Prestige Classes

OCCULT SLAYER

The occult slayer is driven to confront any arcane or divine spellcaster who crosses her path. Occult slayers believe that mortals are too irresponsible to wield magic, and that those who dare to do so must be slain. Spellcasters who become occult slayers are considered to have seen the error of their ways - although they may still cast spells, they rely primarily on their battle prowess and their ability to resist magical effects to defeat their enemies. The occult slayer comes into her own through exhaustive training. Every regimen she performs is an exercise that refines her anger against spellcasters into martial skill. Each occult slayer forms a preternatural bond with her masterwork weapon of choice, which serves as the instrument of her vengeance. This prestige class is ideal for individuals who have been victimized by spellcasters and seek acceptable ways to oppose them. Most occult slayers begin their careers as fighters, although barbarians and rangers often take this path as well. Monks and rogues have also been known to embrace this calling, but bards and paladins find the occult slayer’s preoccupation with spellcasters stifling. Clerics, druids, sorcerers, and wizards - the primary targets of occult slayers - tend not to adopt this prestige class, although such turnarounds are not without precedent. NPC occult slayers seldom form organizations, because they have discovered that congregating in one place attracts spellcasters intent on making preemptive strikes against them. Instead, occult slayers discreetly meet from time to time to exchange information about spellcasting opponents they have targeted for matches. Otherwise, the occult slayer operates alone, traveling between venues in search of matches that involve spellcasters. Because of the inherent discretion that occult slayers display, a candidate for this prestige class must be chosen and trained by another occult slayer who is willing to share her secrets.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements

To qualify to become an occult slayer, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks, Spellcraft 3 ranks.

Feats: Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (any weapon).

Class Skills

The occult slayer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Occult Slayer

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the occult slayer prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Occult slayers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and all armor and shields.

Magical Defense (Ex): An occult slayer’s constant training in countering magic of all types manifests itself as a bonus on saving throws against spells or spell-like abilities. This bonus is +1 at 1st level, and it increases to +2 at 3rd level and to +3 at 5th level.

Weapon Bond (Su): An occult slayer must choose a particular weapon of at least masterwork quality as the focus of her power. Upon making her selection, she immediately forms a bond with the chosen weapon that imbues it with the force of her hatred for spellcasters. Thereafter, any successful attack she makes with that weapon against a spellcaster or a creature with spell-like abilities deals an extra 1d6 points of damage. If this particular weapon is lost or destroyed, the occult slayer loses the ability to deal the extra damage until she acquires and bonds with another weapon of the same kind of at least masterwork quality. The occult slayer must spend one day per character level practicing with the replacement weapon (and doing very little else - no adventuring) to create a new weapon bond.

Mind over Magic (Su): Starting at 2nd level, an occult slayer can cause a spell or spell-like ability targeted against her to rebound onto the originator as a free action. This ability otherwise functions as the spell turning spell (caster level equals the character’s occult slayer level + 5). An occult slayer can use this ability once per day at 2nd level and twice per day at 4th level.

Vicious Strike (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, an occult slayer who readies an attack action to disrupt a spellcaster deals double damage if the attack hits.

Auravision (Su): At 3rd level, an occult slayer gains the ability to see magical auras at a range of up to 60 feet as a free action. This ability otherwise functions as the detect magic spell. The character cannot use this ability to determine anything but the number of magical auras present.

Nondetection Cloak (Su): Upon reaching 4th level, an occult slayer (and any gear she wears or carries) becomes more difficult to locate through divinations such as clairaudience/clairvoyance, locate object, and other detection spells. The occult slayer gains magical protection from divinations equivalent to a nondetection spell (caster level equals the character’s occult slayer level), except that it affects only the occult slayer and her possessions.

Blank Thoughts (Ex): At 5th level, an occult slayer can induce within herself a state of mental absence, thereby becoming immune to mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, patterns, phantasms, and morale effects). She can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.