Soul Invoker (3.5e Prestige Class)
Soul invokers are occultists who dabble in pact magic, binding the last vestiges of ancient powers and demons to their will. Rather than forming symbiotic composites with these hoary entities, soul invokers see them as tools to be used at their leisure, whether it be in pursuit of greed and power or, in very rare cases, putting their eternal soul on the line for the greater good. Afterall, if these shallow reflections of bygone powers were truly as powerful as they'd have their binders believe, why did they end up in such a pitiful state to begin with?
Similar to anima mages, soul invokers are binders who blend pact magic with warlock invocations rather than that of arcane magic. It is through the powers of these vestiges that a soul invoker learns to tap into the true power behind their warlock abilities. Most soul invokers are lone scholars locked away in obscure libraries and laboratories, while others travel abroad and adventure in order to further their wisdom and power in a more direct approach.
Becoming a Soul Invoker[edit]
| Skills: | Craft (alchemy) 5 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 6 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 6 ranks |
|---|---|
| Feats: | Ability Focus (Eldritch Blast), Improved Binding |
| Level | BAB | Saving Throws | Class Features | Invoking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Soul Binding, Suppress Sign | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Soul Guardian | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Otherworldly Secret | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Eldritch Essential | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Tattooed Sigil | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +4 | +5 | +5 | +2 | -- | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +5 | +5 | +5 | +2 | Vestige Expulsion | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +2 | -- | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +6/+1 | +6 | +6 | +3 | -- | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +7/+2 | +7 | +7 | +3 | Perfect Pact | +1 level in an existing invocation using class | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (6 + Int modifier per level):: Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Hide, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features[edit]
All of the following are class features of the Soul Invoker.
Weapon & Armor Proficiencies: You do not gain any additional weapon or armor proficiencies by becoming a soul invoker.
Invoking: At each level, you gain new invocations known, increased damage with eldritch blast, and an increase in invoker level as if you had also gained a level in the warlock class. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. Your effective binder level stacks with any levels you have in an invoking class for these purposes.
Soul Binding (Su): At each soul invoker level, your soul binding ability improves as if you had also gained a level in the binder class. Your effective binder level plus any levels you have in an invoking class stack to determine your effective binder level (EBL) which is used for the purpose of determining your bonus on binding checks, the effectiveness of your vestige-granted abilities, your ability to bind higher-level vestiges, and the number of vestiges you can bind at one time. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a binder would have gained at your EBL, nor do levels in other classes stack unless they specifically state that they advance your soul binding abilities.
In addition, you may choose to make a Concentration check in place of the normal binding check when attempting to bind a vestige, but doing so increases the Binding DC by 2.
Suppress Sign: You are especially adept at hiding the signs of your dark arts. When you make a good pact, you can choose not to exhibit the physical sign that normally accompanies a pact with a vestige as well as any direct influence it holds over you. You can suppress or reveal the sign at will as a swift action, and you may do the same with its influence. With a poor pact, you gain the powers of the vestige, but you cannot suppress its sign or ignore its influence. You show it for the duration of the pact and are influenced by it as normal. In addition, your knowledge of warlock tricks allow you to gain more leverage against the vestiges you summon, granting you the Ignore Special Requirements feat as a bonus feat.
Not only can you hide the signs of a vestige, but you can conceal some of your warlock invocation effects as well. If you have a good pact with any vestige, you can also suppress the physical manifestation of any of your non-Eldritch Blast invocations unless the manifestation is an inherent part of the invocation. For example, you can suppress the swirling chaos that surrounds you while using entropic warding or the illusory wings of your fell flight invocation, but not the vermin summoned with summon swarm or cloud of darkness when invoking deeper darkness.
Soul Guardian: Even more than your binder brethren, you excel at protecting your mind and soul from the influence of the vestiges and other dark powers you dabble in. You gain the Soul Guardian class feature as described in the binder class, except that you receive the benefit one category higher than your current effective binder level would indicate. For example, at EBL 6 you would be immune to fear effects and possess the slippery mind class feature, rather than only being immune to fear effects.
Otherworldly Secret (Su): At 3rd level and again at 6th and 9th level, you discover a secret arcane technique from your vestiges, allowing you to choose one of the following special abilities as a granted power any time you have a bound at least one vestige. Once chosen, your choice is permanent.
- Cantrips: You can use any three 0th-level spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list at will as a sorcerer of your effective binder level, using Charisma as your linked ability score as appropriate. At 6th or 9th level, you may instead choose a 1st-level spell from the same list that you can use 3/day or a 2nd-level spell you can use 1/day. This secret may be selected more than once, but you may not select the same spell a second time in order to gain additional uses per day. You may select which spells you learn each day when binding your first vestige.
- Eldritch Blade: You may spend a swift action to shape your eldritch blast into a melee weapon of your choosing. As a standard action, you can make a single melee touch attack as if wielding a weapon. If you hit, your target is affected as if struck by your eldritch blast (including any eldritch essence applied to the blast). Regardless of what form you give your eldritch blade, you are considered proficient with its use, though you do not gain any of the qualities the weapon normally possesses, such as a bonus to disarm checks, reach, an extended threat range, or the ability to throw it.
- Until the start of your next turn, you also threaten nearby squares and can thus make attacks of opportunity with your eldritch blade. These are melee touch attacks. If your base attack bonus is +6 or higher, you can take a full-attack action in order to make as many iterative attacks with your eldritch blade as your base attack bonus allows.
- When you learn this otherworldly secret, you also learn how to wield your eldritch blade as if you possessed the Weapon Finesse and Combat Reflexes feats. This extends to Spring Attack at 6th level and Whirlwind Attack at 9th, but only while wielding your eldritch blade.
- Like all of the otherworldly secrets, you may only invoke your eldritch blade if you have bound at least one vestige for the day. Your eldritch blade has an equivalent spell level equal to one-half your effective invoker level. It counts as an applied blast shape and cannot benefit from other blast shape essences such as eldritch chain or eldritch spear.
- Special: If you have learned the Master Blaster secret, you may not learn the Eldritch Blade secret.
- Imbue Magic: You can use your supernatural powers to create magic items, even if you don't know the spells required to make them. You can substitute a Use Magic Device check (DC 15 + spell level) in place of a required spell you don't know or can't cast. In addition, you gain a bonus item creation feat at 3rd, 6th, and 9th level. This bonus feat is retroactive upon learning this secret.
- Magical Skill Mastery: Upon gaining this ability, you may take 10 even if stress and distractions would normally prevent you from doing so with the following skills: Concentration, Craft (alchemy), Knowledge (arcane, religion, or the planes), Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device. If one of these skills is instead used for an extended period of time, such as researching a topic or crafting an item, the minimum required time to perform that action is halved. At 9th level, this secret also grants a competence bonus equal to half your effective binder level (rounded up) on each of those checks.
- Master Blaster: You have learned how to use your eldritch blast more effectively than traditional warlocks. Its range increases by 20 feet per class level, and in any round in which you use your eldritch blast, if an opponent within 15 feet takes an action that would provoke an attack of opportunity, you may attack them with your eldritch blast using your highest attack bonus. Doing so, however, consumes all of your remaining attacks of opportunity for that round. Additionally, if your base attack bonus is +6 or higher, you can take a full-attack action in order to make as many iterative attacks with your eldritch blast as your base attack bonus allows.
- At 3rd level, you gain the equivalence of Improved Precise Shot and Precise Shot when using your eldritch blast even if you don't normally meet the prerequisites. This improves to include Rapid Shot at 6th level and both Improved Critical and Improved Rapid Shot at 9th, but only with regards to your eldritch blast.
- Furthermore, you can alter your eldritch blast if it uses one of the following shapes: burst, cone, cylinder, emanation, line, or spread. The alteration consists of creating spaces within the blast's area of effect that are not subject to the effect. The minimum dimension for these spaces is a 5-foot cube.
- Finally, if your eldritch blast has an elemental effect, such as the one granted by hellrime blast, you can choose between acid, cold, electrical, and fire each time you invoke your blast with that eldritch essence. The effect remains the same, only the elemental type changes. Otherwise, this ability functions the same as the Energy Substitution feat.
- Like all of the otherworldly secrets, you only gain these benefits with your eldritch blast if you have bound at least one vestige for the day. Your eldritch blast has an equivalent spell level equal to one-half your effective invoker level and it can benefit from both eldritch essence and blast shape invocations. Any such invocations applied to your eldritch blast last for the duration of the round, however; once chosen, you may not use a different blast shape or eldritch essence until the start of your next turn.
- Special: If you have learned the Eldritch Blade secret, you may not learn the Master Blaster secret.
- Obtain Familiar: You gain the Obtain Familiar feat as a bonus feat. Once selected, you do not lose your familiar if you have failed to make a pact, but it temporarily loses any special abilities it possesses from your bond until you do so. Until such time, it is treated as an ordinary specimen of its type, albeit loyal and obedient. At 6th level, you also gain the Improved Familiar feat, and may select a new familiar to take the place of your old one. This bonus feat is retroactive upon learning this secret at a higher level.
- Supernatural Transformation: Your eldritch blast becomes a supernatural effect for the duration of your binding, as if by the Supernatural Transformation feat. It still requires a somantic component, but is no longer subject to spell resistance (though it can still be suppressed in an antimagic field), and it does not provoke an attack of opportunity. This secret may only be unlocked at 6th or 9th level. You may still apply any eldritch essence or blast shape essence to your eldritch blast when using this secret.
Eldritch Essential: As you progress, the knowledge you have gained from your vestiges allows you to gain a bonus invocation to apply to your eldritch blast ability. At 4rd, 6th, 8th, and 10th levels, you gain your choice of a bonus eldritch essence invocation or blast shape invocation from any category (least, lesser, greater, or dark) that you already have access to, such as hellrime blast or eldritch chain. These invocations are only available when you have a vestige bound to you.
Tattooed Sigil (Ex): At 5th level, and again at 8th and 10th levels, choose one vestige you can currently make a pact with. Using your skill in alchemy, you create a special ink (costing 100gp per level of the vestige) that you can use to tattoo the vestige's sigil into your flesh. The process takes approximately one hour per level of the vestige. At the end of this time, make a binding check (you may take 10 or 20 on this check, though it increases the time it takes to tattoo the sigil as per the standard rules) using a DC equal to the vestige's standard DC +10. If successful, from that point forward you can bind that vestige as a move-equivalent action without needing to draw their sigil, and the pact is always considered a good pact. This increases to a swift action if you have the Rapid Pactmaking feat.
Upon gaining your first tattoo, you gain a +5 circumstance bonus for each tattooed sigil you have on any future binding tests you make regardless of what vestige you attempt to bind.
Only a limited wish or wish spell can erase a tattoo once it has been successfully scribed. If such measures are taken, you may choose to tattoo another sigil in its place using the same process detailed above.
Vestige Expulsion (Ex): After reaching 7th level, you may freely expel any vestige you possess up to one time per day per Charisma modifier. This requires a swift action, and you must succeed at a standard binding check with a DC equal to the normal binding DC for the vestige you are attempting to expel. If you fail, the attempt counts against your normal daily limit and you may not attempt to expel another vestige for 5 rounds.
Failure to expel a vestige in this manner results in 1d6 points of non-lethal damage per level of the vestige, and you must make a Fortitude save (DC equal to the vestige's binding DC) or be nauseated for 1 round.
Perfect Pact (Su): When binding a vestige, it is always considered a good pact for all purposes except influence. A binding check is still required for vestiges with which you are not tattooed, however, with a successful check protecting you from their influence. Additionally, an illusion of the vestige no longer appears unless you desire it, and you are not forced to bargain with it in order to forge a bond.
Finally, you may bind one additional vestige above your normal limit, but at least one of your vestiges must be one with whom you have a sigil tattooed. If you attempt to expel such a vestige while over your normal limit and you are not bound to any other tattooed vestige, you must make an immediate Fortitude check with a DC equal to the most powerful vestige you are currently bound to. Failure indicates that you suffer 1d6 points of non-lethal damage per level of the vestige expelled and are dazed for 1d4 rounds.
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