Embedded Files
Brutal and cruel, yet possessed of a devilish charm that others cannot deny, these scoundrels take what they want in a selfish pursuit of their own pleasures with a callous disregard for others. Vicious connivers possess an insatiable love for schemes and a keen mind that has been twisted by dark influences. They take perverse pleasure in bringing pain or even death to others, often prolonging such acts for their own enjoyment. (Original Concept by JonathonWilder)
Primary Class: Investigator.
Secondary Class: Antipaladin.
Alignment: Any nongood.
Hit Dice: d8.
Bonus Skills and Ranks: The vicious conniver may select three antipaladin skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal invesitgator class skills. The vicious conniver gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The vicious conniver is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the dart gun, hand crossbow, sap, sawtooth sabre, short sword, switchblade, and sword cane. He is also proficient with light and medium armor, but not with shields.
Agony (Ex): A vicious conniver is beyond knowledgeable and skilled in the art of invasive medicine, possessing a broad understanding of anatomy, surgery, and pain that far surpasses the abilities of others. A vicious conniver typically uses these powers to torture those who are injured, whether friend or foe, but can also use these flashes of insight to better understand their physical conditions.
A vicious conniver has the ability to prolong condition, pain, and injury-related skill checks and ability checks through his brilliant comprehension of physiology and anatomy. The vicious conniver has an agony pool equal to 1/2 his astute physician level + his Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). A vicious conniver's agony pool refreshes each day, typically after he gets a restful night's sleep. As a free action, he can expend one use of agony from his pool to add 1d6 to a Heal check meant to prevent recovery, torture, cause deep hurting, prevent fast healing, or erode willpower, including any on which he takes 10 or 20. This choice is made after the check is rolled and before the results are revealed. A vicious conniver can only use agony once per check or roll. The vicious conniver can use agony on any Heal (only those listed above), Knowledge (nature), or Survival skill checks without expending a use of agony, provided he's trained in the skill.
Agony can also be used on nonlethal attack rolls and saving throws against physical injuries and conditions, at the cost of expending two uses of agony each time from the vicious conniver's pool. In the case of saving throws, using agony is an immediate action rather than a free action.
Alternatively, a vicious conniver can reduce the effectiveness of any beneficial Heal checks made to help another creature. At the cost of expending two uses of agony, the vicious conniver can touch an injured or dying creature. Any Heal checks made to render first aid, stabilize, or otherwise help the creature survive its injuries takes a 1d6 penalty to the skill check. This penalty lasts a number of rounds equal to the vicious conniver. This ability replaces inspiration.
Dark Alchemy (Su): This is exactly like the investigator ability of the same name, except that the vicious conniver imbues his extracts with a touch of the divine. Whenever a vicious conniver creates an extract, he can choose to imbue it with a portion of his divine energy, granting it the “evil” descriptor. In addition, the vicious conniver removes all “cure” extracts from the alchemist formulae list and adds the following spells to his list of extracts at the indicated formulae levels: 1st level–bane, cause fear, curse water, deathwatch, doom, inflict light wounds, murderous command; 2nd level–blindness/deafness, corruption resistance, death knell, disrupt link, inflict moderate wounds, pernicious poison, scare, touch of bloodletting; 3rd level–agonizing rebuke, blade of dark triumph, bloody arrows, contagion, inflict serious wounds, desecrate; 4th level–defile armor, fear, inflict critical wounds, poison, sadomasochism; 5th level–resounding blow, slay living; 6th level–harm. In the case of “inflict” extracts, drinking the extract and making a touch attack is all part of the required standard action.
Tainted Strike (Su): This is exactly like investigator’s studied strike. Alternatively, a vicious conniver’s can choose to surrounds his weapon with a fiendish flame, causing terrible wounds to open on those he hits. This attack deals damage equal to his studied strike damage. Each day he can use this ability a number of times equal to 1/2 his vicious conniver level + his Charisma modifier. This portion of the tainted strike ability is modified by any feat, spell, or effect that specifically works with the lay on hands paladin class feature. For example, the Extra Lay On Hands feat grants a vicious conniver 2 additional uses of the tainted strike class feature. This ability counts as the antipaladin’s touch of corruption ability for the purpose of qualifying for feats.
Torture Technician (Ex): A vicious conniver is an expert in many means of medical cruelty. He gains Skill Focus (Heal) as a bonus feat and may use the Heal skill in place of the Intimidate skill. This ability replaces trapfinding.
Investigator Talent: This is exactly like the investigator ability of the same name, except that the vicious conniver may also select from the following new investigator talents, restricted to the Vicious Conniver multiclass archetype. Unless otherwise noted, each investigator talent can only be selected once.
Alchemist Discovery: The vicious conniver may choose the following discoveries: alchemical zombie, combine extracts, deadly excretions, dilution, enhance potion, eternal potion, extend potion, infusion, malignant poison, mummification, nauseating flesh, preserve organs. These replace the normal alchemist discoveries that can be selected by the investigator.
Fragile Mind (Ex): The vicious conniver can spend 1 point from his agony pool to augment the result of any Diplomacy, Knowledge, or Sense Motive skill check.
Rogue Talent: The vicious conniver may choose the following rogue talents: black market connections, bleeding attack, canny observer, charmer, coax information, combat swipe, deft palm, disease use, follow clues, guileful polyglot, hard to fool, hold breath, honeyed words, iron guts, major magic, minor magic, peerless maneuver, rapid boost, resilience, scavenger, stand up, strong stroke. These replace the normal rogue talents that can be selected by the investigator.
Secrets of the Dead (Ex): The vicious conniver adds decompose corpse, restore corpse, and sculpt corpse to his list of 2nd–level formulae, and animate dead to his 4th–level formulae. He also gains a +5 competence bonus to all Heal and Knowledge checks made to determine a creature’s cause of death.
Steady Hands (Ex): The vicious conniver can spend 1 point from his first aid pool to augment the result of any Disable Device, Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, or Use Magic Device skill check.
Plague Bearer (Ex): At 3rd level, a vicious conniver gains the antipaladin’s plague bringer ability. This ability replaces trap sense.
Cruel Memories (Su): At 5th level, a vicious conniver can spend 1 point from his agony pool to make an Intimidate check against a target. If the check is successful, target is wracked with horrible thoughts and memories and is immediately affected by the doom, forbid action, or qualm spell for 1d4 rounds. The choice is made when the check is made. This ability replaces the investigator talent gained at 5th level.
Cruel Anatomy (Ex): At 9th level, whenever a vicious conniver makes a successful melee attack, he can spend 1 point from his agony pool to make an Intimidate check against the target as an immediate action. If the check is successful, the target is wracked with crippling pain and is affected by the pain strike spell for 1d6 rounds. This ability replaces the investigator talent gained at 9th level.
True Agony (Su): At 20th level, a vicious conniver it a master at mental torment and can slowly crush the target's sanity. Whenever a vicious conniver makes a successful tainted strike attack, he can spend 4 points from his agony pool to make an Intimidate check against the target as an immediate action. He gins a +4 bonus to this check. If the check is successful the target’s mental faculties begin to deteriorate and he becomes shaken. At the beginning of the target’s next turn, the target must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 the vicious conniver’s level + the vicious conniver’s) or suffers from a madness of the vicious conniver’s choice for 10 minutes. The target takes a –4 penalty on this save. This ability replaces true inspiration.
Table: Vicious Conniver
Page updated
Report abuse