A friend wanted me to rewrite cancer mage as a base class and it...somehow turned into a version of the warlock that was good friends with hexblade. I'm not quite sure how that happened. Hell with it, it's three in the morning.
I'm aiming for tier three,
maybe a low tier two.
Cancer Warlock[spoiler]
Empowered by a supernatural disease, a cancer warlock seeks to master the malignant energy that suffuses his body. Unlike sorcerers or wizards, who approach arcane magic through the medium of spells, a cancer warlock invokes powerful magic through nothing more than an effort of will. By harnessing the magic bestowed upon him by his affliction through fearsome determination and force of will, a cancer warlock can infect entire settlements with plague, beguile the weak-minded, or scour his foes with blasts of raw power.
Adventures: Many warlocks are champions of dark and diseased powers. Afflicted by diseases of supernatural origin, they effectively trade their health in exchange for supernatural power. While some cancer warlocks have turned away from evil, seeking to undo the wrongs of their former colleagues, they are still afflicted by the body-wracking diseases through which they acquired their powers. The demand to spread their afflictions or resist them drives most cancer warlocks to seek the opportunities for power, wealth, and great deeds (for good or ill) offered by adventuring.
Characteristics: Cancer warlocks harness great reserves of mystical energy. The font of dark magic burning in their bodies makes them resistant to many forms of attack and arms them with dangerous power. Cancer warlocks do not wield spells, but they do learn to harness their power to perform a small number of specific attacks and tricks called invocations. Cancer warlocks make up for their lack of versatility by being tougher and more resilient than sorcerers or wizards, as well as having several unique abilities.
Alignment: Cancer warlocks are often chaotic or evil (and more than a few are both). The ravaging diseases from which they draw their power can be cruel, capricious, and wild, and are unbound by views of right and wrong. However, even cancer warlocks who derive their powers from the most destructive and degenerative of diseases have been known to turn the black powers at their command against evil. A good-aligned cancer warlcok is a grim and fearsome enemy of evil. All too familiar with the darkness coursing through his body, he gazes unflinchingly on the evil in others and battles the foulest of foes without fear.
Religion: Many cancer warlocks feel abandoned by the gods, having been forced to cope with the ravages of unholy disease. As such, many scorn religion, though some seek the favor of cruel and bloodthirsty deities.
Background: Cancer warlocks are made, not born. All are afflicted by a degenerative, magical cancer that they can harness for mystical power. Some intentionally infect themselves with this plague, driven by ambition or the desire for power, but a few blameless individuals are afflicted with the disease through random chance. The exact nature of a cancer warlock's origin is up to the player to decide.
Races: Ambitious and often unprincipled, humans are the most likely to intentionally infect themselves with the dangerous disease that leads to life as cancer warlocks. Half-orcs are common as cancer warlocks as well, since they often find that the powers that create them do not discriminate against individuals of mixed heritage. Cancer warlocks of other races are rare at best.
Other Classes: The cancer warlock views sorcerers and wizards as bitter rivals, and clerics and paladins as dangerous foes. However, he values the strength and cleverness of resourceful fighters and rogues. Of course, most cancer warlocks understand that it's a bad idea to antagonize their comrades (especially those who can render them useless by "curing" them), and so they work out an uneasy truce with characters who otherwise might ostracize them.
Role: A cancer warlock serves much the same role in an adventuring party as a sorcerer or wizard would. He is much more limited in his abilities compared to the spell selection of spellcasters, and he must rely on his
malignant blast in place of the spell power of an arcane caster. Like a bard, he often fits best in a party that already has another spellcaster or two, since his unique abilities provide him with little magic to use for his companions' benefit.
Game Rule InformationCancer warlocks have the following game statistics.
Abilities: A high Charisma score makes a cancer warlocks's invocations and spell-like abilities harder to resist, and a high Constitution score empowers some of his cancer-based abilities, in addition to granting him extra hit points. High Dexterity is also very valuable to a cancer warlock, allowing him to better aim his
malignant blasts.
Alignment: Any evil or any chaotic.
Hit Die: d6
Class Skills The cancer warlock's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Invocations Known |
| 1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | +0 | Malignant blast 1d6, bestow tumor 1/day, disease host, least invocations | 1 |
| 2 | +1 | +3 | +0 | +0 | Touch of cancerous growth | 2 |
| 3 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +1 | Malignant blast 2d6, metabolize poison | 2 |
| 4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Cancerous companion | 3 |
| 5 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +1 | Contagion, malignant blast 3d6, bestow tumor 2/day | 3 |
| 6 | +4 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Cancer casting 1/day, lesser invocations | 4 |
| 7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Bestow greater tumor, malignant blast 4d6 | 4 |
| 8 | +6/+1 | +6 | +2 | +2 | Corrupt regrowth 1 | 5 |
| 9 | +6/+1 | +6 | +3 | +3 | Poison, malignant blast 5d6, bestow tumor 3/day | 5 |
| 10 | +7/+2 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Viral agent, sickening pustules | 6 |
| 11 | +8/+3 | +7 | +3 | +3 | Malignant blast 6d6, greater invocations | 7 |
| 12 | +9/+4 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Extra mind, lingering infection | 7 |
| 13 | +9/+4 | +8 | +4 | +4 | Corrupt regrowth 2, bestow tumor 4/day | 8 |
| 14 | +10/+5 | +9 | +4 | +4 | Cancer casting 2/day, malignant blast 7d6 | 8 |
| 15 | +11/+6/+1 | +9 | +5 | +5 | Viral ally | 9 |
| 16 | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Avascular mass, dark invocations | 10 |
| 17 | +12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +5 | Bloodwalk, malignant blast 8d6, bestow tumor 5/day | 10 |
| 18 | +13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Cancerous rebirth, corrupt regrowth 5 | 11 |
| 19 | +14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +6 | Bestow dire tumor | 11 |
| 20 | +15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +6 | Disease form, malignant blast 9d6 | 12 |
Class FeaturesAll the following are class features of the cancer warlock.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a cancer warlock, you are proficient with all simple weapons. You are also proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
Because the somatic components required for cancer warlock invocations are relatively simple, you can use any of your invocations while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like arcane spellcasters, you incur a chance of arcane spell failure while wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield (all invocations, including
malignant blast, have a somatic component). If you multiclass, you still incur the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from levels in other classes.
Invocations: As a cancer warlock, you do not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane magic. Instead, you possess a repertoire of attacks, defenses, and abilities known as invocations that require you to focus the diseased energy that suffuses your body. You may use any invocation you know at will, with the following qualifications:
Your invocations are spell-like abilities; using an invocation is therefore a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. An invocation can be disrupted, just as a spell can be ruined during casting. You are entitled to a Concentration check to successfully use an invocation if you are hit by an attack while invoking, just as a spellcaster would be. You can choose to use an invocation defensively, by making a successful Concentration check, to avoid provoking attacks of opportunity. Your invocations are subject to spell resistance unless an invocation's description specifically states otherwise. Your caster level with your invocations is equal to your cancer warlock level.
The save DC for an invocation (if it allows a save) is 10 + equivalent spell level + your Charisma modifier. Since spell-like abilities are not actually spells, you cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat. You can, however, benefit from the Ability Focus feat (see page 303 of the
Moster Manual), as well as from feats that emulate metamagic effects for spell-like abilities, such as Quicken Spell-Like Ability and Empower Spell-Like Ability (see pages 303 and 304 of the
Monster Manual).
The four grades of invocations, in order of the relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and dark. You begin with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least). As you gain levels, you learn new invocations, as summarized on the table and summarized below. You can learn any invocation available to warlocks, as described in
Complete Arcane,
Complete Mage,
Cityscape,
Dragon Magic,
Drow of the Underdark, and
Magic of Incarnum.
At any level when you learn a new invocation, you can also replace an invocation you already know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade. At 6th level, you can replace a least invocation you know with a different least invocation (in addition to learning a new invocation, which could be either least or lesser). At 11th level, you can replace a least or lesser invocation you know with another invocation of the same or lower grade (in addition to learning a new invocation, which could be least, lesser, or greater). At 16th level, you can replace a least, lesser, or greater invocation you know with another invocation of the same or a lower grade (in addition to learning a new invocation, which could be least, lesser, greater, or dark).
Finally, unlike other spell-like abilities, invocations are subject to arcane spell failure chance as described under Weapon and Armor Proficiency above. Your use of invocations means that you can qualify for some prestige classes usually intended for spellcasters; see Warlocks and Prestige Classes, page 18 of
Complete Arcane, for details.
Malignant Blast (Sp): The first ability you learn as a cancer warlock is
malignant blast. You attack your foes with malevolent power drawn from your multifarious diseases, using corrupt magical energy to deal damage and sometimes impart other debilitating effects.
A
malignant blast is a ray with a range of 60 feet. It is a ranged touch attack that affects a single target, allowing no saving throw. A
malignant blast deals 1d6 points of damage at 1st level and increases in power as you rise in level. A
malignant blast is the equivalent of a spell whose level is equal to one-half your cancer warlock level (round down), with a minimum spell level of 1st and a maximum of 9th when you reach 18th level or higher.
A
malignant blast is subject to spell resistance, although the Spell Penetration feat and other effects that improve caster level checks to overcome spell resistance also apply to
malignant blast. A
malignant blast deals half damage to objects. Metamagic feats cannot improve your
malignant blast (because it is a spell-like ability, not a spell). However, the feat Ability Focus (
malignant blast) increases the DC for all saving throws (if any) associated with your
malignant blast by 2. See page 303 of the
Monster Manual.
In addition, your
malignant blast counts as
eldritch blast for the purpose of eldritch essence invocations and blast shape invocations, but not for the purpose of class features or feats. Levels in a class with
eldritch blast do not stack with your cancer warlock levels for the purpose of determining your
malignant blast damage.
Bestow Tumor (Sp): Once per day, as a swift action, you can create a tumor in the body of a foe. The target must be a living creature that is visible to you and is within 60 ft. A creature upon which you bestow a tumor takes a -2 penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls for 1 hour thereafter. A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Charisma modifier) negates the effect.
At every four levels beyond 1st (5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th), you gain the ability to bestow a tumor one additional time per day, as indicated on the table. The effects of multiple tumors don't stack, and any foe that successfully resists your bestow tumor ability cannot be affected by one of your tumors for 24 hours.
Any effect that removes or cures a disease eliminates the effect of a tumor that you bestow with this ability.
Disease Host (Ex): As an agent of cancer, you suffer no ill effects of diseases, except for purely cosmetic ones such as boils, pockmarks, watery eyes, blackened skin, hair loss, foul smell, and so on. You become a carrier of every disease you encounter, though you remain immune to most of their effects.
However, you take 1d6 points of damage per caster level if someone casts a
cure disease effect on you (you may make a Fortitude save to try and resist the effect). Furthermore, if you have a cancerous companion (see below), you lose all abilities gained from the companion for 1d10 days after being the subject of a
cure disease spell.
If you contract a disease that provides positive effects to those afflicted by it, you only gain those benefits if you also accept the negative effects of the disease.
Touch of Cancerous Growth (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can heal wounds (your own or those of others) by touch. Each day, you can heal a total number of hit points of damage equal to your cancer warlock level x your Constitution bonus. You may choose to divide your healing among multiple recipients, and you don't have to use it all at once. Using this ability is a standard action.
As this ability modifies the body's natural ability to heal, it is not positive energy and has no effect on undead. However, the regrowth caused by this ability is imperfect, and any target who receives more than 10 points of healing from this ability at one time takes 1 point of Charisma damage, which cannot be prevented by any means and can only be healed naturally.
Metabolize Poison (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to metabolize poisons as though they were harmless. You suffer no ill effects of poisons that enter your body, and instead draw on it to bolster your body. If a poison would deal hit point damage to you, you instead gain a number of temporary hit points equal to the damage it would have done. If it would deal ability damage, you instead gain a temporary enhancement bonus to that ability equal to the ability damage that would have been dealt. These enhancements last for one round per cancer warlock level. Each ability score can benefit from this ability only once per day.
Cancerous Companion (Ex): When you reach 4th level, the cancerous tumor that has grown within your body begins to gain intelligence and a personality distinct from yours. Its Intelligence score is equal to 4 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level.
If your cancerous companion is destroyed or is somehow removed from your body, it regrows somewhere in your body in 1d10 days. The tumor is the physical manifestation of the power and virulence of the pestilence that wracks your body. Destroying such a tumor merely severs your link to your powers for a short time.
Your cancerous companion cannot see or hear by use of conventional senses, but it does have blindsight out to 30 feet. When you reach 15th level, its senses improve, granting it blindsight out to 60 feet. You communicate with your cancerous companion telepathically.
If a cancerous companion must make a saving throw, it uses your save modifier. It lacks skill ranks, feats, Hit Dice, and ability scores other than Intelligence.
Contagion (Sp): Starting at 5th level, you can inflict disease on a creature you damage with your
malignant blast three times per day. This ability works like the
contagion spell (see page 213 of the
Player's Handbook), inflicting the disease of your choice immediately, with no incubation period, unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Charisma modifier). The DC for subsequent saving throws to resist the effects of the disease depends on the disease inflicted; see page 292 of the
Dungeon Master's Guide for details.
Activating this ability is a swift action. The effect lasts until you make a successful
malignant blast attack to convey the disease.
Cancer Casting (Su): At 6th level, your cancerous companion's connection to the powers that you wield grants it the ability to shape magic on its own. Once per day, your cancerous companion can take a standard action to use one of your spells or spell-like abilities. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion.
At 14th level, your cancerous companion grows even more powerful, and can use this ability twice per day.
Bestow Greater Tumor (Sp): When you attain 7th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a creature affected by a tumor you have bestowed becomes -4 instead of -2.
Corrupt Regrowth (Su): Beginning at 8th level, your cancerous companion can force your body to regenerate damaged flesh. Once per day, as a swift action, you can enter a state of cancerous regrowth that lasts for 2 minutes. While in this state, you gain fast healing 1.
At 13th level, your corrupt regrowth improves. While in your corrupt regrowth state, you gain fast healing 2 instead. At 18th level, your corrupt regrowth improves to fast healing 5. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion.
Poison (Sp): Starting at 9th level, your cancerous companion causes your body to generate a powerful venom that you can deliver with your
malignant blast three times per day. This ability works like the
poison spell (see page 262 of the
Player's Handbook), affecting your target immediately immediately unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Constitution modifier), then striking again 1 minute later unless the target makes a successful Fortitude save of the same DC.
Activating this ability is a swift action. The effect lasts until you make a successful
malignant blast attack to convey the poison. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion
Viral Agent (Su): At 10th level, your connection to your cancerous companion grants you the ability to befriend the diseases and viruses that infest your body. As a full-round action, you can supernaturally enhance a disease, making it smarter by giving it a point of your own Intelligence. You establish a telepathic link with the disease that functions at a range of one mile per cancer warlock level.
You can then attempt to infect a target with your viral agent, using your
contagion ability. If successful, the viral agent can tell you telepathically what its host experiences. In all other respects, the viral agent is a normal disease; if the victim fights it off or a
cure disease spell is used, the disease and the viral agent die. You regain your Intelligence point 24 hours after the viral agent dies. You can create as many viral agents as you are willing to devote Intelligence points toward. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion.
Sickening Pustules (Ex): At 10th level, your body begins to develop pustules that secrete a vile stench. Any creature adjacent to you must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Constitution modifier) or take a -1 circumstance penalty on attack rolls and skill checks due to the stench and appearance of your ravaged skin.
Extra Mind (Ex): Starting at 12th level, the mental presence of your cancerous companion can throw certain magical effects off-target, preventing them from affecting you. Mind-affecting spells and effects have a 50% chance of affecting your cancerous companion, rather than you. This ability is only active while you have access to your cancerous companion.
Lingering Infection (Ex): Three times per day beginning at 12th level, you can draw on the power of your cancer to infect your foe with an infectious taint after making a successful
malignant blast attack as a swift action. The foe takes 1 point of Constitution damage and must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Constitution modifier) every round thereafter on your turn or take an additional point of Constitution damage. This infection lasts for 1 round per three cancer warlock levels. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion.
Viral Ally (Su): Beginning at 15th level, you can create a viral ally in a fashion similar to the viral agent ability by devoting 3 points of Intelligence to a disease or virus in your system. You can then bestow your viral ally upon a humanoid victim using your
contagion ability, and the viral ally can communicate telepathically with you. The viral ally (and thus you) control its host as surely as with a
dominate person effect, although the host gets no separate saving throw to avoid the
dominate person effect. The viral ally is a normal disease, however, and the victim can fight it off with successful Fortitude save or a
cure disease spell, either of which kills the viral ally. You regain your missing Intelligence points 24 hours later. You can create as many viral allies as you are willing to devote Intelligence points toward. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion.
Avascular Mass (Sp): At 16th level, you gain the ability to cast
avascular mass (see page 19 of the
Spell Compendium) as a spell-like ability three times per day.
Blood Walk (Su): At 17th level, you become perfectly attuned to the ways of the body. You gain the supernatural ability to transport yourself great distances via the blood of living creatures. Once per day as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, you can seamlessly enter any living creature (except an elemental, ooze, plant, undead, or other creature without blood or a similar fluid) whose size equals or exceeds your own and pass any distance to another living creature on the same plane in a single round, regardless of the distance separating the two. You merely designate a direction and distance ("a living creature twenty miles due west of here"), and the bloodwalk ability transports you to a destination creature as close as possible to the desired location. You can't specify a named individual as the endpoint unless you have previously obtained a sample of that creature's blood and have it preserved in a vial that you carry.
The entry and destination creatures need not be familiar to you. You cannot use yourself as the entry creature. If any intended entry creature is unwilling, you must make a successful melee touch attack to enter. (A missed touch attack does not use up the ability for that day.) When exiting a creature, you choose an adjacent square in which to appear. Entering and exiting a creature is painless unless you wish otherwise (see below). In most cases, though, the destination creature finds being the endpoint of a magical portal surprising and quite unsettling.
If you desire, you can attempt to make a bloody exit from the destination creature. You burst forth explosively from the creature's body, dealing 10d6 points of damage unless the creature makes a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Constitution modifier). When you make a bloody exit, you must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or be stunned for 1 round from the shock of your expulsion.
Cancerous Rebirth (Su): Starting at 18th level, your cancerous companion can hold your soul for a short time, allowing you to avoid death. If you would be killed, you can instead choose to retreat to your cancerous companion, preventing true death. You can use this ability only while you have access to your cancerous companion.
Unless it is removed from your corpse (requiring 1 hour of surgery and a DC 20 Heal check), your cancerous companion then bursts forth from your body 1d4 days after your death. This mobile form of your companion uses the statistics of a skulking cyst (see page 120 of
Libris Mortis), with the following exceptions. A mobile cancerous companion has a number of hit dice equal to your class level, though it is still Small, and has the mind and Intelligence score that your cancerous companion usually does. You are also present in the mind of your cancerous companion and can communicate with it telepathically. If your cancerous companion dies in this mobile stage, you die as well and must be resurrected normally.
In addition, your cancerous companion can attempt to force itself into the body of a creature it has latched onto with its Attach ability. Such a creature must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Constitution modifier) or be infected with your cancerous companion. Your cancerous companion is drawn into the creature's body and can only be removed with 1 hour of surgery and a DC 20 Heal check. Creatures with immunity to disease cannot be infected in this way, and
cure disease forces your cancerous companion out of a host's body.
An infected creature must make a Fortitude save (same DC as above) every round for 1 round per two cancer warlock levels. If it fails four such saves, your cancerous companion completely takes control of the body, releasing your soul into the fleshy shell. You twist the body into your form, bringing you back to life as though affected by
raise dead. The victim is consumed entirely in this process and can only be resurrected by means of
true resurrection or
wish.
Bestow Dire Tumor (Su): When you attain 19th level, the penalty on attacks, saves, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls incurred by a target of one of your bestowed tumors becomes -6 instead of -4.
Disease Form (Su): At 20th level, you gain the ability to transform into a disease once per day. (This ability also affects your cancerous companion and up to 100 pounds of gear you are carrying). As a disease, you are intangible and invisible to standard methods of observation, even blindsight. Creatures with the scent ability note a foulness in the air. You cannot move, except with the wind (if any), or within a host.
You may adopt your disease form as a standard action, attempting to infect a living creature with 100 feet. A potential victim must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your cancer warlock level + your Charisma modifier) to avoid being infected with you. Any creature that comes within 10 feet of you in disease form is subject to the saving throw to resist infection as well. Once inside an infected host, you deal 1d3 points of Constitution damage per day after a 24-hour incubation period. The victim has no way of knowing that you are anything other than a normal illness.
You travel with the victim, aware of whatever the victim is aware of. A number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier, you can attempt to force the victim to take one round's worth of actions of your choosing; a successful Will save (DC 18 + your Charisma modifier) allows the victim to resist this. While controlling your victim, you have access to all skills, feats, spells, and special abilities of the host, plus any of your own that you can use in your disembodied state.
You can leave your host at any time, allowing the victim to recover normally. Your victim can also attempt to force you out by making Fortitude saves as if you were a normal disease. Heal checks help the victim as they would normally. A
cure disease spell kills you if you fail a Fortitude save (calculating the save DC as for spells of the same level). Even if you succeed at this saving throw, you are forced to reassume your material form adjacent to your victim.
You can remain in disease form as long as you desire, or you can return to your natural form and be done with the disease form for that day. While in disease form, you do not need to eat, sleep, or drink, and you do not age. You could remain dormant in a room for a hundred years, then take your material form or infect a new victim.
[/spoiler]
