Dire Harbinger (Inquisitor/Oracle)

Divinely inspired heralds of pain and adjudication, dire harbingers channel the anger and wrath of their deities in glorious punishment. Able to impart their own suffering to their foes, the dire harbinger can also gift their visions and blessings of power to certain allies to further their divine agency. This power comes at great personal cost–for the path to power can burn the flesh and wrack the soul, and those wishing to share the divine harbingers' benefits must accept the baleful with the benign. (Original Concept by Oceanshieldwolf)

Primary Class: Inquisitor.

Secondary Class: Oracle.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The dire harbinger selects three oracle skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal inquisitor class skills. The dire harbinger gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The dire harbinger is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, longbow, repeating crossbow, shortbow, and the favored weapon of her deity. She is also proficient with light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields).

Dark Demeanor (Ex): The dire harbinger is skilled at intimidating their foes. A dire harbinger receives a morale bonus on all Intimidate checks equal to 1/2 her dire harbinger level (minimum +1). This ability replaces stern gaze. 

Lore of Insight (Ex): At 1st level, a dire harbinger uses every trick she knows to persuade others to believe in her guidance and warnings. She adds her Wisdom modifier on Bluff and Diplomacy skill checks in addition to the normal ability score modifiers. This ability replaces monster lore.

Dire Presence: The dire harbinger uses Charisma instead of Wisdom to determine the effects of her judgments, spells, and other class features.

Mystery: At 1st level, a dire harbinger gains the oracle’s mystery ability and can select any mystery available to the oracle class. The dire harbinger gains the mystery’s class skill and access to its revelation, but does not gain the bonus spells. This ability, gift of prophecy, oracle’s curse, and revelations replace domain.

Oracle’s Curse (Ex): At 1st level, a dire harbinger gains the oracle’s curse ability and may choose any curse available to the oracle class.

Punishment (Su): Starting at 1st level, a dire harbinger can pronounce a punishment on her foes as a swift action. Starting when the punishment is pronounced, the dire harbinger’s target receives a penalty based on the type of punishment pronounced.

At 1st level, a dire harbinger can use this ability once per day. At 4th level and every three levels thereafter, the dire harbinger can use this ability one additional time per day. Once activated, this ability lasts until the combat ends, at which point all of the penalties immediately end. The dire harbinger must participate in the combat for her target to gain these penalties. If she is frightened, panicked, paralyzed, stunned, unconscious, or otherwise prevented from participating in the combat, the ability does not end, but the penalties do not resume until she can participate in the combat again. If the target is slain, the ability immediately ends.

When the dire harbinger uses this ability, she must select one type of punishment to pronounce. As a swift action, she can change this punishment to another type. If the dire harbinger is evil, she bestows profane penalties instead of sacred, as appropriate. Neutral dire harbingers must select profane or sacred penalties. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.

Blunted: The target’s attacks are blunted when directed against the dire harbinger. The target receives a –1 sacred penalty on all weapon damage rolls made against the dire harbinger. This penalty increases by –1 for every three dire harbinger levels she possesses.

Corruption: The target becomes tainted by the divine energies that surround the dire harbinger. The target receives a –1 sacred penalty on all saving throws against attacks, spells, and effects from the dire harbinger. This penalty increases by –1 for every five dire harbinger levels she possesses. At 10th level, the penalty is doubled against curses, diseases, and poisons.

Defenseless: The target is less able to defend himself against the dire harbinger’s attacks. The target receives a –1 sacred penalty to Armor Class against the dire harbinger’s attacks. This penalty increases by –1 for every five dire harbinger levels she possesses. At 10th level, this penalty is doubled against attack rolls made to confirm critical hits against the dire harbinger.

Distracted: The target becomes distracted when focusing his magic against the dire harbinger. The target receives a –1 sacred penalty on concentration checks and caster level checks made to overcome the dire harbinger’s spell resistance (if any). This penalty increases by –1 for every three dire harbinger levels she possesses.

Hemorrhaging: The target becomes susceptible to any slashing or piercing attacks made by the dire harbinger. This causes the target to take 1 point of bleed damage each round as long as the dire harbinger is alive and the punishment lasts. The amount of bleed damage increases by 1 point for every three dire harbinger levels she possesses. This bleed damage does not stack with additional slashing or piercing attacks from the dire harbinger, but it does stack with bleed damage from other sources.

Impeded: The target’s weapons are impeded from bypassing the dire harbinger’s damage reduction. The target’s magical weapons no longer count magic for the purposes of bypassing the dire harbinger’s damage reduction. At 6th level, the target’s magical weapons no longer count as aligned (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) for the purpose of bypassing the dire harbinger’s damage reduction. The type must match one of the dire harbinger’s alignments. If the dire harbinger is neutral, she does benefit from this penalty. At 10th level, the target’s magical weapons no longer count as adamantine for the purpose of overcoming the dire harbinger’s damage reduction (but not for reducing hardness).

Inaccuracy: The target’s attacks are less true when directed against the dire harbinger. The target receives a –1 sacred penalty on all attack rolls made against the dire harbinger. This penalty increases by –1 for every five dire harbinger levels she possesses. At 10th level, this penalty is doubled on all attack rolls made to confirm critical hits.

Penetrable: The target becomes less resilient to the dire harbinger’s attacks. The target’s DR/magic is treated as 1 less (minimum 0) against the harbinger’s dire attacks. This penalty to DR increases by 1 for every five levels she possesses. At 10th level, this DR includes an alignment (chaotic, evil, good, or lawful) that is opposite the dire harbinger’s. If she is neutral, the dire harbinger does not receive this increase.

Vulnerability: The target becomes vulnerable to the dire harbinger’s energy attacks. The target’s energy resistance against one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic) is treated as 2 lower (minimum 0), chosen when the punishment is pronounced. The protection decreases by 2 for every three dire harbinger levels she possesses.

Any class features, feats, and spells that affect the judgment class feature are instead applied to punishment. This ability changes the judgment ability.

Revelation: At 1st, level, and again at 3rd level and every three levels thereafter (6th, 9th, and so on), a dire harbinger gains a revelation from her chosen mystery.

Dire Resistance (Su): At 2nd level, the divine energy flowing through a dire harbinger’s veins gives her resistance to many conditions. Once per day, as an immediate action, whenever she fails a saving throw against a spell or effect that bestows the exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, or sickened condition, she may attempt that saving throw again with a +4 circumstance bonus. She must take the second result, even if it is worse. At 9th level, she can use this ability twice per day. At 16th level, she can use the ability 3 times per day. This ability replaces detect alignment.

Fortified Persona (Su): At 3rd level, a dire harbinger can draw upon the strength of her allies to increase the power of her punishments. As a swift action, a dire harbinger can increase her equivalent level for the purposes of determining the penalties bestowed by her punishments by 1 for every ally within 10 feet, up to her Charisma modifier. This increase can fluctuate if allies enter and leave the 10-foot area. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 her dire harbinger level. Unlike other types of punishment, the one enhanced by this ability cannot be changed for the duration of this ability. A dire harbinger can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This ability replaces solo tactics.

Wracking Aura (Su): At 5th level, a dire harbinger can radiate a cursing aura that causes all enemies within 10 feet to gain the negative aspect of her oracle’s curse (see individual curses for specific effects) as a swift action. She can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to her dire harbinger level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. This ability only functions while the dire harbinger remains conscious, not is she is unconscious or dead. This ability replaces bane.

Reductive Conditions (Su): At 5th level, whenever a dire harbinger is subject to a spell or effect that bestows the exhausted, fatigued, frightened, nauseated, panicked, shaken, or sickened condition, she can choose to willingly accept the condition to gain damage reduction 1/— for as long as the condition is in effect. Every four levels beyond 5t, this damage reduction increases by one, up to damage reduction 4/— at 17th level. This ability replaces discern lies.

Gift of Prophecy (Su): Starting at 6th level, a dire harbinger can enter a trance to gain a glimpse of the future once per day. This trance lasts for 1 minute, which must be uninterrupted and during which she can take no other actions. At 8th level, a dire harbinger gains the benefits of an augury spell with 90% effectiveness. At 10th level, a dire harbinger gains the benefits of a divination spell with 90% effectiveness. At 12th level, the knowledge a dire harbinger gains is equivalent to a commune spell. None of these spell effects require material components.

Greater Wracking Aura (Su): At 12th level, all enemies with the dire harbinger’s wracking aura also gain the frightened or sickened condition, as chosen by the dire harbinger when it is activated. At 17th, level the enemies gain the panicked or nauseated condition. All enemies within the aura can make a Fort saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 the dire harbinger’s level + the dire harbinger’s Charisma modifier) to negate the chosen condition. This ability replaces greater bane.

Dire Punishment (Su): At 20th level, a dire harbinger can call dire punishment down upon a foe during combat. Whenever a dire harbinger uses her punishment ability, the dire harbinger can invoke dire punishment on a foe as a swift action. Once declared, the dire harbinger can make a single melee (or ranged attack, if the foe is within 30 feet) against the target. If the attack hits, it deals damage normally and the target must make a Fortitude save or die. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the dire harbinger's level + the dire harbinger's Charisma modifier. If the save is successful, the target is instead nauseated for 1 round per dire harbinger level. Regardless of whether or not the save is made, the target creature is immune to the dire harbinger's dire punishment ability for 24 hours. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds. This ability replaces true judgment.

Table: Dire Harbinger