Hello all, I have a player currently running a Druid in our Mummy's Mask campaign who's interested in the Green Faith Acolyte prestige class.
Most of the Green Faith Acolyte's abilities seem pretty straight forward in their use, but I'm not really seeing how their 3rd level ability Hibernate is anything but very situationally useful.
Does anyone see something I'm not in this spell? Anyone seen the ability actually be used in a game?
The text of the ability for reference:
Hibernate (Su)
At 3rd level, a Green Faith acolyte can enter a state of suspended animation as a full-round action. This state is similar to the effect of sepia snake sigil, except that the Green Faith acolyte is aware of changes in her surroundings or harm to her body as if deeply asleep. She can end this state at any time as a full-round action. If she remains in hibernation for at least a week before emerging, her body is renewed as if by both a heal spell and a restoration spell. A Green Faith acolyte can remain in this state for up to 1 week per class level, after which she must wait 1 day for each week spent hibernating before entering hibernation again.
Well, this appears to give you the effect of a 4th spell level...spell...which can usually only be used by all the OTHER divine casters (and alchemist), but not the druid. And this is available at level 3.
Plus, it does not appear to have material components, so that saves 100 gp... or 1,000 gp if you are taking off permanent negative levels. It also reverses ability damage and ability drain to one score.
So if you can find a place to sleep for a week in the middle of the campaign, it can be situationally useful if you just came out of a REALLY bad encounter.
Other than that, it just looks like an RP thing, since it means that you can spend a max of 20/23 of the time in cryogenic hibernation (20 weeks in, 20 days~3 weeks out). Useful for an old sage that believes they have to stay around in order to provide guidance for as long as possible. Particularly because they still notice changes in their surroundings as if asleep, so they can burst out going on about how they were woken from their slumber by the presence of a "Great Evil" or something.
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So mostly RP, and saves a bit of cash if you've got the time to spare?
Backstory for NPC druids? Only awake for one month out of the year to extract the horrible revenge of nature on the city born filth and then back to hibernation again? Justification for a halloween-esque holiday and campaign hook for the PCs.
Well, from the quoted mechanics, they would have to wake up 2-3 times a year if they are 20th level. It says they can sleep for 1 week/level, and then they have to be up for 1 day/week slept. So 20 weeks asleep and 20 days awake (~3 weeks), and that is at the highest level. Still, yes, it is useful for making that cyclical scenario overall. And since they do not age during the time slept, they could be kept around to kill campers for centuries even if they are human.
Of course, if you were going for a horror movie slasher, the reincarnated druid might be a better pick. They can automatically reincarnate a week after their death. They can only be permanently killed by death effects or if they are killed 1 week after their rebirth (cooldown period).
