Ghost Rider Base Class
Concept: I’m massive fan of the Ghost Rider comics (although I found the films rather underwhelming). I recently built a character who could just about imitate the Ghost Rider’s combat style using Warlock and Hellfire Warlock, with a bunch of magic items thrown in, but there were a bunch of problems with it, not least that one Disjunction reduced him to little more than a slightly-undead looking Hellfire Warlock with none of the thematic abilities. So, I decided to make a base class instead of revising for my end of year exams.
Increasing the power of the class as it levels is actually very thematic for a Ghost Rider, as Riders have different degrees of power depending on their connection the power they wield. As such, I am going to try to incorporate almost every power seen used by a Ghost Rider in the comics from 2005 onwards, as well as a couple of touches from the films and then flesh things out with divine-punishment-themed abilities. If there’s anything you think I should add, please feel free to suggest it and I’ll consider it.
One other note. I almost always save DCs and most other abilities off of HD rather than Class Level, both because abilities ought to remain useful if you multiclass and because if you go into Epic levels you don’t want to be saddled with taking levels in a class with no Epic progression in order for your abilities to keep up. The number of uses for abilities is usually based off of class level to avoid small dips granting big benefits.
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- Two Ghost Riders serving different masters do battle
“You’re just another power-mad wannabe who desperately needs his ass kicked. And that’s exactly what Ghost Riders are for.”
Ghost Rider – Heaven’s On Fire; If You Can’t Lower Heaven, Raise Hell.
Ghost Riders are made, not trained. Although a potential Rider may train for the role, they have no guarantee of being chosen. Only those with the greatest of knowledge know the truth behind the creation of Riders and the source of their powers. However, each Rider’s power stems from a divine source, either Good or Evil, and this choice should be made as part of character creation, even if the divinity providing the power isn’t named or is unknown to the character. Ghost Riders wield hellfire and other tools of divine retribution against who “deserve” it in the eyes of their creators, and in such a way resemble Paladins and Blackguards. As their name suggests, Riders generally have a characteristic mount, which, although limited in how directly dangerous it can be, allows the Rider far greater manoeuvrability in combat. Their appearance in battle is that of a flaming skeleton, but they may revert back to their normal forms at any time.
With a successful Knowledge: Religion check, a character may discern the following about Ghost Riders. Normal people are generally unaware of the existence or nature of the Riders.
DC 15: Riders are agents of a higher power sent to punish that power’s enemies. They are very rare, no god is likely to have a great host in their service.
DC 20: A Rider is selected by an agent of their creator for the role, and has little or no choice in their transformation. The Rider is constantly encouraged to punish their creator’s enemies, and most find this a compulsion.
DC 25: The Rider has to be personally created by the divinity that has chosen them.
DC 30: A Ghost Rider’s power is in fact a tiny fragment of the divine power of the god that created them, and any increase in a Rider’s powers is simply a result of their learning to better connect to and harness this power. There are those who fear that a Ghost Rider could tap almost unlimited power, for a mortal, if they were to fully connect with the divine fragment within them.
Abilities: Several of the Ghost Rider’s powers affect weapons they are wielding. As such, Ghost Rider’s benefit from a either a high Strength or Dexterity to allow them to hit with weapons. Good Constitution helps melee-based Riders, and a good Charisma score increases the Save DCs for the Rider’s abilities. It is common for Evil Ghost Riders to have low Wisdom, as they generally agree happy to trade their souls for a Rider’s power.
“My name is Johnny Blaze. I’m a world-famous stunt cyclist who holds nine Guinness World Records. I sold my soul to the devil without even considering it might not work out. In other words...yeah. I am that foolish.”
Ghost Rider – Apocalypse Soon; Part 1.
Races: Ghost Riders can be of any race, however, they are often of races favoured by their creating deity, because a deity is more likely to choose a character if they feel their goals are closely aligned.
Alignment: Any. It is common for Ghost Riders to share their deity’s alignment on the Good-Evil axis, but Neutral Ghost Riders are encountered in the service of Good or Evil gods, as deities pick those they think will make the best servants, not necessarily their most devout followers. Riders are, after all, given little choice. It is not unheard of for a Rider to be of an opposed alignment to his creator, but this is very rare and generally an attempt by an Evil divinity to manipulate a Good character and worsen him. If such a Rider discovers the true nature of his patron, he will at the least struggle against the compulsion to do their will, or even turn the power they have been given against its source, if they are strong enough.
Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10 (100 gp)
Starting Age: There is no set starting age for Ghost Riders – they are selected at the point in their life when they are most likely to be useful to a divinity.
Hit Die: d10
Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Craft, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge: Arcana, Religion and The Planes, Listen, Perform, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Tumble.
Skill Points per level: 4 + Int modifier. Ghost Riders perform a variety of seemingly-impossible tricks from the backs of their mounts, tricks which require an almost inhuman amount of skill.
Save DCs: Unless otherwise noted, the save DCs for all of the Ghost Rider's abilities and SLAs are 10 + 1/2 HD + Charisma modifier.
Ghost Rider
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|+1
|+2
|+0
|+2
|A Side Chooses You, Ghost Rider, Hellfire Steed, Detect Alignment
2nd|+2
|+3
|+0
|+3
| Weapon of Vengeance, Born Rider,
3rd|+3
|+3
|+1
|+3
| Unstoppable Vengeance, Biblical In Scope
4th|+4
|+4
|+1
|+4
| Improved Weapon of Vengeance, Hellfire Blast
5th|+5
|+4
|+1
|+4
| Bring the Spectacle, Fire Resistance
6th|+6
|+5
|+2
|+5
| Born Rider, Hellfire-Infused Weapon, Hellfire-Infused Item
7th|+7
|+5
|+2
|+5
| Improved Hellfire Blast
8th|+8
|+6
|+2
|+6
|Regeneration, Unnatural Speed (standard)
9th|+9
|+6
|+3
|+6
| Curse of the Rider, Increased Resistance
10th|+10
|+7
|+3
|+7
| Born Rider, Biblical in Scope, Bring the Spectacle,
11th|+11
|+7
|+3
|+7
| Penance Stare, Hunt the Wicked
12th|+12
|+8
|+4
|+8
| Unnatural Speed (move), Undying
13th|+13
|+8
|+4
|+8
| Path of Vengeance
14th|+14
|+9
|+4
|+9
| Born Rider, Greater Curse of the Rider
15th|+15
|+9
|+5
|+9
| Bring the Spectacle,
16th|+16
|+10
|+5
|+10
| Unnatural Speed (swift), Power of Grief
17th|+17
|+10
|+5
|+10
| Mercy’s Kiss,
18th|+18
|+11
|+6
|+11
| Born Rider,
19th|+19
|+11
|+6
|+11
| Sin Burns Away
20th|+20
|+12
|+6
|+12
|Biblical in Scope, Bring the Spectacle, And Vengeance Takes Its Place
[/table]
Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: All simple and martial weapons, one exotic weapon of the player’s choice. Light and medium armour.
A Side Chooses You: When a character takes his first level in this class, decide whether your Ghost Rider’s power is Good or Evil. Even if the Ghost Rider is created by a Neutral god (which is rare), the Ghost Rider’s power is still either Good or Evil. This choice changes the effectiveness of several of the Ghost Rider’s abilities, and decides the kind of actions he will consider sins worthy of punishment. The text of this class assumes you choose Good – simply reverse Good and Evil in any abilities that specify how they affect a particular alignment.
Ghost Rider (Su): In their human forms, most Ghost Riders are little more than mortal warriors. However, their Ghost Rider is a far more fearsome opponent. From 1st level, a Ghost Rider may transform as a free action. Unless otherwise noted, a Ghost Rider’s abilities only function while he is transformed. While transformed, the Rider appears as a skeleton of his species with hellfire flames instead of flesh. He still functions as a normal member of his species in all ways – e.g. special movement modes, regeneration, etc. While transformed, the character is at least partially subject to the demands of his Ghost Rider – the vocal embodiment of the power he carries – which will push him to hunt those it considers worth of punishment. This is purely a role-playing aspect and does not force the player to take any actions they do not want to, but it is encouraged that you engage with this aspect of the character and occasionally do something rash for a better role-playing experience.
However, whenever a Good Ghost Rider is subject to a Compulsion effect, if that effect is being used to order them to kill an Evil target, they must make two saves to resist the effect and are affected if they fail either.
Hellfire Steed: From first level, a Ghost Rider gains the services of a Hellfire Steed. This mount can have any appearance the Ghost Rider likes – it can be a bear, a horse, or even a construct – but its feet/other modes of movement will be shrouded in hellfire, its eyes will burn with hellfire and its body will often be covered in patches of hellfire. It’s called a Hellfire Steed for a reason. All Hellfire Steeds have the same statistics, however. They function exactly like a Phantom Steed (as the spell), cast with a Caster Level of 3 or the Ghost Rider’s class level, whichever is higher. If the Steed loses all its hit points, it reappears adjacent to the Ghost Rider after two rounds. The Hellfire Steed acts as the Ghost Rider wishes at all times, and, unlike a Phantom Steed, may bear riders other than the Ghost Rider if the Rider orders it to. This ability may be used even when the Ghost Rider is not transformed, but appears as a normal creature of the kind chosen by the Ghost Rider in this case. A Ghost Rider may summon his Hellfire Steed to him as a standard action 1/day. If the Ghost Rider is in an area blocking extra-dimensional travel, such as a Forbiddance effect, the mount appears at the edge of the effect and then proceeds to move towards the Ghost Rider as fast as possible.
Detect Alignment (Su): The Ghost Rider automatically knows whether any creature he sees is Good or Evil, and how strong their aura is. This ability functions even when the Ghost Rider is not transformed.
Weapon of Vengeance (Su): A Ghost Rider’s weapon is more than mundane – it is a tool of divine vengeance. Once per encounter per 2 class levels, before making an attack action with a weapon, natural attack or unarmed strike, the Ghost Rider may infuse his weapon with this power. Any attacks from that action which hit deal an additional 1d6 of damage, and all damage by the weapon is treated as hellfire damage. Hellfire is magical and ignores fire resistance and damage reduction.
Born Rider: Ghost Riders have a unique connection with their Hellfire Steeds. At 2nd level, and every 4 levels after that, select one of the abilities from the list below.
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Pounce: When the Ghost Rider charges while riding his Hellfire Steed, he may make a full attack at the end of the charge action.
Gravity Is A Weapon: Whenever the Ghost Rider charges an opponent from above while riding his Hellfire Steed, he deals 1.5x the damage he normally would. This only applies to damage from the Ghost Rider’s weapon, strength bonus and any bonus damage from Power Attack, not to any bonus damage from magical effects, Sneak Attack, the Weapon of Vengeance class feature or similar types of bonus damage. The Ghost Rider may charge an opponent from above either by flying above them (or a similar method), or by performing a Jump check as part of a charge action that allows him to rise at least 10ft above the ground. This check always uses the Ghost Rider’s Jump check modifier.
Ride What You Will: The Ghost Rider may treat any mount he rides as his Hellfire Steed, and they gain all the benefits a Hellfire Steed would (including extra movement speed and types of movement as per the Phantom Steed spell). However, if such a mount is killed, it does not reappear after two rounds. Instead, a copy made of Hellfire appears, which functions as the standard Hellfire Steed class feature and has none of the properties of the original creature. This includes being unable to attack. The true mount reappears at dawn the following day.
Ride Like Hell: The Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Steed’s movement is now equal to 30 feet per caster level and has no maximum speed. When the Hellfire Steed acquires the Air Walk ability, it may use it for up to 3 rounds at a time, and when it acquires a fly speed, its manoeuvrability improves to Perfect.
Deathly Resilience: The Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Steed now has an AC equal to the Ghost Rider’s AC or its own AC, whichever is higher, and gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC for every 3 ranks in the Ride skill the Ghost Rider possesses. In addition, the Hellfire Steed shares all of the Ghost Rider’s immunities and resistances, and may use his saving throw modifiers instead of its own.
Lightning Strike: When the Ghost Rider charges while riding his Hellfire Steed, he may attack at any point during his movement, and then continue moving in whatever direction he chooses, including straight through his target if he so desires. The Ghost Rider can use any remaining movement from his charge action, but the distance he may move after attacking his target may not exceed the result of a Tumble check made with the Ghost Rider’s Tumble modifier x10. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the target of the charge, but it does from other enemies, and the Ghost Rider must end his movement in an unoccupied square.
Inspire Awe (minimum ECL 6): Once per day per 6 HD, the Ghost Rider may command its mount (a free action) to use Charm Monster as an SLA using the Ghost Rider’s abilities save DC (a standard action for the mount). Creatures of the same type as the creature the Hellfire Steed is currently imitating (e.g. animal for a Horse) take a -4 penalty of saves to resist this ability.
Intransient (minimum ECL 10): While riding his Hellfire Steed, a Ghost Rider may go ethereal for 1 minute per HD per day. He may also gain the benefits of a Greater Blink spell for 1 round per day per HD.
Unstoppable Vengeance: The Ghost Rider is a near-invulnerable agent of vengeance, and most weapons simply fail to harm them. At 3rd level, the Ghost Rider gains DR/- equal to half its HD. The Ghost Rider also gains SR equal to 6+its HD.
Biblical in Scope (Su): To delay a Ghost Rider’s mission is to invite divine punishment rarely seen in modern times, and to be the Rider’s target is a guarantee of it. At 3rd level the Ghost Rider selects one of the afflictions from the list below.
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Water to Blood: The Ghost Rider may convert 1 cubic foot of water to blood per HD simply by touching it as a standard action. This ability may be used at will. The Ghost Rider may move, breathe and see freely within this blood without needing to make Swim checks as though it had a Swim speed equal to its land speed.
Vermin: The Ghost Rider may summon a swarm of either frogs, lice or flies once per day as a full-round action. He can call upon no more than 10 cubic feet of vermin per HD. This area must be contiguous and must include the square the Ghost Rider is in at the time of summoning These creatures behave as they would naturally, but remain within an area designated by the Ghost Rider and do not touch the Ghost Rider, his possessions and provisions or the bodies, possessions and provisions of his allies. These vermin persist for 1 day per class level.
Boils: The Ghost Rider may afflict one target per HD with boils as a standard action. Each target may resist this effect with a successful Fortitude save. These boils do no damage, but are extremely unsightly and painful. A creature afflicted with boils takes a penalty on Diplomacy, Gather Information and Bluff checks equal to the Ghost Rider’s class level, and may not get a restful night’s sleep. This prevents arcane spell casters from being able to refresh their spell slots. These boils are a disease with a saving throw equal to the original save DC to resist them, and may be cured by magical means as long as the caster level of the effect exceeds the character level of the Ghost Rider. This ability may be used once per day.
At 10th level, the Ghost Rider may choose either one plague from the list below, or two of the afflictions from the previous list.
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Darkness: The Ghost Rider may affect up to one square mile per HD with total darkness, as the Deeper Darkness spell, as a standard action. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. Only the Ghost Rider and his allies may see in this darkness, and it blocks all sight including Darkvision. Devils may still see normally in this darkness, as stated in their Darkvision ability. This effect lasts for one hour per HD of the Ghost Rider. The Rider may use this ability once per week.
Locusts: The Ghost Rider may instruct locusts to devour all the plants, fruit and other vegetation within an area equal to one square mile per 2 HD as a free action. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. The locusts cover the entire area over the course of three rounds, but only harm plants, not animals. However, this is still a very distressing experience for anything living in the area. This ability does 3d6 damage per class level to any creatures with the Plant type within the area. When all the plants have been eaten, which usually takes a matter of minutes, the locusts fly away and are not seen again. The Rider may use this ability once per week.
Plague: The Ghost Rider may unleash one of a wide variety of diseases in the form of a plague. The Rider may infect one cubic foot per HD of a food or water supply he can see with either Blinding Sickness, Cackle Fever, Shakes or Slimy Doom (see SRD) as a standard action. This disease is undetectable by sight or Detect Poison, but may be removed with Purify Food and Drink. The Ghost Rider adds his Charisma modifier to the standard DC to resist these diseases. Any creature infected with a contact disease may pass it on by touching another creature, and after death both contact and ingested diseases can be spread when animals, including flies and mosquitoes, eat the corpse, according to DM adjudication. This ability may be used once per week.
At 20th level, the Ghost Rider gains access to either one of the dooms from the list below, or two plagues or afflictions from the previous two lists.
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Flood: The Ghost Rider may cause torrential rain to pour upon an area up to 10 square miles. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. Over the course of 5 days this area becomes totally flooded until it is all at least 10 feet underwater. Rivers may burst their banks and wash away bridges earlier, and lower areas will be flooded sooner and much deeper. The casualties from such a flood are usually severe, and between the loss of life and the damage to the land and buildings, can leave a city uninhabited as its few surviving occupants decide never to return. People may leave the area before the rain ends, but most are unlikely to realise the danger the rain poses until most escape routes have been blocked. After the 5 days have passed, the rain stops and the water drains away. This can have devastating effects on areas that are more low-lying than the target area, as the flood pours down onto them. This ability is usable once per month.
Storm of Destruction: The Ghost Rider may target a single city, or a town and its surrounding farmland that he can see with a Storm of Destruction as a full-round action. This functions as the Control Weather spell, with a duration of 48 hours and a different target area, with the following exceptions. The effects created are not affected by season or location. If a thunderstorm is created, lightning strikes one creature and one structure per round, dealing 10d8 damage and potentially lighting structures on fire. Thunderstorms may be accompanied by rain, tornado, high winds, snow or a sandstorm (though only in a desert environment).
The Ghost Rider, his allies, and any structures they may be in are never effected by any negative effects of the Storm of Destruction. This ability may be used once per month.
Divine Fire: By taking two full-round actions, the Ghost Rider may cause Hellfire to rain down upon an area of up to 2 square miles. He must be able to see at least part of the area to be affected. The fire does 10d6 damage a round to everything within the area, and persists for one week or until every creature and building within the area is dead or destroyed, or leaves the area, whichever comes first. This ability is usable once per month.
The Ghost Rider may end any effects created by its Biblical in Scope class feature as a free action. If the Ghost Rider dies, all effects created by Biblical in Scope end immediately.
Improved Weapon of Vengeance (Su): From 4th level, the Ghost Rider’s Weapon of Vengeance class feature deals an extra 1d6 of damage for each 2 HD the Rider possesses, instead of simply an extra 1d6.
Hellfire Blast (Su): At 4th level the Ghost Rider acquires the ability to fire a ball of Hellfire as a standard action. This is a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 80 feet and deals 3d6 Hellfire damage. This damage improves by 1d6 for every 2 HD past 4 the Ghost Rider possesses.
Bring the Spectacle (Su): At 5th level, and every 5 levels after that, the Ghost Rider selects one ability from the list below.
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Chains of Guilt: As a standard action, the Ghost Rider may target an enemy within 60 feet with this ability. Chains sprout from the Rider’s chest and throat, entangling the target and pinning them. The Ghost Rider must succeed on a ranged touch attack. If this hits, he may make a number of grapple checks equal to the number of attacks he can make in a full attack. He always counts as being the same size as the creature he is attempting to grapple. These grapple checks may only be used to grapple the target, to break the target’s pin on another creature, and to pin the target creature. After this ability has been used, the target remains wrapped in chains until it breaks their grapple. If a target is pinned by this ability and the target later succeeds in breaking the pin but not the grapple, the chains make a grapple check at the start of the Rider’s turn (using the same Grapple modifier as when the ability was first used) to pin the target again. After this ability has been used, the chains detach from the Ghost Rider, who is free to act and move as normal and does not count as grappling.
Hellfire Wings: The Rider sprouts two wings made of pure hellfire. These grant the Rider a fly speed equal to his land speed, and can be used to make natural attacks. They deal 1d8 Hellfire damage each for a medium sized creature. This ability may be activated or suppressed as a move action.
Burning Roar: The Ghost Rider gains a Hellfire breath weapon, usable as a standard action. This is a 30 foot cone of Hellfire that deals 1d6 points of damage per level. The cone increases in size by 5 feet for every two HD the Ghost Rider has. This ability never harms any of the Ghost Rider’s allies that are within its area of effect, but takes 1d3 rounds to recharge before it can be used again.
Symbol of Wrath: The Ghost Rider may summon a burning symbol made of pure Hellfire as a standard action. This may take the shape of either the holy symbol or the favoured weapon of the deity that created them. Once summoned, the symbol accompanies the Rider until commanded to attack a target (a free action). The symbol flies towards the target, attempting to impale it upon a spike formed from part of the symbol. The Rider makes a ranged touch attack. If it succeeds, the target takes 1d6 Hellfire damage per two class levels, is knocked back by 5 feet per level and must succeed on a Fortitude save or be knocked prone. If the target hits anything along the way, the movement stops and both the target and whatever it struck take 1d6 damage for each 5ft of unused movement. Once the target has stopped moving, either because it struck an object or because it has moved the maximum distance, the symbol explodes, dealing a further 1d6 Hellfire damage per two class levels to the target and every enemy within 15 feet. This ability is usable once per day per 4 HD.
Fearsome Aspect: Any enemy looking at the Ghost Rider must succeed on a Will Save or become panicked. This ability affects undead, even though they are usually immune to fear. Once a creature has succeeded on a save against this ability, it cannot be affected by the same Ghost Rider’s Fearsome Aspect for 24 hours.
Hellfire Duplicates (minimum character level 15th): The Ghost Rider creates four duplicates of itself as a full-round action, made of pure Hellfire. They have the same equipment, class levels and abilities as the Ghost Rider, except that they do not possess the Hellfire Steed ability, the Biblical in Scope ability or the Bring the Spectacle ability. Each duplicate has maximum hit points equal to ¼ of the Ghost Rider’s hit points at the time of creation. These duplicates follow simple orders, such as who to attack, but not a complex strategy, and will always attempt to attack enemies as fast as possible. They persist for 5 rounds. This ability is usable once per day.
Fire Resistance (Ex): At 5th level, the Ghost Rider gains Fire Resistance equal to half his HD and cannot be harmed by Hellfire attacks.
Hellfire-Infused Weapon (Su): From 6th level, the Ghost Rider gains the ability to infuse the weapons of its allies with Hellfire as a standard action. The targeted weapon deals an extra 1d6 Hellfire damage per 7 HD and counts as magical and of the same alignment as the Ghost Rider’s power. This ability is usable once per day per 4 HD and lasts for 24 hours. This does not stack with the Weapon of Vengeance class feature.
Hellfire-Infused Item (Su): From 6th level, the Ghost Rider can infuse its and its allies equipment with Hellfire as a standard action. The Rider can infuse one item per 3 HD per day. When the target item is being worn or carried, the bearer gains Fire Resistance equal to half the Ghost Rider’s HD. In addition, when the bearer is struck in melee, they can discharge the Hellfire Infusion to deal damage to their attacker equal to 1d6 per 2 HD the Ghost Rider possesses. This ability lasts 24 hours or until discharged.
Improved Hellfire Blast (Su): At 7th level, the Ghost Rider’s Hellfire Blast improves. The Rider may choose to either give the Hellfire Blast a radius of 5ft per 2 HD (making a touch attack against each enemy within the area) or to force an opponent hit by it to pass a Fortitude save or be nauseated. This choice is made when the Rider gains this ability and may not be changed.
Regeneration (Ex): Ghost Riders are almost impossible to kill, resisting even the most hideous of attacks as though they never happened. At 8th level, the Ghost Rider gains Regeneration equal to ¼ of its HD. This regeneration is bypassed by magical weapons with either the Good or Evil alignment type. However, should the Ghost Rider become unconscious due to its non-lethal damage exceeding its current hit points, it reverts back to its normal form, still unconscious and helpless, and without DR, SR or Regeneration. Any lost limbs regrow in 1d6 rounds.
Unnatural Speed (Su): Ghost Riders don’t move like mortal creatures, and can leap across the battlefield in the blink of an eye. At 8th level, Ghost Riders gain the ability to instantly move up to 200ft + 10 feet per HD as a standard action. You may also bring one additional willing Medium or smaller creature (carrying gear or objects up to its maximum load) or its equivalent per three caster levels. A Large creature counts as two Medium creatures, a Huge creature counts as two Large creatures, and so forth. All creatures to be transported must be in contact with one another, and at least one of those creatures must be in contact with you.. This may be used once per day per 2 HD. At 12th level, this ability improves, requiring merely a move action. At 16th level it improves again, requiring only a swift action. When the Rider disappears and reappears, they either step through a doorway made of Hellfire or vanish and reform in a cloud of black smoke.
Curse of the Rider: Plagues and curses are a staple of divine punishment. From 9th level, the Ghost Rider gains Bestow Curse as a SLA, usable 1/day per 3 HD.
Improved Resistance (Ex): At 9th level, the Ghost Rider becomes even more resistant. Either double the Ghost Rider’s Fire Resistance or gain resistance to either acid, cold, electric or sonic equal to ½ HD.
Penance Stare (Su): One of the Ghost Rider’s signature moves, the Ghost Rider grabs an offender and stares deep into their soul, inflicting on them all the pain they have caused others and the consequences of all the wrongs they have done the Rider’s creator. This ability is usable once per encounter from 11th level. To use this ability, a Ghost Rider must succeed on a melee touch attack against a target. If this attack fails, the Ghost Rider does not expend a use of this ability. If it succeeds, the target must make both a Will save and a Fortitude save. If it fails both, it dies and its body is reduced to ash. This is a Death effect, but affects Undead, despite their usually being immune to death effects. Even if the target saves against this effect or is immune, they take 2d6 non-lethal damage per HD the Ghost Rider possesses unless they succeed on a second Will save, or half that if they are of Good alignment (or Evil if the Ghost Rider’s power is Evil).
At 15th level, this ability improves. Targets now no longer get to make a Fortitude save to avoid death, only a Will save.
The Penance Stare may instead be used on a helpless target, in which case it has an alternate effect. The Ghost Rider does not need to make a touch attack to begin using the Penance Stare. The target creature makes two saves as usual, but with a -4 penalty, and if they die as a result of failing the first or of the hit point damage inflicted by failing the second, then they can only be resurrected if a Wish or Miracle is first used to heal the damage done to their soul.
Hunt the Wicked (Su): A Ghost Rider is able to open Hellfire portals to chase down those who are deserving of punishment. At 11th level, the Rider can create a Hellfire portal which stays open for one round and through which it and up to one ally per HD can pass. This portal functions as either a Teleport or Plane Shift spell, as the Rider chooses. At 15th level, the portal improves to function as either Greater Teleport or Greater Plane Shift. This ability is usable once per day per 4 HD.
Undying (Ex): From 12th level, the Ghost Rider becomes even harder to kill. They may ignore one failed save against a Death effect per 4 HD each day. In addition, if they fail a save after this number is used up, they may elect to instead take non-lethal damage equal to their maximum hit points, become unconscious and transform back into a mortal.
Path of Vengeance (Ex): From 13th level, the Ghost Rider may, while mounted on its Hellfire Steed, elect to trample a Path of Vengeance, burning opponents all around with their Hellfire. As a full-round action, the Rider moves up to its Steed’s maximum speed in a straight line. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity and may pass through occupied squares, but must end in an unoccupied square. Any enemy in the Rider’s path, or in squares adjacent to it, takes 1d6 Hellfire damage per 2 HD, with a reflex save for half damage.
Greater Curse of the Rider: At 14th level, the Rider’s Bestow Curse SLA improves to Greater Bestow Curse.
Power of Grief (Su): From 16th level, a Ghost Rider may detonate the force of their vengeance to destroy all the foes around them. This ability affects all enemies within 50ft of the Ghost Rider. Each enemy must succeed on a Fortitude save or be stunned for 1d6 rounds, is knocked back by 5ft for every HD the Ghost Rider has and suffers 1d6 Hellfire damage for each HD the Ghost Rider has. This ability is usable once per day per 10 HD.
Mercy’s Kiss (Su): From 17th level, a Ghost Rider can use an attack very similar to their Penance Stare. As part of any melee attack or melee touch attack, the Ghost Rider can cause a target to experience the sorrow of their victims. A target affected by this ability must make a Will Save every round or be rendered Helpless for the duration of the effect. This ability lasts for one round per 4 HD and is usable once per day per 5 HD the Ghost Rider possesses.
Sin Burns Away (Su): At 19th level, a Ghost Rider is able to channel the pure hatred of the power within them for all it sees as evil. The Ghost Rider may target one creature within 100ft with this ability. If the target fails a Will save, the Rider may force them to behave as an alignment of the Rider’s choice for 2 weeks per HD. In addition, the target always views the Rider in the best possible light and does its best to assist them. This ability is usable once per day per 10 HD.
And Vengeance Takes Its Place: The Ghost Rider is the fury of innocence trampled and sullied. It is justice in its most ancient form. By 20th level, the Ghost Rider has realised that vision. The Rider gains immunity to Fire, ability damage, ability drain, and energy drain. All of their supernatural abilities and SLAs become Extraordinary effects. In addition, once per encounter, the Ghost Rider can force an opponent who succeeds on a save against one of its abilities to re-roll that save.
