Coven Agent (Rogue/Witch)

City streets are populated with waifs, urchins, guttersnipes, and the other outcasts of society, each facing a daily life or death struggle to survive. So, when opportunity calls, those of indomitable willpower and unquenchable dreams will often grasp it with a vise-like grip in hopes of something better. Among those few are those who enter the service of a secret cabal or coven of witches of their own free will, enticed by their desire for greater power and influence over those who grind them beneath their heels. Coven agents serve as enforcers, infiltrators, and agents for their patrons. Each coven agent enters a pact with his patrons with a full understanding of their role and expectations. While the reason for entering such a pact is often varied, they receive a variety of boons through this binding contract between the corporeal and incorporeal worlds. Coven agents are free to employ their abilities in any way necessary to fulfill their duty, but are nonetheless bound to the demands of their patrons. With their natural skills of stealth and legerdemain, the coven agent’s foremost responsibility is to infiltrate enemy covens and glean their eldritch secrets for their own, while exposing those who have infiltrated their coven. Should a coven agent openly defy her patrons or refuse to uphold her part of the pact, she may find herself on the run from enemy covens or other coven agents seeking to eliminate her on behalf of her patron powers. (Original Concept by Byrdology)

Primary: Rogue.

Secondary: Witch.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The coven agentselects three witch skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal rogue class skills. The coven agentgains a number of ranks at each level equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The coven agentis proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, shortbow, and short sword. A coven agentis proficient with light armor, but not with shields.

Dire Blade (Su): At 1st level, a coven agent forms a bond with a weapon of her choice. This functions like the wizard’s arcane bond class feature, except that a coven agent must commune with her weapon each day to regain her hexes and prepare her patron arcanum, as a witch must commune with her familiar. In addition, a dire blade can be used to cast any one patron arcanum spell that the coven agent is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared.

Patron Pact: At 1st level, when a coven agent gains her dire blade, she must also select two patrons and enters into a binding pact with them. She gains both her patron’s spells and adds them to her list of patron arcanum spells at the appropriate level.

A patron pact creates a deeper bond between the coven agent and her patrons than other witches. It is through this pact that a coven agent gains her hexes and patron arcanum spells. Although a coven agent may act of her own free will, she is subject to the demands of her patron. A coven agent who willfully defies her patrons, or who violates the strictures of her patrons loses all patron arcanum spells, hexes, and all other witch related class features. A coven agent may not progress any further in levels as a coven agent if she has violated her pact. She regains her abilities and advancement potential if she atones for her violations (see atonement), as appropriate. This ability otherwise functions as the witch’s patron ability.

Sneak Attack: This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name, except that the extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and an additional 1d6 damage every four levels thereafter, to a maximum of 5d6 at 17th level.

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

Sixth Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a coven agent gains an intuitive sense that protects her from divination effects, giving her a +1 bonus on Will saves made against divination (scrying) spells and spell-like abilities, such as arcane eye, clairaudience/clairvoyance, or scrying. She also gains a +1 dodge bonus to her touch AC against touch spells. These bonuses rise to +2 when the coven agent reaches 6th level, to +3 when she reaches 9th level, to +4 when she reaches 12th level, to +5 at 15th, and to +6 at 18th level. This ability replaces trap sense.

Patron Arcanum: At 4th level, a coven agent casts arcane spells drawn from her patron arcanum, with a caster level equal to her coven agent level. To cast a spell, a coven agent must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The save DC against a dire blade’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the coven agent’s Intelligence modifier. Like a witch, a coven agent must commune with her dire blade to prepare her daily allotment of spells. She can prepare any patron spell stored within her dire blade.

A coven agent’s selection of patron arcanum spells is also extremely limited. At 4th level, a coven agent can cast 1st-level patron arcanum spells and each subsequent level of spells every four levels thereafter, up to a maximum of 5th-level spells at 20th level.

A coven agent of 4th level gains her 1st-level patron's spells and adds them to her list of 1st-level patron arcanum. A coven agent gains one patron arcanum spell slot for each level of patron arcanum spell she can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a coven agent can prepare one of the spells from her patron spells in that slot. At 8th level, a coven agent adds her 2nd level patron spells to her list of 2nd-level patron arcanum. At 12th level, a coven agent adds her 3rd level patron spells to her list of 3rd-level patron arcanum. At 16th level, a coven agent adds her 4th level patron spells to her list of 4th-level patron arcanum. At 20th level, a coven agent adds her 5th level patron spells to her list of 5th-level patron arcanum. This ability replaces the rogue talents gained at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level.

Table: Coven Agent