Disciple of Levistus (DnD 3.5, PEACH)

[Sir_Chivalry]

Hello all. Now, I'm a great fan of the Disciple of ___ classes, but I noticed that there wasn't one for Bel, Belial/Fierna, Levistus, or the Hag Countess/Glasya. So I decided to either modify other PrCs and rebuild, or to create from whole cloth. This is one of the latter. Nothing really to say, they're swashbucklers who are pretty cool.

Disciple of Levistus

Requirements
To qualify to become a disciple of Levistus, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful evil.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Balance 9 ranks, Bluff 9 ranks, Diplomacy 9 Ranks Jump 9 Ranks, Tumble 9 ranks
Feats: Brand of the Nine Hells (Levistus), Combat Expertise
Special: Must defeat a worthy opponent in a nonlethal duel, and then kill them.
Disciple of Levistus

hit dice:d10

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Charismatic Attack, Cloud Memory, Fallen, Precise Strike +1d6, Silver Tongue, Stygian Blade

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+0

|Mark of Stygia

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Charismatic Defense, Cut a dash, Precise Strike +2d6

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Elaborate Parry +2

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Precise Strike +3d6, Superiour feint

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Charismatic Strike, Leverage

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Charismatic Health, Precise Strike +4d6

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+6

|

+2

|Elaborate Parry+4

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+6

|

+3

|Charismatic Will, Distill bitterness, Precise Strike +5d6

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+7

|

+3

|Lethe Blade[/table]

Class Skills
The disciple of Levistus' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points
4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Disciples of Levistus gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Charismatic Attack: While wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Strength Modifier to attack rolls he makes with a one-handed piercing weapon.

Cloud Memory: When trying to recall having seen a disciple of Levistus, a Will save (DC 10+the disciple of Levistus' class level+ Cha mod) must be made or the person trying to recall remembers someone non specific and not fitting any description of someone they know.

Fallen: A Disciple of Levistus who was previously a Paladin of at least 2nd level gains the following abilities at first level: Smite Good (Su), Detect Good (Sp), Dark Blessing (Su), and Aura of Evil (Ex), exactly as the Blackguard abilities of the same name.

Improved Feint: At 1st level a Disciple of Levistus gains Improved feint as a bonus feat.

Precise Strike: If a Disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks with a finesseable weapon deal 1d6 extra points of damage. This extra damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level and every two levels thereafter.

Silver Tongue: A Disciple of Levistus may add his class level as a bonus on Bluff checks.

Stygian Blade: If a Disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, he can attempt to disarm his opponent. The opponent's strength and dexterity modifiers do not apply to his opposed roll. If the opponent is disarmed, the disciple gains a free attack at his highest attack bonus. Precise strike does not apply to this attack.

Mark of Stygia: A 2nd level disciple of Levistus never loses his balance on slippery or severely slippery surfaces, and can move at full speed over any terrain that would require a Balance check. Whenever both the disciple and an opponent stand on an icy or frozen surface, the disciple gains a +4 to attack and damage rolls. Finally, as a swift action, the disciple can limn his wepaon with cold for 1 round. His weapon now deal +1d6 cold damage. If the weapon is made from Baatorian green steel, the cold damage is increased to +2d6.

Charismatic Defense: Staring at 3rd level, while wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Dexterity Modifier to his Armor Class.

Cut a Dash: When a 3rd level disciple of Levistus chooses to go forth disguised, the normal infamy and noteriety of his appearance disappears, and he becomes virtually unrecognizable. The disciple of Levistus adds twice his class level to his Disguise check.

Elaborate Parry: When fighting defensively or taking the total defense action, a 4th level disciple of Levistus adds +2 to the AC bonus gained from those actions. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.

Superiour Feint: A 5th level Disciple of Levistus can feint as a swift action.

Charismatic Strike: Starting at 6th level while wearing no armor and holding nothing in the off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charimsa Modifier instead of his Strength Modifier to damage rolls when attacking with a one-handed piercing weapon.

Leverage: A 6th level disciple of Levistus instinctivly knows what an opponent holds dear, and uses it against them. This results in a +5 circumstance bonus on Diplomacy and Intimidate checks to get the opponent to do what the disciple wants.

Charismatic Health: Starting at 7th level a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charimsa Modifier instead of his Constitution Modifier to his hit points gained at each level. This ability is retroactive.

Charismatic Will: Starting at 9th level while wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Wisdom Modifier to his Will Saving Throws.

Distill Bitterness: A 9th level disciple of Levistus can once per day, act as a conduit of his lord's impotent fury and bitterness at his imprisonment. The disciple must declare they are using this ability, and if the attack misses, the use for the day is wasted. After sucessfully feinting an opponent, the disciple may make a touch attack. This touch attack deals no damage but forces the opponent to make a Will save or be affected by the rage and blindness/deafness (blindness) spells for one minute.

Lethe Blade: If a 10th level disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks may cause the opponent to partially lose his memory. If his attack hits, the opponent must succeed on a Will save (DC 10+disciple of Levistus level+Cha modifier) or act as if confused for 1d4+1 rounds. After this time, the memories that were lost return undamaged. An opponent can only be affected by this once in a round.

This is my second of four, let me know what you think!

[Zexion]

Pretty cool class. I particularly like the Styx Blade ability.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Pretty cool class. I particularly like the Styx Blade ability.

Took me a while to distill down a workable homage to Levistus' Amnesia touch. Thank you.

[Zexion]

I thought so. It works rather well.

[DracoDei]

PrCs don't get x4 skill points at first level.

Isn't Improved Feint a feat? If so, make it a bonus feat.

I assume "Stygian Blade" doesn't stack with an actual frost weapon?

"Superiour Feint" needs a 1/round limit, or make it a Swift action. As it is you can try 100 feints until they fail the check and then do your full attack.

I don't know if confusion does well for forgetfulness... a loss of damage to mental ability scores (with the same duration) might make more sense.

[Sir_Chivalry]

PrCs don't get x4 skill points at first level.

Isn't Improved Feint a feat? If so, make it a bonus feat.

I assume "Stygian Blade" doesn't stack with an actual frost weapon?

"Superiour Feint" needs a 1/round limit, or make it a Swift action. As it is you can try 100 feints until they fail the check and then do your full attack.

I don't know if confusion does well for forgetfulness... a loss of damage to mental ability scores (with the same duration) might make more sense.

Ah, but a loss of mental scores is only going to hurt some opponents, while confusion hurts everyone.

Other stuff, done, thank you.

[KaganMonk]

I have no clue how the River Styx plays into D&D mythology, but the River Lethe is the one that erases memory in Greek mythology. Then again, you might not even care, so take it with a grain of salt.

[Sir_Chivalry]

I have no clue how the River Styx plays into D&D mythology, but the River Lethe is the one that erases memory in Greek mythology. Then again, you might not even care, so take it with a grain of salt.

This is true, but it is the River Styx in DnD. I'm going with Lethe though, because SCREW THE RULES I HAVE CLASSICS!!!

[Drolyt]

Hello all. Now, I'm a great fan of the Disciple of ___ classes, but I noticed that there wasn't one for Bel, Belial/Fierna, Levistus, or the Hag Countess/Glasya. So I decided to either modify other PrCs and rebuild, or to create from whole cloth. This is one of the latter. Nothing really to say, they're swashbucklers who are pretty cool.

Disciple of Levistus

Requirements
To qualify to become a disciple of Levistus, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any evil.
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Skills: Balance 9 ranks, Bluff 9 ranks, Tumble 9 ranks
Feats: Combat Expertise, Disciple of Darkness, Weapon Focus (rapier)
Class Features: Insightful Strike
Special: Must defeat a worthy opponent in a nonlethal duel, and then kill them.
Disciple of Levistus
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Acrobatic Attack

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+0

|Improved Feint

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Precise Strike +1d6

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Elaborate Parry +2

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Superiour feint

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Precise Strike +2d6

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Stygian Blade

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+6

|

+2

|Elaborate Parry+4

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+6

|

+3

|Precise Strike +3d6

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+7

|

+3

|Lethe Blade[/table]

Class Skills
The disciple of Levistus' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points
4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Disciples of Glasya gain no proficiency with any weapon or armour.

Acrobatic attack: If a disciple of Levistus attacks by jumping at least 5 feet into his opponent, jumps down at least 5 feet onto his opponent, or swings on a rope or similar object into his opponent, he gains a +2 bonus on attack and damage rolls.

Improved Feint: A 2nd level disciple of Levistus gains Improved feat as a bonus feat.

Precise Strike: If a 3rd level disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks with a finesseable weapon deal 1d6 extra points of damage. This extra damage increases by 1d6 at 6th and 9th level.

Elaborate Parry: When fighting defensively or taking the total defense action, a 4th level disciple of Levistus adds +2 to the AC bonus gained from those actions. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.

Superiour Feint: A 5th level disciple of Levistus can feint as a swift action.

Stygian Blade: Beginning at 7th level, at will, a disciple of Levistus can command the melee weapons in his possession to become sheathed with a frigid mist. The weapons gain the frost ability, dealing 1d6 points of cold damage per successful attack in addition to its normal weapon damage. This effect does not stack with the frost weapon enhancement.

Lethe Blade: If a 10th level disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks may cause the opponent to partially lose his memory. If he attack hits, the opponent must succeed on a Will save (DC 10+disciple of Levistus level+Cha modifier) or act as if confused for 1d4+1 rounds. After this time, the memories that were lost return undamaged.

This is my second of four, let me know what you think!

Okay, piece by piece first:
1. I would make the requirements more general so that for example a Fighter or a Rogue could take this class. I doubt Levistus was a Swashbuckler, and someone might want to use this class without CW.
2. On Weapon and Armor proficiency you have Disciple of Glasya instead of Disciple of Levistus
3. Acrobatic Attack: There's nothing wrong with this ability per se, it's just completely useless. Aside from the difficulty in using it +2 to attack and damage isn't a good reason to give up a full attack. It would only ever see use in the first round of combat. Later you gain Improved Parry and extra damage on a Parry but then you don't even get move actions until superior parry kicks in.
4. You misspelled Improved Feint as Improved Feat.
5. Precise Strike is next to useless. 3d6 damage with a feint? Rogue's everywhere are laughing their asses off. Besides that feints are notoriously hard to do. Your opponent gets their Sense Motive + their BAB, which for many monsters is gigantic.
6. Elaborate Parry is next to useless.
7. Superior Feint is neat. Better for Rogue entry than Swashbuckler entry though, at the moment not very helpful.
8. Stygian Blade is pretty cool. Not very powerful though.
9. Lethe Blade is the only really powerful feature this class has. It's pretty darn nice and supremely flavorful.

Okay, this class has good flavor but there are two problems I see. It almost requires Swashbuckler entry, and it is horribly underpowered even for a melee class. Seriously, like tier 6 underpowered. I'd rather play a CW Samurai. This class actually makes you worse in combat, in fact 99% of the time when playing this class it is better to ignore your class abilities and just make a full attack. Seriously.

That aside, I think it would be easier to just present my version rather than trying to throw advice at you. Here we go:
Disciple of Levistus

Requirements
To qualify to become a disciple of Levistus, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any evil.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Balance 9 ranks, Bluff 9 ranks, Diplomacy 9 Ranks Jump 9 Ranks, Tumble 9 ranks
Feats: Combat Expertise, Disciple of Darkness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier)
Special: Must defeat a worthy opponent in a nonlethal duel, and then kill them.
Disciple of Levistus
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Acrobatic Attack, Charismatic Attack, Fallen, Improved Feint, Precise Strike +1d6, Silver Tongue

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+0

|Stygian Blade (+1 Frost)

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Charismatic Defense, Precise Strike +2d6

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Elaborate Parry +2, Stygian Blade (+2 Keen Frost)

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Precise Strike +3d6, Superiour feint

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Charismatic Strike, Stygian Blade (+3 Keen Icy Burst)

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Charismatic Health, Precise Strike +4d6

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+6

|

+2

|Elaborate Parry+4, Stygian Blade (+4 Keen Icy Burst Unholy)

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+6

|

+3

|Charismatic Will, Precise Strike +5d6

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+7

|

+3

|Lethe Blade, Stygian Blade (+5 Axiomatic Keen Icy Burst Unholy)[/table]

Class Skills
The disciple of Levistus' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points
4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Disciples of Levistus gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Acrobatic attack: If a Disciple of Levistus attacks by jumping at least 5 feet into his opponent, jumps down at least 5 feet onto his opponent, or swings on a rope or similar object into his opponent, he gains a +2/class level bonus on attack and damage rolls. He may use this ability against any given target only 1/day.

Charismatic Attack: While wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Strength Modifier to attack rolls he makes with a one-handed piercing weapon.

Fallen: A Disciple of Levistus who was previously a Paladin of at least 2nd level gains the following abilities at first level: Smite Good (Su), Detect Good (Sp), Dark Blessing (Su), and Aura of Evil (Ex), exactly as the Blackguard abilities of the same name.

Improved Feint: At 1st level a Disciple of Levistus gains Improved feint as a bonus feat.

Precise Strike: If a Disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks with a finesseable weapon deal 1d6 extra points of damage. This extra damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level and every two levels thereafter.

Silver Tongue: A Disciple of Levistus may add his class level as a bonus on Bluff checks.

Stygian Blade: Starting at 2nd level a Disciple of Levistus may treat any one-handed piercing weapon he wields as a +1 magic weapon. This improves to +2 at 4th level, +3 at 6th level, +4 at 8th level, and +5 at 10th level. In addition a Disciple of Levistus gains the following weapon enchantments as he improves in level: 2nd level Frost, 4th level Keen, 6th level Icy Burst, 8th Unholy, 10th Axiomatic.

Charismatic Defense: Staring at 3rd level, while wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Dexterity Modifier to his Armor Class.

Elaborate Parry: When fighting defensively or taking the total defense action, a 4th level disciple of Levistus adds +2 to the AC bonus gained from those actions. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.

Superiour Feint: A 5th level Disciple of Levistus can feint as a swift action.

Charismatic Strike: Starting at 6th level while wearing no armor and holding nothing in the off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charimsa Modifier instead of his Strength Modifier to damage rolls when attacking with a one-handed piercing weapon.

Charismatic Health: Starting at 7th level a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charimsa Modifier instead of his Constitution Modifier to his hit points gained at each level. This ability is retroactive.

Charismatic Will: Starting at 9th level while wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Wisdom Modifier to his Will Saving Throws.

Lethe Blade: If a 10th level disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks may cause the opponent to partially lose his memory. If he attack hits, the opponent must succeed on a Will save (DC 10+disciple of Levistus level+Cha modifier) or act as if confused for 1d4+1 rounds. After this time, the memories that were lost return undamaged.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Okay, piece by piece first:
1. I would make the requirements more general so that for example a Fighter or a Rogue could take this class. I doubt Levistus was a Swashbuckler, and someone might want to use this class without CW.
2. On Weapon and Armor proficiency you have Disciple of Glasya instead of Disciple of Levistus
3. Acrobatic Attack: There's nothing wrong with this ability per se, it's just completely useless. Aside from the difficulty in using it +2 to attack and damage isn't a good reason to give up a full attack. It would only ever see use in the first round of combat. Later you gain Improved Parry and extra damage on a Parry but then you don't even get move actions until superior parry kicks in.
4. You misspelled Improved Feint as Improved Feat.
5. Precise Strike is next to useless. 3d6 damage with a feint? Rogue's everywhere are laughing their asses off. Besides that feints are notoriously hard to do. Your opponent gets their Sense Motive + their BAB, which for many monsters is gigantic.
6. Elaborate Parry is next to useless.
7. Superior Feint is neat. Better for Rogue entry than Swashbuckler entry though, at the moment not very helpful.
8. Stygian Blade is pretty cool. Not very powerful though.
9. Lethe Blade is the only really powerful feature this class has. It's pretty darn nice and supremely flavorful.

Okay, this class has good flavor but there are two problems I see. It almost requires Swashbuckler entry, and it is horribly underpowered even for a melee class. Seriously, like tier 6 underpowered. I'd rather play a CW Samurai. This class actually makes you worse in combat, in fact 99% of the time when playing this class it is better to ignore your class abilities and just make a full attack. Seriously.

That aside, I think it would be easier to just present my version rather than trying to throw advice at you. Here we go:
Disciple of Levistus

Requirements
To qualify to become a disciple of Levistus, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any evil.
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Skills: Balance 9 ranks, Bluff 9 ranks, Diplomacy 9 Ranks Jump 9 Ranks, Tumble 9 ranks
Feats: Combat Expertise, Disciple of Darkness, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (rapier)
Special: Must defeat a worthy opponent in a nonlethal duel, and then kill them.
Disciple of Levistus
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Acrobatic Attack, Charismatic Attack, Fallen, Improved Feint, Precise Strike +1d6, Silver Tongue

2nd|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+0

|Stygian Blade (+1 Frost)

3rd|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Charismatic Defense, Precise Strike +2d6

4th|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Elaborate Parry +2, Stygian Blade (+2 Keen Frost)

5th|

+5

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Precise Strike +3d6, Superiour feint

6th|

+6

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Charismatic Strike, Stygian Blade (+3 Keen Icy Burst)

7th|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

|

+2

|Charismatic Health, Precise Strike +4d6

8th|

+8

|

+6

|

+6

|

+2

|Elaborate Parry+4, Stygian Blade (+4 Keen Icy Burst Unholy)

9th|

+9

|

+6

|

+6

|

+3

|Charismatic Will, Precise Strike +5d6

10th|

+10

|

+7

|

+7

|

+3

|Lethe Blade, Stygian Blade (+5 Axiomatic Keen Icy Burst Unholy)[/table]

Class Skills
The disciple of Levistus' class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points
4 + Int modifier

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Disciples of Levistus gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Acrobatic attack: If a Disciple of Levistus attacks by jumping at least 5 feet into his opponent, jumps down at least 5 feet onto his opponent, or swings on a rope or similar object into his opponent, he gains a +2/class level bonus on attack and damage rolls. He may use this ability against any given target only 1/day.

Charismatic Attack: While wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Strength Modifier to attack rolls he makes with a one-handed piercing weapon.

Fallen: A Disciple of Levistus who was previously a Paladin of at least 2nd level gains the following abilities at first level: Smite Good (Su), Detect Good (Sp), Dark Blessing (Su), and Aura of Evil (Ex), exactly as the Blackguard abilities of the same name.

Improved Feint: At 1st level a Disciple of Levistus gains Improved feint as a bonus feat.

Precise Strike: If a Disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks with a finesseable weapon deal 1d6 extra points of damage. This extra damage increases by 1d6 at 3rd level and every two levels thereafter.

Silver Tongue: A Disciple of Levistus may add his class level as a bonus on Bluff checks.

Stygian Blade: Starting at 2nd level a Disciple of Levistus may treat any one-handed piercing weapon he wields as a +1 magic weapon. This improves to +2 at 4th level, +3 at 6th level, +4 at 8th level, and +5 at 10th level. In addition a Disciple of Levistus gains the following weapon enchantments as he improves in level: 2nd level Frost, 4th level Keen, 6th level Icy Burst, 8th Unholy, 10th Axiomatic.

Charismatic Defense: Staring at 3rd level, while wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Dexterity Modifier to his Armor Class.

Elaborate Parry: When fighting defensively or taking the total defense action, a 4th level disciple of Levistus adds +2 to the AC bonus gained from those actions. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level.

Superiour Feint: A 5th level Disciple of Levistus can feint as a swift action.

Charismatic Strike: Starting at 6th level while wearing no armor and holding nothing in the off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charimsa Modifier instead of his Strength Modifier to damage rolls when attacking with a one-handed piercing weapon.

Charismatic Health: Starting at 7th level a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charimsa Modifier instead of his Constitution Modifier to his hit points gained at each level. This ability is retroactive.

Charismatic Will: Starting at 9th level while wearing no armor and holding nothing in his off hand a Disciple of Levistus may add his Charisma Modifier instead of his Wisdom Modifier to his Will Saving Throws.

Lethe Blade: If a 10th level disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, his attacks may cause the opponent to partially lose his memory. If he attack hits, the opponent must succeed on a Will save (DC 10+disciple of Levistus level+Cha modifier) or act as if confused for 1d4+1 rounds. After this time, the memories that were lost return undamaged.

You Droylt, have shamed me. I am humbled. I would have to say that Levistus isn't ANY class, so speculation is open-ended. I just saw him fitting the swashbuckler feel.

That being said . . . I can't argue, your redux is the king. I would take it. I like that you included a chance for fallen paladins in there.

You mind if I put this at the top? or should I keep the cruddy one as well?

[Drolyt]

You Droylt, have shamed me. I am humbled. I would have to say that Levistus isn't ANY class, so speculation is open-ended. I just saw him fitting the swashbuckler feel.

That being said . . . I can't argue, your redux is the king. I would take it. I like that you included a chance for fallen paladins in there.

You mind if I put this at the top? or should I keep the cruddy one as well?

Go ahead and take it, and modify it as you see fit. I'm just happy to help.

[Sir_Chivalry]

Go ahead and take it, and modify it as you see fit. I'm just happy to help.

I'm happy you could help. Thank you.

[Mulletmanalive]

Okay...

The prerequisites are harsh and some of them are superflous. Scrap Weapon Finesse because it's pointless as a result of the first level class feature Charismatic Attack. Never grant a specific bonus feat at first level if you think ALL members of the class should have it, so i'd replace Weapon Focus with the Improved Feint from level 1.

I'd be inclined to swap Disciple of Darkness for Brand of the Nine Hells [Levistus] too. Basically the same fluff but you've impressed Levistus himself and there's actually a point to having it [though we've used a homebrew of that entire line of feats for years [+1d6 Luck bonus, 1/day/4 levels].

Elaborate Parry is a great ability in its original form so there would be no problem putting that at level one and just using the level as a progression. Good call on the Silver Tongue thing, very Levestus.

Acrobatic Attack...no strong oppinion. I'd have ignored this in favour of something simpler like the ability to disarm a foe denied their Dex to AC without rolling or something. Buckling swash seems less important to the lord of betrayal than having his foe unarmed and at his mercy. As is, seems a bit...heroic, somehow.

The Stygian Blade thing seems a bit like it's staring at "Mind Blade Syndrome." Personally, i'd like to seem more abilities to cover up indiscretions and cases of gittishness in place of this and just have a note at the bottom saying that this sort of blade is the most popular with this kind of character.

Piercing strike is a fine ability. Probably wouldn't have felt it necessary to have so much of it, but that's neither here nor there really.

Lethe Blade I like. Simple as.

Possible class features:
Cloud Memory: partially removes the Disciple of Levistus from the memory of an incident. The victim remembers that there was someone there and most of what happened but it's fuzzy and they tend to pick the best fit out of those who could have been present [sometimes, unluckily the Disciple, but them's the dice]. Will save negates and a maximum of one hour of memory can be affected.
Cut a Dash: When engaged in villainy, the appearance of the Disciple shifts to resemble someone handsome, dashing and pretty generic, to the point that basically anyone with a sword and too much confidence could be mistaken for him. DCs to recognise him increase by twice his class level.
Rob From the Rich: You always know what someone holds the most dear. This grants you a +5 bonus on checks such as Intimidate or Diplomacy when manipulating them, as long as you can threaten or enhance the subject in the process [holding a beloved daughter to ransom, threatening to smash a treasured vase].
Distil Bitterness: The Disciple can channel a tiny portion of Levistus' bitterness at his containment. The target touched must save or be affected as with the Rage spell and blinded by tears for 1d4 rounds.


Maybe some "cult" would be handy here too but i can't think of a suitable one here. I don't want to push him too far in the direction of Beliel like the whole "corrupting a nunary Casanova style" bit. Hmmm. Who the hell would form a cult to this guy rather than just nodding to him from time to time?

[Drolyt]

Okay...

The prerequisites are harsh and some of them are superflous. Scrap Weapon Finesse because it's pointless as a result of the first level class feature Charismatic Attack. Never grant a specific bonus feat at first level if you think ALL members of the class should have it, so i'd replace Weapon Focus with the Improved Feint from level 1.

The OP had laxer requirements originally if I recall but the class is quite powerful so I thought strict requirements would be good and recommended them. Basically you can get in quickest as a straight Swashbuckler or a Fighter/Rogue. The idea behind Weapon Finesse was to give Swashbuckler's an edge in getting in.

I'd be inclined to swap Disciple of Darkness for Brand of the Nine Hells [Levistus] too. Basically the same fluff but you've impressed Levistus himself and there's actually a point to having it [though we've used a homebrew of that entire line of feats for years [+1d6 Luck bonus, 1/day/4 levels].

How about Brand of the Nine Hells (Levistus), Combat Expertise, Disciple of Darkness, and Improved Feint? That way it's still hard to get in, but in that case for a straight Swashbuckler entry you need to be Human. Dipping just one level of Fighter fixes that though.

Elaborate Parry is a great ability in its original form so there would be no problem putting that at level one and just using the level as a progression. Good call on the Silver Tongue thing, very Levestus.

I'll agree with you here.

Acrobatic Attack...no strong oppinion. I'd have ignored this in favour of something simpler like the ability to disarm a foe denied their Dex to AC without rolling or something. Buckling swash seems less important to the lord of betrayal than having his foe unarmed and at his mercy. As is, seems a bit...heroic, somehow.

I agree with you here too.

The Stygian Blade thing seems a bit like it's staring at "Mind Blade Syndrome." Personally, i'd like to seem more abilities to cover up indiscretions and cases of gittishness in place of this and just have a note at the bottom saying that this sort of blade is the most popular with this kind of character.

That was my suggestion to make the OPs original Stygian blade more worth it. It originally granted the Frost ability and nothing else.

Piercing strike is a fine ability. Probably wouldn't have felt it necessary to have so much of it, but that's neither here nor there really.

It needs a lot of bonus to make up for the fact that it keeps you from making a full attack.

Lethe Blade I like. Simple as.

I like it too. The OP did a good job with that one.

Possible class features:
Cloud Memory: partially removes the Disciple of Levistus from the memory of an incident. The victim remembers that there was someone there and most of what happened but it's fuzzy and they tend to pick the best fit out of those who could have been present [sometimes, unluckily the Disciple, but them's the dice]. Will save negates and a maximum of one hour of memory can be affected.
Cut a Dash: When engaged in villainy, the appearance of the Disciple shifts to resemble someone handsome, dashing and pretty generic, to the point that basically anyone with a sword and too much confidence could be mistaken for him. DCs to recognise him increase by twice his class level.
Rob From the Rich: You always know what someone holds the most dear. This grants you a +5 bonus on checks such as Intimidate or Diplomacy when manipulating them, as long as you can threaten or enhance the subject in the process [holding a beloved daughter to ransom, threatening to smash a treasured vase].
Distil Bitterness: The Disciple can channel a tiny portion of Levistus' bitterness at his containment. The target touched must save or be affected as with the Rage spell and blinded by tears for 1d4 rounds.

These all look good to me.

Maybe some "cult" would be handy here too but i can't think of a suitable one here. I don't want to push him too far in the direction of Beliel like the whole "corrupting a nunary Casanova style" bit. Hmmm. Who the hell would form a cult to this guy rather than just nodding to him from time to time?

I'm not sure. I think this would be more of a followers thing than a cult per se, similar to the Bel one where you are more of a Blood War commander than a cultist.

[Mulletmanalive]

Hmmm...See, i'd just leave the Stygian blade thing as the original was but allow it to be in addition to other features of the weapon. Basically the ability to radiate cold.

I'd then use the extra potential to have some fun with the "Being a bastard and getting away with it" features proposed. I'd suspect that if Levestus is going to grant power to anyone, he's going to be especially cautious on the getting caught count.

That aside, wasn't there a Stygian weapon quality somewhere that gave a negative level on a crit? Maybe that could be plopped down if a level ends up looking lonely with the removal of the Elaborate Parry entries.

Edit: I agree with your suggestion on the prerequisites, Drolyt, though the Disciple of Darkness may not be entirely necessary, for the simple fact that the Brand of the Nine Hells has an RP requirement to get in [normally it's devils only unless you impress the hell [pun intended] out of your patron.

Could simply state that GMs should be lenient with Evil Swashbucklers because they're pretty solidly in Levistus' TEVO record lineup anyway...

[Sir_Chivalry]

Hmmm...See, i'd just leave the Stygian blade thing as the original was but allow it to be in addition to other features of the weapon. Basically the ability to radiate cold.

I'd then use the extra potential to have some fun with the "Being a bastard and getting away with it" features proposed. I'd suspect that if Levestus is going to grant power to anyone, he's going to be especially cautious on the getting caught count.

That aside, wasn't there a Stygian weapon quality somewhere that gave a negative level on a crit? Maybe that could be plopped down if a level ends up looking lonely with the removal of the Elaborate Parry entries.

Edit: I agree with your suggestion on the prerequisites, Drolyt, though the Disciple of Darkness may not be entirely necessary, for the simple fact that the Brand of the Nine Hells has an RP requirement to get in [normally it's devils only unless you impress the hell [pun intended] out of your patron.

Could simply state that GMs should be lenient with Evil Swashbucklers because they're pretty solidly in Levistus' TEVO record lineup anyway...

Only problem with your suggestion of using Brand of the Nine Hells is that it requires the disciple to be lawful evil, which the disciple classes (all five official ones) do not require. That being said, ignoring that, it's perfect.

[Drolyt]

Only problem with your suggestion of using Brand of the Nine Hells is that it requires the disciple to be lawful evil, which the disciple classes (all five official ones) do not require. That being said, ignoring that, it's perfect.

Well, you're classes are less cultisty and more emulating the lords of the nine, so it would make sense that your versions would require LE.

[Mulletmanalive]

Just wondering about this one Drolyt: you said that Precise Strike prevents you from Full attacking...

I'm not seeing that one. As it is, it does prevent you from doing it until level 5, after which point, it's just a tasty bonus thanks to Superior Feint.

That said, I'd've distinguished it as a Standard action anyway.

Any thoughts on the idea of combining this feature and Stygian blade to make it the ability to imbue a mixture of cold and precision into a strike by channelling some of the icy energy keeping Levistus bound?

[Drolyt]

Just wondering about this one Drolyt: you said that Precise Strike prevents you from Full attacking...

I'm not seeing that one. As it is, it does prevent you from doing it until level 5, after which point, it's just a tasty bonus thanks to Superior Feint.

That said, I'd've distinguished it as a Standard action anyway.

I... uh... oops. It might be a bit too powerful if it allows full attacks...

[Sir_Chivalry]

Kept Elaborate Parry and Precise Strike were they are for now, but I've changed up the PrC to fit suggestions.

[waterpenguin43]

Very nice. Levistus is the coolest lord, by the way.

Well, you're classes are less cultisty and more emulating the lords of the nine, so it would make sense that your versions would require LE.

Levistus isn't cultisty, really.

[Drolyt]

New suggestion: Either reduce Precise Strike to 1/round or get rid of the ability to feint as a free action.
Edit: Although that ability isn't so bad if we assume that its just NPCs and nobody will try to break it on purpose.

[Mulletmanalive]

New suggestion: Either reduce Precise Strike to 1/round or get rid of the ability to feint as a free action.
Edit: Although that ability isn't so bad if we assume that its just NPCs and nobody will try to break it on purpose.

well, it can only happen once per round without either action transparency or Invisible Blade levels. Not that big a deal. I never assume that anyone's going to "break" anything for the very simple reason that rule 0 exists.

Sharp rap from a plot-stick can fix any "broken" character.

EDIT: Also, bad Waterpenguin! Easy, sigh worthy jokes...

The point of the Disciple classes in their original form was that they were designed to be the heads of the Archdevil's cults. Your oppinion possibly goes a long way to explaining why there isn't a BoVD one for Levistus.

[Mulletmanalive]

I'm going to vote for a less Swashbuckling/heroic power for the first level ability. There are several possiblilities: I suggest picking two:

- Free attack against disarmed targets
- Automatically increase the fear level of unarmed targets in their Threatened radius
- Free Disarm attempt after a successful Feint [negating the Str/Dex on the defender's roll]
- +1d10 Cold on crits when using the Brand's ability
- Surefootedness on ice plus the ability to freeze the ground [like a Grease spell]

[Sir_Chivalry]

I'm going to vote for a less Swashbuckling/heroic power for the first level ability. There are several possiblilities: I suggest picking two:

- Free attack against disarmed targets
- Automatically increase the fear level of unarmed targets in their Threatened radius
- Free Disarm attempt after a successful Feint [negating the Str/Dex on the defender's roll]
- +1d10 Cold on crits when using the Brand's ability
- Surefootedness on ice plus the ability to freeze the ground [like a Grease spell]

And here's the new ability to replace Acrobatic Strike:

Stygian Blade: If a Disciple of Levistus successfully feints an opponent and has nothing in his off hand, he can attempt to disarm his opponent. The opponent's strength and dexterity modifiers do not apply to his opposed roll. If the opponent is disarmed, the disciple gains a free attack at his highest attack bonus. Precise strike does not apply to this attack.

[Mulletmanalive]

Stabby.

And dashed villainous. Good picks there.

[Drolyt]

And here's the new ability to replace Acrobatic Strike:

I'm not sure if I like this ability. It's worthless against enemies that can't be disarmed, but too powerful against those who can.

[Sir_Chivalry]

I'm not sure if I like this ability. It's worthless against enemies that can't be disarmed, but too powerful against those who can.

What if I remove the free attack?

[Drolyt]

What if I remove the free attack?

The free attack isn't really the issue, denying the ability score makes disarming too easy.

[Sir_Chivalry]

The free attack isn't really the issue, denying the ability score makes disarming too easy.

So if I allow the ability score?