Death Bringer (3.5e prestige class)

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Death Bringer (3.5e prestige class)

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Contents 1 Death Bringer 1.1 Becoming a Death Bringer 1.1.1 Class Features 1.1.2 Loyal Deaths 1.1.3 Ex-Death Bringers 1.2 Campaign Information 1.2.1 Playing a Death Bringer 1.2.2 Death Bringers in the World 1.2.3 Death Bringer Lore 1.2.4 Death Bringers in the Game

[edit] Death Bringer

|Warning for high powered campaigns with high level players and creatures (40+)

“	”After I saw the destruction he sowed and the death he brought I questioned the gods for such a being of existence. Nothing was there but his sole lust to rule and destroy no emotion was to be found in his eyes, none but his gaze of rage it burned with hate and then turned cold with maliciousness. This left me empty and without hope.”	”
—Abeus, the adept farmer

Death Bringers wish to do nothing but bring destruction and death and then to establish their own rule. This hunger for death and destruction transforms them into a being of absolute destruction. Their sole purpose is to destroy lands, bring down kingdoms and eventually to even destroy gods.

[edit] Becoming a Death Bringer

Characters consumed by the want to destroy are transformed

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any Chaotic.
Race:	Any
Skills:	Concentration 20, Spellcraft 20, Knowledge(arcana) 20.
Special:	Must be Level 20

Table: The Death Bringer

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Loyal Death, Scribe Scroll, Epic Spell, Death Bringer Spell, Destructions Mutation	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	The Essence of Magic, Devastating Spellcasting	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Bonus Feat	6	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4		6	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus Feat, Destructions Grasp	7	5	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5		7	5	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Bonus Feat	8	6	5	4	2	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6		8	6	5	4	3	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Bonus Feat	9	7	6	5	4	2	—	—	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Bonus Feat	9	7	6	5	4	3	—	—	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7		9	8	7	6	5	4	2	—	—	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Eternal Suffering	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	—	—	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8		9	9	8	7	6	5	4	2	—	—
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Bonus Feat	9	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	—	—
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Absolute Destruction	9	9	9	8	7	6	5	4	2	—
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10		9	9	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	—
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Bonus Feat	9	9	9	9	8	7	6	5	4	2
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Deadly Drain	9	9	9	9	8	7	6	5	4	3
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11		9	9	9	9	9	8	7	6	5	4
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Bonus Feat, Death Bringer’s Fear	9	9	9	9	9	9	8	7	6	5
Class Skills (10 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all) (Int), Spellcraft (Int).

[edit] Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Death Bringer.

Destructions Mutation: On becoming a Death Bringer the character rolls 2d20 for each stat, discarding all values below 14 and re-rolling, these gets added to the Death Bringer’s current stats. Add 2 to wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence after re-rolling. You level with a level adjustment of +3. For the purpose of gaining feats, your character is treated as an Epic, spontaneous arcane spell-caster.

Death Bringer Spell: At 1st level and every level after, a Death Bringer may learn a spell from the Death Bringer’s spell list.

Epic Spells: At 1st level and every level after, a Death Bringer has a hunger for knowledge and learns an epic spell. This can be any epic spell from the standard epic spell list or created.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Death Bringers can wear light armor and are proficient with daggers only. Any arcane spell failure percentage for light armor can be ignored, but is tripled if the Death Bringer attempts to wear medium or heavy armor. Death Bringers can also choose to become proficient in certain exotic weapons via bonus feats.

Loyal Death: Loyal Death’s are extremely powerful compared to familiars and pets. These familiars remain loyal to the Death Bringer and are unaffected by mind altering, mind controlling and any spell or ability that would cause ordinary or any such familiars to turn hostile to their master. These familiar’s are also immune to their masters spells.

The Essence of Magic: You drain magical energy from your surrounds(or the Weave, if playing in Forgotten Realms). Every turn you gain the equivalent energy of one level 1 spell, and you can choose as a free action to transform that energy into a level 1 spell or allow it to continue accumulating, thus having the energy of a level 2 spell on the next turn, which you must choose to turn into a level 2 spell or continue accumulating, and so on so forth. After gaining the equivalent of a level 10 spell's energy, you can transform it into a level 9 and a level 1 spell. This accumulation continues up to 20th level energy, and does not accumulate at all if you have all of your spell slots. This magic regeneration can be used to restore a lost Epic spell slot by spending the max 20th level equivalent power. If you have 20th level spell equivalent power charged but do not spend it, you do not accumulate more spell energy even if you have spent spell slots. Also all spells the Death Bringer can cast is considered 1/3rd the spells casting level after all feats has been applied. For example after several feats is applied to a 9th level spell making it a 45 the spell would only be considered a 15th level spell.

Devastating Spellcasting: The Death Bringer’s caster level is considered 10x his current for the purpose of bypassing spell resistance, damage reduction, increasing damage and saving throws against his or her spells. This does not increase any cost to cast the spell.

Eternal Suffering: Once per day you may select one successfully cast attack spell. Double all variables attached to that spell. The target(s) must make a will save(DC 35*1/10 spell caster level) or else be wracked with pain for 2 turns + duration of the spell. They cannot perform any action while wracked with pain.

Absolute Destruction: Once per day, The Death Bringer selects any single arcane lighting, fire, or ice elemental spell and triple its damage every time he casts the spell. This spell will also count as a non-selective area of effect spell equaling (5 x character level)ft in effect, with the caster immune to its effects. All terrain in the spell effect suffers heavy damage from the spell. Lightning magic blasts craters in the ground (and/or destroys any ceiling) halving movement rates over affected terrain, ice magic causes everything to freeze to the point where any movement results in the destruction of ground underfoot and a thirty-foot fall, and fire attacks turn affected areas into shallow lava, dealing 2d6 fire damage per turn to any creature standing in it. Only the space occupied by the caster is unaffected.

Deadly Drain: The Death Bringer obtains the spell "Deadly Drain" from the spell pool if they do not already have it. Allies no longer are affected unless stated by this spell and the Death Bringer can redistribute the healing to any number of party members as he wishes.

Death Bringer’s Fear: Choose four Death Bringer spells and 2 epic spells, apply any four metamagic feats to these spells. They do not increase the cost to cast the spell and stack with feats you currently have for example you can stack intensify or superspells or enhanced spell or widen spell, etc.

Spellcasting: A Death Bringers can acquire 2 new epic arcane spells per available spell level when leveling up and their caster level is computed by character level + wisdom modifier this is multiplied by Devastating Spellcasting.

Spells: A Death Bringer can cast from any school of magic and his caster level is counted as all schools of magic.

Bonus Feats: All Metamagic feats, Combat Casting, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Quick draw, Run, Spell Focus, Spell Specialization.

Only the following may be selected from Exotic Weapon proficiency: whip, spiked chain. They may also include Scythes as well, though this is a martial weapon normally.

Death Bringer Spells: Death Bringers have their own pool of 20 spells which the character may begin learning at level 1. Each of these spells is counted as a level 5 spell.

Lightning Falling Like Rain: This spell deals out 5d6 + (1d6)*(caster level) lightning damage to an area 20ft x caster level in radius. Targeted area must be in line of sight, and all enemies within affected area are stunned and lose their next turn. Even enemies immune to lightning damage will lose their turn.

Black-Steel Lances: This spell creates 1 lance per caster level arranged in a circle around the caster. Each lance can then be used to attack any enemy within eyesight individually, dealing 1d8 + Wisdom modifier damage per lance. Enemies struck by a lance are considered impaled, and will need to use a full-turn action to remove the lance or suffer 1d8 damage each turn they leave it alone and be unable to move. If an enemy is struck by multiple lances, the effects stack and they will need to sacrifice a full turn to remove just one lance.

Infernal Wave: Creates a wall of Flame 40ft wide and 40ft tall in front of the caster which then moves forward at 100ft per turn for 10 turns. When it comes in contact with a creature, that creature takes 5d10 + 1d10 * (caster level) fire damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw(DC 24*1/10 spell caster level) or burst into flames, taking an additional 1d10 damage each turn for the remaining duration of the spell.

The Black Wind: For every caster level, the caster is now in possession of a "black wind" effect. He can either have these effects surround him, nullifying 5 damage per effect, this is damage reduction only when beneficial to the caster to be considered damage reduction, or he can send as many as four of them to attack per turn as a free action. When a black wind effect strikes a creature, they take 2d6 damage and must make a will save(DC 30*1/10 spell caster level) or suffer fear, and a will save(DC 15*1/10 spell caster level) or be rendered "wind-touched", and incapable of performing any action other than mumbling and taking 5-foot steps for 5 + caster level turns. Black Wind effects dissipate after 5+caster level turns even if they are just used as a shield.

Internal Growth: Cast on a single target creature, the targeted creature increases one size category and gains 12 to strength, constitution, and dexterity. However, 10 turns after the spell is cast, the target creature returns to normal and their hp is automatically reduced to -9. The Death Bringer cannot target himself with this spell.

Spontaneous Glaciation: All creatures within 30ft + 10ft x caster level take 6d8 ice damage and must make a will save(DC 26*1/10 spell caster level) or instantly be frozen solid. Every turn thereafter, they must make a fortitude save(DC 25*1/10 spell caster level) in order to thaw out. For every turn frozen, they take 2d10 damage and when(if) they thaw, they are considered helpless until they have a restoration spell or similar effect used on them.

White Light of Devastation: All creatures directly in the caster's line of sight(10ft wide) take 8d10 + 2d10 * caster's level damage. Those whose hit points drop below 0 are vaporized.

Steel Meteor Shower: select a target. For an area 40ft around and including that target, 10 x caster's level flaming steel orbs fall to the earth, dealing 1d6 bludgeoning and 1d6 fire damage per orb to all in the spell area. Creatures must make a fortitude saving throw(DC 30*1/10 spell caster level) or be crippled in a limb of the caster's choice. Note that damage dealt it per orb - you must still choose how many orbs hit which targets.

Accursed Blade of the Moon: Conjures a luminescent great sword with weight equal to a dagger. Treat this as a +10 great sword for attacks that also deals 5d6 fire and 5d6 ice damage, with a range of ten feet. To use this spell, the caster must already have a bladed weapon drawn. The sword remains in effect for a maximum of 15 rounds*caster level, but can be dispelled at will. The caster is treated as proficient with accursed blade of the moon and uses it one handed, as it is weightless. The sword can be handed off to others and terminated at the Death Bringers's will.

Deadly Drain: The caster is transformed into a life magnet when this spell is activated. All creatures within 40ft take 2d6 damage per caster level per turn and the Death Bringer recovers an equal amount of health to the total damage dealt. Any creature the Death Bringer is standing directly next to suffers twice the damage. The spell persists for 5 turns.

Acid Surge: Causes any nearby body of water - or other liquid - to transform into extremely potent acid. It then surges to fill 40 5ft cubes with acid, dealing 1d6 x caster level acid damage for the next 3 turns. All creatures and objects susceptible to acid take damage, including the caster if he is within the designated range. This spell cannot be used without a large enough body of liquid. The cubes can be in any designated location, even suspended in mid-air.

Angry Stone: All stone and earth within 40ft of the Death Bringer rumbles and then suddenly rises into many sharp stone or clay pillars, stabbing or cutting those within range. Deals 1d8 x caster level damage and transforms a 40ft radius into hazardous terrain that deals 2d4 damage to anyone trying to move through it. Reflex save for half damage. The area occupied by the Death Bringer is excluded.

Sound Wave: The Death Bringer creates focused sonic energy and releases it by making a noise(speaking, snapping fingers, clapping, etc). In addition to being heard miles off as a thunderous boom, it throws all objects not fastened down to 60ft from the Death Bringer, simultaneously dealing 1d6 x caster level damage to living things, 1d8 x caster level damage to metal objects, and 1d12 x caster level damage to stone or crystal objects within that 60ft range. All structure hardness is ignored for calculating damage done to the surroundings. All creatures within 120ft take half damage, but structures merely shake.

Void Touch: The Death Bringers hands become sheathed in black energy and they execute a touch attack against a target. If successful, that target is momentarily enveloped in black energy and is erased from existence. If a god is targeted, they take 200d6 damage plus 1d10 x caster level damage instead. Those killed by this effect can only be revived by a Greater Deity directly intervening on their behalf.

Disjoint Reality: Reality is distorted within 100ft of the Death Bringer and gripped by insanity. All creatures within undergo a spontaneous alignment and racial change, and objects twist into bizarre shapes. Gravity functions erratically(25% no gravity, 25 % normal, 50% pulls in a random direction every turn) and spells cast within it have a 90% failure chance. 1d4 Primal elementals spawn from the most prevalent substance and begin attacking everything hostile to the Death Bringer. All effects persist for 10 rounds, then end completely. During this time, the Death Bringer may choose to submit to the same effects or ignore them.

Don't Ever Touch Me!: can be cast on any friendly individual within 40ft. Once cast, for one hour all physical or immaterial such as incorpeal attacks or spells targeted at the recipient of the spell are thrust back by an unseen force and dealt 5d6 bludgeoning damage. For projectiles, they are merely knocked back.

[edit] Loyal Deaths

Loyal Deaths are selected at level 1 and progress alongside the Death Bringer. You may select any creature of any size other than those of legendary stature such as a Terrasque or Jabberwock in other words creatures that only one exists.

- The Loyal Death is two categories larger in size compared to their master and has 2x their master's movement speed.

- The Loyal Deaths have all your abilities and stats

- Loyal Deaths can speak one language their master can speak in addition to any natural languages.

- Loyal Deaths can be summoned magically as if by a Greater Teleport spell to their master at any time.

- Loyal Deaths cannot be killed - when reduced to -10 hit points, they dissipate into thin air and reform 24 hours later.

Master Class Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Str/Dex Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	2	+1	+1	10	Alertness, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link
3rd-4th	4	+2	+2	11	Deliver Touch Spells
5th-6th	4	+4	+4	12	Speak with Master, Familiar Spell
7th-8th	6	+5	+5	13	Speak with Animals of Its Kind
9th-10th	8	+6	+6	15	Multiattack
11th-12th	8	+8	+8	16	Spell Resistance
13th-14th	10	+9	+9	17	Scry on Familiar, Familiar Spell
15th-16th	12	+10	+10	18
17th-18th	12	+11	+11	19	Blood Bomb
19th-20th	14	+12	+12	20	Familiar Spell

Blood Bomb: When the Familiar's hit points reach -10, they explode, dealing bludgeoning damage equal to 1/2 their max hit points to all adjacent enemies. The Death Bringer can choose to suppress this effect. It does not affect the reformation time of the Epic Familiar.

[edit] Ex-Death Bringers

If a Death Bringer's alignment shifts away from chaotic for any reason, they lose the use of any Death Bringer spells and feats until their alignment shifts back to a chaotic state.

[edit] Campaign Information

[edit] Playing a Death Bringer

Combat: Death Bringers are phenomenally dangerous spellcasters, but like all spellcasters are quite susceptible to physical attacks. Death Bringers should stay to the back with at least 2 melee combatants between him and any enemies.

Advancement: Once a Death Bringer reaches level 20, they can no longer increase their level in Death Bringer.

Resources: Death Bringers normally spend a great deal of time alone, but there is a Circle of Death Bringers. The circle is brazen to the point of meeting in broad daylight, often in highly populated areas, but for the most part will simply be seen as unusually young wizards. The circle will not aid a Death Bringer except to provide some limited reagents and a variety of artifacts and occasionally a spellbook, retrieved from the corpse of one of their members. if a large enough threat appears, the Circle will eradicate it.

[edit] Death Bringers in the World

“	I am no savior, I am not a judge of your sins, I do not wish to hear your confessions I only wish to hear your screams of agony.	”
—Jaug Dumair, Elven Death Bringer

Death Bringers are rather rare. They are solitary, sometimes spending decades working on some magical conundrum, and very rarely set out to adventure for any reason. When they do, their attachment to people around them is tenuous, though occasionally they will get attached. Young Death Bringers(200yrs or less) may even fall in love, but due to their virtual immortality such feelings will ultimately be short lived.

Player Interactions: Each Death Bringer has a very different way of thinking about others, but most regard other classes as inferior to varying degrees. In particular they dislike fighters, rogues and barbarians, who do not possess any form of magic. Death Bringers also recognize that these classes are dangerous to them. Very rarely, Death Bringers will take a wizard or sorcerer as an apprentice. Death Bringers are much more likely to be romantically interested in another spell-caster than in a physical combatant, though if they do develop feelings for, say, a fighter, they often harbor feelings of pity for that individuals inability to use magic.

NPC Reactions: Very few individuals can tell a Death Bringer on sight, with only very powerful wizards or sorcerers being able to see them for what they are. Meeting a Death Bringer, for a wizard, is a bit like meeting a god; they've met a being that is virtually immortal, powerful beyond imagining. Wizards who encounter a Death Bringer will often wish to never see them again.

[edit] Death Bringer Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge(arcane) skill can research Death Bringers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge(arcane)

DC	Result
11	Death Bringers consume the magic around them, giving them potentially limitless power.
16	A Death Bringers familiar cannot be killed and does not age as long as the Death Bringer is alive.
21	Death Bringers are immortal. While they can be killed, they do not age.
26	A Death Bringers Astral body grows in size as they age, eventually reaching the level of a god(after about 4000yrs).

[edit] Death Bringers in the Game

Death Bringers are almost perfect as villains, but as players they're rather overpowered. Due to their magical studies, they may also be viable quest givers, sending players to fetch materials or test objects for them. Players choosing to upgrade from wizard to Death Bringer should beware the early levels, however - it might only take one encounter to get to level 6, but you will probably have Hit Points less than 30 for that epic-level encounter.

Adaptation: A Death Bringer might be found living in a sophisticated magical lab deep underground, or in the middle of a desert, or even in the remains of a dragon's lair. As a recently transformed Death Bringer is already extremely powerful, you could have a level 1 or two Death Bringer causing difficulties for a town or city.

Sample Encounter: Your party walks into a town they visited recently to discover that a number of citizens are gone and perhaps the local wizard's store is a crater. You may also note some local official banning the use of magic within the city. Further investigation reveals that a Wizard transformed himself into a Death Bringer during your absence and Destroyed his former home and did some rather nasty things to some townspeople. You may either move on or try to bring justice to - or recruit - the Death Bringer.

Leadership: Death Bringers may never, at any time, be mere followers, and only a Death Bringer at least 6 levels lower than the leader character may be a cohort. Death Bringers may take the leadership feat, but suffer a -4 penalty to their leadership score due to their near-insanity.

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