JellyPooga
2007-04-24, 01:04 PM
Pale Master Revision
Necromancy is usually a poor choice for Arcane spellcasters – those who really want to master the deathless arts almost always pursue divine means. However, there are several alternatives for those who desire the power of the Undead, but refuse to give up their arcane craft completely. Some choose to forsake their mortal life and become Undead themselves, whether through the complex rituals involved in becoming a Lich or by seeking out powerful Undead such as Vampires to ‘infect’ them with immortality. Others are not so willing to leave their life behind so quickly; enter the Pale Master, who draws on a font of special lore that provides a macabre power all its own. Through long study of the Undead and exposure to the baleful energy that gives them ‘life’, the Pale Master learns to manipulate it to his own ends; infusing his body with dark power. Pale Masters have an instinctive feel for creating lesser Undead, such as Skeletons and Zombies and are capable of raising and controlling large numbers of these creatures, though they tend to lack the focus and discipline required to make more powerful Undead like Ghouls and Wraiths.
Through his dark practises, the Pale Master gains strength, speed and endurance far beyond any natural limitations. His flesh becomes unfeeling and lifeless as the Undead creatures he associates with and the dire energies that flow through his limbs make his touch deadly to the living. As time goes by, Pale Masters lose their sense of community; obsessed with their macabre studies, they shun the outside world and hide away from the sun, surrounding themselves with their un-living minions. Eventually, any true semblance of life leaves the Pale Master, though few realise or care by this time, as their flesh starts rotting and falling from their bones. Though they do not truly become Undead for a long time, if at all, some living for centuries before death claims them, they are nevertheless all but indistinguishable from the monsters they create and emulate.
Most Pale Masters were once Sorcerers or Warlocks with a fascination for the Undead. Some Wizards, especially those with a flare for obscure lore, dabble in the dark secrets of the Pale Master, but the lack of focus that comes from pursuing those unholy paths often puts them off. Occasionally a Warrior or Rogue will stumble across some hidden tome or lost scroll that hints at the strength available through these studies and learn the Arcane secrets required to pursue their dreams of power. Very few wielders of Divine power ever become Pale Masters.
NPC Pale Masters head special strike groups containing lesser Undead, supplemented as needed with more powerful summoned Undead. Sometimes they act in collusion with powerful evil characters, such as True Necromancers or Divine spellcasters with Death as one of their domains. Wherever Pale Masters go, Undead follow. Often it is difficult to tell a Pale Master from the Undead that he surrounds himself with.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To qualify to become a Pale Master, a character must fulfil all the following criteria:
Alignment: Any non-good
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 10 ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks, Knowledge (the Planes) 4 ranks
Feats: Daunting Presence, Necromantic Presence, Tomb-Tainted Soul
Arcane Caster Level: 5th
Spell/Invocation: Able to cast Control Undead or have the The Dead Walk invocation
Special: The candidate must have spent at least three days locked in a tomb with animate Undead. This contact may be peaceful or violent. A character who is slain by the Undead and later raised still meets the requirements, although the resulting level loss may delay compliance with other prerequisites.
Class Skills
The Pale Masters class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort.|Ref.|Will|Special|Spellcasting
1|+0|+0|+0|+2|Undead Affinity (10%), Unholy Strength (+2), Ghastly Visage|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
2|+1|+0|+0|+3|Control Undead (1/day)|
3|+2|+1|+1|+3|Animate Dead, Times' Touch, Tough as Bone (+2/+1/DR:1)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4|+3|+1|+1|+4|Darkvision, Deathless Vigour (1), Baleful Flesh|
5|+3|+1|+1|+4|Undead Affinity (20%), Unholy Strength (+4)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6|+4|+2|+2|+5|Control Undead (2/day), Deathless Vigour (2)|
7|+5|+2|+2|+5|Tough as Bone (+4/+2/DR:2)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
8|+6|+2|+2|+6|Deathless Vigour (3)|
9|+6|+3|+3|+6|Undead Affinity (30%), Unholy Strength (+6)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
10|+7|+3|+3|+7|Control Undead (3/day), Deathless Mastery, Plague of Undead|
11|+8|+3|+3|+7|Tough as Bone (+6/+3/DR:3)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
12|+9|+4|+4|+8||
13|+9|+4|+4|+8|Undead Affinity (40%), Unholy Strength (+8), Death|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Pale Master prestige class.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Pale Masters gain proficiency in Light and Medium armour. They gain no proficiency with any weapon or shield.
Spells per Day/ Spells Known: At every odd numbered level, a Pale Master gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in an Arcane spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or destroying Undead, metamagic or item creation feats and so on). If he had more than one Arcane spellcasting class before becoming a Pale Master, he must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.
Undead Affinity (Ex): All Pale Masters have a certain affinity for all things Undead. They gain a +1 inherent bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy and Gather Information checks made on Undead creatures for every three levels of Pale Master.
In addition, they may treat the Arcane Spell Failure of any Undead Armour they wear as if it were 10% lower than normal. This deduction increases by +10% every 4 levels above 1st.
A Pale Masters connection to the Undead also causes him to use certain magic items as if he has the Undead type and grants him an insightful understanding of some of their secrets. At 1st level, he must use Profane and Sacred weapons as if he has the Undead type. He may also take feats that have the Undead type as a prerequisite. At 5th level he must use Profane Burst and Sacred Burst weapons as if he has the Undead type. He may also take feats that have ‘No Constitution Score’ as a prerequisite even though he has one (such as Lifesight). Finally, at 9th level, he must use all Magic Items as if he has the Undead type. He may also take feats that have ‘Incorporeal’ as a prerequisite even though he remains corporeal.
Finally, a Pale Master adds his class level to his caster level to determine the number of HD of Undead he can raise and control using the Animate Dead spell, his Animate Dead (from 3rd level) or Plague of Undead (from 10th level) spell-like abilities (e.g. a 8th level Wizard / 8th level Pale Master can raise up to 40 HD of Undead with a single casting of Animate Dead and can control up to 80 HD of Undead)
Ghastly Visage (Ex): The price of taking the path of the Pale Master is often too costly for the faint of heart. The further down the path he goes, the more like an Undead creature he becomes. First, the flesh pales and stiffens, taking on the waxy sheen of death. Then the Pale Master wastes away until his body is skeletally thin, his skin cracked and yellow, his eyes dark and hollow. Eventually, the flesh that remains starts to rot and drops from his bones, exposing living bone beneath. The most powerful Pale Masters are little more than skeletons with a few withered organs held in by the tattered remains of their skin, a pair of baleful eyes staring out from deep sockets. This gradual decomposition tends to make the living somewhat uncomfortable, to say the least and imposes a -1 penalty, per Pale Master class level, to all Bluff, Diplomacy and Gather Information checks made with the living (the DM may waive this penalty in certain circumstances). The upshot of having such a monstrous appearance is that it makes cowing the weak much easier, granting a +1 circumstance bonus to all Intimidate checks made against the living for every three levels of the Pale Master prestige class (+1 at level 3, +2 at level 6, etc.). An equal bonus applies to the save DC’s of mind-affecting, fear effects produced by any extraordinary or supernatural abilities that the Pale Master may possess, including his Daunting Presence feat (but not spells or spell-like abilities).
Unholy Strength (Ex): One of the first manifestations of the Pale Masters studies is an infusion of dark energy into his body, granting him supernatural strength. As time goes by, the Pale Master infuses his body with more and more energy until, despite his withered frame and haggard appearance, he can wrestle ogres and smash doors with a single blow. This ability grants the Pale Master a +2 inherent bonus to Strength which increases by +2 every four levels above 1st (+4 at 5th, +6 at 9th, etc.).
Control Undead (Su): At 2nd level the Pale Master gains the ability, once per day, to control an Undead creature (with Hit Dice equal to or less than the Pale Masters class level) with a melee touch attack against it. The Undead creature receives no saving throw to resist this effect. The control lasts for 1 round/class level. When the duration expires, the Undead creature returns to its former allegiance. The newly controlled Undead can still be turned or rebuked as normal. This effect is otherwise identical to the Control Undead spell. This ability is in addition to the number of Undead a Pale Master can control using the Animate Dead spell or through the Rebuke Undead class feature. The Pale Master gains an additional use of this ability every four class levels above 2nd.
Animate Dead (Sp): At 3rd level, the Pale Master can see the spark of un-life that flows through every corpse and gains the ability to amplify it to the point of animation. Once per day he can use Animate Dead as a spell-like ability, without the need for any material component. Use the Pale Masters highest Arcane caster level plus his Pale Master class level to determine the maximum HD of Undead he can raise using this ability. All other restrictions of Animate Dead still apply (for example, a 7th level Warlock/4th level Pale Master can animate up to 26 HD of Undead with a single use of this ability. Likewise, he can control up to 52 HD of Undead with this ability, the Animate Dead spell, his Plague of Undead ability (from level 10 onwards) or any combination of all three).
Times’ Touch (Su): At 3rd level, a Pale Master can see the flow and ebb of negative energy within things and learns to manipulate it to his own ends. Using this ability, a Pale Master can accelerate the passage of time for objects, causing steel to rust, wood to rot and stone to crumble to dust in a matter of seconds. A Pale Master may age objects a number of years equal to his level squared per day (e.g. 9 years at level 3, 16 years at level 4, etc.), divided as desired in 1 year increments (e.g. a 3rd level Pale Master could age 3 objects by 3 years or 1 object 9 years per day). To use this ability, a Pale Master must be able to touch or hold the target for a full-round (6 seconds). If contact is broken before those 6 seconds elapses, then the ability fails and the years expended are wasted. Using this ability provokes attacks of opportunity. A Pale Master may only use this ability on a non-living, inanimate object or area no greater than 6ft in any dimension or 20lb in weight (e.g. he could use it to age an apple, a sword or the area around a lock on a wooden door, but not a fully grown oak tree, creature of the Construct type or an entire Adamanitine door). The effects of using this ability are up to the DM’s discretion as they will vary wildly depending on the target and number of years it is aged (for example; an apple aged a year would disintegrate, but a rock would be largely unaffected).
Tough as Bone (Ex): At 3rd level, a Pale Masters flesh becomes more like that of an Undead creature. He loses some feeling and his body becomes tough and unyielding. He gains +2 inherent bonus to Constitution, which increases by +2 every 4 levels after 3rd (+4 at 7th level, +6 at 11th level). He also gains a +1 inherent bonus to Fortitude saves, except against effects that also affect objects (such as Disintegrate), which increases by +1 every 4 levels after 3rd (+2 at 7th level, etc.). The loss of feeling means that he gains a certain ability to ignore wounds that would otherwise affect him and he gains Damage Reduction 1/- , which increases by 1 every 4 levels after 3rd (DR: 2/ - at 7th level, etc.). If the Pale Master already posesses Damage Reduction from another source (such as from Warlock class levels), he may increase it by 1 point + 1 per 4 levels. This replaces gaining DR/- (e.g. a Warlock 7/Pale Master 7 could either have DR:2/Cold Iron and DR:2/- or just DR:4/Cold Iron).
Darkvision (Ex): At 4th level, the dark begins to lose its mysteries to the Pale Master, who gains Darkvision out to 60ft. If he already has Darkvision, its effective distance increases by 60ft.
Deathless Vigour (Ex): At 4th level, a Pale Masters body starts to rely more on the negative energy that fuels the Undead than its natural functions and he acquires some of the unnatural endurance of the Undead. He becomes immune to poison and disease (whether natural or supernatural in origin) and can subsist on only half as much food as he previously needed. At 6th level, his transformation continues and he becomes immune to Sleep effects and non-Lethal damage. He also now only requires a quarter of the food he needed when he was fully alive and can make do with only half as much sleep (though he still requires 8 hours uninterrupted rest to replenish his spells every day). At 8th level, his transformation nears completion. He becomes immune to paralysis and stunning and can live off a mere morsel of food each day (1/8th of his normal intake), requires only an hour or two of sleep to replenish himself (1/4 normal sleeping time, still requires 8 hours to replenish spells) and his oxygen requirements are much diminished (he can hold his breath for twice as long as normal).
Baleful Flesh (Su): At 4th level, the Pale Masters body is so infused with negative energy and dark magic that his touch becomes an anathema to the living. At first he can merely cause the living to cower in fear of him at his touch, but as time goes by, his touch becomes ever more deadly. Eventually, the power residing in his rotting flesh becomes so strong that it no longer requires his touch to have an effect on mortal creatures and his mere presence becomes deadly to mortal creatures. Once per day, for every two class levels (i.e. 2/day at 4th level, 3/day at 6th level, etc.), as a standard action, a Pale Master can make an unarmed melee attack or a melee touch attack, inflicting a range of debilitating effects depending on his level. The character must declare that he is using this ability before making the attack roll and whether it will be an unarmed melee attack or a melee touch attack. An unarmed melee attack made in this way is subject to the usual rules regarding unarmed attacks and is made against the targets normal Armour Class (as opposed to their Touch AC), but has the advantage of inflicting damage in addition to the effects of this ability. A failed attack roll still expends that use of the ability for the day. Each time he uses this ability, the Pale Master may select any of the effects described below for which he meets the prerequisite class level. The save DC for this ability is 10 + his Pale Master class level + his Charisma modifier.
{table=head]Level|Effect
4|Fearful Touch: Any living foe touched by this effect must make a Will save. If the target succeeds, it is shaken for 1 round. If the subject fails its Will save, it is frightened for 1 round per level of the Pale Master. This effect has no effect on creatures with more than 6 HD.
5|Paralysing Touch: Any living creature, except for an Elf, touched by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed for 1d4+1 rounds. A Paralysing Touch delivered by a Pale Master of 9th level or higher can affect Elves.
6|Painful Touch: A living humanoid hit by this effect is gripped by debilitating pain as his heart is crushed by dire energies. The target must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed for one round and take 1d4 points of damage. Every round the Pale Master maintains concentration on the target, it must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed for a further round and take another 1d4 points of damage. Maintaining concentration on the target does not expend daily uses of this ability and can be done indefinitely, but requires a standard action and can be disrupted just as if the Pale Master were concentrating on a spell. If the target should die from this ability, the smoking ruin that is all that’s left of the victims’ heart appears in the Pale Masters hand.
7|Weakening Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect takes 1d6 points of Strength damage (no save). A creature reduced to 0 Strength dies.
8|Degenerative Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect receives one negative level (no save) and must make a Fortitude save 24 hours later to avoid losing the level permanently
9|Destructive Touch: Any living foe hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Constitution drain.
10|Deathless Masters Touch: Any living foe of up to one size category larger than the Pale Master hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or die. A slain creature automatically animates 1 round later as a Zombie and is under the Pale Masters control as if he had animated it. Undead created in this way do not count against a Pale Masters’ HD total for controlling Undead.
11|Disintegrating Touch: Any creature hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 2d6 points of damage per the Pale Masters class level (to a maximum of 40d6). Any creature reduced to 0 or fewer HP by this effect is entirely disintegrated, leaving behind only a fine dust (it’s equipment is unaffected). When used against an object, this effect simply disintegrates up to one 10-foot cube of non-living matter. It even affects objects constructed entirely of force, such as Bigby’s Forceful Hand, but not magical effects such as a Globe of Invulnerability. A creature or object that makes a successful Fortitude save is partially affected, taking only 5d6 points of damage. If this is enough to reduce the creature or object to 0 or fewer HP, it is entirely disintegrated.
12|Blackfire Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or be engulfed in chill black flames for 1 round per Pale Master level. Each round, a creature engulfed in blackfire must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage and become nauseated. A creature that succeeds on its save takes no damage and is sickened instead. Any living creature adjacent to a creature engulfed in blackfire must succeed on a Reflex save or become engulfed itself for the duration of the effect. If a creature succeeds on its Fortitude save in three consecutive rounds, the blackfire affecting it gutters out. The black flames cannot otherwise be extinguished by normal means, but an Antimagic Field, successful Dispel Magic, Remove Curse or Break Enchantment spell snuffs it out. A creature protected by Death Ward is immune to blackfire. A creature reduced to 0 Con by this effect is reduced to a pile of black ash and can only be returned to life with a True Resurrection or Wish spell, the caster of which must succeed on a DC 30 caster level check to restore the victim to life.
13|Deaths Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect with less than 100 HP dies (no save). Any creature with 101 or more HP is unaffected by this effect.[/table]
At any level equal to twice the prerequisite level for one of the above effects, a Pale Master may expend a daily use of this ability, as a standard action, to use that effect at will for 24 hours (for example; an 8th level Pale Master may expend one daily usage of this ability, taking his remaining uses down to 3, to gain the ability to use his Fearful Touch ability at will for 24 hours). A Pale Master may only have one at-will ability in effect at any one time (though he may dismiss his current at-will ability as a swift action, so as to enable another at the usual cost of one daily use)
At any level equal to three times the prerequisite level for one of the above effects, a Pale Master may expend two daily uses of this ability, as a standard action, to emit that effect as an emanation aura, centred on him, with a radius of 5ft/Pale Master class level, for 24 hours (for example; at 12th level, a Pale Master may expend two daily uses of this ability, taking his remaining uses down to 4, to erect a Fearful Touch aura with a radius of 60ft). Any eligible creature (except the Pale Master) within the auras area of effect is subjected to the effect as if hit by the ability on the Pale Masters turn. Effects that do not normally allow a save grant a Will save to resist the effect when emitted as an aura. A creature that saves against an aura effect cannot be affected by the same aura effect for 24 hours. A Pale Master may only have one aura in effect at any one time (though he may dismiss his current aura as a swift action, so as to erect another at the usual cost of two daily uses).
Summary of extended effects and required level:
{table=head]Level|At Will|Aura
8|Fearful Touch|None
10|Paralysing Touch|None
12|Painful Touch|Fearful Touch[/table]
Deathless Mastery (Ex): At 10th level, a Pale Master is all but indistinguishable from an Undead creature. His appearance marks him as a monster and his flesh almost glows with the baleful energy contained within it. His corrupted body is barely mortal and he becomes immune to ability drain, energy drain, physical ability damage and critical hits. He has no need of food, subsisting entirely off of negative energy, the same dire energy allowing him to survive on a mere eighth of the sleep he once required (though he still needs 8 hours of uninterrupted rest to replenish his spells). His reliance on oxygen still remains, but it much reduced. As such, he can hold his breath for 4 times as long as normal for his race and type. The sleep and breath adjustments of this ability overlap those of the Deathless Vigour ability (they do not stack with it). In addition, the Pale Masters energy infused body grants him a pale shadow of immortality; he no longer takes ageing penalties (though any he has acquired so far remain) and his maximum age is multiplied by 5.
A Pale Master that reaches this level loses almost all connection to his past life and becomes obsessed with continuing his studies and practises, turning into a twisted, selfish and reclusive creature (or more so). His alignment shifts towards Evil one step (e.g. from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Evil), if it was not so already and every level from now on, he must succeed on a Will save (DC equal to his character level x 1.75, rounding fractions up) to take a level in a class or prestige class other than Pale Master (for example; a Human Warlock 7/Pale Master 10, upon reaching level 18 wishes to increase his Warlock level to 8, but must succeed on a Will save; DC 30 in order to do so). If he fails this Will save, he must take another level in Pale Master (he cannot choose to use some of his accumulated experience on magic item creation and retake the Will save at a later date, upon regaining the required experience for that level, for example).
Plague of Undead (Sp): At 10th level, Pale Master gains the ability to raise a large number of corpses as Undead minions at once. Once per day he can use Plague of Undead as a spell-like ability, without the need for any material component. Use the Pale Masters highest Arcane caster level plus his class level. All other restrictions of Animate Dead still apply (for example, a 7th level Warlock/10th level Pale Master can animate up to 88 HD of Undead with a single use of this ability. Likewise, he can control up to 88 HD of Undead with this ability, the Animate Dead spell, his Animate Dead ability or any combination of all three).
Death: At 13th level, death finally claims the remains that were once the Pale Master and he truly becomes an Undead creature, acquiring the Necropolitan template (without the associated ritual, fee, experience or level loss).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edits: Times Touch simplified. Baleful Flesh changed so that you may only have on at-will use of this ability active at any one time. Added caster level bonus to Undead Affinity for purposes of Animate Dead spell/SLA. BAB requirement lessened. Added Tomb-Tainted Soul as a Feat requirement.
Necromancy is usually a poor choice for Arcane spellcasters – those who really want to master the deathless arts almost always pursue divine means. However, there are several alternatives for those who desire the power of the Undead, but refuse to give up their arcane craft completely. Some choose to forsake their mortal life and become Undead themselves, whether through the complex rituals involved in becoming a Lich or by seeking out powerful Undead such as Vampires to ‘infect’ them with immortality. Others are not so willing to leave their life behind so quickly; enter the Pale Master, who draws on a font of special lore that provides a macabre power all its own. Through long study of the Undead and exposure to the baleful energy that gives them ‘life’, the Pale Master learns to manipulate it to his own ends; infusing his body with dark power. Pale Masters have an instinctive feel for creating lesser Undead, such as Skeletons and Zombies and are capable of raising and controlling large numbers of these creatures, though they tend to lack the focus and discipline required to make more powerful Undead like Ghouls and Wraiths.
Through his dark practises, the Pale Master gains strength, speed and endurance far beyond any natural limitations. His flesh becomes unfeeling and lifeless as the Undead creatures he associates with and the dire energies that flow through his limbs make his touch deadly to the living. As time goes by, Pale Masters lose their sense of community; obsessed with their macabre studies, they shun the outside world and hide away from the sun, surrounding themselves with their un-living minions. Eventually, any true semblance of life leaves the Pale Master, though few realise or care by this time, as their flesh starts rotting and falling from their bones. Though they do not truly become Undead for a long time, if at all, some living for centuries before death claims them, they are nevertheless all but indistinguishable from the monsters they create and emulate.
Most Pale Masters were once Sorcerers or Warlocks with a fascination for the Undead. Some Wizards, especially those with a flare for obscure lore, dabble in the dark secrets of the Pale Master, but the lack of focus that comes from pursuing those unholy paths often puts them off. Occasionally a Warrior or Rogue will stumble across some hidden tome or lost scroll that hints at the strength available through these studies and learn the Arcane secrets required to pursue their dreams of power. Very few wielders of Divine power ever become Pale Masters.
NPC Pale Masters head special strike groups containing lesser Undead, supplemented as needed with more powerful summoned Undead. Sometimes they act in collusion with powerful evil characters, such as True Necromancers or Divine spellcasters with Death as one of their domains. Wherever Pale Masters go, Undead follow. Often it is difficult to tell a Pale Master from the Undead that he surrounds himself with.
Hit Die: d6
Requirements
To qualify to become a Pale Master, a character must fulfil all the following criteria:
Alignment: Any non-good
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 10 ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 4 ranks, Knowledge (the Planes) 4 ranks
Feats: Daunting Presence, Necromantic Presence, Tomb-Tainted Soul
Arcane Caster Level: 5th
Spell/Invocation: Able to cast Control Undead or have the The Dead Walk invocation
Special: The candidate must have spent at least three days locked in a tomb with animate Undead. This contact may be peaceful or violent. A character who is slain by the Undead and later raised still meets the requirements, although the resulting level loss may delay compliance with other prerequisites.
Class Skills
The Pale Masters class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis) and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort.|Ref.|Will|Special|Spellcasting
1|+0|+0|+0|+2|Undead Affinity (10%), Unholy Strength (+2), Ghastly Visage|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
2|+1|+0|+0|+3|Control Undead (1/day)|
3|+2|+1|+1|+3|Animate Dead, Times' Touch, Tough as Bone (+2/+1/DR:1)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4|+3|+1|+1|+4|Darkvision, Deathless Vigour (1), Baleful Flesh|
5|+3|+1|+1|+4|Undead Affinity (20%), Unholy Strength (+4)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6|+4|+2|+2|+5|Control Undead (2/day), Deathless Vigour (2)|
7|+5|+2|+2|+5|Tough as Bone (+4/+2/DR:2)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
8|+6|+2|+2|+6|Deathless Vigour (3)|
9|+6|+3|+3|+6|Undead Affinity (30%), Unholy Strength (+6)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
10|+7|+3|+3|+7|Control Undead (3/day), Deathless Mastery, Plague of Undead|
11|+8|+3|+3|+7|Tough as Bone (+6/+3/DR:3)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
12|+9|+4|+4|+8||
13|+9|+4|+4|+8|Undead Affinity (40%), Unholy Strength (+8), Death|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Pale Master prestige class.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Pale Masters gain proficiency in Light and Medium armour. They gain no proficiency with any weapon or shield.
Spells per Day/ Spells Known: At every odd numbered level, a Pale Master gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in an Arcane spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or destroying Undead, metamagic or item creation feats and so on). If he had more than one Arcane spellcasting class before becoming a Pale Master, he must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.
Undead Affinity (Ex): All Pale Masters have a certain affinity for all things Undead. They gain a +1 inherent bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy and Gather Information checks made on Undead creatures for every three levels of Pale Master.
In addition, they may treat the Arcane Spell Failure of any Undead Armour they wear as if it were 10% lower than normal. This deduction increases by +10% every 4 levels above 1st.
A Pale Masters connection to the Undead also causes him to use certain magic items as if he has the Undead type and grants him an insightful understanding of some of their secrets. At 1st level, he must use Profane and Sacred weapons as if he has the Undead type. He may also take feats that have the Undead type as a prerequisite. At 5th level he must use Profane Burst and Sacred Burst weapons as if he has the Undead type. He may also take feats that have ‘No Constitution Score’ as a prerequisite even though he has one (such as Lifesight). Finally, at 9th level, he must use all Magic Items as if he has the Undead type. He may also take feats that have ‘Incorporeal’ as a prerequisite even though he remains corporeal.
Finally, a Pale Master adds his class level to his caster level to determine the number of HD of Undead he can raise and control using the Animate Dead spell, his Animate Dead (from 3rd level) or Plague of Undead (from 10th level) spell-like abilities (e.g. a 8th level Wizard / 8th level Pale Master can raise up to 40 HD of Undead with a single casting of Animate Dead and can control up to 80 HD of Undead)
Ghastly Visage (Ex): The price of taking the path of the Pale Master is often too costly for the faint of heart. The further down the path he goes, the more like an Undead creature he becomes. First, the flesh pales and stiffens, taking on the waxy sheen of death. Then the Pale Master wastes away until his body is skeletally thin, his skin cracked and yellow, his eyes dark and hollow. Eventually, the flesh that remains starts to rot and drops from his bones, exposing living bone beneath. The most powerful Pale Masters are little more than skeletons with a few withered organs held in by the tattered remains of their skin, a pair of baleful eyes staring out from deep sockets. This gradual decomposition tends to make the living somewhat uncomfortable, to say the least and imposes a -1 penalty, per Pale Master class level, to all Bluff, Diplomacy and Gather Information checks made with the living (the DM may waive this penalty in certain circumstances). The upshot of having such a monstrous appearance is that it makes cowing the weak much easier, granting a +1 circumstance bonus to all Intimidate checks made against the living for every three levels of the Pale Master prestige class (+1 at level 3, +2 at level 6, etc.). An equal bonus applies to the save DC’s of mind-affecting, fear effects produced by any extraordinary or supernatural abilities that the Pale Master may possess, including his Daunting Presence feat (but not spells or spell-like abilities).
Unholy Strength (Ex): One of the first manifestations of the Pale Masters studies is an infusion of dark energy into his body, granting him supernatural strength. As time goes by, the Pale Master infuses his body with more and more energy until, despite his withered frame and haggard appearance, he can wrestle ogres and smash doors with a single blow. This ability grants the Pale Master a +2 inherent bonus to Strength which increases by +2 every four levels above 1st (+4 at 5th, +6 at 9th, etc.).
Control Undead (Su): At 2nd level the Pale Master gains the ability, once per day, to control an Undead creature (with Hit Dice equal to or less than the Pale Masters class level) with a melee touch attack against it. The Undead creature receives no saving throw to resist this effect. The control lasts for 1 round/class level. When the duration expires, the Undead creature returns to its former allegiance. The newly controlled Undead can still be turned or rebuked as normal. This effect is otherwise identical to the Control Undead spell. This ability is in addition to the number of Undead a Pale Master can control using the Animate Dead spell or through the Rebuke Undead class feature. The Pale Master gains an additional use of this ability every four class levels above 2nd.
Animate Dead (Sp): At 3rd level, the Pale Master can see the spark of un-life that flows through every corpse and gains the ability to amplify it to the point of animation. Once per day he can use Animate Dead as a spell-like ability, without the need for any material component. Use the Pale Masters highest Arcane caster level plus his Pale Master class level to determine the maximum HD of Undead he can raise using this ability. All other restrictions of Animate Dead still apply (for example, a 7th level Warlock/4th level Pale Master can animate up to 26 HD of Undead with a single use of this ability. Likewise, he can control up to 52 HD of Undead with this ability, the Animate Dead spell, his Plague of Undead ability (from level 10 onwards) or any combination of all three).
Times’ Touch (Su): At 3rd level, a Pale Master can see the flow and ebb of negative energy within things and learns to manipulate it to his own ends. Using this ability, a Pale Master can accelerate the passage of time for objects, causing steel to rust, wood to rot and stone to crumble to dust in a matter of seconds. A Pale Master may age objects a number of years equal to his level squared per day (e.g. 9 years at level 3, 16 years at level 4, etc.), divided as desired in 1 year increments (e.g. a 3rd level Pale Master could age 3 objects by 3 years or 1 object 9 years per day). To use this ability, a Pale Master must be able to touch or hold the target for a full-round (6 seconds). If contact is broken before those 6 seconds elapses, then the ability fails and the years expended are wasted. Using this ability provokes attacks of opportunity. A Pale Master may only use this ability on a non-living, inanimate object or area no greater than 6ft in any dimension or 20lb in weight (e.g. he could use it to age an apple, a sword or the area around a lock on a wooden door, but not a fully grown oak tree, creature of the Construct type or an entire Adamanitine door). The effects of using this ability are up to the DM’s discretion as they will vary wildly depending on the target and number of years it is aged (for example; an apple aged a year would disintegrate, but a rock would be largely unaffected).
Tough as Bone (Ex): At 3rd level, a Pale Masters flesh becomes more like that of an Undead creature. He loses some feeling and his body becomes tough and unyielding. He gains +2 inherent bonus to Constitution, which increases by +2 every 4 levels after 3rd (+4 at 7th level, +6 at 11th level). He also gains a +1 inherent bonus to Fortitude saves, except against effects that also affect objects (such as Disintegrate), which increases by +1 every 4 levels after 3rd (+2 at 7th level, etc.). The loss of feeling means that he gains a certain ability to ignore wounds that would otherwise affect him and he gains Damage Reduction 1/- , which increases by 1 every 4 levels after 3rd (DR: 2/ - at 7th level, etc.). If the Pale Master already posesses Damage Reduction from another source (such as from Warlock class levels), he may increase it by 1 point + 1 per 4 levels. This replaces gaining DR/- (e.g. a Warlock 7/Pale Master 7 could either have DR:2/Cold Iron and DR:2/- or just DR:4/Cold Iron).
Darkvision (Ex): At 4th level, the dark begins to lose its mysteries to the Pale Master, who gains Darkvision out to 60ft. If he already has Darkvision, its effective distance increases by 60ft.
Deathless Vigour (Ex): At 4th level, a Pale Masters body starts to rely more on the negative energy that fuels the Undead than its natural functions and he acquires some of the unnatural endurance of the Undead. He becomes immune to poison and disease (whether natural or supernatural in origin) and can subsist on only half as much food as he previously needed. At 6th level, his transformation continues and he becomes immune to Sleep effects and non-Lethal damage. He also now only requires a quarter of the food he needed when he was fully alive and can make do with only half as much sleep (though he still requires 8 hours uninterrupted rest to replenish his spells every day). At 8th level, his transformation nears completion. He becomes immune to paralysis and stunning and can live off a mere morsel of food each day (1/8th of his normal intake), requires only an hour or two of sleep to replenish himself (1/4 normal sleeping time, still requires 8 hours to replenish spells) and his oxygen requirements are much diminished (he can hold his breath for twice as long as normal).
Baleful Flesh (Su): At 4th level, the Pale Masters body is so infused with negative energy and dark magic that his touch becomes an anathema to the living. At first he can merely cause the living to cower in fear of him at his touch, but as time goes by, his touch becomes ever more deadly. Eventually, the power residing in his rotting flesh becomes so strong that it no longer requires his touch to have an effect on mortal creatures and his mere presence becomes deadly to mortal creatures. Once per day, for every two class levels (i.e. 2/day at 4th level, 3/day at 6th level, etc.), as a standard action, a Pale Master can make an unarmed melee attack or a melee touch attack, inflicting a range of debilitating effects depending on his level. The character must declare that he is using this ability before making the attack roll and whether it will be an unarmed melee attack or a melee touch attack. An unarmed melee attack made in this way is subject to the usual rules regarding unarmed attacks and is made against the targets normal Armour Class (as opposed to their Touch AC), but has the advantage of inflicting damage in addition to the effects of this ability. A failed attack roll still expends that use of the ability for the day. Each time he uses this ability, the Pale Master may select any of the effects described below for which he meets the prerequisite class level. The save DC for this ability is 10 + his Pale Master class level + his Charisma modifier.
{table=head]Level|Effect
4|Fearful Touch: Any living foe touched by this effect must make a Will save. If the target succeeds, it is shaken for 1 round. If the subject fails its Will save, it is frightened for 1 round per level of the Pale Master. This effect has no effect on creatures with more than 6 HD.
5|Paralysing Touch: Any living creature, except for an Elf, touched by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed for 1d4+1 rounds. A Paralysing Touch delivered by a Pale Master of 9th level or higher can affect Elves.
6|Painful Touch: A living humanoid hit by this effect is gripped by debilitating pain as his heart is crushed by dire energies. The target must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed for one round and take 1d4 points of damage. Every round the Pale Master maintains concentration on the target, it must succeed on a Fortitude save or be paralysed for a further round and take another 1d4 points of damage. Maintaining concentration on the target does not expend daily uses of this ability and can be done indefinitely, but requires a standard action and can be disrupted just as if the Pale Master were concentrating on a spell. If the target should die from this ability, the smoking ruin that is all that’s left of the victims’ heart appears in the Pale Masters hand.
7|Weakening Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect takes 1d6 points of Strength damage (no save). A creature reduced to 0 Strength dies.
8|Degenerative Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect receives one negative level (no save) and must make a Fortitude save 24 hours later to avoid losing the level permanently
9|Destructive Touch: Any living foe hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Constitution drain.
10|Deathless Masters Touch: Any living foe of up to one size category larger than the Pale Master hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or die. A slain creature automatically animates 1 round later as a Zombie and is under the Pale Masters control as if he had animated it. Undead created in this way do not count against a Pale Masters’ HD total for controlling Undead.
11|Disintegrating Touch: Any creature hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 2d6 points of damage per the Pale Masters class level (to a maximum of 40d6). Any creature reduced to 0 or fewer HP by this effect is entirely disintegrated, leaving behind only a fine dust (it’s equipment is unaffected). When used against an object, this effect simply disintegrates up to one 10-foot cube of non-living matter. It even affects objects constructed entirely of force, such as Bigby’s Forceful Hand, but not magical effects such as a Globe of Invulnerability. A creature or object that makes a successful Fortitude save is partially affected, taking only 5d6 points of damage. If this is enough to reduce the creature or object to 0 or fewer HP, it is entirely disintegrated.
12|Blackfire Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect must succeed on a Fortitude save or be engulfed in chill black flames for 1 round per Pale Master level. Each round, a creature engulfed in blackfire must succeed on a Fortitude save or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage and become nauseated. A creature that succeeds on its save takes no damage and is sickened instead. Any living creature adjacent to a creature engulfed in blackfire must succeed on a Reflex save or become engulfed itself for the duration of the effect. If a creature succeeds on its Fortitude save in three consecutive rounds, the blackfire affecting it gutters out. The black flames cannot otherwise be extinguished by normal means, but an Antimagic Field, successful Dispel Magic, Remove Curse or Break Enchantment spell snuffs it out. A creature protected by Death Ward is immune to blackfire. A creature reduced to 0 Con by this effect is reduced to a pile of black ash and can only be returned to life with a True Resurrection or Wish spell, the caster of which must succeed on a DC 30 caster level check to restore the victim to life.
13|Deaths Touch: Any living creature hit by this effect with less than 100 HP dies (no save). Any creature with 101 or more HP is unaffected by this effect.[/table]
At any level equal to twice the prerequisite level for one of the above effects, a Pale Master may expend a daily use of this ability, as a standard action, to use that effect at will for 24 hours (for example; an 8th level Pale Master may expend one daily usage of this ability, taking his remaining uses down to 3, to gain the ability to use his Fearful Touch ability at will for 24 hours). A Pale Master may only have one at-will ability in effect at any one time (though he may dismiss his current at-will ability as a swift action, so as to enable another at the usual cost of one daily use)
At any level equal to three times the prerequisite level for one of the above effects, a Pale Master may expend two daily uses of this ability, as a standard action, to emit that effect as an emanation aura, centred on him, with a radius of 5ft/Pale Master class level, for 24 hours (for example; at 12th level, a Pale Master may expend two daily uses of this ability, taking his remaining uses down to 4, to erect a Fearful Touch aura with a radius of 60ft). Any eligible creature (except the Pale Master) within the auras area of effect is subjected to the effect as if hit by the ability on the Pale Masters turn. Effects that do not normally allow a save grant a Will save to resist the effect when emitted as an aura. A creature that saves against an aura effect cannot be affected by the same aura effect for 24 hours. A Pale Master may only have one aura in effect at any one time (though he may dismiss his current aura as a swift action, so as to erect another at the usual cost of two daily uses).
Summary of extended effects and required level:
{table=head]Level|At Will|Aura
8|Fearful Touch|None
10|Paralysing Touch|None
12|Painful Touch|Fearful Touch[/table]
Deathless Mastery (Ex): At 10th level, a Pale Master is all but indistinguishable from an Undead creature. His appearance marks him as a monster and his flesh almost glows with the baleful energy contained within it. His corrupted body is barely mortal and he becomes immune to ability drain, energy drain, physical ability damage and critical hits. He has no need of food, subsisting entirely off of negative energy, the same dire energy allowing him to survive on a mere eighth of the sleep he once required (though he still needs 8 hours of uninterrupted rest to replenish his spells). His reliance on oxygen still remains, but it much reduced. As such, he can hold his breath for 4 times as long as normal for his race and type. The sleep and breath adjustments of this ability overlap those of the Deathless Vigour ability (they do not stack with it). In addition, the Pale Masters energy infused body grants him a pale shadow of immortality; he no longer takes ageing penalties (though any he has acquired so far remain) and his maximum age is multiplied by 5.
A Pale Master that reaches this level loses almost all connection to his past life and becomes obsessed with continuing his studies and practises, turning into a twisted, selfish and reclusive creature (or more so). His alignment shifts towards Evil one step (e.g. from Chaotic Neutral to Chaotic Evil), if it was not so already and every level from now on, he must succeed on a Will save (DC equal to his character level x 1.75, rounding fractions up) to take a level in a class or prestige class other than Pale Master (for example; a Human Warlock 7/Pale Master 10, upon reaching level 18 wishes to increase his Warlock level to 8, but must succeed on a Will save; DC 30 in order to do so). If he fails this Will save, he must take another level in Pale Master (he cannot choose to use some of his accumulated experience on magic item creation and retake the Will save at a later date, upon regaining the required experience for that level, for example).
Plague of Undead (Sp): At 10th level, Pale Master gains the ability to raise a large number of corpses as Undead minions at once. Once per day he can use Plague of Undead as a spell-like ability, without the need for any material component. Use the Pale Masters highest Arcane caster level plus his class level. All other restrictions of Animate Dead still apply (for example, a 7th level Warlock/10th level Pale Master can animate up to 88 HD of Undead with a single use of this ability. Likewise, he can control up to 88 HD of Undead with this ability, the Animate Dead spell, his Animate Dead ability or any combination of all three).
Death: At 13th level, death finally claims the remains that were once the Pale Master and he truly becomes an Undead creature, acquiring the Necropolitan template (without the associated ritual, fee, experience or level loss).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edits: Times Touch simplified. Baleful Flesh changed so that you may only have on at-will use of this ability active at any one time. Added caster level bonus to Undead Affinity for purposes of Animate Dead spell/SLA. BAB requirement lessened. Added Tomb-Tainted Soul as a Feat requirement.