Giegue
2019-02-03, 09:32 PM
The Reaper
http://i63.tinypic.com/2hd8ys3.jpg
Alicia Sinclair, Lesser Aasimar Reaper
The specter of death looms over all mortal beings. From the moment one is born, they are set on a lifelong journey towards the grave, and the Reapers aim to hasten this journey. Chosen agents of the deities that hold sway over death and undeath, reapers are the damned souls who bargain with these beings for a fraction of their profane power. Self-interested and willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals, Reapers trade away that which others value above all else for the power to both deal death, and defy it.
Unlike the warrior-priests most commoners are familiar with, Reapers operate more like rogues and assassins. Often persecuted in good-leaning societies, Reapers learn how to hide and deceive in order to survive, and these talents also make them masters at the art of killing. Ruthless and lacking any sense of honor, Reapers are quick to employ pragmatic methods of spreading death, whether it be using poisons and traps, exploiting enemies caught off-guard, or even using the dead as a resource, reviving them as soulless minions that attack at their beck and call. However, unlike rogues and assassins who use convent and easily concealed weapons, Reapers prefer to weild deadly and wicked blades made for dealing death. Through a combination of divine guidance and being forced to learn to protect themselves in the name of survival, Reapers have developed a combat style unique to their discipline for employing such deadly blades. The scythe in particular is a common blade of choice for Reapers due to the association it has with death, and it is their frequent use of Scythes which earned them their grim moniker.
Despite their dark powers and often grim outlooks, not every reaper is a villain. While many are simply power-seekers or sadistic murderers, just as many are tortured or amoral anti-heroes, who turned to the dark powers out of desperation, a desire for revenge, or a jaded and cynical view of good" faiths that stems from abuse, neglect or persecution on their part. However, regardless of their origin or outlooks, the profane skillset of the Reaper makes them equal part dealer of death, preserver of life and creator of unlife.
Adventures: The vast bulk of Reapers that adventure do so either by orders from the dark deity they serve, or to increase their own power and station. The world is not kind to those who openly deal with wicked deities, and as a result most Reapers seek to become strong enough that they no longer have to live in the shadows of society to survive. However, while most reapers have power at the forefront of their minds, just as many are called to adventure on behalf of the dark power they serve. The deities Reapers bargain with are often more selfish than the Reaper themselves, and thus the life of a Reaper is one of constant service to the power they bargain with.
Thus, the "adventures" many reapers embark on are often the kinds of things members of other classes adventure to stop. Spreading undeath into villages and towns, assassinating marks given by to them their patrons, locating long-lost evil artifacts, and corrupting or conquering nations from within are all things Reapers are typically called to do by their dark masters. Yet while evil clerics are called upon to perform these acts in broad daylight, Reapers carry them out from the shadows, insidiously working towards their masters' agendas with every quest they take. In fact, it is exceptionally common for Reapers to play the part of the "hero", saving towns and helping protect the innocent, only to use the good favor they win to subvert those very towns and corrupt those very innocents. Such adventuring Reapers typically do these deeds under the guise of another class, usually a Cloistere Cleric, using their skill at deception to mask their true intentions.
Characteristics: As shrewd bargainers who gain divine magic by making deals with evil deities, Charisma is key to a Reaper. This same Charisma that lets them bargain for divine power also aids them in deceiving those they deal with and getting others to do their bidding, typically making it their highest ability. By the same token, the persecution Reapers often face if their true nature is exposed forces them to hide in the shadows, meaning that they also tend have strong Dexterity scores. Dextarity also helps them kill their enemies, as they favor light armor and finesse over brute strength. Reapers also tend to be fairly clever and smart, as their lifestyle demands that they have the Intelligence to pick up both the skills of a spellcaster and scoundrel. Constitution is also important to them, as they often deal with poisons, corpses, and disease.
Alignment: While the vast bulk of Reapers are evil, one does not necessarily have to start off evil to take up the Reapers calling. Often times, individuals will make a deal with a deity of death and undeath out of desperation or a desire to avenge an injustice committed against them. As a result plenty of reapers may start off being neutral, though the dark powers they command make it hard to maintain that alignment. Thus, while there is no requirement for Reapers to be evil, the frequency with which they cast [evil] spells and the very dark nature of their powers often pushes them towards an evil alignment regardless of where they started their journey.
Religion: While Reapers are divine spellcasters, they are often not religious in the same sense as Clerics or Archivists. While they do serve a deity, their role is more that of an agent than a priest, and their spells come not from faith but instead deals made between them and their god. Thus, they are less a devotee of their deity and more their employee, and as a result most reapers have a very mercenary and business-like approach to religion. While their regular interactions with deities make it exceptionally hard for them to deny their existence, most view them as useful tools rather than beloved masters, and see their god's faith and teachings as means to increase their own power as oppose to something that should be held in reverence. While Reapers may dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the tenets of their faith, they typically do so because they feel it is the most effective route to personal power, and are rare to try and convert others to their religion. After all, if their God's teachings can bring them great power, it can do the same for others, and the last thing a Reaper wants is rivals.
Background: While a Reaper can come from any walk of life, it takes a special kind of person to bargain away their soul to an evil deity for divine power. Thus, most reapers are born of extremes. The most common origins for Reapers are those of great decadence or great tragedy. Spoiled young nobles for whom the pleasures of wealth quickly become mundane are often drawn to the path of the reaper; for both the exotic pleasures their morbid talents can provide, and the instant gratification of magic power without study or self-discipline.
By the same token just as many reapers rise out of great tragedy or need; a many a reaper are those who turned to the dark powers to save a loved one from dying, or avenge an injustice in their life through any means necessary. However, one thing all Reaper's share is that something outside the normal experience of your every day commoner pushed them to seek powers those every day commoners view as taboo and evil. Thus, when crafting a Reaper character, the most important question to ask is what in their life would cause them to defy their society's taboos, and common moral decency, to obtain the powers they have?
Races: Any race can produce Reapers, though some are more prone to doing so than others. Humans, with their short lifespans and selfish mindsets, are particularly prone to becoming Reapers. Often this is out of either sheer self-intrest, or a morbid fascination with death and undeath that stems from how close the reality of dying is for them. Half-Orcs, Tieflings and other races who find themselves persecuted by the faiths of good deities may also find themselves drawn to the Reapers path out of spite and hatred for the deities those faiths worship. Aasimar, and particularly lesser Aasimar who are not as closely tied to their heavenly heritage, often take up the Reapers calling as a blasphemous yet liberating rejection of a destiny they feel was thrust upon them without their consent. However, in the end all being a Reaper requires is a willingness to trade ones soul for divine power, and the conviction to go through with the act....both of which are qualities independent of race
Other Classes: Being underhanded scoundrels who traffic in death and undeath, Reapers get along best with classes that share their inclinations. Thus, they prefer to work with individuals who embrace undeath, such as evil Clerics, Dread Necromancers, and Necromancy Specialist Wizards, or those who understand the value of subtlety, like Assassins, Beguilers, Rogues and Factotums. Reapers also appreciate a strong body between them and their enemies, so they often look to Warblades, evil Crusaders and especially Blackguards to protect them. However, while Reapers value the safety adventuring with martial classes provides, they have little respect for them as individuals, and see them as little more than mobile walls of meat to place between them and their enemies.
Druids, Clerics of good deities, and other classes opposed to undeath consider Reapers a plague to be wiped out, and will usually refuse to adventure with a known Reaper. Repaers repay this hatred in kind, though they have a degree of respect for evil Druids due to their reverence of death and predation. However, the class that detests Reapers the most is undoubtedly the Paladin, whose code of honor, penchant for honesty, and hardline stance against evil deities and the undead puts them in direct opposition to everything a Reaper is. Paladins will not hesitate to smite a Reaper on-sight as soon as she is identified as such, and Reapers likewise relish the chance decapitate a Paladin with an elegant swing of their scythes. Seeing this, Reapers of all alignments tend to detest Paladins just as much as they detest them, and often view Paladins as arrogant, self-righteous fools too afraid or deluded to acknowledge their inner selfishness and face their shadow self.
Role: As a class that is mechanically similar to a Cleric, the Reaper can fill many of the same roles a Cleric can. Her unrestricted access to the Cleric spell list allows her to be just as potent a support, crowd control, and utility caster as a Cleric. Her ability to rebuke undead, cleric spell access and and her Undead lord feature all make her an undead master superior to a cleric, and surpassed only by the hyper-dedicated Dread Necromancer. Much like a Cleric, a Reaper can use her plentiful self-buffs to fight respectably in melee; however, unlike the Cleric who boasts solid hit points and wears heavy armor, the Reaper is frail by comparison, and thus favors a skirmishing combat style akin to a rogue as oppose to the fighter-like way Clerics approach melee combat.
However, in exchange for her frailty, the Reaper gains an edge over clerics when it comes to dealing damage; due to their breath of skills, they learn how to exploit their opponent's weaknesses and deal greater damage against enemies who are caught off guard or in a tactically compromising situation. So while Clerics may have an edge over Reapers when it comes to protecting their allies and staying in a fight, Reapers have an advantage over them when it comes to ending fights quickly.
Outside of combat, the reaper's plentiful skill points and deep class skill list allow them to fill a number of roles, though they can't fill every role their class skill list allows due to the skill taxes that come with being a spellcaster, such as Concentration and Spellcraft. As a result, most Reapers choose to devote themselves to either being their party's face and lead negotiator, or their party's scout. With their Charisma-based casting and plentiful social skills, Reapers are natural party faces, and being skilled at social interactions can often help them achieve their more sinister ends. However, by the same token their thievery and stealth skills can let them fill in for a Rogue in a pinch, and in a party without a better candidate for scout a Reaper can fill that role competently. Regardless of whether they become a dedicated scout or party face, Reapers tend to have skill with stealth due to their high skill points and underhanded fighting style, though those that take up the face role often lack skills like spot, listen and disable device that are needed to be an effective scout.
Adaptation: While the Reaper is created with a traditional D&D world in mind, the trope of an agile, dexterous scythe-weirder is exceptionally common in anime, manga, JRPGs and similar Japanese mediums. When combined with the fact the Reaper is a tier 1 caster, it becomes quite easy to refluff the class as an anime-themed character, such as a cyber scythe-wielding ESPer or Goth loli Necromancer. However, within a normal D&D setting the Reaper can also be re-purposed as a specialty priest of a trickster god with a few minor mechanical changes, such as trading the Undead Lord feature for the a weaker version of the Beguiler's Cloaked Casting feature, changing which spells they can spontaneously convert their prepared spells into to more thematically appropriate options, replacing undying body and walk among the dead for more fitting features of your design (such as, say, a feature that lets them make a bluff check to conceal their spellcasting. Or a feature that lets them magically impersonate specific individuals/NPCs.), and allowing them to turn undead instead of rebuke them if they worship a good or neutral trickster god.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Reapers have the following game statistics:
Abilities: Charisma powers a Reaper's divine magic, so it should be her highest score. Her second highest score should be Dexterity, as it allows her to hide in the shadows and wield her weapon in battle. Constitution is important for bolstering her low hit points and letting her effectively work with corpses and poisons, while Intelligence is important for letting her access a wider variety of skills.
Alignment: Any non-good
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As a Sorcerer. The path of the reaper does not require intensive study or training; all that is needed is a willingness to trade away your soul for divine power, and the resolve to go through with the deed.
Starting Gold: As a Fighter. Many Reapers come from wealth, and even those that don't tend to quickly amass funds through dubious means in the name of survival.
Class Skills: The Reaper's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (The Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int)
Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier
Saves
Spells Per Day
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
0th
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
1st
+0
+0
+2
+2
Reaper Style, Rebuke Undead, Undead Lord I, Poison Use
3
1
2nd
+1
+0
+3
+3
Poisoner's Edge
4
2
3rd
+2
+1
+3
+3
---
4
2
1
4th
+3
+1
+4
+4
Reaper's Strike +1
5
3
2
5th
+3
+1
+4
+4
---
5
3
2
1
6th
+4
+2
+5
+5
Undead Lord II
5
3
3
2
7th
+5
+2
+5
+5
---
6
4
3
2
1
8th
+6/+1
+2
+6
+6
Undead Manipulator
6
4
3
3
2
9th
+6/+1
+3
+6
+6
---
6
4
4
3
2
1
10th
+7/+2
+3
+7
+7
Undying Body
6
4
4
3
3
2
11th
+8/+3
+3
+7
+7
---
6
5
4
4
3
2
1
12th
+9/+4
+4
+8
+8
Reaper's Strike +2
6
5
4
4
3
3
2
13th
+9/+4
+4
+8
+8
---
6
5
5
4
4
3
2
1
14th
+10/+5
+4
+9
+9
Walk Among the Dead
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
15th
+11/+6/+1
+5
+9
+9
---
6
5
5
5
4
4
3
2
1
16th
+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+10
Hide in Plain Sight
6
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
17th
+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+10
---
6
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
2
1
18th
+13/+8/+3
+6
+11
+11
Undead Lord IV
6
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
19th
+14/+9/+5
+6
+11
+11
---
6
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
20th
+15/+10/+5
+6
+12
+12
Reaper's Strike +3
6
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Reapers are proficient with light armor, and with clubs, daggers, light crossbows, heavy crossbows, falchions, kukris, scimitars, double scimitars, sickles and scythes. They are not proficient with any kind of shield.
Aura of Evil (Ex): A Reaper has an aura of her deity's alignment as a cleric of her Reaper level.
Spells: A Reaper casts divine spells (the same type of spells available to the cleric, druid, paladin, and ranger), which are drawn from the cleric spell list. A Reaper must choose and prepare her spells in advance (see below). To prepare or cast a spell, a Reaper must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spells level (Cha 10 for 0-level spells, Cha 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Reaper's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Reaper's Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Reaper can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table 11: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8). Reapers do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they bargain with their deity for their magic, convincing their deity to grant them power through their passion and promises of service.
Each Reaper must choose a time at which she must spend 1 hour each day invoking her deity and bargaining with them, which allows her to regain her daily allotment of spells. Typically, this hour is at dusk or midnight, though other times are not unheard of. Time spent resting has no effect on whether a Reaper can prepare spells. Like a Cleric, a Reaper can leave spell slots open and prepare spells into them at different times during the day regardless of how many times she has prepared spells prior, though in the same way as a cleric she must spend 1 hour each time she dose so. (regardless of how many spells she is preparing.) A Reaper may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily bargaining.
Spontaneous Casting: A Reaper can channel stored spell energy into undead-related spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The Reaper can "lose" any prepared spell in order to cast any spell of the same spell level or lower from the following list: Animate Dead, Lesser (as a 1st level spell)*, Desecrate, Animate Dead, Pack of Ghouls, Revive Undead (as a 5th level spell), Create Undead, Awaken Undead, Create Greater Undead, Plague of Undead. These spells count as Reaper spells if not normally on the Cleric list. So for example, a Reaper who has prepared Command (a 1st-level spell) may lose Command in order to cast Animate Dead, Lesser (also a 1st-level spell).
* Spells marked with a * are from the Pathfinder role playing game, but are backwards compatible with 3.5e with no alterations needed. If your GM wishes, they can add such spells to the spell lists of classes that can cast them in Pathfinder at the levels they appear on their lists in Pathfinder, as well as to the Dread Necromancer spell list as a 1st level spell. If your GM does not want to use this spell in their game, they may replace it with the spell Chill of the Grave from the Deathbound Domain.
Good, Lawful and Chaotic spells: A Reaper cannot prepare and cast any spells with the [good], [lawful] or [chaotic] descriptor that are opposed to her deity's alignment. However, she can cast spells with those descriptors if they could have the [evil] descriptor instead if cast differently. (So for example, a Lawful Evil Reaper could not cast Cloak of Chaos, but could cast Magic Circle Against Evil despite the fact that spell has the [Good] descriptor, because it could instead have the [evil] descriptor if cast as Magic Circle Against Good.)
Reaper Style (Ex): A Reaper learns to use the weapons of her trade through finesse rather than brute force, a fighting style unique to their grim calling. She can use Dexterity instead of Strength on attack rolls with slashing melee weapons (including those that are slashing and/or another damage type, such as a scythe) and Necromancy spells she casts. This counts as the Weapon Finesse feat for purposes of fulfilling prerequisites. Unlike Weapon Finesse, this benefit applies regardless of weapon size. Additionally, she may use her Dexterity instead of her Strength to qualify for feats with a Strength prerequisite (such as Power Attack). However, using the Reaper Style requires devotion to her path; if the Reaper ever gains one or more levels in a base class other than Reaper, she loses the benefits of this feature. (This does not apply to levels gained in other base classes as a result of the Gestalt variant rules)
Rebuke Undead (Su): A Reaper can rebuke (and control) undead as an evil cleric of her level a number of times per-day equal to 1 + her Charisma modifier.
Undead Lord (Su): As an agent of a deity of undeath, a Reaper gains the ability to animate stronger undead than other spellcasters and control a larger hoard of minions. Starting at 1st level, undead the Reaper raises or creates with necromancy spells gain a +2 enhancement bonus to their Strength and Dexterity scores and +1 hit point per-hit die. Additionally, a Reaper increases the base amount of undead she can control with Animate Dead by 6 HD per-caster level; this is in addition to the 4 HD per-caster level she could control normally. She can also animate undead with more than 20 HD if she has the caster levels to do so.
At 6th level, the enhancement bonuses a Reaper's undead minions receive from this feature increase to +4, and her undead gain +2 hit points per-hit die instead of +1 hit point per-hit die. Also, a Reaper of at least 6th level counts as having the Corpsecrafter feat for the purposes of qualifying for prestige classes and other feats in the Corpsecrafter line, but the effects of both those feats and this feature apply to all undead creatures she summons, raises, creates or brings under her control, not just those raised or created by necromancy spells. At 18th level, the Reaper increases the base ammount of undeade she can control with Animate Dead from 4 HD per-caster level to 6 HD per-caster level. (This increase is applied in addition to the extra 6 HD per-caster level she gets normally.)
Poison Use (Ex): At 1st level a Reaper becomes skilled in the use of poison and never risks accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a blade.
Poisoner's Edge (Su): A reaper can leverage her dark power to make poisons more potent in her hands. Starting at 2nd level, whenever a Reaper delivers poison with a melee attack, the DC of the poison equals 10 + 1/2 her Reaper level + her Charisma modifier, or the poison's original save DC, whichever is better.
Reaper's Strike (Ex): At 4th level, the Reaper learns how to more effectively deal death with the weapons of her trade. When she makes a melee attack with a weapon against a target that she is flanking or that is denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, she increases that weapon's critical threat range by +1. This bonus is applied after all other multipliers (such as the Keen property or Improved Critical feat) are applied. As she gains levels, this bonus increases; at 8th level it increases to +2 and at 20th level to +3.
Undead Manipulator (Ex) The Reaper's constant dealings with the undead give her an intimate understanding of their psychology, which in turn allows her to manipulate them with the same ease she does the living. Starting at 8th level, the Reaper can use the Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skills on mindless undead as-if they where not mindless and they shared a language with jer. Additionally, the Reaper learns how to teach mindless undead small tricks, as-of they where animals. She can treat undead without an intelligence score as animals with an intelligence score of 1 for training purposes, except she uses Diplomacy or Intimidate instead of handle animal to train them.
Undying Body (Su): At 10th level, the negative energies that the Reaper channels corrupt her body. She no longer ages, and her appearance returns to being youthful if it is not already. Her appearance likewise takes on an obvious sign of this corruption, such as deathly pale skin, blood red or yellow eyes, or sunken-in, corpse-like features. The exact nature of this physical change is up to the Reaper (and their player), though regardless of the form it takes it confers no mechanical bonuses or penalties. This corruption also grants the Reaper immunity to magical ageing and all other ageing effects, and grants her a +2 bonus on saving throws against sleep, stunning, paralysis, poison, and disease.
Walk Among the Dead (Su): At 14th level the Reapers corruption becomes such that the undead view her as one of their own. Mindless undead that would have a hostile disposition towards the Reaper normally have an indifferent disposition towards her instead. This applies to the Reaper only; if those same mindless undead would be hostile towards her allies, or pets under the Reapers control, they remain hostile towards them. Mindless undead under the control of another Spellcaster ignore this abilty and will remain hostile towards the Reaper if their controller is hostile towards her.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): At 16th level the Reaper learns how to hide in plain sight; this functions as the Assassin class feature of the same name.
NOTES
I have no clue how balanced this is, so any and all balance comments are appreciated. Its balance point is meant to be tier 1 so it is meant to be OP, but not so overwhelmingly OP that it would be auto-banned even in games that allow other tier 1 casters. So comments on these fronts would be most appreciated.
http://i63.tinypic.com/2hd8ys3.jpg
Alicia Sinclair, Lesser Aasimar Reaper
The specter of death looms over all mortal beings. From the moment one is born, they are set on a lifelong journey towards the grave, and the Reapers aim to hasten this journey. Chosen agents of the deities that hold sway over death and undeath, reapers are the damned souls who bargain with these beings for a fraction of their profane power. Self-interested and willing to go to any lengths to achieve their goals, Reapers trade away that which others value above all else for the power to both deal death, and defy it.
Unlike the warrior-priests most commoners are familiar with, Reapers operate more like rogues and assassins. Often persecuted in good-leaning societies, Reapers learn how to hide and deceive in order to survive, and these talents also make them masters at the art of killing. Ruthless and lacking any sense of honor, Reapers are quick to employ pragmatic methods of spreading death, whether it be using poisons and traps, exploiting enemies caught off-guard, or even using the dead as a resource, reviving them as soulless minions that attack at their beck and call. However, unlike rogues and assassins who use convent and easily concealed weapons, Reapers prefer to weild deadly and wicked blades made for dealing death. Through a combination of divine guidance and being forced to learn to protect themselves in the name of survival, Reapers have developed a combat style unique to their discipline for employing such deadly blades. The scythe in particular is a common blade of choice for Reapers due to the association it has with death, and it is their frequent use of Scythes which earned them their grim moniker.
Despite their dark powers and often grim outlooks, not every reaper is a villain. While many are simply power-seekers or sadistic murderers, just as many are tortured or amoral anti-heroes, who turned to the dark powers out of desperation, a desire for revenge, or a jaded and cynical view of good" faiths that stems from abuse, neglect or persecution on their part. However, regardless of their origin or outlooks, the profane skillset of the Reaper makes them equal part dealer of death, preserver of life and creator of unlife.
Adventures: The vast bulk of Reapers that adventure do so either by orders from the dark deity they serve, or to increase their own power and station. The world is not kind to those who openly deal with wicked deities, and as a result most Reapers seek to become strong enough that they no longer have to live in the shadows of society to survive. However, while most reapers have power at the forefront of their minds, just as many are called to adventure on behalf of the dark power they serve. The deities Reapers bargain with are often more selfish than the Reaper themselves, and thus the life of a Reaper is one of constant service to the power they bargain with.
Thus, the "adventures" many reapers embark on are often the kinds of things members of other classes adventure to stop. Spreading undeath into villages and towns, assassinating marks given by to them their patrons, locating long-lost evil artifacts, and corrupting or conquering nations from within are all things Reapers are typically called to do by their dark masters. Yet while evil clerics are called upon to perform these acts in broad daylight, Reapers carry them out from the shadows, insidiously working towards their masters' agendas with every quest they take. In fact, it is exceptionally common for Reapers to play the part of the "hero", saving towns and helping protect the innocent, only to use the good favor they win to subvert those very towns and corrupt those very innocents. Such adventuring Reapers typically do these deeds under the guise of another class, usually a Cloistere Cleric, using their skill at deception to mask their true intentions.
Characteristics: As shrewd bargainers who gain divine magic by making deals with evil deities, Charisma is key to a Reaper. This same Charisma that lets them bargain for divine power also aids them in deceiving those they deal with and getting others to do their bidding, typically making it their highest ability. By the same token, the persecution Reapers often face if their true nature is exposed forces them to hide in the shadows, meaning that they also tend have strong Dexterity scores. Dextarity also helps them kill their enemies, as they favor light armor and finesse over brute strength. Reapers also tend to be fairly clever and smart, as their lifestyle demands that they have the Intelligence to pick up both the skills of a spellcaster and scoundrel. Constitution is also important to them, as they often deal with poisons, corpses, and disease.
Alignment: While the vast bulk of Reapers are evil, one does not necessarily have to start off evil to take up the Reapers calling. Often times, individuals will make a deal with a deity of death and undeath out of desperation or a desire to avenge an injustice committed against them. As a result plenty of reapers may start off being neutral, though the dark powers they command make it hard to maintain that alignment. Thus, while there is no requirement for Reapers to be evil, the frequency with which they cast [evil] spells and the very dark nature of their powers often pushes them towards an evil alignment regardless of where they started their journey.
Religion: While Reapers are divine spellcasters, they are often not religious in the same sense as Clerics or Archivists. While they do serve a deity, their role is more that of an agent than a priest, and their spells come not from faith but instead deals made between them and their god. Thus, they are less a devotee of their deity and more their employee, and as a result most reapers have a very mercenary and business-like approach to religion. While their regular interactions with deities make it exceptionally hard for them to deny their existence, most view them as useful tools rather than beloved masters, and see their god's faith and teachings as means to increase their own power as oppose to something that should be held in reverence. While Reapers may dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the tenets of their faith, they typically do so because they feel it is the most effective route to personal power, and are rare to try and convert others to their religion. After all, if their God's teachings can bring them great power, it can do the same for others, and the last thing a Reaper wants is rivals.
Background: While a Reaper can come from any walk of life, it takes a special kind of person to bargain away their soul to an evil deity for divine power. Thus, most reapers are born of extremes. The most common origins for Reapers are those of great decadence or great tragedy. Spoiled young nobles for whom the pleasures of wealth quickly become mundane are often drawn to the path of the reaper; for both the exotic pleasures their morbid talents can provide, and the instant gratification of magic power without study or self-discipline.
By the same token just as many reapers rise out of great tragedy or need; a many a reaper are those who turned to the dark powers to save a loved one from dying, or avenge an injustice in their life through any means necessary. However, one thing all Reaper's share is that something outside the normal experience of your every day commoner pushed them to seek powers those every day commoners view as taboo and evil. Thus, when crafting a Reaper character, the most important question to ask is what in their life would cause them to defy their society's taboos, and common moral decency, to obtain the powers they have?
Races: Any race can produce Reapers, though some are more prone to doing so than others. Humans, with their short lifespans and selfish mindsets, are particularly prone to becoming Reapers. Often this is out of either sheer self-intrest, or a morbid fascination with death and undeath that stems from how close the reality of dying is for them. Half-Orcs, Tieflings and other races who find themselves persecuted by the faiths of good deities may also find themselves drawn to the Reapers path out of spite and hatred for the deities those faiths worship. Aasimar, and particularly lesser Aasimar who are not as closely tied to their heavenly heritage, often take up the Reapers calling as a blasphemous yet liberating rejection of a destiny they feel was thrust upon them without their consent. However, in the end all being a Reaper requires is a willingness to trade ones soul for divine power, and the conviction to go through with the act....both of which are qualities independent of race
Other Classes: Being underhanded scoundrels who traffic in death and undeath, Reapers get along best with classes that share their inclinations. Thus, they prefer to work with individuals who embrace undeath, such as evil Clerics, Dread Necromancers, and Necromancy Specialist Wizards, or those who understand the value of subtlety, like Assassins, Beguilers, Rogues and Factotums. Reapers also appreciate a strong body between them and their enemies, so they often look to Warblades, evil Crusaders and especially Blackguards to protect them. However, while Reapers value the safety adventuring with martial classes provides, they have little respect for them as individuals, and see them as little more than mobile walls of meat to place between them and their enemies.
Druids, Clerics of good deities, and other classes opposed to undeath consider Reapers a plague to be wiped out, and will usually refuse to adventure with a known Reaper. Repaers repay this hatred in kind, though they have a degree of respect for evil Druids due to their reverence of death and predation. However, the class that detests Reapers the most is undoubtedly the Paladin, whose code of honor, penchant for honesty, and hardline stance against evil deities and the undead puts them in direct opposition to everything a Reaper is. Paladins will not hesitate to smite a Reaper on-sight as soon as she is identified as such, and Reapers likewise relish the chance decapitate a Paladin with an elegant swing of their scythes. Seeing this, Reapers of all alignments tend to detest Paladins just as much as they detest them, and often view Paladins as arrogant, self-righteous fools too afraid or deluded to acknowledge their inner selfishness and face their shadow self.
Role: As a class that is mechanically similar to a Cleric, the Reaper can fill many of the same roles a Cleric can. Her unrestricted access to the Cleric spell list allows her to be just as potent a support, crowd control, and utility caster as a Cleric. Her ability to rebuke undead, cleric spell access and and her Undead lord feature all make her an undead master superior to a cleric, and surpassed only by the hyper-dedicated Dread Necromancer. Much like a Cleric, a Reaper can use her plentiful self-buffs to fight respectably in melee; however, unlike the Cleric who boasts solid hit points and wears heavy armor, the Reaper is frail by comparison, and thus favors a skirmishing combat style akin to a rogue as oppose to the fighter-like way Clerics approach melee combat.
However, in exchange for her frailty, the Reaper gains an edge over clerics when it comes to dealing damage; due to their breath of skills, they learn how to exploit their opponent's weaknesses and deal greater damage against enemies who are caught off guard or in a tactically compromising situation. So while Clerics may have an edge over Reapers when it comes to protecting their allies and staying in a fight, Reapers have an advantage over them when it comes to ending fights quickly.
Outside of combat, the reaper's plentiful skill points and deep class skill list allow them to fill a number of roles, though they can't fill every role their class skill list allows due to the skill taxes that come with being a spellcaster, such as Concentration and Spellcraft. As a result, most Reapers choose to devote themselves to either being their party's face and lead negotiator, or their party's scout. With their Charisma-based casting and plentiful social skills, Reapers are natural party faces, and being skilled at social interactions can often help them achieve their more sinister ends. However, by the same token their thievery and stealth skills can let them fill in for a Rogue in a pinch, and in a party without a better candidate for scout a Reaper can fill that role competently. Regardless of whether they become a dedicated scout or party face, Reapers tend to have skill with stealth due to their high skill points and underhanded fighting style, though those that take up the face role often lack skills like spot, listen and disable device that are needed to be an effective scout.
Adaptation: While the Reaper is created with a traditional D&D world in mind, the trope of an agile, dexterous scythe-weirder is exceptionally common in anime, manga, JRPGs and similar Japanese mediums. When combined with the fact the Reaper is a tier 1 caster, it becomes quite easy to refluff the class as an anime-themed character, such as a cyber scythe-wielding ESPer or Goth loli Necromancer. However, within a normal D&D setting the Reaper can also be re-purposed as a specialty priest of a trickster god with a few minor mechanical changes, such as trading the Undead Lord feature for the a weaker version of the Beguiler's Cloaked Casting feature, changing which spells they can spontaneously convert their prepared spells into to more thematically appropriate options, replacing undying body and walk among the dead for more fitting features of your design (such as, say, a feature that lets them make a bluff check to conceal their spellcasting. Or a feature that lets them magically impersonate specific individuals/NPCs.), and allowing them to turn undead instead of rebuke them if they worship a good or neutral trickster god.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Reapers have the following game statistics:
Abilities: Charisma powers a Reaper's divine magic, so it should be her highest score. Her second highest score should be Dexterity, as it allows her to hide in the shadows and wield her weapon in battle. Constitution is important for bolstering her low hit points and letting her effectively work with corpses and poisons, while Intelligence is important for letting her access a wider variety of skills.
Alignment: Any non-good
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: As a Sorcerer. The path of the reaper does not require intensive study or training; all that is needed is a willingness to trade away your soul for divine power, and the resolve to go through with the deed.
Starting Gold: As a Fighter. Many Reapers come from wealth, and even those that don't tend to quickly amass funds through dubious means in the name of survival.
Class Skills: The Reaper's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) (Int), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (The Planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int)
Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier
Saves
Spells Per Day
Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Special
0th
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
1st
+0
+0
+2
+2
Reaper Style, Rebuke Undead, Undead Lord I, Poison Use
3
1
2nd
+1
+0
+3
+3
Poisoner's Edge
4
2
3rd
+2
+1
+3
+3
---
4
2
1
4th
+3
+1
+4
+4
Reaper's Strike +1
5
3
2
5th
+3
+1
+4
+4
---
5
3
2
1
6th
+4
+2
+5
+5
Undead Lord II
5
3
3
2
7th
+5
+2
+5
+5
---
6
4
3
2
1
8th
+6/+1
+2
+6
+6
Undead Manipulator
6
4
3
3
2
9th
+6/+1
+3
+6
+6
---
6
4
4
3
2
1
10th
+7/+2
+3
+7
+7
Undying Body
6
4
4
3
3
2
11th
+8/+3
+3
+7
+7
---
6
5
4
4
3
2
1
12th
+9/+4
+4
+8
+8
Reaper's Strike +2
6
5
4
4
3
3
2
13th
+9/+4
+4
+8
+8
---
6
5
5
4
4
3
2
1
14th
+10/+5
+4
+9
+9
Walk Among the Dead
6
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
15th
+11/+6/+1
+5
+9
+9
---
6
5
5
5
4
4
3
2
1
16th
+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+10
Hide in Plain Sight
6
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
17th
+12/+7/+2
+5
+10
+10
---
6
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
2
1
18th
+13/+8/+3
+6
+11
+11
Undead Lord IV
6
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
2
19th
+14/+9/+5
+6
+11
+11
---
6
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
3
3
20th
+15/+10/+5
+6
+12
+12
Reaper's Strike +3
6
5
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: Reapers are proficient with light armor, and with clubs, daggers, light crossbows, heavy crossbows, falchions, kukris, scimitars, double scimitars, sickles and scythes. They are not proficient with any kind of shield.
Aura of Evil (Ex): A Reaper has an aura of her deity's alignment as a cleric of her Reaper level.
Spells: A Reaper casts divine spells (the same type of spells available to the cleric, druid, paladin, and ranger), which are drawn from the cleric spell list. A Reaper must choose and prepare her spells in advance (see below). To prepare or cast a spell, a Reaper must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spells level (Cha 10 for 0-level spells, Cha 11 for 1st-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Reaper's spell is 10 + the spell's level + the Reaper's Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Reaper can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on the table above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table 11: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8). Reapers do not acquire their spells from books or scrolls, nor do they prepare them through study. Instead, they bargain with their deity for their magic, convincing their deity to grant them power through their passion and promises of service.
Each Reaper must choose a time at which she must spend 1 hour each day invoking her deity and bargaining with them, which allows her to regain her daily allotment of spells. Typically, this hour is at dusk or midnight, though other times are not unheard of. Time spent resting has no effect on whether a Reaper can prepare spells. Like a Cleric, a Reaper can leave spell slots open and prepare spells into them at different times during the day regardless of how many times she has prepared spells prior, though in the same way as a cleric she must spend 1 hour each time she dose so. (regardless of how many spells she is preparing.) A Reaper may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily bargaining.
Spontaneous Casting: A Reaper can channel stored spell energy into undead-related spells that she did not prepare ahead of time. The Reaper can "lose" any prepared spell in order to cast any spell of the same spell level or lower from the following list: Animate Dead, Lesser (as a 1st level spell)*, Desecrate, Animate Dead, Pack of Ghouls, Revive Undead (as a 5th level spell), Create Undead, Awaken Undead, Create Greater Undead, Plague of Undead. These spells count as Reaper spells if not normally on the Cleric list. So for example, a Reaper who has prepared Command (a 1st-level spell) may lose Command in order to cast Animate Dead, Lesser (also a 1st-level spell).
* Spells marked with a * are from the Pathfinder role playing game, but are backwards compatible with 3.5e with no alterations needed. If your GM wishes, they can add such spells to the spell lists of classes that can cast them in Pathfinder at the levels they appear on their lists in Pathfinder, as well as to the Dread Necromancer spell list as a 1st level spell. If your GM does not want to use this spell in their game, they may replace it with the spell Chill of the Grave from the Deathbound Domain.
Good, Lawful and Chaotic spells: A Reaper cannot prepare and cast any spells with the [good], [lawful] or [chaotic] descriptor that are opposed to her deity's alignment. However, she can cast spells with those descriptors if they could have the [evil] descriptor instead if cast differently. (So for example, a Lawful Evil Reaper could not cast Cloak of Chaos, but could cast Magic Circle Against Evil despite the fact that spell has the [Good] descriptor, because it could instead have the [evil] descriptor if cast as Magic Circle Against Good.)
Reaper Style (Ex): A Reaper learns to use the weapons of her trade through finesse rather than brute force, a fighting style unique to their grim calling. She can use Dexterity instead of Strength on attack rolls with slashing melee weapons (including those that are slashing and/or another damage type, such as a scythe) and Necromancy spells she casts. This counts as the Weapon Finesse feat for purposes of fulfilling prerequisites. Unlike Weapon Finesse, this benefit applies regardless of weapon size. Additionally, she may use her Dexterity instead of her Strength to qualify for feats with a Strength prerequisite (such as Power Attack). However, using the Reaper Style requires devotion to her path; if the Reaper ever gains one or more levels in a base class other than Reaper, she loses the benefits of this feature. (This does not apply to levels gained in other base classes as a result of the Gestalt variant rules)
Rebuke Undead (Su): A Reaper can rebuke (and control) undead as an evil cleric of her level a number of times per-day equal to 1 + her Charisma modifier.
Undead Lord (Su): As an agent of a deity of undeath, a Reaper gains the ability to animate stronger undead than other spellcasters and control a larger hoard of minions. Starting at 1st level, undead the Reaper raises or creates with necromancy spells gain a +2 enhancement bonus to their Strength and Dexterity scores and +1 hit point per-hit die. Additionally, a Reaper increases the base amount of undead she can control with Animate Dead by 6 HD per-caster level; this is in addition to the 4 HD per-caster level she could control normally. She can also animate undead with more than 20 HD if she has the caster levels to do so.
At 6th level, the enhancement bonuses a Reaper's undead minions receive from this feature increase to +4, and her undead gain +2 hit points per-hit die instead of +1 hit point per-hit die. Also, a Reaper of at least 6th level counts as having the Corpsecrafter feat for the purposes of qualifying for prestige classes and other feats in the Corpsecrafter line, but the effects of both those feats and this feature apply to all undead creatures she summons, raises, creates or brings under her control, not just those raised or created by necromancy spells. At 18th level, the Reaper increases the base ammount of undeade she can control with Animate Dead from 4 HD per-caster level to 6 HD per-caster level. (This increase is applied in addition to the extra 6 HD per-caster level she gets normally.)
Poison Use (Ex): At 1st level a Reaper becomes skilled in the use of poison and never risks accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a blade.
Poisoner's Edge (Su): A reaper can leverage her dark power to make poisons more potent in her hands. Starting at 2nd level, whenever a Reaper delivers poison with a melee attack, the DC of the poison equals 10 + 1/2 her Reaper level + her Charisma modifier, or the poison's original save DC, whichever is better.
Reaper's Strike (Ex): At 4th level, the Reaper learns how to more effectively deal death with the weapons of her trade. When she makes a melee attack with a weapon against a target that she is flanking or that is denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, she increases that weapon's critical threat range by +1. This bonus is applied after all other multipliers (such as the Keen property or Improved Critical feat) are applied. As she gains levels, this bonus increases; at 8th level it increases to +2 and at 20th level to +3.
Undead Manipulator (Ex) The Reaper's constant dealings with the undead give her an intimate understanding of their psychology, which in turn allows her to manipulate them with the same ease she does the living. Starting at 8th level, the Reaper can use the Bluff, Diplomacy, and Intimidate skills on mindless undead as-if they where not mindless and they shared a language with jer. Additionally, the Reaper learns how to teach mindless undead small tricks, as-of they where animals. She can treat undead without an intelligence score as animals with an intelligence score of 1 for training purposes, except she uses Diplomacy or Intimidate instead of handle animal to train them.
Undying Body (Su): At 10th level, the negative energies that the Reaper channels corrupt her body. She no longer ages, and her appearance returns to being youthful if it is not already. Her appearance likewise takes on an obvious sign of this corruption, such as deathly pale skin, blood red or yellow eyes, or sunken-in, corpse-like features. The exact nature of this physical change is up to the Reaper (and their player), though regardless of the form it takes it confers no mechanical bonuses or penalties. This corruption also grants the Reaper immunity to magical ageing and all other ageing effects, and grants her a +2 bonus on saving throws against sleep, stunning, paralysis, poison, and disease.
Walk Among the Dead (Su): At 14th level the Reapers corruption becomes such that the undead view her as one of their own. Mindless undead that would have a hostile disposition towards the Reaper normally have an indifferent disposition towards her instead. This applies to the Reaper only; if those same mindless undead would be hostile towards her allies, or pets under the Reapers control, they remain hostile towards them. Mindless undead under the control of another Spellcaster ignore this abilty and will remain hostile towards the Reaper if their controller is hostile towards her.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): At 16th level the Reaper learns how to hide in plain sight; this functions as the Assassin class feature of the same name.
NOTES
I have no clue how balanced this is, so any and all balance comments are appreciated. Its balance point is meant to be tier 1 so it is meant to be OP, but not so overwhelmingly OP that it would be auto-banned even in games that allow other tier 1 casters. So comments on these fronts would be most appreciated.