This is an idea I had after watching Vidocq, and contemplating a bit about making a variant of the Alienist that fits my campaign setting a bit better since I'm not really using any other planes of existence in my campaign. I came up with the Discarnate after some pondering and tried to make a PrC with some flavor and a very unique feel. I have to admit, it was tricky getting it right and I'm still not sure if it works and if it seems logical.
Discarnate
The discarnate are an eerie brotherhood of warriors hailing from the black kingdoms, an odd group of people who joined forces to pursue a quest for eternal life. Unlike many of the necromancers of the black kingdoms, the discarnate possess no arcane training and are forced to rely on pagan rituals to achieve their goal. The discarnate have discovered ancient rituals that allows them to drain the life energy from innocent people to fuel their macabre existence. Unfortunately, the rituals used to keep the discarnate alive also removes them from the world of the living as they master their occult lore. Discarnate who have only recently started walking down the path of the bodiless display a strange tendency to slowly loose the common signatures of their gender, evolving through their art to become a mix between male and female. The discarnate have outlandish voices that sound like a man and a woman speaking at the same time, their bodies showing none of the typical signs of gender. As they progress, the members of the brotherhood loose their connection with reality even more and seem to be able to exist in several places at the same time. At the very peak of discarnate progression you find people who are not truly immortal, but who pass over the boundary between life and death at will.
Hit Die: d10
Requirements
To qualify to become a discarnate, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +8
Skills: Knowledge (Religion) 8 ranks
Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron Will
Special: Must have been trained by a member of the discarnate brotherhood for a period of at least three years.
Class Skills
The discarnate's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Religion), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex) and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Base Attack Bonus: Good (as fighter)
Fort Save: Good (as fighter)
Reflex Save: Bad (as fighter)
Will Save: Good (as cleric)
Level Special
1 Face of the Nonentity, Touch of the Pagan
2 Draught of Lifeblood, Mark of the Pagan
3 Eerie Presence
4 Incarnation
5 Guise of the Nonentity
6 Unsteady Existence
7 Draught of Lifeblood
8 Eerie Presence, Swift Transfer
9 Amorphous Form
10 Beyond Death
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the discarnate prestige class.
Face of the Nonentity (Ex): At 1st level, the discarnate becomes asexual, loosing all apparent signs of having a gender. Anyone who sees and talks to the discarnate will be unable to ascertain his gender.
Touch of the Pagan (Su): At 1st level, when the discarnate causes a critical hit on a foe, the foe will suffer 1d4 points of Constitution damage in addition to the normal critical damage. The foe will also be considered to be marked by the discarnate. A marked foe will remain marked for an infinite amount of time and the discarnate can have an infinite amount of targets marked.
Draught of Lifeblood (Su): At 2nd level, whenever the discarnate delivers a killing blow to an opponent, he will devour some of the life energy of his foe. The discarnate gains a +4 enhancement bonus to his Strength and Dexterity for a number of rounds equal to the HD of the slain foe. In addition to the Strength and Dexterity bonus, the discarnate also becomes immune to all aging effects for a number of months equal to the HD of the slain foe. Draught of Lifeblood only works if the foe was slain by a melee attack. At 7th level, the enhancement bonus increases to +8 after the discarnate kills a foe.
Mark of the Pagan (Su): At 2nd level, the discarnate learns how to mark a creature without having to cause a critical hit on it first. By drawing a number of archaic, pagan symbols with soot on both hands of his target, a process which takes ten rounds, the discarnate can mark a creature permanently. The discarnate can perform the marking ritual on a sleeping target without waking it up by succeeding at a Sleight of Hand check, opposed by a Listen check made by the target.
Eerie Presence (Su): At 3rd level, the discarnate has been so altered and warped by his dabbling in the mysteries of the occult that he has a tendency to make everyone around him uneasy. The discarnate gains a +2 bonus to all Intimidate checks. At 8th level, the bonus increases to +4.
Incarnation (Su): At 4th level, the discarnate learns how to dissolve himself and change bodies with another creature. The discarnate can only use the incarnation ability on a marked creature. If the discarnate uses the incarnation ability on a marked creature within line of sight, it is a standard action. If the discarnate uses the ability on a marked creature outside line of sight, it is considered a full round action. When the ability is used, the target and the discarnate will effectively change places, the target's features changing to resemble those of the discarnate and the discarnate changing to resemble his mark. All equipment worn by the discarnate and the target are also transferred in the process. If the target is unwilling, he is allowed a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's class level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to resist the effect. All effects on the discarnate will be transferred when the incarnation ability is used, including damage taken. The discarnate can use the incarnation ability a number of times per day equal to his Constitution modifier.
Guise of the Nonentity (Su): At 5th level, the appearance of the discarnate becomes so alien and unfamiliar that creatures who see him will be unable to remember any details. Anyone besides the close friends of the discarnate must succeed at a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's class level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to be able to recognize the discarnate if they see him again. This effect even applies to creatures that the discarnate has communicated or fought with.
Unsteady Existence (Su): At 6th level, the discarnate learns how to make his physical form hard to accurately pinpoint. Using the Unsteady Existence ability is a standard action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. When the ability is used, the discarnate can choose to either duplicate the effect of either a Blur or a Mirror Image spell on himself. The effective caster level of the effect is equal to the discarnate's level, but the effect isn't a spell-like effect and can not be dispelled or otherwise removed by anti-magic effects. The Unsteady Existence ability can be used a number of times per day equal to the discarnate's Constitution Modifier.
Swift Transfer (Su): At 8th level, the discarnate is able to use his incarnation ability so swiftly that he appears to change places with his mark in the blink of an eye. The incarnation ability is considered a free action when used on a marked target within line of sight.
Amorphous Form (Su): At 9th level, when the discarnate uses his incarnation ability, he can choose to alter his form to better suit his immediate needs. When the incarnation ability is used, the discarnate can choose to switch around his Strength, Constitution and Dexterity scores as he pleases. Only the base scores can be rearranged, any modifiers gained from spells, magical items or other sources will remain the same. The switch between scores is permanent, but it can be changed whenever the incarnation ability is used again.
Beyond Death (Su): At 10th level, the discarnate has developed his mystic arts to such a degree that he is able to ignore the normal cycle of life and death. Once per month, if the discarnate is slain he can choose to inhabit the body of one of the creatures he has marked. The target is allowed a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's class level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to resist the effect. If the target fails his Saving Throw, he will start to change, a process which takes a full week. During this time, the target's appearance will slowly change to resemble that of the discarnate. After the week has passed, the target effectively becomes the discarnate and the host that the discarnate chose to inhabit will cease to exist. If the discarnate chooses to use his Beyond Death ability when he is slain, his old body can't be resurrected by any means as soon as the transformation has begun. Unlike the incarnation ability, the discarnate's equipment is not transferred to the marked target. If the target has failed his Will Saving Throw and the transformation has begun, he will not notice the gradual change that is happening to him. Only very close friends and relatives to the target are allowed a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to notice the change, everyone else will be oblivious to the transformation. No spell or effect can stop the transformation once it has begun save for a Wish or Miracle spell. Casting a Wish or Miracle spell on the target will allow him to attempt a new Will Saving Throw. When the transformation is complete, the discarnate will be considered Fatigued for a full week, a condition that no spell or effect can remove while it lasts.
Discarnate
The discarnate are an eerie brotherhood of warriors hailing from the black kingdoms, an odd group of people who joined forces to pursue a quest for eternal life. Unlike many of the necromancers of the black kingdoms, the discarnate possess no arcane training and are forced to rely on pagan rituals to achieve their goal. The discarnate have discovered ancient rituals that allows them to drain the life energy from innocent people to fuel their macabre existence. Unfortunately, the rituals used to keep the discarnate alive also removes them from the world of the living as they master their occult lore. Discarnate who have only recently started walking down the path of the bodiless display a strange tendency to slowly loose the common signatures of their gender, evolving through their art to become a mix between male and female. The discarnate have outlandish voices that sound like a man and a woman speaking at the same time, their bodies showing none of the typical signs of gender. As they progress, the members of the brotherhood loose their connection with reality even more and seem to be able to exist in several places at the same time. At the very peak of discarnate progression you find people who are not truly immortal, but who pass over the boundary between life and death at will.
Hit Die: d10
Requirements
To qualify to become a discarnate, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Base Attack Bonus: +8
Skills: Knowledge (Religion) 8 ranks
Feats: Great Fortitude, Iron Will
Special: Must have been trained by a member of the discarnate brotherhood for a period of at least three years.
Class Skills
The discarnate's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Religion), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex) and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Base Attack Bonus: Good (as fighter)
Fort Save: Good (as fighter)
Reflex Save: Bad (as fighter)
Will Save: Good (as cleric)
Level Special
1 Face of the Nonentity, Touch of the Pagan
2 Draught of Lifeblood, Mark of the Pagan
3 Eerie Presence
4 Incarnation
5 Guise of the Nonentity
6 Unsteady Existence
7 Draught of Lifeblood
8 Eerie Presence, Swift Transfer
9 Amorphous Form
10 Beyond Death
Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the discarnate prestige class.
Face of the Nonentity (Ex): At 1st level, the discarnate becomes asexual, loosing all apparent signs of having a gender. Anyone who sees and talks to the discarnate will be unable to ascertain his gender.
Touch of the Pagan (Su): At 1st level, when the discarnate causes a critical hit on a foe, the foe will suffer 1d4 points of Constitution damage in addition to the normal critical damage. The foe will also be considered to be marked by the discarnate. A marked foe will remain marked for an infinite amount of time and the discarnate can have an infinite amount of targets marked.
Draught of Lifeblood (Su): At 2nd level, whenever the discarnate delivers a killing blow to an opponent, he will devour some of the life energy of his foe. The discarnate gains a +4 enhancement bonus to his Strength and Dexterity for a number of rounds equal to the HD of the slain foe. In addition to the Strength and Dexterity bonus, the discarnate also becomes immune to all aging effects for a number of months equal to the HD of the slain foe. Draught of Lifeblood only works if the foe was slain by a melee attack. At 7th level, the enhancement bonus increases to +8 after the discarnate kills a foe.
Mark of the Pagan (Su): At 2nd level, the discarnate learns how to mark a creature without having to cause a critical hit on it first. By drawing a number of archaic, pagan symbols with soot on both hands of his target, a process which takes ten rounds, the discarnate can mark a creature permanently. The discarnate can perform the marking ritual on a sleeping target without waking it up by succeeding at a Sleight of Hand check, opposed by a Listen check made by the target.
Eerie Presence (Su): At 3rd level, the discarnate has been so altered and warped by his dabbling in the mysteries of the occult that he has a tendency to make everyone around him uneasy. The discarnate gains a +2 bonus to all Intimidate checks. At 8th level, the bonus increases to +4.
Incarnation (Su): At 4th level, the discarnate learns how to dissolve himself and change bodies with another creature. The discarnate can only use the incarnation ability on a marked creature. If the discarnate uses the incarnation ability on a marked creature within line of sight, it is a standard action. If the discarnate uses the ability on a marked creature outside line of sight, it is considered a full round action. When the ability is used, the target and the discarnate will effectively change places, the target's features changing to resemble those of the discarnate and the discarnate changing to resemble his mark. All equipment worn by the discarnate and the target are also transferred in the process. If the target is unwilling, he is allowed a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's class level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to resist the effect. All effects on the discarnate will be transferred when the incarnation ability is used, including damage taken. The discarnate can use the incarnation ability a number of times per day equal to his Constitution modifier.
Guise of the Nonentity (Su): At 5th level, the appearance of the discarnate becomes so alien and unfamiliar that creatures who see him will be unable to remember any details. Anyone besides the close friends of the discarnate must succeed at a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's class level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to be able to recognize the discarnate if they see him again. This effect even applies to creatures that the discarnate has communicated or fought with.
Unsteady Existence (Su): At 6th level, the discarnate learns how to make his physical form hard to accurately pinpoint. Using the Unsteady Existence ability is a standard action that doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. When the ability is used, the discarnate can choose to either duplicate the effect of either a Blur or a Mirror Image spell on himself. The effective caster level of the effect is equal to the discarnate's level, but the effect isn't a spell-like effect and can not be dispelled or otherwise removed by anti-magic effects. The Unsteady Existence ability can be used a number of times per day equal to the discarnate's Constitution Modifier.
Swift Transfer (Su): At 8th level, the discarnate is able to use his incarnation ability so swiftly that he appears to change places with his mark in the blink of an eye. The incarnation ability is considered a free action when used on a marked target within line of sight.
Amorphous Form (Su): At 9th level, when the discarnate uses his incarnation ability, he can choose to alter his form to better suit his immediate needs. When the incarnation ability is used, the discarnate can choose to switch around his Strength, Constitution and Dexterity scores as he pleases. Only the base scores can be rearranged, any modifiers gained from spells, magical items or other sources will remain the same. The switch between scores is permanent, but it can be changed whenever the incarnation ability is used again.
Beyond Death (Su): At 10th level, the discarnate has developed his mystic arts to such a degree that he is able to ignore the normal cycle of life and death. Once per month, if the discarnate is slain he can choose to inhabit the body of one of the creatures he has marked. The target is allowed a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's class level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to resist the effect. If the target fails his Saving Throw, he will start to change, a process which takes a full week. During this time, the target's appearance will slowly change to resemble that of the discarnate. After the week has passed, the target effectively becomes the discarnate and the host that the discarnate chose to inhabit will cease to exist. If the discarnate chooses to use his Beyond Death ability when he is slain, his old body can't be resurrected by any means as soon as the transformation has begun. Unlike the incarnation ability, the discarnate's equipment is not transferred to the marked target. If the target has failed his Will Saving Throw and the transformation has begun, he will not notice the gradual change that is happening to him. Only very close friends and relatives to the target are allowed a Will Saving Throw (DC equal to 10 + the discarnate's level + the discarnate's Constitution Modifier) to notice the change, everyone else will be oblivious to the transformation. No spell or effect can stop the transformation once it has begun save for a Wish or Miracle spell. Casting a Wish or Miracle spell on the target will allow him to attempt a new Will Saving Throw. When the transformation is complete, the discarnate will be considered Fatigued for a full week, a condition that no spell or effect can remove while it lasts.
