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View Full Version : Possessed Base Class - A horror themed reverse Prc (PEACH)



Lysander
2009-10-25, 03:24 AM
Sometimes an evil spirit, either an outsider or a ghost, manages to claw it's way to the material plane and possess a living victim. This victim is trapped in their own body, helplessly observing as the spirit lives their life and commits wicked deeds in self interest.

If you want to play as that evil spirit, laughing it up in a stolen body, this is the class for you.

A Possessed person gains a variety of evil supernatural abilities, but more importantly regains the spellcasting ability of their true form by multiclassing to a powerful caster once they complete the Possessed class at level 8. In this sense it is a reverse Prc that must be taken before you become a caster rather than after.

The Possessed

Alignment
Any Evil

Hit Die
d8

Class Skills
Bluff, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Planes, Arcana, Religion), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, Use Magic Device

Skill Points at 1st Level
(2 + Int modifier) ×4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level
2 + Int modifier.

The Host
A person must enter The Possessed class at level 1 and cannot take another class until they complete all 8 levels. The spirit occupies the body of a helpless good NPC, giving The Possessed two backstories for roleplaying purposes, one for the spirit and one for the victim. The NPC typically has family and friends who will try to imprison them and exorcise the spirit if they realize they are possessed. Most Possessed either carefully hide their true nature, or flee their hometown to wreak havoc elsewhere.

The spirit is typically an evil outsider or the ghost of a deceased magician. They have full access to the host's memories. The host is fully aware of the spirit's actions but is usually powerless to resist. Sometimes, when the spirit is about to perform a truly heinous act (such as killing a defenseless innocent) the host may make an opposed d20 check to prevent the spirit from performing that specific action or a similar action towards the same goal for 1d4 rounds. The host receives a +2 modifier if they would otherwise harm a close friend or family member. The spirit can attempt other actions on the rare occasions its actions are stymied.

If a spell that can read minds is used on a Possessed person the spell may hear two overlapping streams of thought.

Exorcism
The spirit faces a remote risk of exorcism. Exorcising a spirit requires binding them in holy ground and performing a 24 hour ritual culminating in a Remove Curse spell. The Possessed must be completely helpless. Any interruption in the ritual requires starting over from the beginning. The ritual must be performed by a good divine caster who must succeed on a DC20 Knowledge Religion check and must successful turn the Possessed at least once during the 24 hours. An exorcised PC is effectively dead, except their host remains alive and resumes their old life to the best of their ability. A freed host is the same level as the Possessed but has a different class keeping with its background.

Death
If the host body is slain when the spirit is in control, raising or resurrecting the body restores it to life with the spirit in control. If the spirit is exorcised, killing and later raising or resurrecting the host body on unholy ground restores the spirit to power but bears the normal level loss. If revived elsewhere an exorcised host remains free.

Shapeshifting
As the Possessed gains new levels they gain the ability to shapeshift into a variety of hideous forms. Shifting to or from a form is a standard action, and they may shift directly from one alternate form to another. However they may exist in only one alternate form at a time.

{table=head]Level|Bab|Fort|Reflex|Will|Special
1|+0|+2|+0|+2|Turn Vulnerability/Reverse Turning, Terrify Animals, Darkvision, Suppressed Mind, Cursed Body, Natural Attack
2|+1|+3|+0|+3|Frightful Presence, Quadrupedal Horror
3|+2|+3|+1|+3|Levitation, Evasion
4|+3|+4|+1|+4|Detect Thoughts
5|+3|+4|+1|+4|Lurching Horror
6|+4|+5|+2|+5|Horrid Healing
7|+5|+5|+2|+5|Climbing Horror
8|+6/+1|+6|+2|+6|Full Control, Terrifying Flight, Future Caster Level Boost
[/table]

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Possessed gain proficiency with simple weapons. They gain no proficiency with armor or shields.

Aura
Possessed have a powerful evil aura.

Turn Vulnerability/Reverse Turning
Possessed are vulnerable to turning attempts as if they were undead creatures, although they are living. They cannot be rebuked, commanded, or destroyed by these means. Attempting to turn the Possessed is risky though. If a person fails to turn the Possessed, the spirit may as a free action choose to attempt turning them in response. This operates exactly like turning undead, requiring a charisma check from the Possessed except no holy symbol is required. When a Possessed successfully turns a person of half their HD or less that person is drived mad, as an Insanity spell.

Terrify Animals
Animals are automatically shaken when within 20 feet of the Possessed and shy away. The Possessed has a negative modifier equal to their class level on all handle animal or ride checks. This has no effect on familiars, nor other magical creatures.

Darkvision
Possessed have darkvision up to 60ft.

Suppressed Mind (Su)
Having two minds in one body makes the Possessed difficult to affect with enchantments. Whenever they are targeted with a mind-affecting magic that allows a will save, there is a 50% chance the Possessed succeeds in resisting before even attempting a save.

Cursed Body
The host body gains damage reduction 1/good. Each level thereafter, his damage reduction improves by 1, until by 8th level, he has damage reduction 8/good.

Natural Attack
At first level the Possessed gains a claw attack that deals slashing damage (1d4 for Small creatures, 1d6 for Medium, or 1d8 for Large), plus his Strength modifier. Their hands appear normal despite this ability. This claw attack is a evil weapon for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction.

Frightful Presence (Ex)
The Possessed gains a frightful presence when he chooses.

Quadrapedal Horror (Ex)
The Possessed can unnaturally twist their arms behind their back to act as a quadrupedal creature. Altering themselves this way or turning back and standing requires a standard action. In this state the possessed creature's landspeed is increased by 30 feet but they are unable to hold any items. While quadrapedal they are also prone.

Levitation (Su)
The Possessed can levitate, as the spell, but only affecting themselves. They may levitate for a number of minutes each day equal to their class level. This usage may be broken up into separate increments of one minute or operate continuously.

Evasion (Ex)
The Possessed gains the Evasion feat.

Detect Thoughts (Su)
The Possessed can read minds, as Detect Thoughts, with anyone they're engaging in conversation. They can read the thoughts of anyone hearing them speak, even if their target remains silent.

Lurching Horror (Ex)
As a standard action the Possessed may shift to a hideous form of mangled unnatural joints that causes jerky movement, or shift back. In this form their Bab is decreased by 2 and their AC increased by 2. While in this form they cannot cast any spell with a somatic component.

Horrid Healing (Ex)
Once a day the Possessed may either heal themselves from any negative number to 1hp or they may ignore the extra damage caused by a single critical hit. Either usage is automatically triggered as a free action when applicable, spending their Horrid Healing for the day.

Climbing Horror (Su)
As a standard action the Possessed may alter their limbs to resemble the angled arms of an arachnid, or turn back. In this form they may climb walls, as the Spider Climb spell, at will. Their claw attack also becomes poisonous (1d10 points of temporary Constitution damage immediately and another 1d10 points of temporary Constitution damage 1 minute later. Each instance of damage can be negated by a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ your caster level + your Wis modifier). However they may not hold anything while climbing.

Full Control
The spirit eventually gains complete domination over the host body. The host can no longer resist any action the spirit attempts.


Terrifying Flight (Su)
As a standard action the Possessed can assume a winged daemonic form that allows flight at twice their normal land speed with average maneuverability. In this form the Possessed gains the Flyby Attack feat.

Future Caster Level Boost
After eight levels the spirit can access its old spellcasting ability. For the next five levels of any combination of charisma based spellcasting classes they take, for each level they learn new spells and gain new spell slots as if advancing two levels instead of one and their caster level rises by two with each level instead of one. They do not gain bonus feats or any other special abilities or benefits faster than normal.

Bonus Languages
The Possessed's bonus language options include Abyssal and Infernal (the languages of chaotic evil and lawful evil outsiders, respectively), and any one other language (subject to DM approval) that fits with the spirit's backstory. These choices are in addition to the bonus languages available to the character because of his host race.

Yora
2009-10-25, 03:27 AM
It's either a base class or a prestige class, but not both. :smallbiggrin:

Why do you have to take the class at first level? I think it would be possible for a person to become possesed like that at a later point.

And I fear this class is very weak. It has some creepy effects, but it can't actually do anything in a fight. Climbing on walls, getting +2 to AC and scaring animals is creepy, but what do you do if you want to fight something? The class has about the combat capabilities of an expert, without the benefit of being a skill monkey.

Lysander
2009-10-25, 03:35 AM
It's either a base class or a prestige class, but not both. :smallbiggrin:

Technically it's a base class, but it is similar to a prc in that it adds to the spells and caster level of another class. That's to prevent the character from being at a disadvantage once they finish this class. Later on they're three levels behind in spellcasting ability, but have a bunch of useful special abilities and bonus hitpoints.

Flayerman
2009-10-25, 03:39 AM
So it's a monster class, Savage Species-style?