Black Mist Priest (3.5e Class)

Black Mist Priest

“	Baptized in the font Avernus, death means something different to me.	”
—Abaddon, Human Black Mist Priest

The Font of Avernus is the source of a family's strength, a crack in primal stones from which vapors of prophetic power have issued for generations. Each newborn of the cavernous House Avernus is bathed in the black mist, and by this baptism they are given an innate connection to the mystic energies of the land. They grow up believing themselves fierce protectors of their lineal traditions, the customs of the realm--but what they really are protecting is the Font itself. And the motives of the mist are unclear. When the infant Abaddon was bathed in the Font, they say something went awry. In the child's eyes there flared a light of comprehension that startled all present and set the sacerdotes to whispering. He was raised with every expectation of following the path all scions of Avernus took--to train in war, that in times of need he might lead the family's army in defense of the ancestral lands. But Abaddon was always one apart. Where others trained with weapons, he bent himself to meditation in the presence of the mist. He drank deep from the vapors that welled from the Font, learning to blend his spirit with the potency that flowed from far beneath the House; he became a creature of the black mist. There was bitterness within the House Avernus--elders and young alike accusing him of neglecting his responsibilities. But all such accusations stopped when Abaddon rode into battle, and they saw how the powers of the mist had given him mastery over life and death beyond those of any lord the House had ever known.

Making a Black Mist Priest

Abilities: Constitution, Strength and Wisdom are the most important abilities to a Black Mist Priest.

Races: Any race that would not be immune to the dark sway of the Black Mist could become a Black Mist Priest.

Alignment: Any Neutral or Evil.

Starting Gold: As Cleric.

Starting Age: Moderate.

Table: Black Mist Priest

Hit Die: d6/d8/d10

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spells per Day
		Fort	Ref	Will		0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	From the Mist	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	Curse of Black Mist	1	-	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1	Aphotic Shield	2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Mist Coil	3	1	-	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1	From the Mist II	4	2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+5	+2	+2	Borrowed Time	4	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+5	+2	+2	Curse II	4	4	2	0	—	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+2	Shield II	4	4	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+3	Coil II	4	4	3	2	0	—	—	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+3	From the Mist III	4	4	4	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+3	Borrowed Time II	4	4	4	4	2	0	—	—	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	Curse III	4	4	4	4	3	1	—	—	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	Shield III	4	4	4	4	4	2	0	—	—	—
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+4	Coil III	4	4	4	4	4	3	1	—	—	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+5	From the Mist IV	4	4	4	4	4	4	2	0	—	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Borrowed Time III	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	1	—	—
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Curse IV	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	2	0	—
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Shield IV	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	1	—
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6	Coil IV	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	2	0
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	From the Mist V	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	1

Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level)
Appraise (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge, All taken seperately (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha). |}

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Black Mist Priests are proficient with simple weapons and one martial weapon of their choice. Black Mist Priests are proficient in the use of Light and Medium armor and shields, but not tower shields.

Spells: Black Mist Priests must prepare spells beforehand, rather than casting spontaneously. It takes one hour of meditation or prayer to prepare one's spells. Black Mist Priests may prepare any spells from the SRD:Cleric Spell List of levels that they have access to. Their DC's are Wis based and they gain additional spells per day with high Wis.

From the Mist: At Levels 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20, the Black Mist Priest gains class features from the path of their choosing, Str, Con or Wis. Only one of these paths, and their bonuses, may be gained per level of From the Mist, but the Black Mist Priest may mix and match which paths to take along their progression. These decisions cannot be reversed without magic or psionics capable of retraining feats.

Str Path I: HD becomes D8, Gain Proficiency with all martial weapons, BAB becomes Good (+1/level, as fighter), +1 Str

Con Path I: HD becomes D10, Gain Proficiency with Heavy Armor, +1 Con

Wis Path I: HD becomes D6, Will Saves become good (matching Fort), Choose a Cleric Domain and gain all bonuses from it, including spells (as you level up), +1 Wis

Str Path II: Gain Weapon Focus and Weapon Specialization with a weapon of choice. +1 Str

Con Path II: Aphotic Shield may, at will, also function as a Dispel Magic spell (targeting individual only, target gets dispelled, then shielded) +1 Con

Wis Path II: Raise all Spell and Class Ability DC's by 2. +1 Wis

Str Path III: Curse of Black Mist now grants attackers one bonus attack at highest BAB against cursed subjects. +1 Str

Con Path III: Gain DR/Evil equal to Conmod, +1 Con

Wis Path III: When in Borrowed Time state, designate one ally to protect, redirecting half of all damage dealt to them back to you as healing for the duration of the Borrowed Time state. +1 Wis

Str Path IV: Curse of Black Mist no longer expires naturally, but can be dispelled with a dispel magic or remove curse, +1 Str

Con Path IV: Gain Regeneration 1/2Conmod / Holy, +1 Con

Wis Path IV: Aphotic Shield protects/deals damage on 1d8's rather than 1d6's. +1 Wis

Str Path V: Gain Native Outsider type, Whenever a creature affected by Curse of Black Mist dies, the Black Mist Priest is healed by 20% of the victim's Max HP. +1 Str

Con Path V: Gain Native Outsider type, become immune to critical damage and sneak attack damage, +1 Con

Wis Path V: Gain Native Outsider type, As bonus from Wis Path III, but applies to a number of targets up to Wismod (1/2 Wismod if Black Mist Priest did not take Wis Path III), +1 Wis

Curse of Black Mist: The Black Mist Priest curses its victims any time it beats their AC with its attack roll. If the victim fails a Will save (DC 10 + Wis) they become slowed, losing 2 dex (to a minimum of 1 dex) and 5 speed (to a minimum of 5 speed) for 2 rounds. Also, anyone actively attacking the victim of the curse, including the Black Mist Priest, gains 5 speed. After the two round duration is up, the victim is immediately returned to normal speed and dexterity, and anyone benefitting from the speed boost due to attacking a victim of the curse loses it at the start of their next turn. If the Black Mist Priest attacks a target that is already cursed and beats their AC, that victim's curse is renewed and they do not get a new save against it. Visually, those suffering from the curse would have thick black mist seeping from their wounds. Curse of Black Mist is a Supernatural Ability.

Curse II: Will Save DC 15 +Wis, lose 4 Dex, lose 10 speed, attackers gain 10 speed

Curse III: Will Save DC 20 +Wis, lose 6 Dex, lose 15 speed, attackers gain 15 speed

Curse IV: Will Save DC 25 +Wis, lose 8 Dex, lose 20 speed, attackers gain 20 speed

Aphotic Shield: As a standard action, the Black Mist Priest surrounds a living creature or outsider (target must have a Con score) in a protective force field made of the black mist. This mist absorbs any harm that would befall the one it protects. The shield absorbs (1d6 +wismod) damage then explodes violently, dealing equal damage to the amount it absorbed to all creatures within a 10 foot radius of the explosion. (Ref DC 10 +wismod for half damage) The only one who is immune to this backlash damage is the target of the shield. If the shield does not absorb its full potential damage in 5 rounds, it explodes anyway, dealing 1d6 +wismod damage. The target of the shield must be within 50 feet of the Black Mist Priest to cast it. Aphotic shield can be cast 1 +wismod times per day with a cooldown of 2d6 rounds in between uses. Aphotic Shield is considered a Spell-Like Ability. The damage is damage of the same type as Inflict spells, and it also heals undead. The aphotic shield can be cast on oneself. If the aphotic shield is cast on a subject that does not want it, that target may make a Will save DC 10 +wismod to resist it. If a shield is cast on a target that already has an active shield, the active shield explodes, dealing damage as if it had expired, then is immediately replaced by the new shield.

Shield II: 2d6 +1.5xwismod absorbed/dealt, Ref DC 15 +Wismod, 2d4 round cooldown, Unwelcome shield Will DC 15 + Wismod

Shield III: 3d6 +2xwismod absorbed/dealt, Ref DC 20 +Wismod, 1d6 round cooldown, Unwelcome shield Will DC 20 + Wismod

Shield IV: 4d6 +2.5xwismod absorbed/dealt, Ref DC 25 +Wismod, 1d4 round cooldown, Unwelcome shield Will DC 25 + Wismod

Mist Coil: As a move action, the Black Mist Priest casts a violent whip of black mist at a target. That target makes a Will save (DC 10 +wismod). Failing the save causes both the victim and the Black Mist Priest who cast the coil to take (1d8 +wismod) damage. A successful save results in half damage for both the Black Mist Priest and the target. Alternatively, the Black Mist Priest may cast Mist Coil to heal a target. In that case, the target heals for 1d8 +wismod damage and the Black Mist Priest takes damage normally. The damage of the offensive coil is considered the same as inflict spells, so it will heal undead. The damage of the healing coil is considered the same as cure spells, so it will harm undead. Mist Coil is considered a Spell-Like Ability. The target must be within 50 feet. If the Black Mist Priest has an Aphotic Shield active, that shield would absorb as much of the feedback damage of the mist coil as it could, then explode if it reached its limit as normal. Mist Coil can be cast 1 + Wismod time(s) per day with a 2d4 round cooldown in between uses. The damage and healing of Mist Coil is always equal between the two affected creatures. This means that if the coil is meant to deal 10 damage and the target has DR 2/-, then both the target and the Black Mist Priest take 8 damage. Self-damage from Mist Coil cannot be reduced by damage reduction.

Coil II: Will Save DC 15 + Wismod, 2d8 +1.5xwismod damage dealt/healed, 1d6 round cooldown

Coil III: Will Save DC 20 + Wismod, 3d8 +2xwismod damage dealt/healed, 1d4 round cooldown

Coil IV: Will Save Dc 25 + Wismod, 4d8 +2.5xwismod damage dealt/healed, 1d3 round cooldown

Borrowed Time: As an immediate action that can be activated at any time, even during another character's turn, the Black Mist Priest begins leaking black mist from their own wounds, visually like those who are affected by the Curse of Black Mist, but instead of being slowed, they become temporarily invulnerable. During this state, any damage the Black Mist Priest takes (including from their own abilities) instead heals them for the amount it would have dealt otherwise. This state lasts 2 rounds and can be used once per day. If the Black Mist Priest has an active aphotic shield during the borrowed time state, the shield does not absorb incoming damage. Borrowed Time automatically activates if the Black Mist Priest is brought to less than 10 HP, regardless of the priest's wishes. The mist is acting of its own accord in this case. Borrowed Time may never cause the Black Mist Priest's HP to go above maximum. Borrowed time is a Spell-Like ability when it is activated by the priest and a Supernatural Ability when it is activated automatically by the mists.

Borrowed Time II: Lasts 3 rounds

Borrowed Time III: Lasts 4 rounds

Ex-Black Mist Priest

A Black Mist Priest who becomes good or otherwise loses their connection to the black mist retains their armor and weapon proficiencies, HD, base attack bonus, and saves but loses all special class features and spells of the Black Mist Priest.

Epic Black Mist Priest

Table: The Epic Black Mist Priest

Hit Die: d8

Level	Special
21st
22nd
23rd
24th
25th
26th
27th
28th
29th
30th
2 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Human Black Mist Priest Starting Package

Weapons: Longsword, Sling

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Appraise	4	Cha	—
Diplomacy	4	Cha	— Feats: Toughness, Improved Initiative Gear: Priest's Clothes, Silk Rope 50ft, Bedroll, Tent, Flint and Tinder, Signet Ring, Chain Shirt Gold: 5 GP Campaign Information Playing a Black Mist Priest Religion: Black Mist Priests of Neutral or Evil alignments are typically prone to obsessive worship of gods of death and war. Other Classes: Other classes, particularly Good clerics, are often suspicious of an open Black Mist Priest. In a setting where black magic is frowned upon or even illegal, Black Mist Priests would be forced to hide their talents. Combat: Black Mist Priests are potent at both healing and tanking and would be a valuable asset to a party in need of a strong frontliner in combat. Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Classes → Base Classes