Roguenewb
2012-07-21, 04:54 PM
Cultist
“Yes, my masters, I'll do as you wish...but do not ignore my requests in return. Ft'agh ar'neta ry'leh”
-Azathanil, Human Cultist, speaking to the far realms
There are many routes to power, and many sources of that power. Barbarians channel their inner anger, wizards study magic obsessively, druids commune with nature, rogues rely on quick wits and quicker hands, and clerics bring the will of their gods. But there are still greater powers, waiting beyond the understanding of normal mortals. Beyond the material plane, beyond the astral plane, beyond the homes of the gods themselves are the Far Realms, and the beings who live there. These beings wield power that dwarf the gods of the planes, and only their imcomprehensible intentions stand between them, and obliteration or domination of the Prime. Most mortals don't even know they exist, not to mention any understanding of them, but these great beings aren't ignored by our planes, a select, insane few, dedicate themselves to these powers over the more conventional sources. These few are the cultists, and they wield power greater and easier than their Wizard or Cleric companions, but they pay for it with their minds, and eventually their souls.
Cultists see people running around seeking powers and goals, and ignoring a huge, growing thundercloud of power above all their worlds and lives. Cultists view their minds as a small price to pay for power and their own goals. Many venerate the Outer Gods, as they call the mega-beings of the Far Realms, but a sizable portion simply trade them minds and actions for power to achieve goals of their own.
If you wish to have incredible power, versatility and resilience, and don't mind going insane and dying, then the path of the Cultist offers incredible power for your character. Just remember, it's not if the Outer Gods will claim your mind and soul, it's only when...
Making a Cultist
Cultists are strong spellcasters, who also possess a large number of varied abilities. You can easily replace a wizard or sorcerer. By drawing on different class features and trying to more fully understand the Outer Gods, you can also serve as a melee warrior, as a Cleric can. After you learn the secrets of the Mad Discoveries, you will be able to imitate the casting of any other class...for a price. You can probably fight longer and harder on a given day than any of your companions, but the longer you fight, and the more power you wield, the sooner your mind will be completely shattered.
Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability for the Cultist. Your forceof personality allows you keep your will together when your mind delves into the Far Realms, and it will allow you to better sculpt the power of the Outer Gods, improving your spell casting. The quests given you by your inhuman masters will pose many dangers, and a high Constitution will allow a higher chance of surviving them. Finally Wisdom will bolster your Will saves, allowing you to better resist the insanity that will brew inside your brain.
Races: Humans are far and away the most common race to follow the path of the Cultist. Halflings can also be caught up in whims of the Outer Gods. Shockingly, the Aasimar and Feytouched, often find their connection to other planes makes them easy converts to the cause of the Outer Gods. Dwarves tend to be too stolid to turn to the cause of these strange gods, and Elves tend to lack the inherent short-sightedness that defines most Cultists. Half orcs often find themselves easily losing focus and control of the power of the Outer Gods, and they often make poor spellcasting Cultists.
Alignment: Describing the Cultist by the normal 9 alignments is a bit like trying to decide what color to paint a room by eating pickles. As a result of their alien goals, most cultists are true neutral, at least as far as we can understand. Those who worship the Outer Gods just to gain power for earthly goals can be any alignment besides Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil.
Starting Gold: 9d4 x 10 gp (225 gp)
Starting Age: Any. But most are younger than wizards.
Class Skills: The cultist's class skills are: Bluff, Concentration, Disguise, Knowledge (Arcana, the Planes and Dungeoneering) and Spellcraft.
Skill points per level: Two + Int modifier.
Hit Die: d4
{table=head]{colsp=6}The Cultist|{colsp=10}Spells Per Day
Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special|0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9
1|+0|+0|+0|+2|Developing Madness, Natural Repulsion, Dark Education (6), Twisted Guide|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2|+1|+0|+0|+3|Insane Grace|4|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3|+1|+1|+1|+3|Corrupted Form (Guide)|5|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4|+2|+1|+1|+4|Mad Warrior (12)|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5|+2|+1|+1|+4|Mad Resurgance|6|6|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-
6|+3|+2|+2|+5|Corrupted Form (Self), Dark Discovery|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-
7|+3|+2|+2|+5|Expanded Gifts|6|6|6|4|2|-|-|-|-|-
8|+4|+2|+2|+6|Dark Education (9), Insane Resistance|6|6|6|5|3
9|+4|+3|+3|+6|Inhuman Empathy|6|6|6|6|4|2|-|-|-|-
10|+5|+3|+3|+7|Mad Metamagic|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-
11|+5|+3|+3|+7|Mad Warrior (18)|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|-|-|-
12|+6|+4|+4|+8|Constant Insanity|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-
13|+6|+4|+4|+8|Aberrant Awakening|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|-|-
14|+7|+4|+4|+9|Aberrant Shaping|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-
15|+7|+5|+5|+9|Dark Education(12), Alien Mind|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|-
16|+8|+5|+5|+10|Breach the Walls|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-
17|+8|+5|+5|+10|-|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2
18|+9|+6|+6|+11|-|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3
19|+9|+6|+6|+11|-|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4
20|+10|+6|+6|+11|Insane Apothesis|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
[/table]
{table=head]Spells Retrieved
{table=head]Level | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
1st | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2nd | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
3rd | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
4th | 3| 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
5th | 3| 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
6th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
7th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
8th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
9th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
10th | 3 | 3 | 3| 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
11th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
12th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
13th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
14th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
15th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
16th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - |
17th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
18th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
19th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
20th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
[/table][/table]
Class Features:
Your spells make you an apt battlefield controller or blaster. You can also serve as a powerful summoner, bringing in monsters of many stripes to aid your party's cause. Many class features will require you to acquire more and more madness points, so you may not wish to pay the costs for all your class features.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Cultists are proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, but not shields.
Spells: A cultist casts arcane spells, which are initially drawn from the Sorcerer/Wizard Spell list in the Player's Handbook, as they gain levels they gain access, first to all Sorc/Wiz spells, and eventually to all spells in the game. A cultist can cast any spell she has retrieved, much like a sorcerer can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time.
To retrieve or cast a spell, a Cultist must have a Charisma of at least 10+spell level. The DC for saving throws against a Cultists spells is 10+Spell Level+Charisma bonus.
Like other spell casters, a cultist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on table 1-1: The Cultist. She doesn't receive bonus spells per day, unlike a normal spell caster. A cultist may instead, if she is out of spell slots of a given level, cast a spell without using a spell slot by invoking the infinite minds of the Outer Gods. When a cultist does so, she must make a will save with a DC of 10+her caster level. If she succeeds, she gains 1 madness point and the spell is cast. If she fails the save, she gains madness points equal to the spell's level, and she is dazed until the end of her next turn. Casting a spell in this way increases the casting time to 1 round, as she invokes the power of the Gods out loud in a long chant. Spells cast this way count as divine spells.
Like a sorcerer, a cultist knows only a small number of spells. However, a cultist can rearrange these spells. Every morning, when a cultist considers the mysteries of the Outer Gods, and regains her spell slots for the day, she may send her mind into the Far Realms, and refocus her understanding of arcane magic, selecting a new set of spells to retrieve. She must make the decision whether or not to abandon her current spells, and retrieve new ones when she begins meditating. Retrieving new spells brings her mind into direct contact with the Outer Gods, gaining her one madness point. She may instead choose to keep her already retrieved spells, and instead simply regain her spell slots for the day. If she doesn't retrieve new spells her meditations take 15 minutes, if she does retrieve new spells, it takes her 1 hour. Once her spells are retrieved, or held over from a previous day, she can cast any spell she has retrieved at any time, assuming she has not used up her spells per day of that level, unless she invokes the Outer Gods directly (see above).
If a cultist knows any metamagic feats, she may apply them to her spells when she retrieves them for the day. For example: A 5th level cultist could choose to retrieve an Empowered Magic missile with one of her third level spells retrieved slot. She could also use a first level retrieved slot to retrieve normal magic missile, if she wished to have both available. Spells retrieved with metamagic feats applied to them only stay in the cultist's mind for 24 hours, they can not be held over like normal retrieved spells. A cultist may also choose to apply metamagic feats on the fly, as a sorcerer does, but this increases the casting time, just as it does for a sorcerer.
Developing Madness: Whenever you gain a level in Cultist, after the first, you gain 1 madness point. Gaining a level in a PrC causes you to gain 1d2 madness points, and gaining a level in another base class, causes you to gain 1d4 madness points. As a result, many Cultists stay the jealousy of the Dark Gods, and focus on a single path.
Natural Repulsion: You get a penalty on handle animal checks, wild empathy checks and all checks made to influence animals, magical beasts or plants (except your Twisted Guide) equal to your madness score.
Dark Education (Ex): When you gain your first level in Cultist, you may choose to voluntarily gain madness points. These points can be gained for one of two effects:
Diverse Education: For two madness points, you may add an additional class skill to the cultist skill list. You get +2 on any checks using this skill.
Inhuman Insight: For each madness point you accept, you gain an additional skill point at every level of cultist, including level 1.
You may not gain more than 6 madness points with Dark Education. If you do not choose to gain all 6 madness points at level 1, you may gain the rest, and the corresponding advantages, whenever you gain a cultist level. At level 8, you may gain up to an additional 3 madness points through this ability, for a total of 9. At level 15, you may gain up to 3 more points, for a total of 12 madness points gained through this ability.
Twisted Guide: When you become a cultist, the Outer Gods are
able to send you one of their twisted, unclean servants. If you gain 2 madness points, you acquire a familiar, using your cultist level as your effective wizard level for this ability. If you instead gain 3 madness points, you may gain any alternative class feature available to a sorcerer or wizard that replaces the familiar. Any limitiations, or uses, or elements of the class feature that reference the sorcerer or wizard's intelligence or wisdom are instead based off of your Charisma. If you instead gain 6 madness points, you gain an animal companion, with your effective Druid level equal to your Cultist level. If you instead gain 10 madness points, your Guide advances as both a familiar and animal companion (see Arcane Heirophant's Companion Familiar ability, RotW). Smart cultists who plan on getting a normal animal companion with this ability use their Dark Education ability to add Handle Animal to their class skill list.
Insane Grace (Su): At level 2, as an immediate action, a cultist can piece together elements of their visions from the last time they retrieved spells. When they do so, they recognize the current moment as something they've seen in their visions. As a result of this foreknowledge, they gain a profane bonus (even if they are Good), to their next save equal to their Charisma modifier, as long as the save happens before the end of their next turn. The mental strain of adapting their minds to this non-linear time stream damages their minds, and they gain 1 madness point each time they use this ability.
Corrupted Form (Su): At level 3, the continued use of the Outer Gods' power can have a permanent warping effect on the flesh of the cultist and his guide. The cultist can perform a one hour ritual that consumes 1000 gp in oils and gold powder. If the cultist succeeds on a DC 20 Spellcraft check at the end of the ritual, their Twisted Guide gains the pseudonatural template (Complete Arcane, pg. 160). Inviting the insanity of the Far Realms into the Prime requires huge mental strains, giving the Cultist 1 madness point for each time she attempts this ritual. If she fails the spellcraft check, she still gains the madness point, but may immediately attempt to retry the ritual.
At level 6, the cultist's growing use of the power granted to them allows them to perform a larger scale version of the Ritual. The larger form requires 6,000 gp in oils and diamond dust, and takes 24 hours. At the end of the ritual, the cultist must succeed on a DC 25 Spellcraft check, if she succeeds on the ritual, the cultist herself gains the Psuedonatural template, but with no level adjustment. Whether she succeeds or fails, the stress of the ritual causes her to gain 5 madness points. If she fails, she immediately attempt it again, (probably needing to make Fort saves for not sleeping).
Mad Warrior: Sometimes, the Outer Gods seek a warrior instead of only a spell caster. Similar to Dark Education, when a cultist gains 4th level, she gains the ability to absorb toughness and martial skills directly from the minds of the Outer Gods, instead of earning it herself. This process helps fracture the mind of the cultist, but can provide substantial power. It gives a number of possible benefits:
Mad Vitality: For each 3 madness points the cultist gains, her Hit Die from the Cultist class go up one size. So, if she gains 3 points, it becomes a d6, 6 madness points makes it a d8, and 9 madness points makes it a d10. No matter her level, a cultist may not gain more than 9 madness points through this ability
Insane Blows: A cultist can have an unnatural understanding of battle skill implanted directly into her mind. If she gains 7 madness points, the base attack bonus granted by Cultist levels is instead that of a cleric, instead of her current Base Attack Bonus (¾ instead of ½) . If she gains 14 madness points, her Base Attack Bonus from cultist levels becomes equal to her cultist level.
Laughing Warrior: If a cultist gains 4 madness points, she gains the ability to enter something akin to a barbarian's rage, but based on madness instead of hate. She gains Rage 1/day, as the barbarian ability. If she gains 13 madness points, she gains Greater Rage 1/day, or Rage 3/day insteand.
Channel the Corruption: A cultist can learn how magic and battle are the same effect. If she gains 5 madness points, she gains the Arcane Channeling ability of the Duskblade (see PHB 2 page 20) usable 2 times per day.
Tainted Skill: A cultist can gain proficiency with any number of martial weapons for 1 madness point each, and proficiency with medium armor for 3 madness points, and proficiency with heavy armor for 6 madness points.
Warcasting: A cultist may learn how to cast in light armor without failure fro 3 madness points. In medium for 7, and in heavy for 11. A cultist must learn each of the armor casting abilities in order. i.e. a cultist cannot take just medium armor casting without also paying for light armor casting.
At level 4, a cultist may only gain 12 madness points through this ability. At level 11, she may gain 18 madness points through this ability. If she doesn't gain the maximum number of madness points when she gains this ability, whenever she gains a cultist level, she may gain the any amount of the remaining available madness points.
Mad Resurgance: Starting at 5th level, a cultist can recover her strength by allowing her madness to course through her body as well as mind. 1/day, the cultist may recover a number of hit points equal to her madness score. If these hit points restore her to full health, the remainder are gained as temporary hit points that last 1 hour. The flow of vitality helps ease the mind, and the cultist loses 1 madness point.
Dark Discovery (Su): When a cultist gains her 6th level, it becomes possible for her to send her mind on longer journeys into the Far Realms, and retrieve more potent spells. She may spend 1 hour meditating, and gain 1 madness point, to permanently add a Sorcerer and Wizard spell from a book other than the player's handbook to her spell list. She must still retrieve this spell normally after it is added to the list. To perform the ritual successfully, she must succeed on a DC 15+spell level Knowledge (Arcana) check. If she fails, she doesn't gain a madness point. She may also spend 8 hours meditating, and gain 2 madness points, to add a divine spell to her spell list. At the end of the 8 hours, the cultist must make a DC 15+spell level Knowledge (Religion) check. If she succeeds, she gains 2 madness points, and then may forevermore retrieve the spell normally. If she fails, she gains 1 madness point. Regardless of which meditation she attempts, or whether she succeeds, she may only attempt to use Dark Discovery once per day.
Expanded Gifts (Su): Starting at 7th level, a cultist can demand more magical power when she retrieves spells. To do so, she causes part of her mind to become totally alien, and this alien portion can hold more spells than normal. When a cultist retrieves spells, she may retrieve a number of extra spells up to her normal allowed number per level (effectively doubling her spells retrieved). For each two extra spells retrieved this way, she gains a madness point (minimum 1).
Insane Resistance (Su): Starting at eighth level, a Cultist may spend a full round action to create a thin border of total chaotic magical static in a thin envelope around her. Doing so gives her SR equal to 1/3 her madness score. This envelope lasts a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier. Spells or spell like abilities of Aberrations and characters with madness scores higher than yours are not affected. A cultist may use this ability once per day with no consequence, each additional use causes her to gain 1d4 madness points.
Inhuman Empathy (Ex): Starting at ninth level a cultist can influence aberrations, pseudonatural and half-farspawn creatuers. Treat this ability as the wild empathy ability of a Druid, but use your madness score instead of your Druid level to determine the bonus.
Mad Metamagic (Su): At tenth level, a cultist gains the ability to reweave the fundamental nature of her spells on the fly. When she applies a metamagic feat to a spell she retrieved without that metamagic feat, she can attempt to modify it without increasing the spell level. To do so, she must succeed on a DC 10+(3x the new spell level) Spellcraft check. If she succeeds, she gains madness points equal to the level adjustment of the metamagic feat. If she fails, she gains 1 madness point, and the spell slot is not consumed.
Constant Insanity: If an twelfth level cultists madness score is 50 or greater, she is immune to confusion and insanity effects. If her madness score is 65 or greater, she is immune to charms and compulsions. If her madness score is 80 or greater she has a constant mind blank effect.
Aberrant Awakening: When a cultist gains her 13th level, she may modify herself to be largely aberrant. To do so, she performs a ritual costing 10,000 gp in resources, and taking 24 hours. At the end of the ritual she may gain any number of [Aberrant] feats. Doing so causes her to gain 1madness point per feat gained this way.
Aberrant Shaping (Su): A 14th level cultist, can assume the form of a servant of the Outer Gods 1/day. She may choose an animal or aberration form with Hit Die less than or equal to her class level. If she chooses an animal form, it gains the psuedonatural template. She assumes this form as she was a Druid using Wild Shape, but only for a number of minutes equal to her madness score. She may use this ability an extra time per day at level 17.
Alien Mind: Starting at 15th level, a cultist's mind is so warped, that easy contact with insanity-inducing minds is less disruptive. Each day, she may ignore the first number of madness points she would gain equal to her Wisdom modifier.
Breach the Walls (Ps) A 16th level cultist can upend reality to cross borders between planes and nations. She may use Astral Caravan and Astral Traveler as a psi-like ability at will. When she uses this ability, the travelers wander through the Far Realms instead of the astral plane, and any character except the Cultist herself gain one madness point per day of the travelling.
Insane Apothesis: At 20th level, a cultist has truly mastered the call of the Outer Gods. If she is still sane, and still whole, she gains the Half-Farspawn template, except she incurs no level adjustment. Additionally, whenever she would gain a madness point, she may instead have a non-mindless being with 30 feet gain that madness point instead.
“Yes, my masters, I'll do as you wish...but do not ignore my requests in return. Ft'agh ar'neta ry'leh”
-Azathanil, Human Cultist, speaking to the far realms
There are many routes to power, and many sources of that power. Barbarians channel their inner anger, wizards study magic obsessively, druids commune with nature, rogues rely on quick wits and quicker hands, and clerics bring the will of their gods. But there are still greater powers, waiting beyond the understanding of normal mortals. Beyond the material plane, beyond the astral plane, beyond the homes of the gods themselves are the Far Realms, and the beings who live there. These beings wield power that dwarf the gods of the planes, and only their imcomprehensible intentions stand between them, and obliteration or domination of the Prime. Most mortals don't even know they exist, not to mention any understanding of them, but these great beings aren't ignored by our planes, a select, insane few, dedicate themselves to these powers over the more conventional sources. These few are the cultists, and they wield power greater and easier than their Wizard or Cleric companions, but they pay for it with their minds, and eventually their souls.
Cultists see people running around seeking powers and goals, and ignoring a huge, growing thundercloud of power above all their worlds and lives. Cultists view their minds as a small price to pay for power and their own goals. Many venerate the Outer Gods, as they call the mega-beings of the Far Realms, but a sizable portion simply trade them minds and actions for power to achieve goals of their own.
If you wish to have incredible power, versatility and resilience, and don't mind going insane and dying, then the path of the Cultist offers incredible power for your character. Just remember, it's not if the Outer Gods will claim your mind and soul, it's only when...
Making a Cultist
Cultists are strong spellcasters, who also possess a large number of varied abilities. You can easily replace a wizard or sorcerer. By drawing on different class features and trying to more fully understand the Outer Gods, you can also serve as a melee warrior, as a Cleric can. After you learn the secrets of the Mad Discoveries, you will be able to imitate the casting of any other class...for a price. You can probably fight longer and harder on a given day than any of your companions, but the longer you fight, and the more power you wield, the sooner your mind will be completely shattered.
Abilities: Charisma is the most important ability for the Cultist. Your forceof personality allows you keep your will together when your mind delves into the Far Realms, and it will allow you to better sculpt the power of the Outer Gods, improving your spell casting. The quests given you by your inhuman masters will pose many dangers, and a high Constitution will allow a higher chance of surviving them. Finally Wisdom will bolster your Will saves, allowing you to better resist the insanity that will brew inside your brain.
Races: Humans are far and away the most common race to follow the path of the Cultist. Halflings can also be caught up in whims of the Outer Gods. Shockingly, the Aasimar and Feytouched, often find their connection to other planes makes them easy converts to the cause of the Outer Gods. Dwarves tend to be too stolid to turn to the cause of these strange gods, and Elves tend to lack the inherent short-sightedness that defines most Cultists. Half orcs often find themselves easily losing focus and control of the power of the Outer Gods, and they often make poor spellcasting Cultists.
Alignment: Describing the Cultist by the normal 9 alignments is a bit like trying to decide what color to paint a room by eating pickles. As a result of their alien goals, most cultists are true neutral, at least as far as we can understand. Those who worship the Outer Gods just to gain power for earthly goals can be any alignment besides Lawful Good and Chaotic Evil.
Starting Gold: 9d4 x 10 gp (225 gp)
Starting Age: Any. But most are younger than wizards.
Class Skills: The cultist's class skills are: Bluff, Concentration, Disguise, Knowledge (Arcana, the Planes and Dungeoneering) and Spellcraft.
Skill points per level: Two + Int modifier.
Hit Die: d4
{table=head]{colsp=6}The Cultist|{colsp=10}Spells Per Day
Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special|0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9
1|+0|+0|+0|+2|Developing Madness, Natural Repulsion, Dark Education (6), Twisted Guide|3|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2|+1|+0|+0|+3|Insane Grace|4|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3|+1|+1|+1|+3|Corrupted Form (Guide)|5|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4|+2|+1|+1|+4|Mad Warrior (12)|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5|+2|+1|+1|+4|Mad Resurgance|6|6|4|2|-|-|-|-|-|-
6|+3|+2|+2|+5|Corrupted Form (Self), Dark Discovery|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-|-|-
7|+3|+2|+2|+5|Expanded Gifts|6|6|6|4|2|-|-|-|-|-
8|+4|+2|+2|+6|Dark Education (9), Insane Resistance|6|6|6|5|3
9|+4|+3|+3|+6|Inhuman Empathy|6|6|6|6|4|2|-|-|-|-
10|+5|+3|+3|+7|Mad Metamagic|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-|-
11|+5|+3|+3|+7|Mad Warrior (18)|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|-|-|-
12|+6|+4|+4|+8|Constant Insanity|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-|-
13|+6|+4|+4|+8|Aberrant Awakening|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|-|-
14|+7|+4|+4|+9|Aberrant Shaping|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-|-
15|+7|+5|+5|+9|Dark Education(12), Alien Mind|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2|-
16|+8|+5|+5|+10|Breach the Walls|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3|-
17|+8|+5|+5|+10|-|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4|2
18|+9|+6|+6|+11|-|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5|3
19|+9|+6|+6|+11|-|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|4
20|+10|+6|+6|+11|Insane Apothesis|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|6|5
[/table]
{table=head]Spells Retrieved
{table=head]Level | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
1st | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2nd | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
3rd | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
4th | 3| 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
5th | 3| 3 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
6th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
7th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
8th | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - |
9th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
10th | 3 | 3 | 3| 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
11th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - |
12th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
13th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - |
14th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
15th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - |
16th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - |
17th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
18th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
19th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
20th | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
[/table][/table]
Class Features:
Your spells make you an apt battlefield controller or blaster. You can also serve as a powerful summoner, bringing in monsters of many stripes to aid your party's cause. Many class features will require you to acquire more and more madness points, so you may not wish to pay the costs for all your class features.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Cultists are proficient with all simple weapons and light armor, but not shields.
Spells: A cultist casts arcane spells, which are initially drawn from the Sorcerer/Wizard Spell list in the Player's Handbook, as they gain levels they gain access, first to all Sorc/Wiz spells, and eventually to all spells in the game. A cultist can cast any spell she has retrieved, much like a sorcerer can cast any spell she knows without preparing it ahead of time.
To retrieve or cast a spell, a Cultist must have a Charisma of at least 10+spell level. The DC for saving throws against a Cultists spells is 10+Spell Level+Charisma bonus.
Like other spell casters, a cultist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on table 1-1: The Cultist. She doesn't receive bonus spells per day, unlike a normal spell caster. A cultist may instead, if she is out of spell slots of a given level, cast a spell without using a spell slot by invoking the infinite minds of the Outer Gods. When a cultist does so, she must make a will save with a DC of 10+her caster level. If she succeeds, she gains 1 madness point and the spell is cast. If she fails the save, she gains madness points equal to the spell's level, and she is dazed until the end of her next turn. Casting a spell in this way increases the casting time to 1 round, as she invokes the power of the Gods out loud in a long chant. Spells cast this way count as divine spells.
Like a sorcerer, a cultist knows only a small number of spells. However, a cultist can rearrange these spells. Every morning, when a cultist considers the mysteries of the Outer Gods, and regains her spell slots for the day, she may send her mind into the Far Realms, and refocus her understanding of arcane magic, selecting a new set of spells to retrieve. She must make the decision whether or not to abandon her current spells, and retrieve new ones when she begins meditating. Retrieving new spells brings her mind into direct contact with the Outer Gods, gaining her one madness point. She may instead choose to keep her already retrieved spells, and instead simply regain her spell slots for the day. If she doesn't retrieve new spells her meditations take 15 minutes, if she does retrieve new spells, it takes her 1 hour. Once her spells are retrieved, or held over from a previous day, she can cast any spell she has retrieved at any time, assuming she has not used up her spells per day of that level, unless she invokes the Outer Gods directly (see above).
If a cultist knows any metamagic feats, she may apply them to her spells when she retrieves them for the day. For example: A 5th level cultist could choose to retrieve an Empowered Magic missile with one of her third level spells retrieved slot. She could also use a first level retrieved slot to retrieve normal magic missile, if she wished to have both available. Spells retrieved with metamagic feats applied to them only stay in the cultist's mind for 24 hours, they can not be held over like normal retrieved spells. A cultist may also choose to apply metamagic feats on the fly, as a sorcerer does, but this increases the casting time, just as it does for a sorcerer.
Developing Madness: Whenever you gain a level in Cultist, after the first, you gain 1 madness point. Gaining a level in a PrC causes you to gain 1d2 madness points, and gaining a level in another base class, causes you to gain 1d4 madness points. As a result, many Cultists stay the jealousy of the Dark Gods, and focus on a single path.
Natural Repulsion: You get a penalty on handle animal checks, wild empathy checks and all checks made to influence animals, magical beasts or plants (except your Twisted Guide) equal to your madness score.
Dark Education (Ex): When you gain your first level in Cultist, you may choose to voluntarily gain madness points. These points can be gained for one of two effects:
Diverse Education: For two madness points, you may add an additional class skill to the cultist skill list. You get +2 on any checks using this skill.
Inhuman Insight: For each madness point you accept, you gain an additional skill point at every level of cultist, including level 1.
You may not gain more than 6 madness points with Dark Education. If you do not choose to gain all 6 madness points at level 1, you may gain the rest, and the corresponding advantages, whenever you gain a cultist level. At level 8, you may gain up to an additional 3 madness points through this ability, for a total of 9. At level 15, you may gain up to 3 more points, for a total of 12 madness points gained through this ability.
Twisted Guide: When you become a cultist, the Outer Gods are
able to send you one of their twisted, unclean servants. If you gain 2 madness points, you acquire a familiar, using your cultist level as your effective wizard level for this ability. If you instead gain 3 madness points, you may gain any alternative class feature available to a sorcerer or wizard that replaces the familiar. Any limitiations, or uses, or elements of the class feature that reference the sorcerer or wizard's intelligence or wisdom are instead based off of your Charisma. If you instead gain 6 madness points, you gain an animal companion, with your effective Druid level equal to your Cultist level. If you instead gain 10 madness points, your Guide advances as both a familiar and animal companion (see Arcane Heirophant's Companion Familiar ability, RotW). Smart cultists who plan on getting a normal animal companion with this ability use their Dark Education ability to add Handle Animal to their class skill list.
Insane Grace (Su): At level 2, as an immediate action, a cultist can piece together elements of their visions from the last time they retrieved spells. When they do so, they recognize the current moment as something they've seen in their visions. As a result of this foreknowledge, they gain a profane bonus (even if they are Good), to their next save equal to their Charisma modifier, as long as the save happens before the end of their next turn. The mental strain of adapting their minds to this non-linear time stream damages their minds, and they gain 1 madness point each time they use this ability.
Corrupted Form (Su): At level 3, the continued use of the Outer Gods' power can have a permanent warping effect on the flesh of the cultist and his guide. The cultist can perform a one hour ritual that consumes 1000 gp in oils and gold powder. If the cultist succeeds on a DC 20 Spellcraft check at the end of the ritual, their Twisted Guide gains the pseudonatural template (Complete Arcane, pg. 160). Inviting the insanity of the Far Realms into the Prime requires huge mental strains, giving the Cultist 1 madness point for each time she attempts this ritual. If she fails the spellcraft check, she still gains the madness point, but may immediately attempt to retry the ritual.
At level 6, the cultist's growing use of the power granted to them allows them to perform a larger scale version of the Ritual. The larger form requires 6,000 gp in oils and diamond dust, and takes 24 hours. At the end of the ritual, the cultist must succeed on a DC 25 Spellcraft check, if she succeeds on the ritual, the cultist herself gains the Psuedonatural template, but with no level adjustment. Whether she succeeds or fails, the stress of the ritual causes her to gain 5 madness points. If she fails, she immediately attempt it again, (probably needing to make Fort saves for not sleeping).
Mad Warrior: Sometimes, the Outer Gods seek a warrior instead of only a spell caster. Similar to Dark Education, when a cultist gains 4th level, she gains the ability to absorb toughness and martial skills directly from the minds of the Outer Gods, instead of earning it herself. This process helps fracture the mind of the cultist, but can provide substantial power. It gives a number of possible benefits:
Mad Vitality: For each 3 madness points the cultist gains, her Hit Die from the Cultist class go up one size. So, if she gains 3 points, it becomes a d6, 6 madness points makes it a d8, and 9 madness points makes it a d10. No matter her level, a cultist may not gain more than 9 madness points through this ability
Insane Blows: A cultist can have an unnatural understanding of battle skill implanted directly into her mind. If she gains 7 madness points, the base attack bonus granted by Cultist levels is instead that of a cleric, instead of her current Base Attack Bonus (¾ instead of ½) . If she gains 14 madness points, her Base Attack Bonus from cultist levels becomes equal to her cultist level.
Laughing Warrior: If a cultist gains 4 madness points, she gains the ability to enter something akin to a barbarian's rage, but based on madness instead of hate. She gains Rage 1/day, as the barbarian ability. If she gains 13 madness points, she gains Greater Rage 1/day, or Rage 3/day insteand.
Channel the Corruption: A cultist can learn how magic and battle are the same effect. If she gains 5 madness points, she gains the Arcane Channeling ability of the Duskblade (see PHB 2 page 20) usable 2 times per day.
Tainted Skill: A cultist can gain proficiency with any number of martial weapons for 1 madness point each, and proficiency with medium armor for 3 madness points, and proficiency with heavy armor for 6 madness points.
Warcasting: A cultist may learn how to cast in light armor without failure fro 3 madness points. In medium for 7, and in heavy for 11. A cultist must learn each of the armor casting abilities in order. i.e. a cultist cannot take just medium armor casting without also paying for light armor casting.
At level 4, a cultist may only gain 12 madness points through this ability. At level 11, she may gain 18 madness points through this ability. If she doesn't gain the maximum number of madness points when she gains this ability, whenever she gains a cultist level, she may gain the any amount of the remaining available madness points.
Mad Resurgance: Starting at 5th level, a cultist can recover her strength by allowing her madness to course through her body as well as mind. 1/day, the cultist may recover a number of hit points equal to her madness score. If these hit points restore her to full health, the remainder are gained as temporary hit points that last 1 hour. The flow of vitality helps ease the mind, and the cultist loses 1 madness point.
Dark Discovery (Su): When a cultist gains her 6th level, it becomes possible for her to send her mind on longer journeys into the Far Realms, and retrieve more potent spells. She may spend 1 hour meditating, and gain 1 madness point, to permanently add a Sorcerer and Wizard spell from a book other than the player's handbook to her spell list. She must still retrieve this spell normally after it is added to the list. To perform the ritual successfully, she must succeed on a DC 15+spell level Knowledge (Arcana) check. If she fails, she doesn't gain a madness point. She may also spend 8 hours meditating, and gain 2 madness points, to add a divine spell to her spell list. At the end of the 8 hours, the cultist must make a DC 15+spell level Knowledge (Religion) check. If she succeeds, she gains 2 madness points, and then may forevermore retrieve the spell normally. If she fails, she gains 1 madness point. Regardless of which meditation she attempts, or whether she succeeds, she may only attempt to use Dark Discovery once per day.
Expanded Gifts (Su): Starting at 7th level, a cultist can demand more magical power when she retrieves spells. To do so, she causes part of her mind to become totally alien, and this alien portion can hold more spells than normal. When a cultist retrieves spells, she may retrieve a number of extra spells up to her normal allowed number per level (effectively doubling her spells retrieved). For each two extra spells retrieved this way, she gains a madness point (minimum 1).
Insane Resistance (Su): Starting at eighth level, a Cultist may spend a full round action to create a thin border of total chaotic magical static in a thin envelope around her. Doing so gives her SR equal to 1/3 her madness score. This envelope lasts a number of rounds equal to her Charisma modifier. Spells or spell like abilities of Aberrations and characters with madness scores higher than yours are not affected. A cultist may use this ability once per day with no consequence, each additional use causes her to gain 1d4 madness points.
Inhuman Empathy (Ex): Starting at ninth level a cultist can influence aberrations, pseudonatural and half-farspawn creatuers. Treat this ability as the wild empathy ability of a Druid, but use your madness score instead of your Druid level to determine the bonus.
Mad Metamagic (Su): At tenth level, a cultist gains the ability to reweave the fundamental nature of her spells on the fly. When she applies a metamagic feat to a spell she retrieved without that metamagic feat, she can attempt to modify it without increasing the spell level. To do so, she must succeed on a DC 10+(3x the new spell level) Spellcraft check. If she succeeds, she gains madness points equal to the level adjustment of the metamagic feat. If she fails, she gains 1 madness point, and the spell slot is not consumed.
Constant Insanity: If an twelfth level cultists madness score is 50 or greater, she is immune to confusion and insanity effects. If her madness score is 65 or greater, she is immune to charms and compulsions. If her madness score is 80 or greater she has a constant mind blank effect.
Aberrant Awakening: When a cultist gains her 13th level, she may modify herself to be largely aberrant. To do so, she performs a ritual costing 10,000 gp in resources, and taking 24 hours. At the end of the ritual she may gain any number of [Aberrant] feats. Doing so causes her to gain 1madness point per feat gained this way.
Aberrant Shaping (Su): A 14th level cultist, can assume the form of a servant of the Outer Gods 1/day. She may choose an animal or aberration form with Hit Die less than or equal to her class level. If she chooses an animal form, it gains the psuedonatural template. She assumes this form as she was a Druid using Wild Shape, but only for a number of minutes equal to her madness score. She may use this ability an extra time per day at level 17.
Alien Mind: Starting at 15th level, a cultist's mind is so warped, that easy contact with insanity-inducing minds is less disruptive. Each day, she may ignore the first number of madness points she would gain equal to her Wisdom modifier.
Breach the Walls (Ps) A 16th level cultist can upend reality to cross borders between planes and nations. She may use Astral Caravan and Astral Traveler as a psi-like ability at will. When she uses this ability, the travelers wander through the Far Realms instead of the astral plane, and any character except the Cultist herself gain one madness point per day of the travelling.
Insane Apothesis: At 20th level, a cultist has truly mastered the call of the Outer Gods. If she is still sane, and still whole, she gains the Half-Farspawn template, except she incurs no level adjustment. Additionally, whenever she would gain a madness point, she may instead have a non-mindless being with 30 feet gain that madness point instead.