[Glimbur]

SssSsSss



You have violated our sacred swamp. You will pay for this insult with your blood.-Hissk Ssss, SssSsSss

SssSsSss are chosen holy warriors of various lizardman tribes. They augment their physical prowess with the souls of their ancestors, shaped in the form of soulmelds.

Becoming a SssSsSss
A SssSsSss is chosen by the shaman of his tribe to carry the spirits of the tribe into battle.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
BAB +4
4 ranks in Knowledge(Religion)
Any [Incarnum] feat
Special: Must be a lizardfolk


Class Skills
The SssSsSss's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Intimidate(Cha), Jump(Str) Know: Religion (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str)
Skills Points at Each Level:2 + Int

Hit Dice:d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Features	Soulmelds	Essentia	Binds
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Meldshaping	1	1	0
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Claw of the Warrior	1	2	0
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Gaze of the Ancients, Chakra Binds(Crown,Hands, Feet)	1	3	1
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Hardened Scales +2	2	4	1
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Deeper Pool	2	6	2
6th	+6	+5	+2	+5	Expanded Knowledge, Chakra Binds(Arms, Brow, Shoulders)	3	8	2
7th	+7	+5	+2	+5	Expanded Knowledge	3	9	2
8th	+8	+6	+2	+6	Ancestral Knowledge	4	11	3
9th	+9	+6	+3	+6	Expanded Knowledge	4	14	3
10th	+10	+7	+3	+7	Timeless Strike, Chakra Binds(Throat, Waist)	5	16	3

Weapon Proficiencies: A SssSsSss gains no new proficiencies.

Meldshaping:

Spoiler

You may shape soulmelds drawn primarily from the SssSsSss melds list. Your meldshaper level is equal to your character level. You gain access to new chakra binds at the rate shown in the table. When you take your first level in this class, decide whether you wish to stack SssSsSss progression with a pre-existing meldshaper class you have. If you do, add together the SssSsSss soulmelds, melds shaped, and binds allowed to those from your previous class. This decision also means that you do not gain the Expanded Knowledge class feature. If you do not stack progressions, you do gain Expanded Knowledge at the levels indicated and +2 Essentia at this level as a sign of the ancestors reward for your single-mindedness.

Claw of the Warrior:

Spoiler

A SssSsSss may treat their claws as either a natural weapon or a manufactured weapon, and may treat one claw as one and one claw as the other. This means an attack routine of 6/1/1 is workable; with the second 1 coming from the other claw used as a secondary attack. The bite attack all lizardfolk get is still a natural weapon only.

Gaze of the Ancients:

Spoiler

You may use any ability modifer you choose to modify Intimidate checks instead of Charisma.

Spoiler

Here for flavor, I tried to bury it well enough to prevent really good uses of it. Still breakable.

Hardened Scales:

Spoiler

Your natural armor bonus increases by +2, as an inherent bonus.

Deeper Pool:

Spoiler

The maximum essentia capacity of all your soulmelds and [Incarnum] feats is increased by one. This stack with any other increase to capacity, such as Expanded Soulmeld Capacity the feat or an Incarnum Focus item.

Expanded Knowledge:

Spoiler

Choose a soulmeld from the Incarnate, Totemist, or Soulborn meld list and add it to your list of soulmelds that you may shape.

Ancestral Knowledge

Spoiler

You may make bardic knowledge checks using your meldshaper level +2 as your bard level.

Timeless Strike:

Spoiler

You are the weapon of the Past in the present.Once per encounter, as a standard action, you may make a Timeless Strike. This attack must be done with a natural attack, not a manufactured weapon. In addition to normal melee damage, the foe struck by this blow must make a Will save DC 20+Str mod, or be affected by a Maze spell. In addition, the victim is aged 1 year if the save is failed.

Spoiler

There are ways to abuse this, for example dragons or dragonwrought kobolds. I suggest not thinking about it

Soulmelds!

Spoiler

Breath of the Crocodile

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Heart
Saving Throw: None
Your already immense lungs swell even further with secondary air bladders
The amount of time you can hold your breath doubles. This applies after modifers for being a lizardman and such.
Essentia Effect: Each point of essentia increases your effective Con score for holding your breath by 1. Each point also provides a +1 competence bonus to saving throws against inhaled poisons and other menaces.

Chakra Bind: Heart
You no longer need to breathe. In addition, you gain extra hit points equal to your meldshaper level times the amount of essentia invested plus one, or Level*(essentia+1). These are not temporary hit points, they are an increase to your maximum and it is possible to kill yourself by reducing your maximum hit points when you are damaged.

Claw of the Ancestor

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Hands
Saving Throw: None
Your natural weapons seem more solid and real than the rest of the world
Your natural weapons are treated as magical for purposes of overcoming DR and striking incorporeal foes.
Essentia Effect: Each point of essentia in this soulmeld adds +1 enhancement bonus to hit and damage with all natural weapons.

Chakra Bind: Hands
Your natural weapons share their reality with things near them
All your natural weapons are Ghost Touch, as the weapon special ability.

Claw of the Dragon

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Hands*
Saving Throw: None
Special: Must have Claw of the Ancestor shaped to shape this soulmeld, they may both share the hands chakra. You may not have more essentia invested in this soulmeld than the Claw of the Ancestor.
Eldritch energies crackle about your natural weapons, a relic of the more unusual of your ancestorsWhen you shape this soulmeld, make a list of melee weapon magical special abilities. You may apply these abilities to your natural attacks in order, but keep track of the +x equivalents. You get one +1 equivalent enchantment for free, and each additional +1 requires a point of essentia invested. You must pay the entire cost of enchantments worth +2 or more.
For example, Hissk shapes this soulmeld and chooses Wounding, Flaming, and Collision. With no essentia invested, this does nothing. With 1 essentia invested, he now affords the +2 equivalent of Wounding and so all his natural weapons are Wounding. 2 essentia makes his attacks also Flaming, and 4 makes his weapons also Collision.
The list can be as long as you want, but good luck paying for more than about +4 or +5 worth of abilities.

Spoiler

This is really nice, so I tried to throw enough caveats on it that it isn't silly good. It's still the best part of this class.

Chakra Bind: Hands: Your natural attacks do damage as though you were a size larger. This stacks with other real and virtual size increases.

Coils of the Snake

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Arms
Saving Throw: None
Your arms seem to lengthen and strengthen
You gain a +2 insight bonus to grapple checks.
Essentia Effect: Each point of essentia increases your bonus to grapple checks by 2.

Chakra Bind: Arms
Your claws hook and lengthen
You gain Improved Grab.

Feet of the Darting Lizard

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Feet
Saving Throw: none
Your feet widen and you seem to step more lightly
You gain a +2 insight bonus to Balance and Jump checks.
Essentia Effect: Each point of essentia increases the bonus to balance and jump provided by this soulmeld by 1, and also increases your land speed by 5 feet as an insight bonus. If you have at least two points of essentia in this soulmeld, you may run across water with a move, double move, or run action but may not end your turn standing on water.

Chakra Bind: You gain Water Walking and Uncanny Dodge.

Patience of the Turtle

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Crown
Saving Throw: none
Your eyes half-close, but your mind works more quickly to identify danger
You gain a +2 insight bonus on initiative checks.
Essentia effect: Each point of essentia increases your bonus to initiative by +1.

Chakra Bind: Crown:Each point of essentia in this soulmeld also provides a +1 competence bonus to Reflex saves.

Scales of the Past

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Waist
Saving Throw: none
The past wraps you up like a blanket
You gain a +2 enhancement to your natural armor.
Essentia Effect: Each point of essentia increases the bonus to your natural armor by +1

Chakra Bind: Waist
The past buoys you up.
You gain a fly speed equal to 10' plus 5' per essentia invested in this soulmeld, with clumsy maneuverability. You may put yourself under the effect of a Levitate spell with caster level equal to your character level as a free action. You may also dismiss the Levitate effect as a free action.

Spoiler

There are ways to abuse free action spellcasting, like an Energy Transformation Field. I suggest punching people that suggest this.

Shield of the Ages

Spoiler

Descriptors: None
Class: SssSsSss
Chakra: Soul
Saving Throw: None
Your ancestors swirl about you in a cloud.
You gain a +2 competence bonus to Intimidate checks.
Essentia Effect: Each point of essentia gives a +1 deflection bonus to AC, and increases the bonus to intimidate by 1.

Chakra Bind: Soul
Your ancestors fuse to your skin. You gain DR 5/wood, with each point of essentia increasing the value of your DR by 2.

Spoiler

This isn't going to come up, short of gestalt, feats on an incarnate or Totemist, or Epic play. Even then it is nontrivial.

Playing a SssSsSss

Spoiler

You are a representative of your ancestors, although this PrC does not actually give you the ability to contact them directly. Good luck.
Combat: Use natural attacks augmented by Claw of the Ancestor and Claw of the Dragon to kill things. That's it.
Advancement: After finishing this PrC, take levels in... uh... maybe some Incarnum PrC. Or Warblade. Warblade is good too.
Resources: You're from a tribe. Probably in the swamp. That means you can get all the mud you want, and 1d4 alligators a month.

SssSsSss in the world

Spoiler

Some of those lizards are weird. Stay out of this swamp here... -Anonymous Travel Guide

Daily Life: You're generally hanging around some sacred site in the swamp saving it from solicitors and speculators. Sometimes you go on a vision quest or to deal with an external threat to the swamp. Or, if you're a PC, you leave the swamp and write a letter 1/month.
Notables: Good SssSsSsss give a warning before they attack.
Organizations: You should make nice with the shaman of your tribe. They're pretty cool guys anyway, right?

NPC Reaction

Spoiler

Other lizardfolk recognize you as a warrior of the ancients. Everyone else thinks you're a lizard covered in shiny ephemeral things.
SssSsSss in the game
Adaptation: Other races with a tribal tradition could have this class adapted for them by making new soulmelds based on their totem animals.
Encounters: Generally they'll be obstacles.

Sample Encounter

Spoiler

EL 7: Hissk Ssss speaks only Draconic and demands that the PC's leave the sacred swamp grove they have stumbled in to. If they do not comply promptly he attacks.


Hissk Ssss
LN Lizardfolk2/Warrior 3/SssSsSss 5
Init +0, Senses: Listen +0, Spot +0,
LanguagesDraconic
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AC24, 10 touch, 22 flat-footed () 10+10 Natural +4 armor
64 hp (10 HD)
Fort +9, Ref +5, Will +5
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Speed30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +14 Claw (1d4+4)
Base Atk +9, Grp +10
Atk Options Claw/Claw/Bite at +14/+14/+
Combat Gear: Mithral Chain Shirt
Supernatural Abilities Claw of the Ancestor(3),Scales of the Past (3)
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Abilities Str 13, Dex 10, Con ,13 Int 9, Wis 10, Cha 10
SQ Nope.
Feats Azure Toughness(1), Power Attack, Multiattack, Weapon Focus: Claw
SkillsSwim +yes, who cares?
PossessionsMithral Chain Shirt