Axelgear
2007-09-29, 09:01 PM
Recently, I designed and posted a PrC inspired by Warhammer 40,000 and given form by my mind. I had always longed to make a PrC about speed, that made speed useful, and a picture of Raptors inspired me. Now, I have been inspired again by the same book, and so create a PrC based around the idea of undeath and tenacity being the two most core values. I give you...
The Graveborn
http://joepekar.dreamhosters.com/blog/upload/thumb-ZombieStage2C.jpg
Can you stop trying to kill me? It's getting annoying - Graveborn Warrior
HD: d12
Requirements:
Character Level: 5th
Special Either BAB +5 OR Caster Level 5th OR Sneak Attack +3d6; Character must have died at least once. If a character is dead and does not have enough experience to reach their next level, they can effectively take a 0 level in this class, which causes them to become undead but gain no more benefits until they reach their next level, where they must take 1st level in Graveborn.
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+0|I Live!... Kinda, Walk the Path
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+0|The Rot -1, Gifts of Death I
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+1|Quirks I
4th|+2|+1|+1|+1|The Rot -3, Gifts of Death II
5th|+2|+1|+1|+1|
6th|+3|+2|+2|+2|The Rot -5, Gifts of Death III, Quirks II
7th|+3|+2|+2|+2|
8th|+4|+2|+2|+2|The Rot -7, Gifts of Death IV
9th|+4|+3|+3|+3|Quirks III
10th|+5|+3|+3|+3|The Rot -10, Undead Apotheosis
[/table]
Skill Points per level: 2 + Int Modifier Class Skills: If a character follows the Path of the Warrior, they use the Knight skill list (See PHB II). If the chracter follows the Path of the Mage, they use the Wizard skill list. If they follow the Path of the Rogue, they use the Rogue skill list.
I Live!... Kinda: The Graveborn has returned from death and is once more in the land of the living. They gain the Undead Type and all the benefits it befits. They also lose their Consitution score, as they are now no longer alive. The Graveborn return, even if their body has been destroyed, just as they were before. If their original body remains and is usable (I.E. Not in several pieces or turned to stone), they return where they died, with all their wounds as fleshy and red as they were when they died. If their body is not intact, the Graveborn return 2d6 miles from where they died, intact but without any of their original equipment, which remains where it was when they died. If the area they would form is immediately hazardous (In the middle of a lake of magma, for example), they form at the nearest non-hazardous location. This only occurs when the Graveborn initially takes the PrC, and does not happen again if they die afterwards.
Walk the Path: No two Graveborn are identical. There are three paths one can take upon becoming a Graveborn, and once chosen, it can never be changed. These are the Paths of the Warrior, the Mage, or the Rogue. The Path of the Warrior causes the Graveborn to go from half-BAB to full, the Path of the Mage provides full spellcasting progression, except for first, fith, and tenth level, and the Path of the Rogue provides three-quarters BAB as well as a bonus to Sneak Attack dice every third level, starting at first. The Graveborn Rogue also gains a bonus of six skill points per level, effectively giving them 8 per level plus their Int modifier. If the Path of the Warrior is chosen, the Graveborn also gains high Fortitude saves rather than low, with the Path of the Rogue providing high Reflex and Will saves respectively in the same manner.
Apart from providing these bonuses, the Path chosen also determines the kind of choices the Graveborn receives for class features. The Path walked represents how the Graveborn trains themselves. They continue down the path they started in life, and it is difficult to change. This also means that once the Graveborn Path is begun (That is, once the first level of the PrC is taken), the character cannot take another level in any other class until the Path is complete.
The Rot (Ex): No-one ever said being dead is easy. Despite not needing to eat, sleep, or drink, there is still upkeep. Ants, flies, maggots, and even teeny-tiny bacterium eat away at you, day by day. This causes, amongst other things, the Rot. As the character progresses through the class, there is no doubt that they gain a considerable amount of nicks, cuts, and scratches, not to mention the accumulated and rather excessive amounts of wear-and-tear that tend to happen when one is trudging through the countryside or underground or into evil temples. Unlike a living creature, undead can remain animate but they rarely remain in one piece. This means that the Graveborn eventually begin to stink horribly and look rather bad too, imposing the penalty given at the time on all interaction checks with any living creature that has both the sense of sight and smell. It also instantly gives them away as undead. The Rot can be hidden for 24 hours by applying oils and scents to the undead that cost 50 GP per application, which causes most Undead to
Gifts of Death (Ex, Sp, or Su): Though being undead has many faults, the benefits often more than make up for it. The Gifts of Death enhance a Graveborn, and vary depending on their path. These gifts vary, but they all depend on the path chosen. The Graveborn, upon attaining a new gift, can choose from any gift of the path up to their current status or from and earlier level, so a Warrior Graveborn who receives his third gift can choose from the first, second, or third category of choices. Certain gifts can be chosen twice, and are marked with an asterisk.
Gift I
Path of the Warrior:
-Fists of Might: The Warrior gains a Slam attack that does one step more than a slam of a creature normal for their size (So a Medium creature deals 1d8 instead of 1d6). If they already have a Slam attack, this enhances it as if they took the Enhanced Natural Attack feat.
-Claws of the Grave: The Warrior grows two long and sharp claws that deal one step more than a claw attack normal for their size (So a Medium creature deals 1d6 instead of 1d4). If they already have a Claw attack, this enhances it as if they took the Enhanced Natural Attack feat.
-Thicker Hide*: The Warrior's dead skin turns mottled grey, and thickens like leather, granting a +2 Natural Armor bonus.
Path of the Mage:
-Dead Eyes: The Mage's eyes become myopic and white, but lose no function. They gain Darkvision out to 60 feet, as well as the ability to see invisible creatures, as the See Invisibility spell, for up to an hour per day. This duration need not be continuous
-Draw on the Night*: The Mage begins to draw on the Negative Energy plane to empower their spells. Three times per day, they may change half the damage they deal with their spells to Negative Energy damage. If this gift is taken a second time, the spell is entirely Negative Energy instead of half.
Path of the Rogue:
-Like strikes Like: The Rogue gains a deeper understanding of how the Undead function, and as such can use their Sneak Attack to harm Undead creatures. This benefit does not extend to other creatures unaffected by Sneak Attack such as oozes or constructs, which remain unharmed by the extra damage dice.
-Quiet as the Grave: The Rogue becomes intensely silent, and gain a +4 to Hide and Move Silently checks, and can make Move Silently checks to hide from creatures that rely on hearing for sight, such as bats and other creatures with Blindight.
Gift II
Path of the Warrior
-Strength of the Damned: The Warrior gains some of the power inherent in the energies that animate the Undead. When making a Strength check, such as to break an object or grapple, the Warrior gains a +2 on the check each time they make the attempt until they succeed. Once they succeed, the bonus returns to +0
-Purposeful and Powerful: The Warrior begins to channel greater strength into each blow they make. If they make a full attack, the Warrior increases the strength modifier multiplier on their first attack by one step (I.E. x0.5 becomes x1, x1 becomes x1.5, etc).
-Tough to Take Down*: The Warrior gains the Improved Toughness feat.
Path of the Mage:
-Fuel of the Netherworld: The Mage learns to power their spells to greater effect by drawing on the Negative Energy that fills their form. By dealing up to 2 points of damage to themselves, up to a maximum of 2 points per class level, they deal 5 points of damage extra for every 2 points dealt on the next spell they cast. For example, a 7th level Graveborn Mage can deal 14 damage to themselves to add 35 damage to their next damage-dealing spell. If this necrotic energy is not channeled into the spell within one round, it is wasted.
-Shamble Forth: The Mage, having seen the opposite side of the veil of death, realize how to better control them. Any time they cast a spell to create or control Undead, they can add their class level to the amount of hit die they can control.
Path of the Rogue:
-Body of Weapons: The Rogue learns how to hide weapons inside their body, incorporating them into their form. They gain the ability to also diversify the enchantments on their weapons, absorbing them and reshaping them to their will. The Rogue can drain off the enchantment bonus of any number of weapons and "store" it in their bodies.Then, any weapons they have absorbed can be made to effectively carry this bonus. A Medium Rogue can store within them 5 weapons (50 arrows count as one weapon), and for each category above or below Medium, this number increases by 3. Unless they are of Epic level, the Rogue cannot create a weapon with an effective Enchantment of more than +6. Rogues can also extend the weapons from their body without expelling them (Such as extending a dagger from between their knuckles), meaning they cannot be disarmed. They can also fire a bow in this manner, but it takes a full-round action to reload it.
-Bones and Tendons: The Rogue learns to manipulate their bones and tendons to better use them to their advantage. The Rogue can extend the bones of their hands and feet, allowing them to dig into even the smoothest surfaces. This effectively grants the Spider Climb spell as a constant effect. They can also lash out their tendons, effectively extending their reach by 5 feet.
Gift III
Path of the Warrior:
-Soul Consumer*: The Warrior begins to suck the life force from his foes with each swing. Whether with a natural attack, melee touch attack, or weapon with the Necrotic Focus special quality, he deals one negative level. The DC to remove this is Cha-based. They can only deal one negative level per round (Or two if they take this gift again)
-Flesh Ripper: The Warrior becomes adept in the arts of flaying his opponents while they still live. Any wounds the Warrior deals with a slashing weapon against a living creature causes an extra 1d6 damage and repeats this each round after until the subject receives healing magic or a DC 20 Heal check. If the creature dies from this damage, it is completely flayed and its skin is torn from its body in a gory shower of blood, and cannot be raised with the Raise Dead spell. This damage is cumulative with each hit (So if they do 3 extra damage in one round and 4 the next, the subject takes 7 damage next round unless they receive healing magic)
Path of the Mage:
-Slimmed Bones: The Mage has undergone considerable rot by this stage. Their entire body has slimmed down considerably, and is left a bony, dried carcass. While visually displeasing to most, the slender shape does have its advantages, and makes moving within armor easier for the Mage. As such, they subtract 10% from the Arcane Spell Failure Chance of any armor they were.
-Wraith Flight: The Mage begins to steadily become less and less a physical creature and more and more a magical entity, and its lower body disintegrates. Now, the Mage floats weightlessly above the ground, able to hover over even liquid surfaces such as water or magma. They can fly above this height at a speed of ten feet per round, and fall as if under a feather fall effect.
Path of the Rogue:
-Tomb Rat: The Rogue steadily learns how to use the natural environs of the Undead to their advantage. The Rogue gains a +8 to Hide and Move Silently checks, and can blend with shadows at will. This provides them with concealment if in minor or shadowy illumination, but in the light of daylight, they are visible. This can only be taken if they already have the Quiet as the Grave gift, and the Hide and Move Silently bonuses here replace and do not stack with the previous bonuses.
-Gone from this Life: The Rogue no longer appears to the mortal world, somewhere between the borders of life and death. As such, they are effectively under a constant Nondetection effect. The Caster level is equal to their HD.
-You can't hide from Death: For up to 10 minutes per day, the Rogue can become a black, inky cloud, much as the Gaseous Cloud spell. This duration need not be continuous.
-Ghoul's Touch: Up to its class level times per day, the Rogue can use a touch attack that paralyzes any living creature that fails a Fort save for 1d4+1 rounds. The save is Cha- and HD-based (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier), and, despite the name, it affects Elves normally. If the victim succeeds on their save, the use is wasted.
Gifts of Death IV
Path of the Warrior:
-Break the Chains of Life: The Warrior gains a +4 inherent bonus to Strength, as they are flooded with the powers of unlife. This causes their muscles to visibly grow and distend, sometimes even with their flesh bursting open in certain places as they turn into undead hulks.
-Strike with an Unblinking Eye: The Warrior gains a +4 inherent bonus to Dexterity. Their sinews stretch and bind with supernatural speed, and their previous instincts to draw breath cease so completely, that they can remain still as a statue with a bow in hand and not fire until the moment is exactly right.
-Before They Know It: The Warrior gains the Pounce Special Quality and a +20 bonus to Jump checks. Their legs twist and reshape, and their body elongates. The Warrior can now leap with such speed and ferocity that few opponents know what hit them.
Path of the Mage:
-Mind Beyond Body: The Mage gains extreme insight into just how much their soul extends beyond their body, and expands their mind considerably into this new space that is open to them. They gain a +4 inherent bonus to either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, as they so choose. The Mage, upon gaining this, begins to show a preternatural cunning, often always walking straight up or in a predatory stance.
-Unseen Hands: The Mage no longer deigns fit to waste their physical form on any action. Their mind is their tool now. The Mage effectively gains the Unseen Servant, Mage Hand, and Telekinesis spells as spell-like abilities, all usable at will with a caster level equal to their Hit Die. Upon taking this gift, the Mage begins to change significantly, typically rotting away until they are naught but a skeletal form. Their hands are useless remnants, and they never use them except to hold things for more extended periods of time or if they need precision.
Path of the Rogue:
-Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Many undead find ways around the rot, typically hiding it with scents and a spell or two, but a Wolf in Sheep's clothing perfects it. They are indistinguishable from a normal living creature. They cannot be Turned, Destroyed, Rebuked, or Commanded by Clerics. They also appear fully alive and smell as a normal creature. They can even mimic a heartbeat and breathing, should they so wish. Even Positive Energy treats them as a living creature and heals them. It is only when one actually attacks them and realize that they do not bleed that it is finally revealed what a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing really is.
-Phantom: The Rogue accomplishes what few can dream of, and learns to slip between the cracks between the world and the living and the world of the dead. This manifests as the ability to use Ethereal Jaunt as a supernatural ability for up to an hour a day, but this use need not be continuous. A Rogue who takes this feature appears wispy and insubstantial wherever they go, and often they can be seen wrapped in etheric winds that do not affect those around them.
Quirks (Ex): The Dead do not change. Once a character dies and returns in the state of undeath, they may learn new things, they may react, but who they are, their personality, is set and frozen perfectly in time. However, like a machine left running too long, it is inevitable that the Undead develop a flaw or two in their personalities given enough time. The Graveborn are no exception, and the amount of negative energy they are flushed with upon creation and throughout their existence is nothing short of staggering. As such, at the appointed times, a quirk infects the Graveborn, and changes them, just a little. Some changes are slight and meaningless, while others have profound effects, but they all inflict some minor inconvenience on the Graveborn. The Quirks can be selected from the list below, or they can be thought up by the player so long as the GM approves it.
Sample Quirks:
-Phobia: Something terrible scares the Graveborn. Whether it is a someone, something, or someplace, it terrifies them. The mere concept of thinking about it makes them shudder. If within 30 feet of the object they fear, the Graveborn will refuse to go any closer unless there is an immediate need to. If they must, they take a -2 on all skill checks, ability checks, and attack rolls while in the area of the object.
-Cast Now Shadow: The Graveborn casts no shadow. This makes a disguise impossible in any place this is visible, and immediately identifies them as an undead. Most suspicious people mistakenly identify them as vampires, and this inevitably also leads to people hunting them down and trying to kill them.
-Code of Honour: The Graveborn is bound by some moral code. They cannot disobey it, and are forever sworn to do exactly what this code tells them. This might mean things like not facing a certain way when sitting or affecting enemy non-combatants... But if the Graveborn ever attempts to try and commit an action in violation of its code, it immediately takes damage equal to its hit dice. If it is forced to do so, it takes no damage.
-Distractible: The Graveborn is easily distracted, and must make a Will save, with the DC equal to 11 + the CR of any threat they currently face, or be drawn away by whatever distracts them. A Graveborn attracted to fireworks, for example, may stop and stare at them regardless of any threat they currently face, including a rampaging mob about to pounce on them.
-Craving: The Graveborn desires flesh or some other substance from the living, and cannot help but want to eat it. If they go without eating the substance for a week, they are treated as constantly shaken until they do so. Those that do not do so for a month go mad, attacking any nearby creature until their craving is sated.
-Dellusional: The Graveborn has deluded itself into believing some lie, such as that they are still alive or that some event never happened. Some have even constructed entire false lives for themselves and others. When presented with incontravertable proof that this is untrue, they often oppose this with hostility and try and destroy the object that disproves the fantasy that lets them cling to unlife.
These are just examples, and players are welcomed to think up their own.
Undead Apotheosis: The Graveborn has achieved what can loosely be described as an altered state of being. After a long period of striving, the Graveborn has finally fully entered the state of undeath. They gain DR 5/Silver and they gain a +2 on all Interaction checks with other intelligent Undead. This is change is typically accompanied by some larger sign of change, such as a soft, pale-blue glow to their skin, a sense of coldness following them wherever they go, or their body developing jagged and feral features. These are unique to each Graveborn and identify them as powerful, individual undead.
Playing a Graveborn
You've been to the other side and returned. Why? Perhaps you had to save the damsel in distress and your devotion to her went beyond even the boundaries of life and death, or maybe your pursuit of deeper knowledge and understanding was too great to be denied, or it might just be that people like you just don't stay dead very long. Regardless of why, all that matters is, you're back and better than ever. The powers of Undeath are giving you greater power, and, who knows, perhaps you might just be better off dead?
Graveborn Society
The Graveborn themselves do not have any real sort of society. As they are just reanimated corpses of their former selves, little has really changed, and most still haunt, literally or metaphorically, their old society, called to places in which they once found comfort. There are, however, a few cases of Graveborn societies forming. One notable example is the town of Tombstone, where an entire undead population thrives. Unlike most undead, they are quite accepting and welcoming, and as such, they have avoided the more zealous sects seeking to purge them. Other forms of undead do live within Tombstone, including ghouls and liches, but any undead with feeding tendencies or magical powers must get a license that is regularly renewed to prove they will only lose their powers for good and feed from a sanctioned source, typically from animals or willing human donors. Other cases of Graveborn society have bene known to occur when an entire town returns from the dead and returns to their life, typically becoming dellusional and believing nothing has happened. Small farming communities have existed for centuries without even realizing that their children haven't grown and that they no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe. These communities are typically helpful but can react violently when presented with the harsh truth that they are no longer living beings.
The Graveborn
http://joepekar.dreamhosters.com/blog/upload/thumb-ZombieStage2C.jpg
Can you stop trying to kill me? It's getting annoying - Graveborn Warrior
HD: d12
Requirements:
Character Level: 5th
Special Either BAB +5 OR Caster Level 5th OR Sneak Attack +3d6; Character must have died at least once. If a character is dead and does not have enough experience to reach their next level, they can effectively take a 0 level in this class, which causes them to become undead but gain no more benefits until they reach their next level, where they must take 1st level in Graveborn.
{table="head"]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special
1st|+0|+0|+0|+0|I Live!... Kinda, Walk the Path
2nd|+1|+0|+0|+0|The Rot -1, Gifts of Death I
3rd|+1|+1|+1|+1|Quirks I
4th|+2|+1|+1|+1|The Rot -3, Gifts of Death II
5th|+2|+1|+1|+1|
6th|+3|+2|+2|+2|The Rot -5, Gifts of Death III, Quirks II
7th|+3|+2|+2|+2|
8th|+4|+2|+2|+2|The Rot -7, Gifts of Death IV
9th|+4|+3|+3|+3|Quirks III
10th|+5|+3|+3|+3|The Rot -10, Undead Apotheosis
[/table]
Skill Points per level: 2 + Int Modifier Class Skills: If a character follows the Path of the Warrior, they use the Knight skill list (See PHB II). If the chracter follows the Path of the Mage, they use the Wizard skill list. If they follow the Path of the Rogue, they use the Rogue skill list.
I Live!... Kinda: The Graveborn has returned from death and is once more in the land of the living. They gain the Undead Type and all the benefits it befits. They also lose their Consitution score, as they are now no longer alive. The Graveborn return, even if their body has been destroyed, just as they were before. If their original body remains and is usable (I.E. Not in several pieces or turned to stone), they return where they died, with all their wounds as fleshy and red as they were when they died. If their body is not intact, the Graveborn return 2d6 miles from where they died, intact but without any of their original equipment, which remains where it was when they died. If the area they would form is immediately hazardous (In the middle of a lake of magma, for example), they form at the nearest non-hazardous location. This only occurs when the Graveborn initially takes the PrC, and does not happen again if they die afterwards.
Walk the Path: No two Graveborn are identical. There are three paths one can take upon becoming a Graveborn, and once chosen, it can never be changed. These are the Paths of the Warrior, the Mage, or the Rogue. The Path of the Warrior causes the Graveborn to go from half-BAB to full, the Path of the Mage provides full spellcasting progression, except for first, fith, and tenth level, and the Path of the Rogue provides three-quarters BAB as well as a bonus to Sneak Attack dice every third level, starting at first. The Graveborn Rogue also gains a bonus of six skill points per level, effectively giving them 8 per level plus their Int modifier. If the Path of the Warrior is chosen, the Graveborn also gains high Fortitude saves rather than low, with the Path of the Rogue providing high Reflex and Will saves respectively in the same manner.
Apart from providing these bonuses, the Path chosen also determines the kind of choices the Graveborn receives for class features. The Path walked represents how the Graveborn trains themselves. They continue down the path they started in life, and it is difficult to change. This also means that once the Graveborn Path is begun (That is, once the first level of the PrC is taken), the character cannot take another level in any other class until the Path is complete.
The Rot (Ex): No-one ever said being dead is easy. Despite not needing to eat, sleep, or drink, there is still upkeep. Ants, flies, maggots, and even teeny-tiny bacterium eat away at you, day by day. This causes, amongst other things, the Rot. As the character progresses through the class, there is no doubt that they gain a considerable amount of nicks, cuts, and scratches, not to mention the accumulated and rather excessive amounts of wear-and-tear that tend to happen when one is trudging through the countryside or underground or into evil temples. Unlike a living creature, undead can remain animate but they rarely remain in one piece. This means that the Graveborn eventually begin to stink horribly and look rather bad too, imposing the penalty given at the time on all interaction checks with any living creature that has both the sense of sight and smell. It also instantly gives them away as undead. The Rot can be hidden for 24 hours by applying oils and scents to the undead that cost 50 GP per application, which causes most Undead to
Gifts of Death (Ex, Sp, or Su): Though being undead has many faults, the benefits often more than make up for it. The Gifts of Death enhance a Graveborn, and vary depending on their path. These gifts vary, but they all depend on the path chosen. The Graveborn, upon attaining a new gift, can choose from any gift of the path up to their current status or from and earlier level, so a Warrior Graveborn who receives his third gift can choose from the first, second, or third category of choices. Certain gifts can be chosen twice, and are marked with an asterisk.
Gift I
Path of the Warrior:
-Fists of Might: The Warrior gains a Slam attack that does one step more than a slam of a creature normal for their size (So a Medium creature deals 1d8 instead of 1d6). If they already have a Slam attack, this enhances it as if they took the Enhanced Natural Attack feat.
-Claws of the Grave: The Warrior grows two long and sharp claws that deal one step more than a claw attack normal for their size (So a Medium creature deals 1d6 instead of 1d4). If they already have a Claw attack, this enhances it as if they took the Enhanced Natural Attack feat.
-Thicker Hide*: The Warrior's dead skin turns mottled grey, and thickens like leather, granting a +2 Natural Armor bonus.
Path of the Mage:
-Dead Eyes: The Mage's eyes become myopic and white, but lose no function. They gain Darkvision out to 60 feet, as well as the ability to see invisible creatures, as the See Invisibility spell, for up to an hour per day. This duration need not be continuous
-Draw on the Night*: The Mage begins to draw on the Negative Energy plane to empower their spells. Three times per day, they may change half the damage they deal with their spells to Negative Energy damage. If this gift is taken a second time, the spell is entirely Negative Energy instead of half.
Path of the Rogue:
-Like strikes Like: The Rogue gains a deeper understanding of how the Undead function, and as such can use their Sneak Attack to harm Undead creatures. This benefit does not extend to other creatures unaffected by Sneak Attack such as oozes or constructs, which remain unharmed by the extra damage dice.
-Quiet as the Grave: The Rogue becomes intensely silent, and gain a +4 to Hide and Move Silently checks, and can make Move Silently checks to hide from creatures that rely on hearing for sight, such as bats and other creatures with Blindight.
Gift II
Path of the Warrior
-Strength of the Damned: The Warrior gains some of the power inherent in the energies that animate the Undead. When making a Strength check, such as to break an object or grapple, the Warrior gains a +2 on the check each time they make the attempt until they succeed. Once they succeed, the bonus returns to +0
-Purposeful and Powerful: The Warrior begins to channel greater strength into each blow they make. If they make a full attack, the Warrior increases the strength modifier multiplier on their first attack by one step (I.E. x0.5 becomes x1, x1 becomes x1.5, etc).
-Tough to Take Down*: The Warrior gains the Improved Toughness feat.
Path of the Mage:
-Fuel of the Netherworld: The Mage learns to power their spells to greater effect by drawing on the Negative Energy that fills their form. By dealing up to 2 points of damage to themselves, up to a maximum of 2 points per class level, they deal 5 points of damage extra for every 2 points dealt on the next spell they cast. For example, a 7th level Graveborn Mage can deal 14 damage to themselves to add 35 damage to their next damage-dealing spell. If this necrotic energy is not channeled into the spell within one round, it is wasted.
-Shamble Forth: The Mage, having seen the opposite side of the veil of death, realize how to better control them. Any time they cast a spell to create or control Undead, they can add their class level to the amount of hit die they can control.
Path of the Rogue:
-Body of Weapons: The Rogue learns how to hide weapons inside their body, incorporating them into their form. They gain the ability to also diversify the enchantments on their weapons, absorbing them and reshaping them to their will. The Rogue can drain off the enchantment bonus of any number of weapons and "store" it in their bodies.Then, any weapons they have absorbed can be made to effectively carry this bonus. A Medium Rogue can store within them 5 weapons (50 arrows count as one weapon), and for each category above or below Medium, this number increases by 3. Unless they are of Epic level, the Rogue cannot create a weapon with an effective Enchantment of more than +6. Rogues can also extend the weapons from their body without expelling them (Such as extending a dagger from between their knuckles), meaning they cannot be disarmed. They can also fire a bow in this manner, but it takes a full-round action to reload it.
-Bones and Tendons: The Rogue learns to manipulate their bones and tendons to better use them to their advantage. The Rogue can extend the bones of their hands and feet, allowing them to dig into even the smoothest surfaces. This effectively grants the Spider Climb spell as a constant effect. They can also lash out their tendons, effectively extending their reach by 5 feet.
Gift III
Path of the Warrior:
-Soul Consumer*: The Warrior begins to suck the life force from his foes with each swing. Whether with a natural attack, melee touch attack, or weapon with the Necrotic Focus special quality, he deals one negative level. The DC to remove this is Cha-based. They can only deal one negative level per round (Or two if they take this gift again)
-Flesh Ripper: The Warrior becomes adept in the arts of flaying his opponents while they still live. Any wounds the Warrior deals with a slashing weapon against a living creature causes an extra 1d6 damage and repeats this each round after until the subject receives healing magic or a DC 20 Heal check. If the creature dies from this damage, it is completely flayed and its skin is torn from its body in a gory shower of blood, and cannot be raised with the Raise Dead spell. This damage is cumulative with each hit (So if they do 3 extra damage in one round and 4 the next, the subject takes 7 damage next round unless they receive healing magic)
Path of the Mage:
-Slimmed Bones: The Mage has undergone considerable rot by this stage. Their entire body has slimmed down considerably, and is left a bony, dried carcass. While visually displeasing to most, the slender shape does have its advantages, and makes moving within armor easier for the Mage. As such, they subtract 10% from the Arcane Spell Failure Chance of any armor they were.
-Wraith Flight: The Mage begins to steadily become less and less a physical creature and more and more a magical entity, and its lower body disintegrates. Now, the Mage floats weightlessly above the ground, able to hover over even liquid surfaces such as water or magma. They can fly above this height at a speed of ten feet per round, and fall as if under a feather fall effect.
Path of the Rogue:
-Tomb Rat: The Rogue steadily learns how to use the natural environs of the Undead to their advantage. The Rogue gains a +8 to Hide and Move Silently checks, and can blend with shadows at will. This provides them with concealment if in minor or shadowy illumination, but in the light of daylight, they are visible. This can only be taken if they already have the Quiet as the Grave gift, and the Hide and Move Silently bonuses here replace and do not stack with the previous bonuses.
-Gone from this Life: The Rogue no longer appears to the mortal world, somewhere between the borders of life and death. As such, they are effectively under a constant Nondetection effect. The Caster level is equal to their HD.
-You can't hide from Death: For up to 10 minutes per day, the Rogue can become a black, inky cloud, much as the Gaseous Cloud spell. This duration need not be continuous.
-Ghoul's Touch: Up to its class level times per day, the Rogue can use a touch attack that paralyzes any living creature that fails a Fort save for 1d4+1 rounds. The save is Cha- and HD-based (DC 10 + 1/2 HD + Cha modifier), and, despite the name, it affects Elves normally. If the victim succeeds on their save, the use is wasted.
Gifts of Death IV
Path of the Warrior:
-Break the Chains of Life: The Warrior gains a +4 inherent bonus to Strength, as they are flooded with the powers of unlife. This causes their muscles to visibly grow and distend, sometimes even with their flesh bursting open in certain places as they turn into undead hulks.
-Strike with an Unblinking Eye: The Warrior gains a +4 inherent bonus to Dexterity. Their sinews stretch and bind with supernatural speed, and their previous instincts to draw breath cease so completely, that they can remain still as a statue with a bow in hand and not fire until the moment is exactly right.
-Before They Know It: The Warrior gains the Pounce Special Quality and a +20 bonus to Jump checks. Their legs twist and reshape, and their body elongates. The Warrior can now leap with such speed and ferocity that few opponents know what hit them.
Path of the Mage:
-Mind Beyond Body: The Mage gains extreme insight into just how much their soul extends beyond their body, and expands their mind considerably into this new space that is open to them. They gain a +4 inherent bonus to either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, as they so choose. The Mage, upon gaining this, begins to show a preternatural cunning, often always walking straight up or in a predatory stance.
-Unseen Hands: The Mage no longer deigns fit to waste their physical form on any action. Their mind is their tool now. The Mage effectively gains the Unseen Servant, Mage Hand, and Telekinesis spells as spell-like abilities, all usable at will with a caster level equal to their Hit Die. Upon taking this gift, the Mage begins to change significantly, typically rotting away until they are naught but a skeletal form. Their hands are useless remnants, and they never use them except to hold things for more extended periods of time or if they need precision.
Path of the Rogue:
-Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Many undead find ways around the rot, typically hiding it with scents and a spell or two, but a Wolf in Sheep's clothing perfects it. They are indistinguishable from a normal living creature. They cannot be Turned, Destroyed, Rebuked, or Commanded by Clerics. They also appear fully alive and smell as a normal creature. They can even mimic a heartbeat and breathing, should they so wish. Even Positive Energy treats them as a living creature and heals them. It is only when one actually attacks them and realize that they do not bleed that it is finally revealed what a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing really is.
-Phantom: The Rogue accomplishes what few can dream of, and learns to slip between the cracks between the world and the living and the world of the dead. This manifests as the ability to use Ethereal Jaunt as a supernatural ability for up to an hour a day, but this use need not be continuous. A Rogue who takes this feature appears wispy and insubstantial wherever they go, and often they can be seen wrapped in etheric winds that do not affect those around them.
Quirks (Ex): The Dead do not change. Once a character dies and returns in the state of undeath, they may learn new things, they may react, but who they are, their personality, is set and frozen perfectly in time. However, like a machine left running too long, it is inevitable that the Undead develop a flaw or two in their personalities given enough time. The Graveborn are no exception, and the amount of negative energy they are flushed with upon creation and throughout their existence is nothing short of staggering. As such, at the appointed times, a quirk infects the Graveborn, and changes them, just a little. Some changes are slight and meaningless, while others have profound effects, but they all inflict some minor inconvenience on the Graveborn. The Quirks can be selected from the list below, or they can be thought up by the player so long as the GM approves it.
Sample Quirks:
-Phobia: Something terrible scares the Graveborn. Whether it is a someone, something, or someplace, it terrifies them. The mere concept of thinking about it makes them shudder. If within 30 feet of the object they fear, the Graveborn will refuse to go any closer unless there is an immediate need to. If they must, they take a -2 on all skill checks, ability checks, and attack rolls while in the area of the object.
-Cast Now Shadow: The Graveborn casts no shadow. This makes a disguise impossible in any place this is visible, and immediately identifies them as an undead. Most suspicious people mistakenly identify them as vampires, and this inevitably also leads to people hunting them down and trying to kill them.
-Code of Honour: The Graveborn is bound by some moral code. They cannot disobey it, and are forever sworn to do exactly what this code tells them. This might mean things like not facing a certain way when sitting or affecting enemy non-combatants... But if the Graveborn ever attempts to try and commit an action in violation of its code, it immediately takes damage equal to its hit dice. If it is forced to do so, it takes no damage.
-Distractible: The Graveborn is easily distracted, and must make a Will save, with the DC equal to 11 + the CR of any threat they currently face, or be drawn away by whatever distracts them. A Graveborn attracted to fireworks, for example, may stop and stare at them regardless of any threat they currently face, including a rampaging mob about to pounce on them.
-Craving: The Graveborn desires flesh or some other substance from the living, and cannot help but want to eat it. If they go without eating the substance for a week, they are treated as constantly shaken until they do so. Those that do not do so for a month go mad, attacking any nearby creature until their craving is sated.
-Dellusional: The Graveborn has deluded itself into believing some lie, such as that they are still alive or that some event never happened. Some have even constructed entire false lives for themselves and others. When presented with incontravertable proof that this is untrue, they often oppose this with hostility and try and destroy the object that disproves the fantasy that lets them cling to unlife.
These are just examples, and players are welcomed to think up their own.
Undead Apotheosis: The Graveborn has achieved what can loosely be described as an altered state of being. After a long period of striving, the Graveborn has finally fully entered the state of undeath. They gain DR 5/Silver and they gain a +2 on all Interaction checks with other intelligent Undead. This is change is typically accompanied by some larger sign of change, such as a soft, pale-blue glow to their skin, a sense of coldness following them wherever they go, or their body developing jagged and feral features. These are unique to each Graveborn and identify them as powerful, individual undead.
Playing a Graveborn
You've been to the other side and returned. Why? Perhaps you had to save the damsel in distress and your devotion to her went beyond even the boundaries of life and death, or maybe your pursuit of deeper knowledge and understanding was too great to be denied, or it might just be that people like you just don't stay dead very long. Regardless of why, all that matters is, you're back and better than ever. The powers of Undeath are giving you greater power, and, who knows, perhaps you might just be better off dead?
Graveborn Society
The Graveborn themselves do not have any real sort of society. As they are just reanimated corpses of their former selves, little has really changed, and most still haunt, literally or metaphorically, their old society, called to places in which they once found comfort. There are, however, a few cases of Graveborn societies forming. One notable example is the town of Tombstone, where an entire undead population thrives. Unlike most undead, they are quite accepting and welcoming, and as such, they have avoided the more zealous sects seeking to purge them. Other forms of undead do live within Tombstone, including ghouls and liches, but any undead with feeding tendencies or magical powers must get a license that is regularly renewed to prove they will only lose their powers for good and feed from a sanctioned source, typically from animals or willing human donors. Other cases of Graveborn society have bene known to occur when an entire town returns from the dead and returns to their life, typically becoming dellusional and believing nothing has happened. Small farming communities have existed for centuries without even realizing that their children haven't grown and that they no longer need to eat, sleep, or breathe. These communities are typically helpful but can react violently when presented with the harsh truth that they are no longer living beings.