Faerûnian Prestige Class : Forest Master
Guardians of the pristine wilderness and defenders of the ancient trees, forest masters are the living embodiments of sentient nature. They walk the shadows under the woods and destroy those who would lay waste to the wild lands. Where druids hold all aspects of nature dear - wind and weather, animal and plant, meadows and mountains - the forest masters consider the forests more ancient than the coming of animals or humans the most sacred spots of the world.
Druids most often become forest masters, but it is not unheard of for rangers or clerics of nature deities to leave their kinships behind and follow this path. A few multiclassed barbarians become forest masters, although they rarely have the dedication to the plant aspect of nature to embrace this worldview.
Forest masters often work alone, but are more than capable of working as part of a group. Many times adventurers have spoken with what they thought was a young, small treant, when they were actually speaking with a very powerful forest master. There are no rivalries between groups of forest masters, although individuals may disagree on methods of enacting the will of the Treefather.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Forest Master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Skills: Knowledge (nature) 8 ranks, Spot 4 ranks; Survival 13 ranks.
- Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Survival).
- Spells: Ability to cast entangle, plant growth, and control plants.
- Patron: Silvanus.
- Special: The character must have made peaceful contact with a treant. The character must also be proficient with the maul.
Class Skills
The forest master's class skills are Concentration, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
The following are class features of the forest master prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A forest master gains no weapon or armor proficiencies.
Spells per Day: At each indicated forest master level, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (such as an improved chance of turning or rebuking undead). If the character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a forest master, the player must decide to which class to add each forest master level for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Tree Brother (Sp): The forest master may assume tree shape once per day.
Nature Sense (Ex): The forest master can identify plants and animals with perfect accuracy. He can determine whether water is safe to drink or dangerous.
Forest Dominion (Su): At 2nd level, the forest master gains the ability to rebuke or command plants as an evil cleric can rebuke or command undead. His effective level for this ability is his class level, and he may use it a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. If he already has this ability because he is a cleric with the Plant domain, these levels stack with his cleric levels and vice versa.
Great Mallet (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a forest master begins to awaken magical abilities within the wood and metal that make up this maul. Any maul used by a forest master is treated as if it were a + 2 maul with either the frost or shock property (the forest master decides each round whether the weapon's extra damage is cold or electricity). If the weapon has additional abilities (such as defending), these abilities still apply, and if the weapon has an enhancement bonus better than +2 the higher of the two bonuses is used. The maul does not gain these abilities if it is not wielded by the forest master.
At 6th-level, the forest master's maul acts as a +2 icy burst or +2 shocking burst weapon, with the forest master deciding each round what effect the weapon has.
At 9th level, the forest master's maul acts as a +5 mighty cleaving weapon in addition to its other properties (including its icy burst or shocking burst ability).
Natural Armor (Ex): At 3rd level, the forest master's skin changes into a tough, barklike hide, granting him natural armor +3. This bonus increases to +5 at 5th level and +7 at 7th level.
Oak Strength (Ex): Beginning at 4th level, the forest master gains a +2 bonus to Strength and the ability to make slam attacks. A Small creature's slam attack deals 1d4 points of damage, one from a Medium-size creature deals 1d6 points of damage, and a Large forest master's slam attack deals 1d8 points of damage. Slam attacks are natural weapon attacks and do not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender. A forest master can select Improved Critical (slam), Weapon Focus (slam), and (if a fighter of 4th level or higher) Weapon Specialization (slam).
Upon gaining this ability, the forest master's hair takes on a green, leafy appearance.
Spruce Growth (Su): At 5th level, once per day the forest master can temporarily increase his size and strength as if using a righteous might spell. If the forest master's new size is Large, his reach increases to 10 feet.
Oakheart (Ex): Upon reaching 7th level, a forest master's body becomes a thing of wood and leaf rather than meat and bone. His type changes to plant. As such, he is immune to mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. He is not subject to critical hits or sneak attacks. However, the forest master becomes vulnerable to fire, and suffers double damage from fire attacks if he fails a Reflex saving throw, or half damage if he succeeds.
Deep Roots (Su): Beginning at 8th level, once per day the forest mister may sink roots into the ground in any natural surface place that can support at least some vegetation. While rooted, the forest master gains fast healing 5, but has an effective Dexterity score of 1 and may not move from the spot in which he stands. The forest master can withdraw his roots and end the healing as a free action.
Forest Longevity (Ex): At 8th level, the forest master is magically sustained by his continuing transformation and gains incredible longevity. He no longer suffers ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties he may have already suffered remain in place. Bonuses still accrue. When the character reaches venerable age, his maximum age is determined in the normal manner but the final result is then multiplied by two.
Forest Might (Ex): At 10th level, the primordial forest infuses the forest master with power. He gains a +2 bonus to Strength, a +2 bonus to Constitution, and he takes only half damage from piercing weapons. He gains fast healing 1 (which does not add to the fast healing 5 he gains when using his deep roots ability) whenever standing on fertile soil, but cannot heal fire damage with this ability.
| Forest Master | Hit Die: d8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells per Day |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Tree brother, nature sense | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Forest dominion, Great mallet | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Natural armor +3 | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Oak strength | - |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Spruce growth, natural armor +5 | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Great mallet (+2 burst) | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Oakheart, natural armor +7 | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 8th | +6 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Deep roots, forest longevity | - |
| 9th | +6 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Great mallet (-*3 mighty cleaving) | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
| 10th | +7 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Forest might | +1 level of divine spellcasting class |
Source: Faiths & Pantheons
Older Prestige class adapted to 3.5