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Ive been poking around and saw there is really nothing I'd call a demonologist... so I decided to make my own. Logicaly, it should be a prestige class...
Alignment: Dabbing into demonic powers and learning infernal secrets is borderline insanity for some and an act worthy of death and damnation for others. Thus, demonologists are rarely lawful or good, tending towards chaotic and evil alignments. Some demonologists aim to control demons for the good of man, still, good demonologists are a rare sight.
Hit Die: d6.
To qualify to become a demonologist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (Planes) 5 ranks.
Feats: Spell Focus (conjuration)
Spells: Able to cast 3rd level arcane spells, including Summon Monster III.
Language: ability to speak Abyssal and Infernal.
Special: the character must have fought or encountered a demon or demonic creature on at least 5 separate occasions and made a successful DC 20 Knowledge (Planes) check on it, to find out about its true nature, or posses the Abyssal Bloodline.
Class Skills
The Demonologist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Base Attack Bonus progression: Bad
Good save: Will
Bad save: Fort and Ref
1) Demonic summoning, Demonic affiliation
2) Improved Demonologist Familiar
3) Summon Demonic Ally 1 time per day
4) Potent Demonic summoning
5) Lesser possession
6) Summon Demonic Ally 2 times per day
7) -
8) Arch-Demonic summoning
9) Summon Demonic Ally 3 times per day
10) Full possession
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Demonologists gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new demonologist level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if he is a spontaneous spellcaster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a demonologist, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.
Demonic summoning
By studying the hierarchy of demons and applying that knowledge to conjuration, demonologists learn how to pull the best monstrous specimens directly from the Abyss.
When using summon monster spells, no mater what is the demonologists alignment, summoned mosters will appear with the fiendish template, if with any. Creatures summoned with summon spells also receive the following traits: Immunity to acid, death effects, disease, and poison; additional Resistance to cold 5, electricity 5, and fire 5 (This does not stack with any DR or resistance the creature might have except with those of Fiendish template); if not mindless, ability to speak or understand Abyssal and Infernal.
For various purposes, in addition to being extraplanar, summoned creatures are considered to be of the demon subtype. Creatures that do not gain a fiendish template (such as devils or other summoned outsider with an existing subtype) or re already of demon subtype - do not gain these extra traits.
When using Summon monster spells to summon a monster that already had demon subtype, roll 1d6+1 instead of 1d4+1 on the number of summoned creatures.
Demon affiliation
Demonologist add his demonologist level to all knowledge checks concerning demons, demonic matters and lore. He also adds half his demonologist level to his spell save DC when using them against demons.
In addition he adds a new 3rd level spell to his spells known, Demonic dismissal. This spell functions like Dismissal, a 4th level sorcerer/wizard spell, the only difference being – it is fashioned for extraplanar creatures with demon subtype. Extraplanar creatures of other subtypes are also affected but to a far lesser degree, receiving +5 on their will save against the spell.
Improved Demonologist Familiar
Demonologist can summon a demonic familiar to be his faithful ally. This Feature acts the same way as Improved Familiar feat, but the only familiar demonologist can take is the Quasit.
Summon Demonic Ally
Demonologist learns to bring true demonic beings into the material realm. Once per day at demonologist level 3, and one additional time at levels 6 and 9, the demonologist, when casting a summon monster spell can instead summon true demons. All spell parameters and rules are unaffected, except there are 1d2 of summoned creatures (instead of 1d4+1). The summonable Demonic Allies are:
Summon monster II summons 1d2 Dretch or Quasit;
Summon monster III summons 1d2 Schir
Summon monster IV summons 1d2 Babau
Summon monster V summons 1d2 Shadow demon, Nabasu or Succubus
Summon monster VI summons 1d2 Vrock or Kalavakus
Summon monster VII summons 1d2 Hezrou or Omox
Summon monster VII summons 1d2 Glebezu or Nelfeshee
Summon monster IX summons 1d2 Shemhaziam
Demonologist can’t have more than one Demonic Ally summoned in this way at any time.
Potent Demonic summoning
Abyss creatures now benefit from the demonologists extensive knowledge. Upon summoning a monster via summon monster spell, or by using his Summon Demonic Ally ability, the demonologist can either empower the demons strength or prolong their stay in the material realm.
If he chooses to empower the creatures – the creatures receive additional 1d6 + Demonoloist Int modifier energy damage (fire, cold, electric or acid) to any one attack type.
If he chooses to prolong their stay – he adds half his demonologist level + his Int modifier to the number of rounds the creature will be present on the material plane until it is vanishes.
This ability can be used only if the summoned creature is a demon, devils and other summoned creatures of other subtypes are not affected.
Lesser possession
At level 5 the demonologist with all the demonic forces, powers and forbidden knowledge he possesses becomes partially demonic in his nature. He becomes a native outsider for purposes of various effects as well as receives the following traits and abilities:
• +4 to fortitude rolls against any poison; (doesn't stack with Sorcerer Demonic bloodline resistances)
• Resistances to acid 5, cold 5, fire 5 and electricity 10. (doesn't stack with Sorcerer Demonic bloodline resistances)
• Damage reduction 5/cold iron or good.
• Darkvision 60ft, of if he already has darkvision, he receives +30ft bonus to it.
• He receives a one primary natural attack his choosing, with damage rolls appropriate to his size. If he chooses a natural attack with a natural weapon that he already possesses, the damage increases by 1 step. The attacks he may choose are:
o A bite attack with sharp fangs;
o A gore attack with horns that jut out of his head;
o 2 claw attacks with sharp claws.
Arch-Demonic summoning
At demonologist level 8, the demonologist powers are great enough to grant both empowerments of the Potent Demonic summoning ability to any summoned creature of the demon subtype.
Full possession
The domonologist stared so long into the Abyss that the Abyss has become a part of him. At level 10 the demonologist becomes a demon. Now he is considered a native outsider and a demon for various effects. He receives following traits:
• If the Demonologists’ alignment is not chaotic evil, it shifts 1 point towards chaotic and 1 point towards evil.
• Immunity to electricity and poison.
• His resistances gained from lesser possession increase to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10.
• His damage reduction lesser possession increase to 10/cold iron or good.
• Telepathy out to 200 ft., an ability to communicate with any creature, regardless of intelligence, so long as they have an Intelligence of 1 or higher.
• He gains spell resistance 20.
• He gains any one of the following abilities, usable once (plus his Int or Cha modifier, whichever is higher) times per day:
o Demonic infusion (Su) – as a standard action, for 5 minutes, infuse any weapon or natural attack the demonologist touches with demonic power, granting it a +1 enchantment bonus to attack and damage. In addition the weapon strikes as if it were a chaotic and evil cold iron weapon (in addition to retaining the qualities of its actual composition).
o Demonic form (Su) – as a standard action, for 5 minutes, the demonologist grows bat-like wings and gains the ability to fly, as if under the effects of the sorcerer/wizard Fly spell. He also receives an enchantment bonus of +4 to Strength and Constitution.
o Unholy Nimbus (Su) - as a free action demonologist can create a nimbus of unholy light, causing nauseating beams of writhing color to play around its body. One round later, the light bursts in a 60-foot radius. Any non-demon creature caught within this area must succeed on a DC 15 + demonologists charisma modifier Will save or be dazed for 1d10 rounds as visions of madness hound it. The save DC is Charisma-based.
o Planar jump (Su) – as a swift action, teleport up to 120ft.
o Unholy scream (Su) – as a standard action the demonologist can emit a scream of unholy words that crowd the mind and churn the intestines. All creatures except demons within a 30-foot-radius spread must succeed on a 15 + demonologists charisma modifier Fortitude save or be nauseated and stunned for 1 round.
Questions? Ideas? Anything about balancing it, maybe adding something or nerfing abilities?
There's the demonaic, but it looks like you want someone who knows about demons in general rather than just a worshipper of a demon lord. The blackfire adept sounds similar. It's described of consisting of alienists and demonologists.
If neither of those strike your fancy, there's the fiendish vessel racial cleric archetype.
You could also make it a non-racial wizard archetype. I think archetype works better with what you've described so far- wizards are the traditional knowledgable arcane casters, plus I don't see a compelling reason to make it a prestige class. It's not like people need to have seen a demon to study them. Plenty of people just get interested in the sound of them and turn to weird cults and forbidden knowledge.
You could also make it a non-racial wizard archetype. I think archetype works better with what you've described so far- wizards are the traditional knowledgable arcane casters, plus I don't see a compelling reason to make it a prestige class. It's not like people need to have seen a demon to study them. Plenty of people just get interested in the sound of them and turn to weird cults and forbidden knowledge.
It wouldn't work as a archetype, since it's more of an addition to knowledge and lore, a result of additive study, than change of knowledge and lore. Also it's a bit OP to be an archetype, wizard would gain far more than he would loose.
This was thought to be a kind or powerful alternative to sorcerer abyssal bloodline or for a conjuration-happy wizard, with no flavors of "I sold my soul to be this badass" or "i am so special and demonic", but more of a "I am so smart even demons obey me" kind of guy, with a tragic "i became the monster" note to it.
The idea of seeing a demon and making planes checks are for roleplay, since, as far as I see, to few players bother with roleplay. It's a good alternative to spending several feats to gain the heritage bloodline, since it is powerful prestige class.