Pact Scholar [PrC]

[The Demented One]

Pact Scholar

Most who dabble in binding magic consider the vestiges they bargain with and bind to be little more than tools, no different than a sword or a spell. Yet for some, it is not the power they can gain from vestiges that draws them to binding magic, but the very mystery of the vestiges themself. These binders obsess over the nature of vestiges, trying to research as much as they can about the history of the vestiges they can consort with, and the very existence of vestiges. This knowledge can be a source of even greater power than the vestiges themselves. Those who have mastered arcane magic and pact magic can use this knowledge to considerably enhance their powers. Calling themselves Pact Scholars, they can use their knowledge to tap their vestiges for magical power most binders have never imagined.

d8 HD

Requirements
To qualify to become a Pact Scholar, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 10 ranks, Knowledge (The Planes) 10 ranks
Spells: Must be able to cast 1st-level arcane spells.
Soul Binding: Must be able to bind 3rd-level vestiges.

Skills
The Pact Scholar’s class skills are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (All) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Binding Book, Vestige Lore, Soul Binding +1|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

2nd|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Soul Binding +2|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Pact Caster, Soul Binding +3|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

4th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Soul Binding +4|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Arcanum Pact, Soul Binding +5|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

6th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Soul Binding +6|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Resolute Spirit, Soul Binding +7|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

8th|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Binding +8|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Vestige Contingency, Soul Binding +9|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class

10th|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|

+7

|Incarnate Vestige, Soul Binding +10|+1 level of arcane spellcasting class[/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Pact Scholar prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
You gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Spellcasting
Whenever you gain a new Pact Scholar level you gain new spells per day and spells known as if you had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class you belonged to before you added the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.

Soul Binding
At each level except, your soul binding ability improves as if you had gained a level of the Binder class. This increases your effective binder level, the bonus you receive on binding checks, and the level and number of vestiges you may bind. You do not, however, gain any other abilities or advantages a Binder would have gained.

Binding Book (Ex)
At 1st level, you gain a book of diagrams drawn in magical inks, containing the seals of all the vestiges you have chosen for your vestige lore ability. You may use the binding book in the place of a vestige’s seal. If you gain choose to exchange a new vestige for an old one with your vestige lore ability, you add the new vestige’s seal but lose access to the old one’s.

Vestige Lore (Ex)
At 1st level, you have committed yourself to the study of vestiges, learning their secrets. Choose a number of vestiges equal to 2 + your base Intelligence modifier. You cannot choose a vestige of a level you cannot bind. You have made an extensive study of these vestiges, and gain a +5 bonus on all binding checks made to bind them. At each even level, you may choose to exchange one of the vestiges you chose for another one of any level. If your base intelligence modifier increases, you may choose an additional number of vestiges equal to the amount your modifier increased.

Pact Caster (Ex)
At 3rd level, you learn new spells from your study of vestiges. You learn one spell for each vestige you chose for your vestige lore ability. The spell associated with each vestige is listed below. If you prepare spells, you may scribe the new spells into your spellbook at no cost. If you cast spells spontaneously, you treat the new spells as being among your spells known. You must be bound to a spell’s associated vestige in order to cast that spell. If you would learn a spell of a level you cannot cast, then instead you learn it once you gain the ability to cast spells of that level. If you gain choose to exchange a new vestige for an old one with your vestige lore ability, you learn the new vestige’s spell and lose access to the old one’s. If the spell is not on your class spell list, treat its level as being equal to the level of the vestige that grants it. Spells from the Spell Compendium are marked with an *, and also have an alternative spell that can be used instead of them if you do not have that book.

Tome of Magic Vestige Spells

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Vestige|Spell
Acererak|Slay Living
Agares|Stone Sphere*/Stone Shape
Amon|Burning Hands
Andras|Divine Power
Andromalius|Major Image
Aym|Fist of Stone*/Magic Stone
Balam|Cone of Cold
Buer|Cure Critical Wounds
Chupoclops|Disintegrate
Dahlver-Nar|Resist Energy
Dantalion|Dominate Person
Eligor|Mage’s Sword
Eurynome|Chaos Hammer
Focalor|Sleet Storm
Geryon|Dispel Good
Haagenti|Bull’s Strength
Halphax|Polymorph Any Object
Haures|Veil
Ipos|Legend Lore
Karsus|Arcane Sight
Leraje|Guided Shot*/Magic Missile
Malphas|Animal Messenger
Marchosias|Emerald Flame Fist*/Delayed Blast Fireball
Naberius|Charm Person
Orthos|Whirlwind
Otiax|Teleport
Paimon|Keen Edge
Ronove|True Strike
Savnok|Protection from Arrows
Shax|Cloak of the Sea*/Control Water
Tenebrous|Animate Dead
Zagan|Aura of Terror*/Symbol of Fear
[/table]

Other Wizards Vestige Spells

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Vestige|Spell
Abysm|Brain Spider
Arete|Death Ward
Astaroth|Minor Creation
Desharis|Guards and Wards
The Triad|Greater Heroism
Vanus|Eyebite
Zceryll|Song of Discord
[/table]

Homebrew Vestige Spells

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Vestige|Spell
Alric|Fantastic Machine*/Analyze Dweomer
Atlach-Nacha|Summon Swarm
Azathoth|Maddening Whispers*/Incendiary Cloud
Basatan|Barkskin
Beltet|Clairaudience/Clairavoyance
Colossus|Lesser Ironguard*/Major Creation
Cthugha|Fireball
Cthulhu|Insanity
Dagon and Hydra|Mind Fog
The Dark Plea|Wrathful Castigation*/Unholy Aura
Deperth|Chill Touch
Dromilius|Comprehend Languages
Ghatanothoa|Wall of Stone
Ghroth|Symphonic Nightmare*/Sympathetic Vibration
Gith|Righteous Might
Glaaki|Contact Other Plane
Hastur|Greater Rebuke*/Crushing Despair
Ithaqua|Hailstones*/Wind Wall
Kurrothk|Banishment
Luna|Bite of the Werebear*/Regenerate
Mordiggian|Create Undead
Naphia|Liveoak
Nodens|Implacable Pursuer*/Stoneskin
Nyarlathotep|Transformation
Nyog'Sothep|Control Weather
Reshar|Iron Body
Rhan-Tegoth|Enlarge Person
Rhogog|Lesser Confusion
Seradess|Trap the Soul
Shub-Nigurath|Creeping Doom
Shudde M’ell|Meld Into Stone
Sol Invictus|Sunburst
Taratai|Suggestion
Ubbo-Sathla|Polymorph Any Object
Vorvadoss|Geas
Vox|Blur
Y’Golonac|Hold Person
Yidhra|Polymorph
Yog-Sothoth|Maze
[/table]

Arcanum Pact (Su)
At 5th level, your study of vestiges has granted you insights into their very nature, allowing you to draw magical power from the raw fabric of reality by expending your life force into the void where the vestiges reside. In doing so, you become, for a brief moment, much like a demi-vestige, allowing you great power over your magic. Whenever you cast a spell while bound to one of the vestiges you chose for your vestige lore ability, you may choose to have that spell’s slot not be expended. If you do, however, you take negative levels equal to half the spell’s level, rounded down, to a minimum of one. You do not lose spell slots due to these negative levels. These negative level cannot be removed by any means, but go away within 24 hours.

Resolute Spirit (Ex)
At 7th level, you can resist harmful magics. You gain spell resistance equal to 10 + your effective binder level.

Vestige Contingency (Su)
At 9th level, you gain the ability to imbue a vestige with one of your spells, allowing you to cast it at a later time. The vestige must be one you have chosen for the vestige lore ability, and the vestige’s level must be greater than or equal to the spell’s level. You must expend the spell or a spell slot of the spell’s level, requiring a standard action. You cannot prepare spells in the expended slot or regain the expended spell slot until you have cast the contingent spell. You choose a trigger for the contingency, which, when it is met while you are bound to the vestige you imbued with the spell, causes it to cast the spell immediately, requiring no action from you. You can still cast the spell normally, but doing so requires you to still take the action normally required.

Incarnate Vestige (Ex)
At 10th level, your soul is swallowed away into the void of the vestiges, and you become a living vestige, bound to your own body. You gain a permanent +2 bonus to Intelligence and Charisma, and gain damage reduction 10/magic, along with resistance 10 to acid, cold, electricity, and fire. You automatically succeed on all binding checks, and the DC of any spell you cast or of any supernatural ability you use increases by 1.

As you no longer have a soul, you can no longer be revived or resurrected by magic if you die. However, as long as your body remains intact, you can reanimate yourself after a brief period of convalescence in the void of the vestiges, returning to life after a week. If you do, you are restored to life at 1 hp, and with a number of negative levels equal to half your character level. These negative levels cannot be removed by any means, but go away at a rate of one negative level per day. The negative levels never risk becoming permanent.

Even if your body is destroyed, you can still be revived by a wish or miracle spell. However, if your body is destroyed and you are not revived by other means within a month of dying, you forever lose all ties to life, becoming a true vestige.

[Draken]

Nice class. A non-evil take on arcane caster + binder, interesting, indeed.

But, I see a problem in the Arcanum Pact. You are receiving negative levels in order to cast a spell without losing the prepared slot. But when you take a negative level, you lose one spell slot of the hightest level avaible.

Doesn't seen like a good trade. You keep a first level slot and lose a ninth level slot. You keep a ninth level slot and lose four others (Just taking the extremes)

[The Demented One]

But, I see a problem in the Arcanum Pact. You are receiving negative levels in order to cast a spell without losing the prepared slot. But when you take a negative level, you lose one spell slot of the hightest level avaible.

Doesn't seen like a good trade. You keep a first level slot and lose a ninth level slot. You keep a ninth level slot and lose four others (Just taking the extremes)

Put in an exception to that.

[dyslexicfaser]

Very neat.

The Vestige Lore and Binding Book is an interesting and unique idea, and the other abilities of the class are really just more icing on a very delicious cake.

I like this one even better than Anima Mage: the class abilities far offset the two lost spell levels.

[JoshuaZ]

I'd make the first level not advance arcane casting and make third level advance it. Otherwise it is way too tempting for an animamage to take just the first two levels.

For Pact Caster, do you want to add spells for the other official vestiges made by WoTC (such as http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a and http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718 (which has one at the end)) (I think Kas and Primus were also made into Vestiges in Dragon Magazine)

Also, a cool, very flavorful set of homebrew vestiges are the Seklas vestiges which you may want to consider adding Pact Caster spells for: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...06#post4481506 and http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...27#post4483827

Incarnate Vestige (Ex)
At 10th level, your soul is swallowed away into the void of the vestiges, and you become a living vestige, bound to your own body. You gain a permanent +2 bonus to Intelligence and Charisma, and gain damage reduction 10/magic, along with resistance 10 to acid, cold, electricity, and fire. You automatically succeed on all binding checks, and the DC of any spell you cast or of any supernatural ability you use increases by 1.

As you no longer have a soul, you can no longer be revived or resurrected by magic if you die. However, as long as your body remains intact, you can reanimate yourself after a brief period of convalescence in the void of the vestiges, returning to life after a week. If you do, you are restored to life at 1 hp, and with a number of negative levels equal to half your class level. These negative levels cannot be removed by any means, but go away at a rate of one negative level per day. The negative levels never risk becoming permanent.

Even if your body is destroyed, you can still be revived by a wish or miracle spell. However, if your body is destroyed and you are not revived by other means within a month of dying, you forever lose all ties to life, becoming a true vestige.

I'm very meh about this capstone. Vestiges are mysterious things and no one-not even binders- fully understands how they form. They are the exceptions, not the rule. Making a mechanic, especially one as simple as a class for someone to become a vestige undermines the fluff a lot.

(Also, isn't one negative level per half your class levels always just going to be 5 class levels since you get this at 10th level?)

[The Demented One]

For Pact Caster, do you want to add spells for the other official vestiges made by WoTC (such as http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a and http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718 (which has one at the end)) (I think Kas and Primus were also made into Vestiges in Dragon Magazine)

I've scoured the Wizards site and added them all into a third table.

I'm very meh about this capstone. Vestiges are mysterious things and no one-not even binders- fully understands how they form. They are the exceptions, not the rule. Making a mechanic, especially one as simple as a class for someone to become a vestige undermines the fluff a lot.

Mmm, more a flavor issue than anything else. If you really dislike it, you could just say they're just dead and gone if they die without resurrecting, which is effectively the same thing, but they have a potential to become a vestige under certain mysterious and not well-understood circumstances.

(Also, isn't one negative level per half your class levels always just going to be 5 class levels since you get this at 10th level?)

Meant that to be character level, now changed.

[bibliophile]

You get awesome points for using names from obscure myths, and the Lesser Key of Solomon.

[Stycotl]

cool stuff. i agree that a vestige should be more mysterious and harder to become than 10 levels in a prc. in my games, stuff like this happens without mechanics generally, and as a result of the story, nothing more.

however, this class provides the perfect mechanics to set up a story like that, and i think it perfectly fitting at the end of a particularly dramatic campaign or career, to have the vestige-obsessed character turn into a vestige himself.

cool beans.

aaron out.

incidentally, i'm flattered that my vestiges were pointed out as possibles to add to the spell lists. i'm glad people are looking at them, even if i don't always see the comments.