Cogidubnus
2011-11-10, 01:37 PM
So, the idea is to do a series of Epic Destinies, each representing the favour of a different powerful entity (The Lords of the Nine, Demon Lords, The Far Realms, The Faerie Courts, etc.) Here's the first.
Chosen of the Nine
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/280/1/1/nobody_but_me_by_dianar87-d3093tv.jpg
Sometimes, an individual comes to attentions of the Lords of the Nine Hells in a good way. Someone they think can help enlarge their kingdom, winning over mortals for them, and fighting their enemies. Such individuals are contacted, often by one of the Lords themselves, and offered the favour of the Lords of the Nine in return for their services. Few would turn down such an offer, and even fewer are those who would dare deny a Lord of the Nine.
Requirements: 21st level, Lawful Evil, Must have made friendly contact with a Devil, 20 ranks in Profession: Barrister
{table=head]Level |
Benefit
21st | Dark Contract, Contract Rewards
24th | Hellfire Infusion
27th | Intervention of the Nine
30th | Blood Pact
[/table]
Dark Contract: At 21st level, you gain the ability to create Dark Contracts. These Contracts allow you to grant various benefits to other creatures, in return for a (usually unfair) price. Creating a Contract requires a Profession: Barrister check with a DC equal to the HD of the creature you are making a contract with, minimum 10. The Contracts that may be formed vary according to your character level, as laid out in the table below. The exact effects are detailed beneath the table. No creature may receive the benefits of more than one Contract at a time, but they may owe payment on more than one. All SLAs granted are cast with a Caster Level of the recipients ECL. Signing a Dark Contract is an Evil act and must be performed of the creature's own will.
{table=head]Level |
Contract |
Cost
21st | Lesser Planar Ally | Equal service for the Chosen and the Hells
24th | Planar Ally | Equal service for the Chosen and the Hells
24th | Ability Score Increase | Alignment shifts one step closer to LE
27th | Greater Planar Ally | Equal service for the Chosen and the Hells
30th | Faustian Pact | Soul
[/table]
Planar Ally Contracts: Allow the recipient to cast the related spell from the Planar Ally line, always summoning a creature from the Nine Hells, with no experience cost and no need to pay the usual cost of the creature’s aid. In return, the recipient must provide an equal duration of service to both the Chosen of the Nine and to the Lords of the Nine themselves, or their chosen representatives.
Ability Score Increase: The recipient benefits from a +3 increase to a single ability score. Their alignment then shifts one step closer towards evil, and one step closer towards lawful. For example, a Chaotic Neutral character would become Neutral Evil. As long as the character’s alignment is not Lawful Evil, they may make this Contract multiple times until their alignment is both Lawful and Evil. A recipient who receives an Atonement to change their alignment loses the benefits of this contract.
Faustian Pact: The recipient benefits from a +5 profane bonus to one ability score, and a +3 profane bonus to another. Their age categories increase in length by 3 times and they cease to suffer from aging penalties. They can cast Greater Planar Ally once per day as a SLA, and do not need to pay for the services rendered as long as the Ally remains no longer than the recipient’s ECL in minutes. When the recipient dies, their soul becomes the property of the Lords of the Nine, and they may only be raised with the express permission of the Lord in control of the soul. Nothing short of the intervention of a major deity may subvert this effect.
Other Contracts: At the DM’s discretion, the Chosen of the Nine may draw up different contracts with different costs (which could include valuables sacrificed to the Nine or the building of a church in their honour), but this is entirely up to the DM, and may also require an increased DC Profession: Barrister check.
Failure to Pay For Contracts: Anyone who signs a contract with a Chosen of the Nine is placed under a Geas to provide the payment when it is demanded, and if they fail they are nauseated until they agree to do so. Any attempt to remove either of these conditions requires a Wish or Limited Wish spell, and a Caster Level check equal to twice the Chosen of the Nine’s ECL, as the Lords of the Nine reinforce the contracts their Chosen make with great vigour.
Contract Rewards: The Chosen of the Nine may pick one of these rewards upon successfully persuading another creature to sign a Dark Contract. A Chosen may never have more than one of these rewards at once.
A +1 Profane bonus to a single ability score for each 6 HD of the recipient.
Regeneration equal to ¼ of the HD of the recipient. This stacks with other forms of regeneration and is bypassed only by silver, good-aligned weapons.
Immunity to either negative levels, ability score damage or death effects.
Resistance to one energy type equal to the HD of the recipient.
Hellfire Infusion: At 24th level, the Chosen of the Nine may wrap its weapons or spells in Hellfire. At the beginning of each round, the Chosen of the Nine may sacrifice one hit point to deal two hit points of extra Hellfire damage whenever he damages an opponent. There is no limit to the number of hit points that may be sacrificed in a given round, and this hit point loss bypasses all regeneration and DR. Alternatively, the Chosen may suffer one point of Constitution damage to deal 15 extra damage for this round. If the Chosen is immune to Constitution damage, they may still use this ability, but may gain no more than 45 extra damage from “Constitution damage” in each round. Hellfire bypasses Fire Resistance and Fire Immunity.
Intervention of the Nine: At 27th level, the Lords of the Nine will actively intervene to save the life of their Chosen. Once per encounter, when the Chosen of the Nine would be killed, this ability activates, restoring the Chosen to half their starting hit points. However, this temporarily uses up the favour of the Lords of the Nine, stopping the Chosen of the Nine from using his Hellfire Infusion ability for the rest of the encounter.
Blood Pact: At 30th level, the Chosen of the Nine is a master at trapping people within contracts. Whenever the Chosen of the Nine uses an action that deals damage to an opponent (such as a standard attack action, a full attack action, or casting a damaging spell), they may snag a little part of the essence of the creature they have injured. The creature must make a Will Save opposed by the Chosen of the Nine’s Profession: Barrister check. If they fail, then if they die in the next 5 minutes they are damned, as though they had sold their soul through a Faustian Pact. The Chosen of the Nine receives the usual Contract Reward for forming this sort of Contract, but only if the recipient dies within 5 minutes. Furthermore, the recipient must make a Will Save each round (same DC as the original one) if it wishes to attempt an action that would harm the Chosen of the Nine. Failure does not waste the action.
Immortality – Soul-Gatherer of the Hells
You continue on the path your Lords have set you upon, winning over souls for them. You cease to age, and become for all eternity an instigator of the will of the Nine. The Hells are full of souls you have tricked into damnation, and you are richly rewarded for it.
Chosen of the Nine
http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/280/1/1/nobody_but_me_by_dianar87-d3093tv.jpg
Sometimes, an individual comes to attentions of the Lords of the Nine Hells in a good way. Someone they think can help enlarge their kingdom, winning over mortals for them, and fighting their enemies. Such individuals are contacted, often by one of the Lords themselves, and offered the favour of the Lords of the Nine in return for their services. Few would turn down such an offer, and even fewer are those who would dare deny a Lord of the Nine.
Requirements: 21st level, Lawful Evil, Must have made friendly contact with a Devil, 20 ranks in Profession: Barrister
{table=head]Level |
Benefit
21st | Dark Contract, Contract Rewards
24th | Hellfire Infusion
27th | Intervention of the Nine
30th | Blood Pact
[/table]
Dark Contract: At 21st level, you gain the ability to create Dark Contracts. These Contracts allow you to grant various benefits to other creatures, in return for a (usually unfair) price. Creating a Contract requires a Profession: Barrister check with a DC equal to the HD of the creature you are making a contract with, minimum 10. The Contracts that may be formed vary according to your character level, as laid out in the table below. The exact effects are detailed beneath the table. No creature may receive the benefits of more than one Contract at a time, but they may owe payment on more than one. All SLAs granted are cast with a Caster Level of the recipients ECL. Signing a Dark Contract is an Evil act and must be performed of the creature's own will.
{table=head]Level |
Contract |
Cost
21st | Lesser Planar Ally | Equal service for the Chosen and the Hells
24th | Planar Ally | Equal service for the Chosen and the Hells
24th | Ability Score Increase | Alignment shifts one step closer to LE
27th | Greater Planar Ally | Equal service for the Chosen and the Hells
30th | Faustian Pact | Soul
[/table]
Planar Ally Contracts: Allow the recipient to cast the related spell from the Planar Ally line, always summoning a creature from the Nine Hells, with no experience cost and no need to pay the usual cost of the creature’s aid. In return, the recipient must provide an equal duration of service to both the Chosen of the Nine and to the Lords of the Nine themselves, or their chosen representatives.
Ability Score Increase: The recipient benefits from a +3 increase to a single ability score. Their alignment then shifts one step closer towards evil, and one step closer towards lawful. For example, a Chaotic Neutral character would become Neutral Evil. As long as the character’s alignment is not Lawful Evil, they may make this Contract multiple times until their alignment is both Lawful and Evil. A recipient who receives an Atonement to change their alignment loses the benefits of this contract.
Faustian Pact: The recipient benefits from a +5 profane bonus to one ability score, and a +3 profane bonus to another. Their age categories increase in length by 3 times and they cease to suffer from aging penalties. They can cast Greater Planar Ally once per day as a SLA, and do not need to pay for the services rendered as long as the Ally remains no longer than the recipient’s ECL in minutes. When the recipient dies, their soul becomes the property of the Lords of the Nine, and they may only be raised with the express permission of the Lord in control of the soul. Nothing short of the intervention of a major deity may subvert this effect.
Other Contracts: At the DM’s discretion, the Chosen of the Nine may draw up different contracts with different costs (which could include valuables sacrificed to the Nine or the building of a church in their honour), but this is entirely up to the DM, and may also require an increased DC Profession: Barrister check.
Failure to Pay For Contracts: Anyone who signs a contract with a Chosen of the Nine is placed under a Geas to provide the payment when it is demanded, and if they fail they are nauseated until they agree to do so. Any attempt to remove either of these conditions requires a Wish or Limited Wish spell, and a Caster Level check equal to twice the Chosen of the Nine’s ECL, as the Lords of the Nine reinforce the contracts their Chosen make with great vigour.
Contract Rewards: The Chosen of the Nine may pick one of these rewards upon successfully persuading another creature to sign a Dark Contract. A Chosen may never have more than one of these rewards at once.
A +1 Profane bonus to a single ability score for each 6 HD of the recipient.
Regeneration equal to ¼ of the HD of the recipient. This stacks with other forms of regeneration and is bypassed only by silver, good-aligned weapons.
Immunity to either negative levels, ability score damage or death effects.
Resistance to one energy type equal to the HD of the recipient.
Hellfire Infusion: At 24th level, the Chosen of the Nine may wrap its weapons or spells in Hellfire. At the beginning of each round, the Chosen of the Nine may sacrifice one hit point to deal two hit points of extra Hellfire damage whenever he damages an opponent. There is no limit to the number of hit points that may be sacrificed in a given round, and this hit point loss bypasses all regeneration and DR. Alternatively, the Chosen may suffer one point of Constitution damage to deal 15 extra damage for this round. If the Chosen is immune to Constitution damage, they may still use this ability, but may gain no more than 45 extra damage from “Constitution damage” in each round. Hellfire bypasses Fire Resistance and Fire Immunity.
Intervention of the Nine: At 27th level, the Lords of the Nine will actively intervene to save the life of their Chosen. Once per encounter, when the Chosen of the Nine would be killed, this ability activates, restoring the Chosen to half their starting hit points. However, this temporarily uses up the favour of the Lords of the Nine, stopping the Chosen of the Nine from using his Hellfire Infusion ability for the rest of the encounter.
Blood Pact: At 30th level, the Chosen of the Nine is a master at trapping people within contracts. Whenever the Chosen of the Nine uses an action that deals damage to an opponent (such as a standard attack action, a full attack action, or casting a damaging spell), they may snag a little part of the essence of the creature they have injured. The creature must make a Will Save opposed by the Chosen of the Nine’s Profession: Barrister check. If they fail, then if they die in the next 5 minutes they are damned, as though they had sold their soul through a Faustian Pact. The Chosen of the Nine receives the usual Contract Reward for forming this sort of Contract, but only if the recipient dies within 5 minutes. Furthermore, the recipient must make a Will Save each round (same DC as the original one) if it wishes to attempt an action that would harm the Chosen of the Nine. Failure does not waste the action.
Immortality – Soul-Gatherer of the Hells
You continue on the path your Lords have set you upon, winning over souls for them. You cease to age, and become for all eternity an instigator of the will of the Nine. The Hells are full of souls you have tricked into damnation, and you are richly rewarded for it.