Earth Breaker (3.5e Prestige Class)

Earth Breaker
"We'll drill right through the top and beyond! Ain't nothing going to stop us now!"

Earth Breakers are warriors whose souls are tied to the element of earth, and their personal growth has given them enlightment to the vast elemental power they possess. Rather than turn to spellcasting, they maintain their martial background and meld earth magic into raw physical might. Durable and strong, few things can stop their inevitable progress.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Earth Breaker.

 (Ex): Bound to earth, the skin of the earth breaker grows hard as stone and can deflect even swords. The earth breaker gains damage reduction/adamantine equal to her class level. At level 10 this damage reduction is augmented further and nothing can bypass it.

 (Su): With bones of steel and knuckles of diamond, the earth breaker has learned the art of increasing the density of both herself and the weapons she wields. When she attacks with a weapon or her natural weapons or unarmed strike she may bypass 2 points of hardness per class level plus 1. At level 10 she has effective hardness 21, breaking even unenhanced adamantine.

 (Su): The earth breaker can shatter the ground their enemies stand on, briefly animating it with killing intent and transfering their weapon attacks into an area. As part of an attack, an earth breaker may attack the ground and transfer that energy to any point in Close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./two HD), where it explodes in a blast of shards and rocks in a 10 ft. radius burst. There is no saving throw against the burst effect, instead your attack roll (and damage if your attack would hit) strikes all subjects within the area, and the damage is the same type and strength as if you had attacked them in melee as normal. The enemy must be touching the ground to be effected, and you do not need line of sight, but you do need line of effect through a path of earth (so a river would block line of effect, but not a Wall of Stone). If the attack misses one, it may still hit others if it beats their AC. The earth breaker can use this ability once per encounter at 1st level, and one additional time every two levels after.

 (Ex): This ability grants an earth breaker a +2 bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. An earth breaker who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. An earth breaker can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up. The search check stacks with the dwarven racial ability.

 (Ex): At 2nd level the power of earth protects the earth breaker's vitals from harm, granting her light fortification (25%). At 6th level, this raises to moderate fortification (75%) and at 8th level it becomes heavy fortification, offering complete immunity to critical hits and sneak attacks.

 (Ex): At 3rd level an earth breaker can sunder things with tremendous force. She gains the effects of the Improved Sunder feat. Is she has, or ever gains Improved Sunder the feat grants an additional 2d6 damage and +2 to attack rolls against objects and constructs, and her attacks bypass damage reduction/adamantine.

 (Su): At 4th level an earth breaker gains the earth glide ability of an earth elemental, traveling at half their land speed as they burrow. An earth breaker can glide through stone, dirt, or almost any other sort of earth except metal as easily as a fish swims through water. Her burrowing leaves behind no tunnel or hole, nor does it create any ripple or other signs of its presence. A move earth spell cast on an area containing a burrowing earth breaker flings the earth breaker back 30 feet, stunning them for 1 round unless you succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save. You can only earth glide continuously for a number of rounds equal to half your class level.

At 7th level, the ability improves, allowing you to earth glide at your full speed, and allowing you to run. You also are no longer swimming blind, gaining tremorsense out to 30 ft. while more than half your body is submersed in rock. At 10th level, the ability improves again, allowing you to actually see through up to 60 ft. of solid rock, appearing hazy and translucent. This allows you to see other burrowing creatures with your own eyes while gliding.

' (Su):''' At 5th level an earth breaker may focus the mass of the planet onto a subject, dragging them down onto the ground. As a standard action, she may target a subject within Long range (400 ft. + 40 ft./HD) who must make a Fortitude save, DC 10 + 1/2 HD + charisma modifier. On a failed save, a groundbound target is slowed for 1 minute. An airborne target instead loses the ability to fly by magical or mundane means for the duration of 10 minutes, but is not otherwise slowed. Since the ability suppresses, rather than dispels flight, the victim may crash suddenly and violently to the ground. A successful saving throw negates this ability. She may employ this 2/day at 5th level, and one additional time per day every four class levels.

 (Ex): At 5th level, an earth breaker gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground). This stacks with the dwarven racial ability.

' (Su):''' At 6th level, with a great stomp the earth breaker can break open the earth below. As a standard action, they release a fissure in the ground 60 ft. deep and in a 120 ft. line. Those caught in the area take 1d6 points of bludgeoning damage per class level, and on a failed save they fall down the fissure, possibly dealing another 6d6 in falling damage. The fissure remains on the battlefield for 5 rounds, before it grinds shut, entrapping anyone unfortunate enough to remain at the bottom of the pit. The ability gives a Reflex save DC 10 + 1/2 HD + charisma modifier, a successful save halves the damage taken, and negates the falling as they leap to the side.

At 10th level, the ability may also take the form of a massive sinkhole with a 20 ft. radius, and a successful save forces them to the edge of the area, scattering their forces even on a successful save. Using this ability draws out of your uses of the gravity ability, if you lack at least 1 use of gravity, you cannot use quake.

 (Ex): At 10th level, an earth breaker binds with the elemental plane of earth and becomes something more than human. They become an outsider with the [Earth] subtype, their damage reduction/adamantine becomes damage reduction/-, and gain an earth elemental's push ability. An earth breaker can start a bull rush maneuver without provoking an attack of opportunity. The combat modifiers given in Earth Mastery, above, also apply to the elemental’s opposed Strength checks. If they already have Improved Bull Rush feat they gain a +4 bonus to their checks. They often have a minor physical change associated with their ascension, such as rocky skin or an unusually heavy body.

The epic Earth Breaker gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic Earth Breaker feats) every 4 levels after 2nd.

Epic Earth Breaker Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Damage Reduction, Dire Charge, Energy Resistance, Epic Endurance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess, Epic Reflexes, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Toughness, Epic Will, Extended Life Span, Fast Healing, Great Charisma, Great Constitution, Great Dexterity, Great Intelligence, Great Strength, Great Wisdom, Improved Darkvision, Improved Low-Light Vision, Legendary Climber, Legendary Wrestler, Penetrate Damage Reduction, Perfect Health

Playing an Earth Breaker
Combat: Powerful defensive brutes, earth breakers make ideal front line combatants, able to survive as well as deal it out. Unique to most melee units, they can strike at several people at once, either with their earth breaker ability or quake. They are reliant on fighting an enemy on ground however, but it is a problem they can solve themselves.

Advancement: Classes which advance damage reduction/-, or classes which grant them large amounts of damage to their attacks, help the earth breaker remain a threat. Ways to create difficult terrain are both useful and flavorful.

Resources: Earth Breakers are not universally organized, but can and do recognize others of their kin, and any elemental focused class. Out of the various elemental focused classes they find those which are focused on wind to be aloof, untrusting, and easily distracted. Earth Breakers as a whole tend to be a focused lot.

Earth Breakers in the World
"No matter what you throw at me, it is for naught. I am unmovable."

NPC Reactions: Earth Breakers do not appear to be an abnormal member of their race or previous class until late, and thus are treated no differently, but even a commoner can identify a mysterious quality to a high level earth breaker. It is not baneful or beneficial, but certainly something which may give you a reputation and make you easy to identify in a crowd.

Earth Breaker Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge The Planes can research earth breakers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Earth Breakers in the Game
Sample Encounter: <-DM placement for NPC of this class->

EL 10: