Benly
2010-10-01, 06:14 AM
This PrC is intended for entry by the Chicken Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=167862) prestige class by M-Bark. It builds on that class's strengths, while taking it in a different, more sinister direction.
Agricultist
For the most part, Chicken Masters are simple folk who want nothing more than to raise and wield their chickens in peace. Sometimes, though, that's not enough. Sometimes, the lure of power grows too strong.
Sometimes, the chicken goes bad.
The Agricultist draws upon the power of dark forces, which happen to be chickens, to pursue his nefarious goals. The nefarious goals may also be chickens. To achieve his goals, he allies himself with ever more dangerous and wicked poultry, sacrificing and driving out the chickens that once infested him in the pursuit of other, more powerful chickens.
Making an Agricultist
Only Commoners are sufficiently infested with chickens to become Agricultists, and most Agricultists were Chicken Masters before falling to the dark-meat side. Occasionally an Agricultist will have gained levels in another class before yielding to his fell and chicken-related desires, but this is rare.
Abilities: As the key ability for Handle Animal, Charisma is probably the most important ability score for an Agricultist. However, if anyone liked you, you probably wouldn't be screwing around with evil magic chickens. Constitution and Dexterity are also important for surviving enemy attacks, as well as the attacks of grumpy chickens. Intelligence is useful, but again, if you were smart you probably wouldn't be screwing around with evil magic chickens.
Alignment: Agricultists are usually evil, as they consort with dark but small-minded powers to gain their abilities. However, a few Agricultists choose to turn their power to higher ends. No truly good person would walk the path of the Agricultist, but some neutral Agricultists exist, using their dark and ridiculous powers towards noble and yet still ridiculous goals.
Races: Agricultists are not exactly common among any of the races. However, they are found most often among humans, halflings, and half-orcs: humans and halflings because they are the races most engaged in farm labor, and half-orcs because they are frequently drawn to dark forces and also frequently not terribly bright.
Entry Requirements:
Alignment: Any nongood
Skill: Handle Animal 8 ranks, Knowledge: Religion 4 ranks
Flaw: Chicken-Infested
Class Skills
The Agricultist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge: Religion (Int), Knowledge: The Planes (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + Int
Hit Dice: d4
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0|Coq Au Vile
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|Wishbone (cantrips)
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+1|Fowl Pact
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+1|Poultrygeist, Wishbone (level 1 spells)
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+1|Capodaemon, Wishbone (level 2 spells)[/table]
Coq Au Vile: The Agricultist is no longer infested with ordinary chickens, but with chickens from beyond the grave. Starting at class level 1, the Agricultist's Chicken-Infested flaw produces either skeletal or zombie chickens (whichever the Agricultist prefers) each time it is activated. An Agricultist with the Corpsecrafter feat (Libris Mortis) or feats requiring Corpsecrafter as a prerequisite may apply the bonuses granted by these feats to chickens created by Coq au Vile. These chickens are not automatically under the Agricultist's control, but may be influenced with Handle Animal as if they were normal animals with a standard chicken's Intelligence score despite being mindless. If he possesses the Otherfarmly Heritage ability (from Chicken Master or another source) it may be applied to these undead chickens as normal.
Wishbone (Sp): Starting at level 2, an Agricultist may, as a full-round action, sacrifice a chicken he is holding to duplicate the effect of any sorcerer or wizard cantrip. At level 4, this ability may also duplicate any level 1 sorcerer or wizard spell of the necromancy or enchantment schools, or any level 1 sorcerer or wizard spell possessing the [Evil] descriptor. At level 5 this ability may also duplicate level 2 sorcerer or wizard spells subject to the same school limitations as level 1 spells, up to five times per day plus however many level 2 bonus spells the Agricultist would be entitled to from high Charisma, if any. The spells have a caster level equal to the Agricultist's class level. Save DCs are based on the agricultist's Charisma or the Charisma of the sacrificed chicken, whichever is higher. Using this ability destroys the chicken.
Fowl Pact: A level 3 Agricultist is contacted by infernal forces with very small ambitions. He may choose to apply the Fiendish template rather than the Skeleton or Zombie template to his chickens. As with Coq au Vile, the chickens may be handled with Handle Animal and Otherfarmly may be applied on top of this ability.
Poultrygeist: A level 4 Agricultist, when a chicken is drawn forth from his infestation, may choose to apply the Ghost Brute template (Savage Species) instead of the Skeleton, Zombie or Fiendish template to his chicken. As with Coq au Vile, the benefits of Corpsecrafter feats may be applied to undead chickens produced with this ability, Otherfarmly may be applied, and the spectral chickens may be handled with Handle Animal, presuming the Agricultist can figure out a way to Handle a chicken he can't touch. Poultrygeists evaporate at dawn with an eerie crowing (forcing a Will save vs. becoming shaken as per their Bloodcurdling Howl ability).
Capodaemon: At level 5, the Agricultist reaches the summit of his infernal chicken-related powers. He may apply the Coq au Vile and Fowl Pact abilities simultaneously to produce fiendish skeletal chickens or fiendish zombie chickens from his chicken infestation. As with his other abilities, the benefits of Corpsecrafter feats may be applied, Otherfarmly may add yet another template, and the vile chickens produced may be handled with Handle Animal.
Designer's Notes: I wrote this class on an insomnia bender, so the balance probably needs some tweaking. Wishbone is a relatively strong ability, eventually granting at-will level 2 spells, and the heavily-templated chickens can potentially form a relatively dangerous fighting force, especially with Corpsecrafter feats applied. On the other hand, if you can't think of something better to do by level 10 than cast level 2 spells at CL 5 while leading exploding fiendish skelechickens, you probably need to re-examine your life.
Modification: removed Chicken Master prerequisite; it is the natural entry but I saw no reason to mandate it. Added K: Religion prerequisite to reflect a working knowledge of undead chickens.
Modification: Added uses per day limit to Wishbone in light of potential Control Undead abuses and other concerns. Poultrygeist now vanish at dawn, again in light of potential Control Undead abuse.
Agricultist
For the most part, Chicken Masters are simple folk who want nothing more than to raise and wield their chickens in peace. Sometimes, though, that's not enough. Sometimes, the lure of power grows too strong.
Sometimes, the chicken goes bad.
The Agricultist draws upon the power of dark forces, which happen to be chickens, to pursue his nefarious goals. The nefarious goals may also be chickens. To achieve his goals, he allies himself with ever more dangerous and wicked poultry, sacrificing and driving out the chickens that once infested him in the pursuit of other, more powerful chickens.
Making an Agricultist
Only Commoners are sufficiently infested with chickens to become Agricultists, and most Agricultists were Chicken Masters before falling to the dark-meat side. Occasionally an Agricultist will have gained levels in another class before yielding to his fell and chicken-related desires, but this is rare.
Abilities: As the key ability for Handle Animal, Charisma is probably the most important ability score for an Agricultist. However, if anyone liked you, you probably wouldn't be screwing around with evil magic chickens. Constitution and Dexterity are also important for surviving enemy attacks, as well as the attacks of grumpy chickens. Intelligence is useful, but again, if you were smart you probably wouldn't be screwing around with evil magic chickens.
Alignment: Agricultists are usually evil, as they consort with dark but small-minded powers to gain their abilities. However, a few Agricultists choose to turn their power to higher ends. No truly good person would walk the path of the Agricultist, but some neutral Agricultists exist, using their dark and ridiculous powers towards noble and yet still ridiculous goals.
Races: Agricultists are not exactly common among any of the races. However, they are found most often among humans, halflings, and half-orcs: humans and halflings because they are the races most engaged in farm labor, and half-orcs because they are frequently drawn to dark forces and also frequently not terribly bright.
Entry Requirements:
Alignment: Any nongood
Skill: Handle Animal 8 ranks, Knowledge: Religion 4 ranks
Flaw: Chicken-Infested
Class Skills
The Agricultist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge: Religion (Int), Knowledge: The Planes (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + Int
Hit Dice: d4
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+0|
+0|
+0|Coq Au Vile
2nd|
+1|
+0|
+0|
+0|Wishbone (cantrips)
3rd|
+1|
+1|
+1|
+1|Fowl Pact
4th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+1|Poultrygeist, Wishbone (level 1 spells)
5th|
+2|
+1|
+1|
+1|Capodaemon, Wishbone (level 2 spells)[/table]
Coq Au Vile: The Agricultist is no longer infested with ordinary chickens, but with chickens from beyond the grave. Starting at class level 1, the Agricultist's Chicken-Infested flaw produces either skeletal or zombie chickens (whichever the Agricultist prefers) each time it is activated. An Agricultist with the Corpsecrafter feat (Libris Mortis) or feats requiring Corpsecrafter as a prerequisite may apply the bonuses granted by these feats to chickens created by Coq au Vile. These chickens are not automatically under the Agricultist's control, but may be influenced with Handle Animal as if they were normal animals with a standard chicken's Intelligence score despite being mindless. If he possesses the Otherfarmly Heritage ability (from Chicken Master or another source) it may be applied to these undead chickens as normal.
Wishbone (Sp): Starting at level 2, an Agricultist may, as a full-round action, sacrifice a chicken he is holding to duplicate the effect of any sorcerer or wizard cantrip. At level 4, this ability may also duplicate any level 1 sorcerer or wizard spell of the necromancy or enchantment schools, or any level 1 sorcerer or wizard spell possessing the [Evil] descriptor. At level 5 this ability may also duplicate level 2 sorcerer or wizard spells subject to the same school limitations as level 1 spells, up to five times per day plus however many level 2 bonus spells the Agricultist would be entitled to from high Charisma, if any. The spells have a caster level equal to the Agricultist's class level. Save DCs are based on the agricultist's Charisma or the Charisma of the sacrificed chicken, whichever is higher. Using this ability destroys the chicken.
Fowl Pact: A level 3 Agricultist is contacted by infernal forces with very small ambitions. He may choose to apply the Fiendish template rather than the Skeleton or Zombie template to his chickens. As with Coq au Vile, the chickens may be handled with Handle Animal and Otherfarmly may be applied on top of this ability.
Poultrygeist: A level 4 Agricultist, when a chicken is drawn forth from his infestation, may choose to apply the Ghost Brute template (Savage Species) instead of the Skeleton, Zombie or Fiendish template to his chicken. As with Coq au Vile, the benefits of Corpsecrafter feats may be applied to undead chickens produced with this ability, Otherfarmly may be applied, and the spectral chickens may be handled with Handle Animal, presuming the Agricultist can figure out a way to Handle a chicken he can't touch. Poultrygeists evaporate at dawn with an eerie crowing (forcing a Will save vs. becoming shaken as per their Bloodcurdling Howl ability).
Capodaemon: At level 5, the Agricultist reaches the summit of his infernal chicken-related powers. He may apply the Coq au Vile and Fowl Pact abilities simultaneously to produce fiendish skeletal chickens or fiendish zombie chickens from his chicken infestation. As with his other abilities, the benefits of Corpsecrafter feats may be applied, Otherfarmly may add yet another template, and the vile chickens produced may be handled with Handle Animal.
Designer's Notes: I wrote this class on an insomnia bender, so the balance probably needs some tweaking. Wishbone is a relatively strong ability, eventually granting at-will level 2 spells, and the heavily-templated chickens can potentially form a relatively dangerous fighting force, especially with Corpsecrafter feats applied. On the other hand, if you can't think of something better to do by level 10 than cast level 2 spells at CL 5 while leading exploding fiendish skelechickens, you probably need to re-examine your life.
Modification: removed Chicken Master prerequisite; it is the natural entry but I saw no reason to mandate it. Added K: Religion prerequisite to reflect a working knowledge of undead chickens.
Modification: Added uses per day limit to Wishbone in light of potential Control Undead abuses and other concerns. Poultrygeist now vanish at dawn, again in light of potential Control Undead abuse.