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eftexar
2011-07-20, 11:12 PM
The Dark Hero (3.5)

Abilities: No particular ability is need for to progress this class, as it is meant to augment a class you have already taken.

Organization: A dark hero almost always works alone. His past follows him and his actions might make even the most liberal of good rogues cringe.

Alignment: A dark hero must be of the good alignment. It is very rare for a dark hero to be of the lawful alignment.

Religion: Dark hero's often worship no god as many see themselves as having been forsaken by the gods of good and despise those of evil.

Background: The dark hero has a shady past, possibly as a villain, and has decided to fight evil with evil.

Races: Any race may be a dark hero, although humans and various monstrous humanoids are the most likely.

Other Classes: The Dark Hero often gets along well with good-aligned rogues or non-evil warlocks, but often comes into conflict with others. Paladins and other divine classes are often outright hostile to the dark hero.

Role: Your role probably remains the same as before. You gain a few new abilities at the cost of a few others.

Additional Requirements: At least 1 level in a base class.

Class Features

Hit Die: see class abilities

Skills: see class abilities

Skill Points: see class abilities

{table=head]Level | Base Attack Bonus | Bad Save | Good Save | Good Save | Special
1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Heroic Conditioning, Chosen Saves
2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Gray Oath
3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Occult Power, The Gray Path
4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Occult Power, Black and White
5th | +5 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Occult Power, Dark Ascendance
[/table]

Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: This class does not grant any additional proficiencies.

Class Abilities


Heroic Conditioning:
When entering this prestige class choose a single class that helped you qualify for this class. At the second level and fourth levels of this class you gain an increase in spellcasting/invocation/etc and/or any ability with a set progression as if you had gained a level in it's class. It does not increase spells/invocations (or other casting method) known (except as said ahead), but, in the case of prepared spellcasting does increase the maximum level learnable and, in the case of spontaneous spellcasters, grants a bonus spell known at each such level.
Your skills in this class are the same as the class you have chosen to progress, however your skill points are 2 more per level and your hd is one die higher.

Chosen Saves:
You choose which save progression to apply to which save.

Lv2 > Gray Oath:
If the class you chose has good alignment restrictions or an oath of good(such as a paladins) you may violate it without penalty under the following condition: you performed an act of evil or harm that would help the side of good (and was obviously intended for that purpose) to a much greater degree than evil.
Changing alignment away from good still results in the loss of class abilities if applicable.
Additionally you may ignore the alignment requirement of being evil and any code that results from it (if one does) for a single class of your choice. This class needn't be chosen until you wish to take levels in it.

Lv3 > The Gray Path:
Your alignment is never changed by an act of evil, as long as it was meant towards the greater good. Regardless abilities that rely on alignment register you as being evil.

Lv4 > Black and White:
Your alignment, on the good/evil axis, is always treated as the most beneficial for wielding and/or using armor, weapons, magic slot items, or staffs. This ability supersedes the gray path where it would conflict.

Lv3, 4, 5 > Occult Power [Sp/Ps]:
Choose a single arcane spell, mystery, or power of a level no higher than three less than your combined levels in dark hero and half that in your chosen class at each indicated level. You may use it as a spell-like (for mysteries and arcane spells) or psi-like (for powers) ability a number of times per day equal to (your dark hero levels + 1/2 your chosen class levels) rounded up + 1/4 of all other levels rounded down - the level of the effect.
If the effect had a cap to any damage die it continues to increase at half the normal rate beyond the cap. The effects save is changed to a DC of 15 + 1/2 level + an ability modifier of your choice (chosen the first time you take this) - level of the effect. Furthermore reduce the DC by 4 if the effect petrifies, curses, paralyzes, or kills.
Each time you gain the occult power ability you may also replace another occult power ability for any that you qualify for.
Special: You may not augment psi-like abilities such as these with power points. You may, however, affect these abilities with a single appropriate meta-feat of a level no higher than your dark hero levels at no increase to level (except effects like heighten spell) or casting time when you use it.

Lv5 > Dark Ascendance:
You may treat yourself as good, evil, or neutral alignment for the purposes of qualifying for any individual class, as well as advancing in it (whichever benefits you most for it). Additionally you become immune to any mind-effect that only affects humanoids.



Design Notes:
This prestige class is meant to allow a player to play an anti-hero with some unique abilities and allows a player to bend the alignment rules.

eftexar
2011-07-24, 12:08 AM
Really. Nothing.... Did I screw up that bad?

Engorde
2011-07-24, 01:12 PM
I think this is a great idea, but it looks like it needs more class features to make it worthwile; maybe it would be better if you make it a 5 lvl Prestige Class.

eftexar
2011-07-24, 01:56 PM
I just made it a 5 level prestige class Engorde. I don't want to add too many class features as the point of this class is merely to augment your previous class and allow access to new classes, although I did fit them into 5 levels.