General Prestige Class : Keeper of the Cerulean Sign
The enemy is ancient, eternal, and forever. Yet they are not without it has grown. With its power within my soul, I cannot help but prevail against the Elder Evils and they cannot help but fall against my might. - Selsharra Derissor, a keeper of the Cerulean Sign
The Cerulean Sign is an ancient rune of power, created untold eons ago by a race or deity long since vanished. This ancient race or deity clearly opposed the rise of the aberrant races, yet its efforts were ultimately a failure. The aberration races prosper, while their ancient adversary is forgotten. All that remains is the Cerulean Sign and its still-potent power against creatures from outside the realm of sanity.
The power of the Cerulean Sign draws a small group of loyal keepers. These people work to keep the knowledge of the Cerulean Sign alive, for without it, the ancient aberrations cannot be opposed. But a keeper does far more than protect the Cerulean Sign. She takes the fight to the aberrations, and specifically to those they have seduced. She seeks out aberration cults and crushes them, ensuring that the foul taint from beyond can never supplant what is pure in the world.
Since the keeper of the Cerulean Sign prestige class requires both spellcasting and a large number of skill points, the easiest path to entering this prestige class is through the bard class. Most other spellcasting classes either need to wait until they're at least 16th level so they can acquire 8 ranks in a cross-class skill, or they need to multiclass. A character of a class that cannot cast spells must multiclass into a spellcasting class, but since all spellcasting classes can cast the required spell to craft a cerulean sign, the choice of spellcasting class is wide open.
Charisma is the most important ability for a keeper of the Cerulean Sign, since it affects many of her skills and most of her class features. Bard keepers also rely on Charisma for their spellcasting and bardic music powers. After Charisma, Intelligence and Wisdom are perhaps the most important ability scores. Keepers of the Cerulean Sign rely on their magic and skills to avoid conflict, and thus the physical ability scores aren't as important to them.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Keeper of the Cerulean Sign, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Cannot be an aberration.
- Skills: Gather Information 5 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 8 ranks, Sense Motive 5 ranks.
- Feats: Aberration Banemagic, Craft Wondrous Item.
- Special: Must create a cerulean sign without aid.
Class Skills
The keeper of the Cerulean Sign's class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Decipher Script, Disguise, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, and Use Magic Device.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the keeper of the Cerulean Sign prestige class.
Spellcasting: At each level, 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 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 spellcasting class before becoming a keeper of the Cerulean Sign, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.
Cerulean Focus: Before becoming a keeper of the Cerulean Sign, you must successfully craft your own personal version of the sign. Once created, this item functions as a cerulean sign (see the sidebar). In addition, it serves as a focus for most of your class features. Without this focus, these abilities do not function.
Detect Aberrant Taint (Sp): As long as you wear your cerulean focus, you can detect the taint of aberrations. This ability functions as the spell detect aberration, except that it also allows you to detect the presence or absence of any mind-affecting spells or supernatural abilities in effect on any creature, as long as the effect in question was placed there by an aberration. Additionally, it reveals any creature that willingly belongs to a cult that knowingly worships aberrations. A cultist who believes he is worshiping Pelor when in fact his devotions are led by a mind flayer in disguise would nor register as tainted by the use of this ability, but a cultist who worships knowingly under a mind flayer would be revealed. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your class level.
Greater Banemagic (Su): At 2nd level, you gain the greater banemagic feature. This ability works like the Aberration Banemagic feat, except that once per day you can triple the benefit gained. The damage increases by 6d6 instead of 2d6 and the save DC increases by 6 instead of by 2. You gain an extra use of this ability at every even-numbered class level (two times per day at 4th level, three times per day at 6th level, and so on).
Word of Revelation (Su): Starting at 3rd level, you can utter a word of revelation as a standard action once per day. This supernatural ability duplicates the effect of an area dispel magic that targets all spells or effects from the school of illusion that were originally cast by an aberration or aberration cultist within a 30-foot burst centered on you. Additionally, any aberration or aberration cultist in the area must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + keeper level + Cha modifier) or take 1d4 points of Charisma damage.
Portal Warding (Su): Starting at 5th level, you can place a potent warding effect on any doorway or magic portal once per day. An aberration can pass through a warded doorway or magic portal only if it makes a successful Will saving throw (DC 10 + keeper level + Cha modifier); otherwise it cannot use the doorway or portal and takes 3d6 points of damage. An attempt to destroy the door or magic portal counts as an attempt to pass through it. You know whenever an aberration attempts to pass through the door or portal, and you also know if the aberration is successful or not, provided you are on the same plane as the warding.
You can maintain this effect indefinitely, but you can sustain only one warded portal at any time.
Mental Backlash (Su): Beginning at 7th level, once per day you can reflexively lash out at any aberration or aberration cultist that targets you but fails to affect you with a mind-affecting spell or ability. You can do so only if you make a saving throw against a mind-affecting spell or ability directed at you by an aberration or aberration cultist. When this power is activated, the aberration or cultist must make a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + keeper level + Cha modifier) or take 1d6 points of damage per keeper level and become nauseated for 1d4 rounds. A successful saving throw halves the damage and negates the nausea.
Cleanse Aberration (Sp): At 10th level, as a standard action once per day you can attempt to utterly destroy a single aberration within 30 feet. The aberration must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + your Cha modifier) or be killed.
If the aberration is destroyed, you heal a number of hit points equal to the number of hit points the aberration had when it died.
Cerulean Sign
The ancient cerulean sign is a potent symbol against aberrations and their ilk. Said to be an ancient glyph that captures and focuses the power of the natural world, an item of jewelry that bears a properly crafted cerulean sign becomes a potent ward against creatures from outside the natural order.
A cerulean sign is usually crafted as an amulet, but it can sometimes be found in the form of a mantle, medallion, periapt, or ring. As long as a cerulean sign is carried (either in the hand or in a pocket or container you are wearing, excluding those that create extradimensional spaces, such as bags of holding), it grants the carrier a +1 resistance bonus on all Will saving throws made against effects that originate from aberrations.
If worn, a cerulean sign also grants a luck bonus to your Armor Class and on all saving throws against attacks from aberrations, as well as a luck bonus on level checks made to penetrate an aberration's spell resistance. The magnitude of this luck bonus ranges from +1 to +5.
Moderate abjuration; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, invoke the cerulean sign; Price 4,000 gp (+1), 16,000 gp (+2), 36,000 gp (+3), 60,000 gp (+4), 100,000 gp (+5).
| Keeper Of The Cerulean Sign | Hit Die: d6 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Cerulean focus, detect aberrant taint | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Greater banemagic 1/day | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Word of revelation | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Greater banemagic 2/day | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Portal warding | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Greater banemagic 3/day | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Mental backlash | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Greater banemagic 4/day | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | - | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Cleanse aberration, greater banemagic 5/day | +1 level of existing spellcasting class |
Keeper Of The Cerulean Sign Lore
Characters with Knowledge (history) can research the keepers of the Cerulean Sign 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: "The keepers fight against the formation of cults founded by aberrations."
- DC 15: "The keepers aren't an organized group; each of their members operates alone. They do share a common devotion to a strange rune."
- DC 20: "The Cerulean Sign that the keepers revere is an ancient rune that is said to predate the gods themselves." This result should also show the character what the Cerulean Sign looks like.
- DC 30: Characters who achieve this level of success can learn important details about powerful keepers, including their names, who they ally themselves with, and details of the cults they have disrupted.
Source: Lords of Madness