Chainlord (3.5e Prestige Class)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 5-25-16 Status: Complete Editing: Mechanical changes on Talk

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Gain various abilities with the spiked chain, largely focused on grappling and slamming opponents. 10 5 Good Poor Good Good Other

Chainlord

“	Dance, chains! Dance and bind them all!	”
—Unknown Kyton Chainlord, The Lamentation Cube Prophecies

The spiked chain is an improbable weapon on its own, but in spite of the obvious dangers of such a tool creatures still manage to figure out means of using it. Some students of the craft turned to the true masters of the chain, beings known as the kyton. Strange and terrible, they nevertheless unlocked a supernatural aspect to the art, for one would need supernatural control over the chaain not to brutally maul yourself with use.

Becoming a Chainlord

Entry Requirements

Base Attack Bonus:	+5.
Skills:	Knowledge The Planes 4 ranks, Use Rope 8 ranks.
Feats:	Get Over Here!, Skill Focus Use Rope.
Special:	Must be proficient with spiked chains.

Table: The Chainlord

Hit Die: d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+0	+2	+2	Armor of Chains, Spirit Chains
2nd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Mystic Chain Arts, Ranged Grip
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+3	Extended Range (+5 ft), Grappling Chain (50 ft)
4th	+4	+1	+4	+4	Ground Slam
5th	+5	+2	+4	+4	Maneuvering Chains, Whirlwind Attack
6th	+6	+2	+5	+5	Wrecking Ball
7th	+7	+2	+5	+5	Extended Range (+10 ft), Grappling Chain (100 ft)
8th	+8	+3	+6	+6	Whirlwind Throw
9th	+9	+3	+6	+6	Soul Binding Chains
10th	+10	+3	+7	+7	Thousand Slam, Whirlwind Pounce
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level.) Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (dance) (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the chainlord.

Armor of Chains (Ex): Once you have performed the ritual of Spirit Chains, a chainlord can manifest chains around their body which act like armor. They gain an armor bonus of 4, with no Max Dex and an armor check penalty of -4. They always have armor spikes in this form. The armor may be enhanced as light armor. Alternatively the chains can bind around a pre-existing armor, granting this armor its armor spikes and you can choose for the armor spikes to be made of the same material as your actual armor. It also helps move and pull the armor, increasing Max Dex by 1 and reducing the armor's effective weight for encumbrance by 1/2. You retain an armor check penalty of your current armor or -4, whichever is worse.

Spirit Chains: In an obscure 24 hour ritual, the chainlord pulls the "spirit" out of their spiked chain and binds it to their body. This causes their spiked chain to vanish, but they become able to manifest ghostly spiked chains from their body at will with the properties of their bonded spiked chain. They can continue to enhance it like normal or even change the material with the appropriate time and cost. Manifesting a chain is the same action as drawing it normally, and if they have Two-Weapon Fighting they can manifest multiple chains in the same action. Additional chains all have the same enhancement and properties.

These chains are always ghost touch. Because they are part of you, sunder attempts just transfer the damage to you. If in an antimagic field its properties are suppress as normal, but you may still conjure your chains as this function is extraordinary. If a spirit chain is dropped it vanishes after 1 round.

Mystic Chain Arts (Sp): In the process of learning the ritual of spirit chains, the 2nd level chainlord unlocks a small but potent degree of magical power. They gain the following spell-like abilities, but only when their total character level is high enough to cast the spell as if they were a wizard of their level, and when they have enough class levels as the level of the spell. For example, a 14th level character with 9 chainlord levels still only has access to the 7th level spell-like ability. You gain the following:

1st-animate rope; 2nd-web; 3rd-alien limb; 4th-black tentacles; 5th-black blood chains; 6th-howling chain^SpC; 7th-black chains of durance; 8th-binding 9th-flaying wind.

Each ability takes on the form of ghostly chains visually. Each ability is 1/day, but gets additional bonus spells per day for a high enough ability score. It uses your highest mental ability score for spell DCs and bonus spells per day

Ranged Grip (Ex): A 2nd level chainlord can use their chains so well they can lash up and grapple things from afar. They can use their spirit chains as if they were hands, grabbing and carrying objects and people, and enabling grappling from afar. They cannot wield weapons or make somatic components, however, as they do not have that degree of precision.

Extended Range (Ex): At 3rd level the chainlord's spirit chains seem to grow in length. They gain an extra +5 ft reach. At 7th level, it increases to an extra 10 ft reach instead.

Grappling Chain (Ex): At 3rd level the chainlord can release an extra long chain that behaves as a hookshot. They may use their melee ability modifier on the ranged attacks with this chain, but cannot use the ranged grip function and it remains a ranged attack roll. It starts with 50 ft of chain, but at 7th level it becomes 100 ft of chain.

Ground Slam (Ex): The 4th level chainlord can grapple an creature and immediately slam them into the ground or wall as part of the same action. On a successful hit with either the spirit chains or the grappling chain make a grapple check (stability applies). You may change the creature's position to anywhere in your reach. If this meets a surface they take falling damage equal to your normal damage roll + 2d6. This immediately breaks any grapple you had with your spirit chains.

Maneuvering Chains (Ex): At 5th level the chainlord can use their chains to zip around the area like a certain web slinger. They gain the effect of 3D Maneuver Gear as well as the corresponding 3D Maneuver Gear Proficiency.

At 7th level when the Grappling Chains extend, so does the range of Maneuvering Chains.

Whirlwind Attack: At 5th level the chainlord gains Whirlwind Attack as a bonus feat. If they already have it, they may select a different Fighter bonus feat.

Wrecking Ball (Ex): The 6th level chainlord can now use their spirit chain grappled victims as a ball & chain. After a successful grapple check they can swing them around at a -4 penalty, dealing their 2d6 (for medium creatures) plus Strength and spiked chain enhancements to both their grappled target and whatever they are hitting. They may now target creatures with their Ground Slam as well, dealing the falling damage to both grappled target and struck target.

Whirlwind Throw (Ex): The 8th level chainlord can throw a creature grappled by their spirit chains very far, while striking everyone around them. As a full round action, and on a successful grapple check, the chainlord makes a Whirlwind Attack, dealing damage to both targets around them and their grappled creature as per Wrecking Ball. Then, they are thrown in any direction 10 ft per HD. If the creature hits a wall before then they take falling damage as if they had fallen the full distance.

Soul Binding Chains (Su): The 9th level chainlord's spirit chains lock onto the very soul of a creature. Any creature with (or who is) a soul is subject to this. That is, most things with a Constitution score, and incorporeal undead or other creatures which are souls. Creatures grappled by the spirit chains are subject to tyranny of movement, and the chains themselves have a constant soulbinding sword effect.

Thousand Slam (Ex): At 10th level, the chainlord can perform a special form of Ground Slam. 1/day, when performing a Ground Slam each iterative attack only takes a -3 penalty, and the chainlord has unlimited iterative attacks. The attacks do not cease until the chainlord misses with an attack.

Whirling Pounce (Ex): At 10th level, the chainlord can perform a Whirlwind Attack or their Wrecking Ball as a standard action, and can do so at the end of a charge.

Chainlord Lore

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

Knowledge The Planes

DC	Result
10	Chainlords are master of the spiked chain, and have bonded their chain to their body through a strange ritual.
15	Chainlords casually grapple people at range and smack the about like a wrecking ball.
20	Chainlords have some magical capability, and can chain down your very soul.
30	Those who reach this level of success can research specific chainlords, their whereabouts, motives, and recent trivia.

Chainlords in the Game

Adaptation: The subtle fiendish flavor could be much more pronounced, and turned into an evil only class for followers of Kytons.

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