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Stycotl
2008-06-22, 01:11 PM
Seklas, the Lost (Vestige; 3rd)
Vestige Level: 3rd
Binding DC: 25
Seklas speaks in dreams and whispers to those that seek his essence, giving them the ability to find that which was hidden, to discern the strengths and weaknesses of resources, allies, and enemies alike, and to smite their foes with the wrath of the impotently raging god.
Legend: An abomination born to an unidentified goddess so long ago that many deities do not even know of his existence, Seklas languishes away, bound to his hidden prison within the depths of the Far Realm. A serpent or scaled worm of some sort, Seklas has three lion heads on powerful necks, and a swarm of writhing, barbed tentacles. Though a god with immense potential power, his captivity as left him weak and helpless, and only his mind escapes the blackness of his existence, uncontrolled and unconscious in his dreams. Prophecies and legends nearly as old and forgotten as this godthing state that he will conquer the multiverse when he finally escapes his bonds, and that even the mightiest pantheons and Outer Gods will kneel before him. Until that time, Seklas writhes in restless delirium, unable to effect his own escape, unable to even lift his three leonine heads or growl his fury. During his eons of imprisonment, Seklas has become one with the Far Realm that imprisons him. He has ceased to be a creature—divine though he is—of the inner and outer planes, and has become a native of that alien place, an Outer God.
Special Requirement: Seklas has spent thousands of years yearning for freedom, searching for the mortals that would one day release him and assist him to vengeance and ascension. As such, he accepts only those binders that have the education sufficient to aid him in his cause. A binder wishing to bind Seklas, the Lost must have 8 ranks in at least one Knowledge skill.
Manifestation: Seklas manifests as an expanse of blackness, where spin and float the morose images, ideals, and fantasies that make up his lonely existence. Occasionally a mortal binder might recognize something concrete, one of the few things that Seklas has managed to experience while trapped in his otherwise insensible existence. Hatred, rage, blood, and fear are often at the heart of those rare moments of rational imagery.
Sign: Binders of Seklas, the Lost will suffer a dead, white film to cover their eyes. Though they still function normally, they appear scarred and blind, and unnerve even the heartiest of souls.
Influence: Those that bind the Poison of the Gods run the risk of feeling the immense despair and loneliness that he has suffered throughout the eons. His will warps them to bitterness, jealousy, and hatred. If ever they are in a position to exact revenge for any perceived offense, they must jump on the chance. If ever they are in a position to lament to others about the wrongs of the multiverse, they had better, and they certainly must criticize the self-righteousness of the traitorous gods. However, during all of this, they are not allowed to mention Seklas by name, or to speak specifically of his plight. Until his eventual release and revenge, he wishes to remain relatively unknown.
Granted Abilities: Seklas, the Destroyer, the Poison of the Gods, lays restless and angry in his prison, lost in the Far Realms. Instead of being devoured by those alien entities of that dark plane, as perhaps his creators had wished, Seklas has grown stronger, and smarter, and unimaginably furious. His gifts to those that bind him reflect his cunning intellect, and his murderous desires.

Solitude of the Forlorn: Seklas has gifted you with a portion of his deific prescience. You gain the benefits of the Uncanny Dodge ability while bound to the Poison of the Gods. If you already have this class feature, it becomes Improved Uncanny Dodge. If you already have Improved Uncanny Dodge, your binder levels stack with levels from all other classes that give you Uncanny Dodge, in order to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank you. At 10th level, your Uncanny Dodge becomes Improved Uncanny Dodge whether or not you have the ability from another source.

Insidious Mind: The ever-roving will of Seklas is strong enough to force its way into many unguarded thoughts, and he has shared that talent with you. You gain the spell, detect thoughts, as a spell-like ability, usable at will. At 10th level, this is treated as a 5th-level effect. At 15th level, you also gain a +10 insight bonus to all Sense Motive checks.

Ancient Awareness: Seklas has no real-world experience in any sense. He has been helplessly imprisoned since his inauspicious birth. But his mind has absorbed much during its thousands of years of dreamlike wanderings, and there is little that can escape his watchful presence. You share some of his insights while he cohabitates your consciousness. You gain a +2 insight bonus per 4 levels to all Listen, Search, Spellcraftt, and Spot checks.

Vitriol Gaze: You can channel the fury and spite of the slighted god. As a standard action, you can utilize an active gaze attack that causes one creature within 10 feet/level to be enveloped in a conflagration of burning acid. This attack does 1d4 points of fire damage and 1d4 points of acid damage per 4 levels, for one round per four levels. This flaming acid cannot be extinguished by any normal means; it burns even under water and in vacuum. At 8th level, you can release this gaze attack as a normal full attack action if desired (as a normal gaze attack, but without any passive use), though you cannot use vitriol gaze at all for 5 rounds after using it in this fashion.

Detached Reality: Seklas has had countless millennia alone in his prison, warped and tortured by the energies of the Far Realms, until he finally became one with those energies. You have inherited some of his resilience. You become immune to insanity, and other effect which specifically states any sort of insanity as its effect. At 14th level, you gain a +4 bonus to all Will saves.

HellFencer
2008-06-22, 07:30 PM
Will make some comments when I have more time. Thus far, he sounds pretty cool. Interesting flavor.

JoshuaZ
2008-06-22, 09:03 PM
I'd change the requirement from 8 ranks in any knowledge to 8 ranks of knowledge(arcana) or 8 ranks of knowledge(religion). Those seem to be the standard knowledge types that have even a small chance of freeing him.

Stycotl
2008-06-22, 10:03 PM
thanks for the comments so far.

in the forthcoming prc, planar, religious, and arcane knowledge play a larger role in the utilization of seklas' powers. but as a general rule, vestige requirements aren't too picky, and seklas basically wants to make sure that his hosts are educated and driven. if they have dedicated themselves to any scholastic endeavor long enough, he figures that they might have a chance to break his chains.

plus, after eons (thousands of thousands of years), then he would be willing to check every corner. thus, i bet that he would be more than happy with a baker with 8 ranks in yeast lore. who knows, maybe it will be an exotic fungus that dissolves the magic that binds him helplessly to the far realm...

HellFencer
2008-06-23, 05:00 PM
Hmmm... Looks decent so far. I like the scalability, and that it is different as it scales. Nice work. My only concern would be that Ancient Awareness should give the bonus to knowledge checks if the binder has no ranks in something, since Seklas represents unknown knowledge, right? Makes sense to gain a bonus to what you DON'T know, since it has no working knowledge of the world.

Stycotl
2008-06-23, 05:57 PM
Hmmm... Looks decent so far. I like the scalability, and that it is different as it scales. Nice work. My only concern would be that Ancient Awareness should give the bonus to knowledge checks if the binder has no ranks in something, since Seklas represents unknown knowledge, right? Makes sense to gain a bonus to what you DON'T know, since it has no working knowledge of the world.

thanks. the vestige has no working knowledge of the world, but it does have tons of lore and observation that binders can translate into working knowledge. therefore, i wanted it to work for all knowledges.

but, as i never specified that, a binder cannot use it with knowledges in which he doesn't have ranks. should i specify that he can now make knowledge checks in knowledges that he hasn't devoted any ranks? it is an intriguing idea, but i am worried that it might upset the 3rd-level-ish power level of the vestige.

aaron out.