Binder

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Binders are one of three classes from Tome of Magic that is notable for being competently designed, mechanically balanced and fun to play. This is hard to appreciate unless you remember that it's in the same sourcebook as the failtastic Truenamer and the less-complex-and-versatile-than-it-appears Shadowcaster.

They contact beings from beyond the known universe (known as Vestiges) to inhabit their body for a while and experience the real world again in exchange for special powers. There's a binding check involved that determines whether the vestige can influence your actions. If they win, you have to act in a certain way in certain situations or get a stacking -1 penalty on pretty much everything that only goes away when the vestige leaves. If you win, they just sit nicely along for the ride. You can only have one Vestige possess you at a time, but as you gain levels you gain access to more powerful and more ancient Vestiges which give you access to more and more magical abilities depending on who you're contacting and who you've just used. Eventually you can mimic most of the effects of all the other casting classes without multi-classing or going into a prestige class.

Religions are generally against binders because their gods don't really like it when a mortal chump can just doodle a seal on the ground and talk to things that the gods themselves know nothing about. They like it even less when a chump can actually talk to dead gods and things that shouldn't exist in the multiverse without consequences beyond having to fart every hour or so. Basically, Vestiges are the cast-off remnants of powerful gods and mortals who shouldn't still be around, and they strike fear into those that should be all-powerful.