User:Viatos/Knight of the Mask (3.5e Prestige Class)

Knight of the Mask
"I battle with every breath to retain my very soul...you are nothing but a distraction! Practice!"

Class Features
Martial Maneuvers: Each level, except for 2nd and 9th, you gain a new maneuver known chosen from the Black Heron, Dread Crown, Hollow Nymph, or Stone Dragon disciplines.

Martial Stances: At 2nd level, and again at 9th level, you gain a new stance known chosen from the Black Heron, Dread Crown, Hollow Nymph, or Stone Dragon disciplines.

(Su): At 1st level, knights of the mask gain access to a unique stance they may enter as normal. While in the Black Fury Binding Stance, their Darksider feat becomes inactive, conferring no benefits or drawbacks. They gain the rage ability as a barbarian of their class level, usable once per encounter; while raging, they gain a profane bonus to Strength and Charisma equal to one-half their class level and a +10' profane bonus to their base land speed. While raging, the knight of the mask grows a sinister mask that covers his facial features (this ability does not confer any mechanical effect).

If a knight of the mask multiclasses into another class before he has reached Eldritch Apotheosis, raging while in this stance has a 50% chance to benefit him as normal, a 25% chance to inflict him with insanity as the spell, and a 25% chance to change his alignment to Chaotic Evil and his status to NPC for as long as he remains in the stance (usually until knocked unconscious or overcome by fatigue, as the entity that gains control of his form will not willingly leave this stance). Each rage inflicts an additional 1d4 points of Wisdom burn. If this burn reduces them to 0 Wisdom, they become Chaotic Evil NPCs permanently unless extreme measures are taken to restore their minds.

(Ex): A knight of the mask counts as evil for the purposes of using items and qualifying for feats and prestige classes. He may learn and initiate maneuvers of the Dread Crown and Hollow Nymph disciplines with the evil descriptor as though he were evil. His alignment is unaffected by using evil items, feats, prestige class features, or maneuvers, provided doing so with an identical item, feat, prestige class feature, or maneuver without the evil descriptor or prerequisite would not normally affect his alignment.

(Ex): Starting at 2nd level, and again at every even level of this prestige class, a knight of the mask gains a bonus feat. This feat may be any feat with the Aberrant, Abyssal Heritor, or Devil-Touched descriptor provided his Darksider feat also has that descriptor.

(Su): Starting at 3rd level, and again at every odd level of this prestige class, a knight of the mask gains a new Dark Gift ability, accessible only while he is in the Black Fury Binding stance (although he can use them without also raging). He may gain all abilities multiple times unless otherwise noted, and their effects stack. All abilities are supernatural unless otherwise noted.


 * Gift of Ferocity: While in the Black Fury Binding stance, you gain a +2 bonus to your physical ability scores.
 * Gift of Malevolence: While in the Black Fury Binding stance, your attacks cause an extra 1d8 vile damage.
 * Gift of Spite: While in the Black Fury Binding stance, you gain DR 1/- and fast healing 1.
 * Gift of Wickedness: While in the Black Fury Binding stance, you gain a +10' bonus to your base land speed and a +2 profane bonus to Initiative.

 (Su): At 10th level, a knight of the mask has achieved the pinnacle of his strength. He undergoes a ritual of synthesis that utterly consumes the being haunting him, taking its strength for his own in the process. He immediately loses the Darksider feat and may never regain it, but retains the benefits of this class and its class features, and he counts as having an extra Aberrant, Abyssal Heritor, or Devil-Touched feat according to the feat descriptor his Darksider feat had. He becomes an outsider with the (native) subtype, gains SR equal to his 10 + 1/2 his character level + his Charisma modifier, and Black Fury Binding becomes an extraordinary ability that is always active without counting against his active stances.

Ex-Knights of the Mask
Knights of the Mask who abandon their path before reaching Eldritch Apotheosis are tormented, incredibly dangerous individuals with access to powers beyond their control at an awful price. Some simply end their own lives; others try to live without the strength they have now tasted. A few embrace it and all its attendant madness and horror, and these individuals carve their names and deeds into the flesh of destiny with blood-soaked implements of evil.

Playing a Knight of the Mask
Knights of the Mask

Combat:

Advancement: Organization: Knights of the Mask

Knights of the Mask in the World
"Evil is not an idea. It is a force. Like any other, it can be opposed, canceled...overcome. Witness...MY VICTORY!"

<-Where characters of this class fit in a d20 world->

NPC Reactions: <-How NPCs react to characters of this class->

Knight of the Mask Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (The Planes) can research knights of the mask to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

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