Psion Prestige Class : Illithid Slayer
Only the ignorant dismiss the illithid threat. So say those who have dedicated their lives to the eradication of the mind flayer "infection." Psionic beings know the real dangers illithids pose better than nonpsionic individuals, and the most dedicated among them follow the code of the illithid slayer.
A primary illithid slayer credo is "Do or die," where "do" means "find and slay illithids." Slayers have no use for those with faltering hearts (another of their credos - which, truth he told, number in the hundreds). It is a poorly kept secret that while slayers are most adept at hunting and slaying illithids, their abilities make them deadly to any psionic creature.
Any character with some psionic ability can become an illithid slayer, as long as he or she hates illithids enough. Dwarves who take this prestige class are known as caradhaker, which loosely means "mindstalker." In fact, illithid slayers as a distinct class may have first originated among the dwarves, though the slayers themselves say they received their lore from a different, secret source.
NPC slayers sometimes travel in bands of two or three and enjoy identifying such group by grisly names. Slayer bands may he hired as mercenaries by wealthy folk who travel in illithid-infested areas. Between commissions, they are likely to strike out on their own, attempting to uncover the location of another mind flayer outpost, or better yet, a sunless city. Rumors also speak of rogue slayer bands that have branched out and now hunt any and all psionic creatures, not just illithids.
Requirements
To qualify to become an Illithid Slayer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4 ranks.
- Feats: Track.
- Base Attack Bonus: +4.
- Psionics: Must have a power point reserve of at least 1 power point.
- Special: Must have killed an illithid, either individually or as part of a group composed of no more than six members.
Class Skills
The illithid slayer's class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Listen, Psicraft, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All the following are class features of the illithid slayer prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Illithid slayers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all types of armor.
Powers Known: Beginning at 2nd level, an illithid slayer gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation fears, psicrystal special abilities and so on). This essentially means that she adds the level of illithid slayer to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, then deter. mines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly.
If a character had more than one manifesting class before she became an illithid slayer, she must decide to which class she adds the new level of illithid slayer for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level. If the character did not belong to a manifesting class before taking the prestige class (for example, if she was a soulknife or a ranger with the Wild Talent feat), she does not gain manifesting levels.
Favored Enemy (Illithid) (Ex): When she enters class, an illithid slayer formally declares illithids and illithidkin (such as neothelids) as the enemies she detests above all others. Due to her extensive study her foes and training in the proper techniques for combating them, she gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against illithids. Likewise, she gets a +2 bonus on weapon damage rolls against creatures of this kind. At 4th level the bonuses increase to +4, at 7th level to +6, and at 10th level to +8.
Illithid Sense (Su): An illithid slayer can sense the presence of illithids within 60 feet of herself, even if they are hidden by darkness or walls, but she cannot discern their exact location.
Brain Nausea (Su): At 2nd level, a slayer gains a constant defensive ability somewhat similar to the aversion power. Any creature that attempts to eat the slayer's brain must succeed at a Will save (DC 15 + slayer's class level) or become disinclined to do so for 24 hours thereafter. A creature that fails this save may take any action it desires except extracting the slayer's brain (but does not realize it is being so affected). This ability is active even if the slayer is unconscious, stunned, or otherwise helpless.
Lucid Buffer (Ex): At 3rd level, an illithid slayer becomes especially skilled at resisting mental attacks. She gains a +4 competence bonus on saving throws against all compulsions and mind-affecting effects. This ability is five even if the illithid slayer is unconscious, stunned, or otherwise helpless.
Cerebral Blind (Su): After reaching 6th level, an illithid slayer is protected from all devices, powers, and spells that reveal location. This ability protects against information gathering by clairsentience powers or effects that reveal location. The ability even foils bend reality, limited wish, miracle, reality revision, and wish when they are used to gain information about the slayer's location (however, metafaculty can pierce this protective barrier). In the case of remote viewing or scrying that scans an area an illithid slayer is in, the effect works, but the slayer simply isn't detected. Remote viewing or scrying attempts that are targeted specifically at an illithid slayer do not work. This ability is active as long as the slayer is psionically focused.
Breach Power Resistance (Su): An illithid slayer of 8th level or higher can enhance her weapon with psionic might. Each successful melee attack (or ranged attack if the target is within 30 feet) she makes with her weapon against a creature with power resistance temporarily reduces its power resistance by 1. Unless the creature is slain, its lost power resistance returns all at once 12 hours later. This ability is active as long as the slayer is psionically focused.
Cerebral Immunity (Su): On reaching 9th level, an illithid slayer gains protection from all devices, powers, and spells that influence the mind. This ability shields her against almost all mind-affecting powers and effects (though the slayer can selectively allow powers or spells to affect her). The ability even foils bend reality, limited wish, miracle, reality revision, and wish when they are used to mentally influence an illithid slayer. This ability is active as long as the illithid slayer is psionically focused.
Blast Feedback (Su): At 10th level, an illithid slayer becomes able to turn an illithid's favorite attack against itself. If a slayer makes her saving throw when attacked with mind blast, the mind blast rebounds upon the attacker. Only the original attacker is targeted in the rebound effect. If the original attacker fails a Will saving throw (DC equal to that of the original attack), the attacker is affected normally by the mind blast.
| Ecolater | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Powers Known |
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Favored enemy (illithid) +2, illithid sense | - |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Brain nausea | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Lucid buffer | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Favored enemy (Illithid) +4 | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 5th | +5 | +1 | +1 | +4 | - | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 6th | +6 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Cerebral blind | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 7th | +7 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Favored enemy (illithid) +6 | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 8th | +8 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Breach power resistance | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 9th | +9 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Cerebral immunity | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
| 10th | +10 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Blast feedback, favored enemy (illithid) +8 | +1 level of existing manifesting class |
Source: Expanded Psionics Handbook