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Heliomance
2010-11-08, 09:03 AM
Bearer of the Ancestral Weapon

Requirements:

To qualify to become a bearer of the Ancestral Weapon, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Craft (weaponsmithing): 8 ranks

Base Attack Bonus: +5

Feats: Weapon Focus (selected weapon; see below).

Proficiency: Proficient in selected weapon.

Special: In order to pursue the path of the Ancestral Weapon, you must acquire a masterwork weapon that was used regularly by at least one of your deceased ancestors; all feat prerequisites must match the selected weapon. Furthermore, this weapon must have been made by supernaturally skilled weaponsmiths; be they dwarfs, goblins, centaurs, or any other non-mortal wright. To gain entry to and advancement in this class, you must seek out the original creators of your weapon and train under them, learning the secrets to unlocking its potential.

Class Skills:

The bearer of the Ancestral Weapon's class skills (and the key ability score for each) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points per Level: 2 + Intelligence bonus.

Hit Dice: d8



Class Features:

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The bearer of the Ancestral Weapon gains no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers: At every level, the bearer of the Ancestral Weapon increases in initiating ability as if she had gained a level in an initiating class to which she had already belonged. She gains no other benefits of an increased level in that class. If she belonged to more than one initiating class, she must choose one at 1st level to which she must apply all initiating increases granted by this class.

Ancestral Weapon (Su): Starting at 1st level, the bearer learns to use her heirloom weapon as a channel for the spirit of her dead ancestor, granting the object increasing magical power as the bearer advances and achieves deeper levels of meditation. The maximum power of the enchantment is equal to her class level, so that at 1st level, she can grant her weapon a +1 enhancement bonus, while at 10th level, she could enchant it with powers up to the cost equivalent of +10 (such as a +5 holy keen flaming burst longsword). The bearer must still fulfill any prerequisites for enchanting the weapon with a specific power, such as alignment or the casting of a specific spell (though as normal, others may cast any spells needed for her), but she need spend no gold or XP to complete the crafting. The bearer is considered to gain the benefits of the Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat with respect to her own weapon only. The process takes the same amount of time as normal, however. The bearer of the Ancestral Weapon may repeatedly enchant her weapon as she advances in level, improving the weapon as one would add enhancements to an already magical weapon. Once the bearer has spent the required time meditating on the weapon, it is permanently magical, even if it leaves the bearer's hands.

If the weapon used to fulfill the "Special" prerequisite for this class is already magical, the bearer may not further enhance the weapon's power until her class level exceeds its current total "plusses". The bearer may only have one Ancestral Weapon at a time; if it is destroyed, she must locate another heirloom that belonged to one or more of her ancestors and begin the process anew. If the new weapon belonged to a different ancestor, the DM is free to have a different spirit possess it, thus altering the lesser and greater powers gained via the spirit (below) to fit the new spirit.

Unity of Purpose (Su): The magic of the Ancestral Weapon is such that the weapon wants to remain whole and in its descendant's hand. Add the bearer's class level to opposed attack rolls to resist attempts to disarm the weapon from her. The weapon cannot be sundered while it is wielded by the bearer, though it can be damaged or even destroyed while unattended or in the hands of another.

Greater Unity (Su):By 7th level, whenever the weapon is separated from the bearer, she can sense its direction by concentrating for a full round. She cannot sense the weapon if it lies on another plane.

Spirit of the Ancestor (Su): As the bearer learns to channel her ancestor, the previous owner's spirit comes to reside in the weapon itself. Starting at 2nd level, the Ancestral Wow becomes an intelligent magical item; the bearer does not need to spend any time, money, or XP for this metamorphosis to occur. The ancestor has difficulty manifesting its will at first, but as the bearer continues her meditations and follows the path of the weapon, the spirit gains in power. Eventually, the weapon takes on the full personality and memories of the ancestor. The bearer presumably attempts to contact an ancestor of similar tendencies as her own; the spirit's alignment is thus always within one step of that of the bearer herself. However, the ancestor may have its own ideas on how to solve problems, and might even attempt to take control of the bearer if their views differ sharply on an issue. The weapon's Ego score is equal to that of a weapon with the sum of its accumulated powers. The DM should fully detail the ancestor's history and personality as he or she would any NPC, and play them appropriately.

The spirit of the ancestor gains the following powers:

* Empathy (Su): Starting at 2nd level, the weapon can communicate via empathy, pulsing or throbbing to indicate approval or dissent while the bearer wields it.
* Speech (Su): By 4th level, the spirit learns to speak aloud, learning one language per point of Intelligence bonus (and gaining an additional language whenever the spirit's Intelligence raises).
* Telepathy (Su): At 8th level, the Ancestral Weapon has mastered telepathy, and can communicate with its bearer silently while within 30 feet. Either the bearer or the sword can initiate telepathic communication as a free action on their turn.
* Score Increase (Ex): The spirit of the weapon begins at 2nd level with two mental ability scores of 12 and one of 10; the DM allocates these between Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma as he sees fit. Whenever the bearer reaches a level where a score increase is indicated, the DM increases any two of these ability scores by +1, permanently.
* Senses (Ex): As the spirit becomes more adept at channeling itself through the heirloom, its ability to perceive the world increases. Its vision and hearing ranges increase, and it gains first darkvision, then blindsense, both of which continue to improve as well.
* Skill Points (Ex): The weapon gains skill points equal its Intelligence bonus whenever the bearer raises her class level. The DM may spend these skill points on the following skills: Intimidate, Decipher Script, Knowledge (any), Search, Spot, Listen, Spellcraft, Sense Motive, Bluff, and Diplomacy. The weapon has maximum ranks equal to three more than the bearer's class level.
* Lesser Power (Sp): Whenever the spirit gains a lesser power, the DM chooses any one 1st or 2nd level spell; the Ancestral Weapon may now activate that spell as a spell-like ability, three times per day. The power should reflect the personality and nature of the ancestor inhabiting the weapon; the tables for random determination of an intelligent item's lesser powers may be used instead. The spirit uses its highest ability score to determine the saving throw DC, if necessary, and the caster level is equal to the bearer's class level.
* Greater Power (Sp): Whenever the spirit gains a greater power, the DM chooses any one 3rd or 4th level spell; the Ancestral Weapon may now activate that spell as a spell-like ability, three times per day. Alternately, the DM may choose a 1st or 2nd level spell that can be used as a spell-like ability at will. The power should reflect the personality and nature of the ancestor inhabiting the weapon; the tables for random determination of an intelligent item's greater powers may be used instead. The spirit uses its highest ability score to determine the saving throw DC, if necessary, and the caster level is equal to the bearer's class level.

All due credit to Rich Burlew for the original class.