Grimfist
2007-10-21, 10:31 PM
I've posted this on the Wizards boards before, and I thought I'd crosspost it here for more good opinions. I made this to be an NPC PrC, so it may be a lot stronger than the average PC PrC. The idea is that your typical Maw Shaman will have a high level adjustment race with good physical stats so once it's grabbed 10 levels it'll be around CR 17 or so, but I allowed things like gnoll and lizardfolk to take it so that it can be used as a mid-level encounter as well.
Thick blood splattered everywhere as Taldak brought the deadly head of his flanged mace up into the ogre's now pulped jaw. The skilled human then whirled around, using his momentum to deliver the final devastating blow to the side of the brute's skull, which promptly splintered. He laughed with youthful arrogance as the ogre slumped to the ground, limp. Then, wiping the blood off of his hands, Taldak turned from his kill to survey the scene- warm ogre corpses littered the floor of the cave like so many broken ragdolls. Taldak laughed again. His deep, throaty chuckles echoed off the stone walls, but they didn't sound quite right... Taldak paused. The laughter didn't. Suddenly, a massive, blue-green ogre pounced out of the shadows not 20 feet from the surprised fighter. The ogre mage swung an enormous spiked club nearly the size of a tree trunk at his adversary, missing by scant inches. Seizing the chance, a vengeful Taldak leapt into melee, grinning as he drove within his enemy's threat range. But the ogre mage was grinning too. Suddenly, in one swift, smooth motion, the blue giant dropped his weapon, grabbing the surprised fighter by his shoulders and pulling him foreward with the help of his own momentum. Taldak, raising his weapon defensively, had only the time to hear a horrible grating sound as the ogre's mouth opened wider than it ever should have been able to, and then, only blackness.
Maw Shaman
Among the savage, monstrous, and giant humanoids there is practiced a twisted, evil art. Known only as "Maw" to most humanoids, this blissfully rare practice is the catalyst in a horrific transformation granting it's subject immense and terrible powers. Those who undergo the foul ritual of Maw are known as Maw Shamans. These terrifying combatants have replaced their stomachs with extradimensional portals capable of granting their bearers immense strength. Their signature ability to swallow opponents larger then they are is the subject of many a horror story in the civilized lands, where it is rumored that once a person disappears down the gaping maw of a Shaman, he may never again see the light of day.
Requirements:
To qualify to be a Maw Shaman, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.
Creature type: Animal (awakened), Dragon, Giant, Goblinoid, Humanoid (Orc only), Lycanthrope, Monstrous Humanoid, Reptilian, Undead.
BaB:+5
Feats: Great fortitude, endurance
Special: Must perform a secret ritual involving killing and eating a demon or devil.
Hit die: d10
Class skills: Climb (str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Survival (wis), Swim (str)
Skill points per level: 2+int modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+0|Extradimensional Stomach, Gastric Juice 1d6, Grapple Bonus
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+0|Improved Grab, Iron Gut, Gastric Juice 2d6
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+1|Fiend Belch 1/day, Gastric Juice 3d6
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1|Ghastly Meal 1/day, Toothy Maw, Gastric Juice 4d6
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1|Projectile Vomit 1/day, Gastric Juice 5d6
6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+2|Swallow Whole, improved grapple, Gastric Juice 6d6
7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+2|Fiend Belch 2/day, Gastric Juice 7d6
8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+2|Devour, Ghastly Meal 2/day, Projectile Vomit 2/day, Gastric Juice 8d6
9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+3|Expanded Stomach, Gastric Juice 9d6
10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+3|Death void, Ghastly Meal 3/day, Gastric Juice 10d6 [/table]
Extradimensional Stomach: Once you have completed your ritual, your stomach is replaced with an extradimensional portal. Because many of your vital organs have been replaced, you gain a bonus to fortitude saves against poison equal to your class level.
Gastric Juice: Although your stomach may be gone, the extradimensional portal that took it's place mimics it in twisted ways. As a standard action, you may spit gastric juices at any target within 60 feet as a ranged touch attack, dealing 1d6 acid damage. This damage increases by 1d6 every level.
Grapple Bonus: A Maw Shaman gets a bonus to grapple checks equal to half of his Maw Shaman level.
Improved Grab: At second level, you gain improved grab, as the feat. This works only for unarmed strikes or natural attacks involving the claws or teeth.
Iron Gut: At second level, you may store and retrieve items in your stomach as if it were a type one bag of holding. It takes a move action to procure the correct item from your stomach. No items are harmed when stored this way. If you die while you have items in your stomach, the extradimensional space carrying them closes, and they may never be seen again, even if you are resurrected (although when you are resurrected, a new portal is opened inside your stomach).
Fiend Belch: As you gain more control over the portal inside you, you can manipulate it's power. Once per day as a standard action, you may belch forth a demon or devil (depending on which type of creature you swallowed when performing your ritual). This creature will serve you loyally for 1 minute per class level, plus one minute per point of constitution modifier. The list for demon/devil type is this:
3rd-5th level: Chain Devil or Babau
6th-8th level: Bone Devil or Vrock
9th-10th level: Ice Devil or Glabrezu
Ghastly Meal: As your "stomach" becomes more powerful, you gain the ability to consume corpses for nutrients and beneficial effects. This allows you to devour a corpse, healing 2 hit points for each hit die the corpse possessed. This does not allow you to consume functioning undead. Consuming a corpse in this manner takes 2 full round actions plus two per size category the creature is larger than you.
Toothy Maw: At 4th level, your teeth grow sharp and powerful. You gain a bite attack appropriate for your size. If you already have a natural bite attack, your damage scales up as if you were one size category larger than you really are, due to the increased size of your maw.
Projectile Vomit: At 5th level, you gain the vomiting ability, which allows you to use any of the below options 1 time a day each. At 8th level, this increases to 2 times per day each.
1: Vomit fiend: As a ranged touch attack, you may vomit your fiend summoned with fiend belch at a creature within 30 feet. That summoned fiend is treated as charging, and may make a full attack at the end of the charge. at level 8 the range of this attack is improved to 60 feet.
2: Acid Bath: You may use your gastric juice ability and spray it in a 20 foot cone. This increases to 40 feet at level 8. This prompts a reflex save (DC 10 +Maw Shaman level +con modifier) from the targets, rather than a touch attack. On a successful save the target takes half damage.
3: Vile Bile: As a standard action, you may vomit a putrid mass of gunk on the ground at your feet. Any enemy creature witnessing you doing so must make a will save (10+Maw Shaman level+con modifier) or be sickened for 2d4 rounds. At level 8, all enemies that come within 30 feet of the Vile Bile are automatically sickened as long as they are within range. Vile Bile loses its potency after 1 hour.
Swallow Whole: At 6th level, you gain the ability to swallow enemies whole. You may unhinge your jaw, aided by your foul magic, and swallow an enemy up to large size that you are grappling by winning an opposed grapple check. Your stomach has AC 20 (plus your con modifier), and 35+(3x your Maw Shaman level) damage must be dealt with a light slashing or piercing weapon for a creature to cut it's way out. Should a creature cut itself out in this way, the magic of your portal closes the hole, forcing another swallowed creature to cut it's own way out. Your damage reduction (if any) does not apply to your stomach (which technically isn't really part of you). Once a creature is in your stomach, it takes 2d8+your strength mod damage and 8 points of acid damage each round.
Improved Grapple: At level 6 the Maw Shaman gains improved grapple as a bonus feat.
Devour: At 8th level, you can devour a foe that you've swallowed. Once per day you can take a standard action to activate the powerful magic of your stomach portal. If your opponent fails a fortitude save (DC 10 + your Maw Shaman level + your con modifier) then it dies instantly, and you gain HP equal to 2 times the devoured creature’s hit dice. Even if the creature makes the save, it takes triple damage that round from your swallow whole ability as it is pushed and pulled by the powerful forces of your stomach-portal.
Expanded Stomach: At 9th level, the extradimensional space inside you becomes vaster, allowing you to swallow one huge or two smaller creatures at once.
Death Void: At 10th level, the extradimensional space in your stomach becomes extremely powerful, giving off baleful negative energy. Once per round, as a free action, you may give a creature that is in your stomach a negative level. The will save DC to resist this negative level is 10+your Maw Shaman level + your con modifier. Every time a creature loses hit points as a result of gaining a negative level, you gain half that many hit points. This may only be applied to one enemy every round. Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell, such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10+Maw Shaman level + con modifier.) On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level.
In addition, attacks made on your stomach no longer damage you, but swallowed creatures may still cut themselves out by dealing an appropriate amount of damage to the stomach itself.
Thick blood splattered everywhere as Taldak brought the deadly head of his flanged mace up into the ogre's now pulped jaw. The skilled human then whirled around, using his momentum to deliver the final devastating blow to the side of the brute's skull, which promptly splintered. He laughed with youthful arrogance as the ogre slumped to the ground, limp. Then, wiping the blood off of his hands, Taldak turned from his kill to survey the scene- warm ogre corpses littered the floor of the cave like so many broken ragdolls. Taldak laughed again. His deep, throaty chuckles echoed off the stone walls, but they didn't sound quite right... Taldak paused. The laughter didn't. Suddenly, a massive, blue-green ogre pounced out of the shadows not 20 feet from the surprised fighter. The ogre mage swung an enormous spiked club nearly the size of a tree trunk at his adversary, missing by scant inches. Seizing the chance, a vengeful Taldak leapt into melee, grinning as he drove within his enemy's threat range. But the ogre mage was grinning too. Suddenly, in one swift, smooth motion, the blue giant dropped his weapon, grabbing the surprised fighter by his shoulders and pulling him foreward with the help of his own momentum. Taldak, raising his weapon defensively, had only the time to hear a horrible grating sound as the ogre's mouth opened wider than it ever should have been able to, and then, only blackness.
Maw Shaman
Among the savage, monstrous, and giant humanoids there is practiced a twisted, evil art. Known only as "Maw" to most humanoids, this blissfully rare practice is the catalyst in a horrific transformation granting it's subject immense and terrible powers. Those who undergo the foul ritual of Maw are known as Maw Shamans. These terrifying combatants have replaced their stomachs with extradimensional portals capable of granting their bearers immense strength. Their signature ability to swallow opponents larger then they are is the subject of many a horror story in the civilized lands, where it is rumored that once a person disappears down the gaping maw of a Shaman, he may never again see the light of day.
Requirements:
To qualify to be a Maw Shaman, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.
Creature type: Animal (awakened), Dragon, Giant, Goblinoid, Humanoid (Orc only), Lycanthrope, Monstrous Humanoid, Reptilian, Undead.
BaB:+5
Feats: Great fortitude, endurance
Special: Must perform a secret ritual involving killing and eating a demon or devil.
Hit die: d10
Class skills: Climb (str), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Survival (wis), Swim (str)
Skill points per level: 2+int modifier
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+0|Extradimensional Stomach, Gastric Juice 1d6, Grapple Bonus
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+0|Improved Grab, Iron Gut, Gastric Juice 2d6
3rd|
+2|
+3|
+1|
+1|Fiend Belch 1/day, Gastric Juice 3d6
4th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1|Ghastly Meal 1/day, Toothy Maw, Gastric Juice 4d6
5th|
+3|
+4|
+1|
+1|Projectile Vomit 1/day, Gastric Juice 5d6
6th|
+4|
+5|
+2|
+2|Swallow Whole, improved grapple, Gastric Juice 6d6
7th|
+5|
+5|
+2|
+2|Fiend Belch 2/day, Gastric Juice 7d6
8th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+2|
+2|Devour, Ghastly Meal 2/day, Projectile Vomit 2/day, Gastric Juice 8d6
9th|
+6/+1|
+6|
+3|
+3|Expanded Stomach, Gastric Juice 9d6
10th|
+7/+2|
+7|
+3|
+3|Death void, Ghastly Meal 3/day, Gastric Juice 10d6 [/table]
Extradimensional Stomach: Once you have completed your ritual, your stomach is replaced with an extradimensional portal. Because many of your vital organs have been replaced, you gain a bonus to fortitude saves against poison equal to your class level.
Gastric Juice: Although your stomach may be gone, the extradimensional portal that took it's place mimics it in twisted ways. As a standard action, you may spit gastric juices at any target within 60 feet as a ranged touch attack, dealing 1d6 acid damage. This damage increases by 1d6 every level.
Grapple Bonus: A Maw Shaman gets a bonus to grapple checks equal to half of his Maw Shaman level.
Improved Grab: At second level, you gain improved grab, as the feat. This works only for unarmed strikes or natural attacks involving the claws or teeth.
Iron Gut: At second level, you may store and retrieve items in your stomach as if it were a type one bag of holding. It takes a move action to procure the correct item from your stomach. No items are harmed when stored this way. If you die while you have items in your stomach, the extradimensional space carrying them closes, and they may never be seen again, even if you are resurrected (although when you are resurrected, a new portal is opened inside your stomach).
Fiend Belch: As you gain more control over the portal inside you, you can manipulate it's power. Once per day as a standard action, you may belch forth a demon or devil (depending on which type of creature you swallowed when performing your ritual). This creature will serve you loyally for 1 minute per class level, plus one minute per point of constitution modifier. The list for demon/devil type is this:
3rd-5th level: Chain Devil or Babau
6th-8th level: Bone Devil or Vrock
9th-10th level: Ice Devil or Glabrezu
Ghastly Meal: As your "stomach" becomes more powerful, you gain the ability to consume corpses for nutrients and beneficial effects. This allows you to devour a corpse, healing 2 hit points for each hit die the corpse possessed. This does not allow you to consume functioning undead. Consuming a corpse in this manner takes 2 full round actions plus two per size category the creature is larger than you.
Toothy Maw: At 4th level, your teeth grow sharp and powerful. You gain a bite attack appropriate for your size. If you already have a natural bite attack, your damage scales up as if you were one size category larger than you really are, due to the increased size of your maw.
Projectile Vomit: At 5th level, you gain the vomiting ability, which allows you to use any of the below options 1 time a day each. At 8th level, this increases to 2 times per day each.
1: Vomit fiend: As a ranged touch attack, you may vomit your fiend summoned with fiend belch at a creature within 30 feet. That summoned fiend is treated as charging, and may make a full attack at the end of the charge. at level 8 the range of this attack is improved to 60 feet.
2: Acid Bath: You may use your gastric juice ability and spray it in a 20 foot cone. This increases to 40 feet at level 8. This prompts a reflex save (DC 10 +Maw Shaman level +con modifier) from the targets, rather than a touch attack. On a successful save the target takes half damage.
3: Vile Bile: As a standard action, you may vomit a putrid mass of gunk on the ground at your feet. Any enemy creature witnessing you doing so must make a will save (10+Maw Shaman level+con modifier) or be sickened for 2d4 rounds. At level 8, all enemies that come within 30 feet of the Vile Bile are automatically sickened as long as they are within range. Vile Bile loses its potency after 1 hour.
Swallow Whole: At 6th level, you gain the ability to swallow enemies whole. You may unhinge your jaw, aided by your foul magic, and swallow an enemy up to large size that you are grappling by winning an opposed grapple check. Your stomach has AC 20 (plus your con modifier), and 35+(3x your Maw Shaman level) damage must be dealt with a light slashing or piercing weapon for a creature to cut it's way out. Should a creature cut itself out in this way, the magic of your portal closes the hole, forcing another swallowed creature to cut it's own way out. Your damage reduction (if any) does not apply to your stomach (which technically isn't really part of you). Once a creature is in your stomach, it takes 2d8+your strength mod damage and 8 points of acid damage each round.
Improved Grapple: At level 6 the Maw Shaman gains improved grapple as a bonus feat.
Devour: At 8th level, you can devour a foe that you've swallowed. Once per day you can take a standard action to activate the powerful magic of your stomach portal. If your opponent fails a fortitude save (DC 10 + your Maw Shaman level + your con modifier) then it dies instantly, and you gain HP equal to 2 times the devoured creature’s hit dice. Even if the creature makes the save, it takes triple damage that round from your swallow whole ability as it is pushed and pulled by the powerful forces of your stomach-portal.
Expanded Stomach: At 9th level, the extradimensional space inside you becomes vaster, allowing you to swallow one huge or two smaller creatures at once.
Death Void: At 10th level, the extradimensional space in your stomach becomes extremely powerful, giving off baleful negative energy. Once per round, as a free action, you may give a creature that is in your stomach a negative level. The will save DC to resist this negative level is 10+your Maw Shaman level + your con modifier. Every time a creature loses hit points as a result of gaining a negative level, you gain half that many hit points. This may only be applied to one enemy every round. Negative levels remain until 24 hours have passed or until they are removed with a spell, such as restoration. If a negative level is not removed before 24 hours have passed, the affected creature must attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10+Maw Shaman level + con modifier.) On a success, the negative level goes away with no harm to the creature. On a failure, the negative level goes away, but the creature’s level is also reduced by one. A separate saving throw is required for each negative level.
In addition, attacks made on your stomach no longer damage you, but swallowed creatures may still cut themselves out by dealing an appropriate amount of damage to the stomach itself.