Tome of Fiends (3.5e Sourcebook)/Spheres and Feats

= Fiends with Style =

This section contains new feats and spheres as well as an optional rule to make people assuming the mantle of fiendish power seem a little more... fiendish.

Fiendish Taint: Assuming the Face of Evil
Fiendish power is a taint upon the realms, and so its power corrupts those who are strong in its power. As a fiend allows more of the energies of the Lower Planes to enter his body, transformations beyond his control alter his true form, forcing him to become an image of evil. The forms of the fiendish subraces are well known; balors and lemurs are easily recognizable in order to better signify their roles in fiendish society, but those who embrace the quintessential nature of fiendish existence can exhibit a wild and wide variety of forms. Some are merely permutations on a theme; for instance, a succubus who has embraced the Sphere of Violation might merely be an emotionally distant ice princess, while a bone devil who has wallowed in his Brutish nature may exhibit the addition of anorexic wings to accompany an acquired ability to fly and colorful markings along his claws that denote their mutation into poisonous implements. Other fiends offer no such frame of reference, such the totally unique Demon Princes, symbols of fiendish power and might.

Some mortals gain fiendish power by bloodline or transformation, and these beings find that they pay the same price as a True Fiend. Having dabbled in fiendish power, most believed that they could embrace true evil without consequences; the truth is that fiendish power marks its bearers, displaying their nature and allegiance for all to see.

Game effects: Game mechanically, there is no reason for any demonic creature to look like anything. A gelugon could look like a planetar, and aside from a little player confusion at the beginning, then any combat or non-combat situation would play out the same. This is a purely flavor model, and it reinforces the choice a player has made to become a Fiend. In this way, he’s getting the feeling of becoming a more powerful fiend, and the class and feat options aren’t just another power option. Once he’s leaving a trail of ooze or he’s hiding his scales in the local pub, he’s certain to feel like a fiend.

The system for these changes is simple: for every feat with the Fiend subtype you acquire, you choose one physical trait over and beyond any transformations these feats might grant or inflict, and for every Sphere you acquire, you choose one mental trait. Feel free to create any new traits with your DM’s permission, but make sure that they are both obvious and disturbing. Feel free to disallow the choice of a trait if it overlaps another trait (like fur covering a change in color on a set of limbs).

Physical traits can be hidden with the Disguise skill or shape-changing magic or effects, and mental traits can be played off by using Bluff. Once someone has noticed a trait, they may make a Knowledge (planes) check to identify that a person is a Fiend. How they react at that point is up to them.

Physical Traits:
 * Drips slime or excessive dust wherever he goes
 * A pair of appendages are of different color from the rest of the body.
 * Scales, fur, or loose/cracking skin cover arms, legs, chest, back, or face (no game effect)
 * Has a stylized wound that never heals
 * Gains non-functional horns, spurs, or bone ridges
 * Small hump on back
 * Body is feverishly hot or cold
 * Drools incessantly
 * Breathe steams in any ambient temperature
 * Extra joint in fingers and toes.
 * Sharpened teeth (enlarged canines, shark teeth, or some other style)
 * Alien eyes (change in color, shape, or composition)
 * Extra non-functional eye or eyes on face.
 * Altered body proportions (longer or shorts arms, legs torso, etc) or size(large head, fist, etc).
 * Apparently dying of a disease (choose a disease, but it has no game effect)
 * Limb is rotted and skeletal (no game effect).
 * Limbs have extra tendons.
 * Gain non-functional wings.
 * Hands resembles spiders.
 * Smells of ash or brimstone.
 * Hole all the way through body in the center of torso.
 * Stand unnaturally still when not paying attention.
 * Cloven feet.
 * Tentacles for fingers
 * Appears as if worms or bugs are crawling under skin.
 * Plants droop when held.
 * Extra ribs extend to pelvis
 * Skin wrinkles when struck, and must be smoothed down.
 * When sleeping, runes and glyphs press up from under skin.
 * Holy symbols and holy water cause very mild burns (no game effect)

Mental Traits:
 * Gaze lingers hungrily at acts associated with one's Spheres.
 * Cruel smile or laugh.
 * Distaste for the company of good-aligned people
 * Fondness for disturbing imagery.
 * Seems pained or ill in good-aligned temples.
 * Must taste the blood on his weapons after every kill.
 * Displays no emotion at atrocity or other’s pain.
 * Obviously enjoys the taste of bloody meat.
 * Eat bugs when you think no one is watching.
 * Only laughs when seeing others in pain.
 * Must keep an unholy symbol in your possession, if possible.
 * Appears extremely avaricious in the presence of exposed wealth.
 * Becomes visibly excited when pain is inflicted on others.
 * Seems in awe of more powerful demons.
 * Must lie about one’s past, but only about unimportant details.
 * Seems fearful and guilty in the presence of celestials.
 * Bathes as little as possible.
 * Must keep lair and possessions as clean as possible.
 * Seems angry and resentful with given a command.
 * Seems gloating and sarcastic when giving orders.
 * Always asks to keep evil magic items or spellbooks with Corrupt or [evil] spells (can change mind as soon as one round later).
 * Seems bored when morality is discussed.
 * Seems happy during funerals and executions.
 * Leers at any woman of child-bearing age or older.
 * When confronted by authority figures, always seems bitter.
 * Seems angry when charity or help is offered.
 * Seems to not understand respect for the dead.
 * Is rude when asked for help or charity.
 * Unable to show love.
 * Unable to express appreciation.

The Feats
A feat with the [Fiend] tag can only be taken by a creature who is a Fiend. For this purpose, any creature from any lower plane is a Fiend regardless of its alignment. Further, any elemental or outsider with an Evil alignment is a Fiend regardless of its plane of origin. The abilities granted by feats with the [Fiend] tag are Extraordinary abilities unless otherwise stated.

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Fiendish Spheres
Fiends (and some of their minions and associates) cast magic primarily through spell-like abilities. While many signature fiends have arbitrary lists of spell-like abilities, the Tome of Fiends offers a method to advance Fiends into thematically appropriate spell-like abilities when they advance. When a fiend has access to a sphere, she is able to use all of the abilities within that sphere up to her character level. If she gains more levels, more powers of the sphere become available. In this way the spell-like abilities of fiends created with the rules in this tome should always be aesthetically and level appropriate.

Basic Sphere Access: When a creature has basic access to a sphere, she can use any of the spells listed in the sphere once per day each as spell-like abilities, provided that their listed level is equal or lower to the creature's character level.

Advanced Sphere Access: When a creature has advanced access to a sphere, she can use any of the spells listed in the sphere 3 times per day each as spell-like abilities, provided that their listed level is equal or lower to the creature's character level.

Expert Sphere Access: When a creature has expert access to a sphere, any spells listed in the sphere may be used at will as spell-like abilities, provided that their listed level is equal or lower to the creature's character level.

Creating new spheres: The following list of spheres isn't intended to be comprehensive, and we fully expect that some players and DMs will want many more spheres than we have scribed. All new spheres must be approved of by the DM, and should represent some actual (indifferent or evil) trait like "intoxication" or "badgers" rather than a game mechanical notion like "kicking ass and being totally sweet" or something praiseworthy like "generosity". A good place to start is actually Domains, as these are already a source by which a character gains a thematic spell at every odd-numbered level.

Spheres and Spell Levels:. The save DC of a spell-like ability granted through Sphere access is Charisma-based. The formula for the saving throw is 10 + 1⁄2 Character Level (rounded down) + Charisma Modifier. Thus, the save DC for a spell-like ability at character level 5 is 12 + Charisma bonus.

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