The Breathstealer"Lions? Tigers? Bears? Leave them to the game hunters. Me? Well... let me show you some of the skeletons in my
closet," - Rasmus Finneas, Breathstealer
Breathstealer Lore and Information[spoiler]The Breathstealer is as much an way of life as it is a class. These unique individuals gain their name from an ancient order of Dragonslayers that forged a supernatural bond between themselves and their hated foes. The Breathstealers were feared by Dragons the world over for their dogged pursuit and their abilities to move about undetected by even the wisest dragons. The Breathstealers studied dragons endlessly for vulnerabilities, attack strategies, defensive tactics, and even eventually delving into the personal lives of individual dragon foes. In recovering scores of magical items, and lost artifacts The Breathstealers eventually learned how to use these devices to bring down the most powerful of their ancient nemeses. This ancient order has long collapsed, but their tactics and traditions remain.
Knowledge is power. The Breathstealer understands this in spades and seeks to learn everything there is to know about his most hated foes so that he bring them to a bloody end. Combining the stealth of a Rogue or Ranger with supernatural power similar in function to that of the Dragon Shaman and Dragon Acolyte with the Dark Knowledge of the Archivist, Breathstealers are fearsome hunters capable of projecting Auras that cause foes to second guess themselves and of manifesting monstrous powers to supplement their martial ability. Breathstealers are also capable of using their foes' strengths against them, wielding the last of their life force after they slay foes, and eventually stealing their foes' supernatural power to recharge his own.
Making a BreathstealerYou are a skilled and sturdy melee warrior who uses apocryphal knowledge, age old hatred, and a supernatural connection between hunter and hunted to bring down foes.
Abilities: As a Breathstealer many of your abilities are governed by your ability to channel your own hatred against your foes, which in turn means that the save DCs of your Manifestations and class features are determined by your Charisma modifier. However, you are also exceptionally well-informed, at least as long as you keep up that Intelligence modifier in order to purchase Knowledge ranks used to maintain strong Dark Knowledge checks. Charisma and Intelligence are your most important ability scores. With many bonuses to stealth, damage, and with your Damage Reduction and Energy Resistance, Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are still important to you, but not nearly as much as with other warriors.
Alignment: Playing a Breathstealer it might be hard to imagine someone filled with such fury to be of Good alignment, however there is no restriction on a Breathstealer's alignment. These monster slayers come from all backgrounds, all walks of life, and have many different motivations for the dark path they have taken. Some do it for glory, others out of pure malice, and still others for the sheer challenge of it.
Races:With their reliance on Intelligence and Charisma any race with a bonus to either of those scores make a fine Breathstealer, however those two scores are among the rarest granted by racial bonuses. Since they are supernatural warriors, trained in stealth, steeped in knowledge, it helps to be versatile. Shifters, Changelings, and Humans all make great Breathstealers given the depth of their versatility.
Starting Gold: 5d4x10 (125gp)
Starting Age: As Ranger.
Playing a BreathstealerYou play as a strange hybrid of combat leader, enemy debuffer, and melee warrior. Your Auras can strike fear into the hearts of your enemies causing them to lose confidence, or their actions to falter. Your Manifestations are built to tear down single targets. Your Dark Knowledge can grant your allies bonuses against foes as long as you keep up your Knowledge ranks. You have sturdy Damage Reduction and a decent hit dice, full BAB, martial weapons and medium armor, making you a fair warrior, but it is through your Foehunter feature that you truly shine in melee.
As a Breathstealer you adventure to bring death to ancient enemies that bring Bane to your existence. You are anathema to these creatures, as long as they endure, so shall you, and you do everything you can to see to it that you are the one left standing when the haze and blood and the terror of battle have abated. Instruct your allies in the vile tactics of your foes, and let your Auras weaken them as you bring devastating attacks to bear via Foehunter boons combined with your Manifestations. Do not try and take on too many foes at once, your allies can handle them. Focus on the one angering you the most and you will find yourself much more effective.[/spoiler]
HD: d8
Saves: Good Ref, Poor others
LV Base Attack Bonus Class Features
1. +1 Baneforged (1/--, 5), Foehunter
2. +2 Dark Knowledge (Hate)
3. +3 Baneforged (2/--, +1), Detect Magic
4. +4 Fire in the Blood +1d8
5. +5 Dark Knowledge (Tactics)
6. +6/+1 Baneforged (3/--, 10)
7. +7/+2 Deceive Item, Armored Evasion
8. +8/+3 Fire in the Blood +2d8
9. +9/+4 Baneforged (4/--, +2)
10. +10/+5 Dark Knowledge (Forewarning)
11. +11/+6/+1 Quench the Flame
12. +12/+7/+2 Baneforged (5/--, 15), Fire in the Blood +3d8
13. +13/+8/+3 Imbue Item
14. +14/+9/+4 Dark Knowledge (Puissance)
15. +15/+10/5 Baneforged (6/--, +3)
16. +16/+11/+6/+1 Fire in the Blood +4d8
17. +17/+12/+7/+2 Improved Armored Evasion
18. +18/+13/+8/+3 Baneforged (7/--, 20), Dark Knowledge (Dread Secret)
19. +19/+14/+9/+4
20. +20/+15/+10/+5 Fire in the Blood +5d8Class Skills (6+Int): Appraise, Climb, Craft, Decipher Script, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Arcana, Nature, Religion, Dungeoneering, Planar, History), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device
Proficiencies: All simple and martial weapons, light and medium armor, no shields.
Baneforged (Ex): Breathstealers are slayers of the highest caliber, capable of laying waste to the mightiest of dragons. As such, they must be resilient and unrelenting. Starting at first level a Breathstealer gains DR 1/-- which improves by +1 at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter and Energy Resistance 5 against Acid, Cold, Electricity, and Fire which improves by 5 at 6th level and every six levels thereafter. Beginning at 3rd level a Breathstealer gains a +1 bonus to Fort and Will saves which improves by +1 every six levels thereafter.
Foehunter (Su): At first level, after contemplating his hate for a specific creature type, a Breathstealer focuses his efforts to eradicating their existence gaining increasing bonuses to help out with such endeavors. When choosing a specific creature type Foehunters must choose from the Ranger's list of Favored Enemies. This choice is permanent, however it can be changed any time a Breathstealer or one of his allies is brought to 0 or fewer hit points. The new choice must be the type of creature that dropped him or his ally and this new choice remains until he chooses to change it thusly again.
The first boon granted, from 1st level onward, is the ability to ignore an amount of Damage Reduction, Natural Armor, and Energy Resistance of his chosen foes equal to the DR and ER granted to you by your Baneforged feature, as well as the ability to ignore such foes' immunity to critical hits. Further, you gain a +2 damage bonus against your chosen foes.
The second boon granted, from 4th level onward, is the ability to thwart the scent qualities of your chosen foes, as well as increasing your threat range against them by 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +4.
The third boon granted, from 7th level onward, is the ability to thwart the blindsense or tremorsense qualities of your chosen foes, but also the ability to ignore the concealment of such foes, even that derived by incorporeality, unless it is total concealment which isn't derived from incorporeality. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +6.
The fourth boon granted, from 10th level onward, is the ability to negate the effects of Fast Healing or Regeneration of your chosen foes each round you deal them damage, as well as increasing your critical multiplier against them by 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +8.
The fifth boon granted, from 13th level onward, is the ability to thwart any Divination spells or effects used against you by your chosen foes, acting as though you simply do not exist. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +10.
The sixth boon granted, from the 16th level onward, is the ability to slay your chosen foes with a loathsome strike, anytime you confirm a critical hit against your chosen foes they must succeed on a Fort save (DC 10+1/2 Class Level+Your Charisma modifier) or be slain outright. This can even effect foes normally immune to death effects. Further your threat range against your chosen foes increases by an additional 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +12.
The seventh boon granted, from 19th level onward, is the ability to ignore any Blind-Sight or True Seeing qualities or abilities of your chosen foes, as well as increasing your critical multiplier against them by an additional 1. The damage bonus from this feature increases to +14.
Dark Knowledge (Ex): Breathstealers steep themselves in knowledge of the occult and apocryphal, learning as much as they can about the most vile and feared creatures in existence, so that they may use that knowledge to destroy their foes, and educate their allies. Once per encounter, as a move action, a Breathstealer can draw upon this vast inner library, granting his allies bonuses against the creatures they face. The secrets of dark knowledge pertain only to abberations, constructs, dragons, elementals, giants, magical beasts, outsiders, or undead.
A Breathstealer gains additional Dark Knowledge abilities as his level increases, as shown in the table above. Using Dark Knowledge requires a Knowledge check of a type appropriate to the creature faced (Arcana for Dragons and Constructs; Dungeoneering for Aberrations; Nature for Magical Beasts and Giants; Religion for Undead; and Planar for Outsiders and Elementals). The DC of the check is 15, with the effects of the abilities increasing for every 10 points the Breathstealer beats the DC.
A Breathstealer's Dark Knowledge can affect a single creature or all creatures of the same race, depending on the effect used. A target creature must be within 100ft, and the Breathstealer must be aware of the creature's presence, though he need not have line of sight. The effects of Dark Knowledge persist for 1 minute unless otherwise noted.
Hate - On a successful Knowledge check, the Breathstealer grants himself and all allies a bonus to damage rolls against the target creatures equal to 1d6. For every 10 points the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC increase this bonus by 1d6.
Tactics - On a successful Knowledge check, the Breathstealer grants himself and all allies a bonus to attack rolls and caster level against the target creatures equal to +1. For every 10 points the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC increase this bonus by +1.
Forewarning - On a successful Knowledge check, the Breathstealer grants himself and all allies a bonus to AC and Spell Resistance (if they have any) against the target creatures equal to +1. For every 10 points the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC increase this bonus by +1.
Puissance - On a successful Knowledge check, the Breathstealer grants himself and all allies a bonus to all saving throws against the target creatures equal to +1. For every 10 points the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC increase this bonus by +1.
Dread Secret - On a successful Knowledge check, the Breathstealer speaks aloud a dreadful secret of a single target creature, which surprises the foe with the dangerous intimacy of its details, causing them to become flat-footed and shaken for 1 round. For every 10 points the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC increase the duration of this effect by 1 round. If the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC by 20 or more the Breathstealer may choose to daze the creature for 1 round rather than cause it to be shaken for 3 rounds. If the Breathstealer exceeds the check DC by 40 or more the Breathstealer may choose to stun the creature for 2 rounds rather than cause it to be shaken for 5 rounds.
Detect Magic (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a Breathstealer can use Detect Magic at-will as a supernatural ability.
Fire in the Blood (Su): Beginning at 4th level, whenever a Breathstealer brings a creature to -9 hitpoints or less with a weapon attack, he takes a bit of it with him, sheathing his weapon in a blaze of energy causing it to deal 1d8 points of extra energy damage of a specific type for the next 4 rounds. If the slain creature has the Fire or Cold subtypes the energy damage is Fire or Cold respectively, if the slain creature has the Air or Earth subtypes the energy damage is Electricty or Acid respectively. If the slain creature has no subtype the energy damage defaults to Fire.
However, if the slain creature is of the type the Breathstealer had chosen with his Foehunter feature the energy damage becomes any type that the slain creature was vulnerable to. If the slain creature was not vulnerable to any energy type the Breathstealer may choose between Acid, Cold, Electricity of Fire.
The extra energy damage granted by this ability increases by 1d8 every four levels hereafter.
Deceive Item (Ex): Starting at 7th level, a Breathstealer has the ability to more easily commandeer magic items made for the use of other characters. When making a Use Magic Device check, a Breathstealer can take 10 even if distracted or threatened.
Armored Evasion (Ex): Breathstealers must endure, in many cases, the fires of hell to finish off their deadly prey, and beginning at 7th level use their experience and expertise to avoid magical or unusual attacks with quick reflexes and wise armor use. While wearing armor, if a Breathstealer succeeds his reflex save against an effect that normally has a lesser effect on a successful save, he instead ignores the effect entirely. A helpless Breathstealer does not gain this benefit.
Beginning at 17th level, this ability becomes Improved Armored Evasion, and as such even when they fail their reflex saves they receive the lesser effect of any such effects.
Quench the Flame (Su): One of the Breathstealer's most feared abilities among intelligent creatures, is the ability to strip his foes of supernatural qualities. Once per encounter, a Breathstealer may spend a standard action to cause a foe within 60ft to make a Will save (DC 10+1/2 Class level+Your Charisma modifier). If that foe fails its save it loses all supernatural abilities and qualities for 1 round as the Breathstealer takes the power for himself to recharge his Manifestations, treating any spent Manifestations as unspent.
(Manifestations are an incomplete idea right now. But I'm planning to add Auras and Manifestations to this class, Auras being similar to reverse Marshal auras, aka debuffs, and Manifestations being powers with a 4 round recharge time usable on creatures within your Aura. Manifestations would be grouped into "schools" by creature type.)Imbue Item (Su): A Breathstealer of 13th level or higher can use his supernatural power to create magic items, even if he does not know the spells required to make them (although he must know the appropriate feats). He can substitute a Use Magic Device check (DC 15 + 2x spell level) in place of a required spell he doesn't know or can't cast.
If the check fails, he cannot complete the item. He does not expend the XP or gp costs for making the item, his progress is simply arrested. He cannot retry this Use Magic Device check for that spell until he gains a new level.
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Thoughts? My main concern is it being balanced as is, meaning it would unbalance it to give it the Auras and Manifestations.