[3.5] Black Flame Zealot

[Gorbash]

I have a player who wants to roll one BFZ, but I somehow feel bad for him because the class is kinda meh.

Death Attack - DC is laughable.
Sacred Flame - Fire damage, which is also laughable, since at level they're playing (12), everyone has at least 10 resist.
Unholy Immolation - Basically an NPC ability to be used against players, players won't get much out of it.

So, are there any known fixes for this poor guy?

[RTGoodman]

I haven't seen any fixes (since so few people use the PrC), but off the top of my head here are a few ideas. You could use any or all of them without it being overpowered, I think.

-Death Attack: The DC is equal to (10 + 1/2 your HD + Int modifier). Remind the player that he can take Ability Focus in Death Attack for a +2 DC for the cost of a feat.

-Sacred Flame (Su): Move the ability to 4th level. The weapon selected acts as if it has the flaming ability, but it burns with unholy hellfire, which bypasses any resistance to Fire that the target may possess. A Black Flame Zealot can expend 2 uses of his Turn or Rebuke Undead ability as a free action to use the flaming burst ability again after it has been used for the day.

-Armored Stealth (Ex): Add the Ruby Knight Vindicator's Armored Stealth ability at 4th level. See Tome of Battle pg. 123 for more info.

-Divine Penetration (Su): Starting at 8th level, a Black Flame Zealot can spend one use of Turn or Rebuke Undead as a swift action to treat his weapon as Good- or Evil-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. This ability lasts for 1 minute.

-Unholy Immolation (Su): The ability functions as described in Complete Divine, but with the following addition. When you kill the enemy with your Death Attack or sneak attack, any other enemies within 30 feet of the one killed take unholy hellfire damage equal to 5d6 + your Intelligence modifier, with a Reflex save for half damage. The DC is equal to 10 + your class level + your Intelligence modifier.

[Gorbash]

Yeah, those sound nice, if anyone else doesn't have any other ideas I'll use those. Thx.

[Person_Man]

Poison Use: As per the Assassin ability. In addition, the Black Flame Zealot may apply one dose of poison to any weapon that he is holding as a Swift Action. If he chooses, he may attempt a Slight of Hand check (opposed by the enemies' Spot check) to conceal that he is doing this.

In addition as a full round action that provokes and attack of opportunity, a Black Flame Zealot may extract one use of poison for every two Black Flame Zealot class levels from a creature that normally produces poison in life. The creature must have been killed in the last 24 hours, and the extraction process may only be done once per dead creature. This poison has the same effects as it did for the creature it was extracted from. For example, a tenth level Black Flame Zealot kills a huge viper. After combat, he extracts five doses of huge viper poison (1d6 Con damage, DC 14 Fort) which he may store and use whenever he wishes.

Fateful Stride: Dimension Door. Usable per day per class level. (Normally BFZ can use it once per day, period).

Unholy Immolation: When a BFZ reaches 10th level, once per day when he uses his Death Attack he may increase the Save DC by +10.

[JeminiZero]

How about simply giving it full caster progression?

Especially useful if he is the primary divine caster supporting the party.

[RTGoodman]

Poison Use:

I like that, and that should probably be how Poison Use works for classes anyway.

Fateful Stride: Dimension Door. Usable per day per class level. (Normally BFZ can use it once per day, period).

I thought about increasing it to a number of times per day equal to Int modifier. With everything else, though, it might be a little much, but probably not.

Unholy Immolation: When a BFZ reaches 10th level, once per day when he uses his Death Attack he may increase the Save DC by +10.

How about spending Turn/Rebuke Attempts to do that? (I like that mechanic, as you can see above.) Or instead of giving a DC bonus, how about giving the target a penalty on the save equal to Int modifier or something?

[Person_Man]

How about spending Turn/Rebuke Attempts to do that? (I like that mechanic, as you can see above.) Or instead of giving a DC bonus, how about giving the target a penalty on the save equal to Int modifier or something?

I think the core of the PrC's capstone is supposed to be "Your Death Attack becomes more awesome." There's a bunch of different ways you can work that. Off the top of my head:

• Increase Save DC/Impose Save Penalty
• Ignore DR
• Make it a touch attack
• Enemies who see your successful Death Attack make a Save vs. Fear
• Enemy explodes, dealing 10d6 damage to everyone within X ft.
• You can Death Attack enemies normally immune to Sneak Attack

I made it once per day, because a +10 Save DC pretty much equals a 95% chance of success. If you want to tie it to Turn/Rebuke Attempts (translation = 3 + Cha times per day, which means you could easily use it the first round of every combat where you have time to study the enemy), then you should make it a weaker effect.

[NEO|Phyte]

One fix I'd suggest is replacing/removing the EWP:Kukri prereq so that the class can actually be taken. Kinda hard to take exotic weapon proficiency in a martial weapon and all.

[Gorbash]

Or instead of giving a DC bonus, how about giving the target a penalty on the save equal to Int modifier or something?

Well, he has Int 14... So it wouldn't be much. And capstone ability should be awesome. I reckon when he kills someone and everyone within 30 feet catches on fire is pretty awesome.

I made it once per day, because a +10 Save DC pretty much equals a 95% chance of success.

Yeah, and that's a tad too much. 1/day kill almost everyone? My boss monsters are doomed!

[Person_Man]

Yeah, and that's a tad too much. 1/day kill almost everyone? My boss monsters are doomed!

Well, he still has to hit. Your boss monster should take the time to buy decent armor and get some magical protections (especially a miss chance), and/or a doppelganger/duplicate stand in like Senator Amidala, and/or a bigger/meaner mom or best friend, and/or immunity to crits (undead, constructs, plants, etc) which makes them immune to Death Attack.