Scarecrow (3.5e Class)

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Scarecrow[edit]

The Scarecrow is a vile spellcaster that brings fear and madness to reality. Channeling his powers from the dark realms of fear and insanity, the Scarecrow is able to bend his victim's fears into dangerous nightmares. Through his strange powers, the Scarecrow can summon undead in the same manner a Druid can summon animals and a Cleric can heal. In summary, the Scarecrow is a master of terror, and those who cross his path will know what it means to be afraid.

Making a Scarecrow[edit]

Scarecrows are divine spellcasters who worship fear and madness in their purest forms. They can turn the tide of combat by bringing out a target's worst nightmares, or even bringing those nightmares to life. In a party, the Scarecrow often takes the role held by an evil Cleric(or Druid or Shaman), using diving spells to bring destruction to others. Because of their devotion and worship of the darkness that is fear itself, Scarecrows relish in social situations, where they can learn about the fears others have. The Scarecrow is a force to be reckon with, and woe to those who stand against him.

Abilities: As a divine-based spellcaster, the Scarecrow needs a high Wisdom score for his use of magic, and a high Charisma for his ability to frighten people. A high Wisdom score can also grant the Scarecrow bonus spells, much like the Cleric.

Races: Scarecrows can come from any race, but are often outcasts of their own society because of their practices. Once a Scarecrow is identified, they are often shunned, mistrusted, and treated poorly. A few kingdoms keep Scarecrows employed as a way to interrogate captured soldiers and criminals, but even in these cases, the Scarecrow is kept far from mainstream society.

Alignment: Because of their manipulation of the dark arts Scarecrows rarely stray into Good alignments. Lawful Scarecrows often use their fear-based abilities to control groups, while chaotic ones prey on unsuspecting victims on the outskirts of villages and towns. An evil-aligned Scarecrow is a terror to behold, as they generally wish to spread fear and madness among the populace, with total disregard for the outcome.

Starting Gold: 3d4×10 gp (75 gp).

Starting Age: Complex, as Wizard.

Table: The Scarecrow

Hit Die: d8

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 Fear Domain Spells, Aura of Fear 1/day 3 1
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 4 2
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 Eyes of Madness (Lesser) 4 2 1
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 Frightful Memory 5 3 2
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 Aura of Fear 2/day 5 3 2 1
6th +4 +2 +2 +5 5 3 3 2
7th +5 +2 +2 +5 6 4 3 2 1
8th +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 Eyes of Madness (Improved) 6 4 3 3 2
9th +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 Aura of Fear 3/day 6 4 4 3 2 1
10th +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 Effigy of Fear (Mind) 6 4 4 3 3 2
11th +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 6 5 4 4 3 2 1
12th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 6 5 4 4 3 3 2
13th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Aura of Fear 4/day, Eyes of Madness (Greater) 6 5 5 4 4 3 2 1
14th +10/+5 +4 +4 +9 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +9 Effigy of Fear (Body) 6 5 5 5 4 4 3 2 1
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 6 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 2
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Aura of Fear 5/day 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 2 1
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 Eyes of Madness (Grand) 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 2
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 3
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Aura of Death 1/day, Effigy of Fear (Soul) 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (ANY), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (The Planes) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Listen (Dex), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (ANY), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features[edit]

The Scarecrow is a devout servant of madness and terror. He lives for striking fear into the hearts of his victims and plaguing their minds with insanity.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Scarecrow is proficient in all simple weapons, Scythes, Axes, and the Pitchfork. As a divine spellcaster, the Scarecrow may wear any type of armor without impacting his spells, as long as the armor is made from flesh, hide, bones, scales, or other materials gained from animals, humans, or other creatures.

Pitchfork
Large Simple Weapon (Two Handed) Cost 1 gp. Damage 1d10, Critical X2, Range: Melee, but can be thrown 20 feet. Weight: 5 lbs. Damage Type: Piercing. Pin: A Pitchfork can be used to pin a creature to a surface. The target must succeed a Grapple Check vs the wielder's attack roll to avoid being pinned against the ground or a wooden wall. If the victim fails, they are pinned in place by the pitchfork until they remove the weapon, either through pure strength or another grapple check.

Spells: Scarecrows are divine spellcasters, much like Clerics or Druids, but they focus mainly upon Fear, Insanity, and Death. Their Wisdom score determines how powerful their spells are, and how well they can cast them. To prepare or cast a spell, the Scarecrow must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Scarecrow’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Scarecrow’s Wisdom modifier. Like other spellcasters, a Scarecrow can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Scarecrow. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score. The Scarecrow also gains access to the Fear Domain, which functions as a Cleric domain, for those that worship fear and darkness.

Scarecrows Example Spell List:

  • Scarecrows can cast spells with any of the following Descriptors: Chaos, Chaotic, Cold, Darkness, Death, Evil, Fear, Fire, Ice, Mind-Affecting, Shadow, or Summoning (Monsters, Demons, Vermin, and Undead only). Spells do not have to be arcane or divine, as long as they fall into those listed categories, the Scarecrow treats all spells that he casts as divine.

0—Detect Magic, Read Magic, Daze, Ray of Frost, Inflict Minor Wounds, Light, Ghost Sound, Touch of Fatigue, Mage Hand, Message, Prestidigitation

1st—Bane, Cause Fear, Curse Water, Detect undead, Doom, Hide from Undead, Inflict Light Wounds, Obscuring Mist, Protection from Good, Remove Fear, Summon Undead I, Burning Hands, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, Comprehend Languages, Hypnotism, Sleep

2nd—Align Weapon, Augury, Darkness, Death Knell, Desecrate, Enthrall, Gentle Repose, Hold Person, Inflict Moderate Wounds, Silence, Summon Undead II, Undetectable Alignment, Scare, Command Undead, Ghoul Touch, Touch of Idiocy, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Flaming Sphere, Scorching Ray, Shatter, Summon Swarm, Detect Thoughts

3rd—Animate Dead, Bestow Curse, Contagion, Continual Flame, Deeper Darkness, Dispel Magic, Glyph of Warding, Inflict Serious Wounds, Magic Circle Against Good, Speak Undead, Summon Undead III, Ray of Exhaustion, Vampiric Touch, Arcane Sight, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance, Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Suggestion, Tongues

4th—Discern Lies, Dismissal, Divination, Giant Vermin, Inflict Critical Wounds, Poison, Sending, Spell Immunity, Summon Undead IV, Enervation, Fear, Crushing Despair, Ice Storm, Wall of Fire, Arcane Eye, Detect Scrying, Locate Creature

5th—Break Enchantment, Contagion (Mass), Dispel Good, Inflict Light Wounds (Mass), Insect Plague, Raise Dead, Scrying, Slay Living, Spell Resistance, Summon Undead V, Symbol of Pain, Unhallow, Blight, Waves Of Fatigue, Prying Eyes, Cone of Cold

6th—Animate Objects, Antilife Shell, Banishment, Create Undead, Dispel Magic (Greater), Energy Immunity, Forbiddance, Glyph of Warding (Greater), Harm, Inflict Moderate Wounds (Mass), Symbol of Fear, Circle of Death, Eyebite, Legend Lore, Chain Lightning

7th—Bestow Curse (Greater), Blasphemy, Control Weather, Destruction, Dictum, Ethereal Jaunt, Inflict Serious Wounds (Mass), Repulsion, Scrying (Greater), Symbol of Weakness, Word of Chaos, Control undead, Finger of Death, Waves of Exhaustion, Delayed Blast Fireball, Prismatic Spray, Vision

8th—Antimagic Field, Cloak of Chaos, Create Greater Undead, Dimensional Lock, Fire Storm, Inflict Critical Wounds (Mass), Spell Immunity (Greater), Symbol of Death, Symbol of Insanity, Unholy Aura, Wall of Greater Dispel Magic, Clone, Horrid Wilting, Polar Ray

9th—Energy Drain, Gate, Implosion, Soul Bind, Storm of Vengeance, Wail of The Banshee, Meteor Swarm, Foresight

Spontaneous Casting: The Scarecrow, much like other divine spellcasters, can spontaneously cast either their Fear Domain spells, or Summon Undead spells (which are listed below). Summon undead functions as any other summoning spell, but brings forth an undead creature to fight and serve the Scarecrow.

Summon Undead

Summon Undead Spell Levels:

1st Level

  • Human warrior skeleton
  • Kobold zombie

2nd Level

  • Owlbear skeleton
  • Bugbear zombie

3rd Level

  • Ghoul
  • Troll skeleton
  • Ogre zombie

4th Level

  • Allip
  • Ghast
  • Wyvern zombie

5th Level

  • Mummy
  • Shadow
  • Vampire spawn
  • Wight
Fear Domain
Granted Power: You gain a +2 competence bonus to the Save DCs of all Necromancy (Fear) and Compulsion (Fear) spells.

Bonus Spells:

  • 1: Doom. One subject suffers –2 penalty on attacks, damage, save throws, and checks.
  • 2: Scare. Panics creatures up to 5 HD (15 ft. radius)
  • 3: Confusion. Makes subject behave oddly for 1 round/level.
  • 4: Fear. Subjects within cone flee for 1 round/level.
  • 5: Emotion. Arouses strong emotion in subject.
  • 6: Nightmare. Sends vision dealing 1d10 damage, fatigue.
  • 7: Repulsion. Creatures can’t approach you.
  • 8: Insanity. Subject suffers continuous confusion.
  • 9: Wail of The Banshee. Kills one creature/level.

Aura of Fear (Su): The Scarecrow is often able to frighten his victims with his mere presence alone. With the Aura of Fear, the Scarecrow can surround himself with a 20ft area of fear. Any creature that enters this area must make a Will Save (DC = 10 + Scarecrow's Charisma Modifier + Scarecrow's class level) or become frightened. This effect remains as long as the victim remains within the area, and for a number of rounds equal to the Scarecrow's Charisma Modifier once they exit the aura. This ability remains active for Xd4 rounds, where X equals the Scarecrow's Wisdom Modifier.

Eyes of Madness (Su): The Scarecrow can make eye contact with a target within 50 feet and drive them insane from his stare alone. The target of this ability must make a Will Save (DC = 10 + Scarecrow's Charisma Modifier + Scarecrow's Level) to resist this powerful mind-affecting ability. Upon failure, the victim is plagued by false sounds (as per the Ghost Sound spell), minor hallucinations, and confusion (as if struck by a Confusion spell). The target also take 1d4 points of temporary damage to both their Intelligence and Wisdom. This effect remains active for a number of hours equal to the Scarecrow's Wisdom Modifier. If the target saves against this ability, they are simply given a bad headache that deals 1d4 points of temporary Intelligence damage for 1d4 rounds. The Scarecrow can use this ability a number of times per day equal to half his Wisdom score, rounded up. This ability is considered a form of a curse, and must be treated as so in order to be cured. Any target that saves against this ability, cannot be targeted with it again for 48 hours.

  • At 8th level, this deals 1d6 points of temporary damage to both Intelligence and Wisdom, whether or not the target saved, only the duration of the damage changes (according the description above).
  • At 13th level, the target is harassed by loud voices from the Abyss, the hallucinations seem very real, and the confusion is combined with extreme paranoia. Basically you wind up with a target curled up in the corner, shouting at nothing, and mumbling to himself, which is always a great thing to have.
  • at 18th level, the Scarecrow can decide to make the damage to the Intelligence and Wisdom Permanent, or he may change this ability to match the Mindrape spell (Book of Vile Darkness) Mindrape. He may use either version of this ability as per his own choice, but not both at the same time, and may the gods have mercy on his target.

Frightful Memory (Sp): Using a touch attack, the Scarecrow can inflict a target with all the effects of the Scare spell, except that it works on any creature that fails the Will Save (DC = 10 + Scarecrow's Charisma Modifier + Scarecrow's Wisdom Modifier). The additional effect to this ability is that any creature who is affected by this attack also takes Xd4 points of damage (X = Scarecrow's Wisdom Modifier) from negative energy, and will also vividly remember the Scarecrow and instantly fall under the frightened effect of the attack whenever the Scarecrow is within sight. Only a curse removal can clear this fear affect away.

Effigy of Fear (Ex): As a Scarecrow gains power, they can become more like the creatures they take their name from. Their mind, body, and even soul becomes a beacon of fear and madness, making them immune to various abilities and granting them unique powers.

Mind
At level 10, the Scarecrow gains mental abilities related to his worship of fear and insanity. He gains immunity to fear, insanity, and confusion effects. The Scarecrow also gains a bonus to any rolls to resist compulsion, emotional, or suggestion-type effects. This bonus is equal to his Charisma Modifier + 1. The Scarecrow also can cast Chill of the Grave (Book of Vile Darkness) a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom Modifier. Chill of the Grave
Body
Upon reaching level 15, the Scarecrow's body begins to resemble that of an actual scarecrow; his hair and flesh appears as if made of straw and dirty old burlap. This change in his appearance also makes him immune to poisons, diseases, and negative energy damage. He can also use the spell Wither Limb (Book of Vile Darkness) a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom Modifier. Wither Limb
Soul
A 20th level Scarecrow is the ultimate embodiment of fear and madness, allowing the dark energy to take over his very soul so that he can further spread terror and insanity among others. By gaining a soul of fear, the Scarecrow gains various bonuses as he is now considered both Undead and a Native Outsider. As well, the Scarecrow can cast Morality Undone (Libris Mortis) a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom Modifier. Morality Undone . The Scarecrow also gains the following benefits of being an Undead Outsider:
  • Not required to breathe, eat, drink, or sleep.
  • Immunity to poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects.
  • Not subject to critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Immune to damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects.
  • Immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).
  • Not at risk of death from massive damage, but when reduced to 0 hit points or less, it is immediately destroyed.
  • Uses its Charisma modifier for Concentration checks.
  • The Scarecrow uses his own spell caster level to determine the strength of the spells gained through these transformations. These spells also do not count towards the Scarecrow's Spells Per Day.

Aura of Death (Su): This ability, gained at 20th level is much like the Aura of Fear, except the Scarecrow can now drain the life out of creatures that come within a certain distance. This aura effects all living creatures out to a distance of 25 feet. Upon failing a Fortitude Save (DC = 10 + Scarecrow's Charisma Modifier + Scarecrow's Class Level) the affected creature loses health at a rate of Xd8 per round due to a flood of negative energy, where X is the Scarecrow's Wisdom Modifier. The affected creature also becomes frightened as long as it remains within the aura. When a creature takes damage from this ability, the Scarecrow gains half the amount of damage as health. If a creature should save, it remains frightened for 2d4 rounds, but does not take the damamge. This ability remains active for Xd4 rounds, where X equals the Scarecrow's Wisdom Modifier.

Ex-Scarecrows[edit]

Scarecrows that leave the path of fear and madness are rare, but sometimes they do see the light of good and change their ways. This causes Scarecrows to lose all Supernatural abilities gained by this class. They may continue to cast spells, as long as those spells do not conflict with any change in the ex-Scarecrow's alignment or ethics.

Epic Scarecrow[edit]

Table: The Epic Scarecrow

Hit Die: d8

Level Special
21st Aura of Fear (At Will)
22nd
23rd Eyes of Madness (Epic)
24th
25th Aura of Death 2/day
26th
27th
28th Eyes of Madness (Legendary)
29th
30th Aura of Death 3/day

4 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Eyes of Madness (Epic): The Scarecrow can now use the Eyes of Madness (Grand) special ability a number of times per day equal to his full Wisdom Modifier.

Eyes of Madness (Legendary): The Scarecrow uses the Mindrape feature of the Eyes of Madness (Grand) and causes the insane voices, the vivid hallucinations, the extreme paranoia and confusion to become permanent for the victim. This also increases the permanent Intelligence and Wisdom damage to a 1d10, regardless if the victim saves or not.

Campaign Information[edit]

Playing a Scarecrow[edit]

Religion: Scarecrows worship fear, madness, and to a limited degree, death. They cherish it and enjoy the sight of people trembling in terror. Some Scarecrows will worship the idea and concept of fear itself, while others seek out gods and goddesses that share their views and goals.

Other Classes: Scarecrows have their goals and desires, just like any other person. The exception is that the Scarecrow works by exploiting fear and insanity in others. This can often make for tension when working with Paladins or other good-aligned members of the party. In a party-oriented game, the Scarecrow is often treated as an evil Cleric, using his spells and abilities to cause havoc and chaos among the enemies instead of healing and boosting his party members.

Combat: Scarecrows will avoid melee combat as much as possible due to their lack in physical skills, but that doesn't mean they will shy away from a bloody battle. As long as the Scarecrow knows he can manipulate the enemy, he will hang back and let his magic and special abilities bring down his foes.

Advancement: The best way to advance a Scarecrow is to avoid good-aligned and combat-heavy classes. They could potentially do well as an information-gatherer, using their fear-based abilities to draw much needed facts out of their victims.

Scarecrows in the World[edit]

Fear? Did you say fear? You have no clue what fear is. Let me show you the true meaning of fear.
—Burned Bone, Voidling Scarecrow

Scarecrows often live on the fringe of civilization, keeping to themselves as they are often shunned because of what they are. Others are frequently locked up for recklessly letting loose their antics and spells within a populated area. Because of their devout worship of fear and madness, they are often mistaken as being insane themselves, which is why they tend to keep away from others in order to practice their magic and experiment with various ways to frighten people.

Daily Life: Scarecrows are mysterious in their ways, as they worship fear and madness. A good number of them live on the outskirts of larger communities, practicing the dark arts with others who share similar tastes in magic and ideals. Some work as interrogators for kings and other royalty, using their abilities to force information from others. The interrogators are often treated with respect, mostly out of fear, but are kept away from the main parts of cities and towns to protect the people. It is no mystery that the Scarecrows are fears and shunned for their magic.

Organizations: Scarecrows operate much like witches and other groups of the occult. They gather in small groups regularly, but otherwise they keep to themselves. A group of 3 or more Scarecrows in an area is often referred to as a coven, as most people relate their magical practices to that of witches and warlocks.

NPC Reactions: Depending on the actions of the Scarecrow, they are often met with fear and loathing. If the Scarecrow is able to keep his true nature from being discovered, he is often treated like any other person. Once a Scarecrow is identified as such, they are quickly shunned and ran out of town. Most people do not want to risk being the target of the Scarecrow's abilities and spells, and would prefer to get rid of the Scarecrow as a preemptive measure.

Scarecrow Lore[edit]

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can research Scarecrows to learn more about them. When a

character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Arcana)
DC Result
5 Scarecrows are to be feared and yet respected for their abilities to channel dark powers.
10 High-powered Scarecrows tend to look like their namesake, as their skin takes on the appearance of burlap sacks and straw.
15 A small coven of Scarecrows has been gathering near a stream outside town, and their leader wears long red robes and is allergic to cats.
20 Pareth Oman, the king's top investigator, is actually a Scarecrow who has been using his magic to force information from people about the recent sweetroll theft.

Parasite God 22:14, 11 January 2013 (MST)


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