Evil / Undead Class : Fiend of Corruption
Fiend Folio
For a variety of reasons - to win more fodder for an unending Blood War, to gain currency in an infernal economy or to hold stakes in a cosmic conflict between good and evil - some fiends are preoccupied with corrupting mortals to ensure that their souls end up on the Lower Planes after death. These fiends delight in finding souls pure and untouched by evil, and leading them astray until they are utterly and irredeemably corrupt. What they cannot corrupt, they nevertheless hope to claim by virtue of an inviolable bargain that the fiend can inevitably twist toward its own purposes. Such fiends thrive in the fiend of corruption prestige class.
As the name suggests, only fiends can enter the fiend of corruption prestige class. Some can qualify without any levels in other classes at all, while others gain levels in any character class before joining the prestige class.
A fiend of corruption works best by establishing a one-on-one relationship with an individual mortal, so it generally does its diabolical work independent of other fiends. On rare occasions, succubus or erinyes fiends of corruption have been known to work in pairs.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Fiend of Corruption, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Outsider with the evil subtype
- Skills: Bluff 10 ranks, Disguise 10 ranks, Sense Motive 10 ranks.
- Base Save Bonus: Will +7.
- Special: Must be able to use charm person or charm monster as a spell or spell-like ability
Class Skills
The fiend of corruption's class skills are Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Knowledge (religion), Listen, Search, Sense Motive, and Spot.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are Class Features of the fiend of corruption prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Fiends of corruption gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields.
Alternate Form (Su): A fiend of corruption has the ability to assume any humanoid form of Small to Large size as a standard action. While using this ability, the fiend gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks.
Fiends of corruption typically use this ability to make themselves appear pleasing or even desirable to their intended targets. It is hard, after all, to manipulate a person who is running away, howling in terror.
Fiends often use sexual temptation as a tool for corruption, but the seduction is simply a means to the eventual end of the mortal's damnation, not an end in itself. Once drawn into an intimate relationship with a fiend (particularly if this relationship is considered illicit), mortals are more susceptible to further temptations and blackmail.
Fiend's Favor (Su): Once per day, a fiend of corruption can grant a touched creature a +3 bonus to one of the creature's ability scores. This bonus stacks with any other bonus the creature may already have, and lasts for one day When the effect expires, the creature takes a -3 penalty to the same ability score for the next day. Another application of fiend's favor not only negates the penalty, but restores the full bonus.
Fiends of corruption are quite free with this ability - at least at first. They often approach people who are in need of a short-term ability boost for a specific situation, offering them the "favor" for free or in exchange for performing a simple task. The next day, when the affected creature is suffering from the penalty, the price for restoring the favor gets slightly higher, and so on - until a power-hungry character is willing to do just about anything in return.
Suggestion (Sp): At 2nd level, a fiend of corruption gains the ability to use suggestion three times per day. The saving throw DC is 15 + the fiend's Charisma modifier (as though the fiend had Spell Focus [Enchantment]). The fiend of corruption's class level is its caster level. If the target of this ability is currently under the influence of a charm person cast by the fiend, she takes a -2 penalty on her saving throw. A fiend of corruption is generally interested in corrupting mortals and seducing them toward evil. A mortal who commits an evil act because of a magical compulsion is not fully corrupted, and the taint of evil can easily be removed with an atonement spell. Even so, using this power can be a useful first step toward the mortal's ultimate damnation. Once the deed is done, the fiend has a stronger foothold for later temptation or even blackmail.
Mind Shielding (Su): At 2nd level, a fiend of blasphemy gains complete immunity to detect thoughts, discern lies, and any attempt to magically discern its alignment.
This ability solidifies a fiend's disguise, cloaking its thoughts as well as its flesh.
Mark of Justice (Sp): At 3rd level, a fiend of corruption can use mark of justice once per day, though the ability might better be termed "mark of iniquity" when used in this manner.
A fiend of corruption uses this ability to cement a good person's descent into evil. Once its victim is living an immoral life, the fiend uses mark of justice to ensure that the victim does not return to her old ways or seek atonement. While good clerics typically place a mark of justice in a visible place on the subject, fiends generally hide their marks in locations that are not obvious.
Fiendish Graft (Su): Once per month, a fiend of corruption of 4th level or higher can bestow a fiendish graft or symbiont (see Grafts and Symbionts, on a willing mortal.
Fiendish grafts are offered as rewards to characters who are already well along the path of corruption.
Major Creation (Sp): A 4th-level fiend of corruption gains the ability to use major creation three times per day. The fiend of corruption's class level is its caster level.
Fiends of corruption use this ability to offer concrete temptation to mortals whose tastes run to material wealth and finery of corruption.
Geas (Sp): Also at 5th level, a fiend can use geas/quest once per day. As with suggestion, magical compulsion is not an ideal way to accomplish the fiend of corruption's goals, but works admirably as a step along the way.
Temptation (Su): At 5th level, a fiend of corruption gains the ability to offer good creatures the opportunity to change their alignment to evil. This works like the redemption or temptation function of the atonement spell, and the fiend can use this ability whenever the opportunity arises.
Grant Wish (Sp): A 6th-level fiend of corruption can grant a wish to a mortal (not an elemental, outsider, or nonliving creature) once per day. Using this ability costs the fiend experience points as if it were casting a wish spell, so fiends never use this ability lightly.
A fiend of corruption typically uses this ability as part of a soul bargain (see below), allowing it to grant its mortal target's every desire in exchange for ownership of the mortal's soul.
Soul Bargain (Su): At 6th level, a fiend of corruption gains the ability to enter a binding agreement with a mortal, at the cost of the mortal's soul. The mortal victim must enter into the soul bargain willingly.
Upon the mortal's death (by any means), her soul is transferred to a gem (prepared as with the soul bind spell when the bargain is forged), even if the gem and the mortal are not on the same plane at the time.
The bargain requires 1 hour to complete, and is utterly inviolable once forged. The only way to escape a soul bargain is to recover the gem after the mortal's death and break it, freeing her soul and allowing her to be restored to life through the normal means.
It is quite common for fiends of corruption, as soon as a soul bargain is complete, to return to their native plane and await the mortal's death, or at least deposit the gem in a safe place before returning to the Material Plane to hasten the victim's demise.
| Fiend Of Corruption | Hit Die: d6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Alternate form, fiend's favor |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Suggestion, mind shielding |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Mark of justice |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Fiendish graft, major creator |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Geas, temptation |
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Grant wish, soul bargain |
Source: Fiend Folio