General Prestige Class : Gatecrasher
Gatecrashers see themselves as cosmic free agents, independent forces who can influence the natives of the planes and even the dynamic forces of magic itself. They are the tricksters of the multiverse, often testing the valiant, derailing the grasping, and deflating the egotistical. Their instinctive understanding of the nature of the universe allows them to perform actions that would otherwise be beyond them.
Gatecrashers see what they do as an art, not a science. The ability to choose the right moment to strike, the correct word to utter, the right rock to move, is more intuition than conscious thought. Gatecrashers can come from any class, although many learned the mischievous attitude of a gatecrasher when they were rogues or bards.
Gatecrashers can be found among other planar travelers, usually picking at the fabric of the universe and seeing what unravels.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Gatecrasher, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any nonlawful
- Skills: Knowledge (the planes) 4 ranks, Use Magic Device 8 ranks.
- Base Attack Bonus: +4.
- Special: To qualify for the gatecrasher class, the character must have visited two planes of existence other than his native plane.
Class Skills
The gatecrasher's class skills are Appraise, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (all skills taken individually), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Perform, Profession, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spot, Survival, Tumble, Use Magic Device, and Use Rope.
Skill Points at Each Level: 8 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are features of the gatecrasher prestige class.
Armor and Weapon Proficiency: Gatecrashers are proficient with all simple weapons and with light armor (but not shields).
Analyze Portal (Sp): A gatecrasher gains the ability to use analyze portal as a spell-like ability. He may do this once per gatecrasher level per day. This ability otherwise functions as the spell cast by a sorcerer of the gatecrasher's character level.
Bonus Language: A gatecrasher gains a free language commonly spoken on other planes. Such languages include Abyssal, Aquan, Auran, Celestial, Ignan, Infernal, and Terran. The DM may expand this list to fit the cosmology of the campaign. Additional bonus languages are gained at 4th, 7th, and 10th levels.
Comprehension: Upon reaching 2nd level, a gatecrasher understands the basic conflicts of forces and energies and can use this instinctive understanding to assist certain skills. The gatecrasher gains a +2 insight bonus on Decipher Script and Use Magic Device checks. The gatecrasher also gains a +2 insight bonus when searching for or disabling magic traps.
Open Portal (Su): At 3rd level, a gatecrasher's understanding of planar forces extends to the workings of magic portals, such that he may force them open without the correct device, spell, or key. The gatecrasher makes an Open lock check using his Intelligence modifier instead of his Dexterity modifier. Portals typically have the following DCs:
| Portal | DC |
| Typical keyed portal | 30 |
| Portal sealed by seal portal spell | 20 + caster's level |
| Portal created by deity | 50 |
Opening a portal takes 1 round of work and a successful check. It is a full-round action.
The portal remains open for 1d4+1 rounds afterward.
Summon Spell Dampening (Su): Gatecrashers often aggravate demons and devils by inhibiting their ability to summon reinforcements. Three times per day, a gatecrasher of 4th level or higher can create a dampening field that extends too feet in every direction. Summoning and calling spells and spell-like abilities are suppressed within this radius, though creatures summoned outside the dampening field can enter it normally. The dampening field lasts 10 rounds. Creatures summoned or called before the gatecrasher creates the dampening field are unaffected.
Silver Tongue (Ex): A gatecrasher of 5th level or higher can deal with a variety of creatures and characters, gaining a +2 insight bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks.
Planar Survival (Ex): At 6th level, a gatecrasher becomes attuned to the nature of the planes he visits and personally immune to their natural planar effects. Any effect that would be negated by the avoid planar effects spell is negated by the planar survival ability as well.
The gatecrasher is immune to the "normal" fires of the Elemental Plane of Fire, but fire-based attack forms and unusually fiery areas there still affect him. Because this extraordinary ability is the result of attuning himself to a particular plane, the gatecrasher remains vulnerable to the same sort of damage in other planes where that attack form is not part of the natural order. Fires on other planes, including the Material Plane, affect him normally.
Damage Reduction: A gatecrasher of 7th level or higher has damage reduction 5/+1. This means that the character ignores (instantly regenerates) the first 5 points of damage from any attack unless the damage is dealt by a weapon with a +1 or higher enhancement bonus, by a spell, or by a form of energy (fire, cold, and so on). This ability does not stack with other damage reduction abilities.
Scramble Portal (Sp): At 8th level, a gatecrasher gains the ability to scramble a portal (as the scramble portal spell cast by a sorcerer of the gatecrasher's level). This ability is usable three times a day
Plane Shift (Sp): At 9th level, a gatecrasher may move from plane to plane once per day as a spell-like ability. This functions as the plane shift spell cast by a 15th-level sorcerer.
Planar Dampening (Sp): A 10th-level gatecrasher can emit a field that suppresses spells and spell-like abilities within a 30-foot radius that access other planes. Existing spells and spell-like abilities are unaffected; a gatecrasher can't end a foe's astral projection just by moving nearby. But spells cast after the gatecrasher emits the planar dampening field are affected: An opponent within 30 feet couldn't escape the gatecrasher with a dimension door spell or get reinforcements with a summon monster spell, for example.
The gatecrasher can activate planar dampening three times per day It lasts for 10 rounds.
The gatecrasher's planar dampening ability affects the following spells and spell-like abilities: astral projection, banishment, blink, commune, contact other plane, dimension door, dismissal, ethereal jaunt, etherealness, gate, interplanar message, :Leomund's secret chest, make manifest, mass manifest, maze, Mordenkainen's magnificent mansion, plane shift, reality maelstrom, rope trick, teleport, teleportation circle, teleport without error, and vanish.
Furthermore, summoning and calling spells can only reach creatures from the same plane, and spells from the shadow subschool only work on the Plane of Shadow. The banishment effects of blasphemy, dictum, holy word, and word of chaos are suppressed, although the spells otherwise function normally.
| Gatecrasher | Hit Die: d6 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Analyze portal, bonus language |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Comprehension |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | Open portal |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Summon spell dampening, bonus language |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Silvertongue |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Planar survival |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Bonus language, damage reduction 5/+1 |
| 8th | +6 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Scramble portal |
| 9th | +6 | +3 | +6 | +6 | Plane shift |
| 10th | +7 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Bonus language, planar dampening |
Source: Expanded Psionics Handbook