PDA

View Full Version : Why Do You Insist Upon Fighting Perfection (Horror PrC)



Realms of Chaos
2011-02-16, 10:30 AM
To continue my never-ending quest to bring you folks into the midst of my nightmares, I would like to present...


THE CHIRUGEON

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_d-rFIACYKj8/SStFBpn1IqI/AAAAAAAADa4/S-jsRj3GPFg/s320/The_Chirurgeon_by_graver13.jpg
While I suppose you could call it a failure, I prefer to look upon it as... a learning experience.
-Dr. Grimwood, Chirugeon

Random Long Introduction Written While Bored:
Turning down the fifth dark alleyway in a row, you begin to suspect that you may have been misled. The man back in the tavern seemed so earnest when he was talking about this guy and the handiwork looked top notch but this is getting ridiculous. At least you hadn’t paid the man too much for your “appointment”. If this doctor turns out to be the real deal, simply knowing where to find him would be worth a small for…

Wait a second. This is it! Resting nearly flat against the ground like an old rain cellar rests an iron grate above a descending staircase, nicely fitted in the space between two warehouses. As you lift up the rusty grate and start heading down, you note a small message written along the top of the doorway.


“Doctor Phineas Gage: By appointment only”

Right… the appointment. Finding this place was something of a nightmare, taking up a good part of the day as you tried to follow those shakily-written instructions in your pocket. Hopefully, the doctor wouldn’t mind a late arrival. Even if he does, you have something of a way with words (and, when needed, daggers as well). You lower the creaking gate behind you and start walking down the old stone stairs.

What’s the worse that can happen?

The stone stairway curves as you continue downwards, quickly cutting off all light from above and plunging you into darkness. You place a single hand on the wall and continue downwards, replaying the offer that you intend to make the good Doctor Gage when you finally meet him.

After running through your plans for a fifth time through your mind, two things cross your mind rather suddenly. First of all, it seems that have been traveling for quite a while, descending quite a distance under the city. Secondly, the stone steps seem to have transitioned at some point into iron ones, clinking beneath your every step.

You hear the end of the stairway long before you see it. A distant sound mixes in with the clink of your footfalls, sounding a bit like the turning of a water wheel. As you continue, your ears start to pick out individual sounds. Low moans mix with wild shouts and unhinged laughter in an unsettling manner, growing louder and louder as you descend even deeper. Though you try to fight off the noise with a cheerful whistle, the voices drown out your own as you approach. At long last, a dim, reddish light appears around a corner and you find yourself rushing towards it.

Walking into the light, you find yourself on a grated iron catwalk in the midst of a simply gigantic room. The catwalk has no railings and large metal cages hang from thick chains of various lengths throughout the room, going as far as the eye can see. Most of the cages, very much to your dismay, seem to be filled. All of the creatures within the cages seem to be humanoids of some sort though you can’t quite tell what kind. The dim red light, coming from somewhere far below you, does little more than illuminate their silhouettes and shed their horrid shadows onto the bars of their cages. Many of them seem to be misshapen or possess missing limbs and while some prowl endlessly through their cages, others seem to remain utterly motionless. None of them seem to notice your existence.

As you walk out onto the catwalk, towards the other end of the gigantic chamber, you pick out a particularly loud scream from amongst the various voices, screaming with intensity that even the damned would envy. It screams with ferocity that seems to agitate the other beings held in cages. It screams with desperation boiling over into madness. It screams and screams and screams until you make it half way down the catwalk, when its scream is suddenly cut off.

“Why. Aren’t. You. Perfect?” Shouts a frustrated, elderly voice from below. Each and every word is given it’s own emphasis, as if accompanied by some strenuous action. “Why. Aren’t. You. Perfect? WHY. AREN’T. YOU. PERFECT? WHY. AREN’T. YOU. PERFECT? WHY. AREN’T. YOU…” As the shouting finally trails off, it occurs to you at last that the other voices have all fallen silent.

“I see you up there, my friend,” calls the voice from below. The voice lacks it’s former force and frustration, sounding almost congenial. “Are you by chance my appointment from this afternoon?”

“Are you… Dr. Gage?” you call out, reluctantly. Your throat suddenly feels quite dry as you glance back towards the entrance, nearly half a mile away and only barely visible in the dim lighting.

“Yes…” call the voice, fading into something halfway between a chuckle and a cough. “But I suppose I’m a horrible host. We should be talking face to face.”

As soon as the words are spoken, one of the few chains resting by the catwalk start noisily lifting itself upwards, as if connected to some unseen pulley. A particularly rusted cage slowly lifts itself up, noisily scraping against the catwalk as it does so. Unlike the other cages, this one lacks anything resembling a door. As you take a deep breath and step into the cage, you feel that every eye in the tremendous chamber is staring right at you.

The moment that you enter the cage, a horrid smell attacks your nostrils, smelling vaguely of offal and rot. You grab onto one of the bars for support in the wobbling cage and not a moment too soon. The cage starts its descent below the catwalk as Dr. Gage speaks up once more.

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

“You know, this is really your lucky day, my friend.”

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

“I normally can’t stand tardiness but I’ve been distracted by a most stubborn specimen all day and I’m glad that I could see it through to the end…”

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

“…even if it did end rather poorly”

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

Looking around, you can see that there are far fewer cages down below. Straining your eyes to see them, the silhouettes you see (or think you see) are rather indistinct.

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

Reaching into your right-hand pocket, you place your hand around the grip of your dagger. Though it’s still not clear if you’ll have to use it, or if it would even do any good, it still brings you some small piece of mind.

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

The scent grows steadily more foul as you continue downwards. Looking below, you can see a metal platform suspended by four chains.

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

“Don’t worry about my previous patient, though,” continues Dr. Gage from the direction of the platform, apparently feeling talkative once more. Looking at the platform, the first thing that grabs your attention is a bloodied metal operating table featuring multiple restraints.

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

“I’m sure that you’ll be my greatest success since…” Beside the operation table is a large rack filled with various tools, most of which are exceedingly sharp. At the base of the table, meanwhile, is a large hole in the platform. The scent is getting worse, making your eyes start to water. Where is that smell coming from?

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

“…well…” Looking almost directly downwards at the platform ten feet beneath you, you can at last see the doctor, standing directly in front of where the cage will land. He seems to be of moderate height and is wearing a bloodstained cloak with a hood. Your grip on your dagger tightens, lest the “good” doctor tries pulling anything.

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*

*clank*clank*clank*clank*clank*


*CLINK*

“…me.” As you finally arrive on the platform, Dr. Gage looks up into your eyes and you see…

Your screams are nearly deafening.

Darkness. Darkness and pain. You can’t move your arms and legs. What’s happening to you? As you again inhale that horrid aroma, it all comes rushing back. You try to scream but find that your mouth has been tied close, leaving you with only a faint, warbling cry. You open your eyes and find that you have been blindfolded.

You hear a faint metallic sound just off to your side. You hear it again and again, like a whetstone being used to sharpen a blade. Like a blade… you struggle to move but your arms and legs are still restrained. Your entire body is in pain.

“Yes, my friend, this is your lucky day,” comes Gage’s voice from just beyond the metallic noise. He… it… sounded quite amused with itself. “I truly hate tardiness but it seems that I have enough time to go through with one more operation.”

There is a long pause filled with nothing but the metallic sound. No matter how long you wait, it seems that Phineas has nothing more to say. As you softly sob into your blindfold, the metallic noise finally stops.

“I love my job,” whispers Gage into one ear, its voice filled with perverse glee. For awhile, there is nothing but tension. The silence cuts through you like a thousand knives, worming its way through your mind. Only when you’ve decided that the real blade couldn’t hurt more do you feel the blade land in your shoulder. You feel an excruciating wave of pain and feel no more.

Darkness. Darkness and pain. As you slowly regain consciousness, you find yourself able to move. After a bit of initial fumbling with whatever is covering your body, you find that it is only a tarp and you free yourself from it. You are resting by the docks, up on the surface, still alive. You hear the sound of your own laughter and are fairly sure that it sounds quite a bit mad. Your laughter intensifies as you look down at your arm. Where once you possessed a normal hand, you now possess a thin and flexible grey-skinned arm ending with a three-clawed hand. Pointing it at a nearby barrel, a few missiles of force launch out from your new hand, puncturing a hole in the barrel’s side.

The doctor did it. Phineas Gage really did it. Here you had been terrified that he was going to kill you on the spot but he went ahead and did the job without so much as asking for payment. You hold your new arm in front of your face as you reach up with your other one to wipe the nervous sweat from your brow… except that it seems you can’t. You try again and find that your hand refuses to obey. Slowly turning your head, you find exactly what you thought you might. Below your left shoulder, you possess nothing more than a short, bandaged stump. You’re laughter grows more intense as you slowly rise to your feet and brush yourself off with your new hand. It seems that the doctor did demand a price after all.

As you walk away from the docks, you briefly wonder about the man who tipped you off. Did he pay a price for his gift like you had or did you only lose your arm as a punishment for being late? Perhaps it’s best that you don’t know. There is still something bothering you, though, a dark thought lurking in the back of your mind. You can’t help but remember the mad laughter of those beings kept in chains… laughter that’s starting to sound quite a bit like your own.

Though most physicians and healers are bound by morals to do no harm, Chirugeons have no such reservations. Often likening surgery to an artform and life to a mere canvas, Chirugeons alter bodies in pursuit of their own twisted ideas of “perfection”. Never satisfied for long, Chirugeons constantly work with bodies, adding grafts and performing horrid surgeries to make things “better and better”, often regardless of what the modified creature would truly desire. Though some use their powers to build up a contingent of minions and others gladly sell their craft to anyone with the money, anybody going under their knife should be more than a little bit wary.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Skills: Heal 8 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks
Feats: Skill Focus (Heal), Willing Deformity

Class Skills
The Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Any two skills, selected at 1st level) (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skills Points at Each Level: 4 + int

Hit Dice: d6

{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Surgeries Known
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+0|Abomination of Nature I, Not Done Yet, Surgical Precision +1d6|
2

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+0|Bonus Deformity Feat, Physical Perfection|
3

3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+1|Listen to Their Screams, Quickened Grafting|
3

4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1|Bonus Deformity Feat, Surgical Precision +2d6|
4

5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1|Abomination of Nature II, Fear the Tormentor|
4

6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+2|Bonus Deformity Feat, Physical Perfection|
5

7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+2|Listen to Their Screams, Surgical Precision +3d6|
5

8th|
+6|
+6|
+2|
+2|Bonus Deformity Feat, Reclaim Flesh|
6

9th|
+6|
+6|
+3|
+3|Abomination of Nature III, Heed the Tormentor|
6

10th|
+7|
+7|
+3|
+3|Bonus Deformity Feat, Physical Perfection, Surgical Precision +4d6|
7 [/table]

Weapon Proficiencies: A Chirugeon gains no new proficiencies with any form of weapon or armor.


Chirugeon’s Surgery (Ex/Su): Chirugeons are best-known for their ability to change the forms of creatures around them. Though this is sometimes done through expensive and powerful grafts, it is more often done through simple (and often sadistic) surgeries. Chirugeons know the number of Surgeries listed on the table above and may apply them to a creature with merely one hour of work and 100 gp of materials. A target must be either willing or helpless to receive a surgery in this way. Surgeries are divided into supernatural beneficial procedures and extraordinary detrimental procedures. While detrimental procedures may be applied to any living creature, a Chirugeon can only apply beneficial procedures to living creatures with an ECL up to their class level +2 as the bodies of more powerful creatures fight against the alterations.
For each surgery that a creature has undergone, they take a –1 penalty to Diplomacy, Disguise, and Gather Information checks. Unless specifically stated elsewhere, a detrimental procedure can be removed via a regenerate spell or effect, a beneficial procedure can be removed by a break enchantment spell or effect, and a wish or miracle are capable of getting rid of either. A single procedure can only be applied once to a given creature. Like grafts, even supernatural surgeries give off no magical aura once fully completed.

Detrimental Procedures:
1. Amputation: The target loses one limb and is affected appropriately. Unorthodox limbs such as tentacles, wings, and tails can be removed in this way but heads cannot be removed.
2. Sensory Deprivation: The target loses a single non-magical sense and is affected appropriately. Senses that record primarily internal information, such as proprioception and equilibrium, may not be stolen from a creature in this way.
3. Bodily Weakening: Small bits of the target are removed, lowering their ability to truly function. The target takes a –2 penalty to Strength, an additional –4 penalty to Strength checks, and is treated as being one size category smaller for the purposes of weapon size and carrying capacity.
4. Deform Body: The target’s body is horribly deformed, imposing a –10 penalty to Diplomacy, Disguise, and Gather Information checks, stacking with the normal penalty.
5. Warp Body: The target gains any single minor or moderate corruption effect (Heroes of Horror) of the Chirugeon’s choice. This ability does not actually give the target any points of taint.
6. Lower Capacities: The target’s capacity to retain either food, water, sleep, or air (Chirugeon’s choice) is halved, halving the amount of time that the target can go without that commodity before making Constitution checks.
7. Weaken Resistance: The target takes a –4 penalty to saving throws against poison and disease and loses any immunities that they possessed against them. In addition, the target takes a –2 penalty to Constitution (minimum 1) and their body can’t stabilize without the use of magic.
8. Increase Bulk: The target’s form is made needlessly bulky and uneven. The target takes a –2 penalty to AC and attack rolls, a –2 penalty to Dexterity (minimum 1) fits through tight spaces as if one size category larger, and takes a –4 penalty to Hide checks.
9. Endless Pain: The target’s body is wracked with endless pain. Whenever the target takes a full round of actions, they are restricted to a single move or standard action in the next round.
10. Mental Interference: After physically messing with the target’s brain, they take a –2 penalty to Will saves, a –4 penalty to Intelligence- and Wisdom-based skill checks, and any spells that they attempt to cast have a 5% failure chance/spell level.

Beneficial Procedures:
1. Mend Wounds: The target’s flesh heals from normal wounds with incredible speed, gaining regeneration 1. Any form of damage other than piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage overcomes this regeneration.
2. Grant Deformity: The target gains a bonus deformity feat of the Chirugeon’s choice that it meets all prerequisites for. The target need not be evil to receive the benefits of this feat.
3. Alter Size: For all beneficial purposes, the target is treated as being a single size category either larger or smaller than normal (Chirugeon’s choice).
4. Shape the Flesh: The target is reformed into a single new appearance much like a disguise self effect except that it possesses an unlimited duration and it can’t be pierced through with divinations such as true seeing.
5. Empower the Body: The Chirugeon supplements the natural strengths of the target’s body, granting the target gains a +2 bonus to one of its physical ability scores (Chirugeon’s choice).
6. Heighten Nerves: The Chirugeon promotes additional nerve growth throughout the target’s body, making them more capable of reacting to danger. The target gains a +2 bonus to Initiative checks and a +10 foot enhancement bonus to speed.
7. Deaden Flesh: The Chirugeon kills off most nociceptors (pain receptors) in the target’s flesh, deadening pain. The target only takes half as much damage from sources of nonlethal damage and gains a +4 bonus to saving throws against pain effects.
8. Arm the Body: The Chirugeon grants a single natural weapon of their choice to the target, dealing appropriate damage for the target’s size.
9. Self-Sustenance: The Chirugeon messes with the target’s metabolism, allowing them to go for twice as long without food, water, sleep, or air (Chirugeon’s choice) before making Constitution checks and halving the frequency of such checks.
10. Widened Senses: The Chirugeon creates additional outlets within their target to let in sensory information. The target gains a +4 bonus to Spot and Listen checks and gains blindsense out to 10 feet.

Note: I am aware that I am being somewhat vague on the precise effects of a couple surgeries (especially the first two detrimental operations) but it seems pretty hard to write lengthy and comprehensive rules for the loss of a limb/sense when most things fall to common sense. Even so, here are some notes.
Loss of Limbs: The wither limb from the libris mortis provides some decent guidelines for how someone reacts without an arm or leg. Loss of a wing causes loss of flight even if a creature formerly has 4+ wings as a creature generally has just enough power to get itself around effectively. Cutting off a tail doesn’t eliminate a creature’s balance altogether though any racial bonus to balance checks is likely loss. Pseudopods can’t be removed via surgery and creatures with them would simply grow new ones even if they could be.
Loss of Senses: The loss of sight and hearing are all-ready recorded in the rules so let’s tackle other senses. Lack of taste imposes a –4 penalty to saves against ingested poison. Loss of Scent causes the scent ability (if possessed) to become lost. Loss of tactile sensation causes a –2 penalty on all checks requiring precise coordination (including attack rolls with manufactured weapons).

Abomination of Nature: A Chirugeon is a masterful and twisted surgeon, creating monstrosities under their knife. At 1st level, the Chirugeon gains Graft Flesh as a bonus feat if they did not possess it (even though they do not meet the prerequisites). The Chirugeon need not provide spells normally required for making a graft if their ranks in heal exceed twice the highest level of spell used within the graft. In addition, a Chirugeon selects a second form of graft to apply (even ones that normally require being of a certain race and/or selecting draconic grafts as if possessing the wyrmgrafter feat) and may apply an additional graft to a creature beyond its normal maximum. Lastly, the Chirugeon may apply any number of different kinds of grafts to a single creature.
At 5th level, a Chirugeon may select a third form of graft to apply and may add up to two additional grafts to a creature beyond its normal maximum rather than one. Furthermore, when applying a graft to a creature, the Chirugeon may choose to deform the target’s body beyond recognition, requiring a DC 20 spot check to recognize the target’s race and a DC 30 Spot check to recognize the individual target. Furthermore, such a deformed creature takes a –10 penalty to all disguise checks.
At 9th level, a Chirugeon may select a fourth form of graft to apply and may add up to three additional grafts to a creatures beyond its normal maximum rather than two. Furthermore, when applying a graft to a creature, a Chirugeon may alter the creature in a far more fantastic manner. This manner deforms the creature as described above and changes their creature type to aberration, granting them darkvision out to 60 feet if they did not already possess darkvision.

Note: Just in case you are wondering, this class lacks the fleshwarper’s craft reserve class feature on purpose. This class isn’t intended to take the place of the fleshwarper but to occupy another niche nearby. Besides, this class can fall back upon surgeries instead.

Surgical Precision: Well-aware of the inner workings of the living body, a Chirugeon knows best how to take it apart. Starting at 1st level, a Chirugeon may make a Heal check against a target’s AC whenever they make a melee attack against or ranged attack from within 30 feet of the intended target. If it succeeds and the attack hits, the target takes the indicated amount of extra damage. This ability only functions against creatures vulnerable to critical hits and does not function against creatures with cover or concealment from the Chirugeon. This damage may be applied to lethal and nonlethal attacks equally well, allowing it to be used as “anesthetic” in some situations. Extra damage gained in this way is not multiplied by a critical hit.
Alternately, a Chirugeon may give up any number of dice of this damage to bestow a separate effect to the target if they fail a Fortitude save (DC 10 + Class level + Cha modifier). Only a single effect may be added to a given attack in this way.
1d6:The target becomes fatigued if they fail their saving throw.
2d6:The target becomes exhausted if they fail their saving throw and fatigued even if they should succeed.
3d6:The target falls unconscious if they fail their saving throw and exhausted even if they should succeed.
4d6: The target is instantly slain if they fail their saving throw and must make another save against the same DC if they succeed, falling unconscious with a failed save or becoming exhausted with another success. This ability may only target a given creature once within 24 hours, whether or not they succeed on the saving throw(s).

Not Done Yet (Ex): If there is one thing that a Chirugeon knows how to do, it is keep people alive. With 10 minutes of work and a DC 20 heal check, a Chirugeon can heal a target of 1d4 hit points or 1 point of ability damage.
More impressive (and horrific), however, is the ability to keep patients alive indefinitely. With 10 minutes of work and a DC 25 heal check within 1 hour of a creature’s death, a Chirugeon can return the creature to life… somewhat. The creature remains alive and conscious (unless prevented from waking up) and retains all higher-order functioning that it possessed in life. Unfortunately, the target’s continued life is completely reliant upon the Chirugeon’s prowess. Any physical action or stressful mental action performed by the creature causes them to die within 1d4 rounds unless the Chirugeon makes another DC 25 heal check within that time (leading most Chirugeons to physically restrain patients and heavily drug spellcasters). Furthermore, the creature dies unless a Chirugeon makes antoher DC 25 heal check each day. Lastly, the Chirugeon can move about an affected creature at will but other creatures attempting to move the creature must make a DC 25 heal check each time or the creature instantly dies.
The creature is effectively kept alive and conscious with 1 point of Constitution and 1 hit point. No matter how much blood or organs are extracted from the target’s body, how many limbs are removed, and how badly the body is mutilated, it will not die while under a Chirugeon’s care though any other creature can damage and kill it normally (and even the Chirugeon may choose to deliberately kill a failed patient). A creature must have a mostly intact body to be affected by this ability.

Bonus Deformity Feat: As a Chirugeon grows in power, they gradually “improve upon” their own bodies. At each even level, a Chirugeon gains a bonus deformity feat.

Physical Perfection (Ex): A Chirugeon seeks nothing less than complete bodily perfection. Though their aesthetic tastes in regards to “perfection” may leave much to be desired, they do make some astonishing discoveries over time. At 2nd level, a Chirugeon no longer needs to eat or drink and gains a +2 bonus to a physical ability score of their choice. Furthermore, the Chirugeon may apply a single surgery of their choice to themselves as if they possessed an appropriate number of HD.
At 6th level, a Chirugeon no longer needs to sleep (although they must still rest to regain spells, if they possess any) and adds a +2 bonus to a second physical ability score of their choice. They may also apply an additional surgery of their choice to themselves. The results of this progress are rather unsightly, however, and the Chirugeon takes a –5 penalty to Diplomacy, Disguise, and Gather Information checks.
At 10th level, a Chirugeon no longer needs to breathe and stops physically aging, gaining immunity to effects that would age them. Pre-existing penalties to physical ability scores remain, mental ability bonuses continue to accrue, and the Chirugeon slips off into death when their time comes (though it is sometimes hard to tell by looking at them). The Chirugeon adds a +2 bonus to all of their physical ability scores and may apply a final surgery of their choice to themselves. Their “perfected” body, however, is perfectly abhorrent, increasing the penalties to skill checks up to –10.

Listen to Their Screams (Ex): When applying a graft or surgery to a creature, a Chirugeon can choose to use little or no anesthetics during the surgery, driving the target over the edge. At 3rd level, a Chirugeon can inflict 1d6 points of damage to a target’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores while applying a graft or surgery as the patient’s psyche is cracked.
At 7th level, a Chirugeon may instead try to utterly shatter the psyche of their patients. When using this ability, the target may be subjected to either a feeblemind or insanity effect (Save DC 10 + Class level + Cha modifier). Even if the target succeeds on their saving throws, they still suffer the ability damage as normal (though a successfully feebleminded creature does not take such damage).
A creature subjected to this ability must be physically or magically restrained in some way, even if completely willing for the operation.

Quickened Grafting: As all Chirugeons know, applying the graft to a creature is quick and easy in theory. The hard part is preparing the graft in the first place. To speed up the grafting process, Chirugeons have learned how to craft grafts ahead of time and apply them in practically no time at all.
Preparing a Graft takes 1 day per 2,000 gp of its cost and requires XP and spells (if necessary) as normal and such a graft remains fresh and usable for up to 30 days unless preserved longer through magical means.
Applying a Graft to a creature, meanwhile, only requires a single hour of work and any number of prepared Grafts can be applied within a single day (up to 24 for an average day, obviously).

Fear of the Tormentor (Ex): Those who have been treated by a Chirugeon know all too well what they are capable of and fear the further attentions of their doctor. Starting at 5th level, Chirugeons gain a bonus to intimidate checks against creatures they have applied grafts and/or surgeries equal to twice their class level. Furthermore, any creature who has been subjected to the Chirugeon’s listen to their screams class feature must make a Will save (DC 10 + Class level + Cha modifier) in order to perform any action that would likely anger the Chirugeon (such as taking aggressive actions against them, lying to them, and harboring those who wish them harm). This last ability is a mind-affecting effect.

Reclaim Flesh (Ex): Though a good Chirugeon is more than glad to provide grafts to certain subjects (at least for a certain price), they are well aware that there may come a time when they need a certain graft back. Starting at 8th level, a Chirugeon starts placing intentional flaws in their grafts just in case such a case should arise.
With a touch attack against a creature who has received a graft from the Chirugeon, the Chirugeon may bloodily retrieve the graft. The target suffers normally for lacking the removed organ but if a vital organ is claimed in this way, the target must make a DC 20 Fortitude save each round or fall dead until they either fail or are targeted by a regenerate effect (or recover the organ via regeneration).
Similarly, a Chirugeon can reclaim grafts that they have created from dead creatures that have died within the past 24 hours and may even reclaim foreign grafts from dead creatures who have died within the past hour. Doing so takes a Full-Round Action and the resulting graft remains fresh and usable for up to 24 hours.

Heed the Tormentor (Ex): Once a Chirugeon has gained enough power, they gain a certain amount of influence over those who have experienced his “art” firsthand. As a standard action, a Chirgeon can give an order to a creature who has been affected by their listen to their screams class feature, functioning as a suggestion effect (DC 10 + Class level + Cha modifier). This is a language-dependant mind-affecting effect as normal.

EdroGrimshell
2011-02-16, 11:49 AM
First thought i had was combining this with Vorpal Tribble's Monstrumologist and/or Brom's Corpsechem Apothecary. I love it. I've always liked the medical approach to power, and this has gone quite well in doing so, although the limited number of surgeries is kind of annoying i understand the reasoning behind it.

Re'ozul
2011-02-16, 12:48 PM
I have not read everything yet and tend to overlook things, but something leapt at me in the beneficial surgeries:

Deaden Flesh + Mend wounds
Wouldn't that not only transform most melee damage into nonlethal but further reduce it by half? All for 2 hours of work and 200gp?

Realms of Chaos
2011-02-16, 01:36 PM
I did notice that deaden flesh + mend wounds is a potent combo. I don't, however, believe it to be particularly overpowered.

Keep in mind that there is a maximum ECL of creatures that you can apply beneficial surgeries to. As such, you can't apply the surgeries to your team-mates (even ones with high LA) unless they are severely behind the power curve and need assistance and can't even boost your own cohorts. You can apply the surgeries to yourself by 6th level but even that doesn't seem too powerful as this class gets no spellcasting and a relatively low progression of damage over all.

It lets weaker creatures overcome others of their same power level more reliably (unless thier opponents can fight with a lit torch or alchemist's fire or acid flasks or normal spellcasting) but doesn't do much else.

Re'ozul
2011-02-16, 02:15 PM
What? I don't quite get the ECL argument.
It says:

While detrimental procedures may be applied to any living creature, a Chirugeon can only apply baneful procedures to living creatures with an ECL up to their class level +2 as the bodies of more powerful creatures fight against the alterations.

First: baneful should be beneficial?
Second: To me this reads as, if you are level 6 you can put surgeries on anything up to ECL8.

Realms of Chaos
2011-02-16, 02:28 PM
class level, not character level. An XX 5/Chirugeon 5 travelling in an ECL 10 party can only put beneficial surgeries on creatures of up to ECL 7 (5+2).

Thanks for catching the baneful thingy. I thought I'd done a pretty thorough proof-read but I guess not. :smallconfused:

Draken
2011-02-17, 01:19 PM
Your incompetence is astonishing RoC. You are unable to fail to deliver. You need to learn to create unimpressive things, indeed.

Anyway.


Heed the Tormentor (Ex): Once a Chirugeon has gained enough power, those who have experienced his “art” firsthand. As a standard action, a Chirgeon can give an order to a creature who has been affected by their listen to their screams class feature, functioning as a suggestion effect (DC 10 + Class level + Cha modifier). This is a language-dependant mind-affecting effect as normal.

Small problem here. 'Once a Chirugeon has gained enough power, those who have experienced his "art" firsthand.'

They what?

Edit: Just noticed I made a mistake. I wrote "learn to create impressive things" when I wanted to write "learn to create UNimpressive things" doh. Kinda ruined the double-negative compliment, ah well.

Too big to fit in the "reason for editing" thingy.

Realms of Chaos
2011-02-17, 02:19 PM
Your incompetence is astonishing RoC. You are unable to fail to deliver. You need to learn to create impressive things, indeed.

My initial reaction to this statement, as represented by smilies:
:smalleek: :smallannoyed: :smallconfused: :smallbiggrin: :smalltongue:

Thanks for pointing out my error and know that it has been promptly fixed.

Phobia
2011-02-17, 03:00 PM
Well, I enjoyed it RoC and want to use it sometime. :smalltongue: