Base Class Contest XXXXV: A Homebrew Bumper Crop

[rferries]

The Harvester

Something wicked this way comes.

There are some malevolent individuals who delight solely in terror and evil. They conjure up horrors to do their bidding, 'harvesting' the chaos they wreak amongst their victims.

Adventures: A Harvester generally prefers her own company, but must travel (if for no other reason than to find new communities and individuals to terrorise). They make excellent antagonists for adventurers as well, by conjuring (and loosing) multiple other villains.

Characteristics: A Harvester can almost hold her own in combat, and summons minions for battle or to help solve other problems.

Alignment: Harvesters must be evil to enter the class, and are generally chaotic-aligned as well. Interestingly, a Harvester that forsakes the path of evil does not suffer any penalties, and still commands the obedience of her minions (though they may chafe at being ordered to do good works).

Religion: Harvesters tend to worship deities of evil, darkness, undeath, or fear.

Background: A Harvester can come from any background - their gruesome interests usually develop early in life and are merely given voice by their new powers.

Races: Harvesters are almost always human.

Other Classes: Harvesters love to terrify commoners, aristocrats, and anyone else without magical abilities of their own. However, they shrink before paladins and true spellcasters, for they know that bravery and spells can easily defeat their own powers.

Role: A Harvester in a party knows she must "play nice" to reap the benefits of questing. She serves as a supporting martial character, using her minions as additional combatants (or occasionally commanding them to assist in non-combat roles). She has a limited selection of spell-like abilities for other niche purposes.

Adaptation: A Harvester might be well-suited to horror-based campaigns, though her minions may compete thematically with the antagonists of such adventures.

The Harvester
Harvesters have the following game statistics.

Abilities: A Harvester generally relies on mundane methods in combat, and so benefits from high physical ability scores (Constitution, Dexterity, and Strength). Charisma powers her class features but she has little use for high Intelligence or Wisdom scores.

Alignment: Any evil.

Hit Die: d8

Starting Age: As barbarian.

Starting Gold: As monk.

Class Skills
The Harvester’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Cha), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana, dungeoneering, local, nature, religion, the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perform (oratory) (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier

Table: The Harvester

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Aura, Dark Lore, Trick or Treat (0th)
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Trick or Treat (1st)
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Dark Armour (2), Dark Grace
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Trick or Treat (2nd)
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Conjure Horror
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Trick or Treat (3rd)
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Dark Armour (5)
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	Trick or Treat (4th)
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Improved Conjure Horror
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Trick or Treat (5th)
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Dark Armour (10)
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Trick Or Treat (6th
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9	Trick or Treat (7th)
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Trick or Treat (8th)
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Trick or Treat (9th)
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Grim Reaper

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Harvester.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies
A Harvester is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with scythes. She is not proficient with with any type of armor or shield.

Aura (Su)
A Harvester has an aura of evil, just as an evil cleric. She retains this aura even if she becomes non-evil.

Dark Lore (Ex)
At Harvester adds her class level as a competence bonus to any Knowledge check made to identify a creature or its weaknesses, and to any Knowledge check dealing with evil-associated individuals, places, or things.

Trick Or Treat (Sp)
Beginning at 1st level a Harvester gains a variety of fell powers. She may duplicate any Conjuration (calling), Conjuration (summoning), Illusion (shadow), or Necromancy spell of 0th level or lower as a spell-like ability (caster level = class level, save DC 10 + spell level + the Harvester's Charisma modifier), with the following provisos:

If a spell appears on multiple lists, treat it as the sorcerer/wizard. cleric, druid, bard, ranger, or paladin version (in that order) when determining its level.

The Harvester may only conjure evil-aligned creatures with this ability (even if she is nonevil herself).

If a spell has an expensive material component, XP cost, or focus, she must meet that requirement herself.

She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma bonus (if any).

At 2nd level and every two levels thereafter the maximum spell level she can duplicate increases by one (to a maximum of 9th-level spells at 18th level).

Dark Armour (Ex)
Beginning at 3rd level a Harvester gains damage reduction 2/cold iron. This improves to damage reduction 5/cold iron at 7th level, and to damage reduction 10/cold iron at 11th level.

Dark Grace (Ex)
At 3rd level a Harvester adds her Charisma bonus (if any) as a resistance bonus on all her saves and as a deflection bonus to her Armour Class.

Conjure Horror (Su)
At 5th level a Harvester can rely upon her minions for indefinite service. Once per day when using her Trick or Treat ability to duplicate a summon monster, summon nature's ally, or summon undead spell, the Harvester may increase the duration of that spell to permanent. Whenever she uses this ability, any creatures already benefiting from it are immediately banished.

Improved Conjure Horror (Su)
At 9th level a Harvester may conjure up loyal minions of greater power. Once per day she may expend three uses of her Trick or Treat power to call one of the creatures detailed below. Creatures serve until she uses this ability again (with any prior creatures becoming free-willed). Whenever a creature is slain in her service (and does not possess the rejuvenation special quality), she may not call that kind of creature again until the next time she gains a class level. This is a Conjuration (calling) effect.

Spoiler: Improved Conjure Horror Options

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Adam/Eve
This flesh golem has an Intelligence score of 10 and is entitled to feats and skill points, though it retains its immunity to mind-affecting effects. Its class skills are all fighter class skills. It may go berserk but never attacks the Harvester (though it may attack her allies or loved ones to in an attempt to hurt her indirectly). It is advanced by 4 racial Hit Dice whenever the Harvester gains a class level; whenever it would increase in size the Harvester may choose to grant it 4 additional racial Hit Dice instead.

Blob
This black pudding has an Intelligence score of 2 and is entitled to feats and skill points, though it retains its immunity to mind-affecting effects. Its class skills are Climb, Listen, Survival, and Swim. It is advanced by 4 Hit Dice whenever the Harvester gains a class level. At Harvester level 14th, the creature transforms into an elder black pudding and is advanced by 4 racial Hit Dice per additional Harvester class level thereafter.

Fiend
This 5th-level rogue has the half-fiend template. It is advanced by one rogue level whenever the Harvester gains a class level.

Ghost
This 5th-level bard or specialist wizard (illusionist) has the ghost template but not the rejuvenation special quality. It is advanced by one bard or wizard level whenever the Harvester gains a class level.

Mummy
This mummy has 16 Hit Dice. It is advanced by 4 Hit Dice whenever the Harvester gains a class level. At Harvester level 17th, the creature transforms into a greater mummy and is advanced by 1 cleric level per additional Harvester class level thereafter.

Slasher
This 7th-level barbarian has the rejuvenation special quality (as a ghost) and the shadow jump ability as a shadowdancer of its class level. It never speaks. It is advanced by one barbarian level whenever the Harvester gains a class level.

Slasher, Nightmare
This 5th-level fighter has the ghost template and the dream haunting special attack (as a night hag). It is advanced by one fighter level whenever the Harvester gains a class level.

The Thing
This phasm is advanced by 4 racial Hit Dice whenever the Harvester gains a class level. If it has at least 14 Hit Dice, it may split into multiple phasms (each must have at least 7 Hit Dice) and/or recombine as a full-round action. Multiple phasms from this class ability share the Hive Mind special quality. Finally, a phasm may take one minute to absorb the corpse of a slain animal or humanoid, gaining a +4 competence bonus on Bluff checks to imitate that creature.

Vampire Bride(groom)s
These three vampire spawn are each advanced by one aristocrat level whenever the Harvester gains a class level. At Harvester level 15th, they transform into vampire nobles (though they do not gain Leadership and any spawn they create are free-willed) and are advanced by 1 aristocrat level per additional Harvester class level thereafter.

Werewolf
This werewolf is a 5th-level fighter, and is advanced by one fighter level whenever the Harvester gains a class level. At Harvester level 16th, the creature transforms into a werewolf lord and is advanced by 1 fighter level per additional Harvester class level thereafter.

Witch
This green hag is a 9th-level adept and possesses a broom of flying. She is advanced by one adept level whenever the Harvester gains a class level.

Zombie Plague
These humanoid zombies replenish themselves by raising their victims as new zombies, at no cost to the Harvester. They always total 4 per Harvester class level, and do not count towards the limit of zombies that can be controlled via animate dead.

Grim Reaper (Ex and Su)
At 20th level the Harvester herself becomes the ultimate horror. Her type changes to undead (increasing her Hit Dice to d12 but not recalculating her base attack bonus, saves, or skill points). Any scythe she wields gains the vorpal special quality. Finally, any enemy within 30 feet that so much as looks at her must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + her Charisma modifier) or become panicked for 1d4 rounds. This is a necromantic gaze attack.

New Items
Jack-O'-Lantern, Helm
This helm is fashioned from an enchanted jack-o'-lantern and is lit from within, obscuring its bearers features. The bearer may exhale flames (as burning hands), or produce a terrifying (as scare) or infectious (as hideous laughter) cackle at will.
Faint Enchantment, Evocation, and Necromancy; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item; burning hands, continual flame, hideous laughter, scare; Price 45,110 gp; Weight 3 lb.

Jack-O'-Lantern, Ward
This enchanted jack-o'-lantern radiates light, and while somewhat macabre is ultimately benign. While carried it radiates a magic circle against evil, and if one such item is placed at every entrance to a dwelling (minimum one) they ward the entire residence as a magic circle.
Moderate Abjuration; CL 5th; Craft Wondrous Item; magic circle against evil; Price 45,000 gp; Weight 3 lb.