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ErrantX
2009-11-11, 11:51 AM
Where The Wyld Things Are

---

That's so Fey! (Not that there's anything wrong with that)

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Giant in the Playground PrC Contest XIV

The contest begins with the posting of this thread and will run through midnight of December 10th.

Soon after a poll will be opened for everyone to vote for their favorite that will last until midnight of December 21st.

Rules

1) You will be creating an 'original' prestige class. This prestige class must bear strong elements relating to not only the Fey type, but as well as things that pertain to the Realms of the Faeries. It may be a transformational class that makes you join their eldritch ranks, a class that bends the fey to your will through oaths and bindings, a fey hunting bard that kills his foes with the sound of iron bells, an incarnum user who shapes the potential soul energy of the Feywilds, a fey warlock who gains a new suite of invocations for his associations, a weapon maker that bends the forms and souls of fey children into weapons to kill their kind, or an eldritch arcanist or divinist that uses the secrets of faerie magic to beguile those around him. Custom feats, races, templates, and monsters are allowed with this contest as well, as you may need them. Any WotC sourcebook is useable for reference and resources, no third party things. As always, if you're not sure, ask me!

2) Entries must include name, complete class, and fluff, combat related and role playing related. Incomplete entries at the deadline will be disqualified.

3) Entries must be 3.5, using the standard format below.

4) Post all entries in this thread. Post all conversation, questions, etc here in the
chat thread) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108732).

5) Maximum of one entry per participant (gotta save up those creative juices for the next one too!)

6) Entries must be your own work, and must not be copied for other places. Such entries will be disqualified.

7) No reserving posts. Feel free to tweak your class, but the initial post must include the basics.



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And here's a helper if you need it!

(Fax Celestis' Prestige Class Creation Thread) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10433)

ErrantX
2009-11-11, 11:52 AM
PRESTIGE CLASS NAME

http://Picture URL

Quote of Some Kind by a member of the class!

A general description of whatever the class is!

BECOMING A CLASS NAME
How you would normally become a member of this prestige class.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
:
:
:
:
:

Class Skills
The Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are....
Skills Points at Each Level: x + int

Hit Dice: dx

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

2nd|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

3rd|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

4th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

5th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

6th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

7th|
+x|
+x|
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+x|Class Ability

8th|
+x|
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+x|Class Ability

9th|
+x|
+x|
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+x|Class Ability

10th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability[/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: A place to put the different proficiencies.
Put all the different class abilities in here!

PLAYING A CLASS NAME
Brief description on how to play the class you are designing.
Combat: Here's a section where you will describe common combat methods for your class. Remember to include information on how your class will use his powers in combat.
Advancement: This is a section on different options and paths that the class can go down when they advance in power.
Resources: What resources might a member of this PrC be able to draw on..

CLASS NAME IN THE WORLD
A quote of somebody else talking about your class!

A brief description of how your class is persevered in the world and how he interacts with the world.
Daily Life: Some general information about the typical day in the life of your class.
Notables: Make up some cool information about notable figures in the history of your class. It's best to give a little information from one of the good alignment and evil alignment (unless it's a good or evil only class).
Organizations: Some information about organizations dedicated to the practice of your class and other organizations which members of your class will be attracted towards.

NPC Reaction
This is an in detail description of how NPC's would perceive your class and the immediate generalization that people would give of your class.

CLASS NAME IN THE GAME
This is a good place to provide a quick note on how your class will effect game play statistically.
Adaptation: This is a place where you put in detail how people can adapt your class into their campaign setting.
Encounters: This is a place to describe what sort of encounters PC's will have with NPC versions of your class.

Sample Encounter
Give an example of how one might encounter a member of this PrC.
EL x: Give the encounter level and description of a sample member of this class and a stat block for him/her.


Name
alignment/Gender/Race/Levels
Init +0, Senses: Listen +, Spot +,
Languages
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AC , touch , flat-footed ()
hp ( HD)
Fort +, Ref +, Will +
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Speed ft. ( squares)
Melee
Base Atk +, Grp +
Atk Options
Combat Gear
Spells Prepared
Supernatural Abilities
-----------------------------------------------
Abilities Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
SQ
Feats
Skills
Possessions

Xallace
2009-11-12, 07:39 PM
UNHOLY EYE OF BALOR

http://i371.photobucket.com/albums/oo154/Xallace/coolasseye.jpg

"Let the new gods tremble; the faerie has returned."

With every passing day, mankind encroaches further into the wilderness. With each new farm, an ancient wood is lost; with each house, a pristine glenn; and with each new church, the old spirits of the land find themselves fading. The old ways - the good ways - are being destroyed. They have been since man man lost their respect for the faerie, when they turned from nature to their machines. Soon, the fey may be nothing more than a memory.

That is, they would be if you weren't around.

You take your name from Balor, the king of the Fomoiri, an ancient race of the faerie that stood and fought the will of gods and men. Though they fell, their souls dispersed to the astral sea, they are far from gone. Your fey-tainted soul calls to them. Your thirst for justice ignites their need for vengeance. You pluck the shattered remains of the Fomoiri from the seas of time, and you let them fight once again. You are the new Balor. You are vengeance.

BECOMING AN UNHOLY EYE OF BALOR
Nearly all Unholy Eyes are Totemists that multiclass as warlocks.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Eldritch Blast: 2d6
Meldshaping: You must be able to bind souldmelds to the crown and totem chakras.
Skills: Profession (Herbalist) 4 ranks OR Craft (Alchemy) 4 ranks
Special: You must craft a special brew of herbs and chemicals costing 100 gp. In an hour long ceremony, you anoint your eyes with this brew to imitate the process that gave Balor his infamous powers.

Class Skills
The Unholy Eye's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Listen, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Use Magic Device.
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int

Hit Dice: d6

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Eldritch Eye, Strength of the Fomoiri

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Eldritch Blast +1d6, Godsbane

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Primordial Claws, Whispers of the Old Gods

4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Chakra Binds (Arms, Brow, Shoulders)

5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Primordial Eye

6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Eldritch Army

7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Screaming Blast of the Fomoiri, Chakra Binds (Throat, Waist)

8th|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+6|Eldritch Blast +2d6

9th|
+6|
+3|
+3|
+6|Chakra Binds (Heart)

10th|
+7|
+3|
+3|
+7|Balor's Unholy Eye[/table]

{table=head]Level | Meldshaping | Invocations
1 | - | +1 Level of Invoking
2 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
3 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
4 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
5 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
6 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
7 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
8 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
9 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | +1 Level of Invoking
10 | +1 Level of Meldshaping | -[/table]

Invoking: At each level except 10th, you gain invocations known and advanced tiers of invocations as though you had gained a level of the invoking class in which you have levels. If you have levels in more than one invoking class, you must choose which class to advance. You do not gain any other benefits the class would normally grant, such as Eldritch Blast progression.

Meldshaping: At every level except 1st, you increase the size of your Essentia pool, the amount of essentia you can invest into a soulmeld, your number of chakra binds, and the number of soulmelds that can be shaped at once as though you had gained a level in your previous meldshaping class. You do not gain any other benefit of that class. If you had more than one meldshaping class before becoming a Blind Eye, you must choose which class to advance.

Eldritch Eye (Su): The ritual used to become an Unholy Eye opens a special channel from your soul to your eyes. This connection is metaphysical; even if you lose your eyes, you do not lose this ability.
Your Eldritch Blast is treated as both an invocation and a soulmeld, though it does not count against the number of soulmelds you have active at a given time. You can invest essentia into your Eldritch Blast, granting you a +1 bonus to caster level checks for the purpose of overcoming spell resistance.
You can bind your Eldritch Blast to your Crown chakra. While so bound, your Eldritch blast requires no somatic components, and is considered a gaze attack for the purpose of meeting prerequisities, though it does not otherwise function as a gaze attack. Your Eldritch Blast deals an additional 1d6 points of damage for each point of essentia invested in it.

Strength of the Fomoiri (Su): Channeling the souls of the mighty fomoiri grants you a tiny fraction of their monstrous power. For each soulmeld you have shaped (excluding your eldritch blast), you gain a +1 enhancement bonus to Strength and DR 1/Cold Iron. This Damage Reduction stacks with similar DR.

Eldritch Blast (Su): At 2nd level, and again at 8th level, you add 1d6 to your Eldritch Blast damage.

Godsbane (Sp): At 2nd level, you gain the Godsbane invocation. Godsbane is an Eldritch Essence invocation (4th; lesser). When you attack a creature that can cast divine spells with this essence, you gain a +2 bonus on the attack roll and deal an additional 2d6 points of damage.

Primordial Claws (Su): By 3rd level, your soul has become strong enough to exert influence over the ancient fey that you channel. When you take a standard action to attack using a weapon or natural weapon granted by a soulmeld, you can apply a single Eldritch Essence invocation to the attack, as though the weapon were your Eldritch Blast.

Whispers of the Old Gods (Ex): The ancient spirits of the faerie smile upon you, providing you with boons in your fight. At 3rd level, you gain Spell Resistance against divine spells equal to 10 + your character level + the number of Chakra Binds you currently have active.

Primordial Eye (Su): As of 5th level, you can bind your Eldritch Blast to your Brow chakra. While bound to your Brow, your Eldritch Blast does not require somatic components. In addition, you gain blindsense out to 5 feet, plus 5 feet per point of essentia invested in your Eldritch Blast. Your Eldritch Blast is considered a gaze attack for the purpose of meeting prerequisites, though it does not otherwise function as a gaze attack. You deal an additional 1d6 points of damage for each point of essentia invested into your Eldritch Blast.

Eldritch Army (Sp): At 6th level, you gain access to the Eldritch Army invocation, a Blast Shape invocation (Greater; 6th).
When you use the Eldritch Army shape, you place four pillars of arcane-infused soulstuff within 30 feet of you. Each square takes up a five-foot by five-foot space. These pillars remain until you dismiss them, but you cannot use your Eldritch Blast again until you have done so.
Any creature that passes through the soulstuff takes damage equal to your Eldritch Blast. If you are granted a weapon or natural weapon attack from one of your soulmelds, you may choose to consider one of the pillars as the origin square of the attack. Creatures do not provoke attacks of opportunity from you for moving away from a pillar.

Screaming Blast of the Fomoiri (Su): The fury of the fomoiri is beyond words. Their rage and vengeful thirst can be overwhelming to you sometimes. But at other times, your fury and theirs are in tune. When this happens, you can unbind their souls from your body and unleash them upon your foes.
When you use your Eldritch Blast, you can choose to unbind a single soulmeld from a Chakra of your choice. In doing so, you can add two Eldritch Essence invocations to your Eldritch Blast, rather than one. You deal an additional 1d6 points of damage per point of essentia that was invested in the soulmeld at the time of its unbinding.
If you unbind your Eldritch Blast to use this ability, the target must make a Fortitude Save (DC10 + your class level + your Charisma modifier) or be Disintegrated, as the spell, with a caster level equal to twice your class level. A target who succeeds on its save takes Eldritch Blast damage, as normal.

Balor's Unholy Eye (Su): As of 10th level, you can bind your Eldritch Blast to your Totem chakra. While your Eldritch Blast is bound to your Totem Chakra, it may also be bound to either your Brow or your Crown chakra.
When you hit a creature with your Eldritch Blast while it is bound to your Totem chakra, that creature becomes unable to cast divine spells until the beginning of your next turn.
If you bind your Eldritch Blast to your Brow and Totem Chakra, you gain Blindsight out to 5 feet, plus 5 feet per point of essentia invested in your Eldritch Blast.
If you bind your Eldritch Blast to your Crown and Totem Chakra, you gain an additional +1 bonus to caster level checks to overcome spell resistance for each point of essentia invested in your Eldritch Blast.

PLAYING AN UNHOLY EYE OF BALOR
Despite the implications, you need not be evil. A good Unholy Eye might hope to bring his people back to compromise with the faerie, only using his monstrous power when things get ugly. A neutral or evil Unholy Eye is more likely to simply wipe out the targets of his anger in a bloody rampage.
Combat: You are a destroyer first and foremost. Your invocations and soulmelds provide you with numerous attack options, and your class features help to combine the disparate parts into a great engine of death.
Advancement: Increasing your Essentia pool and taking Incarnum feats are never bad ideas. Consider whether you prefer to fight tooth-and-claw, from range, or mixing it up. You might focus on feats such as power attack, point blank shot, or a combination of melee and ranged.
Resources: An Unholy Eye only has himself and close friends to rely on. However, the actions of an Unholy Eye will sometimes attract greater attention from ancient fey. These entities will sometimes leave you gifts to let you know of their support. These gifts might come in the way of information, easy food and shelter while in the wilderness, or even (rarely) allies.

UNOLY EYE OF BALOR IN THE WORLD
"Monster's what they are. Anarchists. Crazies. Civilization's a GOOD thing, I dunno why they don't get that."

Your peers don't understand you. Even in the fey realms you are something of a controversy, though you would not be openly opposed by the courts. You don't need them to like you, to understand you. You know your purpose, rallied on by the ancients entities from the primordial faerie.
Daily Life: You're called a terrorist, an anarchist, a monster. When you aren't fulfilling your purpose, you tend to avoid towns and cities. You make a living off of the land, hunting and gathering as need be.
Organizations: Unholy are so few and far between that most don't even know others exist.

NPC Reaction
Most mortals who discover your nature are hostile to you. Certain fey, such as nymphs or others that enjoy interacting with mortals, will sometimes be unfriendly towards you. You might find more primal entities, such as greater elementals and more ancient fey, friendly to you.

Lord_Gareth
2009-11-13, 06:39 PM
Nightsingers

"Rest easy - I can make you richer and more content that you ever have been before. All I want is the newborn thing that has mewled and cried and fussed in your home all night. Is that so much?"
Jarissa Kenn, a Nightsinger, offering a Tainted Bargain to a pair of unsupecting peasants

Nightsingers represent a new face of the Unseelie - one that is no longer willing to shun and ignore the mortal world. Too long have the Fey dwelt away; too long have they left themselves to wither and die. The Lords of Darkness are not going to slip quietly out of mortal memory - such a death is beneath their station, beneath their dignity, and beneath their duties!

Ever has it been the Unseelie's job to drag the mortal world down - to confuse, delay, and inhibit, to prevent those bold beings from growing too far, too fast. They have failed, and they will not fail again.

Enter the Nightsingers, mortals blessed with Unseelie power in exchange for a simple, but ironclad promise - to advance the goals of the Wayward Path. The gifts of the Court of Darkness are many and varied, often twisted and soaked in blood, and they are the Nightsingers' to use. Many of them are unaware of their other purpose - to connect the Dark Court to the mortal world, and give them a new understanding of duties long since neglected. Some of them know, though, and they grin in the shadows that they wrap around themselves like a cloak.

The Lords of Night will ride again, and the Nightsingers will be their heralds, the heirs to a cosmic change that has not been seen for millennia. Blood and song and wine will flow like rushing rivers as the world burns.

And they will dance in the flames.

Becoming a Nightsinger
Most Nightsingers are mortals with a predisposition for Unseelie values; deception, cunning, self-interest, and a certain gleeful amorality. These people are not evil per se, and actually run the gamut from filth-streaked murderers to enlightened philosiphers espousing universal anarchy. These individuals are approached by a representitive of the Unseelie Court, who offers them a bargain which may be open or concealed - power, in exchange for serving the ideals of the Unseelie. It is important to note that they do not serve the Court itself unless they choose to do so - they swear allegiance to ideas, and nothing more. Upon accepting, a potential candidate is a Nightsinger - with all that entails.

That being said, many Nightsingers are bards, and those that don't start out Nuetral Evil often find it hard not to end up that way; selfishness is an inherant part of being a Nightsinger, and it's all too easy to slip from being amoral to being malevolent, especially when you are being rewarded for doing so.

Entry Requirements
Alignment: Any nonlawful
Skills: Perform (Any) 8 ranks, Tumble 4 ranks
Feats: Deal with the Dark*, Night's Favored*
Type: Any non-fey capable of suffering age penalties.
Special: The potential Nightsinger must agree to the Chorus Pact (see the Night's Chorus class feature). The Pact will only be offered thrice; after that, the potential Nightsinger has forsaken the Unseelie forever, and will likely be hunted down and tortured to death out of spite - and will only find rest if she can overcome her hunters thrice.

* Indicates a new feat; see below.

Sidebar: Sworn to Darkness
Deal With the Dark [General]
You've sworn yourself to some aspect of primordial night and darkness, and benefit thereby.
Prerequisites: Charisma 13+, Hide 4 ranks
Benefit: You gain a +2 sacred bonus to Hide checks made while you are in darkness or shadowy illumination. You gain low-light vision, if you didn't have it before, or darkvision out to sixty feet if you did (your vision does not improve if you already had darkvision). Part of your body - your hair, your eyes, your skin - turns dark and dusky, though how this manifests is up to you.

Night's Favored [General]
Your connection to darkness has deepened, marking you as one of the night's favored.
Prerequisites: Deal with the Dark, Knowledge (The Planes) 6 ranks
Benefit: Your vision improves; you gain darkvision out to sixty feet if you previously had low-light vision, or your darkvision becomes able to penetrate even magical darkness if you previously possessed darkvision. Additionally, as a free action at the beginning of your turn, you may choose one: you are healed by positive energy and take only half damage from negative energy, or you are healed by negative energy (also gaining a +1 sacred bonus to saves against negative levels, death effects that do not also possess the mind-affecting descriptor, and energy drain), but take damage from positive energy sources (such as cure light wounds) instead of being healed by them. The dark part of your body darkens further, becoming like living night cut whole from the midnight sky, and other parts of your body may become dark as well.

Class Skills
The Nightsinger's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Any, chosen seperately) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Any) (Cha), Profession (Lawyer) (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex)
Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + Intelligence Modifier

Sidebar: Mind Rape
Under the rules as they are currently written, Bluff and Diplomacy make the Nightsinger an unstoppable Faustian force, coercing NPCs into dark deals with no chance for them to resist. It is highly reccomended that you seek an alternate method of using these skills in your campaign, both on general principle and in regards to this class.

Hit Dice: D8

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Reels

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Faerie Reels, Night's Chorus|Restless Reel

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Unseelie Truths| -

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Ten Thousand Steps|Aria of the Crescent Moon

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Tainted Bargains| -

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Amoral Indifference, Bloody Smile|Half Moon Waltz

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Bean Sidhe's Blessing, Fool's Curse| -

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Unimpeachable Passage, Wine-Lipped Kiss|Full Moon Reel

8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+6|
+6|False Virtue| -

9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+6|
+6|Throw the Locks|New Moon Dirge

10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+7|
+7|Belle Dame's Kiss, Tithe to the Unseelie| - [/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: The Nightsinger gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.

Faerie Reels (Su): By using music, poetics, or some other form of audible performance, the Nightsinger can produce a variety of magical effects. The Nightsinger has a number of daily uses of this ability equal to her class level, which stacks with any previously possessed Bardic Music or similar ability. It takes a swift action at the beginning of the Nightsinger's turn to maintain the effects of a Reel (assuming that its effects may be maintained); as long as the Nightsinger expends this swift action every turn, the effects of the Reel will continue for as long as she continues singing, playing, reciting, et cetera. This ability is otherwise identical to the Bardic Music class feature.

Restless Reel - This reel is available to any Nightsinger with at least nine ranks in perform and one level in this class; one creature within sixty feet of the Nightsinger performing this reel (excluding the Nightsinger herself, and chosen when the reel is activated) must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier) at the beginning of their turn or take at least one move action during their turn - a move action which must be less than advantageous to them. They needn't put themselves in harm's way - such as by provoking attacks of opportunity - but are instead likely to find themselves unwittingly drawing useless items, literally dancing out of any useful position in combat, dropping prone, et cetera. The victim is entitled to a new save at the beginning of each of its turns; the effect ends when they succeed at a save, the Nightsinger stops performing, or after a number of rounds equal to her charisma modifier. This ability consumes one daily use of the Nightsinger's Faerie Reels, and is a mind-affecting, compulsion effect.

Aria of the Crescent Moon - The song of the Sickle Moon cuts beings off from their allies. This reel, available to any Nightsinger with at least eleven ranks in Perform and three levels in this class, forces those within sixty feet of the Nightsinger to succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier) or be cut off from aid; they cannot target themselves or their allies with spells, use teamwork actions, or even stand comfortably within ten feet of a creature friendly to them - any creature that threatens their square is treated as hostile for the purposes of flanking bonuses - for as long as the Nightsinger continues to perform. The affected creatures may still choose to use area spells in locations that happen to include their allies, however. This ability consumes one use of the Nightsinger's Faerie Reels, and is a mind-affecting, compulsion effect.

Half Moon Waltz - The Half Moon is a time of between, of not-things and near-realities, and its song distorts the line between what is real and what is not. This reel, available to any Nightsinger with at least thirteen ranks in Perform and five levels in this class, turns creatures incorporeal. Each creature within sixty feet of the Nightsinger turns incorporeal (if it was previously corporeal) or corporeal (if it was previously incorporeal). A being who wishes to avoid this effect is entitled to a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier) to do so; those who don't wish to avoid the effect but wish for it to apply to their equipment and carried possessions must also succeed at a Will save; failure indicates that their equipment and carried possessions do not change corporeality. All affected creatures and objects revert to their normal state of corporeality when the Nightsinger stops performing, or after a number of rounds equal to her class level, whatever comes first. This ability consumes one use of the Nightsinger's Faerie Reels.

Full Moon Reel - The Full Moon is a time of rage and war; this reel, available to any Nightsinger with at least fifteen ranks in perform and seven levels in this class, forces all creatures within sixty feet of the Nightsinger (excluding the Nightsinger herself) to succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier) or enter a rage identical to that of a barbarian half their character level, with the exception being that the rage ends when the Nightsinger stops performing. A creature may choose to voluntarily fail this Will save. This ability consumes one daily uses of the Nightsinger's Faerie Reels, and is a mind-affecting, compulsion effect.

New Moon Dirge - The New Moon is a time of death, of secrecy and betrayal. Unlike other reels, this reel (available to any Nightsinger with at least seventeen ranks in Perform and nine levels in this class) takes a standard action to maintain. By singing or playing out a horrid sound that seems to scrape along the inside of the skull, the Nightsinger may raise a number of dead creatures equal to one half her class level (rounded down) within sixty feet of herself to serve her, provided that it has died within a number of minutes equal to her class level and possesses hit dice equal to or less than her character level. These creatures gain the undead type and regain all of their lost hit points, and are otherwise identical in all ways to the creature they were before death (including the availability of any unexpended spells, powers, et cetera), and they remain animate for as long as the Nightsinger continues to perform, after which time they fall to ash. This ability consumes five daily uses of the Nightsinger's Faerie Reels, and is a necromancy effect.

Faerie Reels are always obvious and present; under no circumstances (including magical interventions and feats) may the Nightsinger hide her attempts to use a Reel gained from this class; any attempt to do so spoils the magic of the Reel and consumes one use of this ability for the day. However, the Nightsinger is free to use her Reels from concealment, hiding, and other, similar methods.

Night's Chorus (Ex): Each Nightsinger swears the same oath, which both drives them and grants them their power (and is also the reason that they are, at times, referred to collectively as the Chorus). The formal version of the oath is as follows:

"I swear on my name and honor to uphold the values of the Unseelie; to provoke change, to deceive those unworthy of my respect and to always consider my own health, wealth, and comfort before that of others. I promise to confuse, befuddle, and hinder, to stifle unwanted change and to prevent mortals from treading where even gods are given pause. Let the Hunt claim me if I prove false."

Each Nightsinger swears some variant of this oath, and each interprets it differently. Violating this oath in a minor way (giving away gold when you'd intended to buy yourself a trinket) results in the loss of all abilities from this class for 24 hours. Any more severe violations require that the character beg forgiveness from the Unseelie and complete a task for them - if they manage to survive the assassins that the Dark Court sends to punish traitors.

The Nightsinger may not be compelled to violate this oath; she must do of her own free will, though she may be persuaded to do so through threats, bribery or other methods (though one wonders how a Nightsinger could possibly violate her oath if she is being threatened - own health/comfort is at stake - or bribed - own wealth/comfort is being increased). The oath gives them another benefit as well - she will never be selected as the Unseelie's tithe, and she is free from hinderance or harassment from any member of the Unseelie that she does not personally provoke or offend. They are under no compulsion to help her, but the direst penalties await an Unseelie who breaks this peace pact without just (for a faerie definition of 'just') cause.

Unseelie Truths (Su): Also starting at level two, the Nightsinger is immune to zone of truth, as well as similar spells and effects that determine if she is telling the truth or not; such spells always read as though she is speaking the truth. Sense Motive checks directed against the Nightsinger take a penalty equal to half her class level.

Ten Thousand Steps (Su): Also starting at level three, as a standard action, the Nightsinger can force a being within their line of sight to move; if their victim fails at a Will save (DC = 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier), they must take a move action and move at least ten feet on each of their turns for a number of rounds equal to the Nightsinger's class level. A creature may choose to voluntarily fail this Will save. While the victim may choose where he moves, he must move as far as he is able (up to the ten foot minimum) and must provoke an attack of opportunity from a hostile creature if at all capable; if no hostile creature is present within their minimum movement, they must move as close as possible to the nearest hostile creature. This ability does, however, have one positive benefit; a creature who fails their save against Ten Thousand Steps is instantly free of any magical effect that hinders their movement, such as hold person, slow, and similar spells and effects.

Tainted Bargains (Su): Arguably the greatest of their powers, a Nightsinger of level four or higher may offer pacts to willing, sentient beings. The terms of these pacts are simple - either the oathbound offers the Nightsinger something tangible (a lock of hair, a firstborn child, a favor, et cetera) or his services. In exchange, he gains a boon from the Nightsinger in the form of either a service or wealth. The power of the bargain is such that the Nightsinger can create whatever it is she is offering, up to a value of a thousand gold pieces per class level (per month in the case of pure currency or gems, but not magical items) - but the gift is always tainted in some way or another. Wealth turns to dry leaves and dust, magical items prove cursed, or services contain the seeds of betrayal and ruin. It is important to note that these deals often include a time limit - a Nightsinger may promise, for example, to "make you and your line rich unto the twentieth generation" - and that this time limit should factor into the penalty; perhaps the aforementioned family grows fat and corrupt on its wealth, until it all vanishes, turning them into desperate, evil paupers.

The powers of the Unseelie are vindictive and know when they are being abused; the Dungeon Master is encouraged to be especially cruel if the Nightsinger is abusing this power to give her party members level or adventure inappropriate benefits.

Horrifying sanctions await oathbreakers; if either side fails to hold up their end of a Tainted Bargain, a powerful curse strikes them, inflicting a -10 penalty on all rolls until the other side honestly, and without any form of magical of mundane coercion, forgives them. During this time, the cursed will find themselves beset by constant threat, danger, and misfortune, and will likely die if not forgiven or cured by other means.

No being may be magically forced to accept a Tainted Bargain, though they may be bribed, persuaded, and threatened into doing so. Likewise, impossible tasks cannot be bargained for. As always, the Dungeon Master is the final judge on these matters.

Amoral Indifference (Ex): There is only so long one can associate with something without becoming at least a little like that thing; a Nightsinger of level five or higher has been blessed (or, perhaps, infected) with a bit of the amorality of the Lords of Night; she gains a bonus equal to her Charisma modifier on saves vs. effects that have an alignment descriptor, and is utterly immune to magical effects, items, powers, spells, etc. that temporarily or permanently alter her alignment.

Bloody Smile (Su): Also at level five, the Nightsinger becomes resistant to all divination spells and effects used to determine the extent and nature of her misdeeds; this includes spells and effects incidentally used at the scenes of her crimes that would turn up evidence leading to her, spells that affect an area in which she happens to be perpetrating some form of misdeed, et cetera; the spell fails to provide any evidence of the Nightsinger, even by her absence. For example, a spell used to scry into an alleyway in which a murder was being committed by a fifth-level Nightsinger would show everything but the Nightsinger and the murder - not even the corpse of the victim would be detected. The caster of any such spell must succeed at a Sense Motive check (DC 20 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier, penalized by her Unseelie Truths class feature as normal) in order for their spell to function normally; failure indicates that it is obfuscated as described above.

Additionally, the Nightsinger gains a +2 sacred bonus to Bluff checks, provided that she has killed something with hit dice equal to or greater than her own within the past week.

Bean Sidhe's Blessing (Su): Starting at level six, the Nightsinger is immune to death effects and negative levels. Additionally, as a free action, he may touch a sentient being and grant that being foreknowledge of its own death; this has a few effects, depending on the nature of the next threat to that being's life takes place:

- If the being would die as the result of an effect that allows a save, it may re-roll that save with a +4 sacred bonus.
- If the being would die as the result of an attack roll, the attack is re-rolled and the being's armor class gains a +8 sacred bonus against it.
- If the being would be killed due to circumstances beyond its control (such as an erupting volcano), then it dies horribly, and probably goes insane with powerlessness in its final moments.

A Nightsinger may only bless one being, which cannot be herself, in this manner at a time.

Fool's Curse (Su): Starting at level six, a number of times per day equal to her charisma modifier as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, the Nightsinger may inflict a curse of buffoonery upon an unfortunate victim within sixty feet of her. If their target fails a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier), they suffer a -4 luck penalty to all ability scores for a number of rounds equal to the Nightsinger's class level. If they succeed at their Will save, they are immune to all luck penalties for a number of days equal to the Nightsinger's charisma modifier; shaking off such a curse is energizing and invigorating.

The effects of this ability are comical in that the victim looks foolish, stupid, and bedeviled, though one should keep in mind that sympathy is the only line between comedy and tragedy.

Unimpeachable Passage (Su): A Nightsinger of level seven or higher is gifted with a bit of the unearthly grace and bearing of the Faerie Lords; she gains a +2 inherant bonus to charisma. Additionally, the Nightsinger ignores dangerous or difficult terrain - caltrops do not deal damage to her, thin ice bears her weight, et cetera. This unearthly grace even allows her to walk on water and other liquids at her normal movement rate without making a check or suffering any kind of penalty. It does not, however, protect her from the indirect effects of the terrain she walks on; convection from lava will still damage her, walking on acid will ruin her boots and then start dealing her damage, et cetera.

Additionally, the Nightsinger no longer leaves footprints and similar markings; attempts to track her suffer a -4 penalty.

Wine-Lipped Kiss (Su): A Nightsinger of level seven or higher is given a dark gift - that of addiction. By kissing a sentient being, the Nightsinger can force that being to make a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier). Failure indicates that they fall under an effect similar to that of charm monster, with one important difference - they are literally addicted to the Nightsinger. A brief kiss, willingly given to them, will stave off the effects of the addiction for a day (a willing sexual encounter sustains them for a week - while they might attempt rape, it does not help them in any way); every day that they are denied their fix, the being gets more and more desperate, their alignment shifting one step towards chaotic or evil as they desperately try to find some way to gain the favor of the Nightsinger. Each day that their fix is steadily maintained reverses one step of alignment change inflicted by this ability. Most Nightsingers string their poor victims along to make them more pliable; some of the more merciful ones instead use this power to pacify otherwise implacable enemies.

The effects of this ability last for a number of days equal to the Nightsinger's charisma modifier, at which point the victim is entitled to another Will save to throw off the effects. Failure indicates that they remain charmed for another number of days equal to the Nightsinger's charisma modifier, at which point they are entitled to another Will save, et cetera. The Nightsinger may attempt to use this ability in combat by first pinning an opponent in a grapple, but their victim gains a +6 circumstance bonus on their Will save in that event. A creature already under the influence of another compulsion effect also gains a +6 bonus to their Will saves vs. this ability.

A Nightsinger may only hold a number of beings in her thrall with this ability equal to half her charisma modifier, rounded down.

This ability is a mind affecting, compulsion effect.

False Virtue (Su): At level eight and higher, even the soul of a Nightsinger is a consummate deciever; all mundane or magical attempts to detect her alignment fail. Additionally, the Nightsinger is always treated as being whatever alignment is most beneficial to her at any given time, regardless of what her actual alignment is.

Throw the Locks (Su): At level nine or higher, whenever the Nightsinger opens a door or window, or otherwise attempts to pass through a portal of any kind, she makes a reflexive (read: involuntary and automatic) Open Lock check as a free action, substituting her charisma modifier for her dexterity modifier. This check has a number of effects:

- It functions as a normal Open Lock check, automatically opening any mundane lock with a DC equal to or lower than the check result.
- It functions as a targeted dispel magic, affecting all abjuration and/or transmutation spells on the door, window, or other portal. The check is substituted for the normal caster check; it otherwise functions as dispel magic.
- It disarms all traps on the door, window, or other portal, magical or mundane, with DCs equal to or lower than the check result.

Throw the Locks only functions once per hour on any given door, window, or other portal.

Belle Dame's Kiss (Su): The most feared and hated of the Nightsinger's abilities is their kiss; though the Nightsinger can already enslave unwitting victims with her lips, at level ten her kiss gains the ability to steal souls. She gains death knell as a spell-like ability usable at-will, though she must kiss her victim in order for it to function. However, there is another option; if she kisses a helpless sentient creature full on the lips, she may begin to draw their soul out of their mouth. This process takes five minutes, at the end of which the victim is entitled to a Will save (DC 10 + the Nightsinger's class level + the Nightsinger's charisma modifier). Success indicates that they merely die peacefully; failure indicates that they gain the ghost template, bound to serve the Nightsinger. The Nightsinger may only have one ghost bound in this way at a time, but she may, as an immediate action, destroy her ghostly servant and devour its soul, gaining a number of temporary hit points equal to five times its hit dice; these temporary hit points last up to an hour. The Nightsinger may not enslave a new soul within three days and three nights of the destruction (or freedom) of her previous slave.

Needless to say, there are very few situations in which stealing and enslaving a sentient being's immortal soul is not an evil action, let alone devouring it.

Tithe to the Unseelie (Su): At level ten, a Nightsinger may elect to take on the Fey type, gaining DR 10/Cold Iron, an additional +2 inherant bonus to their Charisma, charm person as an at-will spell-like ability (caster level equal to their hit dice), extending their darkvision by forty feet and suspending their aging - the Nightsinger does not age further while she maintains the Fey type (this is in addition to the various and sundry benefits of actually being Fey). This transcendance, however, comes at a cost - once per month, on the new moon, they must offer a sentient being to the Unseelie Court, either as a slave and plaything or as a blood sacrifice. A representative of the Unseelie Court comes to claim the sacrifice - appearing from the nearest door, window, or other portal and dissappearing through the same - and grants the Nightsinger her continued transcendance. The Unseelie are not, however, interested in having to work for their offerings; the being offered to the Night Court must either be helpless or slain in a ritual sacrifice dedicated to the Unseelie. The Nightsinger may certainly elect not to take on the Fey type, and may abandon it at any moment as a free action, or simply by electing not to make their sacrifice.

In order to initially gain the Fey type (or regain it after it has been abandoned), the Nightsinger must offer a sacrifice to the Unseelie, as described above. A Nightsinger who loses the Fey type ages at the rate of one year per day until she is caught up to her true and proper age.

Gaining the Fey type (and cheating age penalties) through this class feature does not disqualify you for this prestige class, nor does it cause you to lose any abilities gained from it.

Playing a Nightsinger
Your're a trickster, beholden to nothing and no one, with a magically bound obligation to be selfish. This is not a free ticket to be a complete jerk to your party, but look out for number one first, your party second, and everyone else distinctly last; do little things to entertain yourself and revel in the lives you ruin. You are the hinderer, the adversary, the Transcendant Muse that burns out the soul of your protoge - dance in the ruins you create!
Combat: Nightsingers typically alternate between supporting their allies by creating flanking opportunities and debuffing. Once a Nightsinger has slung all the curses she's going to sling, she usually begins singing, using her Reels to cause chaos in the battlefield and ensure that her opponents can't gain any kind of advantage. Make sure to target spellcasters with such abilities as Ten Thousand Steps, while more melee-oriented characters should suffer the unsubtle caresses of the Fool's Curse and, wherever possible, disrupt, disrupt, disrupt! Ready actions if you have to - just don't let the opposition organize, and don't fight on their terms.
Advancement: Many Nightsingers choose to advance as bards, though others seek more esoteric classes such as warlock, or even prestige classes such as Seeker of the Song. Some Nightsingers choose instead to advance as rogues, and a rare few advance as a pure melee or spellcasting class, augmenting their trickster abilities with something a little more direct.
Resources: At first glance, it doesn't seem like a Nightsinger has many resources to draw upon - until one realizes the extent to which they can manipulate people. The weakest of Nightsingers can foil truth spells, and many of them are consummate confidence men and decievers. It only gets worse as they increase in level, enabling a Nightsinger to embed themselves in a community or organization as a member in good standing, leeching funds, allies, and assets off of them while quietly controlling, embezzling, and even stealing from the organization on the side - and that's if the Nightsinger chooses to limit themselves to one organization or community. Getting to the point of being suspicious is difficult enough; proof is nearly impossible to procure about an intelligent Nightsinger's misdeeds. Couple this with the potential allies, boons, and services granted to them by their Tainted Bargain class feature, and this means that any Nightsinger worth the title has a vast pool of wealth, allies, slaves, and assets to call upon in dealing with any given problem.

Nightsingers in the World

"Please don't leave me - I need you! Please, I need you!
Regdar, pleading with the Nightsinger whose Wine-Lipped Kiss enslaved him.

There are two ways that Nightsingers are viewed in the world; theoretically, and practically. In theory, the life of a Nightsinger is not a fun one; powerful paladins hunt them down, servants of the Seelie Court constantly seek their lives, and the common populace doesn't precisely have a rosy opinion of the servants of the Unseelie, who are tricky and antagonistic towards mortals on the best of days, and running with hot, fresh blood on others. Theoretically, Nightsingers should be chased out of any right-thinking settlements and into the cracks and crevices of dungeons with all the other 'evil' folk.

The reality is very, very different.

Nightsingers are, almost by definition, smooth customers, and their supernatural abilities only enforce this. Any Nightsinger intelligent enough to avoid mentioning Nightsingers in general or the Unseelie can quickly and efficiently establish themselves as loved or even essential members of the community; many take up positions similar to that of being the town bard. They're everyone's friend and people turn to them for advice and wisdom that they often never suspect is subtly twisted to make life a little harder, a little darker, a little more challenging. Pretty soon, the Nightsinger has money rolling in, one way or another, and they become a respected member of the community (for their wealth) and an essential economic pillar (for their business). At that point, even if someone discovers one of their misdeeds - which grows increasingly unlikely as the Nightsinger gains power both mystic and temportal - it's a simple matter to have them discredited, or lynched, or ostracized, or to simply deal with them personally. After all, what right-thinking person could ever suspect such an honest and upstanding soul? If allowed to grow powerful enough, a skilled Nightsinger can even bend the local religions to her whims, especially once she starts looking like everyone's ally and no one's enemy - after all, she never appears as evil (or good, or lawful, or chaotic, or...) and abilities such as smite evil and holy word fail to even faze her. A Nightsinger entrenched into a community is a frightening thing, indeed.

Ironically, the best hope for a community's (dubious) salvation is a pre-existing selfish or evil social interest; an evil-aligned bard, or an influential socialite uninterested in losing her place in society. Such a person can freeze out the Nightsinger in much the same way an established Nightsinger can, forcing the Unseelie's servant to look for more gullible pastures. How, exactly, this is any better than the Nightsinger taking up residence is up for debate, but it is a hope.
Daily Life: Most Nightsingers devote their days to the pursuits of securing their personal comfort, making a tidy profit (with which to secure even more comfort), and entertaining themselves. The Unseelie don't actually rule them, you see, and that means they tend to flap about at loose ends, stewing in their own hedonism until something makes them budge out of their niche. Those Nightsingers who adventure tend to form fairly typical adventurers, in that "adventurers" can be defined as, "roving bands of heavily armed mercenaries seeking socially acceptable victims to murder and rob," which ultimately amounts to the same thing as a stationary Nightsinger, but with less community respect and more personal and/or mystical power.
Notables: Jerissa Kenn is everyone's friend. She makes quite a bit of money trading in antique items, various "recovered" artifacts, and rare spell components - adventurers on other continents know her name and the quality of both her goods and her hospitality. The poor woman seems to have a knack for marrying rich men that are fated to die horribly, but the local wizards and priests have all agreed that there was no foul play at work.

Except that there was.

Jerissa is a very old and powerful Nightsinger, and this is but the most recent of her many names; the young woman changes faces and cities every ten years or so, taking up a new business as the whim strikes her. She's been offering one life a month to the Unseelie for sixty years now, and the 'young' human loves the Nightsinger life. Thus far, several attempts on her life have been made by representatives of the Seelie Court, only to be crushed by her political and societal influence, which she has learned to gain with a kind of ruthless efficiency. Only one person knows who she is without being enslaved to her, and while he keeps careful tabs on her, Jerissa's existence is tolerated because she tends to keep worse influences out of wherever she's living. What her secret watcher doesn't know is that Jerissa is actively serving the Unseelie, and soon - very, very soon - she will be able to draw a substantial portion of her master's estate into the mortal world, where they will infiltrate the mortal world and once again take up their age-old duties as adversaries. Gods help whatever city she inflicts them on.
Organizations: Nightsingers are social creatures, tainted with an inherant self-interest; they flock to organizations with large bases of members, assets, and wealth which they may quietly exploit and abuse. Of these organizations, bardic colleges are a veritable gold mine - plenty of drama, cash and ideas flowing freely, and a lively social structure for them to manipulate to their whims. Bardic organizations also provide an easy backdrop for them to hide behind; what is, after all, one more magical singer among bards?

Sidebar: Knights of Shadow
The organization that claims the largest percentage of the Nightsinger's fealty is the Court of Night, and the Unseelie are, perhaps, unique amongst those organizations in that it often claims the Nightsinger's honest cooperation.

The Court of Night, like the Court of Day, is composed of urban and urbane Fae who take a direct interest in civilization. Where it is the Seelie's job to promote mortals, it is the Unseelie's job to hinder mortals in any way that they can. The Unseelie is the home of the artist driven mad by being centuries ahead of his time, the author enslaved to a dark muse, the rhyming serial killer and the genteel cannibal. The Unseelie are monsters, and they don't bother themselves about hiding the fact longer than it takes to lure a victim in. That said, they aren't evil per se, just selfish and self-centered; the artist needn't paint in blood, and many of the Wayward Path are simply strange and bizzare, rather than gore-spattered maniacs.

With the Court's recent rekindling of interest in the mortal world, Nightsingers are presented with a glut of opportunities in their service, many of which provide easy avenues of profit; teaching mortal tongues to faerie nobles, explaining cultures, securing their trinkets and kidnapping the occasional plaything are all very common tasks that Nightsingers are put to. It is also very often their duty to open long-shut gateways to the Feywilds and various demiplanes, allowing the Unseelie to infiltrate the mortal world and begin their work.

Curiously, the Unseelie is nowhere near as concerned with the Seelie as the Seelie are with them. While it's true that an Unseelie soldier or killer is likely to butcher any given Seelie fey, they don't wage organized war - or even official war - against their "enemies", preferring instead to force the "righteous" Sun Court to scrounge and search and quest endlessly to root out their various depravities. That said, one does not wrong or betray the Unseelie lightly; torture was an art form amongst them long before mortals ever discovered the concept, and several of their musicians have been known to literally compose symphonies of screams.

A Nightsinger typically becomes a member of the Dark Court by swearing herself to the service of one of their nobles or lords (which typically claim the title by virtue of being able to defend it, rather than any inherant breeding), though some have managed to worm their way into Faerie politics independantly. Mortals are lesser members of the Court; a Nightsinger is only an equal to the Unseelie if she achieves Fey status. A Fey Nightsinger who achieves sufficient respect and rank (enough to be nobility) is taught the secret of offering a magically binding Chorus Oath, thus enabling them to swear in new Nightsingers.

NPC Reaction
Upon discovering a Nightsinger's true nature, most nonevil NPCs will react with hostility. However, discovering a Nightsinger's true nature is extraordinarily difficult (see above), and most NPCs aren't equipped with the knowledge to understand that they should be scared or angry. Thus, there is no common NPC reaction to Nightsingers.

Nightsingers in the Game
Nightsingers create a lot of chaos in combat, and, depending on your group, will make battle either A. a lot of fun or B. very frustrating. However, Nightsingers open up a truckload of wonderful opportunities for political and social roleplaying; the possibilities for the Tainted Bargain class feature alone will excite and challenge many DMs and players. Run with it - see what pops out!
Adaptation: The biggest adaptation that is likely to be necessary is cosmological; some DMs will not want to deal with the Unseelie, or perhaps with the Fey in general. Could the Nightsingers be the amoral protoges of demons? Certainly. Or devotees to gods of chaos, or corruption, or even "survival of the fittest". These adaptations may require small mechanical changes to their abilities, but they shouldn't be that difficult.
Encounters: Most encounters with Nightsingers will be subtly hostile, with the Nightsinger offering some kind of tainted deal or twisted advice; they're well-suited to long, convoluted plots where the players must peel through layers and layers of intrigues in order to finally expose the corruption within.

Djinn_in_Tonic
2009-11-13, 07:24 PM
Seiðkona of the Iron Bands


Harken, faerie, to my song; if your Lord you would free,
Gather you the Iron Bands, then follow these steps three.
Find for me a pale white birch water'd with sorc'rous blood,
And cut thyself a gnarled staff straight from the living wood.
When Midnight Moon her face doth hide from all upon the ground,
In sacred place the Iron Bands with faerie ring surround.
The scene is set, one thing remains, Lord's freedom doth grow nigh--
Taketh though thy white birch staff; drive through the Iron's eye.
The task is done, the magicks worked, and all is left to time;
If left untouched then dawn's first light will end this fearful crime.
The Iron Bands to dust will fall and to the winds be strewn,
And so once more thy Lord will wake to dance 'neath Midnight Moon.



-Ancient faerie rhyme

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs40/f/2009/004/a/f/the_Sorcerer_by_ahbiasaaja.jpg
Udric Boul, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands, stands at the entrance of the Briar Path.


*****

The lords of the faerie are beings of immense, almost unspeakable power. Rivaling the demon princes and even some gods in might, magic, and influence, these beings rule the wild, twisting forests of the Faewyld and the unearthly inhabitants that occupy these enchanted woods. They revel in displays of the supernatural, sashaying through the mortal realm on excursions to amaze, stupefy, befuddle, and enchant, striving to tie humans up in mischief, mayhem, and inescapable bargains. Needless to say, the mortals have no defense against such escapades.

Yet some mortals are more than human. Some go beyond the realm of mundane possibilities, and beyond the realm of mortal magic. These few deal with beings from beyond existence, channeling their powers into fragile mortal forms, somehow containing the vast strength of unspeakable entities from other world, and other realities. Drawn to promises of power like moths to flame, the enterprising--or the insane--often strive to bring angels, demons, fae lords, or even gods under their dominion.

And rarely...very rarely...one is strong enough, persistent enough, and determined enough to succeed.

BECOMING A SEIÐKONA OF THE IRON BANDS
A Seiðkona of the Iron Bands is a binder who has managed--through trickery, dark magic, and bonds of cold iron--to imprison a mighty Fae Lord within a set of cold iron rings. Drawing upon the essence of the captured fae, the Seiðkona wields the power of the lord's dominion over the Faewyld, the natural magic of the world, and the lesser fae that walk the mortal and faerie realms.

To become a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands, one must first have discovered the true name of a Fae Lord. This being done, a pair of cold iron bracers must be forged by the Seiðkona, and she must perform a specific summoning ritual in order to imprison her victim.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Alignment: Any non-good
Skills: Craft (metalworking) 6 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 11 ranks
Special: Ability to bind 4th level Vestiges
Special: Must have discovered the True Name of a Fae Prince or Fae Lord
Special: Must have forged a set of cold iron bracers
Special: Must have completed the target lord's summoning ritual

Class Skills
The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

Hit Dice: d8

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+2|Prince in Chains

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+3|Edict of Iron

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+3|Additional Fae Vestige

4th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Walk the Iron Path

5th|
+3|
+1|
+1|
+4|Fettered Oath

6th|
+4|
+2|
+2|
+5|Additional Fae Vestige

7th|
+5|
+2|
+2|
+5|Iron Anathema

8th|
+6|
+2|
+2|
+6|Kingdom in Chains

9th|
+6|
+3|
+3|
+6|Additional Fae Vestige

10th|
+7|
+3|
+3|
+7|Ferrum Tyrannus[/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: A Seiðkona of the Iron Bands gains no additional proficiencies in any weapons or armor.

Prince in Chains (Ex): Through rituals to terrible to contemplate, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands seals the living essence of a mighty Fae Lord within a pair of iron bracers: the Iron Bands told of in faerie legends. The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands gains a set of Lesser Artifacts called the Iron Bands (see the Iron Bands sidebar), and may choose a Fae Lord from the list of Fae Lords presented below (or work with her DM to homebrew a unique Fae Lord). The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may bind any Vestige listed under her respective Fae Lord, provided she is has the ability to bind Vestiges of that level.

Given the nature of the Fae Lord's imprisonment and unwilling assistance, it is impossible to pacify the raging spirit. Therefore, while a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands does not need to make binding checks to bind a Fae Vestige, she always suffers from the Vestige's influence, as something so powerful can never be completely under a mortal's dominion.

If ever a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands loses her Iron Bands, she loses access to all class abilities aside from an increase in her effective Binder level until she once more wears them.

The Iron Bands

The Iron Bands (Lesser Artifact)

The Iron Bands are a set of cold iron bracers containing the essence of a Fae Prince or other powerful faerie creature. When worn, they grant the following benefits:

DR 5/Cold Iron
The wearer's type is treated as being Fey whenever it would be beneficial for her to be so.
Creatures of the Fey type must make a Will save (DC 10 + the wearer's levels in the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands prestige class + the wearer's Charisma modifier) or be unable to take any non-submissive action towards the wearer.

Destroying a set of Iron Bands is a difficult task. They cannot be destroyed or dispelled through any mortal magic (even disjunction cannot stop them, as they draw their power directly from an immortal spirit), and removing them is all but impossible, as most Seiðkona fit them so perfectly that, short of cutting off the Seiðkona's hands and sliding the bracers off the bleeding stumps (something many fae attempt to do), stealing them from a living Seiðkona isn't practical. If, however, the Bands can be separated from the Seiðkona, a complex magical ritual is necessary in order to free the imprisoned Fae Lord.

The ritual is as follows: at midnight on the night of a new moon, the Iron Bands must be placed in the center of a faerie ring. Then, a staff of white birch, carved from a tree watered with the blood of the Seiðkona whose bands are to be destroyed (or grown on the spot where she died), must be planted in the earth through the center of both of the Iron Bands. This accomplished, the entire set-up must remain untouched until dawn's first light, whereupon the bands will crumble to dust, and the staff will twist into the form of the imprisoned fae, freeing it from its bondage.

However, the Seiðkona, if left alive, often uses her knowledge to bind her prisoner to a new set of Iron Bands. Thus, most fae attempting to free their lords make sure that the Seiðkona in question breaths no more before they even begin to contemplate performing the destruction ritual.


Edict of Iron (Su): By channeling the regal power of her prisoner, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can draw the majesty of a Faerie Lord into her own body. She may, as a standard action, rebuke or command creatures of the Fey type as if she had Cleric levels equal to the combined total of her Seiðkona of the Iron Bands class levels and her Binder class levels. At any one time, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may command any number of Fey whose total Hit Dice do not exceed twice her character level. This ability functions as the Cleric's Turn Undead ability, except that it does not count as the Cleric's Turn Undead ability for the purposes of feats, spells, magic items, or prestige classes that affect Turn Undead.

The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands has no limit on daily uses of Edict of Iron, but, once she has used the ability, she must wait 5 rounds before she may use it again.

Additional Fae Vestige (Ex): At third level, and again at sixth and ninth level, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may bind an additional Vestige, provided that Vestige is from the list of Vestiges granted to her by her imprisoned Fae Lord.

Walk the Iron Path (Su): Twice per day, as a full-round action, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may force her way through the Hedge, breaking into the Faewyld. This ability allows the Seiðkona to travel (with perfect accuracy) to any spot in the Faewyld that borders on the Hedge (where this is occurs is up to DM interpretation, although it usually common everywhere except dead magic zones and other sealed locales).

The Seiðkona may also use this ability to travel to the mortal realm from the Faewyld. Again, she may appear anywhere in the mortal plane that borders on the Hedge (again, where this is occurs is up to DM interpretation).

Fettered Oath (Su): The Fae are famed for their unearthly bargains, and a powerful enough Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can draw upon the magic of her prisoner to fashion unbreakable bonds of her own. If the Seiðkona can get a victim to agree to a bargain, and then can seal the bargain in an appropriate manner (shaking hands, signing a contract, or whatever means of agreement are appropriate to the culture and situation), the victim falls under a terrible curse. So long as the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands upholds her end of the bargain, the victim is magically forced to strive to complete his or her respective end: treat the victim as being dominated to complete the action required, except that the effect is not a spell, nor is it a mind-affecting enchantment (the ability has no type). The only way to remove the curse is for the Seiðkona to willingly lift the effect, the victim to accomplish his or her end of the bargain, or a creature with at least as much power as a Fae Lord (usually demon princes, gods, and similar entities) to use the wish spell to remove the curse.

A victim killed undertaking a quest and later raised from the dead (whether living or undead) is still under obligation to fulfill the bargain.

Iron Anathema (Su): With strength enough to imprison a mighty Fae Lord, a Seiðkona is an impenetrable barrier to those of lesser power. She gains immunity to the spells, Supernatural abilities and Spell-like abilities of Fey creatures.

Kingdom in Chains (Su): The ease at which a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands wields the power of a Faerie Lord allows her almost complete dominion over lesser fae creatures. She may, as a swift action, bind nearby fae creature with chains of iron will. All creatures of the Fey type within 200 feet of the Seiðkona (and not already under her control) must make a Will save (DC 10 + the Seiðkona's class level + the Seiðkona's Charisma modifier) or be rendered helpless for one round per class level. A creature so affected loses access to all its spells, Supernatural abilities and Spell-like abilities and it is treated as having 4 fewer Hit Dice for the purposes of being affected by the Seiðkona's Edict of Iron class feature (although it retains its normal Hit Dice for determining the maximum number of Fey creature controlled) for as long as it is imprisoned in this manner.

The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands has no limit on daily uses of Kingdom in Chains, but, once she has used the ability, she must wait 10 rounds before she may use it again.

Ferrum Tyrannus (Ex): Finally drawing upon the full power of the imprisoned Fae Lord, a tenth level Seiðkona of the Iron Bands puts on the mantle of the faerie princes. She becomes effectively immortal: she no longer suffers aging penalties, nor will she die of old age (although aging bonuses continue to accrue). Additionally, the Damage Reduction granted by her Iron Bands increases to 20/Cold Iron and Magic, and she may use her Walk the Iron Path ability at will. Finally, the number of Hit Dice worth of Fey she can control through her Edict of Iron ability increases to 4x her character level.

THE FAE LORDS

Here are detailed three Fae Lords ready for incorporation into your campaign world, and ready to be captured and bound by a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands. Listed are the lord's sign, influence, vestiges, and the effect that their imprisonment has upon the world (the latter of which is optional, at the DM's discretion).

Dame Tarrae Mare
Dame Tarrae Mare is a princess of the Eclipse Lodge, a lunar ravager* (see the MMIV) stronghold set in the ever-dark skies of the western faewyld. A tall, muscular woman with marble skin, sapphire eyes, and long flowing hair that changes from white to black with the cycles of the moon, Tarrae Mare is considered a great warrior and powerful warlord even amongst her warlike people. When imprisoned, she grants her captor the powers of the waning and waxing moon, bestowing strength and evasion upon them.

When free, she leads hunts into both the faewyld and the mortal world, personally heading assaults of her bloodthirsty kindred. When imprisoned, the Seiðkona binding her should prepare to fend off hunting parties of frenzied lunar ravagers, as these violent fae rarely forgive a misdeed.

*If the players and DM lack access to the MMIV, substitute any organization of fae with connections to astrology, celestial bodies, or the moon in particular.

Summoning Ritual: To summon and imprison Dame Tarrae Mare, the Seiðkona must, on the night of a full moon, sacrifice a living creature, pour half its blood upon the Iron Bands and then use the remainder to draw a rough circle upon a stone surface while speaking the true name of Dame Tarrae Mare. This done, the drawn circle will slowly turn to the white of the moon, while the moon above likewise turns blood red. Once the transformation is complete, the Seiðkona need only place the Iron Bands within the circle, and watch as the lunar glow is absorbed into the cold metal, trapping Dame Tarrae Mare within the iron prison.

Influence: Under Dame Tarrae Mare's influence, the Seiðkona fears the light of the sun, preferring to work under the dim glow of the moon. A Seiðkona so affected takes a -1 penalty to all rolls within an hour of midday. Additionally, Dame Tarrae Mare requires that her captor keep a trophy from his most recent victim with him at all times, whether a simple trinket or a severed body part.

Sign: The face of a Seiðkona binding Dame Tarrae Mare is constantly in shadow, regardless of the type or brightness of light surrounding him. This shadow covers the Seiðkona's face as the sky covers the moon: on the night of a full moon there is no shadow at all, on the night of a new moon the Seiðkona's face is entirely obscured, and so on through all the cycles of the lunar body.

World Effect: When Dame Tarrae Mare is bound to a Seiðkona, the moon turns blood red, and sentient beings across both the mortal realm and the faewyld become more prone to rash decisions and violent behavior, especially in the days immediately before and immediately following a full moon.

Vestiges: Dame Tarrae Mare grants 6 Vestiges to the Seiðkona binding her. The Vestiges and their levels are detailed below.

{table=head]Vestige Level|Vestige Name

3|Rise of the Full Moon

4|Rise of the Waxing Gibbous

5|Rise of the Half Moon

6|Rise of the Waning Gibbous

7|Rise of the New Moon

8|Rise of the Blood Moon[/table]

Rise of the Full Moon -- 3rd level Vestige

Rise of the Full Moon

Granted Abilities: Rise of the Full Moon grants you a brilliant aura and the revealing powers of the moon.

Lunar Sight: The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands gains a small portion of the moon's revealing properties. She is constantly under the effects of a see invisibility spell (caster level equals her effective binder level), and can see normally in both mundane and magical darkness. Additionally, she may make two saving throws against any illusion effect, and takes the higher of the two. Finally, she gains a +5 Sacred bonus to Search and Spot checks.

Moonglow: The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands is constantly surrounded by a pale glow of moonlight and fae magic. When activated (a swift action), the Seiðkona sheds light as a torch, and she gains a +2 Deflection bonus to her armor class. This bonus increases to +3 at 10th level, +4 at 13th level, +5 at 16th level, and +6 at 19th level. A Seiðkona may deactivate this ability as a swift action.

Read the Heavens: By channeling a fragment of the moon's oracular powers, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can glean a brief insight into things to come. As a move action, she may request a single vision of the future, which comes to her as a single Fate point. At any time, as a free action, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may spend this Fate point to re-roll a single d20 roll. She must take the re-roll, even if it is worse than the original. A Seiðkona may only have 1 Fate point at a time, and, after spending it, must wait 5 rounds before using this ability again.

Rise of the Waxing Gibbous -- 4th level Vestige

Rise of the Waxing Gibbous

Granted Abilities: Rise of the Waxing Gibbous gives you a building strength and increasing power.

Lunar Expansion: The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands gains the ability to drastically increase her physical form. As a move action, she may increase her size by one size category. Beginning at 14th level she may increase her size by an second size category with a second move action, and beginning at 19th level she may increase her size by a third size category with a third move action. A maximum size of Colossal may be reached in this fashion. As a move action she may reduce her size category, but never below her original size category.

When changing size categories, the Seiðkona gains the space, reach, and size bonuses (and penalties) of a creature of her new size category, but refers to the table below to determine all other adjustments (including ability adjustments). Her armor, weapons, and equipment expand to fit her new form, and her skin turns to marble.

{table=head]Sizes Increased|Benefits Granted

+1|+4 Strength, +2 Constitution, +1 Natural Armor, DR 2/Cold Iron*

+2|+8 Strength, +4 Constitution, +3 Natural Armor, DR 4/Cold Iron*

+3|+12 Strength, +6 Constitution, +5 Natural Armor, DR 6/Cold Iron*[/table]

*Damage Reduction granted in this manner stacks with existing Damage Reduction of the same type.

Never Waning: The Seiðkona gains fast healing 1, and the rate of healing increases with her effective binder level. She gains fast healing 2 at 10th level, fast healing 3 at 13th level, fast healing 6 at 16th level, and fast healing 5 at 19th level.

Rising Splendor: As the waxing gibbous rises towards a full and vibrant moon, so to does the power of the fae fill the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands. The Seiðkona gains immunity to negative energy, energy drain, ability drain, and ability damage.

Rise of the Half Moon -- 5th level Vestige

Rise of the Half Moon

Granted Abilities: Rise of the Half Moon gives you the duality of the half moon, neither here nor there, yet still a constant presence.

Curse of Half Light: Once per round, as a swift action, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may select a single foe within 30 feet. That foe must succeed on a Will save or suffer a 50% chance to fail any action he or she attempts before the start of the Seiðkona's next turn (similar to the effects of the bestow curse spell). A creature failing a saving throw against this ability cannot be targeted again for 5 rounds.

Dark and Light, Life and Death: The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands is treated as being Undead any time it would be beneficial for her to be so (she gains Undead immunities, is healed by negative energy as well as positive energy, and counts as being Undead for all beneficial spells and effects). She is also treated as being both Good and Evil (regardless of her true alignment) whenever it would be beneficial for her to be one or the other.

Touch of Balance: As a standard action, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may make a melee touch attack that deals 1d6 points of damage per 4 effective Binder levels. The next time the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands uses this ability, it instead heals 1d6 points of damage per 4 effective Binder levels. Uses of the ability continue to alternate between healing and harming, resetting with a harmful touch upon re-binding this vestige.

Only Half There: As a swift action, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may place herself in a balancing point between the mortal planes and the celestial spheres. Until the beginning of her next turn, she has a 50% chance to ignore the harmful effects of any spell, spell-like ability, supernatural ability, extraordinary ability, or attack that would otherwise harm her. In the event that the attack still lands, she takes only half damage, if the effect would deal damage. Once a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.

Rise of the Waning Gibbous -- 6th level Vestige

Rise of the Waning Gibbous

Granted Abilities: Rise of the Waning Gibbous gives you the fading presence of the waning moon, and weakens those around you as their spirits wane with the lunar sphere.

Fleeting Hope: As the light vanishes, despair creeps in to fill the void. All foes within 50 feet of the the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands take a -2 penalty to all d20 rolls.

Life and Light Fade: The fleeting light of the waning moon tugs at the Seiðkona's foes, draining them of energy. All foes within 50 feet of the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands take a cumulative -1 penalty to all ability scores (reducing them by 1 each to a minimum of 1) each round they remain within the vicinity. Every round outside the area of effect removes 1 point of the penalty.

Vanish from Earth's Sphere: Like the fading moon, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can completely vanish from the mortal realm. As a swift action, she may become ethereal for up to one round per 2 effective Binder levels. Once a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.

Rise of the New Moon -- 7th level Vestige

Rise of the New Moon

Granted Abilities: Rise of the New Moon grants you the evasiveness and invisibility of the new moon.

Black Moon in Dark Skies: The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands gains the benefits of the invisibility spell (caster level equals her effective Binder level) whenever she stands in less than full illumination. If dispelled (through attacking or a successful dispel magic effect), this ability activates automatically at the beginning of the Seiðkona's next turn.

Shadowed Face of the New Moon: As a swift action, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability to conceal her visage from the world. When this ability is in effect, the Seiðkona's face becomes completely indecipherable: it is impossible to recall her face, and exceedingly difficult to decipher her expressions. A Seiðkona with this ability active gains a +10 circumstance bonus to Bluff checks, and those interacting with her find it impossible to remember her face after a period of five minutes.

Whispers of the Absent Moon: As a standard action, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability to strike a foe momentarily insane with fear. She may target a single creature within 60 feet with this ability, which functions exactly as the spell irresistible dance, although the effect lasts for only 2 rounds and, instead of dancing, the target is reduced to a quivering wreck. Once a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds. This ability is a mind-affecting fear effect.

Rise of the Blood Moon -- 8th level Vestige

Rise of the Blood Moon

Granted Abilities: Rise of the Blood Moon grants you the powers of a vicious hunter and a queen of the Lunar Ravagers.

Bloodlust: Whenever the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands deals damage to a foe with a melee weapon, her next strike against that same opponent deals double damage and adds +2 to the critical threat range (after applying all other threat range altering effects).

Blood in the Night: As a swift action, a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can channel the power of the Blood Moon into a single successful sneak attack. The victim of the attack must make a Fortitude save or die instantly: success indicates that the victim suffers damage as normal, except that all sneak attack dice are replaced with d10s. Once the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands has used this ability, she may not use it again for 5 rounds.

Dark Hunter: The Seiðkona of the Iron Bands gains Sneak Attack (as the Rogue class ability) of 1d6 per three effective binder levels.

Red Moon: As a swift action, the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may activate this ability. When she does so, her skin turns the deep hue of fresh blood, the shadows on her face dance about menacingly, and she brings the fury of the blood moon to bear on all around her. All sentient creatures (except the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands) within 60ft must make a Will save at the beginning of every round or be unable to tell friend from foe, randomly attacking the nearest creature in an attempt to slay them as quickly and efficiently as possible. A Seiðkona of the Iron Bands may activate or deactivate this ability as a swift action.


PLAYING A SEIÐKONA OF THE IRON BANDS
How to play a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can not be easily explained, as they vary so greatly depending on who their prisoner is. Most are ambitious individuals, and many, if not all, are cold-hearted to at least some degree: the ends usually justify the means for such an individual. Aside from that, the exact lord imprisoned influences the Seiðkona's actions in small ways, but that is as much as can be said for the group as a whole.
Combat: Combat for a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands varies greatly depending on the lord she has imprisoned. A general guideline is to use your vestige granted powers as frequently as possible, and to keep an eye out for powers that complement each other particularly well. If you are fighting creatures of the Fey type, do not hesitate to wade amongst them and begin utilizing Edict of Iron, as any creature that falls under your spell is another minion to do your bidding, and may well bring potent abilities of its own to your side of the fight.
Advancement: Almost all Seiðkona return to the Binder class after having completed their progress through this prestige class. Not doing so is a heavily felt loss, as the highest levels of vestiges are especially potent. Still, a few Seiðkona prefer to pick up levels in martial classes to emphasize their combat abilities: the time spent learning to conjure and bind vestiges leaves few, if any, Seiðkona with any time to learn the arcane or divine arts.
Resources: A Seiðkona of the Iron Bands usually has extensive resources, as many set themselves up as tyrants within the Faewyld, and even those that do not do so often have a retinue of enslaved fae creatures. Their sinister bargaining ability also gives them a number of unwilling allies, although most Seiðkona have no more than a few people (if any) who would help them of their own free will.

SEIÐKONA OF THE IRON BANDS IN THE WORLD
"I have been called a monster before, after my kindred's thirsting blades have wrought a slaughter through the mortal world. Perhaps I am. But after these thirty years, I know that whatever horrors I am capable of are nothing...nothing...compared with those inflicted upon me by that terrible being. Even I, the queen of the Blood Moon, must cower at his feet." --Dame Tarrae Mare, speaking of her imprisonment at the hands of Udric Boul

Notables: Almost all Seiðkona become legends: there are so few of them, and their powers are so universally noticed and feared that news of an imprisonment tears through the Faewyld like wildfire, often spilling over into the mortal realm. Who exactly the Seiðkona is often takes years to discover, but, once a discovery occurs, they are all but assured infamy. One of the most famous of the figures was Udric Boul, a Seiðkona of incredibly cruelty. He imprisoned Dame Tarrae Mare for almost thirty years, brought the Blood Moon caste of the lunar ravagers under his tyrannical rule, and led merciless hunting parties through both the mortal and faerie realms until, at a great loss to their number, an assembled legion of Feyblessed Knights and Nightsingers finally succeeded in slaying him after a hunt lasting the better part of five years.
Organizations: Seiðkona have no organizations. They may occasionally seize control of a court of faerie, or enslave a troupe of satyrs or similar creatures, but they are such a rare occurrence that organizing is all but impossible, and, to them, often undesirable. The only recorded time that two Seiðkona worked in tandem was when Udvar Hett and Lisan Durric manged to seize the lord and lady of the Night Court, and cast eternal darkness upon the faerie realm for one hundred years, until the Sun King and the Summer Prince brought the full force of their mortal progeny into the Faewyld and led the five thousand strong army against the two.

NPC Reaction
Only those willing to accept the eternal enslavement of another creature as an appropriate means of gathering power would willingly associate with a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands, unless the Seiðkona can somehow convince them that the imprisonment is for the betterment of the world. Even so, most are at least uneasy in a Seiðkona's company. Fae creatures almost exclusively hate a Seiðkona, although those who completely despised the imprisoned lord might be willing or even eager to assist, if only for their own personal gain. Still, the sheer quantity of power that a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can bring to bear against a fae creature causes most to keep their distance, even if they secretly are pleased by the imprisonment.

SEIÐKONA OF THE IRON BANDS IN THE GAME
A Seiðkona of the Iron Bands can bring a variety of new powers to the table, depending on the lord she has imprisoned. It would be impossible to detail in brief all the possible permutations, so a DM is advised to discuss the choice of lord with his or her interested player beforehand, so that both are aware of what is possible. The only thing that is universal is that having a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands in the party will make almost every encounter with faerie creatures into a trivial matter.
Adaptation: A Seiðkona of the Iron Bands makes an excellent villain for almost any campaign, especially if the optional world effect of the Fae Lord's imprisonment is utilized. In such a case the PCs might be approached by fae creatures striving to free their lord, or come face to face with the Seiðkona herself as she attempts to bend the world to her will. The class may also be altered to cover the briefly mentioned Seiðkona who bind angels, demons, gods, elemental princes, and similar entities. For use with angels and demons, change anything mentioning the Fey type to Outsider (Good) or Outsider (Evil) respectively, change the damage reduction to X/good or X/evil respectively, and allow Walk the Iron Path to transport the Seiðkona of the Iron Bands to the home plane of her prisoner. For gods, elementals, or other powerful beings, the DM should use his or her best judgment when altering these abilities. New vestiges will, of course, be necessary in case of any alteration.
Encounters: Most encounters with a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands will be some sort of confrontation, as Seiðkona tend to throw their power around if possible. Encountering them alone is rare: most have a retinue of dominated fae around them at all times. Still, some Seiðkona prefer a most subtle approach, often posing as benevolent faerie themselves, or as something as simple as an ordinary mage. Some are even more devious: woe betide the individual making a pact with a Seiðkona of the Iron Bands without knowing with whom they deal...

Gossipmonger
2009-11-15, 08:14 AM
Disciple of the Midnight Revel


http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/291/0/4/The_Maenad_by_elvenelysium.jpg

"Come, dance with me, beneath the moon. Forget your troubles and know only joy."
Lorelei Ida, dryad Disciple of the Midnight Revel

In sacred glades, beneath the moon and stars, fae of all shapes and temperaments gather to celebrate the Midnight Song, which echoes throughout all creation. Those lucky mortals who have taken part in their festivities are inevitably changed, becoming closer to the world around them. These rare individuals are known to scholars of arcane lore as the Disciples of the Midnight Revel.
At first, most disciples are drawn to the fey celebrations out of physical passion, but as they become more in tune with the Song their growing connection to nature leads them down a path to both physical and spiritual fulfillment.

BECOMING A DISCIPLE OF THE MIDNIGHT REVEL

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills: Knowledge (nature) 4 ranks, Perform (dance) 8 ranks
Language: Sylvan
Special: Must have taken part in a Midnight Revel (see below)

Midnight Revels

A midnight revel is a gathering of fey creatures which nearly always, as the name implies, takes place at midnight - but then again, it's always midnight somewhere.
The revels are held sacred by both seelie and unseelie fey, as well as those few who forgo allegiance to either court. Thus, any hostility at a revel is dealt with swiftly by all in attendance.
To take part in a midnight revel, you must be sponsored by either a creature with the fey type, or someone with levels in Disciple of the Midnight Revel. Those in attendance will start off unfriendly towards you, and you must shift their attitude to at least friendly in order to be qualify for the prestige class. How you gain the trust of those present is up to you, and will probably depend on the alignment and nature of the participants. However, offerings of expensive food and drink or magical items are often a good way to start. Taking part in the lengthy and tiring festivities are also good ways to win approval. As always, the DM has final say in such matters.


Class Skills
The Disciple of the Midnight Revel's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier

Hit Dice: d8

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|1st|2nd|3rd|4th

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Revelry, Heightened Senses I|0|-|-|-

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Ecstasies of the Flesh|1|-|-|-

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Rapture of the Dance +1|2|0|-|-

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Beneath the Open Sky|3|1|-|-

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Mysteries of the Heart, Heightened Senses II|3|2|0|-

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Rapture of the Dance +2|3|3|1|-

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Rapid Revelry|3|3|2|0

8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+6|Passion for Life|3|3|3|1

9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+6|Rapture of the Dance +3|3|3|3|2

10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+7|Midnight Transformation, Heightened Senses III|3|3|3|3[/table]

Spells Known
{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th
1st|2|-|-|-
2nd|3|-|-|-
3rd|3|2|-|-
4th|4|3|-|-
5th|4|3|2|-
6th|4|4|3|-
7th|4|4|3|2
8th|4|4|4|3
9th|4|4|4|3
10th|4|4|4|4
[/table]

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: Disciples of the Midnight Revel gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Revelry (Su):You have learnt to truly appreciate the wonders of nature, and can partake of the invigorating energy that flows through all living things. As a standard action, you may enter a state of revelry by making a perform (dance) check. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to half the check result. These hit points may be sacrificed to fuel special abilities, to a maximum of half your class level (rounded up) per round. If you do not use up your temporary hit points in this manner, they last for ten minutes per class level.
Each time you use this ability after the first, you take a cumulative -1 penalty to the skill check (-1 for the second, -2 for the third and so on). This count resets after 8 hours of rest.
At first level you may spend one temporary hit point as a free action to be hasted as the spell for one round.
Alternatively, you could spend one point as an immediate action to add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to an attack roll, skill check or saving throw.
Beginning at 4th level you may, as a swift action, cast one of your Disciple spells (using a spell slot as normal) by expending a number of points equal to the spell level plus one.
At 7th level you may spend four points as a free action to gain an extra move action.
Finally, at 10th level you can gain a standard action by spending five points as a free action.

Spells: Beginning at 1st level, you gain the ability to cast a number of arcane spells as shown on the table above. To cast a spell, you must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. Your bonus spells are based on Charisma, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + your Charisma bonus. When you get 0 spells per day of a given spell level you gain only the bonus spells you would be entitled to based on your Charisma score for that spell level.

The Disciple of the Midnight Revel's spell list appears below. You cast spells just as a bard does.

Upon reaching 6th level, at every even-numbered level after that (8th and 10th), you can choose to learn a new spell in place of one you already knows. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level Disciple spell you can cast. You may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that you gain new spells known for that level.

Heightened Senses (Ex): A slow transformation makes it way through your body, granting you greater awareness of your surroundings. At 1st level, you gain Low Light Vision if you do not already possess it, and Superior Low Light Vision if you do.
At 5th level, you gain the scent special ability. You can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if the opponent is downwind, it drops to 15 feet. You do not detect the exact location of the source—only its presence somewhere within range. You can take a move action to note the direction of the scent. Whenever you come within 5 feet of the source, you pinpoint the source’s location.
At 10th level you gain Blindsense out to 30 feet.

Ecstasies of the Flesh (Ex): Your senses become attuned to nature, and even the dullest of sights is now a vibrant wonder. Each sensation only increases your appetite for new experiences, and pain becomes a thing of the past. Beginning at 2nd level, you gain damage reduction (overcome by Cold Iron) equal to half your class level (rounded down). You also gain immunity to all pain effects, for example Power Word (Pain), Symbol of Pain, and similar spells or abilities.

Rapture of the Dance (Ex): The Midnight Song resonates within you, allowing you to enjoy life to the fullest. All morale bonuses you receive are increased by an additional +1. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, and +3 at 9th level.

Beneath the Open Sky (Ex): Fae Revels continue through the hottest summers, the coldest winters and the harshest storms. Inclement weather has less of an effect on you. Rain and snow don’t penalize your Spot and search checks. You can move through snow-covered and icy terrain at your normal movement. Wind effects, whether natural or magical, affect you as if you were one size category larger. You are also resistant to extreme temperatures, as the spell endure elements.

Mysteries of the Heart (Su): The powerful ties you have to nature have strengthened not only your body, but also your heart and mind. You gain immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities.

Rapid Revelry (Su): At 7th level, you may enter revelry as a move action. Also, whenever you spend any of your temporary hit points gained from the Revelry ability you may move up to five feet per point spent. This provokes attacks of opportunity just as normal movement would.

Passion for Life (Su): Your connection to the natural world has strengthened to such a degree that you gain great resistance to effects that attack your life-force. At 8th level, you gain immunity to death spells and effects, and a bonus on saving throws against poison, disease and negative energy equal to your Charisma modifier.

Midnight Transformation (Su): The most powerful Disciples are in tune with the Midnight Song to such a degree that it binds them to their Fey allies. At 10th level you gain the ability to shapechange into a Fey creature. Whenever you gain temporary hit points from activating your Revelry ability you may assume the form of any single nonunique creature (of the Fey type) from Fine to Colossal size. The assumed form cannot have more than your character level in Hit Dice (to a maximum of 25 HD).
You gain the Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores of the new form but retain your own Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores.
You gain all extraordinary and supernatural abilities (both attacks and qualities) of the assumed form, but you lose all spell-like and supernatural abilities gained from your regular form. You also gain the type and subtypes of the new form in place of your own. The new form does not disorient you. Parts of your body or pieces of equipment that are separated from you do not revert to their original forms.
If you use this ability to create a disguise, you get a +10 bonus on your Disguise check.
You may remain in this new form until you reactivate your revelry ability, or you may dismiss it as a swift action to return to your regular form.

Disciple of the Midnight Revel Spell List
Choose your spells from the following list.
1st Level: Detect Magic, Heroism, Hypnotism, Expeditious Retreat, Ghost Sound, Pass without Trace, Sound Burst, Speak with Animals, Remove Fear
2nd Level: Barkskin, Eagle’s Splendor, Enthrall, Freedom of Movement, Good Hope, Haste, Sculpt Sound, Shout, Speak with Plants, Tree Shape
3rd Level: Commune with Nature, Death Ward, Greater Heroism, Song of Discord, Tree Stride
4th Level: Greater Shout, Heroes' Feast, Irresistable Dance, Transport via Plants

PLAYING A DISCIPLE OF THE MIDNIGHT REVEL
Playing a disciple is often quite similar to following the path of the bard. Knowing when to talk and when to fight is imperative, but beyond that your good skills, decent combat prowess and unique talents mean you should be ready for just about anything. Just make sure you have a strong warrior or devout healer to back you up.
Combat: Mobility is your friend. Once you have activated your revelry ability, you want to avoid being hit as much as possible, to retain your temporary hit points. Whether you prefer to fight up close or from a range, the hit-and-run should be one of your primary tactics.
Advancement: After reaching the height of your power as a disciple, there are a number of options available. Training as a bard synergises well with your abilities, but the sublime way is another possibility that complements your revelry. Pursuing the career of a spellcaster is ill-advised.
Resources: Though there are no formal networks for you to call on, you will find it much easier to get along with fey creatures, which can open a number of new ways for you to go about your adventures, and provide access to information long lost to mortals.

DISCIPLES OF THE MIDNIGHT REVEL IN THE WORLD
"He was only in town for a week, but I'll never forget it. He told me stories of far away lands, of magical creatures and great deeds. Always smiling and laughing, just being around him made you feel glad to be alive... and oh, how he danced. He could go all night, and we never seemed capable of stopping ourselves from joining in."

Daily Life: Disciples of the midnight revel are drawn to seek out new experiences, and as such their life often changes wildly from day to day. Hiring out as mercenaries, exploring ancient ruins, or living it up in slums and palaces are all viable choices for a disciple.
Notables: Records of known disciples are few and far between, but there is one collection of stories about a man that was well known as friend to the fey. His name changes with each retelling, but he is most commonly known as Black Niklas, for no discernable reason. He is said to have fought giants, wooed princesses and slain dragons. None can say what became of this mysterious figure, and artifacts associated with him are always turning up in the strangest places.
Organizations: There are no formal organisations of disciples, but wherever the fey gather - under the stars, in hollow hills, or beneath the waves - they can often find a potential friend or ally to call upon.

NPC Reaction
Very few know of the exact nature of the disciples, and as such reactions to them are varied, and probably little different to how they would otherwise be.
But longstanding acquaintances should notice the difference in those who have participated in revels, as few come back unchanged. Many folk have good reason to mistrust the fey, and if knowledge of a disciple's connections become wide-spread, they may well find they have fewer friends to call on than before, and there never seems to be a shortage of dark wizards seeking to exploit such rare associations for their own gain.

DISCIPLES OF THE MIDNIGHT REVEL IN THE GAME
Adding disciples to your campaign will probably not have a great affect on the game. While they must all start with peaceful contact with the fey, beyond their first interaction there is no need to tie themselves too closely to the fair folk, and indeed most disciples will often move on to other things, looking for newer and more exciting experiences.
However, they could be a good way to work in some interesting adventure hooks that would otherwise feel forced or artificial.
Adaptation: Changing the class to work with creature types other than fey would require a fair amount of effort. Dragons are a tad overdone, but aberrations, outsiders or elementals could all provide interesting variations. The main points to bear in mind would be changing the pre-requisite skill and language. Then simply rename most of the abilities, adjust the spell list, and perhaps change the bonus affected by rapture of the dance.
Encounters: Most disciples are often encountered with fey, or on their behalf. They might hire the PCs to remove a gnoll incursion from a forest, or they may simply want to travel with the party in order to continue travelling and seek out new experiences.
Evil fey might work with like-minded disciples to reclaim the countryside from encroaching settlements, and would harass or attack anyone send in aid.

Eldan
2009-11-16, 03:43 AM
BLOODMIST DANCER

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/6130/fogelementalbyricky4.jpg

"My son, wherefore seek'st thou thy face thus to hide?"
"Look, father, the Erl King is close by our side!
Dost see not the Erl King, with crown and with train?"
"My son, 'tis the mist rising over the plain."

"My father, my father, and dost thou not hear
The words that the Erl King now breathes in mine ear?"
"Be calm, dearest child, thy fancy deceives;
the wind is sighing through withering leaves."

"My father, my father, and dost thou not see,
How the Erl King is showing his daughters to me?"
"My darling, my darling, I see it aright,
'Tis the aged grey willows deceiving thy sight."

The father now gallops, with terror half wild,
He grasps in his arms the poor shuddering child;
He reaches his courtyard with toil and with dread,--
The child in his arms finds he motionless, dead.

-Der Erlkönig
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"The mortals have an easy choice: join us or die. Of course, few of them realize that they have already chosen..."

-The Alder King, Bloodmist Dancer

When the Wild Hunt thunders through the night sky, mortals cower in fear, and few would dare lay hand on a dryad's tree or drink from a nymph's spring without her invitation. Few men who venture into the fey courts ever return.
Still, for centuries, civilization has advanced steadily. Forest must give way to farms, rivers are tamed by mills, cities and towers rise into the sky, the bones of the earth are mined to build and smelter.
But while the twin courts wallow in misery at the passing of their age and give in to ever greater corruption, spending their times in revelries and feasts, there are those among the fey who fight back.
Under their leader, a fae prince calling himself only "the Alder King", the group known as the Bloodmist Dancers see it as their goal to slay all those who hurt nature. They learn to cloak themselves in the whirling mists that are their prince's domain, strike silently, and vanish at dawn.


BECOMING A BLOODMIST DANCER

Rarely, it will occur that a already ordained Bloodmist Dancer will see a certain potential in a mortal he meets, and tell him of the Bloodmist Pact. The Alder King himself is a cruel fey prince and has, on occasion, sought out mortal children, whispered his sweet suggestions into their ears and taken them with him into faerie, only to return them years later, looking as childlike as they did before vanishing, but with empty, cruel eyes and only hatred in their hearts. Even rarer are mortals who feel a strong connection to the wild and, striving to protect it, seek out the Bloodmist Pact by themselves.

The Bloodmist Pact

To sign the bloodmist pact, one must seek out seven items of ritual significance and bring them deep into the wilderness to complete the ceremony.
Tears: representing the sadness of the fey at the passing of their age, they must be shed by a fey weeping about the destruction of the wilderness.
Ashes: representing the destruction of nature at the hands of mortals, the ashes of an alder or ash tree, burned by mortals for crafting, such as in a forge, or to make space for a settlement.
Water: representing the lost purity of nature, clear spring water that has never been tainted by mortals.
Iron: representing the strength of mortals, a lump of cold-wrought iron.
Sapling: representing the strength of nature, a living tree sapling.
Blood: representing faeries revenge, the blood of a mortal who has harmed nature, such as a craftsman, woodcutter or mason, shed by the applicant.

These objects must be brought into the wilderness in a misty, moonless night where, if they were prepared correctly, the Alder King or one of his representatives will appear and guide the applicant through the ritual, at the end of which, the night's mists are absorbed into the applicant's body.


ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Knowledge: Nature 4 ranks, Perform: Dance 4 ranks
Feats: Dodge (this must be the dodge feat from the player's handbook, and not any other feat which allows qualification for classes and feats instead of dodge, such as desert wind dodge).
Maneuvers: Ability to use second level maneuvers of the Shadow hand discipline, must know Child of Shadow Stance.
Alignment: Any nongood, nonlawful
Special: Must have the the Ghost Step class feature, and must seal the Bloodmist Pact (see above).

Class Skills
The Bloodmist Dancer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are:
Balance (dex), Bluff (cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge: Nature (Int) Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex)

Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + int

Hit Dice: d8

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|Maneuvers, Ki Power, Mistform Stance

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|Fen Fire

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+1|The Night Drinks Deep, Sudden Strike +1d6

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+1|Dance of Whirling Shrouds

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+1|Drifting Cloud Stance

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+2|Mistblade, Sudden Strike +2d6

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+2|Grasping Tendrils

8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+2|Smothering Fog

9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+3|Passing Shadow, Sudden Strike +3d6

10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+3|The Night Hungers[/table]

{table="head"]Level|Man. Known|Man. Readied|Stances Known
1st|0|0|0
2nd|1|0|0
3rd|0|1|0
4th|1|0|0
5th|0|0|0
6th|1|1|1
7th|0|0|0
8th|1||0
9th|0|1|0
10th|1|0|0
[/table]


Weapon Proficiencies: A Bloodmist Dancer gains no new proficiencies in weapons or armour of any kind.

Maneuvers: At every even-numbered level, the Bloodmist Dancer gains one new maneuver known from the Shadow Hand or Dancing Leaf schools of maneuvers. You must meet a maneuver's prerequisite to learn it and add your full Bloodmist Dancer levels to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and your highest-level maneuvers known.
You gain new maneuvers readied at every third level.

Stances Known: At 6th level, a Bloodmist Dancer learns a new Stance from the Shadow Hand or Dancing Leaf schools. You must meet the stance's prerequisites to learn it.

Ki Power: Your Bloodmist Dancer levels stack with your ninja levels to determine the amount of Ki points you get.

Mistform Stance: (Sp) At first level, you gain the ability to call upon the Alder King's mists to shield you from the eyes of mortals. You may drop the benefits of any other stance you know to gain the benefits of this one as a swift action.
While in mistform stance, a cloud of mist surrounds you perpetually. This cloud acts like an Obscuring Mist (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/obscuringMist.htm) spell, with a radius of 10 feet per class level.
Effects which destroy obscuring mist, such as fire or a strong wind, instead disperse the mist in the affected area until the end of your next turn.
Note that, while normally all vision is blocked in the mist, targets affected by your fen fire are still visible normally.

Fen Fire: (Sp): At second level, you gain the ability to outline your enemies in glowing blue fire. As a swift action, you may expend one Ki point to affect one enemy within 100 feet + 10 feet per class level as with Faerie Fire (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/faerieFire.htm). In addition, these targets are visible through all fog and mist, be it natural or created by a spell or supernatural ability. This effect lasts for one round per class level.
Additionally, three times per day, as a swift action, you may create an approximately fist-sized ball of blue light, (this costs no Ki points) which acts like Dancing Lights (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dancingLights.htm), at a range of 100 feet + 10 feet per class level. These lights last indefinitely when summoned, and can be dismissed with a second swift action.

The Night Drinks Deep (ex): At third level, the mists which you create hunger for blood. While in mistform stance, you can, as a swift action and at the cost of one Ki point, activate this ability. Until the beginning of your next turn, all wounds caused by melee or ranged attacks suffered by targets within your mist continue to bleed for one point of damage per turn until the bloodloss is stopped by a DC 10 heal check. The blood loss from multiple wounds is cumulative.

Dance of Whirling Shrouds(sp): When struck by foes, you melt into the mists surrounding you, leaving blades to harmlessly pass through the space you occupied.
This ability works like a martial counter: when attacked by a the target of your dodge feat in melee, but before he rolls his attack roll, you may expend, as an immediate action, two Ki points to instantly teleport yourself up to ten feet away in any direction, as with a dimension door (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/dimensionDoor.htm) spell. If this moves you out of the enemy's reach, his attack automatically fails, otherwise, he takes a -2 penalty to his attack roll.

Drifting Cloud Stance (su) At fifth level, you can assume the appearance and form of a cloud of bluish mist. You may drop the benefits of any other stance you know to gain the benefits of this one as a swift action. While in this stance, you gain all the benefits of a Gaseous form (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/gaseousForm.htm) spell.

Mistblade (su) At sixth level, the mists surrounding you can lash out at attackers, striking them as deadly as your blade. As a standard action, you can make a single melee attack against any target within the mist generated by your mistform stance. This counts as an attack made with whatever weapon you are holding for purposes of weapon damage and special abilities, and the target loses it's dexterity bonus to AC against this attack.
While you may not, normally, use Mistblade with a strike, you may pay one Ki point to use it to deliver a strike of the Shadow Hand Discipline. The strike must be one which is initiated as a standard or attack action.

Grasping Tendrils: (Su): At level seven, you may use your mists to hold your enemies in place, unable to move out of your reach while they await your blade.
As a standard action, you can shape a long tentacle-like arm from your mist which grabs a single target which must be within the area of the mist generated your mistform stance. The target creature must instantly make a grapple or escape artist check against 10+your class level+your wisdom modifier or be grappled. If the target fails the check, it is held in place by the tentacles and may not move, as if it had been pinned. They can make another such check during each of their turns to try and free themselves.
The tentacle persists for one round per class level, but any wind strong enough to disperse obscuring mist or 20 or more points of fire damage also destroy them. However, this fire damage is also dealt to the grappled creature.
You may not have more than one grasping tendril active at any one time.

Smothering Fog (Su): At eight level, the dampening silence of a misty night is yours. You may activate or deactivate this ability as a swift action. All creatures inside the mist created by your mistform stance are deafened (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#deafened).

Passing Shadow (Su): At ninth level, you become a mere silent shadow, passing by your enemies guards effortlessly. While in Dancing Cloud stance you can use the Hide skill even while being observed. You can move at normal speed without penalty while hiding, and all enemies observing you while you are in Dancing Cloud stance and hidden must make a will save (DC 10+your class level+your wisdom modifier) in addition to normal spot checks to notice you. A True Seeing (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/trueSeeing.htm) spell or similar effect negates the need for a will save, but still leaves the spot check.

The Night Hungers (Su): At tenth level, you finally embrace the night and fully join the ranks of the Bloodmist dancers. Your creature type changes to fey. When entering Drifting Cloud stance, you may choose to become incorporeal instead of gaining the benefits of a gaseous form spell. While incorporeal, you gain a flight speed equal to one-half your land speed with perfect maneuverability.
Every corporeal creature which is killed inside your mistform stance instantly has it's body destroyed, leaving behind not even a trace of dust, only it's equipment.
Whenever you activate your The Night Drinks Deep ability, you gain 1 temporary hit point whenever a creature takes damage from the bleeding wounds caused by it. The hit points from one activation of The Night Drinks Deep stack, and last for ten minutes after the effect ends, or until you activate the ability again.

PLAYING A BLOODMIST DANCER

Many Bloodmist Dancers are remorseless warriors and silent hunters, but not all have to be so. Nevertheless, you have sworn a grim oath to hunt down those who harm nature. The main motivation for most Bloodmist Dancers will be a desire for revenge, the idea that they are defending Nature from Mortals which have lost it's respect for it. But not all Bloodmist Dancers are pitiless warriors and evil murderers: many choose to warn mortals of the dire consequences which may befall them if they desecrate a certain glade before taking action, or help nymphs and dryads in the defense of their homes.

Combat: Stealth and speed are a Bloodmist Dancer's greatest allies and most important resources. Striking silently at night and vanishing unseen at dawn, your abilities lend themselves to choosing a single target and eliminating it before retreating, since you have neither the skills nor the endurance to fight prolonged battles against hordes of lesser minions or battle-hardened warriors. Use the stances granted to you by this class, and the shadow hand school, to silently approach your chosen target without alarming possible guards and then kill it as fast as possible with your sudden strike and lethal combat maneuvers. When discovered, your Dance of Whirling Shrouds and the Dancing Leaf school, along with the mists you generate, make you a difficult target to pinpoint and strike, but never forget that a few well-placed blows or spells can take you out of the fight for good.
Advancement: The shortest way to qualify for this class is over the Swordsage and Ninja classes, both of which lend themselves well to stealthy approaches. After finishing this prestige class, consider continuing with more swordsage levels or taking another prestige class whihc continues your maneuver progression and offers you more stealthy abilities.
Resources: The Bloodmist Dancers themselves often work alone, but the organization itself is well-known among the fey, and especially the wild fey, living outside the courts, might turn towards them for help in their defense, in return for services. Since many fey, such as dryads, are also powerful spellcasters, such an exchange is well beneficial for both sides. Most Bloodmist Dancers spurn civilisation, however, making it difficult for them to acquire many exotic or magical goods which can more easily be found in large cities.

BLOODMIST DANCERS IN THE WORLD
We never heard a sound, I swear! And in this bloody fog, not even the torches helped much. We haven't even found Kald and Ysha's bodies. And the strangest thing? The duke was in his chamber, no windows, door closed, but he was still death. Throat cut, but no blood to be found anywhere...

-Toren Krell, bodyguard of Duke Ernal Dynaia, Margrave of the Blueleaf Marches


A brief description of how your class is persevered in the world and how he interacts with the world.
Daily Life: Some general information about the typical day in the life of your class.
Notables:

Legend of the Alder King


The multiverse was young, and faerie was still one world when those later known as the first walked the land. Some called them fae princes, some called them the first elves, but in those days, the distinction between fey and elf had not yet been made.
There were two among them who were considered the greatest of all, the fairest and brightest, the most passionate, most flightly, cruel and kind, as all the fae still are. They were Leraje, the greatest of archers and her lover, who's true name was lost to time. In the old tongue of the north, they call him elverkonge, king of elves, in the east erlkönig, King of the Alder Trees, and both names are his.
Among those who still speak the name, the legends of Leraje are many: how her arrow pierced all heads of the first hydra, now imprisoned deep in Elysium and how she was challenged by Corellon himself to the faithful contest that lead to her exile from heaven and earth.
Even fewer legends, however, speak of how the Alder King returned from the hunt, for he was the greatest swordsman and hunter among the first, just as Leraje was the greatest archer, finding the slain corpse of his beloved on the floor.
He cried bitterly, then, and it is said that from his tears and her spilled blood grew first alder tree, and three lakes, deep and pure, the water black and green in the shade of the alders.
Lolth came upon him, then, and, as was her way even then, she whispered lies in his ears: Corellon, the great god, had fallen in love with Leraje, most beautiful of elves, and, since she would not return his love, had slain Leraje with her own arrow. Larethian had left faerie, then saddened over his own deed, to wander the wilderness of Arvandor, and could not explain himself.
The King was crushed by his despair, and for many great cycles he mourned her, but beneath his sadness, wrath grew and festered.
It was on the last and most faithful day of faerie that this wrath finally broke free. It was in thi stime that the dwarven ancestors presented the Black Diamond, this most beautiful of gems, to the fey princess who should become the Queen of Air and Darkness. For days now, it had corrupted her heart and whispered to her of the riches which could be hers if she were to seize power while her sister Titania was bathing in the waters of Afon Bhlu.
Corellon became aware then of the growing corruption in the center of faerie and returned to bring the Queen back to her senses before it was too late. He did not get far, though. As soon as he crossed faeries doorstep, a voice, burning with anger and hatred, spoke to him:
"You call yourself a god, and our creator. You give yourself fanciful titles of great warrior and sage, and yet you are a coward, a liar and a murderer. For once, I pray, that you will be brave enough to turn and face me."
From the shadows stepped the alder king, face and body shrouded in the grey of mourning and the red of his love's blood, black scimitars in his hands.
Corellon did not recognize the King, but he well understood the insults thrown at him. An impulsive god, then, when he was young, and a warrior without equal, he turned to fight.
The battle is said to have lasted for seven days and seven nights. The two fought on while around them faerie was sundered in the seelie and unseelie courts in the fey's civil war, and they did not pause nor care as around them all the wonders of fey craftsmanship and untamed nature were destroyed, as the sky darkened and the darkwood forests burned with blue fire, as the mirrors of the tearstained sky were shattered and the moonsilk towers fell, as the springs of youth were tainted and library of last breaths was desecrated.
Finally, Corellon, with divine strength, delivered the last blow and struck the Alder King down. He kneeled over his fallen enemy then and ripped the shroud from his face.
"You!", the elven god said. "I have created you, and like Leraje, you have fallen to pride, thinking yourself my better. Faerie has fallen for your pride, for you kept me from saving it. So, then, I will curse you like I have cursed Leraje! Begone from the Earth, never to walk on it again!"
And so the King, like his beloved Leraje, was cast from the multiverse, rendered a mere vestige of his former glory, lying undisturbed in the outer void for many a millenium.

***

It was a misty, dark night under a new and empty moon when the Alder King returned to the world for the first time. A mortal had drawn a great seal, blood and salt, cold iron and moonsilver, to bind an ancient and powerful warrior to his body and soul.
The Alder King appeared in the circle, then: a wisp of mist, glowing silvery and blue, a shadow crown upon his brow and blood dripping from the swords in his hands. He looked up from beneath his grey shroud and whispered:
"Where am I?"
"These is the alder grove at the lakes of tears, oh Great and Ancient One.", spoke the mortal, a human male. The Alder King had never seen humans, for they had not yet existed when the world was young.
"I have called you from the void because I need your power. My clan has lived here for countless years, selling the wood of the alder trees, and breeding fish in the pond of the mill at the lake of tears. But now the elves claim that this lake and grove is sacred, and attack my family with sword and arrow. I need your swords to defeat them."
The Alder King looked up from beneath his shrouds, then, with cold white eyes and saw: the lakes form his tears and Leraje's blood, dammed and channelled, one drained for farmland, the trees cut down for firewood.
"No.", he whispered then, and his eyes glowed red like the blood perpetually dripping from his scimitars. It seemed, then, that the shadow around him grew denser, flowed into his form, making him larger, denser, more real.
The mortal recoiled in fear, but it was too late: a single blade, wrapped in whirling mists shot forward, breaking the circle with a hissing sound and stabbed him in the chest.
The two figures stood there for a moment, motionless, but then, the mortal reached up, drew the blade out of his chest and smiled, his eyes now glowing white and cold. This night, the mists would drink blood.


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BLOODMIST DANCERS IN THE GAME
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Name
alignment/Gender/Race/Levels
Init +0, Senses: Listen +, Spot +,
Languages
------------------------------------------------
AC , touch , flat-footed ()
hp ( HD)
Fort +, Ref +, Will +
------------------------------------------------
Speed ft. ( squares)
Melee
Base Atk +, Grp +
Atk Options
Combat Gear
Spells Prepared
Supernatural Abilities
-----------------------------------------------
Abilities Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
SQ
Feats
Skills
Possessions

Eurus
2009-11-18, 09:41 PM
Feyblessed Knight

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk124/DetrichLange/FeyblessedKnight.jpg

"By the authority of the Green Lady, I bar you. Begone from this place, or find the wrath of two worlds upon you."
--Sir Leon Thornheart, Knight of the Feywild, addressing the troll king Lughrik

Many think of faeries as either malicious or just flighty, impossible to deal or reason with for any but the most formidable intellects and dangerous even then. While this is sometimes true, it is also true that mankind is more than capable of living in harmony with the Fey. Humans in particular, despite being seen as distant from nature, often pique the interest of faeries, who have been known to provide assistance to struggling warriors. The Feyblessed Knight is an example of this, a noble human knight upon whom the Seelie Court smiles, and who reaps many varied benefits from its favor. There is a darker side to this life, however; although the knight needs not jump through hoops to receive this power, the Seelie only bless mortals that they feel they can make use of. The Knight can never be certain if his motivations and goals are truly his own, or that of his patrons, and many eventually lose touch with the very sense of morality as they become tainted by the gilded treachery of the Seelie.

BECOMING A FEYBLESSED KNIGHT
Feyblessed Knights are always human, and universally men of courage and principles. While human principles and faerie principles rarely match, this combination of a strong heart and resolute beliefs is what amuses the Seelie Court and attracts their attention. Also, courtesy is universally appreciated, and rudeness universally punished, so those with a courtly mind are most likely to be accepted by the fey.

An ordinary human warrior generally makes the transition to Feyblessed Knight during a particularly difficult mission. This mission is usually one that the warrior cannot hope to defeat on his own, yet he attempts it anyway. During this mission, he has a close encounter with the Fey; he may meet a person who is actually a faerie in disguise, or he may be unknowingly visited while sleeping. Sometimes, the faerie will choose to further test the knight's morals and strength. Finally, if the faerie deems the knight worthy, they will provide him with assistance in his task. Should he survive and prove appropriately grateful, he can look forward to a long and favored life -- guided at all times by the invisible hand of his patron.

Mechanically, almost all Feyblessed Knights have at least one level of Knight or Paladin. Some might get Smite Evil in another way, but those are a small minority. Any martial character can fill the base attack bonus requirement, but the skill requirements are most easily met by a paladin.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Race: Human
Alignment: Lawful Good
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Diplomacy 4 ranks, Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 4 ranks
Feats: Iron Will
Special: Knight's Challenge or Smite Evil

Class Skills
The Feyblessed Knight's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nobility and royalty / religion / nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int

Hit Dice: d10

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+1|
+2|
+0|
+2|Token, Vow of Loyalty, Honor of the Pure

2nd|
+2|
+3|
+0|
+3|Armor of Righteousness, Mettle

3rd|
+3|
+3|
+1|
+3|Virtue Beyond Reproach, Face the Pyre

4th|
+4|
+4|
+1|
+4|Watchful Patron

5th|
+5|
+4|
+1|
+4|Feytouched Grace

6th|
+6/+1|
+5|
+2|
+5|Radiant Spirit

7th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+2|
+5|Pierce the Facade

8th|
+8/+3|
+6|
+2|
+6|Wings of Glory

9th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|Binding Oath

10th|
+10/+5|
+7|
+3|
+7|Jealous Patron, Tithe to Faerie[/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: A Feyblessed Knight gains no new armor proficiencies. If his token is a weapon, however, he becomes proficient with it if he was not already.

Vow of Loyalty: At 1st level, a Feyblessed Knight swears absolute loyalty to his faerie patron, to carry out their interests in the mortal realm. These interests are always (seemingly) righteous, at least at first, but as time goes on they find themselves defined more and more by their obedience rather than their ethics. Effectively, the source of a Knight's power changes; if he received his powers from a god before, they now come directly from the Seelie Court. If he had any sort of code of conduct, he no longer risks losing his abilities for breaching it; instead, he loses his class abilities in all of his classes that require codes of conduct (including this class) if he ever intentionally and openly defies his patron. Most faeries are loath to part with their servants, though, so many will attempt to reclaim the Knight's loyalty if at all feasible before cutting him off.

Honor of the Pure (Ex): A Feyblessed Knight continues to advance some of his Paladin and/or Knight abilities. His Feyblessed Knight level stacks for the purposes of calculating his uses per day of Knight's Challenge, the DCs of those challenges that allow saves, the bonus provided by Fighting Challenge, and any other aspects of those challenges based on class level. He does not learn new uses for his Challenge, however. His level also stacks for determining the strength and uses per day of his Smite Evil ability, his Lay on Hands ability, his paladin mount, and his Aura of Good.

Token (Su): At 1st level, a Feyblessed Knight somehow comes into possession of a magic item. This item is a gift from his faerie patron(s), but exactly what it is or how the knight obtains it varies. The knight might find an ornate sword in a mossy clearing, or be given a cheap brass ring by an old widow. Regardless, the item always carries some minor enchantment, which can be any permanent (not consumable) ability or enhancement with a market value of 2,000 gold pieces or less. The token only functions for the knight himself, and if it is destroyed, lost, or stolen, it will return at the next dawn or dusk. The one exception is if a knight willingly gives his token away; in this case, the item will not return, and the knight will take a -1 luck penalty to all attacks, saves, and checks until reunited with his token.

As the knight rises in level, the strength of his token increases, as shown in the table below. The knight never knows or decides what abilities his token will manifest; its properties are assigned by the DM, but are always at least somewhat useful to the Knight. He cannot have it further enchanted by mortal crafters.

{table=head]Level|Value
1|2,000
2|4,000
3|9,000
4|16,000
5|25,000
6|36,000
7|49,000
8|64,000
9|81,000
10|100,000[/table]

Armor of Righteousness (Su): At 2nd level, a Feyblessed Knight gains a measure of resistance to mortal weapons as his skin toughens supernaturally. The Knight's natural armor bonus increases by one for every two class levels, up to a maximum of +5 at level 10, and he gains DR 5/Cold Iron. At level 5, this increases to 10/Cold Iron, and at level 8, it increases to 15/Cold Iron. Any manufactured weapon that strikes the Knight but has its damage completely negated by this damage reduction must make a fortitude save (DC 10 + class level + Con modifier) or shatter.

Mettle (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a Feyblessed Knight can resist magical and unusual attacks with great willpower or fortitude. If he makes a successful will or fortitude save against an attack that normally would have a lesser effect on a successful save (such as any spell with a saving throw entry of will half or fortitude partial), he instead completely negates the effect. An unconscious or sleeping Feyblessed Knight does not gain the benefit of Mettle.

Face the Pyre (Su): At 3rd level, a Feyblessed Knight gains some measure of protection against the elements, as long as he faces them fearlessly; fires fail to burn them, frost will not form on their armor, even acid washes harmlessly off. He gains resistance to all types of energy equal to five points per class level, but if the effect that would deal this damage allows a reflex save, the Knight must forego it.

Virtue Beyond Reproach (Ex): As a Feyblessed Knight advances, he finds the bonds on his behavior slowly loosened. At 3rd level, the Knight gains a small measure of leniency; he may effectively act as a Neutral Good or Lawful Neutral character, and he will still be treated as Lawful Good for all intents and purposes (any alignment auras he may have, spell effects, divinations, etc). At 6th level, he may deviate one additional step from Lawful Goodness, allowing him to act in ways befitting a True Neutral, Chaotic Good, or even Lawful Evil character while still being treated as Lawful Good. This is not optional; the knight is always considered Lawful Good, no matter what; a Lawful Evil knight would still be injured by Blasphemy. Because this facade is absolute, the Knight himself may not even be aware of his actions as being anything but Lawful and Good.

Watchful Patron (Su): By 4th level, a Knight has served his patron well enough that he gains some measure of protection from lethal attacks. He becomes immune to any spell or magical effect that would instantly render him unliving him by a means other than damage (death effects, petrification, etc). He also becomes immune to energy drain and negative energy effects.

Feytouched Grace (Su): At 5th level, a Feyblessed Knight absorbs a small measure of grace and magic from his exposure to Faerie, allowing him to move with poise and grace regardless of his surroundings or armor. For a total time per day of 2 rounds per class level he possesses, he can act normally regardless of magical effects that impede movement as if affected by the spell freedom of movement. This effect occurs automatically as soon as it applies, lasts until it runs out or is no longer needed, and can operate multiple times per day (up to the total daily limit of rounds). In addition, the Knight ignores the maximum dexterity bonus of any armor he wears.

Radiant Spirit (Su): A Knight's spirit is as strong as his body, and at 6th level this conviction is made manifest by faerie magic, forming a barrier against other magics. He gains spell resistance equal to 15 + his class level. The Knight may suppress this spell resistance for one round as a swift action, rather than a standard. In addition, he may attempt to break a magical effect on him by force of will as a full round action; if he succeeds on a Concentration check (DC = 10 + the effect's CL) he may ignore one magical effect for up to one round per class level as white fire pours from his body. If the Knight was the only target of this effect, it is dispelled. The Knight may use this ability even in circumstances in which he would normally be unable to act; if he cannot take a full round's worth of actions, or if he is unable to control his own behavior (such as if he is dazed or dominated), he may still use this ability. If the Knight fails to suppress an ability in this way, he may not attempt to suppress that ability again for one minute.

Pierce the Facade (Ex): A Feyblessed Knight finds his visual acuity sharpening at 7th level, learning to pierce the illusions, disguises, lies, and glamours frequently utilized by the fey. He may focus as a standard action to gain the benefits of a true seeing spell for 1 round per class level. In this state, he also gains an insight bonus equal to his class level on spot checks made to penetrate mundane disguises, and an equal bonus to sense motive checks to identify deception or untrustworthiness.

Wings of Glory (Su):: At 8th level, a Feyblessed Knight gains the ability to form a pair of spectral, feathery wings at will. These wings allow him to fly at a speed of 60 feet with perfect maneuverability.

Binding Oath (Su): At 9th level, a Feyblessed Knight may level the full authority of the Court on an opponent, binding them with faerie magic. Once per day as a full-round action, he may verbally denounce in some way a creature who has wronged him, impeded his cause, or done some evil act that the Knight has seen. If he does so, the creature must make a Will save (DC 10 + Class level + Cha modifier) or be affected by a mark of justice. This Mark is exceptionally difficult to remove; only a creature with the fey type, or a spellcaster using wish or miracle may dispel it. The Knight may also remove this mark, if he chooses. The Knight is immediately aware if a creature triggers one of his marks.

A Feyblessed Knight with a Smite ability may combine this oath with his smite. If he does so, the smite deals no extra damage, but increases the DC of the oath by 4. A Feyblessed Knight with the Knight's Challenge ability may sacrifice two uses of it to gain an extra daily use of this ability.

Jealous Patron (Su): At 10th level, a Feyblessed Knight's patron cements his hold on the Knight. One of the benefits of this is that it keeps the Knight safe from the attempts of others to influence or control him. He becomes immune to all hostile mind-affecting abilities except those generated by faeries of the Seelie Court.

Tithe to Faerie (Su): At level ten, a Feyblessed Knight may elect to take on the Fey type. In addition to the obvious effects, the Knight's damage reduction from Armor of Righteousness increases to DR 20/Cold Iron and Magic, he adds his charisma modifier to his spell resistance, and he gains ethereal jaunt as a spell-like ability usable once per day. He develops a permanent tongues and magic circle against evil and chaos effect as well. This process also suspends his aging - the knight does not age further while he is considered a Fey. This power, however, comes at a cost - the knight must undertake a quest for the Seelie Court once per month (this may be extended in the case of quests that last an exceptionally long time; assume that the knight has a minimum of one week between quests, provided he acts with all due haste). He learns of these quests through dreams, and while most of them tend to appear benign at first glance, many often have great significance unknown to the knight himself. The knight is under no obligation to accept this particular blessing, though he may find his patrons growing aloof if he refuses, and Knights who grow "stagnant" generally meet untimely ends.

In order to initially gain the Fey type (or regain it after it has been abandoned), the knight must undertake a quest, as described above. A knight who loses the Fey type ages at the rate of one year per day until she is caught up to her true and proper age.


PLAYING A FEYBLESSED KNIGHT
You were - and perhaps still are - the pride of your kingdom, a warrior unmatched in honor and strength, and a champion of justice. You are no mere mercenary, but a noble knight, favored not just by mortal kings but by the Seelie Court themselves, and this knowledge colors your perspective. You hold yourself to a higher standard, knowing in your heart that you cannot possibly be wrong - because the beings of light and goodness that give you your power tell you so.
Combat: While there is nothing technically preventing a knight from acting dishonorably in battle (their patrons might frown on it, but won't revoke the character's power for drugging enemies or attacking from ambush), most react with horror at the very thought. Your abilities do not lend themselves to stealth, or subtlety; you crash through waves of minions, letting their pitiful weapons shatter against the strength of your faith, duck the evil Unseelie noble's charms, and impale him on your sword. Your home is on the front lines, and while it is unbecoming of a knight to seek combat, you certainly should not shy from it.
Advancement: Some knights return to the base class that they used to qualify for this prestige class, but many choose to further broaden their talents or specialize in some way. The Knight Protector prestige class is popular, as is any other class that emphasizes honor and duty. On the other hand, Dungeoncrasher Fighter tends to work fairly well for those knights who just want to messily trample their enemies beneath them. Some even dabble in clerical spellcasting, or learn the basics of the Sublime Way. Your martial abilities are your greatest asset, though, so any further class that you decide to pursue should somehow strengthen or compliment them.
Resources: The situation of a knight is an odd one; while most own no more than they can carry with them, leaving the vast treasuries and kingdoms to aristocrats, they also indirectly command the wealth and power of entire nations. A well-known and respected knight can expect to easily receive audience with kings and bishops (of some religions - see below for details), and can likely request almost any reasonable assistance. The lucky knight who manages to marry a princess (or prince) has even more sway in the mortal realm. And of course, a knight knows that he has his patrons to look out for them, although any assistance from them (beyond the knight's powers themselves) is usually subtle.

FEYBLESSED KNIGHTS IN THE WORLD

"Never have I seen a man more driven, honorable, or devoted to his cause. That is why I weep to imagine what may become of him."
--Amakiir Sunreach, druidess

In most areas, a knight can expect to be welcomed with open arms. They generally possess noble titles before ever taking this class, and the supernatural powers that they develop are often seen as proof that the knight is favored by a higher power and undoubtedly has a heroic destiny awaiting. Of course, this might be seen as a bad thing - the common folk tend to expect a lot from their heroes, and being pestered to fix everything can be aggravating - but most knights love the attention, though they're too humble to admit it.

Of course, there are some who think otherwise. A few churches and kingdoms, mostly more militant ones, look at the knight not as one blessed, but as one corrupted. They see the Seelie as demons in disguise, and fiercely distrust any knight unfortunate enough to stumble upon them. In some places, a knight may even be arrested for heresy for refusing to denounce the Court even on threat of death and hellfire. Funnily enough, communities that tend to be in tune with nature - circles of druids, elf villages, "savage" races like centaurs and satyrs, and especially other Fey - tend to distrust the knight. Most are polite enough, but make no secret of their dislike of the Seelie Court, and may even attempt to convince the knight to abandon the Seelie and return to more earthly patrons. Unfortunately for them, a Knight is generally completely devoted to his patron, which he views as a force of goodness, and often takes great offense to anyone who implies otherwise.
Daily Life: If one encounters a knight in the open, that knight is almost certainly on some quest or another. Whether slaying dragons, slaying evil mages, slaying demons, or slaying the Unseelie and their servants, the knight is almost always on a holy mission to find something distasteful to his patron and kill it in its own lair, before repossessing everything it owns.
Notables: A better question would be, what Feyblessed Knights are not notable? Generally speaking, any knight who survives long enough is almost certain to become famous.

One notable example is the late Aloysius St. Marc, famed slayer of dragons and abolisher of wickedness. Despite his busy adventuring career, he actually survived long enough to retire, and settle down as lord of a small kingdom. Tragically, he perished quite suddenly one night; his servants were found in the morning, drunken into a stupor with their feet bloody from dancing, while the good Aloysius himself was dead in bed, covered by a sprinkling of flower petals. One of his guests - a young man who had claimed to be an ambassador from a kingdom that, on further investigation, did not actually exist - simultaneously vanished without a trace.
Organizations: Feyblessed Knights tend to be solitary by nature. While many join small adventuring groups, actual organized orders of knights or mercenaries are too limiting for the Knight, who travels wherever his quests take him. That said, Knights are occasionally found leading armies - generally, though, such arrangements only last long enough to deal with whatever threat was important enough to prompt them before dissolving. A Knight who refrains from questing for long almost invariably meets an untimely end.

Golden-Esque
2009-11-20, 07:41 PM
WILD CHILD


http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc173/Noxiudis/DnD%20Art/WildChildcopy.jpg

I dunno why you grown ups worry so much about b'ing big and stuff. It's a lot more fun to be a kid! An' I can prove it!
~ Allen the Wolf, a Wild Child

They say that youth is wasted on the young, and no cares less about that statement than the Wild Child. Wild Children are former adults-turned-youths; freed from the horrors of civilized living by the Feywilds; an extra-dimensional plane where the forest sprites and spirits of nature dwell. Unlike a Barbarian, who is often born into an uncivilized society, a Wild Child was, in fact, part of a civilized city or a town and for some reason was outcast from their home.

As the manifestation of all things in the natural world, the Feywilds also harbors a near overpowering maternal instinct, and so on some rare occasions, the forces of the Feywilds itself per-chances on such an individual, and like a mother comforting a young child, will call out to the outcast to come home. Such a call is near overpowering, and regardless of how hard they might try to resist the call of the Feywilds and move on with the broken pieces of their lives, virtually all who are called to by the Feywilds answer and become its children for eternity.

BECOMING A WILD CHILD
Of all the outcasts and downtrodden in the world, it is almost always Rogues who are called to by the Feywilds. Many agree that this is probably because of the various classes, Rogues are the ones who are hit the hardest by the loss of society's favor. Having to resort to thieving to survive is a very new low for most people, and their depression makes it all the more likely that the Feywilds will be able to grip the Rogue's mind with its vine-like tendrils.

Others theorize that since thieving is, by nature, a very immature and uncivilized thing to do, Rogues are more likely to hear Mother Nature's call. Coupled with the catlike reflexes and speed many Rogues posses, and Rogue seems like a natural fit for Wild Child.

Of the various races of the world, humans (especially half-humans) are the most likely to become Wild Children, as other races tend to be much more forgiving towards their own. The longer lived races, such as the elves, tend to have less respect towards childhood as a whole and don't view it in the same mystical light that humans do. Also, since elves do not physically age, elves are much less likely to wish to be young again. Since most half-humans are outcasts among both their peoples, half-humans are all too easy to persaude with a kind voice and a mother's love.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills - Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks.
Alignment - True Neutral Alignment.
Feats – Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack
Special - The character must have done something to make their home town or city's NPC attitude fall from Helpful to Unfriendly, making them a social outcast within their own home.

Class Skills
The Wild Child's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are....
Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex)

Skills Points at Each Level: 6 + Intelligence Modifier

Hit Dice: d6

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Adopted Child, Astraying Strike 1/Day, Sneak Attack +1d6

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Childish Charms, Charm Youth, Sylvan Mastery

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+3|Astratying Strike 2/Day, Flight of the Faerie (Poor),

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Sneak Attack +2d6, Tantrum 1/Day

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+4|Astratying Strike 3/Day, Step of the Sprite

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+5|Flight of the Faerie (Average), Mischief Maker

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+5|Astraying Strike 4/Day, Sneak Attack +3d6, Tantrum 2/Day

8th|
+6|
+2|
+6|
+6|Feywilds Gate, Sylvan Tongue

9th|
+6|
+3|
+6|
+6|Astraying Strike 5/Day, Flight of the Faeire (Good),

10th|
+7|
+3|
+7|
+7|Clean Slate, Sneak Attack +4d6, Tantrum 3/Day [/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: A Wild Child gains no weapon or armor proficiencies.

Adopted Child: Taking the first level in this prestige class represents a bond between the Wild Child and the Feywilds; a bond as old and powerful as time itself; the bond of a mother’s love for their children. This supernatural force instantly warps the Wild Child’s mind and body, making them a child of the fey forever more. The Wild Child’s age category becomes Child, and in the process they lose any and all bonuses and penalties associated with aging and gain the bonuses and penalties of being young. As a Child creature, a Wild Child permanently increases their Dexterity and Charisma scores by +4 and permanently decreases their Strength and Constitution scores by -4. As a Child creature, their size category permanently decreases by 1 step (Large to Medium, Medium to Small, or Small to Diminutive).

In addition, a Wild Child gains the Fey subtype in addition to their normal creature type. This does not prevent a Wild Child from being affected by spells and abilities that only affect humanoids (if the Wild Child was a humanoid when he or she took class levels in this class), but it does allow them to be affected by any spell or ability that affects the fey. Being a Fey creatures grants a Wild Child a +2 bonus to Hide checks and Move Silently checks, Low-Light vision (Superior Low-Light vision if the Wild Child already had Low-Light vision), and the Wild Child adds Sylvan to the list of languages they can speak.

A Wild Child with this Class Feature no longer ages; he or she will remain a child for eternity. A Wild Child does not age; he or she is immune to magical and mundane aging, and they do not incur the normal bonuses or penalties for aging. Time essentially stands still for the Wild Child, and they cannot die from old age, and so long as they live in the wilds of the world and shun society, a Wild Child maintains these immunities to aging. Should a Wild Child return to civilized society, he or she looses this agelessness, but they do not return to their normal age. Even if the Wild Child turns their back on the Feywilds, nothing short of a wish, miracle, some other aging effect, or mundane time can age a Wild Child.

Astraying Strike (Su): At 1st level, a Wild Child gains the ability to pass the blessings of the Feywilds into others that he or she deem worthy by draining the long, hard years from others, reverting them to childhood. As a Standard Action, the Wild Child makes a single melee attack roll at their highest attack bonus against a creature, rolling their damage normally. Damage is rolled and calculated normally, but this attack deals no damage to the target creature. Instead the target creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + Wild Child level + 1/five damage that would have been dealt) or be regressed into childhood. A willing creature can choose to fail the saving throw. On a successful save, this strike does nothing (not even normal weapon damage).

Upon being regressed into childhood, the target creature becomes a Child creature, losing all penalties and bonuses associated with aging, permanently gains +4 Dexterity and Charisma, and permanently loosing -4 Strength and Constitution. In addition, a creature struck by Astraying Strike’s size permanently decreases by one size category (Large to Medium, Medium to Small, or Small to Diminutive). Any armor or gear the creature was wearing falls to the ground at their feet; too big to be successfully worn by the creature’s younger form. Any clothes or other garments remain on the creature, but they do not shrink. Anything the creature was holding remains in their hands, though the creature’s new carrying capacity and size makes it difficult to wield weapons that are now too large for them.

This regression effect is a permanent age drain; it cannot be undone short of a wish spell, a miracle spell, or a spell/power/ability that includes an aging effect as part of its description. This strike has no effect against nonliving creatures (constructs and undead), creatures with alien anatomies (aberrations and plants), any creature with either Ageless or Timeless as a class or racial feature, and any creature that does not list the Material Plane as its home plane (Native Outsiders, for example, are affected by this maneuver because the Material Plane is their home plane, though an angel or devil would be unaffected). Creatures that use specific stats for their young (such as most dragons) return to the age category that is two steps younger than adult (Juvenile in the case of dragons) and adopt those stats instead of the bonuses and penalties provided here.

An Astraying Strike can be made into a Sneak Attack if the Wild Child is capable of performing one. An Astraying Sneak Attack increases the Fortitude save’s DC by +4. In addition, the Sneak Attack damage is added to the DC when determining how much of a damage bonus to the DC the Wild Child gains. Creatures who do not share at least one Creature type with the Wild Child gain a +4 bonus to resist this ability, and creatures who are not humanoid gain a +8 on the saving throw against an Astraying Strike (use only the higher of these two bonuses). Creatures regressed in this manner do not lose their memories (though their intellectual and emotional maturities could be affected at the DM’s decision) and a regressed character can continue to fight normally. Killing a Child creature, regardless of their alignment or creature type, is an abominable act. A Wild Child can use Astraying Strike once per day at 1st level. At every odd-numbered level thereafter (3rd, 5th, etc), a Wild Child can use this ability one additional time per day, to a maximum of 5/Day at 9th level.

Sneak Attack: The Wild Child, as innocent as they look, have a cunning, devious mind that only a child’s brain could harbor. As such, they know how to strike others where it hurts the most. At 1st level, a Wild Child gains a 1d6 Sneak Attack. If he or she already had the Sneak Attack class feature (such as from levels of Rogue), then the total amount of Sneak Attack damage done is increased by 1d6. At 4th level, and at every three levels thereafter, a Wild Child’s Sneak Attack improves by 1d6, to a maximum of 3d6 at 10th level. This class feature is identical to the Rogue class feature of the same name.

Childish Charms (Ex): A Wild Child has spend so much time in the body of a child that he or she unconsciously begins the act the role; they start singing goofy songs, swinging their legs and bodies back and forth while seated, and use mannerisms similar to young children. Because of this, no one that the Wild Child doesn’t explicitly tell that he or she isn’t actually a kid would guess otherwise. A 2nd level Wild Child gains a +10 bonus on Bluff checks and Disguise checks to convince others that he or she is nothing more than an ordinary child.

Charm Youth (Sp): As the Wild Child becomes more and more ensorcelled by the Feywilds, they learn how to tap into the charming powers of the Dryads. However, a Wild Child can only use this power (and to great effect) on young creatures. This ability functions exactly like Charm Monster, except that it only functions on creatures who are at least one Age category younger than Adult and a Child creature gains no bonuses to resist Charm Youth due to it or any of its allies being threatened by you or any of your allies.. A Wild Child can use this ability a number of times per day equal to their Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

Sylvan Mastery (Ex): A Wild Child quickly masters the wilderness of the world, learning the anatomies and physical structures of the creatures of the wilds. Starting at 2nd level, a Wild Child gains the ability to score critical hits on and deal precision damage to creatures with the Plant creature type. In addition, a Wild Child can Hide in Plain Sight (as a Ranger) while in forested areas or any other natural area that the Wild Child has an opportunity to extensively study and explore for 1d4 days.

Flight of the Faerie (Su) : As their bond with the Feywilds grows ever stronger, the Wild Child gains the power to soar through the air. Starting at 3rd level, the Wild Child gains the supernatural ability to fly without the aid of magic or riding upon another creature (assuming he or she could not do so before). The Wild Child's physical body does not change; so long as they believe that they can fly, they can.

At 3rd level, the Wild Child's flight speed is equal to their half of their base land speed and their maneuverability is poor. At 6th level, the Wild Child's flight speed is equal to their base land speed and their maneuverability is average. At 9th level, the Wild Child's flight speed is equal to double their base land speed and their maneuverability is good.

While flying, the Wild Child can make charge attacks, but he or she cannot take the run action. Flying in this manner taxes your personal energies, so you take the normal penalties for long-distance travel as if you were running (use your flying speed to determine the rate at which you begin taking nonlethal damage). It takes a Wild Child a swift action to begin flying and an immediate action to flying.

Tantrum (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, a Wild Child can enter a rage similar in nature to a Barbarian’s rage. While in a tantrum, a Wild Child using the Full Attack action ignores their normal Base Attack Bonus progression for additional attacks, and instead can make a number of attacks at their highest Base Attack Bonus equal to 1 + their Dexterity modifier, though a Wild Child can never make more attacks per round then they normally could when making a Full Attack action. A Wild Child who is making a tantrum cannot use any Charisma-based, Dexterity-based, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he or she cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. A Wild Child can use any feat they have with the exception Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats while in a tantrum. A temper tantrum lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the Wild Child’s Constitution modifier. A Wild Child may prematurely end their tantrum. At the end of the tantrum, the Wild Child regains their normal progression for additional attacks and must make a Will save (DC 10 + the number of rounds in a Tantrum) or become exhausted. A successful save reduces this condition to fatigue.

At 4th level, a Wild Child can enter a tantrum once per day. At 7th level and 10th level, a Wild Child gains an additional use of this ability, to a maximum number of three tantrums per day. A tantrum is treated as a raging effect, so they cannot be under the effects of a Barbarian’s Rage ability or the rage spell while having a temper tantrum.

Step of the Sprite (Su): A Wild Child learns how to evade notice from those who would follow him. At 5th level, the Wild Child can no longer be tracked by any means; magical or mundane.

Mischief Maker (Ex): At 6th level, a Wild Child’s childish knack for mischief allows him or her to escape from situations with extraordinary ease. A Wild Child can take 20 on any Escape Artist check, and a Wild Child can escape from any type of restraints, be they magical or mundane, as a move-equivalent or escape a grapple as a free action. A Wild Child who wears any kind of armor looses the benefits of this ability.

Feywilds Gate (Sp): A Wild Child quickly becomes one with the Feywilds, who beckons to the Wild Child as a mother calls her child home. Starting at 8th level, a Wild Child gains the ability to open a small rift between the Material Plane and the Feywilds. This ability functions like a Gate spell, except for the following differences. A Feywilds Gate can only be used to connect the current plane the Wild Child is on to the Feywilds or to the Wild Child's home plane. For example, if the Wild Child is on their home plane, they can only open a gate to the Feywilds, or vice versa. However, if they are in the Abyss, they can open a gate to either their home plane or to the Feywilds. If the Wild Child's home plane is the Feywilds, then they cannot use this ability while in the Feywilds.

Feywilds Gate lasts for 1 round x the Wild Child's Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round). It cannot be used to call creatures (see the Gate spell), though any creature near the Wild Child when he or she opens the gate may use it to travel as they wish. In addition, the portal is only large enough for one creature to use at a time. A Wild Child can use this ability once per day and they can cancel it (thereby closing the portal) at will. Any creatures trying to use the gate when it is canceled are ejected back into the plane they attempted to cross the gate in.

Sylvan Tongue (Su): A Wild Child of 8th level or higher becomes so familiar with the creatures of the Wild that he or she learns how to speak with virtually all natural things. In addition to the normal benefits of Sylvan Mastery, a Wild Child can also speak with the animals and plants that live in any natural area that he or she gains the benefit of Hide in Plain Sight in.

Clean Slate (Su): At 10th level, a Wild Child can use the powers of the Feywilds to offer even greater peace to those that he or she have lead astray from their tedious, boring adult lives, allowing them to be carefree children in mind and spirit. As a full-round action, a Wild Child can make a single melee attack on a creature that that been returned to childhood by the effects of their Astraying Strike. The attack deals no damage, but if it strikes the creature, it must make a Will save (DC 10 + Wild Child’s character level) or have their adult memories wiped from their minds. This effect bestows no negative levels upon the target, but the struck creature forgets all knowledge they had as an adult.

The creature becomes addled; they lose their Base Attack Bonus, the bonuses to skill checks from ranks, the benefit from any weapon or armor proficiency feats they may have had, and the ability to cast spells, manifest powers, or initiate maneuvers whose level exceeds 1st.In addition, the Child’s attitude instantly shifts to indifferent. The addled condition lasts for 1d4 days, at which time the addled character regains the use of their class features, but they no longer recall their adult life. Since those memories have been wiped from their mind, nothing short of a wish or miracle spell can restore them. Clean Slate is a mind-affecting ability.

EX-WILD CHILDREN
A Wild Child who gives up their life of youthful bliss in the wilds of the world and resettles in civilization looses all spell-like and supernatural Wild Child class features. As described under Adopted Orphan, a Wild Child who gives up their path begins aging again, but they do not instantly revert to their adult forms. Only some sort of aging effect or the passage of time can return adulthood to a former Wild Child.

A Wild Child who gives up their life as an eternal youth can always seek forgiveness and redemption. Like a prodigal son, the Feywilds will always accept its children home, but the Wild Child must atone (via an atonement spell) for their abandonment. Upon receiving an atonement spell, the Wild Child regains all of their Wild Child class features, and if they have aged, they return to childhood once more.

Abandoning the Feywilds does not simply mean walking into civilization and spending a few nights. A Wild Child knows in their heart when they have truly given up eternal childhood; they settle down, find a new family, and intend to never return to the Wilds of the world. It is at that point that the Fey magic slowly leaves the Wild Child. A Wild Child does not loose their class features for spending a week in an inn while adventuring, or even for leaving their forested home to go adventuring for example.

PLAYING A WILD CHILD
Wild Children are masters of surprise attacks, focusing on a wide variety of tricks to hamper their enemies and deal massive surprise damage.
Combat: Wild Children typically fight through ambush, hiding in their forested homes and leaping out of the shadows at their enemies. Since Wild Children seldomly leave forested areas or areas with a high Fey population, they are often poised to set up surprisingly well-coordinated Sneak Attacks with their Sylvan Mastery ability. A Wild Child who has gain enough power to fly will often do so as a last resort, preferring to show of their skill as an additional surprise. Wild Children who have received the full blessings of the Feywilds and have become true eternal children will often attempt to play off their appearance to make adult creatures drop their guard.
Advancement: The Wild Child prestige class focuses on surprises more then anything else. Taking feats such as Weapon Finesse that take advantage of the class's growing Dexterity are excellent choices, and anything focusing on Strength makes for a poor choice, as the Wild Child's physical brawn diminishes as the Feywilds returns him or her to their golden age. Ambush Feats they rely on Sneak Attack damage are also a good choice.
Resources: As they increase in level, a Wild Child gains the blessings and approval of the Sylvan world. They are often highly respected as chosen of the wilds, though many who begin to appear younger (or have already undergone that transformation) are often chastised and pampered as young children are; not that such a Wild Child complains about it much.

WILD CHILDREN IN THE WORLD
Oh, little one. You will learn in time that the Wilds have a way of reclaiming the lost.
~ Blossom Barkwhisper, a dryad, about a Wild Child

Wild Children, for the most part, do not interact much with the civilized world. They seldom (if ever) return to major cities or towns once they have begun down the path of the Wild Child. On occasion, Wild Children will interact with other hermits or outcasts who tend to shun urban areas out of sheer child-like curiosity. The man who lives up the mountains or an old widow who lives in a small village are all curiosities to Wild Children, and occasionally Wild Children will make contact with such individuals. Often when they do, those people end up becoming siblings to the Wild Child in time. Wild Children are usually shy, however, and are much more likely to hide rather than fight when they can.
Daily Life: When they are still older, many Wild Children feel as if they need to serve a purpose; to thank the Feywilds for reaching its hand to them. They tend to act as protectors or guardians of places of the Fey, but in time, Wild Children learn that the Feywilds demand none of this, and end up spending their days in child-like activity, such as fishing, exploration, and playing with other Wild Children.
Notables: Wild Children are almost completely ambiguous, as almost any who become close to a Wild Child end up joining their ranks, whether it be for personal greed over the prospect of eternal youth or out of desire for a carefree way of life. Because of this, there is little documentation on the Wild Children as a whole, and most scholarly debate isn't well defined or supported.
Organizations: Wild Children have something of an organization, but its nothing as concrete as a church hierarchy or the Druid Society. Wild Children can easily spot other Wild Children for what they are, and while Wild Children who have not begun the regression process may be cold or reclusive from other Wild Children, as they begin to reenter childhood, they end up banding together, forming small villages and towns with each other. Wild Children communities are based mostly around playing and preforming small chores, and compared to what most adults call community, a Wild Child community is rampant chaos.
Religion: Wild Children do not worship any god or goddess. Youths in general only worship because their parents do, and many Wild Children never truly grasped the purpose of religion even as adults; as eternal children, they see no point in worshiping a deity. This does not mean that they are devoid of spirituality, however. As a child worships the ground their parents walk, so too does a Wild Child worship the Feywilds. While Wild Children do not hold services or perform traditional religion ceremonies for the Feywilds, the wisdom and love of the Feywilds is eternally in their hearts, and it is by turning their back on this love of the natural things of the world and of life that a Wild Child can fall (see Ex-Wild Children, above).

NPC Reaction
An NPC's reaction is based on how much they know and what Regression stage the Wild Child is in. A Wild Child who still resembles an adult is likely to be shunned as an outsider by at least one group; after all, that reaction is often what makes individuals turn to the Feywilds in the first place. A Wild Child who has completed or partially completed their transformation and resembles a Youth or a Child is likely to be treated as such; a wild rapscallion whose parents are good-for-nothings and don't watch over their children. However, those that learn of the true nature of the Wild Children are taken back by the eternal nature of the Wild Children, and finding the temptation too much to overcome, many end up seeking the Feywilds and becoming eternal children themselves.

WILD CHILDREN IN THE GAME
This is a good place to provide a quick note on how your class will effect game play statistically.
Adaptation: Wild Children are fairly ambiguous, and more then anything they are the stuff of legend and urban myth. Wild Children are easily integrated in any game that involves the Fey as they are presented in the Monster Manual series; spirits of the untamed wild.
Encounters: PCs typically do not have offensive encounters with Wild Children. Wild Children prefer to observe rather than encounter, and it is very unlikely that a Wild Child would ever approach a group of PCs without good reason to. Wild Children, although they can take care of themselves, are far more likely to ask the PCs for aid rather than battle. Coincidentally, a powerful Wild Child who has taken an interest in a PC might attempt to initiate them into the ranks of the eternal youths by draining away their age on a weekly basis.

Sample Encounter
Wild Children are almost exclusively encountered in forests. Depending on the Wild Child's class level, there may be on one or two Wild Children in a given area, or there could be an entire community.
EL 8: While traveling through the forest, you hear the bushes around you rustle. Seemingly from nowhere, a small human child, looking no older then 10, steps from the woodlands. His clothing is comprised of the pelts and furs of various woodland creatures, and he is not wearing shoes of any kind. He turns to one among your party and says "You wanna come and play with me?"

Allen the Wolf
TN/Male/Human/Rogue 5, Wild Child 10
Init +0, Senses: Listen +11, Spot +1,
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Slyvan
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AC 14 , touch 14, flat-footed (10)
HP 45 (15 HD)
Fort +4, Ref +13, Will +9
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Speed 20ft. (4 squares)
Size Small
Melee
Base Atk +16, Grp +10
Atk Options: Unarmed (1d4-2); Swordsword (1d6-2); Sap (1d4-2); Sneak Attack +6d6.
Combat Gear: None.
Extraordinary Abilities: Childish Charms, Mischief Maker, Sylvan Mastery, Tantrum
Spell-Like Abilities: Charm Youth
Supernatural Abilities Adopted Orphan, Astraying Strike, Clean Slate, Feywilds Gate, Flight of the Faerie, Step of the Sprite, Sylvan Tongue
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Abilities Str 6, Dex 18, Con 8, Int 15, Wis 12, Cha 18
SQ: Ageless, Fey Traits.
Feats Weapon Finesse, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Brachiation, Improved Flight.
Skills: Balance 12 ranks; Bluff 10 ranks; Climb 12 ranks; Disable Device 12 ranks; Escape Artist 12 ranks; Handle Animal 12 ranks; Hide 15; Jump 12 ranks; Knowledge (nature) 10 ranks; Listen 10 ranks Move Silently 15 ranks; Slieght of Hand 10 ranks; Tumble 12 ranks.
Possessions: Small Sized Rag-Tag Clothing

ErrantX
2009-12-05, 09:16 PM
Ahem.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_XFGuSZ6n1LY/SR7VbnJ7CPI/AAAAAAAAENc/ms_wgAQFurU/s400/slayers_amelia023.jpg
BUMP OF GREAT JUSTICE!

Just a reminder folks, we've got til December 10th to get these classes in gear and get em posted before I start the voting.

-X