D&D 3E/3.5 BoVD 3.5e: Hellbound!

[Nifft]

Okay, it looks like there will be (as expected) several Thrall of Demogorgon PrCs. One will focus on becoming like him, one will focus on being a vile spellcaster, one will focus on his "portfolio" (namely "those who swim in darkness"), and one will focus on becoming a vile psionic aberration flesh-grafter.

Here's the first one:

Thrall of Demogorgon (Conduit)

Role: Corrupt Chameleon

Prerequisites:
Race: Any living mortal race
Alignment: Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil
Skill Ranks: Bluff 8+, Knowlege(any two) 8+, Spellcraft 8+, Use Magic Device 8+
Feats: Demonic Thrall, and any one of the following: Able Learner, Aberrant Blood, Chaotic Mind, Vile Natural Attack, Psionic Fist, Graft Flesh, Two-Weapon Fighting, or one of those feats from Complete Arcane which grant you the use of three spell-like abilities each day
Special: Must have levels in at least two different classes.
Special: Must sacrifice two good, intelligent, living beings by drowning them while two different servitors of Demogorgon look on. (One servitor must be [Extraplanar], like a summoned herzou, while the other must not be [Extraplanar], like a local aboleth or a mortal Thrall of Demogorgon.)

Benefits:
HD: d8
BAB: 3/4 (as Cleric)
Good Save: All
Skill Points: 4 + Int bonus
Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowlege (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (any) (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Magic Device (Cha) and Use Rope (Dex).

					[u]Spell-Like Abil
Level   BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Level / Uses	Special Abilities [/u]
1	+0	+2	+2	+2	0 / 3		Spell-Like Bluff, Dual Actions (mental)
2	+1	+3	+3	+3	1 / 3		Emulate Class Ability 1/day
3	+2	+3	+3	+3	1 / 5		[i]Insanity Conduit[/i]
4	+3	+4	+4	+4	2 / 5		Device Mastery
5	+3	+4	+4	+4	2 / 7		Emulate Class Ability 2/day
6	+4	+5	+5	+5	3 / 7		[i]Dread Gaze[/i]
7	+5	+5	+5	+5	3 / 9		
8	+6	+6	+6	+6	4 / 9		Emulate Class Ability 3/day
9	+6	+6	+6	+6	4 / 11		Dual Actions (any)
10      +7	+7	+7	+7	5 / 11		
11	+8	+7	+7	+7	5 / 13		Emulate Class Ability 4/day
12	+9	+8	+8	+8	6 / 13		Dual Mind

Special Abilities:

• Spell-Like Abilities (Sp): You gain use of spell-like abilities a certain number of times per day, at the cost of your sanity. Over the course of a day, you may call upon Demogorgon to grant you any Sorcerer or Cleric spell (with a casting time of 1 round or less) as a spell-like ability, limited only by the level of spells available to you and your total number of SLA uses per day... and your available Wisdom. Each use of a Spell-Like Ability granted from this class costs you one point of special Wisdom damage, called Wisdom Burn. Wisdom Burn cannot be healed by magical means (except via Insanity Conduit, see below).
  Starting at 1st level, you may call upon any 0-level spell, up to 3 times each day (different or the same). At 2nd level you can call upon any 1st or 0-level spell, up to a total of 3 times each day (2 1st level and one 0-level, or any combination), and so on.
  You do not need to choose these spell-like abilities in advance. Instead, simply pick whichever you'd like to cast at the moment.
  The DC for these SLAs is 10 + 1/2 your total HD + your Charisma modifier.
  (Note: You may apply Empower Spell-Like Ability and Quicken Spell-Like Ability to these SLAs if your total HD would normally allow you to do so. See the tables here:
  http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#empowerSpellLikeAbility
  ...and here:
  http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsterFeats.htm#quickenSpellLikeAbility
  for qualifications.)
• Spell-Like Bluff (Ex): When using a spell-like ability, you may make gestures which make it seem as though you are casting an actual spell. The Spellcraft DC to spot your fraud is your Bluff check plus your Thrall level. Note that when emulating gestures for a spell from the Sorc/Wiz list, you are subject to arcane spell failure, even though your spell-like ability would not be.
• Dual Actions (Ex): Once per day per Thrall level you may make an extra standard action, so long as it is purely mental. Mental actions include maintaining concentration on a spell, manifesting a psionic power, regaining psionic focus (if you have the Psionic Meditation feat), and using a spell-like ability.
  At 9th level, you gain the ability to take an extra action of any type (mental, magical or physical), though you may do so only once per day per class level.
• Emulate Class Ability (Ex): Once per day as a Swift or Immediate action you gain the use of one of the following:
  - Evasion (or Improved Evasion if you already have Evasion);
  - Rage (as the Barbarian ability);
  - Stunning Fist;
  - Shadow Jump (10 ft. per Thrall level);
  - Smite Good (add Thrall levels to levels of any class that grants this ability for this use only);
  - Bolster/Rebuke Undead (add Thrall levels to levels of any class that grants this ability for this use only);
  - Insane Certainty (+4 bonus to Will save).
  Those abilities which pertain to saving throws (evasion and insane certainty) are activated as Immediate actions, and you may activate them after you have rolled but before you know if your roll resulted in success or failure. All the rest are Swift actions.
• Insanity Conduit (Sp): You may attempt to pass your corrupt insanity to an opponent just by looking into her eyes. This is similar to a gaze attack, but you must use a standard action, and those merely looking at you are not affected. If your victim fails a Will save, she takes wisdom damage equal to your Wisdom Burn, and you are cured of your current Wisdom Burn. This is a spell-like ability, and costs you both a daily spell-like ability use and one point of Wisdom Burn to attempt.
• Device Mastery (Su): You may take 10 on Use Magic Device checks, and all spells are considered to be on your spell list for the purpose of Wand and Staff use.
• Dread Gaze (Sp/Su): This spell-like ability costs you one daily spell-like ability use and one point of Wisdom Burn as usual, but the effect it grants is a supernatural gaze attack which affects all creatures within 60 ft. so long as you maintain concentration. Your gaze attack may be either charming or confusing, affecting each creature as though it were the subject of the spell charm monster or confusion (respectively). The DC for this gaze attack is the same as that of your spell-like abilities.
• Dual Mind (Ex): You are effectively of two minds. If you are stunned, dazed, confused, or otherwise subject to a [mind-affecting] effect, all this does is prevent you from using your Dual Actions class ability until the effect expires. If you are subject to two or more of these effects simultaneously, only half of them affect you (round down, your choice which effects affect you) -- the other half affect your alternate mind.
  Each round as a Swift action you may re-shuffle which [mind-affecting] effects are affecting each mind.
  (Note that this shirking of ill effects will annoy your alternate mind, and it will no doubt begin plotting an elaborate revenge.)

I'm thinking that the spell-like ability thing may be a tiny little bit too strong. It's balanced by the limit of spell level and hard limit of uses per day, but I'd like to hear from people as to how they could abuse this if given the chance, so appropriate limits could be put in place.

EDIT: Okay, now the spell-like abilities are limited to emulating spells with a casting time of 1 round or less. No permanency, no unhallow... except via Use Magic Device, which means they will cost normal price. Genius!

Thanks, -- N

 

[Nifft]

... and part deux!

Mortal Thrall of Demogorgon (Arcanist)

Role: Two-Fisted Spellcaster

Prerequisites:
Alignment: Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil
Skill Ranks: Knowlege(any two) 8+, Spellcraft 8+
Feats: Demonic Thrall, Still Spell, Improved Familiar
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 3rd level Arcane spells
Special: Must have a Fiendish Familiar symbiote (see Fiend Folio)
Special: Must sacrifice two good, intelligent, living beings by drowning them while two different servitors of Demogorgon look on. (One servitor must be [Extraplanar], like a summoned herzou, while the other must not be [Extraplanar], like a local aboleth or a mortal Thrall of Demogorgon.)

Benefits:
HD: d6
BAB: 1/2 (as Sorcerer)
Good Save: Will
Skill Points: 2 + Int bonus
Class Skills: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowlege (any) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

[u]
Level   BAB   F/R/W	Spellcasting	Special Abilities [/u]
1	+0   +0/0/2	--		Dual Actions (Maintain)
2	+1   +0/0/3	+1 Level	Familiar Bond
3	+1   +1/1/3	+1 Level	Shared Sight
4	+2   +1/1/4	--		Dual Actions (Cast)
5	+2   +1/1/4	+1 Level	Shared Senses
6	+3   +2/2/5	+1 Level	Dual Mind

Special Abilities:

• Dual Actions (Maintain) (Su): You may "pass" your fiendish familiar a spell currently in effect, and it may maintain concentration for you, allowing you to take other actions. The spell's duration does not change. Your fiendish familiar may maintain concentration on only one spell at a time. Should any event occur that would disrupt your concentration, your fiendish familiar must make a concentration check (using your concentration bonus) or lose concentration.
  
• Familiar Bond (Ex): If you had a familiar up to now, you are compelled to either sacrifice it in a gruesome ceremony to Demogorgon, or to feed it to your symbiote. Your symbiote becomes your familiar, granting you all the normal familiar bonuses (Alertness, Share Spells, etc.), and your MToD(A) levels stack with any class levels that grant or advance your familiar.
  As a special familiar bonus, your fiendish symbiote grants you a +3 bonus to any one Knowledge skill. Once chosen, this skill does not change.
  
• Shared Sight (Ex): You gain the ability to see through your fiendish familiar's eyes, which as a side effect provides you with both Darkvision and Low-Light Vision. If you already had Darkvision from another source (or later gain it), you instead gain extended range on your Darkvision of +30 ft.
  In either case, you also gain a +4 circumstance bonus to Spot and Search checks.
  
• Dual Actions (Cast) (Su): Your fiendish familiar may dip into your mystical store of prepared spells, and cast them for you, albeit inexpertly. Your familiar may cast any spell you could cast up to two levels lower than your highest spell, and it casts as though it were your level minus four.
  Thus, the familiar of a Sorc6/MToD(A)4 could cast any spell known by its host/master of 0th, 1st or 2nd level, at caster level 4. (If the host/master had taken Practiced Spellcaster, his familiar would cast at caster level 6 instead.)
  Any spell cast by your familiar is considered Stilled.
  
• Shared Senses (Ex): You may now see, hear and smell through your fiendish familiar's senses. This grants you the effect of see invisibility, a +4 circumstance bonus on Listen checks, and the Scent special ability.
  
• Dual Mind (Ex): You may pass [mind-affecting] effects off on your fiendish familiar, so that it is affected instead of you. If you are subject to two or more of these effects simultaneously, only half of them affect you (round down, your choice which effects affect you) -- the other half affect your familiar. Each round as a Swift action you may re-shuffle which [mind-affecting] effects are affecting you, and which are affecting your familiar. Note that, as an Outsider, your familiar will be immune to some effects that would affect you.
  (Also note that subjecting your familiar to ill effects will annoy it, and it will no doubt begin plotting an elaborate revenge.)

-- N

 

[Cheiromancer]

I like the motif of "(Also note that subjecting your ______ to ill effects will annoy it, and it will no doubt begin plotting an elaborate revenge.)"

Keep up the good work!

 

[Evilhalfling]

Part 1
Hmm dual actions seems very strong for a psionist, esp for a 1 lvl dip, and Im not sure why demegorgon is in charge of chameleons. and the special abiltiy from either divine or Arcane lists ? This would be useful for a chameleon but I dont see the rational for it.
Hmm the thrall goes into incurable wisdom decline for 2 lvls before being able to recover - then your insanity becomes an attack. Im not sure its workable. This seems very powerful, but you do give up all other spellcasting advancement.


Part 2
Lovely. (rereads FF) but unless you have added the fiendish symbiot to the improved fam. list it(IF) seems like an odd requirement. The dual actions are tuned down from the first, and more balanced. Pending part 3 this version is likely to see use.

Part 3
Looking forward to it

Over the whole thread which of these cultisits have seen playtime and how did it work out?

 

[Nifft]

Part 1
Hmm dual actions seems very strong for a psionist, esp for a 1 lvl dip, and Im not sure why demegorgon is in charge of chameleons.

Note the language: 1/day per Thrall level. So sure, two Powers in one round 1/day for a one level dip.

Part 2
Lovely. (rereads FF) but unless you have added the fiendish symbiot to the improved fam. list it(IF) seems like an odd requirement. The dual actions are tuned down from the first, and more balanced.

They're also not limited to merely being used x/day times.
Imp Familiar is there to justify the 2nd level class ability which allows you to use your Fiendish Familiar as an actual Familiar, even if it's not on the IF list.

Over the whole thread which of these cultisits have seen playtime and how did it work out?

As PCs? None what so ever IMC. These are bad-guy only.

As bad guys? My PCs don't know which yet, so I'm not going to spoil them. Maybe I'll put up a Rogue's Gallery of defeated villians, including those which use these templates.

-- N

 

[Nifft]

Ooo, neglected to address one point: why is D'gorgo in charge of Chameleons? Well, he's not. The Chameleon would remain. This PrC is for a Vile Chameleon of Insanity. D'gorgo was portrayed in the BoVD to be the patron of the disorganized-- er, the multi-classed.

-- N

 

[Cheiromancer]

I'm not sure if wisdom burn balances the conduit's spell-like abilities. All they need is a few low will minions around to dump insanity on (via insanity conduit) and they can cast 13 6th level spells every day. They could even make those minions using the monster summoning spells. That's on days when they don't fight anything that they can use the IC on. A nice combo that; IC someone, then follow up with dread gaze. I wonder if it would be best to make IC count as a use of a daily spell-like ability.

I'm also a little nervous about the MToD (conduit) being able to choose high level spells for all his SLAs. Though they would have to be 17th level to get 13 6th level SLAs, and a 17th level sorcerer can cast a comparable number of 6th level or higher spells. Hmmm. Maybe its OK. I'll need to think about it a bit more.

 

[Nifft]

A nice combo that; IC someone, then follow up with dread gaze. I wonder if it would be best to make IC count as a use of a daily spell-like ability.

Insanity Conduit is (Sp), and is thus certainly a spell-like ability! I ought to make that more explicit (counts as a daily use, etc.) I guess.

I'm also a little nervous about the MToD (conduit) being able to choose high level spells for all his SLAs. Though they would have to be 17th level to get 13 6th level SLAs, and a 17th level sorcerer can cast a comparable number of 6th level or higher spells. Hmmm. Maybe its OK. I'll need to think about it a bit more.

That's exactly how I feel. It seems technically balanced compared to a 17th level spellcaster, but I feel a nagging suspicion that there's some hideously broken application lurking just beyond my field of vision... I sure don't think[/i] I care that stoneskin is available for free, nor that both planar ally and planar binding are free.

Thanks, -- N

 

[Drowbane]

Dag yo!

Love the conversions Nifft! BoED made alot of the material in BoVD look weak when it came out... nice to see Evil getting some love again.

You know those three Evil-Outsider PrC in Fiend Folio? Any chance you could squish them down into a 10 lvl PrC? Of course, the 3 of them all being 6 lvls has a certain appeal.

I love what you did with the DoMephisto... the old version was good for 3 lvls... oooh, Flare at will. Gimme a break. Launching 3d6 hell-balls around was kinda nice. But the new Psi book's pyro makes the original DoMephisto look like a chump... and the Pyro is much easier to get into... no painful Feats to take.

 

[Cheiromancer]

I feel a nagging suspicion that there's some hideously broken application lurking just beyond my field of vision... I sure don't think I care that stoneskin is available for free, nor that both planar ally and planar binding are free.

How about Unhallow for free?

And what kind of spells can you put in there, anyways? I don't understand how the duration override is supposed to work. Can you link true strike to unhallow and have the bad guys get a continuous +20 to hit? Even if you just use the suggestions in the book (which are not exhaustive), it could be pretty bad.

Remember too that permanency is only a 5th level spell.