General Prestige Class : Abolisher
I have tracked the foul illithid cult for many months, have waded through the brainless dead they leave in their wake and the empty settlements from which they have recruited their thralls. Yet each time, they leave behind clues to their weaknesses and hints to their goals, and soon indeed I shall be ready to end their lives in the only way they deserve. When I am done, nothing shall remain, not even the memory of their taint. They shall not haunt the campfire tales of children. It shall be as if they never were. - Aurah Lirilian, Circle of the True
The abolisher is more than merely a devoted servant of the natural world. She is a crusader against that which taints, usurps, and replaces the ordered nature of things with alien desires and monstrous needs. She opposes aberrations with all her will and might in a constant battle to preserve what is pure in nature from that which lurks beyond the rim of sanity.
Although the ranger class provides the easiest path to becoming an abolisher, most abolishers favor the druid class since it enhances spellcasting and the wild shape class feature. Rarest are those characters who possess only one level of druid or ranger, yet focus the majority of their time in other classes. No barbarian abolishers exist, since all abolishers oppose the terrible chaos that personifies the taint of the Far Realm, and cannot allow even the slightest hint of such chaos into their own hearts. Wisdom (for divine spellcasting and observational skills, and to aid in resisting the terrible mental attacks of aberrations), Charisma (for the various special abolisher abilities), and Strength (to better fight against the enemy) are key abilities.
Requirements
To qualify to become an Abolisher, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Cannot be an aberration.
- Alignment: Any nonchaotic.
- Skills: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 9 ranks.
- Feats: Track.
- Special: Wild empathy class feature.
Class Skills
The abolisher's class skills are Concentration, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the abolisher prestige class.
Spellcasting: At each level except 1st and 6th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming an abolisher, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Favored Enemy (Ex): At 1st level, your hatred of aberrations grants you a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against aberrations. Likewise, you gain a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against such creatures. At 4th level, and then again at 8th level, this bonus increases by 2. If you possess the favored enemy (aberrations) feature from another source, these bonuses stack.
Wild Shape (Su): You gain the druid ability to use wild shape once per day. Your abolisher wild shape is somewhat more limited than a full druid's wild shape ability, though, and you are limited to Medium animals.
As you gain levels, you gain additional uses of this ability per day. Ar 4th level, you can use wild shape two times per day, and at 8th level you can do so three times per day. If you already have wild shape uses from another class, such as druid, these wild shape uses stack. If you have druid levels, each time you gain a level of abolisher, you add 1 to your effective druid level to determine the maximum Hit Dice of a creature you can wild shape into and how long each use of wild shape lasts. The type and size of animal that you can wild shape into does not improve from abolisher levels.
Animal Companion: If you have an animal companion, your abolisher levels stack with your previous class levels (usually druid or ranger) to determine the animal companion's abilities. If you do nor already have an animal companion, you do nor gain one from this ability.
Winds of Nature's Grace (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, you gain a +1 bonus on all saving throws made against attacks from aberrations. The bonus increases to march your Charisma bonus, if any (minimum of +2) when you use wild shape or other magic to assume the form of an animal, elemental, or plant.
Pierce Aberrant Defense (Ex): Many aberrations possess some degree of spell resistance, and abolishers train to overcome this spell resistance. Beginning at 3rd level, you gain a +1 bonus on caster level checks made to overcome an aberration's spell resistance. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, and then to +3 at 9th level. These bonuses stack with those granted by the Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration feats.
Crystals of Nature's Wrath (Su): At 5th level and higher, your wild shape natural attacks are enhanced with jagged crystals. These crystals are harmless to most creatures, but to aberrations they cause terrible welts and acid-like burns. An aberration struck by one of your natural weapons must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + abolisher level + Cha modifier) or become sickened for 1 minute. An aberration that makes its saving throw is immune to this effect for the duration of that use of wild shape.
Waves of Nature's Purity (Su): Beginning at 7th level, you can create a rippling aura of white vapor that spreads in a 20-foot radius. The vapor does nor obscure vision, and it is cool and refreshing against the skin of non-aberrations. Against aberrations, the waves of nature's purity are foul and unsettling. An affected aberration must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + abolisher level + Cha modifier) each round or become nauseated for that round. You can use this ability once per day, and the power lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round). Activating this ability is a standard action that does nor provoke attacks of opportunity.
Fires of Nature's Rage (Su): A 10th level, you can infuse your wild shape form with flickering ghostly fire three times per day. The fires of nature's rage burn any aberration that comes in contact with them. Your natural attacks do an extra 3d6 points of fire damage against aberrations, and an aberration that hits you, even with a weapon, takes 3d6 points of fire damage. You can activate the fires of nature's wrath as a free action, as long as you are in wild shape form. Doing so does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and each activation lasts for 1 round.
| Abolisher | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Favored enemy (aberrations +2), wild shape +1/day, animal companion | - |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Winds of nature's grace | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Pierce aberrant defense +1 | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Favored enemy (aberrations +4), wild shape +2/day | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Crystals of nature's rage | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Pierce aberrant defense +2 | - |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Waves of nature's purity | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Favored enemy (aberrations +6), wild shape +3/day | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Pierce aberrant defense +3 | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Fires of nature's rage | +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class |
Abolisher Lore
Characters with Knowledge (nature) can research abolishers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
- DC 10: "Abolishers are druids who have dedicated their lives to fighting and slaying aberrations."
- DC 15: "Abolishers are accomplished shapechangers. They know a vast amount of information about aberrations, and are valuable allies to have on your side if you plan on fighting aberrations."
- DC 20: "Most abolishers belong to a group called the Circle of the True. This group aids those who aren't abolishers, as long as they oppose aberrant creatures."
- DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success can learn important details about powerful abolishers and the Circle of the True in your campaign, including the names of powerful members and locations of hidden bases of operation.
Source: Lords of Madness