Adipose Avatar (3.5e Prestige Class)

Becoming an adipose avatar is a horrific transformation with a gruesome and often monstrous end result,by Samuel Thompson

Adipose Avatar

“	We heard the damn thing long before we ever saw it. We could hear its stomach rumbling from a mile away. Then it caught up to us. It moved so damn fast for something so big. It got Caleb first…bit his head clean off, then it came after the rest of us. It wasn’t natural.	”
—Aliaksandr Vilar, human patrol leader describing an encounter with an adipose avatar

Hunger does terrible things to body and mind. Insatiable hunger does worse. The adipose avatar is someone who has succumbed to the horrible feeling of starvation until it has driven them mad. But this surrender to famine is not without benefits; the character becomes a monster driven by a limitless appetite, consumed by a never-ending need to eat. As they descend into lunacy and obsess with satisfying their hunger, an adipose avatar takes on powers they likely never knew they could have possessed, creating a beast beyond the wildest imaginations of most beings. They become massive behemoths covered in rolls of fat, which conceal the large amounts of muscle built from hunting food.

Becoming an Adipose Avatar

Most people become adipose avatars unwillingly after an extended period of starvation. Stories are told of men left marooned on deserted islands for weeks until they are rescued, only to eat the entire crew and, in some rare cases, the entire ship, hull and all. It would take a madman to intentionally starve himself to a state of near-death, but most that go down this path are of the fighter or barbarian vocation, who find the adipose avatar’s strength appealing but know not what they are truly unleashing upon themselves. Strength and Constitution are the two most important stats for an adipose avatar, and they go up and the expense of his other scores as his level increases.

Entry Requirements

Base Attack Bonus:	+4
Race:	Any mortal creature that needs to eat to survive (and is therefore subject to starvation)
Abilities:	Constitution 15
Special:	Must have been reduced to a quarter of their maximum hit points through starvation.

Table: The Adipose Avatar

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Inescapable Cravings, All the Better to Eat You With (Bite 1d8), Girth, Power of the Body (1)
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Cast-Iron Stomach, Fat Armor +1
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Bite (2d8/+1)
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Fat Armor +2, Burst of Speed
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Bite (3d8/+1), Stomach of Steel, Girth (+1 size)
6th	+6	+5	+2	+5	Fat Armor +3, Get in My Belly!
7th	+7	+5	+2	+5	Bite (4d8/+2), Power of the Body (2)
8th	+8	+6	+2	+6	Fat Armor +4, Bottomless Pit
9th	+9	+6	+3	+6	Bite (5d8/+2), Girth (+2 sizes)
10th	+10	+7	+3	+7	Head on a Platter, Fat Armor +5
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level) Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str)

Table: The Epic Adipose Avatar

Level	Special
11th	Bite (6d8/+3)
12th	Fat Armor +6
13th	Bite (7d8/+3), Bonus Feat
14th	Fat Armor +7
15th	Bite (8d8/+4)
16th	Fat Armor +8, Bonus Feat
17th	Bite (9d8/+4)
18th	Fat Armor +9
19th	Bite (10d8/+5), Bonus Feat
20th	Fat Armor +10

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the adipose avatar prestige class.

Inescapable Cravings: Upon becoming an adipose avatar, the character must succeed at a Will save (DC 20) or succumb to the intense urges of hunger that he feels, changing his alignment one step towards chaotic neutral (if he is already chaotic or neutral, adjust the type that does not fit). After gaining another level as an adipose avatar, the avatar must make a new save or move another step toward chaotic neutral. This save increases in difficulty as the adipose avatar’s level goes up by a rate of +1 DC per two adipose avatar levels to a maximum of 25 at level 10. If the save succeeds, the character’s alignment does not move toward chaotic neutral, but they still suffer from the effects of their everlasting hunger (see below). If the avatar’s alignment had been changed due to a previously failed save, it goes one step back towards their previous alignment. If the avatar’s alignment fully changes to chaotic neutral and they fail another save, their alignment remains chaotic neutral and only a successful save upon leveling up can bring a change in the avatar’s alignment. As a result of its previous experiences with hunger, an adipose avatar’s body fools him into thinking it he always hungry, with only tremendous amounts of food even coming close to satisfying it. Unless the adipose avatar consumes an amount equal to 6 times his adipose avatar level pounds of food per day, he must make a Will save (10 + adipose avatar level) or take 1d6 points of Wisdom damage and become ravenous. A ravenous adipose avatar is lost in his hunger, forgetting his allegiances or friendships until he has consumed the proper amount. If he manages to feed, all of the ability damage is instantly recovered and the adipose avatar regains its awareness, but the feeling of hunger never completely goes away. [Note: this quantity is food by the standards of the avatar. At high level, just about anything the avatar can put into his mouth counts as food (see below).]

Power of the Body (Ex): An adipose avatar’s body is unimaginably strong and durable. He automatically gains maximum hit points for every level of adipose avatar that he takes, gains Toughness as a bonus feat at 1st level, and Improved Toughness as a bonus feat at 7th level.

All the Better to Eat You With (Ex): At first level, an adipose avatar’s teeth extend and sharpen, turning his mouth into a powerful maw. He gains a bite attack at his highest attack bonus that deals 1d8 damage and triple damage on a critical hit (Threat Range: 20). This damage increases at every odd level (see the table above) as his jaw muscles increase in strength. An adipose avatar's bite is a natural attack and cannot be enchanted, but it has the same properties as adamantine and attacks as a magic weapon of the indicated potency for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction (see table).

Girth (Ex): An adipose avatar is an unstoppable eating machine, and as he eats he gains hundreds of pounds, sometimes without even consciously realizing it. At 1st level, he gains the Willing Deformity (Obese) feat (from Book of Vile Darkness) and takes an -10 ft. penalty to his base speed (after this first penalty, his speed remains the same). As he increases in level, the adipose avatar grows even larger, to the point that his body is effectively one size category larger. While his height effectively remains the same, he gains all other benefits and drawbacks of having gained a size category. At 9th level, the adipose avatar gains another effective size category increase. For example, a Medium adipose avatar would effectively be Huge-size at level 9, having gained +16 Strength, +8 Constitution, +5 natural armor, -4 Dexterity and -2 on AC and attack rolls. This tremendous boost in power is not without penalty. As he gains weight, the adipose avatar takes on a hideous appearance that is repugnant to even view, and he takes a -3 penalty to Charisma for each effective size increase in addition to the downsides of size increase (down to a minimum score of 3).

Fat Armor (Ex): Due to his ceaseless gorging, an adipose avatar gains enough fat that its sheer mass protects his vital organs from harm. At 2nd level, he gains a +1 natural armor bonus to AC, a bonus that increases every two levels afterwards to a maximum of +5. This bonus stacks with any other natural armor bonus he may have, magical or otherwise. In addition to his natural armor bonus, the adipose avatar gains heat and fire resistance equal to his adipose avatar level and takes half damage from falling or sonic damage as the fat armor acts as insulation and padding to disperse concussive force. However, this prodigious amount of fat prevents the adipose avatar from wearing any kind of armor (boots, jewelry, bracers, and other items may still be worn).

Cast-Iron Stomach (Ex): At 2nd level, the adipose avatar’s hunger drives him to seek out food, and often eat things that no normal being would consider fit to eat. The adipose avatar gains the benefits of the Cast-Iron Stomach feat. If the character already has this feat, he may select a feat from the fighter bonus feat list, provided he meets the prerequisites.

Burst of Speed (Su): The adipose avatar likes meat more than any other kind of food, and through long hunting of living creatures he has learned to give himself a temporary burst of superhuman speed. At 3rd level, the adipose avatar may act as if under a haste spell for five rounds a day (these rounds need not be consecutive), but he is treated as exhausted following any encounter in which it uses this ability.

Stomach of Steel (Ex): An adipose avatar’s digestive system becomes abnormally efficient and tough. At 5th level, an adipose avatar can digest anything and receive nutrients from it, even things like garbage or soil, and is immune to all nonmagical ingested poisons. Even though it satisfies his required food intake (see above), no amount will ever sate the adipose avatar’s endless hunger.

Get in My Belly! (Ex): At 6th level, an adipose avatar further hones his eating abilities. The benefits are twofold: first, he gains the benefits of the improved grab feature with his bite attack, allowing him to initiate a grapple every time he scores a hit with his bite against a creature at least one size category smaller than him (this uses the effective size categories provided by the Girth class feature). Second, he becomes able to unhinge his jaw and swallow a creature grappled in this manner whole if he succeeds on another grapple check at the beginning of his next turn. A swallowed creature enters the adipose avatar’s stomach, where it takes 2d8+(1½ x adipose avatar’s Strength modifier) points of bludgeoning damage per round and well as 2d8 points of acid damage per round from the adipose avatar’s digestive juices. A swallowed creature can cut its way out by using a light slashing or piercing weapon to deal 30 points of damage to the adipose avatar’s stomach lining (AC 12). Once the creature exits, muscular action closes the hole; another swallowed creature must cut its own way out. An adipose avatar’s stomach can hold one creature one size category less than itself: two creatures of two sizes less, four creatures of three sizes less, and so on.

Bottomless Pit (Su): At 8th level, an adipose avatar’s stomach swells, and the interior lining becomes its own interdimensional pocket plane capable of holding more creatures. An adipose avatar can now hold twice the number of creatures in its stomach than it could before (two creatures of one size less, four creatures of two sizes less, etc.)

Head on a Platter (Ex): At 10th level, an adipose avatar’s bite attack becomes a vorpal weapon. On a successful critical hit, the bite severs the opponent's head. This ability only affects creatures who are one size category larger than the adipose avatar’s original size or less (Large or smaller creatures for a Medium-size avatar, for example) and is unaffected by his effective size increases. If the avatar scores a critical hit on a creature more than one size category larger than himself, his bite attack deals damage as a normal critical hit.

Bonus Feats:

The epic adipose avatar gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic adipose avatar feats) every 3 levels after level 10.

Epic Adipose Avatar Bonus Feat List: Armor Skin, Damage Reduction, Energy Resistance, Epic Endurance, Epic Prowess, Epic Toughness, Fast Healing, Great Constitution, Great Strength, Perfect Health, Superior Initiative

Ex-Adipose Avatars

Being an adipose avatar is a twisted curse to most and one that cannot be undone. This even deters many of those who would take the class willingly. Due to the circumstances of their creation, no adipose avatar apprentices another, although a particularly sadistic being might intentionally starve others in the hope that they would become adipose avatars (even so, most would likely die instead). Even if they somehow lose their mass, which would deprive them of most class benefits and penalties, the adipose avatar’s hunger remains until death, usually making them eat their way back to their exorbitant weight. Even a wish or miracle spell will only suppress the hunger for 1 x Caster Level years. Nothing short of death will keep the hunger away forever.

Campaign Information

Playing an Adipose Avatar

Combat: With its extraordinary hit point total, strength, and ability to deal damage, an adipose avatar excels at front-line fighting. At high levels, it even has the ability to swallow an opponent to at least take them out of the fight for a while or kill them instantly with its vorpal bite.

Advancement: Fighters and barbarians—who rely on strength and endurance to fight—are the most ideal classes to become adipose avatars. Wizards and clerics would likely have a hard time with this class, since the persistent hunger takes away a great deal of attention from studies or prayer. More innate spellcasters—sorcerers and warlocks, for example—should have fewer problems adjusting to the prestige class.

Resources: An adipose avatar typically has nothing but its own personal possessions. Even other adipose avatars will merely regard it as competition, and two adipose avatars that cross paths will often fight to the death with the winner feasting on the loser’s corpse.

Adipose Avatars in the World

“	Never trust any of ‘em, that’s what I say. The rumbling of their stomachs will keep you awake all night, and the people that stay awake are the lucky ones ‘cuz they’ll be able to run away when them things try to eat ya.	”
—anonymous former companion of an adipose avatar

While an avatar that retains it's awareness may continue its travels normally, a ravenous adipose avatar usually adventures for one thing: food. They roam the world in search of any kind of food supply, for while they are certainly capable of eating dirt, flesh is usually much more appealing.

NPC Reactions: Adipose avatars are generally not tolerated by anyone; civilized regions cast them out for their appearance as much as their behavior. Druids will allow their presence, but quickly shun an adipose avatar if it harms any wildlife (a common occurrence). Even savage tribes distrust these massive beings, although some creatures such as goblins may revere a particularly powerful adipose avatar as a god of gluttony and bring it offerings of food. These adipose avatars swiftly cow such beings into submission and start to eat them as well.

An adipose avatar is usually a loner, since few would travel with them and risk becoming its next meal. Occasionally, a party may recruit an adipose avatar with bribes of food, or a powerful wizard capable of casting heroes’ feast will employ the adipose avatar as a bodyguard. Even these people still regard adipose avatars with a great deal of mistrust and give them a wide berth whenever possible.

Adipose Avatar Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge: (Local) can research adipose avatars to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge: (Local)

DC	Result
11	An adipose avatar is a being twisted by the extremely persuasive force of hunger.
16	An adipose avatar’s desire for food can never be satisfied; this everlasting feeling of starvation and their raw power makes them dangerous to anyone who would cross their path.
21	Adipose avatars are capable of eating just about anything; their stomachs are extremely refined and can break down things that no mortal would ever consider eating.
26	An adipose avatar's hunger can only be ended by death. No magic or healing can stop its influence, which hangs over these beings and haunts them for eternity.

Adipose Avatars in the Game

While ideal for an up-close and personal combat role, the adipose avatar is not good for stealth. They are most often heard before they are seen; the loud growls of the avatar's stomach can echo for miles around (Listen DC 10 within 500 feet)

Adaptation: In a naval campaign, an adipose avatar could be a marooned sailor whose hunger from being stranded on a deserted spit of land has never gone away. In a military setting, starved POW's could succumb to their hunger and become adipose avatars.

Sample Encounter: Lars Kruger

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