Dread Impaler (3.5e Prestige Class)

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A warrior who gain blasphemous and semi-vampiric abilities from a dark ritual

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7

Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting Minor

Dread Impaler

“	One thousand men on pikes, to ward off my enemies. One thousand men on pikes, to scare off their armies. One thousand men on pikes, to stave off my mortality!	”
—Unknown Dread Impaler

It is said that the pursuit of power and immortality will lead men and women to commit great atrocities, and through the power of the profane great power can be found. A dread impaler uses an ancient ritual, which isn't unlike the one in legend which created the first vampire. The pursuit of this power requires a dark heart, as well as a thirst for blood, both literal and figurative. A dread impaler will find themselves able to drink blood for sustenance, become stronger and tougher and eventually cursed by the sun but otherwise able to stave off the wear of time.

Becoming a Dread Impaler

A Dread Impaler typically hail from the ranks of fighters, barbarian, and more combat oriented rogues. They share a lot with the blackguard, gaining magical and supernatural abilities from the ritual. Eventually the dread impaler will become more than human and share a few traits with the undead, although while remaining alive in a profane and cursed state.

Entry Requirements  

Alignment:	Any Evil.
Base Attack Bonus:	+6.
Skills:	Knowledge (Arcana) 5 Ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 5 Ranks.
Feats:	Black Disciple, Weapon Focus.
Special:	Must impale an hundred or more helpless humanoid creatures alive on pike, collect their blood into a chalice then consume the blood in a profane ritual.

Table: The Dread Impaler

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells
		Fort	Ref	Will		1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Life-Drinker, Sanguine Sustenance (Food)	0	—	—	—
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Aura of Dread	1	0	—	—
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Summon Pike	2	1	0	—
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Tainted Blood	3	2	1	0
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Black Cloud, Sanguine Sustenance (Life)	4	3	2	1
6th	+6/+1	+5	+2	+5	Mass Summon Pike, Suncursed Ascension	4	4	3	2
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Dread Impaler.

Spellcasting: A dread impaler casts divine spells spontaneously, using her highest mental ability score to determine her bonus spell per day, the highest spell she can cast and the DCs of her spell. She do not have spell known unlike most spontaneous casters, instead she cast directly from the Blackguard Spell List.

Life-Drinker (Su): A 1st level dread impaler is rejuvenated when she kills, as she drinks the very life force of those she slays. Whenever a creature damaged by the dread impaler within the last round dies, the dread impaler regains a number of hit points equal to half the CR of the slain creature. She may sacrifice 5 hit points of this healing to instead heal 1 point of Ability Damage.

Sanguine Sustenance (Ex): A 1st level dread impaler can sustain herself with the blood of her enemies, if she drink a single pint of blood which belonged to a sapient creature she counts as having consumed enough food and drink for the day. When she rests if she consumes enough blood to sustain herself for that day she recovers twice the amount of hit point and ability damage from rest.

At 5th level if she consumes at least five pints of blood which belonged to a sapient creature then she does not age for the day. If she consumes one pint of unicorn blood or the blood of a creature with the [Good] subtype, she does not age for a month.

Aura of Dread (Ex): A 2nd level dread impaler can inspire dread into her foes and even in an entire army. All creatures of CR 2 or less within 30 ft of her are always At Bay from her as long as she stays in their line of sight or until they successfully strike her, creatures of a higher CR are allowed a Will save to avoid this effect. A creature that successfully saves against this effect or successfully strikes the Dread Impaler is immune to it for 1 minute. A dread impaler may exclude a creature from its aura as a free action.

Summon Pikes (Su): As a standard action, a 3rd level dread impaler can summon an iron pike from the underworld under her opponent. She selects a single grounded square within 30 feet of her, and makes an attack roll using her highest mental ability modifier instead of her Strength against any creature in that square. The pike deals 1d8 per class level + the dread impaler's highest mental ability score bonus in piercing damage with a 20/x3 critical modifier. This attack counts as evil-aligned and magic for the purpose of overcoming DR. If the creature is helpless or dying, this is made a coup de grace instead of an attack.

A creature slain by summon pike is impaled 15 feet above the square. The spike stays in existence permanently and counts as an obstacle. It is made of a weird ferrous structure, which is as hard as steel but quickly breaks down in valueless chunks if broken down.

At 6th level the dread impaler is now able to summon multiple pikes, striking a number of squares equal to half her class level. While a creature can only be attacked once by this class feature, each pike beyond the first grants the dread impaler a cumulative +1 circumstance bonus on the attack roll and adds an additional 1d8 damage to the damage roll.

Tainted Blood (Ex): A 4th level dread impaler has tainted herself beyond any recovery, which cause her to radiate evil as a cleric or her class level and gaining the Light Sensitivity of an Orc. However the transformation makes her supernaturally tough and strong, granting her a +2 profane bonus to Strength and DR 5/Silver.

Black Cloud (Sp): A 5th level dread impaler is able to use its blasphemous power to travel in the form of a dark cloud. She gain both greater gaseous form and thunderhead visage as spell-like ability usable at-will.

Suncursed Ascension: At 6th level the dread impaler has corrupted herself inside out, while she looks mostly normal on the outside, she is rotten within. She now takes 1 point of damage at the start of her turn while in direct sunlight, which cannot be healed until she spends at least 1 round away from direct sunlight. However her new corruption grants her fast healing 1 (or improves her highest fast healing by 1) and her DR from Tainted Blood increases to DR 10/Good and Silver. She is also healed by both negative and positive energy.

If she is slain she may be resurrected as per true resurrection by gathering at least one of her body parts cast into a pool of blood, alongside with performing a profane ritual. This may even bring back the Dread Impaler who died from old age. The dread impaler returns to life as a young adult. As a result some Dread Impaler may arrange their own death and resurrection.

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