[PrC] Heartwood Warrior

[Fax Celestis]

===Requirements===
The following are required to take levels in the Heartwood Warrior prestige class:

BAB: +5

Skills: Knowledge (Nature) 8 ranks, Survival 8 ranks

Special: Must have two favored enemies, neither of which can be Plants.

===Class Features===
Hit Die: d8

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Heartwood Warrior receives no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level): Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Ride, earch, Spot, Survival, Swim, Use Rope

Spells: Levels of Heartwood Warrior stack with levels of ranger for determining spells known and spells per day.

Natural Weaponry: At first level, a Heartwood Warrior's hands and feet become covered in a thick, rough bark. A Heartwood Warrior's unarmed attacks are now considered lethal damage.

Natural Form Style: Most Heartwood Warriors forego weaponry, choosing instead to fight with their hands and feet. A Heartwood Warrior gains the Improved Unarmed Strike and Deflect Arrows feats, even if he does not qualify for them. In addition, if he does not have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat aleady, he gains it now.

Woodland Stride: At second level, a Heartwood Warrior can move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briars, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal spped and without taking damage or suffering any other impairments. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that are enchanted or magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

Skin of Bark: At third level, a Heartwood Warrior's skin becomes barklike and grants him natural armor. At third level, he receieves a +2 racial bonus to armor class. This increases to +4 at fifth level, +6 at seventh level, and +8 at ninth level.

Photosynthesis: At third level, a Heartwood Warrior no longer requires food to survive. Instead, he requires only water and sunlight. If a Heartwood Warrior does not receive sunlight in a number of days equal to his Constitution modifier, he begins to starve.

Speak with Plants: At third level, a Heartwood Warrior is constantly considered to be under a ''speak with plants'' spell.

Fire Vulnerability: Because of their woodlike construction at this point, a Heartwood Warrior takes an additional point of damage from each die whenever he is struck by a fire effect.

Mettle: Starting at fourth level, a Heartwood Warrior can resist magic and unusual attacks with great willpower and fortitude. If he makes a successful Will or Fortitude Save against an attack that would normally have a lesser effect on a successful save, he instead completely negates the effect. A helpless or unconscious Heartwood Warrior does not gain the benefits of Mettle.

Root: Starting at fourth level, a Heartwood Warrior standing on natural ground may take root. This process takes fifteen minutes and is impossible to perform during combat. Once successfully rooted, a Heartwood Warrior regains hit points at four times the normal rate.

Heartwood: A Heartwood Warrior's plantlike construction makes him able to resist spells. At fourth level, he gains spell resistance 20. This improves to spell resistance 24 at seventh level, and spell resistance 28 at tenth level.

Third Arm: At sixth level, a Heartwood Warrior can grow a third arm. This process requires exposure to the sun and rooting into the ground for at least twenty-four hours. The arm springs from the center of his chest, and has the same hand as the Heartwood Warrior's dominant arm. Chopping this (or any other limb) off of the Heartwood Warrior causes pain but is not fatal. He can regain any limb list (short of his head) with the same process of rooting into the ground.

This third arm provides a +4 to grapple checks and can wield weaponry as any of the other Heartwood Warrior's limbs can.

Improved Natural Form Style: At sixth level, a Heartwood Warrior gains the Multiattack and Multiweapon Fighting feats even if he does not qualify for them. In addition, his unarmed strikes can be considered mithril or silver, if it is favorable.

Natural Form Style Mastery: At ninth level, a Heartwood Warrior gains the Crushing Strike and Snatch Arrows feats even if he does not qualify for them. In addition, his unarmed strikes can be considered adamantine, if it is favorable.

Plantform: At tenth level, a Heartwood Warrior's type becomes plant, and he gains a variety of abilities. A Heartwood Warrior gains low-light vision and becomes immune to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, polymorph, and stunning. Finally, he gains two tentacle attacks. These are vines that grow from the Heartwood Warrior's back. They deal 1d6 + Str damage, critical on a 19 or 20 for x2 damage, and are finessable. On a successful hit, these vines also deal 1d3 points of constitution damage as both primary and secondary effects. The save DC is equal to 10 + 1/2 class levels + Con modifier.

===Playing A Heartwood Warrior===
Heartwood Warriors are so devoted to the forest that they've decided to become one with it.

===Religion===
The majority of Heartwood Warriors worship Ehlonna.

===Combat===
While most Heartwood Warriors rely on their variety of natural weapons, some prefer instead to wield a variety of manmade weapons in their multiple limbs.

===Heartwood Warrior Progression===

{table]
[tr][td]Level[/td] [td]Base Attack Bonus[/td] [td]Fort Save[/td] [td]Ref Save[/td] [td]Will Save[/td] [td]Special[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]1st[/td] [td]+1[/td] [td]+2[/td] [td]+0[/td] [td]+2[/td] [td]Natural Weaponry, Natural Form Style[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]2nd[/td] [td]+2[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]+0[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]Woodland Stride[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]3rd[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]+1[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]Skin of Bark +2, Photosynthesis, ''Speak with Plants'', Fire Vulnerability[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]4th[/td] [td]+4[/td] [td]+4[/td] [td]+1[/td] [td]+4[/td] [td]Mettle, Root, Heartwood +20[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]5th[/td] [td]+5[/td] [td]+4[/td] [td]+1[/td] [td]+4[/td] [td]Skin of Bark +4[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]6th[/td] [td]+6[/td] [td]+5[/td] [td]+2[/td] [td]+5[/td] [td]Third Arm, Improved Natural Form Style[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]7th[/td] [td]+7[/td] [td]+5[/td] [td]+2[/td] [td]+5[/td] [td]Skin of Bark +6, Heartwood +24[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]8th[/td] [td]+8[/td] [td]+6[/td] [td]+2[/td] [td]+6[/td] [td]-[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]9th[/td] [td]+9[/td] [td]+6[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]+6[/td] [td]Skin of Bark +8, Natural Form Style Mastery[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]10th[/td] [td]+10[/td] [td]+7[/td] [td]+3[/td] [td]+7[/td] [td]Plantform, Heartwood +28[/td][/tr][/table]

From here.

[martyboy74]

That...seems a wee bit powerful.

[Fax Celestis]

That...seems a wee bit powerful.

How so?