Dread Impaler (3.5e Prestige Class)

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A warrior who gain

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Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting Minor

Dread Impaler

“	One thousands men on pikes, to ward off my enemies. One thousand men on pikes, to ward off their armies. One thousand men on pikes, to ward off my mortality!	”
—Von Tempes, Human 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 use an ancient ritual, which isn't unlike the one in legend which created the first vampire. The pursuit of this power require 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, altough 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 OR Dark Brand, Blood Rally and Weapon Focus.
Special:	Must impale an hundred or more helpless humanoid creature 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, Partial Class Advancement 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 cast 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 sponatneous casters, instead she cast directly from the Blackguard Spell List.

Life-Drinker (Su): A 1st level Dread Impaler is rejuvenated when she kill, as she drink the very life force of those she slays. Whenever a Dread Impaler kill a creature she regain a number of hit points equal to the CR of the slain creature. She may sacrifice 5 hit points of this healing to instead heal 1 point of Ability Damage.

Additionally the hit point healed by Blood Rally increase by 1 points per class level.

Partial Class Advancement: When you take your first Dread Impaler level, choose a single class. Dread Impaler levels count along with this class to determine class-level based benefits. For example, a spellcaster improves his caster level, a bard gets more bardic music attempts, and a warblade's initiator level increases normally. You can select a class you have yet to take (but gain no benefit until you actually take at least one level of that class). This ability does not grant you spells known, new bardic songs, maneuvers, or similar benefits which are improved by taking actual levels of a class.

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 count as having consumed enough food and drink for the day. When she rest if she consumed enough blood to sustain herself for that day she recover twice the amount of hit point and ability damage from rest.

At 5th level if she consume at least five pints of blood which belonged to a sapient creature then she does not age for the day. If she consume 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 stay in their line of sight or until they successfully strike her, creature of a higher CR are allowed a Will save to avoid this effect. A creature that successfully save against this effect or successfully strike the Dread Impaler is immune to it for 1 minute.

Summon Pike (Su): As a standard action, a 3rd level Dread Impaler can summon a iron pike from the underworld under her opponent. She select a single grounded square within 30 feet of her, and make an attack roll using her highest mental ability modifier instead of her Strength against any creature in that square. The pike deal 1d10 per class level + the Dread Impaler's highest mental ability score bonus in piercing damage with a 20/x3 critical modifier. This attack count 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 stay in existence permanently and count as difficult terrain. It is made of a weird ferrous structure, which is as hard as steel but quickly break down in valueless chunk if broken down.

At 6th level the Dread Impaler may now summon multiple pikes, striking a number of squares equal to her character level. If a creature take multiple square and is targeted by multiple pikes, make multiple attacks and use the highest. You roll damage only once, but for each pike beyond the first that hit add 1d10 damage.

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 make her supernaturally tough and strong, granting her a +4 profane bonus to Strength and DR 5/Silver.

Black Cloud (Sp): A 5th level Dread Impaler is able to use it blasphemous 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 look normal on the outside her inside is rot. She now take 1 point of damage while in direct sunlight, which cannot be healed until she spend at least 1 round not in direct sunlight. However her new corruption grant her Fast Healing 1 (or improve her highest fast healing by 1) and her DR from Tainted Blood increase 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 part casting into a pool of blood, alongside a profane ritual. This may even bring back the Dread Impaler who died from old age. The Dread Impaler return to life as a young adult. As a result some Dread Impaler may arrange their own death and resurrection.

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