The Unworthy (3.5e Prestige Class)

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In the world, there are those who do battle. Some fight for power, some for fame, others fight for riches. A rare few fight for another, and these few are the most frightening warriors of all. 10 10

"+10" is not in the list (Good, Moderate, Poor, Other) of allowed values for the "Base Attack Bonus Progression" property.

"good" is not in the list (Good, Poor, Bad, Varies, Other) of allowed values for the "Fortitude Save Progression" property.

"poor" is not in the list (Good, Poor, Bad, Varies, Other) of allowed values for the "Reflex Save Progression" property.

"good" is not in the list (Good, Poor, Bad, Varies, Other) of allowed values for the "Will Save Progression" property.

Unworthy

“	I would die for you, but the death of this humble one would cause you much strife, and so I will ever endure, until such a time that you no longer have need of me, when even your bones no longer remain and the memory of your grace has gone from the lands. When you’re light has left the world, leaving it dim and without hope. Only then will my fight end, in shame and defeat, for having so failed you.	”
—Vera Cel, Elven Unworthy

The Unworthy is a warrior who devotes himself to the service of another completely. An Unworthy will fight to protect and to advance the purposes of their master relentlessly forgoing both food and rest if necessary. Their very being and reason for existing becomes intrinsically tied to their master and they find fulfillment not in their own success, but in serving what they see as a higher purpose.

Becoming an Unworthy

Anyone could be an Unworthy and the reasons for becoming one are numerous. Some do so out of a sense of guilt, some out of honor, others simply because they feel they owe someone something, or perhaps their master was simply there when they were in need, and the unworthy wishes to return the favor. Whatever and individual’s reasons, the unworthy truly sees himself as humble and their master grand. For their master they would gladly face any adversity without fear. For the one to whom he dedicates himself an Unworthy would kill even death itself so they can serve forever.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any, but Evil Unworthy are rare
Base Attack Bonus:	10
Race:	Any
Skills:	Survival 8 Ranks.
Feats:	Diehard.
Special:	Must have dedicated themself completely to another.

Table: The Unworthy

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Eternal Bond, Blessed by Their Light
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Unbound
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	The Master’s Shield
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Blessed by Their Light, Castling
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Unwaivering
6th	+6	+5	+2	+5	Interpose, The Master’s Shield
7th	+7	+5	+2	+5	Blessed by Their Light, The Master’s Shadow
8th	+8	+6	+2	+6	Returning their Gifts
9th	+9	+6	+3	+6	Impassible Barrier The Master’s Shield,
10th	+10	+7	+3	+7	Blessed by Their Light, Loyalty Beyond Death
Class Skills ( 4 + Int modifier per level.) Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Unworthy.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Unworthy gain no proficiency with any weapon but do gain proficiency with Medium and heavy armor but no shields.

Eternal Bond (Ex): At first level the unworthy becomes irrevocably bound to the person to which they pledge themself for all time. As such they always know exactly where their master is, and, if ever separated from their master need not eat, drink, or sleep until they and their master have been reunited. Additionally, at 2nd level he no longer needs to eat, drink, or sleep at all.

Blessed by Their Light (Ex): The unworthy feels truly blessed to be able to serve. When in his master’s presence or when directly serving their master’s interests the Unworthy gains a bonus equal to half their class level to attack, damage, AC, and skill checks.

At 4th level the Unworthy is also constantly under the effects of a Haste spell.

At 7th Level the Unworthy Gains DR/- equal to their class level

At 10th level the Unworthy is constantly under the effects of a Regenerate spell this effect does not heal any damage, but the Unworthy remains alive after being decapitated for 2d8+class level rounds. They cannot regrow their head or act while decapitated but if their head is reattached before those rounds are up they are restored to life with the same amount of hit points they had before decapitation (which may mean they are dying).

However, if the Unworthy should ever cause any harm to their master through their actions, whether wittingly or not, they lose all the benefits of this class ability and instead are inflicted with an equal penalty to the bonuses they would have gained for their class levels and are slowed. This penalty persists until the Unworthy receives Atonement or until their Master grants them forgiveness.

Unbound (SU): At 2nd level the Unworthy is always under the effects of a Freedom of Movement spell.

The Master’s Shield (Ex): At 3rd level the Unworthy now acts as their master’s shield, even against mental attacks. Whenever the Unworthy is within Close range of their Master and an attempt is made to read their master’s thoughts, detect their alignment or similar their spell is instead redirected to the Unworthy who resists it normally.

At 6th level This effect becomes a constant Mind Blankeffect.

At 9th level the effects of the Mind blank extend to the Unworthy and he may also extend it to any other party members.

Castling (Sp): At 4th level the Unworthy gains Greater Teleport as a spell like ability useable at will however there are only three situations in which He may use this ability. First, if the Unworthy and their master are ever separated the Unworthy may immediately teleport back to their master’s side, second if the Unworthy’s master is in mortal danger and is within close range of the unworthy he may teleport them away the master is given no save against this effect but it may only be enacted when it is clear there is no chance of survival, and finally if the Master is ever in immediate danger and is within close range the Unworthy may, as an immediate action, switch places with their master. Regardless of which of these are used none of the applications may be used again until an hour has passed.

Unwavering (Ex): At 5th Level the Unworthy becomes entirely unwavering in their loyalty, they gain immunity to Fear and Compulsion effects as well as immediately breaking free of any Charm effects which would compel him to betray his master.

Interpose(Ex): It is the duty and honor of an Unworthy to protect others, at 6th level he may redirect any number of attacks made against an ally within his reach to himself.

The Master’s Shadow(Ex): The Unworthy does not draw attention to himself, preferring instead to let their master’s splendor shine. Until he takes an action that would draw attention to himself people simply don’t notice him. He isn’t hidden nor does he have concealment and so cannot sneak attack unless flanking, but at 7th level at the beginning of each encounter after rolling initiative, the Unworthy then always benefits from a surprise round and always acts first in any surprise round, before assuming his usual spot in the initiative count.

Their Moon(Ex): At 8th Level the Unworthy may now radiate the light he receives from their master, becoming the pale reflection of his master’s radiance. So long as he is within close range of his master they also benefit from his Blessed by Their Light abilities.

Impassible Barrier(Su): The Unworthy must never allow anyone to pass him and harm his master. At 9th level any time an enemy attempts to approach within 30ft of his master while he is within close range and provided he hasn’t acted yet that turn he may immediately act as though he had a readied action but that action must be to move at full speed to intercept the assailant. If at any time an enemy would attempt to pass by him they are stopped by a ‘‘Wall of Force’’, which functions as the spell, but reforms 1d4 rounds after being dispelled, does not impede allied movement or attacks at all, and projects out to 40 ft on either side of him. If an enemy collides with this wall they must make a reflex save (Wis based) or fall prone.

Loyalty Beyond Death}(Ex) At 10th level the Unworthy’s entire existence becomes bound to service. So long as they continue to serve they will endure forever. He becomes truly immortal, he no longer ages, neither gaining bonuses or accruing penalties, his soul cannot be trapped and should he ever be killed he will return in a week’s time.

This immortality is tied to his service, if his master is alive he returns to life at his master’s side. If his master is dead he continues to endure so long as he continues to serve in some fashion, seeking to resurrect his master is of course acceptable, but if his master died of old age or otherwise can’t be resurrected, guarding his master’s tomb, or perpetuating his master’s fame are two options. Another might be coming to serve one of his master’s children, becoming the eternal servant of his master’s bloodline. But the Unworthy is not a mercenary, he cannot simply find a news master selected from the populace.

Ex-Unworthy

An Unworthy is not a slave, he swears no formal oath, and is under no compulsion to obey his master’s orders. However, he must always act in his master’s best interests and toward his goals. If he ever knowingly acts in a manner that would bring harm to his master or which would be detrimental to his master’s goals he immediately loses all benefits of his class levels, but still accrues the penalty for harming his master.

The unworthy may obtain his master’s forgiveness, or atone as per the spell.

Campaign Information

Playing an Unworthy

Combat: The unworthy is his master’s sword and shield, their job is to absorb damage and draw fire away from their allies, especially their master.

Advancement: The unworthy benefits greatly from field control and high hit points and AC so advancing knight levels or entering a Knight PRC is often the choice of Unworthy.

Resources: The Unworthy generally has access to all the resources of their master. They are not required to tithe or make offerings to their master, but they are expected to spend their money serving their master. Usually this means buying more items to help stab things.

Unworthy in the World

“	You wish to count yourself among the ranks of those who serve? Before you follow though on your decision, ponder this. We Unworthy, we always fail, we fight against reality itself, but that is a battle no man, no matter how powerful can ever win.	”
—Shelton Mire, Human Unworthy

The Unworthy are quite tragic characters, they live to serve, to protect another, and they are all, every one of them, doomed to fail in that mission. All Unworthy either die and are never resurrected, or outlive their master, and are forced to live with the knowledge that they person they dedicated their lives to died and they couldn’t stop it. Maybe they died of old age, or their soul was stolen away and the Unworthy simply can’t find the thief. Whatever the cause, every Unworthy knows that one day their beloved master will leave them with only the duty of protecting their bones or preserving their memory to console them.

NPC Reactions: Most people on the street likely wouldn’t be able to pick an Unworthy out from a group of knights. Usually they dress in the same style as their companions, or is simply assumed to be a bodyguard, which is a fair assumption, as they are bodyguards. Those who recognize them for what they are generally see them with either fear or respect, depending upon whether or not they count the Unworthy’s master as a friend or enemy.

Unworthy Lore

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

Knowledge (Local)

DC	Result
11	Unworthy are peerless body guards who will protect their charge to the death.
16	Unworthy’s fervor in their service grants them great power.
21	Some Unworthy overcome even death so that they might better serve their master.
26	Specific information about a particular unworthy.

Unworthy in the Game

The Unworthy are powerful warriors who dedicate themselves to a master. The master’s alignment is irrelevant to the Unworthy all that matters is that they are serving their Master’s interests. What exactly that means varies depending upon the Unworthy, but they will go through any hardship to achieve it.

Unworthy also tend to be quite jealous of their masters, and so it is unusual for a single person to attract more than one Unworthy servant.

Adaptation: Any setting where bodyguards exist could conceivably have Unworthy

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