PallidPatience
First Post
I've posted this PrC on Monte's board, and it's been there for a few days already. I meant to post it here, as well, but the site was down. Here it is, however, and I request that those reading it judge its balance for me. It was originally a class that was to carry the character following it from 15th to 25th level, but now it's been upped to 18th. There is a rewrite, with feats, that will follow in a subsequent post. This one follows from 11th to 20th level. Let me know what you guys think.
The Disembodied:
Among those who have found secrets of immortality, there are those who retain their bodies, rotting or hale, for the eternity that is their new lifespan. However, there are also those who have learned to live without a body of their own, leaping from one to the next when the current ride’s ability to continue living is exhausted. These are the Disembodied, a rare type of mortal-turned-immortal who needs no constant body to continue his life.
The Disembodied come from many walks of life, but those professions that encourage a strong will are most prevalent along its path. Therefore, spellcasters and monks make up the vast majority of Disembodied souls.
Prerequisites:
Alignment: Any evil
Saves: Base Will +5
Skills: Concentration 20 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 20 ranks
Feats: Skill Focus (Concentration), Iron Will
Special: Must have been possessed, affected by some sort of soul-binding magic, or spent three or more days dead.
BAB: Poor
HD: d6
Saves: Will good
Class Skills (Ability):
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha) Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis).
Skill points per level: 2 + Int Mod
Level Special
1 Magic Jar 2/day
2 Senses of the Soul
3 Improved Magic Jar
4 Improved Senses of the Soul
5 Magic Soul
6 Perfect Senses of the Soul
7 Malevolent Touch
8 Magic Soul at will
9 Malevolent Gaze
10 Vengeful Malevolence
Magic Jar (Sp): At first level, the Disembodied has obtained a limited mastery over the magics used to possess other creatures. This ability is treated as the magic jar spell at a caster level equal to the Disembodied’s character level. At third level, the Disembodied may use any unattended non-magical object, including anything in his possession, in place of the normal focus component as long as it's worth 100 gp or more. At seventh level, he can use this ability at will, improved as below. When a Disembodied possesses a creature, its soul switches places with the Disembodied’s, now inhabiting the item from which the Disembodied’s soul emerged. The Disembodied keeps the body’s physical stats but retains his mental stats and identity, as the magic jar spell. At first, this effect has the same duration as a magic jar spell cast as though by a wizard of the Disembodied’s character level, but at 5th level the duration becomes permanent. From then on, unless the creature’s body is killed, it requires a true resurrection, wish, or miracle to return the creature to life, and even those are only successful if the creature’s soul is found and released. The victim of this effect receives a Will save as normal, with a DC equal to 10 + half the Disembodied’s character level + the Disembodied’s Cha mod. Any foe who saves against this or any soul-transferring ability is immune to the same Disembodied’s further attempts to wrench his body from him for the next 24 hours. Until 5th level, the Disembodied also suffers 2d4 Charisma damage and is stunned for a round. If the Disembodied thereafter attempts to possess that same creature's body, it gains a +3 bonus to its Will save per failed attempt. The creature loses these bonuses if three or more months pass before the Disembodied's next attempt. If the Disembodied takes a week to perform a ritual costing 1000 gp in rare gems and incense, he can attune the new body to himself. From then on, the new body uses the Disembodied's hp total instead of its original.
Senses of the Soul (Su): At second level, the Disembodied becomes more adept at sensing and choosing the body he will seek to attain. He no longer determines possessed foes randomly, but instead may choose a specific life force. He doesn’t know details about the creature, but can determine its approximate strength, compared to his own, and its type (Giant, Humanoid, Outsider, etc…). He cannot pinpoint the amount of HD a creature has, but can tell whether it’s stronger, about equal (within 3 HD of him), or weaker than he is. At fourth level, the Disembodied’s ability to discern the strength and identity of nearby life force grows more acute. He can tell exactly how much stronger or weaker any nearby life force is than he, and he can divine gender, race, type, and subtype without hassle. At sixth level, he can learn basic identity information while contained within an object, or if using the Magic Soul ability, he is hereafter continually able to read others’ surface thoughts as though having cast the detect thoughts spell (Will DC as for his magic jar ability). This allows him to believably imitate a victim in the event of a possession, granting a +5 circumstantial bonus on any Bluff checks made to keep his replacement of the being a secret.
Magic Soul (Su): At fifth level, the Disembodied needs no container for his soul and is known as a being of the same name as the PrC when not in his body. While under the effect of the Magic Soul ability, the Disembodied as treated as an Outsider with the Native subtype, as well as the subtypes matching his alignment. He retains his classes, levels, hit points, Int, Wis, Cha, Dex (until he possesses someone), Str (only against incorporeal creatures, and with the same caveat as Dex), BAB, saving throws, skills, and class abilities. He also becomes incorporeal and invisible for as long as he remains outside of a body. He cannot attack or cast spells in this state, but he may be attacked by others. He has a fly speed equal to one and a half times his land speed with perfect maneuverability. He may possess others in this form in the same manner that a ghost would, passing into the target’s square. This functions just as a magic jar spell, except that the target is expelled from his or her body, and is treated as a free soul with the changes described above. The target may be returned to his body once the Disembodied is forced out, or both events may occur through the use of a wish, a limited wish, or a miracle.
Malevolent Touch (Su): At seventh level, the Disembodied has nearly mastered his ability to transfer his essence from body to body. As a standard action, he may make a melee touch attack to transfer his soul to another body. The victim gets a Will saving throw, as usual (DC 10 + ½ the Disembodied’s total HD + the Disembodied’s Cha mod), and switches bodies with the Disembodied if he fails.
Malevolent Gaze (Su): At ninth level, the Disembodied need not even touch his foe to transfer his soul into the desired body. The Disembodied may take a standard action to gaze at his target, forcing a Will save (as his magic jar ability) to avoid the trading of bodies.
Vengeful Malevolence (Su): At tenth level, the Disembodied’s ability to transfer himself from body to body is complete. He may, as a special move action, ready himself to transfer into the body of an opponent who strikes him down. This invokes a Will save (as the magic jar ability) upon the foe who delivers a blow capable of knocking the Disembodied unconscious (at 0 or fewer hp) to avoid trading places with the Disembodied. If the foe succeeds, the Disembodied finds himself without a body, as the Magic Soul ability.
The Disembodied:
Among those who have found secrets of immortality, there are those who retain their bodies, rotting or hale, for the eternity that is their new lifespan. However, there are also those who have learned to live without a body of their own, leaping from one to the next when the current ride’s ability to continue living is exhausted. These are the Disembodied, a rare type of mortal-turned-immortal who needs no constant body to continue his life.
The Disembodied come from many walks of life, but those professions that encourage a strong will are most prevalent along its path. Therefore, spellcasters and monks make up the vast majority of Disembodied souls.
Prerequisites:
Alignment: Any evil
Saves: Base Will +5
Skills: Concentration 20 ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 20 ranks
Feats: Skill Focus (Concentration), Iron Will
Special: Must have been possessed, affected by some sort of soul-binding magic, or spent three or more days dead.
BAB: Poor
HD: d6
Saves: Will good
Class Skills (Ability):
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha) Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language, Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis).
Skill points per level: 2 + Int Mod
Level Special
1 Magic Jar 2/day
2 Senses of the Soul
3 Improved Magic Jar
4 Improved Senses of the Soul
5 Magic Soul
6 Perfect Senses of the Soul
7 Malevolent Touch
8 Magic Soul at will
9 Malevolent Gaze
10 Vengeful Malevolence
Magic Jar (Sp): At first level, the Disembodied has obtained a limited mastery over the magics used to possess other creatures. This ability is treated as the magic jar spell at a caster level equal to the Disembodied’s character level. At third level, the Disembodied may use any unattended non-magical object, including anything in his possession, in place of the normal focus component as long as it's worth 100 gp or more. At seventh level, he can use this ability at will, improved as below. When a Disembodied possesses a creature, its soul switches places with the Disembodied’s, now inhabiting the item from which the Disembodied’s soul emerged. The Disembodied keeps the body’s physical stats but retains his mental stats and identity, as the magic jar spell. At first, this effect has the same duration as a magic jar spell cast as though by a wizard of the Disembodied’s character level, but at 5th level the duration becomes permanent. From then on, unless the creature’s body is killed, it requires a true resurrection, wish, or miracle to return the creature to life, and even those are only successful if the creature’s soul is found and released. The victim of this effect receives a Will save as normal, with a DC equal to 10 + half the Disembodied’s character level + the Disembodied’s Cha mod. Any foe who saves against this or any soul-transferring ability is immune to the same Disembodied’s further attempts to wrench his body from him for the next 24 hours. Until 5th level, the Disembodied also suffers 2d4 Charisma damage and is stunned for a round. If the Disembodied thereafter attempts to possess that same creature's body, it gains a +3 bonus to its Will save per failed attempt. The creature loses these bonuses if three or more months pass before the Disembodied's next attempt. If the Disembodied takes a week to perform a ritual costing 1000 gp in rare gems and incense, he can attune the new body to himself. From then on, the new body uses the Disembodied's hp total instead of its original.
Senses of the Soul (Su): At second level, the Disembodied becomes more adept at sensing and choosing the body he will seek to attain. He no longer determines possessed foes randomly, but instead may choose a specific life force. He doesn’t know details about the creature, but can determine its approximate strength, compared to his own, and its type (Giant, Humanoid, Outsider, etc…). He cannot pinpoint the amount of HD a creature has, but can tell whether it’s stronger, about equal (within 3 HD of him), or weaker than he is. At fourth level, the Disembodied’s ability to discern the strength and identity of nearby life force grows more acute. He can tell exactly how much stronger or weaker any nearby life force is than he, and he can divine gender, race, type, and subtype without hassle. At sixth level, he can learn basic identity information while contained within an object, or if using the Magic Soul ability, he is hereafter continually able to read others’ surface thoughts as though having cast the detect thoughts spell (Will DC as for his magic jar ability). This allows him to believably imitate a victim in the event of a possession, granting a +5 circumstantial bonus on any Bluff checks made to keep his replacement of the being a secret.
Magic Soul (Su): At fifth level, the Disembodied needs no container for his soul and is known as a being of the same name as the PrC when not in his body. While under the effect of the Magic Soul ability, the Disembodied as treated as an Outsider with the Native subtype, as well as the subtypes matching his alignment. He retains his classes, levels, hit points, Int, Wis, Cha, Dex (until he possesses someone), Str (only against incorporeal creatures, and with the same caveat as Dex), BAB, saving throws, skills, and class abilities. He also becomes incorporeal and invisible for as long as he remains outside of a body. He cannot attack or cast spells in this state, but he may be attacked by others. He has a fly speed equal to one and a half times his land speed with perfect maneuverability. He may possess others in this form in the same manner that a ghost would, passing into the target’s square. This functions just as a magic jar spell, except that the target is expelled from his or her body, and is treated as a free soul with the changes described above. The target may be returned to his body once the Disembodied is forced out, or both events may occur through the use of a wish, a limited wish, or a miracle.
Malevolent Touch (Su): At seventh level, the Disembodied has nearly mastered his ability to transfer his essence from body to body. As a standard action, he may make a melee touch attack to transfer his soul to another body. The victim gets a Will saving throw, as usual (DC 10 + ½ the Disembodied’s total HD + the Disembodied’s Cha mod), and switches bodies with the Disembodied if he fails.
Malevolent Gaze (Su): At ninth level, the Disembodied need not even touch his foe to transfer his soul into the desired body. The Disembodied may take a standard action to gaze at his target, forcing a Will save (as his magic jar ability) to avoid the trading of bodies.
Vengeful Malevolence (Su): At tenth level, the Disembodied’s ability to transfer himself from body to body is complete. He may, as a special move action, ready himself to transfer into the body of an opponent who strikes him down. This invokes a Will save (as the magic jar ability) upon the foe who delivers a blow capable of knocking the Disembodied unconscious (at 0 or fewer hp) to avoid trading places with the Disembodied. If the foe succeeds, the Disembodied finds himself without a body, as the Magic Soul ability.
