The Accursed (PrC)

[the Jester]

Okay... so I have this character who's been through a lot, so I wrote this prestige class for him. It won't really buff him up much (he's offense-oriented), but it really suits his character. What do you think? Is it balanced? It's a weird mix of high-HD and medium BAB with some others...

Accursed
Many creatures experience curses at one point or another, from a bestow curse spell to a family curse to a cursed item. Very few, however, are unfortunate enough to suffer from multiple curses; such an individual might come to the conclusion that he is fated to be accursed. Such a morose individual might even, through force of will and growing experience, learn to manipulate the power of curses that he is under, and even to curse others in turn. Accursed grow tough and resilient, and are very hard to kill.

Any creature unfortunate enough to suffer the prerequisites might become an accursed. Most are gloomy and somewhat spiteful, but some simply seek to survive terrible effects that they cannot fully escape.

Hit Die: d12

Prerequisites: At least one base save +5. Spot (9 ranks), Survival (3 ranks). Cling to Life, Endurance, Iron Will. Must have been the victim of three curses at once.

Class Skills: Concentration (con), Craft (int), Disable Device (int), Escape Artist (dex), Hide (dex), Intimidate (cha), Jump (str), Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, history, local) (int), Listen (wis), Open Lock (dex), Profession (wis), Search (int), Sense Motive (wis), Sleight of Hand (dex), Spellcraft (int), Spot (wis), Survival (wis), Swim (str), Use Magic Device (cha). Skill points per level: x + int bonus.

Base Attack: Medium (as cleric)

Good Saves: Fort and Will
Poor Saves: Ref

Level---Special Abilities
1---Survive curse
2---Curse carrier, dying curse
3---Detect curse
4---Bestow curse
5---Break enchantment

CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: An accursed gains no new proficiencies.

Survive Curse (Su): An accursed is a survivor, able to withstand punishment that would lay a lesser individual low. Whenever an accursed suffers ability damage or drain, from any source, the damage is reduced by 1 to a minimum of 0. Whenever a curse would kill him, the accursed survives. If the curse would reduce an ability score to 0, it instead stabilizes at 3. If the curse would reduce the character’s hit points to 0 or lower, they instead stabilize at 1. A curse cannot kill an accursed, it can merely temper him like steel in an efreet’s furnace.

Curse Carrier (Su): Whenever an accursed is under a curse, he can choose to transmit that curse by touch up to 2/day. Any potential victim must make a saving throw against the curse (Will DC 12 + cha bonus) or be affected by it.

Dying Curse (Su): Whenever an accursed is slain, a powerful curse falls upon his killer. Unless it makes a Will save (DC 17 + cha bonus) it is affected by a bestow greater curse spell.

Detect Curse (Su): 1/day an accursed can detect curses, including cursed items, the area of curse spells, cursed areas, etc. This affects a 60’ cone and, when activated, lasts for 10 rounds.

Bestow Curse (Sp): 1/day an accursed can bestow curse on an enemy with a touch or a successful melee or ranged attack. If the accursed chooses to attempt this as part of an attack, the bestow curse and the attack together are a single standard action. The victim receives a Will save, DC 15 + cha bonus, to resist this effect.

Break Enchantment (Sp): The other side of the accursed is the ability to break curses and similar effects. A 5th-level accursed can use break enchantment, with a caster level equal to accursed’s character level, once per day.

 

[Corlon]

seems intersting, but sort of...boring and underpowered.

I really don't know what to do about it, maybe give him some more curse other people abilities or something. Possibly anyone who curses him later gets penalties whenever they fight him, etc.

 

[Evilhalfling]

It seems like a lot of work for little gain, I would give him one of the powers, or at worst require a xp payment - 1000? but have him continue in regular progression

 

[Quickleaf]

Hmm, well I like the feel of the PrC you're creating, and I really like that you're making it for a specific character in mind. My suggestion would be to look more closely at the curses that have been laid on the said character and develop them.

-- For starters, have animals and other people be nervous around the character. You suffer -2 on all Charisma-based checks with those never cursed. Animals get fidgety in your presence, and some are outright hostile. You suffer a -2 penalty on all Handle Animal and Ride checks; oftentimes, horses will refuse to let you on them.

--However, those who have been cursed recognize the burden that weighs upon your spirit - their base reaction is at worst indifferent, and you gain +2 on all Charisma-based checks with such sorry souls. In addition, you gain some ability relating to those creatures that currently suffer from a curse, as they believe you hold the answer to breaking their curse. Not sure what this ability would be??

-- I think an appropriate ability would be making him immune to a curse he has successfully broken at each level of the PrC.
E.g. If he has broken a fairie's curse that he be afraid of every mirror he passes before taking the PrC, at 1st level he may elect to be immune to curses involving mirrors. If he then breaks a bestow curse cast by Findelzir the evil mage, at 2nd level he may elect to be immune to all bestow curse spells cast by Findelzir (and perhaps Findelzir's heirs if the DM is lenient )

 

[Michael Morris]

At a glance: With the core game curse spells this is weak - but with curse spells from other books this could rapidly grow overpowered.

Needs to be fleshed out a bit better or maybe boil the class down into a feat series - perhaps using the spelltouched feats rules from Unearthed Arcana.

 

[Turanil]

<...>such an individual might come to the conclusion that he is fated to be accursed.<...>

It's my case in real life. Especially with women. Look you also made this class for me...

I think that d12 and medium bab is somewhat weird. Why not make it an "accursed warrior" instead. Not dissimilar to a witch-hunter, someone who goes through curses and destroy them. He would be d10 and fighter bab. Among other things, he could reflect a curse back to the "curser". You could give the class 4 skill-points per level, and skills like Spot, Listen, Knowledge (arcana), and spellcraft.

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

Use Magic Device?

 

[Nightcloak]

I really like the flavor of this class. But I also think it is a bit underpowered.

I'm assuming that you are coming from a fighter type background: I would roll the hit points back to d10, ease the skills a little, and give the class some combat options like curse effects for weapon damage. Say each strike you make causes a will save for 1 point of ability damage as you curse your opponent. Or perhaps you can cause a weapon of yours to become cursed after a special ceremony. It is a cursed weapon for everyone else but in your hands it acts normal plus it does an additional d6 "cursed" damage to an opponent on a hit.

 

[the Jester]

Thanks for the feedback!

Just a few clarifiers here- what I want out of the class is something that suits the character. I'm not really shooting for mechanical benefits here- if I was, I'd be aiming at a much more combat-oriented sort of thing, since the character in question really digs a good fight. But I see the Accursed as a sort of ultimate hard-to-kill survivor type...

The general consensus seems to be that it's a lil bit underpowered right now. I like Nightcloak's "extra 1d6 damage" idea, but it might be too much? I'm not sure- maybe x times per day for a minute per class level or something.

As to the character's background, he started off as a LN dwarven ranger called Neverbeard, for his clan had been slaughtered when he was away, and in shame and grief he abandoned his name and swore not to grow a beard again until all the goblins who had overrun his folk were destroyed.

Then, one day, in the Desert of Desolation, he put on a helmet that forever changed his point of view. Now CE, he took back his name (Dworkin Darkhammer) and regrew his beard. Though still loyal to his friends, his attitudes have turned to bitterness, anger and blame. Most of those he called friends have either abandoned him or died; now he seeks goals somewhat different than those he started with.

Shortly after gaining the helm, Dworkin also picked up a phylactery of foul rotting, and then not much later... er, I don't remember what the third one was. But man! That was rough! Three curses at once, one of which was slowly killing me and required a wish to overcome! But we managed; now only the helm remains, and Dworkin certainly doesn't think of it as cursed. If asked, he would tell you that it makes him even more powerful and mighty, and if you try to touch it he's likely to slice your hand right off.

Dworkin is presently a ranger 6/rogue 7/fighter 1. I think I'm leveling as soon as I get xp, too, but I don't qualify for this prc (I need Iron Will and Cling to Life), so it isn't like I need a final version of this right away anyhow.

His ranger side also makes me reluctant to integrate the suggestion about having normal animals shy away from him- he had enough of that while rotting!

Oh, and VoiceOfReason?- I put UMD on the class skill list to make it easier for an accursed to access cursed or partially cursed items (for instance, one that backfires except for bards or something)- that way he can try to use those sorts of things more effectively (going along with the affinity for curses).

 

[Nightcloak]

Dude! What a carrier. I like how you put the flavor back into prestige class.

I would say roll with it then if you were going for prestige and flavor. No need to get hung up on balance.

Side note: The d6 idea is probably too strong. Perhaps it only would work on those who hit you first, a sort of retributive strike. That’ll teach them to mess with a dwarf!