Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DonThelonious 02-20-08, 03:06 AM	Well, this has come along a bit further. I have the abilities filled in, and I actually like how they ended up. Still not sure about some of them though. I know many of the classes abilities seem over powered, but please pay special attention to the entry requirements as well as the level up requirements under 'Feeding'. Barghessian http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2302/2267713197_73dd1589d7_o.jpg I feeds on you. I eats yer flesh and soul to make me stronger. You is prey, and prey should know its place. Rot-Tooth, Goblin Barghessian In the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna there lives a demonic type of goblin, able to assume the form of goblin, wolf, or an unholy hybrid of the two. These creature occasionally come to the material plane to feed, consuming the flesh and life force of other creatures in order to grow stronger. These nightmarish beast are the Barghest. During its time on the material plane a Barghest often finds itself living in and amongst its lesser goblin kin. Very rarely the barghest will help to pass the time by taking a goblin mate, passing its fiendish nature and even more fiendish abilities on to the descendants of these unholy unions. Most times the goblin tribe catches these diabolical whelps before they mature, killing them before they can pass on their frightening traits. But every now and then one gets away and passes its genes on to future generations. Most goblins with the barghessian blood line never even know they carry the gene. Once in a great while though, a goblin comes along who not only knows of the tainted blood running through his veins, he embraces it. Through careful study and rigorous training he learns to wield his ancestral gift, and takes up the path of the barghessian. BECOMING A BARGHESSIAN Um... I don't know yet... ENTRY REQUIREMENTS To qualify to become a Barghessian, a character must fulfill all the following criteria: Race: Goblin Base Attack Bonus: +5 Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative Alignment: Lawful Evil Special: Potential Barghessians must know of their tainted origin. This can either be through long hours of meditation and a DC 20 Wisdom check, divination magic, tracing their bloodline and making a DC 20 Intelligence chaeck, or by being told by a true barghest. Special: Potential barghessians must consume the body of a humanoid creature they have killed. This victim must have at least 3 HD. This must be done within 48 hours of reaching the new level. After feeding off the corpse the potential barghessian falls into a state of suspended animation for 1d4+1 days. When he comes out of the trance his mouth has widened, he has grown sharp canine teeth, and he is now a barghessian. Class Skills Barghessian’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Survival (Wis) Skills Points at Each Level : 2 + int Hit Dice: d8 BAB Fort Ref Will Abilities 1 +1 +2 +0 +2 Feed, Bite 1d6 2 +2 +3 +0 +3 Alternate Form (Wolf), Natural Armor +2 3 +3 +3 +1 +3 Lesser Barghest Powers 1/Day, +2 Dex 4 +4 +4 +1 +4 Scent 15 ft., Bite 1d8 5 +5 +4 +1 +4 Natural Armor +4, DR 5/Magic 6 +6 +5 +2 +5 Lesser Barghest Powers 3/Day, +2 Str 7 +7 +5 +2 +5 Scent 30ft., Greater Barghest Powers 8 +8 +6 +2 +6 Natural Armor +6, Alternate Form (Hybrid) 9 +9 +6 +3 +6 Lesser Barghest Powers At Will, +2 Dex 10 +10 +7 +3 +7 DR 10/Magic, Barghessian Prosopopoeia Weapon Proficiencies: A Barghessian gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies. Feed (Su): Starting at first level a barghessian gains the frightening and supernatural to 'feed' off of his victims. When a barghessian slays a humanoid opponent, he can feed on the corpse, consuming both the flesh and the life force. This is a full round action that provokes an attack of opportunity, and can only be used on victims killed by the barghessian (no eating other party members kills). Unlike true barghests, who would gain HD and power from the feeding, the barghessian gains a temporary +2 bonus to his strength and constitution. This bonus lasts for a number of hours equal to his constitution modifier. The bonus from the feeding increases the amount time. The increase in Constitution increases the barghessian’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away when his Constitution score drops back to normal. (These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are.) A barghessian can only consume a number of corpses equal to his barghessian level each day. For every one after the first he gains an additional +1 to strength and constitution and retains these benefits for an additional hour. If the first victim has 3 or more HD than the barghessian then the initial bonus is instead +4. Victims after the first with 3 or more HD than the barghessian provide a +2 bonus rather than the regular +1. After feeding from even one corpse the barghessian must rest for 8 hours before he can use his initial feed ability again. Feeding destroys the victims body and prevents any form of raising or resurrection that requires part of the corpse. A Wish, Miracle, or True Resurrection spell can restore a devoured victim back to life, but there is a base 50% chance (+3% for each barghessian level after the first) that even such powerful magic as this will fail. Finally, in order for a character to gain a new level in this class he must consume a number of HD worth of humanoids equal to the barghessians total HD + 3 in a single 24-hour period. This can be multiple 1-HD humanoids, a single higher HD individual, or any combination between. If the barghessian fails to consume the required number before the 24 hours have passed, he must wait and rest for 1 day before trying again. Only victims that the barghessian has killed himself count towards the total needed. Bite: All barghessians have a natural bite attack in all their forms. Initially this attack deals 1d6 piercing damage, with a x2 critical. A barghessians bite is treated as a light weapon for the purposes of feats and similar abilities. At level 4 the damage increases to 1d8. At level 7 the threat range for the bites threat range increases to 19-20 and it is treated as lawful when overcoming damage reduction. At level 10 a barghessians bite is treated as Evil aligned as well when overcoming damage reduction. Alternate Form - Wolf (Su): Starting at 2nd level a barghessian is able to assume the form of an unusually large wolf as a standard action. This is similar to using the Polymorph spell, except as noted. The character can only assume wolf or goblin form; Gear is not affected; HD and max HP do not change; his physical ability scores change to that of a wolf; the barghessian retains his Str and Con bonuses (if any) from feeding, as well as the ability to feed. The character gains the Shape Changer subtype. See entry for Wolf on pg283 of the Monster Manual. Also available in the SRD, here. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/wolf.htm) Natural Armor Bonus (Ex): As a barghessian digs further into his tainted blood he begins to resemble the beasts he call ancestors. His skin begins to thicken and become tougher. Starting at 2nd level the barghessian gains a permenant +2 enhancement to his natural armor in all his forms. This bonus increases it +4 at 5th level, and finally +6 at 8th level. Lesser Barghest Powers (Sp): Beginning at 3rd level, a barghessian can use the following spell-like abilities once per day: Blink, Levitate, and Misdirection. At 6th level he can use these powers up to three times per day. Finally, at level 9, a barghessian has mastered the abilities granted by his tainted blood and can use Blink, Levitate, and Misdirection at will. Also at 9th level a barghessian gains the spell-like abilities: Crushing Despair and Dimension Door, usable once per day. The barghessians caster level for these is equal to his barghessian level + Cha modifier. The Save DCs for these spells is 10 + spell level + barghessians Cha modifier. Ability Score Increases: At 3rd, 6th, and 9th levels the barghessian gains the bonus indicated. This is a permenant increase. Scent (Ex): At 4th level a barghessian gains the Scent ability out to a range of 15 feet. This ability allows him to detect hidden enemies and track by sense of smell. The range of this abilty increases to 30 feet at level 7. See pg314 of the Monster Manual. Also available in the SRD, here. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm#scent) Damage Reduction: Starting at level 5 the barghessian has developed the powers inherent in his tainted blood enough to ignore some damage, much like his fiendish ancestor. He gains Damage Reduction 5/Magic, and in addition a barghessians bite is now also considered magic for purposes of overcoming damage reduction. Upon reaching 10th level the amount of damage reduced increases to 10/Magic. Greater Barghest Powers (Sp): Starting at 7th level, the barghessian is able to tap into some of the more powerful abilities of a true barghest. He gains the following spell-like abilities usable once per day: Mass Bulls Strength and Invisibility Sphere. Caster level for the barghessians greater barghest powers is equal to his HD. Alternate Form - Hybrid (Su): At 8th level the barghessians hard work and dedication pay off and he gains the supernatural ability to assume the form of a terrible goblin/wolf hybrid. This ability functions just like the Alternate Form - Wolf ability except: Size changes to medium Type remains humanoid. Base speed increases by 20 feet. +2 Str, +4 Dex, and +4 Con. Gear remains unchanged. Gain 2 claw attacks dealing 1d4 damage. Barghessian Prosopopoeia (Su): At 10th level the barghessian finally unlocks the true power of his tainted blood. The intermingling of his mortal blood with that of the fiendish barghest makes him stronger than either individually. The barghessians type changes to Outsider, and he gains the Native subtype. In addition a barghessian who has reached prosopopoeia is under the effect of a constant Pass Without Trace. Caster level is equal to character level. Also a barghessian of this level gains a permenant +2 bonus to his Int, Wis, and Cha. PLAYING A BARGHESSIAN You are the stuff of nightmares. Your a sentient humanoid who feeds on the body and souls of those who fall to your attacks. The only difference between companions and victims is that they are either hold a higher station or they serve a purpose. Either way, their situation can change at a moments notice. Combat: Get in close and tear them to shreds. Those are your only objectives in combat. At higher levels, when you get your S-L.As, keep enemies of balance and target the weakest first. Remember to always get the kill shot and feed. Advancement: Barghessian advancement is fairly straight forward. Depending on what classes you had prior to entering the barghessian PrC might affect your choices. Resources: Your only real resource is yourself. The leaders of your tribe would likely want you dead out of fear for your power. Barghessians serving in military roles will have whatever resources the military see's fit to provide. BARGHESSIANS IN THE WORLD It was not a goblin. It was a demon in flesh! I was powerless to stop it when it killed my wife, and I will never forget the sounds of it feeding on her corpse... To many people your a spawn of hell. Frightening stories are told of your kind, around camp fires and in Inns and taverns across the land. Your the stuff of nightmares. The only people who don't fear you are either stupid or much stronger than yourself. Daily Life: Hunting fresh victims, testing your strength against stronger foes in hopes of a good feeding, gaining more power, and staying one step ahead of those who would hunt you down and kill you. These are the things that make up your life. Notables: The greatest barghessain ever was a goblin named Rot-Tooth. He was cruel, deadly, and extremely powerful. Most bards tales about the barghessians are based off the exploits of this one goblin. Organizations: Barghessians do not fit into any organizations. Their thirst for power and hunger for flesh make them to dangerous to trust very much. The only exceptions to this rule are very powerful thieves guilds, armies with the ability to focus the barghessians blood lust, or adventuring parties whose members have proven themselves worthy of the barghessians respect (very hard to do, given the barghessians disdain for others abilities. NPC Reaction NPCs fear and respect a barghessians powers. Most of the time they are also looking for a way to dispose of the creature as soon as possible. Barghessians are dangerous and not to be trusted, but when the need arises there are no better killers, and if you need to dispose of someone permanently a barghessian is an almost guaranteed route. BARGHESSIANS IN THE GAME NPC barghessians are more dangerous than regular foes, due to their ability to negate most resurrection magics. Barghessians in the party are likely to become powerhouses if given a lot of humanoids to kill and feed off of. DMs need to keep a close eye on the number of chances they give barghessians to feed, but should always give them as least a few opportunities. Adaptation: This class will work well in just about any setting. As long as there is a decent goblin population and some way for the true barghest to come to the prime material plane than goblins with the right ancestry will appear. This class also works well in any horror type campaing setting, and by changing the flavor of the class a little bit it becomes a dangerous thieves guild composed of magically altered lycanthropes, a special tribe of unique goblins, or an experiment from the hells. Encounters: Encounters with NPC barghessians tend to get messy quickly, unless the players are obviously more powerful than the barghessian. If the characters are appear at all weaker than the barghessian will not hesitate to hunt them down and pick them off one by one. Sample Encounter More often thannot players will encounter a barghessian when he is about his business of feeding. Other times the barghessian will find the adventurers in order to test his strength or to feed off one or all of them. EL 14: Your party of finally finds the edge of the great Donnahi Forest just as the sun begins to sink over the horizon. A short distance ahead you see a small farm, its barn painted a cheerful red and a small plume of smoke is rising from the distant chimney. As you get closer you all see that things are not as they appear. The farm is eerily silent as you ride into the yard, not even the cluck of a chicken or the bleat of a goat. As you dismount, a young woman bursts from the house blood pouring from a jagged wound across her face. Behind the girl comes a disgusting looking goblin, with thick leathery skin, a greasy mop of hair, and an almost feral gleam in his eyes. As he grins up at you you see that most of his teeth are nothing more than rotted black stumps. His whiskery face twitches as if he is smelling the air. "Ahhhhh," he sighs, "fresh meat. Strong souls. You make good meal. Rot-Tooth make you deal, you fight Rot-Tooth and you win you keep girl and Rot-Tooth give you this." With an unnaturally fast flourish the horrible little goblin produces wide thick leather belt studded in metal. "Is strong magic," he says solemnly, "make you strong as strongest giant. Rot-Tooth give to you if you win, one on one. Yes?" (At this point the group should ask the obvious question of "what do you get if you win?") "If Rot-Tooth win he get to eat girl... And he get to eat you..." (If all characters attack Rot-Tooth than he will simply change into a wolf and run away. If someone goes 1v1 with him he is true to his word, though if he drops below 1/4 HP he uses a total defense action to run away. In either case, after he runs away he begins tailing and hunting the players, surprising them trying to take them down one by one. He uses basic traps and hit and run tactics until he can get a kill.) Rot-Tooth LE Male Goblin (Goblinoid, Shapechanger) Fighter 6/Barghessian 8 Init: +9, Senses: Listen +0, Spot +0, Scent 30ft. Languages: Goblin, Common ------------------------------------------------ AC: 31 (10 +5 Studded Leather +2, +1 Shield, +5 Dex, +8 Natural, +2 Deflection) Touch: 17 Flat-Footed: 26 hp 145 (HD 6d10+10, 8d8+16) Fort: +14, Ref: +10, Will: +9 ------------------------------------------------ Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares) Base Atk: +14/+9/+4 Grp: +11 Melee: +18/+13/+8 Keen +1 Light Pick (1d3+3 19-20/x4) and +18/+13/+8 Kukri +1 (1d3+2 18-20/x2) OR +19 Bite (2d6+2 19-20/x2 Treated as Magic and Lawful) Ranged: +20/+15/+10 Shock +1 Shortbow (1d3+1+1d6 Electricity /x3) Atk Options: Feed Supernatural Abilities: Feed, Alternate Form (Wolf or Hybrid), Lesser Barghest Powers, Greater Barghest Powers ----------------------------------------------- Abilities Str 14, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 12 SQ: Damage Reduction 5/Magic Feats: Combat Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Two Weapon Fighting, Two Weapon Defense, Dodge, Improved Two Weapon Fighting, Improved Natural Attack (Bite), Greater Two Weapon Fighting Skills: Climb +6, Hide +13, Move Silently +16 Possessions +2 Studded Leather, Amulet Of Nat. Armor +2, RoP +2, Cloak of Resistance +1, Boots of Elvenkind, 2400gp Lesser Barghest Powers (Sp): Usable 3/Day: Blink, Levitate, and Misdirection (Will DC13). CL: 9; Greater Barghest Powers (Sp): Usable 1/Day: Mass Bulls Strength and Invisibility Sphere. CL: 14; Alternate Form - Wolf (Su): This is similar to using the Polymorph spell, except as noted. Rot-Tooth can only assume wolf or goblin form; Gear is not affected; HD and max HP do not change; his physical ability scores change to that of a wolf; he retains his Str and Con bonuses (if any) from feeding, as well as the ability to feed. See entry for Wolf on pg283 of the Monster Manual. Also available in the SRD, here. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/wolf.htm) Alternate Form - Hybrid (Su): Activates and lasts just like Wolf form except apply the following changes when Rot-Tooth assumes hybrid form: Size changes to medium Type remains humanoid. Base speed increases by 20 feet. +2 Str, +4 Dex, and +4 Con. Gear remains unchanged. Gain 2 claw attacks dealing 1d4 damage. Claws are secondary natural with the following stats: +14 2 Claws (1d4+2 /x2 Lawful Magic)
Half_Dragon_Infernal 02-20-08, 10:39 AM	I would reccomend elaborating on the abilities first, that should get you some ideas. See my Pure Magician for where i put the abilities. (and comment too, i don't have a clue what people think of it)
sigma999 02-21-08, 07:40 PM	Actually that's a damned nice concept. You are not alone in trying to tie monster races together, DonThelonius...
DonThelonious 02-22-08, 05:40 PM	Okay, filled in the information for the class abilities and finished off the fluff. Only thing left is sample character. What do you all think?
Half_Dragon_Infernal 02-22-08, 07:22 PM	Spread out the aligned attack. That is all that i can think of as an improvement.
DonThelonious 02-22-08, 10:01 PM	Okay, that works for me:D
Watsyurname529 02-24-08, 12:21 PM	You know, the thing looks quite powerful with the ability boosts etc, but really if you actually look at it [and realize that it's a goblin as well] it's not that bad. Still, this has got to be one of the most insane goblins I'd ever seen. Similar to a Werewolf Goblin but just much more deadly. Nice job Don.
DonThelonious 02-25-08, 07:09 AM	You know, the thing looks quite powerful with the ability boosts etc, but really if you actually look at it [and realize that it's a goblin as well] it's not that bad. Still, this has got to be one of the most insane goblins I'd ever seen. Similar to a Werewolf Goblin but just much more deadly. Nice job Don. Glad you like it:D
TevolRia 02-25-08, 12:46 PM	never mind. looked at abiliies more closely. I like.
TheDarkPrince 02-25-08, 04:44 PM	I love it. I think Barghests are one of the best monsters around, and this class has given me some great ideas. Good job! Cheers! :D
sigma999 02-25-08, 05:58 PM	It makes a monster, but at most levels it will function as a buffed Fighter lacking in feats. It's fine as it is. Cut, print, that's a wrap!
DonThelonious 03-02-08, 06:45 PM	:bump: Any more opinions?
TevolRia 03-03-08, 12:29 PM	I like the class a lot, though I don't see this as matching up with lawful evil. this looks like it would fit in better with chaotic evil. Barghests are awesome.