General Prestige Class : Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil

Colors are imbued with their own magical properties. Just as exotic substances and mystic words have the power to repel certain creatures, colors also harbor innate properties that can he brought forth by the skilled mage, culminating in the perfection of the prismatic wall or prismatic sphere. Few spells match the beauty and power of these potent abjurations. They are perfect defenses, representing a union of magical lore and keen insight into the workings of nature.

A master of defensive magic, the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil approaches the prismatic barrier by mastering one by one its constituent veils or layers. Her skillful wardings can deflect many of the most perilous attacks enemy spellcasters or monsters can muster, shielding herself and her companions against harm. Her keen insight into the ultimate secrets of abjuration also allows her to easily unbind the defenses of others, and in time she learns the most dreadful of magical attacks: the spectacular and lethal kaleidoscopic doom.

Initiates of the Sevenfold Veil are a loose society or fellowship of spellcasters who share this common obsession. They correspond regularly and meet at odd intervals, interested not only in the lore of their chosen specialty but also in the lore of the physical world and how magic and mundane knowledge intertwine. Most initiates are wizards, since the careful study of the magical and the mundane appeals more to the wizard's intellect than to the sorcerer's forceful personality.

Initiates of the Sevenfold Veil adventure for much the same reason that wizards do: to increase their knowledge and understanding. Their warding abilities make them outstanding spell duelists, so many neutral- and good-aligned NPC initiates devote their careers to the defeat of evil spellcasters, aiding folk who have no other defense against a dangerous necromancer or reckless conjurer. Evil NPC initiates sometimes serve as duelists-for-hire, seeking to entice good wizards into offering some insult or slight in an effort to challenge the marks to lethal spell duels.

Adaptation: One way to adapt this prestige class is to alter the premise of the initiate's focus on color. Instead of color, an initiate might be attempting to understand a philosophical hierarchy, a text of seven fables, seven words of power, or something else entirely.

Requirements

To qualify to become an Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The initiate of the Sevenfold Veil's class skills are Appraise, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (all skills taken individually), Profession, and Spellcraft.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All the following are class features of the Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Initiates of the Sevenfold Veil gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each level, an Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which she belonged before adding the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (such as the bonus feat sometimes gained by a wizard). If she had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming an Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil, she must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Warding (Sp): An Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil can create a warding. She can choose one veil she knows (see below) to be imbued in the warding. A warding lasts for a certain amount of time as indicated in its description, unless it is dismissed (the same way a spell is dismissed). When she creates a warding, she can choose one of three types.

Personal: This warding is a sphere whose diameter is equal to an initiate's space (5 feet for Small or Medium creatures, 10 feet for Large, and so on) and encapsulates the initiate. It moves with her, but she cannot force another creature to pass through it (for example, by attempting to grapple an enemy). If she does force a creature to pass through, the warding has no effect on that creature. Any creature striking at her with a melee weapon or natural attack is subject to the veil's effect (although creatures using reach weapons are not). The warding provides concealment to the initiate, but she can see out with no hindrance. It lasts for 1 minute per level or until dismissed.

Area: An area warding affects an initiate's space and all adjacent squares (a sphere 15 feet in diameter for a Small or Medium initiate, 20 feet in diameter for a Large initiate, and so on). Any creature who remains adjacent to the initiate gains the benefit of the warding's protection, even if part of its body lies outside the sphere. Moving out of the warding (stepping away from the initiate) is completely safe, but anyone attempting to enter the warding - even someone who was formerly inside it and left - becomes subject to the effects of the chosen veil. The warding moves with the initiate, but she cannot force another creature to pass through it (for example, by moving adjacent to an enemy). If she does force a creature to pass through, the warding has no effect on that creature. This warding provides concealment to all within from creatures outside, but anyone inside the warding can see our with no hindrance. It lasts for 1 minute per level or until dismissed.

Wall: This warding takes the form of a wall, up to 10 feet long and 5 feet high per initiate class level. For example, a 3rd-level Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil could create a warding wall 30 feet long and 15 feet high. The wall can be made smaller, but it is not otherwise shapeable. The wall must begin within 30 feet of the initiate, but can extend beyond that distance. The wall is immobile once created. An initiate may choose to make crossing through the wall in one direction safe, if she chooses. In any event, she can pass through her own warding wall with no danger. This warding provides concealment to creatures on either side. It lasts for 10 minutes per level or until dismissed.

The save DC for an initiate's warding is equal to 18 + her primary spellcasting ability modifier (Intelligence for wizards, Charisma for sorcerers and bards, and so on). The spell level equivalent of a warding depends on which veil is integrated into it.

Veils: When an initiate creates a warding, she can choose and imbue the warding with any one veil she knows how to create. These veils duplicate the layers of a prismatic wall and are described below. An initiate's caster level for these veils is equal to her arcane spellcaster level.

Red Veil: The first veil an initiate learns is the red veil. A warding imbued with this veil blocks all nonmagical ranged attacks and missiles. A creature crossing a red veil takes 20 points of fire damage (Reflex half). A cone of cold spell or effect destroys a warding with this veil but is negated in the process. A warding with this veil is the equivalent of a 4th-level spell.

Orange Veil: At 2nd level, an initiate learns the secret of the orange veil. A warding with this veil halts magical ranged attacks, including spells that conjure missiles (such as Melf's acid arrow) or create rays (such as disintegrate or a beholder's eye rays) but not spells that do not require a ranged attack (such as magic missile). A creature crossing an orange veil takes 40 points of acid damage (Reflex half). A gust of wind spell or similar effect destroys the veil but is negated in the process. A warding with this veil is the equivalent of a 5th-level spell.

Yellow Veil: An initiate of 3rd level or higher can create a yellow veil. This veil prevents gases or clouds from entering the warded area, and it defeats petrification attacks. In addition, a character inside a personal or area warding imbued with a yellow veil has immunity to poison introduced from outside the warding (such as from a creature with an envenomed weapon striking through the barrier). A creature crossing a yellow veil takes 80 points of electricity damage (Reflex half). A disintegrate spell destroys the veil but is negated in the process. A warding with this veil is the equivalent of a 6th-level spell.

Green Veil: A 4th-level initiate masters the green veil. This veil stops the passage of breath weapons. A creature crossing a green veil must succeed on a Fortitude save or die; on a successful save, the creature takes 1d6 points of Constitution damage. This veil is a poison effect. A passwall spell destroys a green veil. A warding with this veil is the equivalent of a 6th-level spell.

Blue Veil: At 5th level, an initiate learns the blue veil. This veil blocks all divinations and mind-affecting spells and abilities. Any creature crossing a blue veil must succeed on a Fortitude save or be petrified. A magic missile spell destroys a blue veil but is negated by it. A warding with this is the equivalent of a 6th-level spell.

Indigo Veil: A 6th-level initiate can create the mighty indigo veil. This veil prevents the passage of all spells or spell-like abilities. Any creature crossing an indigo veil must succeed on a Will save or become confused, as if by an insanity spell. A daylight spell negates and is negated by an indigo veil. A warding with this veil is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.

Violet Veil: At 7th level, an initiate masters the seventh and final veil: the violet veil. This barrier destroys all objects and effects that cross it, as if they were disintegrated. Living creatures passing a violet veil must succeed on a Will save or be shifted to a random place on a random plane (as the plane shift spell). A violet veil is destroyed by a successful dispel magic spell. A warding with this veil is the equivalent of an 8th-level spell.

Unimpeachable Abjuration (Ex): An initiate's abjuration spells are particularly difficult to defeat with spells or effects that dispel them. An initiate can add her class level to the DC to dispel any abjuration spell or effect she creates.

Unanswerable Strike (Ex): Due to her study of magical defenses, an initiate learns how to defeat them more easily. At 2nd level and higher, she gains a +2 bonus on caster level checks to counter or dispel abjuration spells. At 6th level, this bonus increases to a +4 bonus.

Reactive Warding (Sp): Ac 4th level, an initiate learns to create a warding (see above) in response to an attack. She can raise a warding as an immediate action, after an opponent begins an action but before it is completed. For example, if she sees an enemy warrior charging her, she can raise a warding to protect herself. The opponent can choose to continue the charge through the warding or can halt outside it.

Double Warding: At 6th level and higher, an initiate can raise two veils at once any time she creates a warding. This still counts as only one use of her warding ability. The less powerful effect (progressing from red up through violet) is always considered to be "outside" the more powerful effect, so a double warding consisting of a blue veil and a green veil would subject any creature passing through to the green veil first, followed by the blue veil. To negate the entire warding, the outermost veil must be negated before the inner veil can be negated.

Kaleidoscopic Doom (Sp): At 7th level, an Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil learns the secret of the awesome kaleidoscopic doom. Once per day as a standard action, she designates one creature within 60 feet and turns magical effects currently affecting the creature against it. This effect functions like a targeted greater dispel magic, except that for every spell or effect negated on the target, the effect of one veil (see above) is visited on the victim as if the subject had crossed it. The veils created around the victim proceed through the spectrum from red to violet, with one veil activated per spell negated. Thus, a creature with three spells negated would be subject to the effects of the red, orange, and yellow veils. The subject is still entitled to the normal saving throws allowed by each veil. This ability is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.

Initiate of the Sevenfold VeilHit Die: d4
CLBABFortRefWillSpecialSpells
1st+0+0+0+2Warding 1/day, unimpeachable abjuration, red veil+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
2nd+1+0+0+3Unanswerable strike +2, orange veil+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd+1+1+1+3Warding 2/day, yellow veil+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
4th+2+1+1+4Reactive warding, green veil+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th+2+1+1+4Warding 3/day, blue veil+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
6th+3+2+2+5Unanswerable strike +4, double warding, indigo veil+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
7th+3+2+2+5Kaleidoscopic doom, violet veil, warding 4/day+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

Source: Complete Arcane

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