Kellus
2008-02-09, 03:20 AM
The Harbinger
”I have found power in the mysteries of thought,
Exultation in the changing of the Muses;
I have been versed in the reasonings of men;
But Fate is stronger than anything I have known.”
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2008/010/8/4/8410e3ab3f44ef80.jpg
Harbingers walk halfway between the living and the dead, the past and the future. With one foot among the living and one among those who have moved on, harbingers can perceive mysteries hidden to most eyes. The shadows whisper to them, and dark secrets reveal themselves so the harbinger might make use of them. These tormented souls are born of tragedy and misery, and spread naught but gloom. They can see the spools of fate, and have the cursed gift of trading life for a bit more thread.
Adventures: Harbingers spread tidings of things to come and memories of things past. They are received wherever they go, but leave no joy behind them as they leave. A harbinger can adventure for much the same reasons as anyone else, but many seek to discover more of the mysteries of life and see their own destiny unfold.
Alignment: Most harbingers are nongood. They walk a fine line between evil and madness, and are generally forced to do terrible things to maintain their connection with darkness. There have, however, been good-aligned tortured souls who have taken up the role of harbinger after some terrible cataclysm, either to preserve the memories of those lost or to ensure that such an event never happens again.
Religion: Harbingers worship no specific deity. Many revere gods of fate, death, or tragedy.
Background: Anybody who chooses to become such a wanderer of woe has generally participated in or witnessed some terrible event that incited them to give up their old life in favour of a mournful and frightening vocation.
Other Classes: All classes can get along with a harbinger. Paladins and other good-aligned characters may be uncomfortable with the dark nature of a harbinger’s abilities, but anyone can appreciate the nature of a harbinger’s service and her control over the threads of fate.
Role: In a party of adventurers, a harbinger fills much the same role as a bard: that of a generalist, support character, and party ‘face’. Harbingers can invoke omens and portents to reweave fate to aid party members, and also posess shadow magic that gives them powerfu abilities of their own.
Game Rule Information
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Skills: The harbinger’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Table: The Harbinger
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Ominous sacrifice, weave fate (martial shadows)
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Whispers
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+3|–
4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+4|Weave fate (memories)
5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+4|–
6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+5|Trade destiny 1/day
7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+5|Weave fate (life and death)
8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+6|Mournful presence
9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+6|–
10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+7|Weave fate (irresistable force)
11th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+7|–
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+8|Trade destiny 2/day
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+8|Weave fate (forgotten echoes)
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+9|
+9|Instinctive weave
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+9|
+9|–
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+10|Weave fate (grasping shadows)
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+10|–
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+11|Trade destiny 3/day
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+11|Weave fate (subtle hand)
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+12|Dark intervention
[/table]
All of the following are class features of the harbinger.
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: A harbinger is proficient with light armour and simple weapons, as well one martial weapon of her choice. The harbinger is not proficient with shields of any kind.
Mysteries: Every night at midnight, a harbinger selects the secrets that the shadows of fate shall reveal to her on the following day. A harbinger does not require any specal rest to have her daily mysteries revealed to her.
Every day a harbinger may prepare mysteries to use. Based on her level of achievement, she may prepare ever more powerful mysteries, as shown on the following chart.
Table: Harbinger Mysteries by Level
{table=head]Harbinger Level|Maximum Mystery Level
1-2|Fundamentals, 1st
3-4|2nd
5-6|3rd
7-8|4th
9-10|5th
11-12|6th
13-14|7th
15-16|8th
17-20|9th[/table]
A harbinger may select one mystery from each level available to her every day. Unlike a shadowcaster who must discover her mysteries through training and perseverence, mysteries reveal themselves to a harbinger who has eyes to see them and ears to hear them. Thusly, a harbinger does not need to select her daily mysteries from the same paths; she may choose each mystery of each level from any path she likes. Every mystery she prepares may be used twice per day as a supernatural ability. A harbinger may use a higher-level mystery to cast a lower-level mystery that she has prepared on the same day.
A saving throw made against a mystery cast by a harbinger has a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the harbinger’s class level + the harbinger’s Wisdom modifier.
Ominous Sacrifice (Su): In a dark ritual, a harbinger can trade life for some influence over fate. This ritual is performed on a living creature adjacent to the harbinger, which must have 0 hp or less for the duration of the ritual. Most harbingers prefer to restrain their victims as well. This ritual requires a full minute of work.
After the ritual is performed, the victim is killed, and the harbinger gains a number of portent points equal to her class level + her Wisdom modifier. A harbinger may only benefit from one sacrifice at a time. If she sacrifices another creature before she runs out of portent points, she loses all previous points that were not spent.
As the harbinger becomes more powerful, more powerful sacrifices are needed to maintain some control over destiny. To gain the benefit of this ability, the harbinger must sacrifice a creature with Hit Dice equal to at least 1/4 her class level.
Weave Fate (Su): As a harbinger gains experience, she may apply her portent points to change certain threads of fate. Spending portent points is an immediate action. A harbinger may only spend a certain number of portent points on any one effect, as shown on the following chart.
Table: Maximum Portent Points Spent by Level
{table=head]Harbinger Level|Max Portent Spent
1-4|2
5-8|4
9-12|6
13-16|8
17-20|10[/table]
The following abilities may be used with Weave Fate.
Martial Shadows: Beginning at 1st level, a harbinger may spend portent points to improve an attack or damage roll made against a target within line of sight of her. This requires a number of portent points equal to the improvement applied.
Memories: Beginning at 4th level, a harbinger may spend portent points to draw upon the memories of those departed, granting raw skill and talent to any target within line of sight of her. For every portent point she spends in this way, the target receives a +2 competence bonus on the next skill check they make within the following round.
Life and Death: Beginning at 7th level, a harbinger holds the power to give life and to take it away. By spending one portent point, the harbinger may see the result of any stabilization check made within line of sight of her. By spending an additional point, the harbinger may force it to be rerolled. She may continue to spend portent points to force a reroll until she is satisfied with the result, she runs out of portent points, or she reaches the limit of portent poitns she may spend based on Table: Maximum Portent Points by Level, above.
Irresistable Force: Beginning at 10th level, a harbinger may destine a strike to succeed. She may spend 2 portent points to increase the DC of any saving throw made within line of sight of her by 1.
Forgotten Echoes: Beginning at 13th level, a harbinger may reach into the depths of fate and pluck out a possibility that might have been. By spending 6 portent points, she may allow any being within line of sight to reroll a d20 roll. She may choose to use this ability after the roll is deemed a success or failure, but before the exact consequences of the roll are known.
Grasping Shadows: Beginning at 16th level, a harbinger may use her grasping shadows to snag a target that tries to elude fate. She may spend 3 portent points whenever she uses her Irresistable Force class feature to increase the DC of a saving throw by at least +1. This additional twist of fate deprives the target of the following abilities for the purposes of this saving throw: evasion, mettle, improved evasion, and improved mettle.
Subtle Hand: Beginning at 19th level, a harbinger may manipulate fate so deftly that destiny doesn’t even realize that it’s been cheated. By spending 10 portent points, she may adjust any d20 roll made on the table by one side. That is, she may nudge the die to show any side of her choice adjacent to the side which originally ended up on the top. The harbinger may decide to use this ability after she knows whether the roll is a success or not. If this die is adjusted to show a 20, it is not treated as a natural 20.
Whispers (Su): The harbinger is surrounded by the shadows and imprints of those departed. These shadows are always whispering secrets and lore to her. Beginning at 2nd level, a harbinger may make a Listen check in place of any kind of Knowledge check, but the DC for the check is increased by 5.
Trade Destiny (Su): Beginning at 6th level, a harbinger may exchange the future shadows of her own fate for the fates of the here and now. As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the harbinger may allow any ally within line of sight of her to take a result of a natural 20 on a d20 roll made within the following round. Sometime in the next 24 hours, the harbinger receives an arbitrary result of a natural 1 on any d20 roll of the DM’s choosing. At 6th level, the harbinger may use this ability once per day. She gains another daily use of this ability at 12th level and 18th level.
While the 20 granted by this ability is counted as if it had been rolled naturally for the purposes of attack rolls, saving throws, and the like, it does not activate vorpal or similar weapons.
Mournful Presence (Su): Beginning at 8th level, a harbinger is constantly surrounded by an aura of melancholy. All beings within 5ft./level of the harbinger must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the harbinger’s level + the harbinger’s Wisdom modifier) or be fatigued so long as they remain within the area of the presence. If a creature succeeds on its saving throw, it becomes immune to the presence for 24 hours. Dragons and other beings immune to Frightful Presence are similarly immune to a Mournful Presence. A harbinger may suppress or restart this ability as a swift action.
Instinctive Weave (Su): Beginning at 14th level, a harbinger does not require an immediate action to spend portent points. At this point it happens so instinctually that the harbinger does not require any action at all to make minor adjustments to the shadows of destiny.
Dark Intervention (Su): At 20th level, a harbinger has reached the height of her shadowy strength. She gains the talent neccessary to perform her final sacrifice. This final art can bring about the ruin of the gods themselves, but at a grievous price. This sacrifice requires a full minute of activity, and targets any being of divine rank 16 or greater on the same plane as the harbinger. Upon completion, the harbinger dies. So long as the harbinger remains dead, the deity loses access to its Always Maximize Roll ability.
”I have found power in the mysteries of thought,
Exultation in the changing of the Muses;
I have been versed in the reasonings of men;
But Fate is stronger than anything I have known.”
http://fc05.deviantart.com/fs19/f/2008/010/8/4/8410e3ab3f44ef80.jpg
Harbingers walk halfway between the living and the dead, the past and the future. With one foot among the living and one among those who have moved on, harbingers can perceive mysteries hidden to most eyes. The shadows whisper to them, and dark secrets reveal themselves so the harbinger might make use of them. These tormented souls are born of tragedy and misery, and spread naught but gloom. They can see the spools of fate, and have the cursed gift of trading life for a bit more thread.
Adventures: Harbingers spread tidings of things to come and memories of things past. They are received wherever they go, but leave no joy behind them as they leave. A harbinger can adventure for much the same reasons as anyone else, but many seek to discover more of the mysteries of life and see their own destiny unfold.
Alignment: Most harbingers are nongood. They walk a fine line between evil and madness, and are generally forced to do terrible things to maintain their connection with darkness. There have, however, been good-aligned tortured souls who have taken up the role of harbinger after some terrible cataclysm, either to preserve the memories of those lost or to ensure that such an event never happens again.
Religion: Harbingers worship no specific deity. Many revere gods of fate, death, or tragedy.
Background: Anybody who chooses to become such a wanderer of woe has generally participated in or witnessed some terrible event that incited them to give up their old life in favour of a mournful and frightening vocation.
Other Classes: All classes can get along with a harbinger. Paladins and other good-aligned characters may be uncomfortable with the dark nature of a harbinger’s abilities, but anyone can appreciate the nature of a harbinger’s service and her control over the threads of fate.
Role: In a party of adventurers, a harbinger fills much the same role as a bard: that of a generalist, support character, and party ‘face’. Harbingers can invoke omens and portents to reweave fate to aid party members, and also posess shadow magic that gives them powerfu abilities of their own.
Game Rule Information
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Skill Points at 1st Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Skills: The harbinger’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Speak Language (n/a), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).
Table: The Harbinger
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+2|Ominous sacrifice, weave fate (martial shadows)
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+3|Whispers
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+3|
+3|–
4th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+4|Weave fate (memories)
5th|
+2|
+1|
+4|
+4|–
6th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+5|Trade destiny 1/day
7th|
+3|
+2|
+5|
+5|Weave fate (life and death)
8th|
+4|
+2|
+6|
+6|Mournful presence
9th|
+4|
+3|
+6|
+6|–
10th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+7|Weave fate (irresistable force)
11th|
+5|
+3|
+7|
+7|–
12th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+8|Trade destiny 2/day
13th|
+6/+1|
+4|
+8|
+8|Weave fate (forgotten echoes)
14th|
+7/+2|
+4|
+9|
+9|Instinctive weave
15th|
+7/+2|
+5|
+9|
+9|–
16th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+10|Weave fate (grasping shadows)
17th|
+8/+3|
+5|
+10|
+10|–
18th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+11|Trade destiny 3/day
19th|
+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+11|Weave fate (subtle hand)
20th|
+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+12|Dark intervention
[/table]
All of the following are class features of the harbinger.
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: A harbinger is proficient with light armour and simple weapons, as well one martial weapon of her choice. The harbinger is not proficient with shields of any kind.
Mysteries: Every night at midnight, a harbinger selects the secrets that the shadows of fate shall reveal to her on the following day. A harbinger does not require any specal rest to have her daily mysteries revealed to her.
Every day a harbinger may prepare mysteries to use. Based on her level of achievement, she may prepare ever more powerful mysteries, as shown on the following chart.
Table: Harbinger Mysteries by Level
{table=head]Harbinger Level|Maximum Mystery Level
1-2|Fundamentals, 1st
3-4|2nd
5-6|3rd
7-8|4th
9-10|5th
11-12|6th
13-14|7th
15-16|8th
17-20|9th[/table]
A harbinger may select one mystery from each level available to her every day. Unlike a shadowcaster who must discover her mysteries through training and perseverence, mysteries reveal themselves to a harbinger who has eyes to see them and ears to hear them. Thusly, a harbinger does not need to select her daily mysteries from the same paths; she may choose each mystery of each level from any path she likes. Every mystery she prepares may be used twice per day as a supernatural ability. A harbinger may use a higher-level mystery to cast a lower-level mystery that she has prepared on the same day.
A saving throw made against a mystery cast by a harbinger has a DC equal to 10 + 1/2 the harbinger’s class level + the harbinger’s Wisdom modifier.
Ominous Sacrifice (Su): In a dark ritual, a harbinger can trade life for some influence over fate. This ritual is performed on a living creature adjacent to the harbinger, which must have 0 hp or less for the duration of the ritual. Most harbingers prefer to restrain their victims as well. This ritual requires a full minute of work.
After the ritual is performed, the victim is killed, and the harbinger gains a number of portent points equal to her class level + her Wisdom modifier. A harbinger may only benefit from one sacrifice at a time. If she sacrifices another creature before she runs out of portent points, she loses all previous points that were not spent.
As the harbinger becomes more powerful, more powerful sacrifices are needed to maintain some control over destiny. To gain the benefit of this ability, the harbinger must sacrifice a creature with Hit Dice equal to at least 1/4 her class level.
Weave Fate (Su): As a harbinger gains experience, she may apply her portent points to change certain threads of fate. Spending portent points is an immediate action. A harbinger may only spend a certain number of portent points on any one effect, as shown on the following chart.
Table: Maximum Portent Points Spent by Level
{table=head]Harbinger Level|Max Portent Spent
1-4|2
5-8|4
9-12|6
13-16|8
17-20|10[/table]
The following abilities may be used with Weave Fate.
Martial Shadows: Beginning at 1st level, a harbinger may spend portent points to improve an attack or damage roll made against a target within line of sight of her. This requires a number of portent points equal to the improvement applied.
Memories: Beginning at 4th level, a harbinger may spend portent points to draw upon the memories of those departed, granting raw skill and talent to any target within line of sight of her. For every portent point she spends in this way, the target receives a +2 competence bonus on the next skill check they make within the following round.
Life and Death: Beginning at 7th level, a harbinger holds the power to give life and to take it away. By spending one portent point, the harbinger may see the result of any stabilization check made within line of sight of her. By spending an additional point, the harbinger may force it to be rerolled. She may continue to spend portent points to force a reroll until she is satisfied with the result, she runs out of portent points, or she reaches the limit of portent poitns she may spend based on Table: Maximum Portent Points by Level, above.
Irresistable Force: Beginning at 10th level, a harbinger may destine a strike to succeed. She may spend 2 portent points to increase the DC of any saving throw made within line of sight of her by 1.
Forgotten Echoes: Beginning at 13th level, a harbinger may reach into the depths of fate and pluck out a possibility that might have been. By spending 6 portent points, she may allow any being within line of sight to reroll a d20 roll. She may choose to use this ability after the roll is deemed a success or failure, but before the exact consequences of the roll are known.
Grasping Shadows: Beginning at 16th level, a harbinger may use her grasping shadows to snag a target that tries to elude fate. She may spend 3 portent points whenever she uses her Irresistable Force class feature to increase the DC of a saving throw by at least +1. This additional twist of fate deprives the target of the following abilities for the purposes of this saving throw: evasion, mettle, improved evasion, and improved mettle.
Subtle Hand: Beginning at 19th level, a harbinger may manipulate fate so deftly that destiny doesn’t even realize that it’s been cheated. By spending 10 portent points, she may adjust any d20 roll made on the table by one side. That is, she may nudge the die to show any side of her choice adjacent to the side which originally ended up on the top. The harbinger may decide to use this ability after she knows whether the roll is a success or not. If this die is adjusted to show a 20, it is not treated as a natural 20.
Whispers (Su): The harbinger is surrounded by the shadows and imprints of those departed. These shadows are always whispering secrets and lore to her. Beginning at 2nd level, a harbinger may make a Listen check in place of any kind of Knowledge check, but the DC for the check is increased by 5.
Trade Destiny (Su): Beginning at 6th level, a harbinger may exchange the future shadows of her own fate for the fates of the here and now. As a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, the harbinger may allow any ally within line of sight of her to take a result of a natural 20 on a d20 roll made within the following round. Sometime in the next 24 hours, the harbinger receives an arbitrary result of a natural 1 on any d20 roll of the DM’s choosing. At 6th level, the harbinger may use this ability once per day. She gains another daily use of this ability at 12th level and 18th level.
While the 20 granted by this ability is counted as if it had been rolled naturally for the purposes of attack rolls, saving throws, and the like, it does not activate vorpal or similar weapons.
Mournful Presence (Su): Beginning at 8th level, a harbinger is constantly surrounded by an aura of melancholy. All beings within 5ft./level of the harbinger must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the harbinger’s level + the harbinger’s Wisdom modifier) or be fatigued so long as they remain within the area of the presence. If a creature succeeds on its saving throw, it becomes immune to the presence for 24 hours. Dragons and other beings immune to Frightful Presence are similarly immune to a Mournful Presence. A harbinger may suppress or restart this ability as a swift action.
Instinctive Weave (Su): Beginning at 14th level, a harbinger does not require an immediate action to spend portent points. At this point it happens so instinctually that the harbinger does not require any action at all to make minor adjustments to the shadows of destiny.
Dark Intervention (Su): At 20th level, a harbinger has reached the height of her shadowy strength. She gains the talent neccessary to perform her final sacrifice. This final art can bring about the ruin of the gods themselves, but at a grievous price. This sacrifice requires a full minute of activity, and targets any being of divine rank 16 or greater on the same plane as the harbinger. Upon completion, the harbinger dies. So long as the harbinger remains dead, the deity loses access to its Always Maximize Roll ability.