Prestige Classes

THRALL OF GRAZ'ZT

The thrall of Graz'zt is a sinister, conniving, and thoroughly evil mistress of evil lore and dark secrets. She uses charm and guile to learn things she should not know - a seductive loremistress who depends on subterfuge, not study. She spends her days stealing, seducing, and tricking knowledge and secrets from others. One of the most horrific rituals practiced by the cult of Graz'zt is the Hollow Feast. This hideous rite is used under two conditions: when a worshiper of Graz'zt wants to become one of the Dark Prince's thralls, or when a priest fails to convert an intended sacrifice. In both cases, the worshiper to be cleansed is affixed nude to an iron frame by a number of hooks and chains. He is then left to fast for several days, during which time he must recite various sacred prayers to the Dark Prince in which he asks for benediction. Once a day, other cultists visit to give the worshiper a few sips of water, but during this time, the worshiper is allowed no food. Each morning the fast progresses, the hooks and chains that bind him are tightened (inflicting 2d6 points of damage each day), and each evening the worshiper makes a DC 30 Charisma check to determine if he has attracted Graz'zt's attention - he gains a bonus to this roll equal to the number of days that he has been fasting. Once successful, Graz'zt notices and sends one of his minions to bless the worshiper. This minion is typically a half-fiend of some sort. This final segment of the Hollow Feast involves the minion imbibing vials of acid and then kissing the supplicant, during which she passes the acid into the supplicant's mouth. This inflicts 1d6 points of damage on the victim per kiss, who must endure a number of kisses equal to the number of days he has spent fasting before he is deemed "cleansed." In some cases, when Graz'zt deems that the supplicant needs a particularly harrowing Hollow Feast, he instead sends a succubus to perform the duty, coupling the acid damage with numerous level-draining attacks. Rumors hold of some particularly masochistic cultists partaking of the Hollow Feast for purposes of pleasure alone. Wizards, sorcerers, clerics, and bards make excellent thralls of Graz'zt, although it's not unusual for one to multiclass for a few levels in rogue to enhance her skill at trickery and deception. Thralls of Graz'zt often work in cabals - sinister, secretive organizations that sometimes toil in tandem with assassin or thieves' guilds to aid in managing a city's criminal underworld. The lust for power and knowledge a thrall of Graz'zt has knows no bounds.

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To qualify to become a thrall of Graz'zt, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment: Any evil.

Skills: Bluff 2 ranks, Diplomacy 2 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks.

Feats: Thrall to Demon (Graz'zt), Violate Spell.

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd-level spells with the Evil descriptor.

Special: Graz'zt's followers initiate new thralls in a horrific rite called the Hollow Feast, which is detailed above. A thrall-to-be must endure and survive this rite.

Class Skills

The thrall of Graz'zt's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: The Thrall of Graz'zt

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the thrall of Graz'zt prestige class.

Spellcasting: At 1st level and then every two levels after that (plus 10th level), you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a thrall of Graz'zt, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Charm (Sp): You can use charm person as a spell-like ability at will. Your caster level equals your class level.

Spell Betrayal (Su): Starting at 2nd level, when you cast a damage-dealing spell at a flat-footed target, you deal an additional +1d6 points of damage. The damage dealt increases as you increase in level. Graz'zt grants this ability in the hope that you will convince your enemies that you are their friend, then betray them with a surprise magical attack.

Dark Charisma (Ex): You gain the listed bonus as an enhancement bonus on all Charisma-based checks when dealing with evil creatures.

Summon Demon (Sp): Starting at 4th level, you can summon a demon of 5 HD or less once per day - this ability functions like a summon monster spell. Starting at 8th level, you can also summon a demon of 10 HD or less once per day as well. Both of these spell-like abilities function at caster level 15th.

Spellstrike (Su): At 6th-level, you deal an additional +1d6 points of damage when you cast a damaging spell upon a target or targets threatened in melee. At 8th level or higher, this bonus damage increases to +2d6 points of damage.