Faerûnian Prestige Class : Breachgnome
A breachgnome is a mighty gnome who is skilled in fighting in cramped conditions. A high-level breachgnome in the right position can hold off a superior force for as long as his strength holds out. Such gnomes are trained to fight alone, and they excel at doing so.
Most breachgnomes are fighters, rangers, paladins, or barbarians - combatants who are well-suited to the demands of the position and can benefit most from the capabilities of the class. Rogues and bards sometimes take this class, but both they and sorcerers, wizards, and druids are normally better off avoiding hand-to-hand combat, so it is rare.
NPC breachgnomes sometimes work in small units, prepared to block off a number of different passages so that their fellows can either get into a better position or even escape. They are almost exclusively found in gnome villages or towns. A PC breachgnome can sometimes be found wandering along, searching for fellow gnomes in need of his unique skills.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Breachgnome, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Gnome
- Alignment: Any nonchaotic.
- Skills: Listen 5 ranks, Spot 5 ranks.
- Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Initiative.
- Base Attack Bonus: 4.
Class Skills
The breachgnome's class skills are Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Handle Animal, Hide, Jump, Listen, Spot, and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the breachgnome prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Breachgnomes are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, all types of armor, and with shields.
Seal the Breach (Ex): Starting at 1st level, when a breachgnome can fight in a position where he is adjacent to a solid object of at least Medium size (such as a tree, wall, or pillar), he gains a +2 dodge bonus to his AC. If two such objects are on opposite sides of the breachgnome (similar to two creatures in flanking positions), this bonus increases to a total of +4.
Beginning at 3rd level, the breachgnome becomes especially good at thwarting attempts to enter his area, pass his threatened area, or move him from his position. He gains a +4 bonus on attacks of opportunity made in response to a creature entering his square (including a bull rush), a +4 bonus to resist a bull rush (as if the breachgnome were exceptionally stable), and a +4 bonus to avoid a trip attack made as part of an overrun action or to trip someone in response to a trip attempt made as part of an overrun. Upon reaching 5th level, the breachgnome gains a +4 bonus on attacks of opportunity made against creatures moving within or through his threatened area, and Tumble checks made to pass through his square or a threatened area add +10 to their DC.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, the breachgnome gains the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to even be aware of it. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker (he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
Upon reaching 5th level, the breachgnome can no longer be flanked; he can react to opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defense denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack him. The exception to this defense is that a rogue of at least four levels higher than the character can flank him (and thus sneak attack him).
If the breachgnome has another class that grants the uncanny dodge ability, add together all the class levels of the classes that grant the ability and determine the character's uncanny dodge ability on that basis.
Bonus Feats: At 2nd and 4th level, the breachgnome gets a bonus feat. These bonus feats must be drawn from the following list: Blind-Fight, Expertise, Improved Critical*, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse*, Weapon Focus*, and Whirlwind Attack.
Some of the bonus feats available to a breachgnome cannot be acquired until the breachgnome has gained one or more prerequisite feats. A breachgnome can select feats marked with an asterisk(*) more than once, but it must be for a different weapon each time. A breachgnome must still meet all prerequisites for a feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.
| Breachgnome | Hit Die: d10 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Seal the breach (AC bonus) |
| 2nd | +2 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Bonus feat, uncanny dodge (Dex bonus to AC) |
| 3rd | +3 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Seal the breach (stability) |
| 4th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Bonus feat |
| 5th | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Seal the breach (safeguard), uncanny dodge (can't be flanked) |
Source: Races of Faerûn