Doctor Acula
2010-07-16, 12:23 PM
Withered Hand of Life
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/298/d/5/d54a1076f9b1e27fef199e6e860dfefe.jpg
"You may think it wrong but I know that these souls, dead or not, are as much a part or nature as the trees in the forest or the earth beneath your feet"- Donru Malikani, a Withered Hand of Life
Most druids look down upon the undead, casting them out as if they were abominations. However some druids view the undead as an equal part of life, a ying to life's yang. After all the vampire hunts as the wolf and no one would call the wolf unnatural. The undead are merely the other side to a coin, equally valuable and equally beautiful.
The Order of the Withered Hand was founded by druids who through understanding and study not only accept the undead but learn how too use their powers as well as they can use nature's powers. Few druid's have the acceptance to follow this path, however those that do find a greater understanding in it.
Becoming a Withered Hand of Life
All Withered Hands of Life must be druids at some point in their career, however the path they take is often varied. Sometimes they take a few levels in rogue to extenuate their own stealth or into cleric to increase their knowledge of undead.
Entry Requirments
Class Features: Must be able to wild shape, Must have an Animal companion
Alignment: Neutral good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, or neutral evil
Special: Peaceful contact with at least one undead creature
Skills: Knowledge(nature) 8 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks
Class Skills
The Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int
Hit Dice: d12
{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spellcasting
1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Rebuke Undead, Expanded Spell list, Spontaneous Casting | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Wild Shape(+1/day)| +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Ghost Companion |
4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Wild Shape(+1/day), Wild Shape(Undead) | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Spectral Companion | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Wild Shape(+1/day), Wild Shape(Incorporeal) |
7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Wild Shape(+1/day) | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Wraith Companion |
10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Wild Shape(+1/day), Withered Body| +1 level of existing Spellcasting class [/table]
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Withered Hand of Life gains no armor or weapon proficiencies.
Spells per Day: At every level indicated on the accompanying table, a Withered Hand of Life gains additional spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever Druid. She does not, however, gain
any other benefit a Druid of that level would have
gained.
Rebuke Undead: Any Withered Hand, regardless of alignment,
has the power to rebuke or command undead creatures (such as skeletons,
zombies, ghosts, and vampires) by channeling the power of nature through any bone of a creature that has been dead for over one week. This ability works identically too the Cleric feature of the same name.
A Withered Hand may attempt to turn undead a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. A Withered Hand with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion) gets a +2 bonus on turning checks against
undead.
Expanded Spell List: The Withered Hand gains the following spells added too his Druid spell list, he can prepare and cast them as normal druid spells
Level 0: Inflict Minor Wounds
Level 1: Inflict Light Wounds, Detect Undead, Summon Undead I
Level 2: Inflict Moderate Wounds, Death Knell, Command Undead, Summon Undead II
Level 3: Inflict Serious Wounds, Animate Dead, Speak with Dead, Vampiric Touch, Summon Undead III
Level 4: Inflict Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Summon Undead IV
Level 5: Inflict Light Wounds; Mass, Slay Living, Magic Jar, Summon Undead V
Level 6: Inflict Moderate Wounds; Mass, Create Undead
Level 7: Inflict Serious Wounds; Mass, Repulsion, Ethereal Jaunt, Control Undead
Level 8: Inflict Critical Wounds; Mass, Create Greater Undead
Level 9: Soul Bind, Etherealness, Astral Projection
Spontaneous Casting: A Withered Hand of Life has the ability to spontaneously inflict harm or summon undead allies. At first level, you can choose to spontaneously convert any spell you cast into either an "inflict" spell or "summon undead" spell of equal level. Once this choice is made, you can not change it
Wild shape: At every even numbered level you gain the ability to Wild Shape one additional time per day
Ghost Companion: At third level the Withered Hands animal companion gains the Ghost Brute template from Savage Species
Wild Shape(Undead): Beginning at fourth level a Withered Hand of Life gains the ability to use his Wild Shape to assume the form of any corporal undead creature, he can also apply any corporal undead template to a creature he could otherwise wild shape into, every point of CR in the template is treated as one HD in the wild shaped creature. For example a Druid 5/Withered Hand 7 could Wild Shape into a Polar Bear Skeleton.
Spectral Companion: At fifth level the Withered Hands animal companion gains the "Spectral Creature" template found in savage species, this replaces the ghost brute template gained at level three
Wild Shape(Incorporeal): At sixth level the withered hand may choose to wild shape into any incorporeal undead, he can also apply any incorporeal undead template to a creature he could otherwise wild shape into, every point of CR in the template is treated as one HD in the wild shaped creature.
Wraith Companion:At ninth level the Withered Hands animal companion gains the "Wraith" template found in savage species, this replaces the "Spectral Creature" template gained at level 5
Withered Body: At tenth level the Withered Hand of Life gains the undead creature type, all of his previous hit dice become d12s and he loses his constitution score. He also gains all the other benefits and weaknesses of the Undead type.
Playing a Withered Hand of Life
As a Withered Hand you walk a narrow rode between life and death, you attempt to bridge the waters between these concepts and create a better understanding. As such you do not see death as a travesty, merely as a part of life.
Combat: Withered Hands are hearty, they can last a long time in combat however their low base attack bonus means that they are unlikely to be a great help in combat without wild shaping. Their expanded spell list allows them to have a greater offensive casting role in the party. Many Withered Hands choose to heal their allies in combat as well.
Advancement: Most Withered Hand treat their spell casting as their primary function and use other powers to provide a versatility.
Resources: What resources might a member of this PrC be able to draw on..
Withered Hands of Life in the World
"Oh him, yeah he's kinda out there but he knows how to handle himself. One time we were going up against some vampires and he just walks up to the head of our party and says 'Move aside, we are not your meal tonight.' And wouldn't you know it, they walked away!"- Bronsh Krunknar, A fighter in the party of a Withered Hand of Life
Withered Hands of Life each veiw the world differently, some behave as druids would, while others preach understanding to others in the world. Some still view all the life force in the world as tools in their toolbox.
Daily Life: The daily life of a Withered Hand is one of contemplation, they meditate on the bridge between life and death and search for a greater understanding.
Notables: Donru Malikani is the father of the Withered Hands, he was the first one who had the sympathy and understanding to view undead as merely another kind of animal, he often wanders the world feeding zombies and vampires. Itthid Kransk is a more sinister withered hand, she has an affinity for ghosts and will often wild shape into beings that allow her to posses other people. She tries to twist the undead and the living to her will with her powers.
Organizations: The Withered Hand of life is an organization in itself, but members are welcome to join other organizations. Many join churches with gods of death, necromantic colleges or other drudic factions.
NPC Reaction
Most NPCs view Withered Hands in the same manner as they do necromancers, alot of fear and misunderstanding. Other Druids tend to be polarized in opinion of them, some respect and admire their understanding while others view them as abominations of everything a druid is supposed to stand for.
Withered Hand of Life in the Game
Withered Hands of Life maintain all the functionality of the Druid while enhancing their wild shape, animal companion and summoning capabilities. Mostly their roll is primary healer with a secondary role of back-up caster.
Adaptation:The class can be adapted to be an organization of evil druids to be a cabal of villains, alternative they could be an organization dedicated to shepherding the undead into a full passing. The main power in adaptation of this class is it's tiny size, the world most likely won't contain more than a handful of members.
Encounters: Players can encounter a Withered Hand of Life in a variety of pretext, the withered hand of life may hunt them down after disturbing an otherwise peaceful undead or the Withered Hand may be asking for help in a quest of understanding.
Sample Encounter
Give an example of how one might encounter a member of this PrC.
EL x: Give the encounter level and description of a sample member of this class and a stat block for him/her.
Name
alignment/Gender/Race/Levels
Init +0, Senses: Listen +, Spot +,
Languages
------------------------------------------------
AC , touch , flat-footed ()
hp ( HD)
Fort +, Ref +, Will +
------------------------------------------------
Speed ft. ( squares)
Melee
Base Atk +, Grp +
Atk Options
Combat Gear
Spells Prepared
Supernatural Abilities
-----------------------------------------------
Abilities Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
SQ
Feats
Skills
Possessions
Note: I have never made any homebrew before so please PEACH, The rest will be up when I can
http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/298/d/5/d54a1076f9b1e27fef199e6e860dfefe.jpg
"You may think it wrong but I know that these souls, dead or not, are as much a part or nature as the trees in the forest or the earth beneath your feet"- Donru Malikani, a Withered Hand of Life
Most druids look down upon the undead, casting them out as if they were abominations. However some druids view the undead as an equal part of life, a ying to life's yang. After all the vampire hunts as the wolf and no one would call the wolf unnatural. The undead are merely the other side to a coin, equally valuable and equally beautiful.
The Order of the Withered Hand was founded by druids who through understanding and study not only accept the undead but learn how too use their powers as well as they can use nature's powers. Few druid's have the acceptance to follow this path, however those that do find a greater understanding in it.
Becoming a Withered Hand of Life
All Withered Hands of Life must be druids at some point in their career, however the path they take is often varied. Sometimes they take a few levels in rogue to extenuate their own stealth or into cleric to increase their knowledge of undead.
Entry Requirments
Class Features: Must be able to wild shape, Must have an Animal companion
Alignment: Neutral good, lawful neutral, neutral, chaotic neutral, or neutral evil
Special: Peaceful contact with at least one undead creature
Skills: Knowledge(nature) 8 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks
Class Skills
The Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int
Hit Dice: d12
{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spellcasting
1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Rebuke Undead, Expanded Spell list, Spontaneous Casting | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Wild Shape(+1/day)| +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Ghost Companion |
4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Wild Shape(+1/day), Wild Shape(Undead) | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Spectral Companion | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Wild Shape(+1/day), Wild Shape(Incorporeal) |
7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Wild Shape(+1/day) | +1 level of existing Spellcasting class
9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Wraith Companion |
10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Wild Shape(+1/day), Withered Body| +1 level of existing Spellcasting class [/table]
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Withered Hand of Life gains no armor or weapon proficiencies.
Spells per Day: At every level indicated on the accompanying table, a Withered Hand of Life gains additional spells per day as if she had also gained a level in whatever Druid. She does not, however, gain
any other benefit a Druid of that level would have
gained.
Rebuke Undead: Any Withered Hand, regardless of alignment,
has the power to rebuke or command undead creatures (such as skeletons,
zombies, ghosts, and vampires) by channeling the power of nature through any bone of a creature that has been dead for over one week. This ability works identically too the Cleric feature of the same name.
A Withered Hand may attempt to turn undead a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. A Withered Hand with 5 or more ranks in Knowledge (religion) gets a +2 bonus on turning checks against
undead.
Expanded Spell List: The Withered Hand gains the following spells added too his Druid spell list, he can prepare and cast them as normal druid spells
Level 0: Inflict Minor Wounds
Level 1: Inflict Light Wounds, Detect Undead, Summon Undead I
Level 2: Inflict Moderate Wounds, Death Knell, Command Undead, Summon Undead II
Level 3: Inflict Serious Wounds, Animate Dead, Speak with Dead, Vampiric Touch, Summon Undead III
Level 4: Inflict Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Summon Undead IV
Level 5: Inflict Light Wounds; Mass, Slay Living, Magic Jar, Summon Undead V
Level 6: Inflict Moderate Wounds; Mass, Create Undead
Level 7: Inflict Serious Wounds; Mass, Repulsion, Ethereal Jaunt, Control Undead
Level 8: Inflict Critical Wounds; Mass, Create Greater Undead
Level 9: Soul Bind, Etherealness, Astral Projection
Spontaneous Casting: A Withered Hand of Life has the ability to spontaneously inflict harm or summon undead allies. At first level, you can choose to spontaneously convert any spell you cast into either an "inflict" spell or "summon undead" spell of equal level. Once this choice is made, you can not change it
Wild shape: At every even numbered level you gain the ability to Wild Shape one additional time per day
Ghost Companion: At third level the Withered Hands animal companion gains the Ghost Brute template from Savage Species
Wild Shape(Undead): Beginning at fourth level a Withered Hand of Life gains the ability to use his Wild Shape to assume the form of any corporal undead creature, he can also apply any corporal undead template to a creature he could otherwise wild shape into, every point of CR in the template is treated as one HD in the wild shaped creature. For example a Druid 5/Withered Hand 7 could Wild Shape into a Polar Bear Skeleton.
Spectral Companion: At fifth level the Withered Hands animal companion gains the "Spectral Creature" template found in savage species, this replaces the ghost brute template gained at level three
Wild Shape(Incorporeal): At sixth level the withered hand may choose to wild shape into any incorporeal undead, he can also apply any incorporeal undead template to a creature he could otherwise wild shape into, every point of CR in the template is treated as one HD in the wild shaped creature.
Wraith Companion:At ninth level the Withered Hands animal companion gains the "Wraith" template found in savage species, this replaces the "Spectral Creature" template gained at level 5
Withered Body: At tenth level the Withered Hand of Life gains the undead creature type, all of his previous hit dice become d12s and he loses his constitution score. He also gains all the other benefits and weaknesses of the Undead type.
Playing a Withered Hand of Life
As a Withered Hand you walk a narrow rode between life and death, you attempt to bridge the waters between these concepts and create a better understanding. As such you do not see death as a travesty, merely as a part of life.
Combat: Withered Hands are hearty, they can last a long time in combat however their low base attack bonus means that they are unlikely to be a great help in combat without wild shaping. Their expanded spell list allows them to have a greater offensive casting role in the party. Many Withered Hands choose to heal their allies in combat as well.
Advancement: Most Withered Hand treat their spell casting as their primary function and use other powers to provide a versatility.
Resources: What resources might a member of this PrC be able to draw on..
Withered Hands of Life in the World
"Oh him, yeah he's kinda out there but he knows how to handle himself. One time we were going up against some vampires and he just walks up to the head of our party and says 'Move aside, we are not your meal tonight.' And wouldn't you know it, they walked away!"- Bronsh Krunknar, A fighter in the party of a Withered Hand of Life
Withered Hands of Life each veiw the world differently, some behave as druids would, while others preach understanding to others in the world. Some still view all the life force in the world as tools in their toolbox.
Daily Life: The daily life of a Withered Hand is one of contemplation, they meditate on the bridge between life and death and search for a greater understanding.
Notables: Donru Malikani is the father of the Withered Hands, he was the first one who had the sympathy and understanding to view undead as merely another kind of animal, he often wanders the world feeding zombies and vampires. Itthid Kransk is a more sinister withered hand, she has an affinity for ghosts and will often wild shape into beings that allow her to posses other people. She tries to twist the undead and the living to her will with her powers.
Organizations: The Withered Hand of life is an organization in itself, but members are welcome to join other organizations. Many join churches with gods of death, necromantic colleges or other drudic factions.
NPC Reaction
Most NPCs view Withered Hands in the same manner as they do necromancers, alot of fear and misunderstanding. Other Druids tend to be polarized in opinion of them, some respect and admire their understanding while others view them as abominations of everything a druid is supposed to stand for.
Withered Hand of Life in the Game
Withered Hands of Life maintain all the functionality of the Druid while enhancing their wild shape, animal companion and summoning capabilities. Mostly their roll is primary healer with a secondary role of back-up caster.
Adaptation:The class can be adapted to be an organization of evil druids to be a cabal of villains, alternative they could be an organization dedicated to shepherding the undead into a full passing. The main power in adaptation of this class is it's tiny size, the world most likely won't contain more than a handful of members.
Encounters: Players can encounter a Withered Hand of Life in a variety of pretext, the withered hand of life may hunt them down after disturbing an otherwise peaceful undead or the Withered Hand may be asking for help in a quest of understanding.
Sample Encounter
Give an example of how one might encounter a member of this PrC.
EL x: Give the encounter level and description of a sample member of this class and a stat block for him/her.
Name
alignment/Gender/Race/Levels
Init +0, Senses: Listen +, Spot +,
Languages
------------------------------------------------
AC , touch , flat-footed ()
hp ( HD)
Fort +, Ref +, Will +
------------------------------------------------
Speed ft. ( squares)
Melee
Base Atk +, Grp +
Atk Options
Combat Gear
Spells Prepared
Supernatural Abilities
-----------------------------------------------
Abilities Str , Dex , Con , Int , Wis , Cha
SQ
Feats
Skills
Possessions
Note: I have never made any homebrew before so please PEACH, The rest will be up when I can