Help finding a class

[The Viscount]

Hello everyone, I've come to you again in my hour of need.

I was remembering a prestige class that I'm fairly certain exists. I think it was a 3.0 divine caster class associated with an evil deity. As I recall, it had a class feature involving casting a spell into a mask, and you then had the option of shooting the mask at your foe to discharge the spell with a ranged touch attack.

It's possible that one or more of these details is incorrect, so if something sounds sort of like this throw it in.
I'm sure I wasn't thinking about Master of Masks, to save you time.

[Zaq]

Hello everyone, I've come to you again in my hour of need.

I was remembering a prestige class that I'm fairly certain exists. I think it was a 3.0 divine caster class associated with an evil deity. As I recall, it had a class feature involving casting a spell into a mask, and you then had the option of shooting the mask at your foe to discharge the spell with a ranged touch attack.

It's possible that one or more of these details is incorrect, so if something sounds sort of like this throw it in.
I'm sure I wasn't thinking about Master of Masks, to save you time.

That sounds like something in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books.

[NontheistCleric]

It is indeed in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books, namely Lords of Darkness. Darkmask, for drow and half-drow worshipers of Vhaeraun. Once per day at 3rd level, it can create a mask of shadow as a standard action, which you can then cast a spell into. It lasts for 10 minutes and can be commanded to fly and automatically hit any creature within 100 feet, which it then discharges the spell on.

[Zaq]

It is indeed in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books, namely Lords of Darkness. Darkmask, for drow and half-drow worshipers of Vhaeraun. Once per day at 3rd level, it can create a mask of shadow as a standard action, which you can then cast a spell into. It lasts for 10 minutes and can be commanded to fly and automatically hit any creature within 100 feet, which it then discharges the spell on.

That's a weird and goofy class right there.

At 3rd level, it also gains this:

"Sneak Attack (Ex): A darkmask of 3rd level or higher gains the sneak attack ability (as per the rogue class feature)."

That's the whole text of the ability. No indication, whether in text or in table, of how much sneak attack we're talking about. 1d6? 2d6 (because you're at 3rd level in the class and that's what a 3rd level rogue would have)? More? None? Nobody knows!

[Malphegor]

That's a weird and goofy class right there.

At 3rd level, it also gains this:

"Sneak Attack (Ex): A darkmask of 3rd level or higher gains the sneak attack ability (as per the rogue class feature)."

That's the whole text of the ability. No indication, whether in text or in table, of how much sneak attack we're talking about. 1d6? 2d6 (because you're at 3rd level in the class and that's what a 3rd level rogue would have)? More? None? Nobody knows!

My gut feeling is that it's meant to start the sneak attack progression when it's gained and from then on it works, not retroactively

[NontheistCleric]

My gut feeling is that it's meant to start the sneak attack progression when it's gained and from then on it works, not retroactively

I think the point is that even though this is obviously how it is intended to work, the ability is so badly written it's impossible to tell if that is actually the case.

[NNescio]

That sounds like something in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books.


It is indeed in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books, namely Lords of Darkness. Darkmask, for drow and half-drow worshipers of Vhaeraun. Once per day at 3rd level, it can create a mask of shadow as a standard action, which you can then cast a spell into. It lasts for 10 minutes and can be commanded to fly and automatically hit any creature within 100 feet, which it then discharges the spell on.

Dear Pelor Ao, I knew the Masked Lord and his followers have a mask fetish, but I didn't know it was this bad...

[The Viscount]

It is indeed in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books, namely Lords of Darkness. Darkmask, for drow and half-drow worshipers of Vhaeraun. Once per day at 3rd level, it can create a mask of shadow as a standard action, which you can then cast a spell into. It lasts for 10 minutes and can be commanded to fly and automatically hit any creature within 100 feet, which it then discharges the spell on.

That's exactly it! My hat is off to you. I never would have found it in Lords of Darkness, since they don't put the prestige classes together. Man, these Faerun classes are so funky. Strange class feature, but not a bad one. How weird is it that the class that makes a magical mask is not one where you're devoted to Mask?
I went to look who Vhaeraun is and saw that his portfolio includes male drow, which is just perfect since this class requires divine casting and male drow are only allowed to be arcane casters.

[NNescio]

That's exactly it! My hat is off to you. I never would have found it in Lords of Darkness, since they don't put the prestige classes together. Man, these Faerun classes are so funky. Strange class feature, but not a bad one. How weird is it that the class that makes a magical mask is not one where you're devoted to Mask?
I went to look who Vhaeraun is and saw that his portfolio includes male drow, which is just perfect since this class requires divine casting and male drow are only allowed to be arcane casters.

Vhaeraun, patron god of the drow gender rights movement. Also a literal edgelord (like seriously, his armor/clothes and weapons are filled with edges).

He's also best buds with Mask, with his church having a similar modus operandi on the surface.

[Psyren]

Vhaeraun, patron god of the drow gender rights movement. Also a literal edgelord (like seriously, his armor/clothes and weapons are filled with edges).

He's also best buds with Mask, with his church having a similar modus operandi on the surface.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was one of those "racial aspect" things like Sehanine Moonbow and Selune turning out to be the same deity too.

[Thurbane]

That sounds like something in one of the stupid obscure Faerun books.

Yeah, when someone is looking for an obscure PrC that does weird things, the FR books, with their PrC bloat, are usually the first place I look.

Fun fact: 96% of all FR caster PrCs are full progression. OK, I pulled that number out of thin air, but it's a lot.

If the core books established caster supremacy, the FR authors ran with that and added all the bells and whistles they could think of...

[The Viscount]

It is astounding how many are full casting, especially with how powerful many of them are.
The divine ones always struck me in how difficult they are to enter, often to the point where you essentially had to decide from character creation if you wanted to enter this class in the future.

[NNescio]

It wouldn't surprise me if this was one of those "racial aspect" things like Sehanine Moonbow and Selune turning out to be the same deity too.

IIRC (from Lords of Darkness itself, the splatbook in question) that was Mask's plan — to absorb Vhaerun (presumably as an aspect) to make up for what power Mask lost to chronic backstabber Cyric. Vhaerun probably knows this, but he's using Mask (in particular their similarity in religious symbols and practices, etc.) for his own ends to get more influence and followers among the surface races. So, yeah, classic mutual-dagger-behind-the-back Evil buddies, with Darth V playing a risky game.

...Come to think of it, this is kinda like some cloak-and-dagger trademark manipulation stuff that goes on in real life.

Then the Spellplague (read: 4e lore reboot) hit, Darth V lost to his sister and wound up absorbed by Eilistraee (tainting the latter's church with his skullduggery in the process), while Mask himself got absorbed ('willingly') by (his 'supposed' mother) Shar.

Then the Second Sundering (read: 5e lore re-reboot) happened and they both got better. Inexplicably. Like all the other deities that came back from the dead, including Mystra's boyfriend (the one who got eaten by Asmodeus). ...You know what, let's just pretend all the 4e lore stuff never happened. Less confusing that way.

I think Sehanine Moonbow was also 'absorbed' by Selune in the Spellplague, then wound up separated again post-Second Sundering. IIRC they are both different goddesses now. Again, it's probably easier to just pretend that 4E (lore) didn't happen.

[Irennan]

IIRC (from Lords of Darkness itself, the splatbook in question) that was Mask's plan — to absorb Vhaerun (presumably as an aspect) to make up for what power Mask lost to chronic backstabber Cyric. Vhaerun probably knows this, but he's using Mask (in particular their similarity in religious symbols and practices, etc.) for his own ends to get more influence and followers among the surface races. So, yeah, classic mutual-dagger-behind-the-back Evil buddies, with Darth V playing a risky game.

...Come to think of it, this is kinda like some cloak-and-dagger trademark manipulation stuff that goes on in real life.

Then the Spellplague (read: 4e lore reboot) hit, Darth V lost to his sister and wound up absorbed by Eilistraee (tainting the latter's church with his skullduggery in the process), while Mask himself got absorbed ('willingly') by (his 'supposed' mother) Shar.

Then the Second Sundering (read: 5e lore re-reboot) happened and they both got better. Inexplicably. Like all the other deities that came back from the dead, including Mystra's boyfriend (the one who got eaten by Asmodeus). ...You know what, let's just pretend all the 4e lore stuff never happened. Less confusing that way.

I think Sehanine Moonbow was also 'absorbed' by Selune in the Spellplague, then wound up separated again post-Second Sundering. IIRC they are both different goddesses now. Again, it's probably easier to just pretend that 4E (lore) didn't happen.

The 5e basic explanation for everything god-related is "Ao rewrote the tablets of fate and restored a lot of gods". However, Ed Greenwood provided an explanation for Eilistraee and Vhaeraun.

Long story short, Eilistraee didn't kill Vhaeraun; she borrowed his portfolio and then enveloped his consciousness in the Weave with Mystra's help. Mystra had been planning to "reboot the Weave" for quite some time, 'cause reckless spellcasting had made it unstable, and knew that a time of hardships, in which magic would go wild, worlds would collide and then be sundered again was coming, so she went on and made preparatives. She had devised a plan to help a few of her allies survive what was coming, including Eilistraee, but things didn't go as planned.

First, when Qilué was killed (while Eilistraee was using her as an avatar), the majority of Eilistraee's power was dragged in the Weave alongside the pirestess' soul (which wasn't destroyed, because the soul-destroying sword couldn't destroy souls anymore, as we see from the other priestess surviving). Then, before Mystra could give Eilistraee her own power back, Cyric and Shar nearly killed the goddess of magic (she survived by hiding in a bear and laying low). This reduced the Weave to strands, effectively trapping Eilistraee's and Vhaeraun's power, and Vhaeraun's consciousness, there. Eilistraee, without her power, was unable to function as a goddess for a century or so (couldn't grant spells, etc...) and was believed gone by many--even though she was still able to sparingly send manifestations and directly communicate with mortals, and her divine realm kept existing.

Then the Sundering came, thanks to Elminster and the Simbul Mystra was restored, the Weave was restored, Vhaeraun's consciousness was released (with his power of old), and Eilistraee's power returned to her. The end.

As you said, it's easier to pretend 4e didn't happen. It's the same thing anyway.