Cabal Bravo (Rogue/Wizard)

While many guilds of the underworld exist, only a small number employ magic to any great extent, and fewer still have their agents use magic to increase their chances of slaying their selected mark. The silent and deadly cabal bravo is both a minor spellcaster and a trained assassin who weaves utility magic to great effect. Not always viewed with favor by her fellow guild members, the cabal bravo does, however, earn their trust and their grudging respect. Whether it is dropping a globe of darkness around herself, vanishing from sight, or influencing a guard to all her unseen passage, the cabal brao rarely fails in her mission, whatever it may be. (Original Concept by Kyras Ausks)

Primary Class: Rogue.

Secondary Class: Wizard.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The cabal bravo may select three wizard skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal rogue class skills, one of which must be Spellcraft. The cabal bravo gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The cabal bravo is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields. A cabal bravo can cast arcane spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. Like any other arcane spellcaster, a cabal bravo wearing medium or heavy armor incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component. A multiclass cabal bravo still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.

Favored Token: At 1st level, cabal bravos form a powerful bond with a special token that serves as the symbol of her deadly craft. This bond can take one of two forms: a brand or a bonded object. A brand is a magical mark that enhances the cabal bravo's skills and cast specialized magic, while a bonded object is an item a cabal bravo can use to enhance her deadly craft. Once a cabal bravo makes this choice, it is permanent and cannot be changed. Should a cabal bravo study or observe another cabal bravo’s favored token, she can make a DC 25 Knowledge (local) skill check as a swift action to identify the owner’s specific cabal or guild, if she has the chance to study it or the cabal bravo makes the token public.

A cabal bravo who selects a brand gains one at 1st level. This permanent mark is a symbol of his dedication to his craft and membership into her specific cabal. A brand grants the cabal bravo a +3 circumstance bonus to one of the following skills of her choice: Acrobatics, Disable Device, Disguise, Perception, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth. In addition, a brand can be used once per day to cast any one of the following spells, even if the spell is not prepared: anticipate peril, disguise self, expeditious retreat, feather fall, jump, moment of greatness, or vanish. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the cabal bravo, including casting time, duration, etc., except that all effects are dependent on her cabal bravo level, not her level –3, as used for her spellcasting. Should a cabal bravo enter an antimagic field, the brand does not function. The brand can be destroyed by making a successful Heal skill check (DC 10 + the cabal bravo’s level) and deals 2d6 points of damage.

A cabal bravo who selects a bonded object begins play with one at no cost. Objects that are the subject of an arcane bond must be either a bauble or weapon that she is proficient with. A bauble is a piece of jewelry that has a small hollow compartment built into it and falls into one of the following categories: amulet, bracelet, brooch, medallion, necklace, mask, periapt, phylactery, or ring. These objects are always masterwork quality. Weapons acquired at 1st level are not made of any special material. If the object is a bauble, it must be worn to have effect, while weapons must be held in one hand. If a cabal bravo attempts to cast a spell without his bonded object worn or in hand, he must make a concetration check or lose the spell. The DC for this check is equal to 20 + the spell's level. If the object is a ring or amulet, it occupies the ring or neck slot accordingly.

A cabal bravo who selects a bauble as her bonded object can increase the save DC of a single dose of poison by 1, once per day. The poison must be stored within the token’s hollow chamber for 1 minute for the increase to take place. Once placed within the token, the increase remains until the poison is used or 24 hours have passed, whichever comes first. Once a dose has been enhanced in this manner, it cannot be affected again for 24 hours. At 5th level, the save DC of the single dose of poison increases by 1, plus an additional 1 every five levels thereafter, to maximum of 5 at 20th level.

A cabal bravo who selects a weapon as her bonded object gains a +1 luck bonus to a single sneak attack roll, once per day. This attack can be made as part of a full attack action or as a standard action, including her death attack (see Death Attack below). The cabal bravo must declare that she is using this ability before the attack roll is made. At 5th level, this bonus increases by +1, plus an additional +1 every five levels thereafter, to maximum of +5 at 20th level. If a cabal bravo attempts to use death attack without her bonded weapon in hand loses the ability to make a death attack (or use her quiet death, swift death, or angel of death abilities).

A cabal bravo can add additional magic abilities to her bonded object as if she has the required Item Creation Feats and if she meets the level prerequisites of the feat. The magic properties of a favored token, including any magic abilities added to the token, only function for the cabal bravo who owns it. If a favored token's owner dies, or the item is replaced, the token reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.

A cabal bravo can add additional magic abilities to his bonded object as if she has the required Item Creation Feats and if he meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a cabal bravo with a bonded dagger must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat). The magic properties of a bonded object, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the cabal bravo who owns it. If a bonded object's owner dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.

If a bonded object is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the cabal bravo rests for 8 hours or prepares her spells. If the object of a bonded item is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per cabal bravo level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded item. A cabal bravo can designate an existing magic item as his bonded item. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed item except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a bonded item.

This ability replaces trapfinding and trap sense.

Poison Use: A cabal bravo is trained in the use of poison and cannot accidentally poison herself when applying poison to a blade (see Poison). This ability replaces evasion.

Rogue Talents: This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name, except that the cabal bravo gains a rogue talent at 2nd level and every four levels thereafter.

School of the Assassin: A cabal bravo learns magic as a tool to enhance her deadly craft. As such, her magic is far more limited than that of other wizards. A cabal bravo can only cast spells from the following arcane schools or subschools, representing knowledge gained in certain areas of arcane lore. She can choose any spell from the Divination, Enchantment, and Illusion school, as well as the Darkness and Teleportation subschools and add them to her spellbook. The spells from these schools and subschools constitute her spell list.

Spellcasting: Starting at 4th level, a cabal bravo casts arcane spells drawn from the School of the Assassin spell list. A cabal bravo must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the cabal bravo must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a cabal bravo's spell is 10 + the spell level + the cabal bravo's Intelligence modifier.

A cabal bravo can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Cabal bravo. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Intelligences score.

A cabal bravo may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the cabal bravo decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, a ranger has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her cabal bravo level –3. This ability replaces the rogue talent gained at 4th level, and sneak attack +2d6, +5d6, and +8d6.

Spellbooks: A cabal bravo must study his spellbook each day to prepare his spells. He cannot prepare any spell not recorded in his spellbook, except for read magic, which all cabal bravos can prepare from memory. At 4th level, a cabal bravo begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level from her spell list (see School of the Assassin) plus one 1st-level spells of his choice from her list. The cabal bravo also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to her Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new cabal bravo level above 4th, she gains one new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new cabal bravo level) for his spellbook. At any time, a cabal bravo can also add spells found in another cabal bravos' spellbook, or spells from his list found in a wizard’s spellbook to his own.

Hidden Spells (Ex): Starting at 5th level, whenever a cabal bravo casts a spell with verbal or somatic components, she can make as Stealth skill check (DC 20 + the spell’s level) to mask her words and actions and prevent those around her from noticing her spellcasting. As she gains experience, her ability to mask her spells increases. At 11th level, she gains a +2 bonus to all Stealth checks made to mask her spellcasting. At 17th level, this increases to +4. This ability replaces uncanny dodge and the rogue talent gained at 20th level.

Death Attack (Ex): Starting at 8th level, if a remorseless cabal bravo studies her victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (cabal bravo's choice). Studying the victim is a standard action. The death attack fails if the target detects the cabal bravo or recognizes the cabal bravo as an enemy (although the attack might still be a sneak attack if the target is denied his Dexterity bonus to his Armor Class or is flanked). If the victim of such a death attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the cabal bravo's class level + the cabal bravo's Int modifier) against the kill effect, he dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the cabal bravo. If the victim's saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the cabal bravo has completed the 3 rounds of study, she must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.

If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the cabal bravo does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before she can attempt another death attack. This ability replaces improved uncanny dodge and the rogue talent gained at 8th level.

Advanced Talents: At 10th level, the cabal bravo can choose advanced rogue talents whenever she could choose a rogue talent, or when she selects the Extra Rogue Talent feat. The cabal bravo adds the following rogue abilities to the list of advanced talents she may select: Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, and Improved Uncanny Dodge. A cabal bravo must select uncanny dodge before selecting improved uncanny dodge. In the case of the Improved Evasion talent, the cabal bravo must have evasion to select it. A cabal bravo treats her level as her rogue level for the purpose of qualifying for talents with level-dependent requirements and calculating the effects of any talent or rogue ability she's chosen.

Quiet Death (Ex): At 12th level, whenever a cabal bravo kills a creature using her death attack during a surprise round, she can also make a Stealth check, opposed by Perception checks of those in the vicinity to prevent them from identifying her as the assailant. If successful, those nearby might not even notice that the target is dead for a few moments, allowing the cabal bravo to avoid detection. This ability replaces the rogue talent gained at 12th level.

Swift Death (Ex): At 16th level, once per day, a cabal bravo can make a death attack against a foe without studying the foe beforehand. She must still sneak attack her foe using a melee weapon that deals damage. This ability replaces the rogue talent gained at 16th level.

Angel of Death (Su): At 20th level, the cabal bravo becomes a master of death. Once per day, when the cabal bravo makes a successful death attack, she can cause the target's body to crumble to dust. This prevents raise dead and resurrection (although true resurrection works as normal). The cabal bravo must declare the use of this ability before the attack is made. If the attack misses or the target successfully saves against the death attack, this ability is wasted with no effect. This ability replaces master strike.

Table: Cabal Bravo