Prestige Classes

DROW JUDICATOR

A mortal imbued with fiendish cruelty, the drow judicator is a knight most foul. This unholy warrior is steeped in the divine energy of Selvetarm, the Spider That Waits, self-appointed Champion of Lolth. Consort of demons and demonic arachnids, the drow judicator is hated and feared by all, especially other male drow who are jealous of the heights of power to which he has risen. Drow judicators must make an unholy pledge to Selvetarm and then survive the rites of entry to adopt the prestige class. At least a little schooling in spellcasting is required, but only the toughest and meanest sorcerers and wizards can survive the entry requirements. Clerics often attempt to take on the drow judicator?s mantle as well, as do fighters, rangers, and rogues who have taken levels in spellcasting classes. Typically, an NPC drow judicator serves a higher-ranking cleric of Lolth, although he chafes to be the sole authority. Drow judicators and assassins usually fill out the ranks of a high priestess?s hand-picked murder team.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements

To qualify to become a drow judicator, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Race: Drow.

Alignment: Any evil.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skills: Intimidate 4 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks.

Feats: Combat Reflexes, Lolth?s Meat (see Chapter 3).

Spellcasting: Able to cast 1st-level arcane or divine spells.

Special: The candidate must survive the rites of entry administered by clerics of Selvetarm or Lolth.

Class Skills

The drow judicator's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana, religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Drow Judicator

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the drow judicator prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Drow judicators are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with all types of armor, and with all types of shields except tower shields.

Spells per Day: At every third drow judicator level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level (for male drow, this is usually an arcane spellcasting class, although male clerics of Selvetarm sometimes become drow judicators). He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of turning or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, and the like). If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a drow judicator, the player must decide to which class to add each drow judicator level for the purpose of determining spells per day, spells known, and overall caster level.

War Strike (Su): War is the ultimate expression of Selvetarm?s power, so its lessons are the very first that the drow judicator learns. Beginning at 1st level, he can attempt a war strike with one normal melee attack. If he hits, he deals 2d6 points of Constitution damage in addition to his regular damage. The target may attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + drow judicator level + drow judicator?s Cha modifier) to halve the Constitution damage. This ability is usable once per day.

Command Spiders (Su): As a special dispensation from Lolth, Selvatarm can grant his judicators the ability to command spiders. When a drow judicator reaches 2nd level, he gains the ability to compel spiders in the same way that an evil cleric can rebuke or command undead (see the Player?s Handbook). The drow judicator can attempt to command spiders a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. He is treated as a cleric of a level equal to his drow judicator level for the purpose of turning checks and turning damage.

Selvetarm?s Blessing (Ex): At 2nd level and above, a drow judicator receives a +3 profane bonus on all saving throws.

Selvetarm?s Wrath (Su): Beginning at 4th level, a drow judicator may attempt to deliver extra damage with one normal melee attack. On a successful attack, he deals 1 extra point of damage per drow judicator level. For example, an 8th-level drow judicator armed with a longsword deals 1d8+8 points of damage, plus any additional bonuses (for high Strength, magical effects, or the like) that would normally apply. This ability is usable once per day at 4th level, twice per day at 7th level, and three times per day at 10th level.

Spider Servant: At 5th level, a drow judicator can call for a spider servant. See the Spider Servant sidebar for details.

Spider?s Grace (Sp): At 8th level, a drow judicator gains the ability to take on attributes of a spider for up to 10 minutes once per day. While this ability is active, the character can climb on surfaces as if subjected to a spider climb spell, and he receives a +4 insight bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. He also gains a bite attack that deals 1d4 points of damage and is poisonous. The bite is a secondary natural weapon that can be used once per round at the drow judicator?s highest base attack bonus, with the standard ?5 penalty for a secondary attack. The Fortitude save DC for the poison is 18 + the drow judicator?s Con modifier, and it deals 1d6 points of Strength damage for both its initial and its secondary damage.

Judgment (Su): At 10th level, a drow judicator gains the ability to judge all creatures within 100 feet of him that he can see. Those he finds wanting are immediately targeted with a horrid wilting effect (caster level 18th; save DC 18 + drow judicator?s Wis modifier). The drow judicator can base his decision on any parameters he chooses. This ability is usable once per day as a standard action.

Spider Servant

At 5th level or above, a drow judicator can call a spider-like monster to serve him. He may choose to call an 8-HD Large fiendish monstrous spider, a fiendish sword spider, a myrlochar, or a phase spider. (See the Monster Manual or Monsters of Faer?n for these creatures? statistics.) He can use this spider servant as a guardian or a mount, at his discretion. The spider servant gains HD and special abilities based on the drow judicator?s class level, as given on Table 3?5.

The drow judicator may have only one spider servant at a time. Should his servant die, he may call for another after 24 hours. The new spider servant has all the accumulated abilities due a servant of the character?s current drow judicator level.

Drow Judicator Level: The character?s level in the drow judicator prestige class.

Bonus HD: These are extra Hit Dice appropriate to the creature?s type (vermin for a Large monstrous spider or sword spider, outsider for a myrlochar, or magical beast for a phase spider). Each bonus Hit Die gains a Constitution modifier and improves the creature?s base attack and base save bonuses, as normal.

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the servant?s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of a drow judicator?s servant.

Str Adj.: Add this figure to the servant?s Strength score.

Int Adj.: Add this figure to the servant?s Intelligence score.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a servant takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Share Saving Throws: For each of its saving throws, the servant uses its own base save bonus or the drow judicator?s, whichever is higher. The servant applies its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn?t share any other bonuses on saves that the drow judicator might have (such as from magic items or feats).

Share Spells: At the drow judicator?s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts upon himself also affect his spider servant. The servant must be within 5 feet of him at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the spider servant if the latter moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the creature again even if it returns to the drow judicator before the duration expires. Additionally, the drow judicator may cast a spell with a target of ?You? on his spider servant (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. The drow judicator and his servant can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the servant?s type.

Speak with Drow Judicator: The drow judicator and his servant can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

Blood Bond: The spider servant gains a +2 bonus on all attack rolls, checks, and saves if it witnesses the drow judicator threatened or harmed. This bonus lasts as long as the threat is immediate and apparent.

Spell Resistance: The spider servant?s spell resistance equals the drow judicator?s class level + 15. To affect the servant with a spell, a spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the servant?s spell resistance.