Post by Orbak the Monster on Jul 2, 2013 16:52:22 GMT -5
The Occultist
The drive for power is common among magic-users - very rarely does one strive towards magic for selfless reasons. Many that take the easy route on this path are damned for their lusts. While witches do not know where their power comes from, few actually care. This is not the case for the occultist, who gain an extreme drive to understand where not only their own magic - but all magic comes from.
An occultist is a witch that searches for the real answers about magic - many of which tied to naturally magical creatures, like the gods themselves. Not only gods of magic, but all gods - for gods themselves can grant magic to others. Even among occultists, some take the easy route and draw upon evil gods - some find their power in nature. Others have a deep love of entire pantheons or philosophies - very few have a love and respect for all religions.
Even if this truth were known, occultists would be despised by the common people, who see magic as vile anyway - and would be loathed by the religious who hate to see their abilities replicated. Among adventurers, however, the unique abilities of the occultist are valuable enough to accept them - so they are normally found among adventurers, or alone in the wilderness. Groups of occultists are referred to as 'covens' or 'cults', though they rarely come together for long. Differing viewpoints or betrayal pulls organizations of occultists away faster than they're comfortable with. More chilling than that are occultists who appear in otherwise organized religions - not as intruders or sleeper agents, but as honest members of that faith. These people are often seen as heretics practicing a twisted perversion of whatever religion they are a part of, and treated as such. While good churches despise them, some neutral churches are more accepting: the faiths of Pharasma and Nethys are far more tolerant of them. To the evil faiths, the occultist is a fascination, and some (Asmodeus and Norgorber) actively encourage their faithful to walk this path.
Occult Arcana: The occultist does not draw upon the arcane, developing a deep understanding of their magic that borders on faith. The spells they cast are considered divine spells. The occultist gains access to the entire witch spell list, preparing them like a cleric or druid prepares their spells. The relevant ability score for the witch's spellcasting changes from Intelligence to Wisdom. Spells with material components instead require the presence of a divine focus. The witch gains Knowledge: Religion as a class skill.
In addition, add the following spells to the occultist's spell lists at the appropriate levels: Anticipate Peril (1), Imbue with Spell Ability (4),
Sacred Patron: The occultist's relationship with their patron varies not on the patron, but the occultist. Their magic is based on belief - the practitioner sets their own dogma based on what they expect their 'patron' would want, and receive power accordingly. Even this power can be twisted - the occultist gains two domains off the cleric or druid list. These may be any domains, regardless of the occultist's faith. They gain the bonus spells and powers of those domains, treating their witch level as their cleric level to determine abilities. The witch gains a bonus spell slot per spell level to prepare domain spells in.
This power changes the witch's patron class ability. They do not gain a familiar.
- New Hex Option -
Channel Energy: The occultist's faith can act as a mercy to those around them, but it can also be a cruel perversion of beliefs. This dangerous ability is considered the biggest blasphemy an occultist can perform by good-aligned faiths.. A witch can channel positive or negative energy (the witch gains both, regardless of alignment) like a cleric, using her witch level as her effective cleric level when determining the amount of damage healed and the effects of her channeling. Whether or not the creature makes a successful save, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.
- New Major Hex Option -
Adopt Power: The ultimate expression of the occultist's strange powers. After studying religions and philosophies for so long, the occultist learns to adapt those faith's tenets into their own - or at least pretend to convincingly enough to fool those around them. True to form, this ability is often the one that occultists strive to obtain, whether they believe it is a measure of trust bestowed upon them by their patron or the mindset that they're 'stealing' energy from the gods themselves. Whatever the case, the occultist gains another domain of their choice. Every three levels after this option is chosen, the occultist gains another domain of their choice.
- New Grand Hex Option -
Emerging Demigod: At this level of power, the occultist is so close to their patron that they learn, finally, who it is: the ultimate secret they sought ought in the first place. The dangerous entity that they 'stole' power from. The source of their phenomenal powers - is the character itself. This shocking revelation has driven more than one occultist insane. Some tuck the knowledge in the back of their minds and forget than revelation entirely. Some embrace it instead, either announcing it to the world or keeping it secret. Whatever the case, the occultist's life span quadruples. The character can grant spells to worshipers. The character gains a demiplane (as the spell 'greater create demiplane'), which they have full control over. When the character dies, their soul moves to that demiplane, and may manifest there and use whatever powers they wish. If they have not died of old age (or wait an amount of years on their demiplane that they would have died on the other plane), the character may return to the plane on which they died in one week. The character's type changes to Outsider, but they do not gain the Native subtype. If killed on their demiplane, they are killed for good, and the demiplane collapses on itself within one day. The souls of creatures who worshiped the character at the time of death have their souls end up in the demiplane as petitioners.
