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[3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
A few days ago, I caught a post from Volfogg, asking for a little help. I took one look and got an idea, the idea then became a full on concept, and within 48 hours this class had birthed itself. Pick away, my ravenous forum foragers!
Greater Turning (Su):
At 1st level, the Sacred Scourge gains the ability to do a greater turning check (as per the Sun domain granted power) once per day. If the Sacred Scourge already has greater turning from another source, then he gains an extra use of that ability per day. In addition, levels in the Sacred Scourge class AND Ranger both stack with Cleric levels for the purpose of turning.
Deliverance (Su):
The Sacred Scourge becomes empowered with a divine presence which leaves nearby undead vulnerable to not only his own attacks, but those of his nearby comrades. Vulnerability. At 1st level the Sacred Scourge gains a 10ft radius aura which renders all undead inside it vulnerable to critical damage (and therefore favoured enemy damage, sneak attack, etc). Any undead inside the aura get a fortitude save to negate, DC (10 + Cha modifier + Class Level). The Sacred Scourge instantly knows which undead are affected and which are not. Pulse of Purity. At 4th level the Sacred Scourge's aura widens to a 15ft radius. As a swift action, the Sacred Scourge may expend a turn attempt to imbue his aura with a massive burst of positive energy. The pulse does 1D6/Sacred Scourge class level positive energy within the aura, healing all allies and damaging all undead (unless using Tomb Tainted Soul or similar (Lib.Mort p.31)). A successful reflex save halves this damage (DC=10 + half class level + Cha modifier). Saving Grace. At 7th level, the Sacred Scourge's aura widens to a 20ft radius. Whenever either himself or an ally within his aura would be dealt enough damage to drop below -10 HP (i.e. die), the Sacred Scourge may expend a turn attempt as an immediate action to leave the subject or himself on precisely 0 HP instead.
At 10th level, the radius extends to 25ft.
Righteous Strike (Su):
Regardless of his chosen weapon, the Sacred Scourge's attacks strike to the core of their prey.
At 2nd level every attack the Sacred Scourge makes with any weapon may be treated as doing bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction, chosen with each attack made. Bane. At 8th level any weapon the Sacred Scourge weilds is treated as Undead Bane in addition to any other abilities. If the weapon is already Undead Bane then the Bane ability gains an additional +1 magical enhancement and an additional 1D6 damage (bringing the total up to +3 enhancement, +3D6 damage vs. undead).
Favoured Enemy (Ex):
At 2nd level, then again at 8th level, the Sacred Scourge gains a new favoured enemy with all that entails (see Ranger in PHB).
Hatred (Ex):
Cold hatred is at the heart of the Sacred Scourge's power, hatred of the unnatural scum which the undead are. This hatred protects him from many common undead attacks and is fuelled by his zeal and divine connection.
At 3rd level the Sacred Scourge gains a bonus equal to Cha modifier + half class level (rounded up) to all saves versus fear, level and ability damage. From this moment onwards the Sacred Scourge may never be made into an undead creature, any attempt to do so simply fails.
Detect Undead (Sp):
He shall seek out abominations, so that he may bring them light.
At 3rd level the Sacred Scourge may detect undead at will, as per the spell except as follows; You need only concentrate for one round to gather all available information (instead of 3) and common materials like wood, metal, stone and earth no longer block the detection (magical protection like nondetection will still obscure detection however).
Swift Tracker:
As per the Ranger ability of the same name.
Hunter's Eye (Ex):
At 5th level the Sacred Scourge becomes so focused on tracking down and killing undead, he may make an immediate search check for tracks made by undead whenever merely passing within 15ft of them.
Hand of God (Sp):
At 6th level, once per round as a free action, the Sacred Scourge may sacrifice a spell slot for the day to extend the range of any touch spell you cast on that turn at a rate of 5ft/spell level sacrificed (e.g. a level 5 spell would give it a range of 25ft, an orison would not give any bonus at all.). Additionally, if the spell you extend the reach of would deal damage to any favoured enemy or heal an ally, it gains a bonus to that damage or healing equal to the sacrificed spell's level + your Cha modifier.
Design note:
Spoiler
I actually made this up for someone else's field medic, but they didn't like it. I do, so there!
Improved Favoured Enemy:
At 6th level, the Sacred Scourge gains Improved Favoured Enemy (Comp.W p.101) as a bonus feat. If he already has it, he may chose a bonus [Divine] or [Fighter Bonus] feat instead. He must still meet all prerequisites for it.
Deeper Hatred (Ex):
The zeal and faith which sustains you has deepened, becoming a vast reserve of energy which can even defy death itself.
At 9th level, the Sacred Scourge gains a bonus equal to Cha modifier + half class level (rounded up) to all saves versus death effects, level and ability drain. He is now immune to fear effects, level and ability damage.
Mysterious Ways (Su):
At 10th level, the path of the Sacred Scourge has reached it's pinnacle, but the lessons learned can vary wildly from one scourge to another. As such, a player and their DM may opt to create their own capstone for the class, or they may chose from one of the three presented below.
1. Righteous Strike (Disruption): "The lessons I have learned are clear, a strong will and a strong arm will cleanse this land of evil."
Spoiler
Whenever the Sacred Scourge confirms a critical strike vs an undead creature it is affected as though it were struck by a disruption weapon. The save DC is equal to 20 + Charisma Modifier.
2. Miraculous Reversal: "My hatred is for the disease, not the poor unfortunate who bears it."
Spoiler
1/week the Sacred Scourge may make a special touch attack against any undead creature as a standard action. Roll a turn check as normal, opposed by a level check for the undead creature. If the creature fails, it immediately falls to the ground where it's former soul, and it's life are returned to it in 1D4 rounds. The creature comes back with 1 HP, no XP loss, and is considered to have had Atonement cast on them by a cleric of your level for the purpose of changing alignment. The target still gets a choice as to whether they chose to shift alignments or not.
3. Deliverance (Channel Spell): "I may seek to end these blights on the lanscape, but I do not believe I am meant to do it alone."
Spoiler
1/day the Sacred Scourge may spend a turn attempt as part of the casting action of a touch spell he knows. No attack rolls are necessary, if a target is within your aura, the touch will automatically hit (saves versus the spell, or spell resistance still apply as normal). He may deliver this spell to any number of valid targets through his Deliverance aura, meaning a heal could affect all allies AND all undead within the aura, or a bull's strength could affect all allies but ignore all undead similarly within the aura.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volfogg
Undead. These, more than most other creatures, are reviled as an afront to nature and something that must be destroyed without remorse. It's not surprising that many take up the mantle of unholy vanquisher in order to rid the world of undead menaces. Though many call themselves slayer of the undead fewer still can call themselves a sacred scourge. These rare individuals combine the talents of an impeccible hunter with the holy power of a divine servant.
A sacred scourge combines their potent abilities to devastating effect against their most hated foe; undead. However, though focused, a scourge is unrelenting in the their pursuit of monsters and dangerous creatures which seek to harm the innocent. Because of this many that follow this path will take a favoured enemy which reflects possible supernatural or mundane menaces in their area.
Sacred scourges are usually found amongst the clergy of gods which are associated with hunting, nature or animals. They perceive undead as a disease which must be excised from the world as they disrupt the natural cycle of life and death.
__________________
All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to sail her by.
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
I like it. It feels like how a PrC should be, specialized. I think it could use a small buff though.
First, may I suggest swapping the first dead spellcasting level to 1st? I think it would be a nice way to avoid your class from being just a dip PrC. You eat the dead spellcasting level right off the bat so you don't feel obligated to jump out as soon as it shows up.
Second, I think dead spellcasting levels should contain the most powerful abilites of the PrC. Those levels should have something more... I don't know. Bonus Feat is nice but not good enough IMO, would be nicer to switch it for something else.
Also, the PrC gives me the feeling like it wants to bash undead skulls in. I think it might benefit from full BAB progression.
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
Um ... wow! Veklim, this is rather impressive. So, normally I would go through every ability and make comments, however. They are freaking awesome! Whats more frightening is the Righteous Strike ability. I had thought of an ability almost exactly the same. The only difference that I will make is that weapon added the bane (undead) property instead of the holy weapon property. Oh, and btw, Hunter's Eye is a rockin' ability!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veklim
Hand of God (Sp):
At 6th level, once per round as a free action, the Sacred Scourge may sacrifice a spell slot for the day to extend the range of any touch spell you cast on that turn at a rate of 5ft/spell level sacrificed (e.g. a level 5 spell would give it a range of 25ft, an orison would not give any bonus at all.). Additionally, if the spell you extend the reach of would deal damage to an opponent or heal an ally, it gains a bonus to that damage or healing equal to the sacrificed spell's level + your Cha modifier.
The only change I would make here is this one small caveat ... "would deal damage to an opponent (vs undead) or heal an ally ..."
I will have to ponder a 10th level ability which is as awesome as what you have already put together Veklim. Again, thanks for all your help!
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
Here are my thoughts on your changes:
I like full BaB, however. I would remove the bonus feats as the prc has a lot going for it at the moment. I believe that the addition of bonus feats is a step into the "murky waters of overpowered".
If I am reading it correctly; does Pulse of Purity basically grant fast healing 10 at 10th level for 5 + cha modifier in rounds? If so me thinks I would change it to something a little less robust. I would simplify this to act similar in effect to the Sacred Purifier's (Libris Mortis) Positive Energy Burst ability.
In every instance of "Cha modifier + half class level" I would change it to Cha Modifier instead. This way it's basically a really focused sort of divine grace.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Veklim
Favoured Enemy (Ex):
At 2nd level, then again at 7th level, the Sacred Scourge gains a new favoured enemy with all that entails (see Ranger in PHB), with one small difference. If an enemy undead creature happens to also fall into another favoured enemy category you may stack the skill and combat bonuses you gain against them. This only stacks if the enemy is undead.
I would simplify this ability and remove ... , "with one small difference. If an enemy undead creature happens to also fall into another favoured enemy category you may stack the skill and combat bonuses you gain against them. This only stacks if the enemy is undead." There's no need to grant additional bonuses to hit or damage as the class has full BaB now as well as other damage modifiers vs undead (ie bane).
I also think a spiffy capstone ability would some something like:
Quote:
Righteous Strike (Disruption) (Ex): Whenever the Sacred Scourge confirms a critical strike vs an undead creature it is affected as though it were struck by a disruption weapon. The save DC is equal to 20 + Charisma Modifier.
Well thats all I have for now. This is starting to look pretty darned polished. I will have to make this a permanent feature of all of my future games.
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
Changed wording to remove Favoured Enemy caveat.
Changed bonus feats, now only 1 at level 6, fixed as Imp. Fav. Enemy unless already owned, in which case you chose a fighter or divine one instead. Helps pay for the empty casting level imho.
Had a couple of ideas myself about capstone, will list later for perusal and discussion.
Holy is now Bane (better choice actually, good call)
Hand of God reworded to deal the extra damage to any favoured enemy (keeps versatility to some bonuses)
Pulse of Purity re-jigged to come in line (somewhat) with the Sacred Purifier's Positive energy burst ability.
Also inserted caveat for Righteous Strike (Bane) for people already wielding an Undead Bane weapon. What you think, too much?
__________________
All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to sail her by.
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
OK, capstone time!
I've had a couple of thoughts personally about this, and here's the ideas I've come up with.
1. Miraculous Reversal. (Su)
1/week the Sacred Scourge may make a special touch attack against any undead creature as a standard action. Roll a turn check as normal, opposed by a level check for the undead creature. If the creature fails, it immediately falls to the ground where it's former soul, and it's life are returned to it in 1D4 rounds. The creature comes back with 1 HP, no XP loss, and is considered to have had Atonement cast on them by a cleric of your level for the purpose of changing alignment. The target still gets a choice as to whether they chose to shift alignments or not.
NOTES:
Spoiler
I really like the idea of this, doing something truly miraculous which not only works against potentially powerful vampires and liches, but even 'saves' the target. The idea behind Atonement is that even an evil wizard-lich may be tempted to sway from evil once true life is restored to him/her.
2. Deliverance 25ft (Channel Spell)
1/day the Sacred Scourge may spend a turn attempt as part of the casting action of a touch spell he knows. He may deliver this spell to any number of valid targets through his Deliverance aura, meaning a heal could affect all allies AND all undead within the aura, or a bull's strength could affect all allies but ignore all undead similarly within the aura.
NOTES:
Spoiler
This was just kinda begging to be done after all. Don't think there are any MASSIVE exploits for this, but I'm putting ti out there now in case there is!
There's also the 3rd option (the 3rd thus far anyway!) of using your Disruption idea, although I'd be tempted to make it a Deliverance aura pulse, the class is kinda meant to have a last installment of Deliverance at 10th level anyway, so it would make sense. Let me know what you think anyhow.
__________________
All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to sail her by.
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
I like Miraculous Reversal it's an incredibly unique ability. However, for me personally I am going with the Rightoues Strike (Disruption) ability. I believe that what we have so far is exactly what I was looking for. So, I just wanted to say thanks again for all the help.
Re: [3.5 PrC] The Sacred Scourge, made for Volfogg! PEACH
Well, there we go, it's done I think...
Left the capstone as open to imagination as possible, gives a choice for you to make including a DIY if ya like, dunno if it's been done before but it has now! Mwahahaha! (maniacal laughter)
More seriously though,
Quote:
Originally Posted by Volfogg
I believe that what we have so far is exactly what I was looking for. So, I just wanted to say thanks again for all the help.
I'm quite happy with this as long as you are, you 'comissioned' it in the first place after all
Glad to be of service.
__________________
All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to sail her by.
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