UTHGARDT TRIBAL HERO:
Among the uthgardt strength, martial prowess and respect for ones tribe and family are paramount. Among a people where every day is a struggle to survive not just from the wild things of their homeland but from the terrain and climate of the region as well, they must learn to live in the moment and value what lasts, the credo of “live in the moment for it may be your last” holds special significance to them.
It is in living this way that some uthgardt through their services to the tribe have come to exemplify these beliefs and tribal goals and all that they represent. These tribal heroes, become infused with the power of their tribe, and totem, blessed by Uthgar. They serve as the champions for their tribe not just in war but also in peace, by studying their tribes history and memorising it in order to learn from the lessons and wisdom of those who went before.
Hit Die: d12
Requirements
To qualify to become an Uthgardt Tribal Hero, a character must fulfil all of the following criteria:
Region: Uthgardt Tribesfolk
Patron: Uthgar
Base Attack Bonus: +6
Skills: Knowledge History 4 ranks, Intimidate 2 ranks.
Feats: Ancestral Spirit, Oral History
Special: Must have performed some significant service to their tribe.
Class Skills
The Tribal Hero's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge – History (Int), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Survival (Wis) and Swim (Str).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the Uthgardt tribal hero prestige class:
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Tribal hero’s are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with shields
Ancestral Memories (Su): Tribal Heroes have access to the memories of their ancestors, providing them a spiritual storehouse of information, facts, legends and experiences they can call upon 1/day per level of this prestige in order to try and gain the answer to some question they may have. A tribal hero may make an ancestral memory check with a bonus equal to his level in the prestige + his wisdom modifier to see whether he knows some relevant information about local cultures, legendary items, or noteworthy places, past events or creatures that may be commonly found in their region. (If the tribal hero has 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (history), he gains a +2 bonus on this check.)
A successful ancestral memory check will not reveal the powers of a magic item but may give a hint as to its general function. A bard may not take 10 or take 20 on this check; this sort of knowledge is essentially random. Such answers always come in the form of a remembered event in which the answer is provided as seen through the eyes of an ancestor.
DC Type of Knowledge
10 Common, known by at least a substantial minority drinking; common legends of the local population.
20 Uncommon but available, known by only a few people legends.
25 Obscure, known by few, hard to come by.
30 Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don’t understand the significance of the knowledge.
Rage (Ex): A tribal hero can fly into a rage a certain number of times per day. In a rage, a tribal hero temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength, a +4 bonus to Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but he takes a –2 penalty to Armor Class. The increase in Constitution increases the tribal hero’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the rage when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) While raging, a tribal hero cannot use any Charisma-, Dexterity-, or Intelligence-based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or concentration, nor can he cast spells or activate magic items that require a command word, a spell trigger (such as a wand), or spell completion (such as a scroll) to function. He can use any feat he has except Combat Expertise, item creation feats, and metamagic feats. A fit of rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A tribal hero may prematurely end his rage. At the end of the rage, the tribal hero loses the rage modifiers and restrictions and becomes fatigued (–2 penalty to Strength, –2 penalty to Dexterity, can’t charge or run) for the duration of the current encounter (unless he is a 10th level tribal hero, at which point this limitation no longer applies; see below).
A tribal hero can fly into a rage only once per encounter. At 1st level he can use his rage ability once per day. At 3rd, 5th, and finally at 7th level, he can use it one additional time per day (to a maximum of four times per day at 10th level), these rage uses stack with any that the tribal hero may already have access to via previous classes (such as barbarian levels). Entering a rage takes no time itself, but a tribal hero can do it only during his action, not in response to someone else’s action.
Form of the Totem (Su): A tribal hero upon reaching 2nd level, can wild shape into the form of their tribes totem beast once per day. This ability functions like the polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per tribal hero level, or until he changes back. Changing form (to animal or back) is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity.
The form chosen must be that of the tribe’s totem animal as shown here.
Tribe Totem Animal Improved Form
Black Lions Lion Dire Lion
Black Ravens Raven Giant Raven
Great Worms Komodo Plains Landwyrm
Grey wolves Wolf Dire Wolf
Red Tigers Tigers Dire Tiger
Sky Ponies Pony Pegasus
Griffins Eagle Griffin
Thunder Beast Bull Bulette
Tree Ghosts S or M Tree* Treant (* works like a Tree spell in effect).
Elks Elk Dire Elk
A tribal hero loses his ability to speak while in totem form because he is limited to the sounds that a normal, untrained animal can make, but he can communicate normally with other animals of the same general grouping as his new form. (The normal sound a wild parrot makes is a squawk, so changing to this form does not permit speech.)
The new form’s Hit Dice can’t exceed the character’s tribal hero level.
At 9th level the tribal hero gains Improved totem form and can now assume the improved form of the tribes totem beast.
Commune with Ancestors (Sp): Upon reaching 4th level, a tribal hero can summon forth the spirits of their ancestors and question them for advice on a particular actions worth, in all ways this functions as per the augury spell of the same name. In order to commune in this way they must spend an hour in quiet meditation and prayer to the ancestors of their tribe. A tribal hero alternatively may call on the spirit of a specific member of their tribe who is deceased and question them as per a speak with dead spell of the same name. Using this power always leaves the tribal hero fatigued (no save).
Power of the Totem (Su): Upon reaching 6th level the tribal hero gains a special benefit bestown upon them as their ties and connection to their tribe grows stronger. The specific benefit gained varies dependant upon which tribe the hero is from.
Tribe Benefit
Black Lions +2 Wisdom and Profession is now class skill
Black Ravens Gains an Animal Companion (giant raven)
Great Worms Breath a cone of fire 30 feet long, 1/day for 1d8 dmg per level, reflex save DC10+level+Con for half.
Grey wolves +2 Strength and gains low light vision
Red Tigers Gains cold resistance 10 and the improved initiative feat
Sky Ponies Gains a special mount (Pegasus) that improves as per a paladin’s special mount
Griffins Adds level as an insight bonus to Climb checks and gains a bonus feat of choice
Thunder Beast +2 Constitution and becomes a large sized creature (-4 hide, -1 attack and armour class)
Tree Ghosts Heal their Constitution modifier in Hit points per hour of exposure to sunlight, gain low light vision
Elks Gain hide and move silently as class skills and +1d6 sneak attack
Greater Rage (Ex): At 8th level, a tribal hero’s bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his rage each increase to +6, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +3. The penalty to AC remains at –2.
Call Ancestors (Su): Upon reaching 9th level, a tribal hero is able to call the spirits of their tribal ancestors back from the grave to fight for them once per day. It takes the tribal hero a full round action to call the ancestors forth, such that on his turn the following round 1d3 ghostly uthgardt warriors will appear and fight for the tribal hero for one round per level before vanishing back to the spirit realm. The ancestor spirits have a level in warrior equal to the tribal heroes level in this prestige class and have the ghost template applied (see MM for more information on the ghost template).
Tribal Avatar (Su): Finally upon reaching 10th level a tribal hero is able to rage with the power of their tribes totem, infusing them with furious power and endurance turning them into terrifying engines of destruction. While enraged in this way they can cause devastating wounds especially to their tribes ritual enemies. a tribal hero’s when he rages becomes the tribal avatar and his bonuses to Strength and Constitution during this rage each increase to +8, and his morale bonus on Will saves increases to +4. The penalty to AC remains at –2. In addition against their tribes ritual enemy (see below) their melee attacks count as Bane strikes doing +2d6 sacred damage on top of their normal damage.
Tribe Ritual Enemy
Black Lions Tundra Barbarians
Black Ravens Griffin tribe and non uthgardt clerics, merchants and foreigners
Great Worms Any evil creature
Grey wolves Orcs
Red Tigers One of choice
Sky Ponies Orcs
Griffins Humans
Thunder Beast Wolves
Tree Ghosts Undead
Elks One of choice
Tireless Rage (Ex): At 10th level, a tribal hero no longer becomes fatigued at the end of his rage.
Uthgardt Tribal Hero Advancement
Level Attack Fort Ref Will Special
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Ancestral Memories, Rage 1/day
2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Form of the Totem
3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Rage 2/day
4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Commune with Ancestors
5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Rage 3/day
6th +6 +5 +2 +2 Power of the Totem
7th +& +5 +2 +2 Rage 4/day
8th +8 +6 +2 +2 Greater Rage
9th +9 +6 +3 +3 Call Ancestor Spirits, Form of the Totem (Improved)
10th +10 +7 +3 +3 Tireless Rage, Tribal Avatar