Grave Warden
A Pathfinder Prestige class by Maxime B.Vincent
A Pathfinder Prestige class by Maxime B.Vincent
In times of old existed an elven race that stretched an empire on whatis now known as the westland wastes. Their Magical prowess was onlymatched by their desire to vanquish death in all it's aspects. Afraidto die and obsessed by the idea that they would be slain in battle,they dwelved into black magic to attain true immortality.
Thegrave wardens where first created by this race of elves to guard thebodies of their dead people until they would finally find a way tobring them back permanently to life. However, fate decided otherwise.The Hubris of the elves was delighted by daemons of the after lifethat twisted their creation, teaching them a lesson that they wouldnot forget: Dealing with black magic is to call ill fate on oneself.
Theelves are long gone now and one may only suppose what fate hasdecided for them, but their creation remains. Used by daemons,necromancers, wizards and powerful undead Magi, the rituals leadingto the creation of a grave warden are kept in the greater secrets bythose who posses it's twisted knowledge.
HitDie: D12
Requirements
Toqualify to become a grave warden, a character must fulfil all thefollowing criteria.
Alignment:any Non-Good
BaseAttack Bonus: +6.
Skills:Knowledge (Religion) 3 Ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 1 Rank, Intimidate2 Ranks.
Feats:Die Hard, Cleave, Power Attack
Special:The character must have died and must have been resurrected using adark ritual demanding the sacrifice of a good soul. The ritual has tobe made by an arcane spell caster that knows 6 thlevel spells. The grave warden must then serve the being for a totalof 7 days, after this period of “probation” has passed they arefree of bonds.
Class Skills
Craft(Int), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int),Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), SenseMotive (Wis), Spell Craft (Int).
SkillRanks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class features
All ofthe following are Class Features of the grave warden prestige class.
Weaponand Armour Proficiency: grave wardens are proficient with thesame weapons, armours and shields than their class of origin.
Auraof Undeath (Ex): The power of the grave warden's aura (see detectundead spell) is equal to his class level.
DetectLife (Sp): At will, a grave warden can use detectlife, as the spell detect animals or plants (that also works onhumanoids). A grave warden can as a move action, concentrate on asingle individual or animal, individual or plant within 60 feet anddetermine if it's alive as well as it's condition having studied itfor 3 rounds. While focusing one one individual, the grave wardendoes not detect evil in any other animal, individual or plant withinrange.
BloodStrike(Su): Once a day, the grave warden can call out the powersof the grave to leech the life essence of their foes. As a swiftaction, the grave warden chooses one target within sight to strike.If the target is living, the grave warden adds his charisma bonus (ifany) to his attack rolls and 1d4 for every two class levels of thegrave warden to his damage rolls made against the target for hisblood strike. The grave warden gains hit points equal to the damagedone this way, but the total hit points gained cannot exceed thetarget's current hit points + it's constitution score (which isenough to kill the target).
Spells:A grave warden has the ability to cast a small number of divinespells. Prepare any spell, a grave warden must have a Charisma scoreof at least 10 + the spell’s level. The Difficulty Class for savingthrows against a grave warden's spell is 10 +t he spell level + thegrave warden's charisma modifier. A grave warden must choose andprepare his spells in advance.
Likeother spell casters, the grave warden can only cast a limited numberof spells per day. In addition of his spell allotment given on thefollowing table, the grave warden is entitled to additional bonusspells if he has a high enough Charisma score (see Core Rulebook,Table 1-3). When the grave warden gets 0 spells per day of a givenspell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled tobased on his Charisma score for that spell level. The grave warden'sspell list appears below.
Agrave warden has access to any spell on the list and can freelychoose which to prepare, just as a Cleric. A grave warden prepareshis spells by secluding himself in prayers and meditation for a fullhour, invoking the powers of the spirits and the after-life to givehim strength, sometimes sacrificing living creatures in the process.a grave warden's caster level is equal to his total class level -3.
Blessingof the After-Life(Su): A grave warden applies his CharismaModifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws.
TrueDeath (Ex): At 2 nd level a grave warden is immune toall diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases. The Gravewarden also becomes immune to sleep effects, hunger and thirst
ChannelNegative Energy (Su)When a grave warden reaches 3rd level, hegains the supernatural ability to channel negative energy like anevil cleric. The grave warden uses his level as his effective clericlevel when channelling negative energy. Using this ability consumesone use of his blood strike ability. This is a Charisma-basedability.
UndyingCompanion (Sp): at 4 th level, a grave warden gains theability to resurrect a long dead companion in the form of a skeletalchampion if the companion was humanoid or an animal with the undeadtemplate if it was an animal (most likely a horse, but dogs and evenother familiars might just do the trick). This companion functions asa Druid's animal companion using the class level of the grave wardenas the effective druid level. Undying companions have an intelligenceof at least 6 (humanoid undying companions retain their intelligenceand their memories and are aligned with the same alignment as thegrave warden).
Onceper day, as a full-round action, a grave warden may magically callhis undying companion which rises from the grave at his side. Thisability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-thirdthe grave warden's level. The undying companion appears adjacent tothe grave warden. The grave warden can use this ability once per dayfor every 4 class levels of the grave warden (2 at 8 thlevel, 3 at 12 th level, 4 at 16 th level and 5at 20 th level).
Shouldthe grave warden's undying companion “die”, it returns to thegrave with all it's equipment and can be summoned 15 days later.During this period, the grave warden feels weak and take -1 to allattack and damage rolls.
RestlessSouls (Sp): Upon reaching 6 th level, the grave wardencreates a sinister bond with the spirits of all the foes he hasslain, imbuing his weapon with the power of their hatred and eternalagony. When called, the spirits make the weapon glow with pale andcold blue light (treat as a torch) as trails of fume and mist areswirling and twirling around it's edges. These spirits grant theweapon with a +3 enhancement bonus that stacks with existing magicalweapon properties to a maximum of +5 or they can be used to add anyof the following weapon properties: Frost, Ghost touch, Unholy,Vicious and Wounding. Adding the properties consumes a number ofbonus equal to the properties cost (Core Rulebook, Table 15-9). Thesebonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, butduplicate properties do not stack. If the weapon is not magical atleast a +1 bonus is required before any other properties can beadded. The bonus given by the spirits are determined when they arecalled and cannot be changed until they are called again. The spiritswill not confer any bonuses if the weapon is wielded by anyone butthe grave warden who summoned them but will resume giving bonuseswhen returning to the grave warden. This ability appliesmodifications to only one end of a double weapon. This ability can beused once per day for every class level of the grave warden (for atotal of 4 times per day at level 20) and last 1 minute per classlevel of the grave warden.
Auraof Withering (Su): Beginning at 8rd level, the grave wardenradiates a necrotic aura that causes nearby plants to wither and dieat an accelerated rate. Any living enemy withing 10 feet of the Gravewarden takes a -2 to all save rolls and a -1 to all attack rolls.
Championof the After-Life: at 10 th level, the grave wardenbecomes a true champion of the undeath. His DR increases to 10/Goodand is immune to all death effect spells and spell-like abilities.Each ally within 10 feet also gain a +4 bonus save against deatheffect spells or spell-like abilities. Also, the grave warden's bloodstrike special abilities now uses D6s instead of D4s. The bonus givenby the Grave warden's restless souls special ability rises to +6 andthe vorpal property can now be added to his weapon. In addition,whenever he uses his channel negative energy to heal undeadcreatures, the grave warden heals the maximum possible amount ofdamage.
Thegrave wardens where first created by this race of elves to guard thebodies of their dead people until they would finally find a way tobring them back permanently to life. However, fate decided otherwise.The Hubris of the elves was delighted by daemons of the after lifethat twisted their creation, teaching them a lesson that they wouldnot forget: Dealing with black magic is to call ill fate on oneself.
Theelves are long gone now and one may only suppose what fate hasdecided for them, but their creation remains. Used by daemons,necromancers, wizards and powerful undead Magi, the rituals leadingto the creation of a grave warden are kept in the greater secrets bythose who posses it's twisted knowledge.
HitDie: D12
Requirements
Toqualify to become a grave warden, a character must fulfil all thefollowing criteria.
Alignment:any Non-Good
BaseAttack Bonus: +6.
Skills:Knowledge (Religion) 3 Ranks, Knowledge (Arcana) 1 Rank, Intimidate2 Ranks.
Feats:Die Hard, Cleave, Power Attack
Special:The character must have died and must have been resurrected using adark ritual demanding the sacrifice of a good soul. The ritual has tobe made by an arcane spell caster that knows 6 thlevel spells. The grave warden must then serve the being for a totalof 7 days, after this period of “probation” has passed they arefree of bonds.
Class Skills
Craft(Int), Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int),Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), SenseMotive (Wis), Spell Craft (Int).
SkillRanks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class features
All ofthe following are Class Features of the grave warden prestige class.
Weaponand Armour Proficiency: grave wardens are proficient with thesame weapons, armours and shields than their class of origin.
Auraof Undeath (Ex): The power of the grave warden's aura (see detectundead spell) is equal to his class level.
DetectLife (Sp): At will, a grave warden can use detectlife, as the spell detect animals or plants (that also works onhumanoids). A grave warden can as a move action, concentrate on asingle individual or animal, individual or plant within 60 feet anddetermine if it's alive as well as it's condition having studied itfor 3 rounds. While focusing one one individual, the grave wardendoes not detect evil in any other animal, individual or plant withinrange.
BloodStrike(Su): Once a day, the grave warden can call out the powersof the grave to leech the life essence of their foes. As a swiftaction, the grave warden chooses one target within sight to strike.If the target is living, the grave warden adds his charisma bonus (ifany) to his attack rolls and 1d4 for every two class levels of thegrave warden to his damage rolls made against the target for hisblood strike. The grave warden gains hit points equal to the damagedone this way, but the total hit points gained cannot exceed thetarget's current hit points + it's constitution score (which isenough to kill the target).
Spells:A grave warden has the ability to cast a small number of divinespells. Prepare any spell, a grave warden must have a Charisma scoreof at least 10 + the spell’s level. The Difficulty Class for savingthrows against a grave warden's spell is 10 +t he spell level + thegrave warden's charisma modifier. A grave warden must choose andprepare his spells in advance.
Likeother spell casters, the grave warden can only cast a limited numberof spells per day. In addition of his spell allotment given on thefollowing table, the grave warden is entitled to additional bonusspells if he has a high enough Charisma score (see Core Rulebook,Table 1-3). When the grave warden gets 0 spells per day of a givenspell level he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled tobased on his Charisma score for that spell level. The grave warden'sspell list appears below.
Agrave warden has access to any spell on the list and can freelychoose which to prepare, just as a Cleric. A grave warden prepareshis spells by secluding himself in prayers and meditation for a fullhour, invoking the powers of the spirits and the after-life to givehim strength, sometimes sacrificing living creatures in the process.a grave warden's caster level is equal to his total class level -3.
Blessingof the After-Life(Su): A grave warden applies his CharismaModifier (if positive) as a bonus on all saving throws.
TrueDeath (Ex): At 2 nd level a grave warden is immune toall diseases, including supernatural and magical diseases. The Gravewarden also becomes immune to sleep effects, hunger and thirst
ChannelNegative Energy (Su)When a grave warden reaches 3rd level, hegains the supernatural ability to channel negative energy like anevil cleric. The grave warden uses his level as his effective clericlevel when channelling negative energy. Using this ability consumesone use of his blood strike ability. This is a Charisma-basedability.
UndyingCompanion (Sp): at 4 th level, a grave warden gains theability to resurrect a long dead companion in the form of a skeletalchampion if the companion was humanoid or an animal with the undeadtemplate if it was an animal (most likely a horse, but dogs and evenother familiars might just do the trick). This companion functions asa Druid's animal companion using the class level of the grave wardenas the effective druid level. Undying companions have an intelligenceof at least 6 (humanoid undying companions retain their intelligenceand their memories and are aligned with the same alignment as thegrave warden).
Onceper day, as a full-round action, a grave warden may magically callhis undying companion which rises from the grave at his side. Thisability is the equivalent of a spell of a level equal to one-thirdthe grave warden's level. The undying companion appears adjacent tothe grave warden. The grave warden can use this ability once per dayfor every 4 class levels of the grave warden (2 at 8 thlevel, 3 at 12 th level, 4 at 16 th level and 5at 20 th level).
Shouldthe grave warden's undying companion “die”, it returns to thegrave with all it's equipment and can be summoned 15 days later.During this period, the grave warden feels weak and take -1 to allattack and damage rolls.
RestlessSouls (Sp): Upon reaching 6 th level, the grave wardencreates a sinister bond with the spirits of all the foes he hasslain, imbuing his weapon with the power of their hatred and eternalagony. When called, the spirits make the weapon glow with pale andcold blue light (treat as a torch) as trails of fume and mist areswirling and twirling around it's edges. These spirits grant theweapon with a +3 enhancement bonus that stacks with existing magicalweapon properties to a maximum of +5 or they can be used to add anyof the following weapon properties: Frost, Ghost touch, Unholy,Vicious and Wounding. Adding the properties consumes a number ofbonus equal to the properties cost (Core Rulebook, Table 15-9). Thesebonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, butduplicate properties do not stack. If the weapon is not magical atleast a +1 bonus is required before any other properties can beadded. The bonus given by the spirits are determined when they arecalled and cannot be changed until they are called again. The spiritswill not confer any bonuses if the weapon is wielded by anyone butthe grave warden who summoned them but will resume giving bonuseswhen returning to the grave warden. This ability appliesmodifications to only one end of a double weapon. This ability can beused once per day for every class level of the grave warden (for atotal of 4 times per day at level 20) and last 1 minute per classlevel of the grave warden.
Auraof Withering (Su): Beginning at 8rd level, the grave wardenradiates a necrotic aura that causes nearby plants to wither and dieat an accelerated rate. Any living enemy withing 10 feet of the Gravewarden takes a -2 to all save rolls and a -1 to all attack rolls.
Championof the After-Life: at 10 th level, the grave wardenbecomes a true champion of the undeath. His DR increases to 10/Goodand is immune to all death effect spells and spell-like abilities.Each ally within 10 feet also gain a +4 bonus save against deatheffect spells or spell-like abilities. Also, the grave warden's bloodstrike special abilities now uses D6s instead of D4s. The bonus givenby the Grave warden's restless souls special ability rises to +6 andthe vorpal property can now be added to his weapon. In addition,whenever he uses his channel negative energy to heal undeadcreatures, the grave warden heals the maximum possible amount ofdamage.
