At some point in your family’s history, a relative made a pact that was overseen and possibly enforced by the unflinching hand of an inevitable. Now a portion of that being’s essence has fused to your family’s bloodline and become particularly potent in you. You have always viewed yourself as incomplete or broken, and strive to put things back the way they belong.
Class Skill: Knowledge (planes).
Bonus Spells: command (3rd), make whole (5th), magic circle against chaos or dispel magic (7th), dimensional anchor or order’s wrath? (9th), spell resistance (11th), undeath to death or greater dispel magic (13th), banishment or dictum? (15th), shield of law (17th), imprisonment (19th).
Bloodline Powers: Your ancestral association with the inevitables begets your magical talents.
Artificer’s Touch (Sp): At 1st level, you can cast mending at will, using your sorcerer level as the caster level to repair damaged objects. In addition you can cause damage to objects and construct creatures by striking them with a melee touch attack. Objects and constructs take 1d6 points of damage +1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. This attack bypasses an amount of damage reduction equal to your sorcerer level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Inevitable Resistances (Ex): At 3rd level, you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws made against poison and +1 natural armor bonus. At 9th level, your bonus on poison saving throws increases to +4 and your natural armor bonus increases to +2. At 15th level, your natural armor bonus increases to +4.
Perfect Voice (Su): At 9th level, you understand all efforts to communicate through sound, and can make yourself understood to any creature able to understand language. You can speak to, and understand the speech of, any creature that understands at least one spoken language. The save DCs of any language dependant spells you cast increase by +1.
Forged in Iron (Sp): At 15th level, once per day, you can call upon your ancestry to temporarily transform your body into a mechanical form. This power functions as stone skin except you do not need to provide a material component, it provides damage reduction 10/chaotic, and it can prevent a maximum of 200 points damage. At 20th level, this power functions as iron body except the damage reduction is 15/chaotic, the duration increases to 10 min./level (D) and you do not gain any effects listed in the second paragraph of the spell description. At 20th level, you can use this ability twice per day.
Ex Machina (Ex): At 20th level, you become a living construct. You gain the half-construct subtype with the following modifications. For the purpose of effects targeting you (such as a ranger’s favored enemy and bane weapons), you count as both your original creature type and a construct. You become immune to disease, exhaustion, fatigue, and poison. You also gain darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, and receive a +6 racial bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects. You may be raised or resurrected as though you did not possess the half-construct subtype.
I'm having trouble settling on which bonus spells are most appropriate, the law descriptor spells tend to be an easy way out but I think there should be more interesting options.
I'm drawing a blank on a decent bloodline arcana ability. I was thinking this should be on par with the protean bloodline arcana, which simply makes it more difficult to dispel certain spells, but I don't know what yet.
Artificer's Touch was lifted from the artifice domain ability and needs to be changed or replaced. Maybe some kind of minor geas/quest or mark of justice type effect.
Perfect Voice was lifted from the maestro bloodline, but sort of fits with the inevitables' truespeech ability. I could see tweaking it and renaming it "Voice of Command" or something along those lines.
Made these up a few months ago and thought I'd see what other Paizonians might think of them. I think they are fairly balanced but there is certainly potential to abuse them.
They all function as specialty schools in that you pick two opposition schools when you select one.
Arcane Repository Specialties
Some wizards become dependent on their arcane bonds. The constant use of these bonds allows these wizards to use them in ways unfathomable to other specialists.
Familiar Bond Specialist:
Wizards who focus on their familiar bond develop an extremely close relationship to their familiars.
A familiar bond specialist does not keep a spellbook. Instead, the wizard's familiar stores wizard spells in the same way that a witch's familiar stores witch spells.
A familiar bond specialist does not receive an extra spell slot per level. Instead, his familiar may cast any one spell stored within it of each spell level per day that its master is capable of casting (but not cantrips). The familiar uses its own Intelligence to determine the DC of the spell, but its caster level is equal to its master's. The familiar may cast these spells even if it doesn't have a high enough Intelligence.
Familiar Focus (Su): A familiar bond specialist is treated as two levels higher when determining his familiar's abilities based on the table from chapter three of the Core Rulebook. This increase also counts when determining which familiars are available for selection with the Improved Familiar feat. At 20th level, your familiar gains immunity to spells and spell-like abilities cast by creatures other than itself or its master, although it is still affected by spells through the spell transference ability (see below). The familiar also gains a permanent +4 inherent bonus to its Intelligence.
Infuse Familiar (Su): As a standard action, you may focus your arcane power into your familiar with a touch. Your familiar gains the advanced template from the Bestiary for a number of rounds equal to ½ your wizard level. At 10th level you may add the giant template in addition to the advanced template to your familiar, or you may increase your familiar's Intelligence by an amount equal to ½ your wizard level. The increase to Intelligence is an enhancement bonus.
You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Spell Transference (Su): At 8th level, you may share or transfer the effects of any spell or spell-like ability you or your familiar are actively affected by with your familiar as a standard action for a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive and you may deactivate the ability as a swift action. If you choose to share a spell, half the remaining duration of the spell rounded down. If you choose to transfer the spell, the new target suffers all remaining benefits or detriments for the full remaining duration or until the rounds per day are expended. In either case, if you use up the number of rounds per day this effect can remain activate for, or deactivate it before the spell duration expires, the spell effect returns to the original target for the remaining duration.
You must be within 30 feet of your familiar to active this ability.
Reliquary Bond Specialist:
Many wizards have an affinity for the magic baubles of their craft.
Reliquary bond specialists do not receive an extra spell per spell level for specializing.
If a reliquary bond specialist's bonded item is destroyed, he only needs to wait 3 days (instead of 1 week) before it can be replaced, and the ritual only takes 4 hours (instead of 8 hours) to perform. A reliquary bond specialist who attempts to cast a spell without their bonded item takes a -4 penalty to their concentration check.
Bauble (Su): Any spell a reliquary bond specialist casts that doesn't belong to an opposition school receives +1 to the DC so long as their bonded item is at full hit points and worn or wielded. At 20th level, the bond between wizard and relic becomes so close that upon the mage's death, his soul enters and possesses the item. The item becomes an intelligent item with mental traits equal to the wizard's and ego in accordance with his Intelligence. Its alignment matches its master's and it gains Empathy and Senses (30ft.). The item's purpose is to bring its master back to life. The item has no intelligent item powers but retains any enchantments it previously had and may cast a spell, or a number of spells (see below), per day as the bonded item ability (the item counts as a 20th level wizard). The spells cast by the item are at its own behest, it has no obligation to serve its possessor and can even attack if it feels so inclined. If the wizard is resurrected, the item loses these qualities.
The item counts as the material and arcane focus components for the clone and magic jar spells (including the physical portion needed for the clone and the body and jar for magic jar) as long as the clone is of the reliquary bond specialist. The wizard can reanimate with the appropriate spells so long as the item is not being worn, carried, or otherwise used.
Reliquary Focus (Su): If your bonded item is a staff or a wand you may activate it a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier without expending any of it's charges. If it takes more than one change to activate the item, you must expend that many uses of this ability to activate it.
If your bonded item is a weapon, as a standard action you may make a single attack at your highest attack bonus. If the attack hits, you may refill an expended spell slot as though using a pearl of power of the appropriate level. This ability only works on creatures with hit dice equal to or greater than your own. This ability is usable a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier.
(alternative bonded weapon option)
(If your bonded item is a weapon, as a standard action you may make a single attack at your highest attack bonus with the bonded item. If the attack hits, you may siphon the essence of your target to fill an expended spell slot. If you strike an outsider, you may fill a spell slot with a spell that shares a description with the creature ( for instance, hitting a fire elemental would let you regain fireball). If you strike an undead creature you may regain a necromancy spell. Striking a creature capable of shape changing (by spells, spell-like abilities, or supernatural abilities only and not items) allows you to refill a slot with a polymorph spell and reverts the creature to its natural form. Striking a summoned creature banishes that creature back to its home plane and allows you to refill a slot with an appropriate summon spell but you may only summon that exact kind of creature. A creature is allowed a Will save with a DC equal to 10 + ½ you wizard level + Intelligence to negate this effect and any other effect that it would receive. This ability is usable a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier and has no effect on other types of creatures. This ability cannot be used on non-hostile creatures or creatures that are helpless.)
If your bonded item is an amulet or ring, you may use it a number of times per day equal to 3 +your Intelligence modifier to cast any spell that is in your spellbook and are capable of casting instead of the normal once per day. Each time you use this ability after the first you must make a Will save equal to 10 +the level of the spell cast +the number of times it has already been used that day. If you fail this save, the item losses one hit point, the use is wasted, and the DC goes up by 2 until the item is repaired. If the item is reduced to zero or fewer hit points it explodes in a burst of arcane energy and you take damage equal to 10 x the level of the spell you were attempting to cast.
Aether Blade (Sp): At 8th level, if your bonded item is a weapon, you can infuse it with arcane power. As a swift action, for a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level you may treat your bonded weapon as a ghost touch weapon. You may also ignore an amount of DR equal to half your wizard level as long as this ability is in effect. At 12th level, you may treat your bonded item as a brilliant energy weapon instead of a ghost touch weapon. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Hair Trigger (Su): At 8th level, if your bonded item is a staff or wand, you may activate it twice as a full round action. You may use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to your wizard level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive.
Arcane Reliquary (Su): At 8th level, if your bonded item is an amulet or ring, whenever you are dealt damage from an arcane spell or spell-like ability your bonded item absorbs the damage. The total amount of damage the bonded item can prevent each is equal to twelve times your wizard level. In addition, for every 10 points of damage absorbed from a single attack, you may extend the duration of any active spell affecting you by one round. This ability only protects against spells and spell-like abilities that deal hit point damage. The amount of damage the item can absorb is reset when you prepare your spells, but no more than once every 24 hours.
Metamagic Specialization:
Some wizards prefer to focus on perfecting the arcane art of metamagic.
The additional spell slot per spell level from specializing can only be used to prepare a spell affected by a metamagic feat.
Metamagic Focus (Su): Whenever you apply a metamagic feat to a spell that increases the slot used by at least one level, increase the spell's DC by +1. This bonus does not stack with itself and does not apply to spells modified by the Heighten Spell feat. At 20th level, you may reduce the level increase of all metamagic feats you apply by one, to a minimum increase of one. This effect does not stack with metamagic mastery (see below).
Metamagic Intensity (Su): Whenever you apply a metamagic feat to a spell that deals hit point damage, you may add 1/2 your wizard level to the damage (minimum +1). This bonus only applies once to a spell, not once per missile or ray, and cannot be split between multiple missiles or rays. This bonus damage is not increased by Empower Spell or similar effects. This damage is of the same type as the spell.
Whenever you apply a metamagic feat to a spell that has a duration greater than instantaneous, you may increase the duration by a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your wizard level.
You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier.
Metamagic Mastery (Su): At 8th level, you can apply any one metamagic feat that you know to a spell you are about to cast. This does not alter the level of the spell or the casting time. You can use this ability once per day at 8th level and one additional time per day for every two wizard levels you possess beyond 8th. Any time you use this ability to apply a metamagic feat that increases the spell level by more than 1, you must use an additional daily usage for each level above 1 that the feat adds to the spell. Even though this ability does not modify the spell's actual level, you cannot use this ability to cast a spell whose modified spell level would be above the level of the highest-level spell that you are capable of casting.
Here's a few home-brew class options I've been thinking about for a while now.
I'm not sure if these would count as archetypes since mostly they just swap class abilities rather than involve new rules.
Rogue Trick Ranger (Ranger)
I know, I know it's a terrible name, but it's just the working title for now. Maybe Guileful Hunter would be better. I'm up for suggestions.
Anyway this is a good option for a low magic campaign or if you want a more skill focused ranger.
Rogue Talent (Ex): At 4th level and every two levels thereafter, a rogue trick ranger may select a rogue talent. The rogue trick ranger must meet the prerequisites of these talents. This replaces spell casting.
Cruel Rogue (Rogue)
I've always thought rogues should be debuffers, not damage dealers (the full BAB and caster classes seem to have that under control), so I came up with this option.
Cruel Strike (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, a cruel rogue selects a cruelty from the antipaladin’s list. This cruelty is applied to the first sneak attack the cruel rogue makes each round. The target receives a Fortitude save to avoid this cruelty. If the save is successful, the target takes damage as normal, but not the effects of the cruelty. The DC of this save is equal to 10 +1/2 the cruel rogue’s level + the cruel rogue’s Intelligence modifier. Creatures immune to sneak attack are immune to this ability.
A cruel rogue must pick from the 3rd level list of antipaladin cruelties. At 6th level they may pick from the 6th level list, and so on.
A cruel rogue must possess the major magic rogue talent in order to select the Cursed cruelty.
This replaces trap sense and the additional die of sneak attack damage at those levels.
Specialist Inquisitor (Inquisitor)
I've always hated teamwork feats; it takes two feats (one for you, one for your ally) to see a minor benefit only when you're both standing in the right spot. Bleh. I also find it ridiculous that the inquisitor's Solo Tactics ability still requires allies in position. That's not solo at all! So I figured why not give the inquisitor a little combat love? They're only 3/4 BAB anyway so I don't think some extra feats will tip the scale too much.
Combat Style (Ex): At 3rd level, a specialist inquisitor selects a ranger combat style. The inquisitor’s expertise manifests in the form of bonus feats at 3rd, 6th, 9th, 15th, and 18th level. He must meet the prerequisites of these feats but his base attack bonus is considered equal to his level for the purpose of meeting these prerequisites.
This replaces solo tactics and all bonus teamwork feats.
Razorbreath Chasm
==========
Situated along the northern border separating the Realm of the Mammoth Lords and Irrisen, Razorbreath Chasm is a natural fissure carved into the glacial wall that connects the Crown of the World with the southern lands. In ages past, the Mammoth Lords forced megafauna into the box canyon, where they could kill the isolated beasts. When Baba Yaga established Irrisen and its frozen borders were drawn, the White Witches of the North drove a defiant Kellid tribe into Razorbreath Chasm. Even as they were pushed into the chasm, they knew their fates were sealed; they were doomed to die like the beasts that they had hunted for generations. Though the tribe fought with the ferocity of a cornered animal, they could do little to resist the White Witches and their minions. Indulging in their cruelty, the Daughters of Baba Yaga imprisoned the proud Kellid chieftain within a frozen cavern behind a transparent sheet of ice. The elder helplessly looked on as the White Witches of the North slaughtered every adult member of the tribe, then rounded up the children and abducted them to parts unknown. The spirits of this now-forgotten tribe remain trapped within the ice, awaiting a champion to avenge their deaths.
During the day, Razorbreath Chasm appears similar to many large fissures along the Winterwall Glacier. It has the same tall, jagged walls of ice, sheds the same blue-green light, and is close enough to Irrisen to be caught in a perpetual winter. The remains of numerous creatures litter the chasm floor, picked clean by scavengers (a DC 15 Heal check reveals that some of these remains are humanoid). As one ventures deeper into the fissure, bones cover the ground, causing footsteps to crunch from more than just snow. Creatures periodically inhabit offshoots of the chasm, but rarely stay for more than a few weeks. Polar bears, winter wolves, the occasional remorhaz, and more nefarious creatures are said to have been seen in the chasm.
At night, Razorbreath Chasm becomes aggressively inhospitable. A howling wind tears through the fissure, dropping the temperature below -20° F, kicking up snow, obscuring vision, and hampering hearing (snow, severe wind, and extreme cold, Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 438-439 & 442). The towering, slick walls of the crevasse seem to close in over those foolish enough to trespass (40 ft. high, DC 25 Climb check to scale). Explorers and travelers who have been to the fissure at night have reported hearing voices in the wind and seeing shadowy figures within the ice by the light of their lanterns. Furthermore, rumors persist of long-dead mammoth bones that rise to assault those who linger past dark.
Hoarfrost Throat-Tearer has stalked the PCs for several days and deemed them worthy prey. In order to lure them to his hunting grounds, he captured the daughter of a wealthy Tian merchant traveling north to Icestair and taken her to Razorbreath Chasm. The party encounters the distraught merchant, Leng, immediately after his daughter, Shen, was taken, and he promises the party a reward and his eternal gratitude if they rescue his daughter from the Shapeshifting Huntsman, emphasizing the need to act swiftly. Hoarfrost prepared the chasm in advance, hoping to take advantage of its natural features. The PCs arrive at nightfall but do not have time to rest if they wish to save Shen before she dies of exposure or worse, requiring them to enter the dark, howling fissure without delay. When they first enter the chasm they can hear her screams of pain and terror echoing from the gloom, but the chasm distorts the voice and makes it difficult to follow. A trail of freshly frozen blood leads towards the back of the chasm.
Feed them to the Wolves (CR 8 or 11)
==========
Snowdrift has collected against the jagged ice walls of this passage. Ice, snow, and bones are scattered about the floor. At the point where two side passages converge, a massive, fleshless ribcage juts from the snow. A young, pale-skinned woman lies on the blood-soaked snow, a large iron spike driven through her leg pinning her to the ground. A constant flurry of wind and snow makes it impossible to see further into the dark side passages.
Hoarfrost has chosen this location as his killing grounds and prepared it as such. Bear traps are hidden in the snow around the maiden (DC 15 Perception check to notice, one for Tier 7-8 or four for Tier 10-11) and a set of handholds have been carved out of the ledge along the western passage (DC 15 Perception check to spot, DC 10 Climb check to scale).
Creatures: Hoarfrost's worgs are hidden under the snow (granting a +2 on their Stealth checks until they take an action) in both side passages and impatiently wait for his signal to attack. Hoarfrost is perched on the ledge, also taking care to remain concealed, and has casts feather step and longstrider. When he notices the PCs approaching, he casts magic fang on his natural attacks.
The Shapeshifting Huntsman waits until one of his bear traps captures an enemy before signaling his worgs to attack, activating shifter's blessing, and letting arrows fly from his longbow, targeting spellcasters and favored enemies. If his traps or worgs are spotted, Hoarfrost orders the attack early. After an enemy falls (either from being tripped or dropped unconscious) Hoarfrost’s bloodlust gets the better of him and he joins the fray. Hoarfrost drinks his potion of enlarge person, leaps off the ledge (DC 15 Acrobatics check to negate falling damage), and takes a moment to activate his hunter’s bond before flying into a rage and wading into melee.
If reduced to less than 15 hit points or if his worg allies are defeated, Hoarfrost attempts to flee, making use of the mobility granted by his feather step and longstrider spells.
Tier 7-8 (CR 8):
Hoarfrost CR 7
XP 3,200
hp 78 (RPG Superstar 2011, round 3)
Worg (2) CR 2
XP 600 each
hp 26 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 280)
Bear Trap CR 1
XP 400 (APG 186)
Tier 10-11 (CR 11):
Hoarfrost CR 7
XP 3,200
hp 78 (RPG Superstar 2011, round 3)
Rage Worg (4) CR 4
XP 1,200 each
hp 67 each (NPC Guide 39)
Winter Wolf (2) CR 5
XP 1,600 each
hp 57 each (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 280)
Bear Trap (4) CR 1
XP 400 each (AGP 186)
Development:
After Hoarfrost is defeated and Shen is rescued, the howling winds suddenly die down. The chasm begins to rumble and a sheet of ice falls from the eastern wall and shatters, revealing a small cavern at area A7. An elderly man dressed in furs sits cross-legged in the center of this cavern, eyes closed and countenance troubled. He died ages ago from exposure, his body still preserved by the cold. The walls of the cave are covered with carvings that depict a bloody battle between men mounted on wooly mammoths and pale women commanding monstrous forces. The carvings tell the story of the massacre of the forgotten Kellid tribe.
When a PC enters the cave, a ghostly voice begins speaking in Hallit. “You have proven yourselves champions, having demonstrated your bravery, skill, and honor. Long have the spirits of my tribe been trapped within this ice, restlessly awaiting ones such as yourselves. By defeating that honorless dog and selflessly rescuing that helpless woman, we are convinced that you have the might and spirit to carry out our vengeance. We beseech you, slay the White Witches who slaughtered our tribe and stole our children, so that we may finally move on to our final hunting grounds.”
If none of the PCs speak Hallit, Shen will translate the message.
Ankradula the Sane Portrait: 12
Description: Ankradula is a slight, ashen-skinned humanoid wearing form-fitting black leather, with a shock of white hair that extends from her head in all directions. Her milky white eyes betray a power of focus and concentration alien to derro faces.
Motivations/Goals: Ankradula was cursed with sanity while attempting to capture subjects for experimentation from the Sarenrae temple in the Taldan city of Cassomir. Her lost madness led to her exile from the derro city of Corgunbier, and she abhors the company of other sane beings, instead cultivating an affinity with mindless oozes and vermin. Her driving force is to reclaim her madness and exact revenge for her condition.
Schemes/Plots/Adventure Hooks: In her exploration of the caverns beneath Cassomir, Ankradula discovered the prison of an ancient shoggoth, locked away in ages past by five clerics of different gods. She seeks to reverse their binding ritual by sacrificing a representative of each faith. Ankradula will then lead the beast to the surface, where she will allow it to devour her sanity as it destroys the city.
• Clerics have been disappearing from Cassomir’s various temples. The only clue linking them is a slimy residue.
• Dangerous vermin and ooze have begun to plague ordinarily quiet sewers, consistently approaching closer to the surface streets.
Ankradula the Sane CR 9
Female derro druid (cave druid, APG 99) 7
NE Small humanoid (derro)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +17
===== Defense ===== AC 23, touch 17, flat-footed 18; (+3 armor, +1 deflection, +5 Dex, +3 natural, +1 size)
hp 102 (3d8+7d8+57)
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +12; +2 vs. ooze and aberration effects
Defensive Abilities resist subterranean corruption
Resist acid 10; SR 21
===== Offense ===== Speed 30 ft.
Melee+1 scythe +8/+3 (1d6/x4)
Ranged acid dart +13 (1d6+3 acid)
Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6
Domain Spell-Like Abilities (CL 7th, concentration +11)
7/day--acid dart
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th, concentration +11)
At will--darkness, ghost sound (DC 11)
1/day--daze (DC 11), sound burst (DC 13)
Druid Spells Prepared (CL 7th, concentration +11)
4th--freedom of movement, life bubble, spike stones(D) (DC 18)
3rd--aqueous orb (2, DC 17), meld into stone, stone shape(D)
2nd--barkskin (2), bear’s endurance, soften earth and stone(D), spider climb
1st--hydraulic push (3), longstrider, magic stone(D), pass without trace
0--create water, guidance, mending, resistance ===== Tactics ===== Before Combat Ankradula casts life bubble, longstrinder, and pass without trace every day. Before combat, Ankradula casts barkskin and freedom of movement.
During Combat Ankradula begins combat floating inside an advanced gelatinous cube, relying on her acid resistance, freedom of movement, and life bubble to keep her safe. She uses aqueous orb and hydraulic push to maneuver foes into previously prepared pits containing oozes or vermin. If the gelatinous cube paralyzes a foe, she takes the opportunity to perform a coup de grace.
Morale Ankradula attempts to flee if reduced to below 30 hit points.
===== Statistics ===== Str 9, Dex 20, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 18, Cha 12
Base Atk +7; CMB +5; CMD 21
Feats Blind-Fight, Deepsight, Improved Initiative, Toughness, Vermin Heart
Skills Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +16, Perception +17, Stealth +22, Survival +13, Swim +12
Languages Aklo, Common, Undercommon
SQ cavesense, lightfoot, nature bond (earth domain), poison use, sanity, tunnelrunner, wild empathy +8, wild shape 1/day
Combat Gearpotion of cure moderate wounds; Other Gear+1 leather armor, +1 scythe, headband of inspired wisdom +2, ring of protection +1, spell component pouch, 267gp
===== Special Abilities ===== Sanity (Ex) Ankradula lacks the madness special ability.
Originating from Cheliax, the Empire of Devils, the impaler uses a fighting style that emulates that of the barbed devil. Bristling with spikes, an impaler is a master of close combat, skewering foes against his armor and only relinquishing his grasp once there is nothing left but bloody meat.
Spike Expert (Ex): At 5th level, an impaler gains a +1 bonus on attack and damage rolls with spiked armor and spiked gauntlets. This bonus also applies to CMB and CMD for grappling. This bonus increases by +1 per four levels after 5th. This ability replaces weapon training 1.
Vicious Spines (Ex): At 9th level, when a creature ends its turn grappling with the impaler, that creature takes damage as though struck by the impaler’s armor spikes. This ability replaces weapon training 2.
Retaliatory Strike (Ex): At 13th level, when an impaler is hit by a melee weapon without reach, an unarmed strike, or a natural attack, he can make an attack with his spiked armor against his attacker as an immediate action. This ability replaces weapon training 3.
Grasping Barbs (Ex): At 17th level, whenever an impaler wearing spiked armor is hit by an unarmed strike or a natural attack, the attacker must make a Reflex save or automatically become grappled by the impaler. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the impaler’s level + the impaler’s Strength modifier. This ability replaces weapon training 4.
Meat Shield (Ex): At 19th level, an impaler gains DR 5/- whenever he is in a grapple. The damage prevented is instead dealt to another creature, of the impaler’s choice, that is engaged in a grapple with the impaler. This ability replaces armor mastery.
Impale (Ex): At 20th level, when an impaler has a creature pinned, he can choose to impale that creature with a successful grapple check. An impaled creature takes damage from the impaler's armor spikes and must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the impaler's level + the impaler's Strength modifier. Once a creature has been a target of an impale attempt, regardless of whether or not the save is made, that creature is immune to that impaler's impale for 24 hours. Creatures that are immune to critical hits are also immune to this ability. This ability replaces weapon mastery.
Bag of Holes Aura moderate transmutation; CL 9th
Slot -; Price 13,000 gp; Weight -
Description
This grubby bag is riddled with holes and incapable of holding anything. Anyone who knows the true power of this item can remove a hole and throw it onto the ground in an adjacent square to create a 10ft. by 10ft. pit that is 40ft. deep. Doing so is a standard action (provided that the bag is in hand, secured to a belt, or otherwise available) that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Any creature standing in the affected squares must make a DC 14 Reflex saving throw or fall into the pit and take 4d6 points of damage. Creatures who make their save are moved to the nearest square adjacent to the pit. Scaling the pit’s walls requires a DC 25 Climb check. The pit lasts for 10 rounds, after which any objects or creatures within the pit are lifted harmlessly to the original surface level.
Alternatively, a hole may be placed on a vertical surface to create a 5ft. by 8ft. passageway or cave-like niche that is up to 10ft. deep, similar to the effect of a passwall spell. This passage lasts 1 hour.
This item can be used on any nonmagical surface that can contain the pit or passageway. It cannot be used directly against creatures or living matter. The bag may only generate one effect at a time. If the bag is activated again, any existing pit or passage immediately ends.
A newly created bag of holes can be used ten times before becoming an ordinary, undamaged sack. A make whole spell cast on a bag of holes reduces the remaining uses by 1d6 with no save.
Construction Requirements Craft Wondrous Items, create pit, passwall; Cost 6,500 gp
All I'm seeing is Shocking Touch and Elemental Touch. Also what do you guys think of some kind of combat training feat list (like for Rangers a la APG) with options like Armored Mage or Finesse Caster?
