General Prestige Class : Deep Avenger
The deep avenger is a ruthless hunter in the subterranean world, an agent of vengeance from the dawn of elven history. Deep avengers form the body of a Compact crusade and are versatile enough to occupy almost any battlefield niche. The Compact usually reserves this martial training for elves, harnessing the ancient hatred they hold for their dark kin, however, members of other races may be allowed to train as martial soldiers if they've recently lost a loved one to the drow. A deep avenger is a terrible opponent, able to find and destroy his chosen enemy with fierce precision. Barbarians, fighters, paladins, and rangers make strong deep avengers who are eager to fight on the front lines. Clerics and druids add a potent mix of divine magic to the class, and they often fight in the crusades as battlefield healers and diviners. Wizards and sorcerers do not usually have the martial training to meet the class requirements, but multiclass fighters/wizards are far from rare and often serve as officers in the crusades.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Deep Avenger, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Feats: Blind-fight, Power Attack,
- Base Attack Bonus: +7
- Special: Must speak Undercommon.
Special: A deep avenger must have lost a loved one to drow in the last 5 years.
Class Skills
The deep avenger's class skills are Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Jump, Ride, Survival, and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the deep avenger prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Deep avengers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all armor, and shields.
Brutal Strike (Ex): Deep avengers receive instruction on drow physiology, learning the race's vital points, major arteries, and pain centers, thus allowing them to fight the drow with ruthless efficiency. On his turn, a deep avenger may add +1 to either one attack roll or one damage roll, but not both. He must declare where the bonus applies at the start of his action. For every three levels gained, this bonus increases by +1.
Drow Sign Language (Ex): Before they go on crusade, deep avengers learn the silent language of their prey. Using these hand signals, a team of Compact crusaders can communicate silently at distances of up to 120 feet as long as they can see each other. Note that a deep avenger learns this language without spending skill points.
Darkvision (Ex): After long months of training in total darkness, the eyes of deep avengers are subjected to arcane alchemical treatments that grant them darkvision to a range of 60 feet. At 7th level, a deep avenger's darkvision improves to 120 feet.
See the Light (Sp): At 3rd level, the deep avenger gains the ability to cast either daylight or sunbeam once per day as a spell-like ability, chosen at the time of casting. These abilities are as the spells cast by a 10th-level sorcerer (save DC 10 + Charisma modifier + spell level). At 6th and 9th level, the deep avenger gains one additional use of this ability per day.
Rage (Ex): At 5th level, a deep avenger can fly into a rage, gaining phenomenal strength and durability but becoming reckless and less able to defend himself. He temporarily gains a +4 bonus to Strength and Constitution, and a +2 morale bonus on Will saves, but suffers a -2 penalty to AC. The rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character's (newly improved) Constitution modifier. The deep avenger can enter a rage once per day at 5th level and twice per day at 10th level. If he already has the rage ability from another class, the bonuses do not stack, but he gains additional uses of this ability at 5th and 10th level.
Resist Poison (Ex): Deep avengers are exposed to poisons in controlled doses, thereby building up a stronger resistance to them. At 8th level, a deep avenger gains a +4 bonus on Fortitude saving throws against poison.
| Deep Avenger | d8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Brutal strike +1, drow sign language |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Darkvision 60 ft. |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | See the light 1/day |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Brutal strike +2 |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Rage 1/day |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +5 | See the light 2/day |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Brutal strike +3, darkvision 120 ft. |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Resist poison |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | See the light 3/day |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Rage 2/day, brutal strike +4 |
Source: Dragon #298