Faerûnian Prestige Class : Auspician

Some believe that the gods determine the success or failure of events in Faerûn. More capricious philosophers tout the elusive force known as luck as the deciding factor of the multiverse. The clergies of Tymora and Beshaba, however, prefer a synthesis of these beliefs, claiming that their divine patrons guide the ministrations of luck. Further, they profess that mortals can learn to bend luck to their own benefit or to the detriment of their enemies. Auspicians, who manipulate luck as if it were the strings of a worn mandolin, give credence to their claims. Though the holy scriptures of Beshaba and Tymora discuss them extensively, few outside those religions know auspicians exist.

Most auspicians are followers of a deity that recognizes the role of luck, having at least some training in one of those faiths. Many have talents as rogues, bards, or sorcerers as well. A few rare fighters are willing to admit that luck often plays a greater role than skill in combat, and most barbarians pride strength over luck.

Auspicians occasionally sign on with adventuring bands if a member of the party is said to be particularly lucky. For the most part, however, auspicians keep a low profile. Auspicians recognize that they have a special kinship, even if they serve different deities, and they rarely choose to confront each other directly. It's said that more than a few of Faerûn's villains view being able to kill an auspician as a sign of divine favor, and even the most fortunate auspician knows the value of making one's own luck by avoiding danger altogether.

Requirements

To qualify to become an Auspician, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Class Skills

The auspician's class skills are Balance, Bluff, Concentration, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Listen, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Swim, and Tumble.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of the auspician prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An auspician gains no weapon or armor proficiencies.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each auspician level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if she had also gained a level in a 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 (improved chance of turning or destroying undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and so on). If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an auspician, the player must decide to, which class to add each auspician level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Every morning, an auspician prays to the force of luck, aimed at no particular deity (although they still pray to their patron as well).

Fate Domain (Su): Auspicians gain access to the Fate domain, including the granted power. If the character already has the domain, the effects do not stack.

Lucky Blow (Ex): Once per day as a free action, an auspician may call upon her connection to the forces of luck to grant herself one extraordinarily lucky attack roll. The decision must be made before the die is rolled. The attack gains a +20 luck bonus. At 5th level, the bonus increases to +25. At 9th level, the auspician receives a +30 bonus on her daily lucky blow.

Tyche's Curse (Sp): Once per day, an auspician of 2nd level or higher may bestow Tyche's curse upon a single target within close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels). The target receives a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Wisdom bonus) to negate the effects. Should he fail, he finds that the strands of good luck flee from him - he becomes clumsy, forgetful, and less effective than usual. This has the effect of a bestow curse spell, except that the duration is 1 minute/class level. At 6th level, she may use this ability twice per day.

Fickle Finger of Fate (Ex): On reaching 3rd level, the auspician gains the extraordinary ability to affect the luck of others once per day, she may reroll one roll that another creature - friend or enemy - has just made. That creature must take the reroll, even if it is worse than the original roll.

Fickle finger of fate takes place outside the normal initiative order, but the auspician cannot use it if she is caught flat-footed. She must be able to see the recipient to use this ability.

Note: The auspician must decide whether to reroll before the results of the roll in question are applied; otherwise she must wait for another opportunity. She is not automatically privy to the rolls of others, especially enemies, but it is usually easy to tell when a creature makes a saving throw or hits a target. The auspician player should notify the DM prior to a foe's roll, stating her intention to use this ability immediately if the outcome appears undesirable.

Luck Infusion (Ex): By the time she reaches 4th level, an auspician's understanding of the intricacies of fate becomes so strong that she can twist luck and fate to give her certain abilities. Each morning while preparing spells, the auspician chooses one of the following abilities, which lasts 24 hours, or until the auspician next prepares spells.

+1 luck bonus on melee attack rolls
+1 luck bonus on ranged attack rolls
+4 luck bonus on initiative
+2 luck bonus on Fortitude saves
+2 luck bonus on Reflex saves
+2 luck bonus on Will saves
+2 luck bonus on save DCs of auspician's spells
+2 luck bonus to AC
+2 luck bonus on skill checks

Mark of Fortune (Su): Once per day, an auspician of 7th level or higher can "lend" some of her luck to an ally by tracing a sigil upon the back of the companion's right hand or appendage. By doing so, she gives her ally one of the abilities of her luck infusion power. She may not give her ally the same ability that she has chosen for the day, nor may she give her ally the same ability as her permanent infusion power (see below).

Immediately after tracing the mark, a mirror image of the sigil appears on the auspician's left hand or appendage, granting her a penalty that exactly mirrors the ally's bonus. For instance, if Meleyn lent her companion a +4 luck bonus on initiative, she would take a -4 penalty on initiative. If one of the two marks of fortune is dispelled or suppressed (such as by an antimagic field), the other is disrupted in the same way. No creature may benefit from more than one mark of fortune at any one time.

Permanent Infusion (Ex): Upon attaining 8th level, an auspician may select one of the luck infusion effects as a permanent extraordinary aspect of her character.

Luck of the Gods (Ex): At 10th level, the auspician gains the nigh-godly power to automatically succeed at one saving throw per day, regardless of the associated difficulty class. The automatic success must be declared before the given save is rolled, obviating the need to roll any save at all.

AuspicianHit Die: d8
CLBABFortRefWillSpecialSpecial Spells per Day
1st+0+2+0+2Fate domain, Lucky blow (+20)+1 level of existing class
2nd+1+3+0+3Tyche's curse 1/day+1 level of existing class
3rd+2+3+1+3Fickle finger of fate+1 level of existing class
4th+3+4+1+4Luck infusion+1 level of existing class
5th+3+4+1+4Lucky blow (+25)+1 level of existing class
6th+4+5+2+5Tyche's curse 2/day+1 level of existing class
7th+5+5+2+5Mark of fortune+1 level of existing class
8th+6+6+2+6Permanent infusion+1 level of existing class
9th+6+6+3+6Lucky blow (+30)+1 level of existing class
10th+7+7+3+7Luck of the gods+1 level of existing class

Source: Faiths & Pantheons


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