruption from the sudden pain.

The DC for this check depends on what exactly is distracting you. The DC to simply block simple distractions, like background noise, is only 15. This DC is generally used for removing the distracted penalty from a perception check when you can not otherwise alter circumstances. The DC is 20 for conditions where you are partially restrained or being tossed about, as on a heavily rocking ship. For magical distractions, the DC is the save DC of the distracting spell + the spell's level. If you are being grappled, the DC is equal to your opponents grapple check. Lastly, if you take damage during an interruptable action from an instantaneous source, like being stabbed or hit with an instantaneous spell, you must make a check with a DC equal to 15 + one quarter of the total damage taken from instantaneous sources during the time you were focused on the action this round. Damage taken from continuous sources, like swimming in lava or breathing an acid fog, is not added to this total since resisting continuous damage effects is a function of the Endurance skill.

Base DC: Varies, see above
Check Result:

• DC+0 and above: You successfully tune the distraction out, and may proceed with your work without penalty.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You fail to block the distraction, but maintain some measure of composure. If you could continue the action while distracted you automatically do so, with the appropriate penalties. Otherwise you are unable to move forward with your work the round but you have not ruined your attempt, and you may try to continue next round.
• DC-6 and below: You fail to block the distraction, and also fail to maintain your composure. This ruins whatever action you were in the middle of, and possibly wastes the attempt as well.

Rank 4 Uses

Get Out of my Head!

The concentration skill may be used to fight off any lingering effects that would require a Will save. This includes almost all charm and compulsion effects like Charm Person or Suggestion, mental confusion effects, mental paralysis effects like Hold Person, and other status effect inducing effects. While it does include persistent damage over time effects that do not allow additional saves, it does not include instantaneous damage effects. If a spell contains both an instantaneous damage effect and a status effect, only the status effect may be fought with this ability. If you fail a save against such an effect you suffer the full effect immediately but perhaps not all of the time.

The DC for this check is the save DC + the spell level, or 10 + CR + relevant stat mod. This check is a free action, made on your turn after suffering an eligible effect. The check results below indicate how you respond to the mental effect.

Base DC:Spell save DC + the spell level, or 10 + CR + relevant stat mod
Check Result:

• DC+10 and above: You shrug off the effect as if you had made your saving throw, suffering all effects normally associated with a successful saving throw. You no longer need to make these checks, as there is nothing left to fight against from this effect.
• DC+5 to DC+9: You are able to act normally this round, as you fight the cloud in your mind back for now. You gain a +2 cumulative bonus to any future checks to resist the effect.
• DC+0 to DC+4: You are able to take a standard action normally this round, as you work to keep your mind your own. You gain a +1 cumulative bonus to any future checks to resist the effect.
• DC-1 to DC-5: You force yourself to get a swift action off normally this round, though you are gradually losing the will necessary to resist. You suffer a -1 cumulative penalty to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total penalty reaches -5 you immediately suffer the full effects of the spell or ability and may no longer make checks to resist it.
• DC-6 and below: You are unable to will yourself to take any action free of the effect this round, instead suffering fully under your mental condition this round. You suffer a -2 cumulative penalty to any future checks to resist the effect. If your total penalty reaches -5 you immediately suffer the full effects of the spell or ability and may no longer make checks to resist it.

Photographic Memorization

Once you’ve seen something, you can pretty easily recall it. You can attempt to memorize a written string of numbers, a long passage of verse, a street scene, or some other particularly difficult piece of information. While you can memorize magical writing or similarly exotic scripts with this ability, you never gain the ability to understand or translate them if you did not have at the time you memorized it. The DC for this check is 20, though non-static magical work or extraordinarily complicated work may have a DC as high as 30, and the check requires one full minute of concentration. Each successful check allows you to memorize a single page of text (up to 800 words), numbers, diagrams, or sigils (even if you don’t recognize their meaning). If a document is longer than one page, you can make additional checks for each additional page.

Once memorized you retain this information indefinitely; however, you can recall it only with another successful check as a swift action. Once recalled you have access to it for 1 minute and can read it, describe it, attempt to analyze it, or even put it to paper or canvas as long as you have the proper implements at hand. You can not properly recreate a magical or exotic image that you did not understand, however. Your lack of understanding will make you unable to get or properly utilize some of the proper implements. You’ll know the recreation is wrong though, and can express that to others, so they’ll be able to treat any recreation as an approximation or degraded source. These recreations are not generally useful. This is why most people don’t memorize things they don’t comprehend, since it’s rarely useful to anybody. That doesn’t stop you from doing it if you want to though.

Base DC: 20, though it may rise to 30 for exceedingly complicated scenes, images, or texts.
Check Result:

• DC+0 and above: You successfully memorize the image, storing it away for later recall. If you were attempting to recall it, you do that instead, and have access to the image for one minute before you have to make an additional check.
• DC-1 and below: You fail to store the image, and you know it, so you probably try again if you have the time. If you were attempting to recall it, you fail to do so this round, but can try again next round time permitting.