Slaughtergarde Player's Guide.pdf

7/27/2019 Slaughtergarde Player's Guide.pdf

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IntroductionYou're about toembark 0 11 ajourney fuIl of danger and excite-ment, inrrigue an d challenge - a jo urney to t he ShatteredGates of Slaug htergard e!You'll face of f against sinisrer foes

from rampaging dragons to calculating demons.As pan ofa c losc-knu team of advent ure rs, you 'll gro w in power andknowledge. And you'l l ea rn g lory end accl a im , as we ll aspiles of tr eas ur e.

Bur to do all th at ,you need a character. ThaI's whe r e th isbook comes in. Th is p/l1Ya ' sGllillt'is a li n k b e tween t he 0& 0ru lesand the ad venture you'reabout ro undertake. Here yOllc an fin d a ll so n s o f ad vic e o n h ow 10 mak e a m emo rablecharacter who ca n survive the rigorsof Slaug luerga rde an demerge victorious.

On ce t he adv en t ure h as st art e d, you 'll s ul l find th ePlllycr's Cl l i dt' useful. Your character em acquire some oft h e m agi c it em s d e ta ile d i n th i s bo o k. In t im e, yo ur PCmig ht all y wi t h o ne o r b o th of th e organ izat ions deta iled

here- th e Lu mi n ou s a r tie r and th e Eben Caba l.ThePla

y-cr's Gui dl' tel ls you the bene fits of that affilialion, i ncludin gprestige classes available only to memb er s of o ne of thesegr o ups.

Share the PIII.\'t'rs GuidI'arou nd th e tableas you undertakethe advent u re. That 's what it's desi gn e d for. Refer to it a sa r len asyou wish- t h e know ledge in this book migh t saveyour character 's life!

CREATING ACHARACIERYou and you r fri en d s be gi n your adven ture s in the Valleyo f Ob el is ks , a r ugg ed land on the fron t ier o f civ i lizat ion .Asyou generate a new Isr-level character.conside r the fol-lowing poin ts.

Th e Va lle y o f Ob el isks is a b ig p lace. Even a fasr r i de rwould t ak e days to t rav el i ts leng th by ro ad , Th us, nearlyany charac te r you can i mag i ne can be f rom here . Don ' t beshyabou t tr y ing an unusual combinat ion or class an d race,o r a typ e o fch a rac ter n ew to YOli .

Your D un g eon Master hasall sorts of advent urematcria ls.but they require a reasonably cohesive cast of characters tosp ring ro l if e. Discu ss with your fr iendswhat kind of char-ac t er you' re ma kin g. Th at w ay, yo u make su re yo u've go tthe basics c over ed-c-someone w ho can heal, so meo ne whocan figh t , someone who i s sk illed w ith arcan e mag ic , an dsomeone who can dea l w ith t rap s . Id eas that your friendshave for th e ir characters might inspire yOll,An o th er way yo u can m ake th e DM 's li fe ea sier is by

invcnti ng some so rt o f socia l c o n ne ctio n b etween y ou rcha r ac te r a nd at lea st o ne o the r I'C . Do in g so pro vi de s area son your characters are to geth er, an d i th elps make surethat everyone makescharacters thatwork with one another.You d on 't h ave to p lay a c ha r acter wh o 's best f riends witheveryone else, of co ur s e, b UI 0 & 0 is a co o perative game,so you shou ldn' t p laya complete misa nth ro p e eith er.

Roo tyour character in the world - o r at least plant someseedsthaican grow roots in time. You should be able to picka com mun i ty in th e Valley of Obelis ks that your character

ca ll s h om e, an d you shou ld know the bas ic s of how you rcharacter grew up,whether living relatives exist,and so on.You don't have to have adetailed history unle ssyou want to.In fact, i t'so flen convenient to leavesome paris of the storyb lan k in i t ia l ly, so you can fill them in later wi th detai ls thatc on n ec t ro th e on g oi n g campaign . 1n any case, you shou ldbe ab le t alk about you r ch arac ter in a way [h at doesn ' t relyon race, class, and level.

RACES OF THE VALLEYMost cornrnuniries in the Valley of Obelisks are welcomingto residents of all races, bu t some n atu rally attr ac t mo re o fone race th an ano th e r. Ot her s a re th e hi stor ical h ome o f aspecific race.

\X:The n yOll c hoos e a race,youdon 't necessarily have to befrom one of t he com muni ties descr ibed in rhnr race's sec-t ion. You can pick a differenr sen lcmen t,declare that you'ref rom a smal l h amlet or tho rp tha t isn't sh own on th e m ap ,or even dec ide t ha t you waur 10 play a visitor from a far-offland.

Dw ar f: Few of the valley 'sdwarves are farmers. Insread.th e )' a re a rtisan s in urban cen te r so r min e rs up in th e foo l-hi l l s and mountains.

CO " ' UrIllllfifS Dwarvesd o min atethe town of Krokarr and(he surround ing S ard arian 1-1ills. Rece nt l y,adw ar f clan hasmove d to Hem yulnk. w here its m embe r sa re scour ing th enear by m ou u tnins for ore.

E lf : Th e e lve s o f th e valley call i ts many forests horne.Elve s spen d t he i r t im e t en din g th e g rea t t ree s, hu nt i ng ,gath er in g r are her b s ,and perfect ing wiz ardr y.

CO ll l llllll ll lit ' , : Built among the t rees o f the Oa kw ood , th etow n of shu l Shennek is th e la rges t clu st e r of e k es in th evalley. Shul Vaath in the V aath wood r u ns a cl ose sec ond .Bo th [he O a k woo d a nd t he Vaat hwood h aw sma lle r e lf

ham lets as wel l. E lf communi tie s a re mo r e spo radic inth e o the r fo rest s. and no elves li ve in the Fo rest o f Tu r lek.Werewo lves wiped them allOUI.

Gnome: Gnomes in the valley keep to their own , l iv ingquiet ly in thorps bu r rowed into the hill s and ro ll i ng pas -t ur es that character ize the cen tra lpan of the valley. Manyare shep he r d s o t vege ta b le farmers.

Conmlllllitk s:G nom es have asignificant presence in Riv-er b end , a n d t he R i" erbend Carn ival isjustly famous for itsskilled, ent erta in ing gnomes.

Ha l f -Elf: Half-elves have a reputation as diplomats an dshrewd bargainers,so manygravitateto the merchant tradesor o t h er jobs requ i ri n g travel.

COllll111l11 ilics: Th ose half -e lves of the Valley of Ob e lisks

w ho live wi t h e lves ar e u su ally fou n d in s h u I Shc n n ck .These ind iv iduals are t reated as fu l l-blooded elves in th ecom muni ty, set ap ar t fr om the ot h e rs o nl y b y t he ir sho r tlife spans. Since the elvesof ShuIVaeth disdain ou ts iders , ha lf-e lves are rare am ong them. Half-e lves who l ive withth e ir hum an k in a re u su ally re s iden ts of large sertleruentssuch as Surn bc r ron.

Half -O r c: Full-blooded orcsonce comprised the majorityof th e b arb a ria n t ribe s roam i ng th e f ringes o f the va lley,b u t th e y began mix ing w i rh human s lon g ago. Many of


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t h ese t rib es a re now made up ent i rely o f hal f-or cs. A fewsuch t r ib es wand er the fri nges o f t h e Vall ey of Obelisks,hunt ing and gather ing when they can, and raidi ng near bysettle ments when they must.

COl1 l11l1l1lilics: Th e m ount ains nor th of the VaHey of Obe-li sks and the headwaters of t he Mar r il ach River arc th eterr itor y of the two largest hal f-ore trib es.

Ha lf l in g : The Mnn-i lnch River t h at run s th rough theheart of the valleyalso runs through the heart of every half-ling, it is said.The vast majority of hal flings lives and workswi thin a few mil es of the river,many on the riverboats thatc ar r y goods back and forth between the Valley ofObel isksand the rest of the world.

C O/ll I11tlllrti CS: Th r ee h al fl ing cl an s are pnr ticu larlycommon in the val ley. The Markt un scl halfltngs are his-torically from Sumberton; Lukrimar Keep is home to theHundivarsr clan; and the I aminestri clanis from Jewelfonl.Half lings f rom all t h ree cl an s, as well as a sca tteri n g of"extended family" from other clans, l ive anywhere withi nsight of th e Marr ilach River.H u ma n: The dom inan t race of the Valley of Obe lisks,

humansb uilt the roads and erected the sctt lernems wheremost oft he valley'sresidents live. Hum an farmers make upthe pr epo nderance of the valley'sco mmon folk.

COllllllllllitics: The ci ty o f Sumbc r tc n is th e la rges t se t-tl ement in th e Valley of Obel isks, and nearly hal f of itspopulation is huma n. Jewclford is ano ther tow n that has alarge human population, and many of the sma ller villagesand hamletssuch asDondur ran,'Iu lvercross,and Silvermoruhavea human majority.

CLASSES OF THE VALLEYIt i sn' t hard to just ify the presence of any class wi th in thecommunities of th e Valley of Obelisks. Some classes natu-

rally gravitate to certain occ upations and locations.

Barbar ianThe sett led lands of the Valley ofOb elisks have few nativebarbarians.Some tribes wander along the nort hern periph-ery or the headwaters of the Marrtlach River.

Occupatio ns : Barbar ians who come to the valley findwork as caravan guar ds or soldiers, or asbandits who fightcaravan guar ds and soldiers.

c hara ct e r Concep tsThe berserker who glares at everyone and lets an axe dorhc talking.The exotic hunter-gatherer who's curious but naive about

civilization.The survivor who lived rhrough a massacre or d isasterthat wiped out the t r ibe.

BardThe art of song is par ti cula rly es t eemed in th e Valley o fObel isks . Performers are common, bur on ly the best cancall themselves bards.Occupations: Everybard needsan audience, sothe natu-

ral tendency isfor bards to gravitate to larger cities such as

Sumbe non and jewelford. The gnomes of Riverbend pro-duce a number of bards as well. many of whom learn thei rcraf t in the traveling Riverbcnd Carnival.

Cha rac t e r Concep t sThe t ale -spinner who's eager to hit th e road, performheroic deeds, and tell stor ies about them.The fencer minstrel who wields a rapier aswell ashe doesa mandolin.The dabbler who'sfascinated byanc ient lore,delving intocr u mb ling ruins and long-forgotten cry pts in search ofsecret knowledge.

Cler icThe folk of the Valleyof Obelisk are cos mopo litan enoug hto to ler at e t he worship of ,my non-evi l deity. \X'i th nosingle religion dom inating the area, clerics of many faiths


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The Luminous OrderAs you discover the secre ts of Slaughlergarde, rOll mi gh tmeet ag en t s o f a kn ightl y organi zation ca l led th e Lu mi n ousOr der, whi ch isbased in acast le cal led the Shi n ing Citadel .

Over t ime, you ca n dew lop an affi l ia t ion w it h t hi s gro up[hat leads to increasingly g rea te r rew ard s for yo u- if yOllconti nu e to act in an appropr ia te mann er.

F rom t ime to rim e aft e r yo u become affiliated with th eorder, the DMmigh t [ell you that your affiliation score withinthe Luminous Order has increased. Asyour af f iliation scorerises,you bec ome entitle d to th e following rewa rds.

by supernatu ralo r magical responses ,wh et h e r th at 's t ur n -in g und ead or using dismissal on fi en ds .

If Lumin ar i es h ave a weak ness, it' s th at g iv en a choicebetwe en protecting rlieircomrades and defeating a foe, theysave th e i r fr i en d s ever y t ime.C lever enem ies aren 't aboveexploiting th i s sense of honor to ga in an ndvam ageon (hebattlefie ld - or at least to escape.

Lumi naries usuallyo perate in small groups. On th e ra reoc ca si on s wh en a crusa de calls for lar g er groups, thosesquads organize like cavalry. Th e leader o f such acom pa n y(of ten a Lum in ary cap tain ) comma nds eigh t to ten others,a nd all o f t hem travel o n li gh t warhorscs 10 ar r ive a t t hecritical point of the batt le as soon as possib le .

Advanc eme n t : The Luminou s Or de r accep ts rough ly adozen new members each year. Two broad cr iteria are usedto determine memb ership.First, the Lum inousO rderwantsnew k nights who already have some experience battl ing evil,especially supe rn atu ral foes such as un dead and outsiders.Second, t h e o rde r lo ok s fo r recr ui ts wh o have sk i lls a n dtal en t s that it d oesn 't p osses s in abu ndance . S trong swor darms are always welcome,of course , b u t to impr essthe lead-er s of th e Lum inou s Or der, you shou ld try to accomp l ishsometh ing th a t they haven ' t seen b ef or e.

Once you become a Knigh t Lum inou s , you have accessto [he Sh in ing C itad e l and th e aid of powerful memb er s ofthe order. You can lake liv ing quar ters at th e s tr o ngho ld i fyou wish, o r merely visit wh en you want a ques t or need th eorder 's J id .

A t th e Shi n ing C it ade l . t h e best o f th e b est are known asLu min ary cha mpions. 1f you become a champion , you canstart to ex er t some in flu en ce w ithin the order,decid ing onits overa ll di r ecti on, prior itiz ing it s many conce rns , andassigning quests to o ther Luminar ies . A po l i tical ro le hasmand atory duti e s, th ou g h. so d on't tak e such a po sition ifyou don ' t want the respon sib i l ity.

Missio ns : Th e originaI purp ose of th e Luruinous O rde rwas to thwart a dem onic invasion, s hou ld ano the r one eve roccur.That hasn't happ ened in all the cen tu r ies o f the order ' sex is tence; in [he me an t ime, th e orgn tza t ton deals wi th thefrequ en t outbr eaks of ev i l and lawlessness in the Valleyo fObel isks as best i tcan . l ast year, for ex amp le, [he Lum inousOrd er'snot able accomplish ments included protec tin g refu -gees fleeing the dragon attack on And rushel, bre a ki n g th egn o ll siege of Kel's Rise, uncover ing a gro u p o f min d flay-e rs h idin g in a templ e in jewclford, and ending Jolly Mara'svampiric reign of terro r in S tu mp Flats .

Knigh t s Luminou s a lso t ravel in t o the Sla ug h rerscarfrom tim e to tim e to check (he un d ead population. Curre ntLumi na r y c ham pions belie ve that periodic patrols are (hebest way 10 keep th e und ead w ith in th e cra t e r, r at h er th anseeing [hem sp i l lou t to m en a ce th e near by coun tryside andco mm unities... Respo nsibi li ti es:The lumin ou s Or der is undersrand ingof its members' responsibilities to [ami ly, lo r d , and coun try.You ca n s pe nd u p to six m onth s away f rom th e Shi ningCitad el w i thou t a r ousing worry in yo ur co mra des - a ndlonge r than [hat if you 're on order busin ess .As long asyoudon 't be smi rc h th e LuminousOrder'sgood nam e , and you

Title: Ben efit s and Duti e sNone.Knight lu m inous o r Lu mi n ary: You areeligiblefor quests and can purchasespe llcasting from the clerics of the order atreduced cost.Luminary Captain: You receive a Luminarytabard and gain expanded access to theorder's NPC spe llcasters.LuminaryChampion: You receive oneweapon af the celestialhost (your choice).Gaining the title of Luminary champ ionentit les you to enter the solar channeler orserene gua rdian prestige class.

9 or higher

5-8

AffiliationScore1 or lower2- 4

--:----.!-ELAY I t:SG A LUMlNARYWh en you're a Knight o ft he Luminous Order - a lso kn ownas a Kn i ght Luminouso r a l umina ry- you'r ea lways on th elook ou t for evi l,especially h idd e n i n iquity th at might leadto grea te r woe d own th e r oad . Th e Lum ino us O rde r w ascreated to sto p a de mon ic invasion , so you ' re part icularlyco ncerned w it h a nv thing [h at let s ev il ga in a foot ho ldsuch a s a secr e t demon ic cult engag ing in fou l r i tes w ithi na forest o r an ev i l lycanth rop e hid den within a commu nity.It doesn' t have to be an oarrh-sharrering invasion from th eLower Planes. You str ike at any grow ing ev il , uproo t ing itbef ore it can bear bitte r f ru i t.Th e Lumin ou s Or der placesgrea t faith in th e sclf-rcha nee

o f i ts m em b ers. If it accepts you wit hi its ranks. rheorde r isconf iden t that you take i ts miss ion to heart . Thus the ord erdem and s few specific duties[rom you. Ifevil shows its face,[hen the Lu ru inous Or de r asks vol unte er s to vanquish tharevi l . But th e o rde r's lead e rs r arely d emand th at a spec i ficagen t undert ake a specific mission .The ord er's leadershi p likewise res pec ts the livesof mem -

b e rs beyond (he Sh ining C i tadel's wall s. It 's common forKni gh t s Lum inou s to be away from the c itadel for mon th sat a ti m e, e ven i f th ey aren 't o n a s pecif ic mi s sion for t heorder. Jo in ing the Luminous Order advances your career asa h ero ; it doesn't co nstr ain thar career.

C om ba t : Cle rics,fighters, and m on k sa re th e mos t com-mon cl as ses in (h e lu m inous Or der, so members' tacticsva ry based o n [h ei r s tre ng th s . Some Knigh t s Luminou sstand toe 10 toe with enem ies, wh ile ot h er s ha n g back an dcast spells. Supern atural or magical e nem ies arc countered


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Hanootbe Blessed releases resonance

-c- H an o o the Blessed , ser en e gUJrd ia l1

Specia l: You must have an a ff iliat ion sco re of 9 or h ighe rwithin th e Luminous Orde r to become a se rene gua rdian .Ifyour affiliation sco re dr o ps be l ow 9 a ft e r y ou havebecome a sere ne gua rd ian, you reta in al l c la s s featu resand the abi lit y t o adva nc e in th e clas s .

Clas s Ski lls (2 + Int modifier per level): Balance, Climb,Con cent rat ion, Craft, Esc ap e Artist, Hide, Intimidat e,Jump, Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently,Profession, Sens e Motive , S pot , Swim,Tumble .

T H E SEREN E GU AR DI A N HIT DIE: 08

BaseAttack Fort Ref Will'Level Bonus Sa ve Sa ve Save Special1st +1 +2 +2 +0 Resonance,

painful release2nd +2 +3 +3 +0 Dam aging release3rd +3 +3 +3 +1 Mo nk advance ment

o r bo nus feat4th +4 +4 +4 +1 Stag gering release5th +5 +4 +4 +1 Greater resonance6th +6 +5 +5 +2 Traum atic release7th +7 +5 +5 +2 Immune to fe ar8th +8 +6 +6 +2 Confou nding release9th +9 +6 +6 +3 Unclou de d min d10th +10 +7 +7 +3 Sou l re lease

NSee?""You fig/I! !l'ell, llllt you're Il JOll t 10collaJl se i/lll P i lWX l'Sl11 of pl1il1.,

The Luminous Orde r teaches its soldiers some rudimentarymeditations and concentration exercises, but thesearejustthet ip of the iceberg.Thosewho master the esote ric, min d-enhancing tech niques of the Luminous O rder have earnedthe r ight to call them selves serene guardians.

BECOMING A SERENE GUARDIANI f you have a d iscipl ined worldview and a certain level ofcombat prowess ,and you have the tu leof Luminarycham-pion, then becoming a serene guardian issimplya matter ofdevot ing the necessary t ime to t rain ing your mind .

fight evil 10 t he bes t o f you r ab ili t y, t h e o rder i s prou d toca ll yo u a m embe r.

SERENE GU A R D IAN E NT RY RE QUIRE ME NT SAlignme n t : Any lawfu l .The Luminous Order doesn ' ttolera te evil mem be r s , and evi l char acte rs a ren ' t ac ceptedamong the order ' s ranks, but neve rthe le ss a se re negua rd ian who fa l ls f rom grace keeps the powe rs of th eserene gua rdian cl as s and can s till gain leve l s in th e class .Base Attack Bonus: +6.


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CLASS FEATURESAs asereneg uardian,you deliver blows that establish ,I mys-t ical resonance w it h in your target. You also le ar n m et h od sto release rhar reso na n ce in ways t h at h a rm you r e n em i es .All the fol lowing are c lass fe at u res of the serene guardian

prest ige class.Reso nance (Su): \X'hen yo u e nter the class, you bec ome

able 10 establ ish resonance in youren em ies. \\:fhenevcf r olldeal damage to a foe two or more times in a single round,you create 1 point of resonance in tha t en e my. YOLI usuallyneed to make a fu l l a tta ck to cr e ate resonance, but a singlearrack followed by asuccessfulattack of opportu ni ty b eforeyour next turn also allows you to do so.To produce an effect ,you must release the resonance yOll

have e stabli s hed . You can on ly rel ea se re sonance i n onet ar ge t a t a rime . When you rel ease re so na nc e i n a foe , a l lthe resonan ce po in t s you have cr e a ted in that opponentarcloosed 10 pro duce rhe effect you choose.The chosen effecto nl y a ffe c ts t he c r eatur e from whi c h th e res o na nc e wa sreleased . Once resonance is released , the targe t in whichit was released retur ns to 0 resonance poinrs; you haw 10create reso nan ce in th at ene my again bcfoere you (; 111 Pt'>duc e another effect agains t it.

At 5th level , your masteryof resonance increascs. I[youdeal damage to J foe t h r ee t imeso r more i n a s ing le round ,you crea te 2 point s of reson ance in (hat opponent.

Painf u l Release (Su): As a swiftact ion , you C111 releasereson anc e in the form of se arin g pain that flows th rough-out your target's body.Foreach point of rcsona nee released,that foe takes a - 1 penalty on arrack rolls :I1J saving th rows[o r a num be r of rou nds equal to the numbe r of resonancepoints released. This abil it y has no effe ct on creatures thata re im mun e to ext ra damage from cri t ical h i ts .

Dam agin g Rele ase (Su): At 2nd level ,you It- am how todamage your foe di rectly with the power of resonance. Asa swif t ac tion , you G il l release the resonance you haw ere-.n cd w ithin a target to dea l t hat foe Id6 poi n t s o fdamageper point of resonan ce released. This damage doesn't helpyou crea te resonance in the targe t aga in .Mo nk A dva nc e men t o r B onu s Feat : Most se r ene

guardians were once monks, fighters, or rangers,because it'seasier for such characters to damage thesamee nemy twicei n the same ro und . Beginning at 3rJ level. if you have levelsi n m on k, yo u C :J.n coun t h al f your se re n e guardi an levelsas m on k levels for calculat ing your flurry of blows attackbonu s, Arm o r Class bonus , and un armed d amag e. If youdon't have mo nk level s ,you can instead c ho ose any bonusfeat for whi c h you m ee t the prerequis ites f rom among theal lowed fighter b on u s feats (PH 38).

S tagge r i ng Re l ease (Su): At 4th leve l,you le ar n hew toslow your enemy by releasing resonance. As a swifract ion,you G il l re lea se the r esonance you have c reat ed w ithin atarge t to r educ e tha t foe 's speed by 10 f ee l i n a ll modesp tTpoint of resona nce released . The effect lasts for a numbe r ofrounds equal to the nu m be r of reso nance p oin ts released.

Tr au mat ic R el e as e (Su): At th It-vel ,y ou r power overresonance bec ome s more de stru c ti ve . As a swif t ac t ion,

you can r ele ase [he re sonance wit h i n a t arget to deal tha ifoe 2d 6 po in t s of damage pe r point o f re sonan ce relea sed.Thi s damage doesn't help you create resonance in the targetagain.

I m m u ne to Fear (Ex ): \Xhen you reach 7th level , yo ur

mi n d b ec o messo se rene tha t f ea r becomes a mere cbstrac-rion . You are immune to fear, magical or ot he r wise.Confo und i ng Rele as e (Su): At8th level an d hig he r , t h e

re sona nce you rele a se can be fudd le the mind . As a swi ftac tio n, yo u c an re lease th e re sona nce yo u h aw cr e atedwit hi n a targe t to af feCllhat foe with wnf usioll, as the spel l .The effect lasts for a number of roundsequal to t he n um be rof reso nan ce point s released.

Unc l ou de d M i nd (Ex) :A t 9 th level a nd h igh e r. i f youfa il a \X il l save, yOll can make a Conce nt ra tion check anduse that check 's resul t as yo ur save resu lt.

So u l Release (Su ): At rorh level , your mas tery of reso-nance is absolute . You GIn use res onan ce to separate yourenemy's soulfrom his body, killing him inst antl y.To atte rnpta soul release , you must have created 1 poin t of reso na n cein your ta rget for every 2 Hi t Dice [hat enemy has .Then,a s.a sw if t ac tion , you can re lease tha t res onan ce, forcing thatroe 10 s uc ce ed on a Fo rt itud e save (DC 10 + your sereneguardian level + you r \ V' is modi fie r) or die .This is a dea theffec t.

PLAYING A SERENE GUARDIANThey call you "serene" fora reason, Even whe n yOli seemovermatc he d , you're unflappable in a fight. Part of the reasonforyourcool demeanor isthai you know you'requ iet lycre-atin g resonanc e for a release move.Com ba t : Th e l umin ous Or de r o flen a ss igns se rene

guardians to at tack enemy leaders and pow erf ul indi vidunImons te rs. Because o f t he way resonance works, a se reneguardian i s less effec t ive when he's cons ta nt l y ch ang ingtarget s . O the r l um in ar ie s kn ow th a t a se re ne gu ar dia nwan t s to make full a tt acks every round, so they often t ry todistract the guar dian's target and otherwise keep ene miesoff the gua rdian'sback.

Adva nc e me n t : Be in g re cr u ite d i nt o t he ra nks of theserene guardians requires proving yourse lf to t he l um i-nous Or der, then showing tilt.' exist ing serene guardianst ha t you h ave t he m en t al disci plin e to jo in t hem . Fu r theradvancement i s s imply a matte r of un ceas ing pract ice andprofound rnedir ancn .

__"Th c f ll e rg ) ' of tIll' COUl'5t'S tllrollgll Illy w i us . An' Il't' (11/l Io l l l ' il tlf SSf S 10 il s Imnsf (lrHllI tit't I'Ol' l'I"?"

- S lIl h r a Ca lada n , so la r channe ler


10/17

BECOMING A SO LARCHANNELERGood clerics and powe rful paladins who

have reached Lumi nar y champion statuswith in the LuminousOrder sh ould have no

diffi cult y undergo ing the Ritual of Feather sre quir ed to become a solarchan neler.

/

SOL A R CH AN NELER EN T RY REQUIRE MENTS

Alignment: Any good.Special: Ability to turn undead as a Sth-level cleric.

Specia l: Yo u must have an affi liat ion score of 9 or higherwithin the Lumino us Order to become a solarchanneler.If your aff ili ation score drops below 9 after you havebecome a solar channeler,you retain all class features andthe abilityto advance in the class.Special: Must participate in the Ritualof Feat hers (seeAdvancemen t).

CLASS FEATURESThe solar cliannelcr learn s 10 ch a nne l positive ener gy foremerg ency healing and fa temporarily become a powe rfultlying creatu re ak in to a so lar. All the fol lowing are classfeaturesof the so lar cha nn eler prestige class.C h an n el H eal in g (Su): By expending one daily use of

your abili ty to t urn u nd ead and c han nel ing th at energytoward a willi ng ally, you can cast any w rc spell as a swif tac ti on, or you can cas t a clIre spell on :1 t arg et up to 30 [eela\vay. You can do b ot h in t he same ro u nd , bur d oing soexp ends two dai ly uses ofyour abi li ty to tu rn und ead.

Turn Und ead (Su): You add your solar chan neler levelto your effective level for t ur ning und ead g r anted by anyother class to det erm in e your effec t ive level fo r t u rn ingund ead. Fo r examp le, if you' re a zth-lcvcl clcr tc/ts t-levelpaladi n /t st-levelsolar chan neler, yOll turn und ead as i fyouwere an Sth-lcvel cleric.

Sp e ll cast i ng: At every level excep t t s r, 5t h , and 1 0t h,you gain new spell s pe r day and an increase in caster level(and spells known, ifapplicable) as ifyou had also gained alevel in a divine spellcasting class to which you belonged,..

.. be fo re add ing the so lar channel e r l evel. You do not , how -ever,gain any other benefit a character of that class wou ldhave gained. If yOLl h ad more th an on e d i vine spellcastingclass b ef ore be comin g a solar channeler, yOll must decideto whi ch class to add each eligi ble sola rc hanneler level forth e purp ose ofdctcrm inin g spells per day,caster level,andspells kn own .l e s ser Channe l So la r (Su): Be ginn ingat 5th level,you

can expend one o f you r dail y u ses of your ability to turnunde adasan immed iate actio n to transform into a powerful

creature tha t looks like asolar (lvfM ( 2). At the beginnin g ofeach of your subsequent t ur n s ,you mus t use a swif t act ionto expend one add it iona l d ai ly lis e o f you r ab il it y to tu rnun d ead . I f y ou do not o r cann o t d o so , you return to yournorm al form.w hil e you are in so lar f orm , your body and gear are

repl aced by a body and a magic grearsword l ike those of asolar. You become a M edium creature (if you were of J di f -ferent size before), and you lose the abil ity to cast spells and

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11/17

Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Concentration, Craft , Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge (histo ry), Knowledge (the planes),Knowledge (religion). Profession, Spellcraft.

T H E S O LA R CH AN NEL ER HITD'E: D8BaseAttack Fo rt Ref Will

Level Bonus Save Save Save Special Spellca sting15t +0 +2 +0 +2 Channel healing, turn undead2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class4t h +3 +4 +1 +4 +1 level of existing divine spellcasting class5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Lesser channel solar6th +4 +5 +2 +5 +1 level of existing divine spe llcasting class7th +5 +5 +2 +5 +1 level of existing divine spe llcasting class8th +6 +6 +2 +6 +1 level of existing divine spe llcasting class9t h +6 +6 +3 +6 +1 level of existing divine spe llcasting class10th +7 +7 +3 +7 Greater channel solar

Title: Benefits and DutiesNone.Ebon Initiate: Youare given a ceremonialblack robe and is eligible for quests. AnEbon ini tiate can buy magic i tems from thewizards of the Ebon Cabalat reduced cost.Ebon Factotum: You receive a cloakof theEbon Cobol.Ebon Master: You receive one rod of theTower (your choice), along with a diamond-studded black mask worth 500 gpoGainingthe t it le of Ebon master ent it les you to en-ter the dark scholar or twisted lord prest igeclass .

9 or more

5- 8

AffiliationScore1 or lower2-4

Ebon CabalThe Lu mi n ou s Order isn't the only powerful group work-ing beh i nd t he scene s i n t he Valley of Obe lisks. 1\ grou pof amb i tious schemers- wizards mos tly - ex i s t s solely toaccum ulate more power for its member s.This faction is theEben Cabal , based in a fortress called th e Black Tower .

The Eben Cabal isn' t an evil organizat ion, though it prob-ably hasa few evi l members wi thin i ts ra nks , I t 's defin itely"neutr al amb itious ," however, and i ts members have fewscruples abour seeking and taking what they want .

Over th e course of the adve nture , you migh t encoun terthe Ebon Caba l and become affi liated with the gro up. Fromtime to time after you become affil iated with the group , th e01\1 mig ht tell you tha t your a ff il ianon scor e wi thin th eEbon Caba l has increased . As your affi lia t ion score rises,you become enti t led.ro th e fo llowing rewa rds.

Ritual of Fea the rs at t he S hin ing Ci t adel. At rhe con clu -sion of th is prayer-fi lled ceremony , an act ua l sol ar brie flyappears and wordlessly tou ches you wi th i rs sword. From

that momen t forwa rd ,you find tha t the ga tes on your abil-ity 10 chan nel posi t ive energ y have b een o pened . Takingon th e fo rm of a solar requires further practice and grea te rinner st reng th .

Speedfly 90 ft. (good)fly 90 ft. (good)fly 90 ft. (good)fly 120 ft. (good)fly 120 ft. (good)fly 1SO f t. (good)

Greatsword Attacks+2 01+1 5/+10 (2d6+ 9/ 19-20)+21/+16/+ 11 (2d6 +10/1 9 -20)+22 / +17/+12 (2d6+11/19 -20)+23/+18/+13 (2d6+12/19 -20)+24/+19/+14 (2d6+13/ 19- 20)+25/+201+15 (2d6+14/19 -20)

Level5th6th7th8th9th10th

to use the class featu res of your normal form while you're insolar form (except that you ca n expend daily uses of yourabil-ity TO turn un dead in or der to maintain the altered form).

For as l ong as yOll maintain solar f orm , you don' t haveaccess to i tems worn, held, or c ar r ied by )ou r normal form,a ltho ug h your AC remains rhc same. The grea tsword disap-pears if it leaves yOt l rgrasp,bur you can spend a move act ionto make it reappear in your hands. Yourattacks, damage,andspeed change as described on the fol lowing table. Allo theraspects of your c haracter remain the same.

PLAYING A SOLAR CHANNELERYou deal with c ha l le nge s t he way you always have , bu twhen comba t turns for the worst , you know that you've gotan ange l in r es erve ,The Luminous Order regards irs solarchaunelers highly -especia l ly those who have reac hed 5 thlevel or higher.Y ou r abil it)' to tu rn into a powerf u Iangel isseen as a s ign t ha t t he gods favor you.

Comba t : You ca n 't t urn into an ange l whenever yOLlw an t , so you have to a ss ess whe t he r a given fight requiresth e assis tance of your solar form. Becoming an a ngel is adouble-edged sword, because you won'tbe able ro hea l youra ll i es or cas t o t he r spells until you ret ur n to n orma l.

The l um inou s Orde r of ten sends solar channe lers intothe Slaughrerscar. Even if you can't tran sform into an angel ,you're still remarkably effect ive against the undead ,

Advanc em ent: Those who meet the entry req ui r ementsand wish 10 do so are inv i ted to take part i n t he day l ong

G reater Chann e l Sola r (Su): At 10th le ve l, you ca nremain in solar form for 1 mi nute for each daily usc of yourabili ty to tu r n undead that you expend .


12/17

PLAYING AN_---::-----:--;--EBO CABA USI

Joinin g forces with t he Eb en Cabal me ans that you speak thelan gu a ge of power .You're comfo rtable operating a mo ng th eruthless and the ambitious - a nd t ho se a re v ou r ill/it 'S. Youmigh t p ro fess noble ideals when it su its yo ur overall plan,an d you a lway sh ave an ove rall pl an , b ut t ho se ideals Gi n becast as ide whenever do ing so gets you wha t you desire .

Be cau se th e Eb e n Ca ba l fu nc t io ns l ike J mutua l


13/17

add ing the darkscholar level. YOLI do not,however,gain anyothe r ben efit a character of that class would have gained.I f y ou had more th an one arcane spcllcasnng class b eforebecoming a dark scholar, you must decide to which class toadd each eligible dark scholarlevel for the purpo seof deter-

m ining spells per day,caster level,and spells know n.B ook M a s te ry (E x): At ever y level but 2nd and 7t h,your study results inthe mastervof for-b idden lore.

Sbinsestr bas mastered man)'forms o f forb idden lore

c hoos e one book for which you meet the skill prerequisitefrom the followi ng table. Rem emb er that you ga in n ewski l l ranks before you gain class features, so as a erh-leveldark scholar you could pore nt iully gain your teth rank in

Knowledge (history) and immediately claim

mastery of theLcxir Ol l

ofrlu-

Elder Gods.The books offorb idden lore,the Knowledgerequirement for each one, and the benefits you

gain from reading them,are as follows.Histories ofti,eAlad Empire, Vo l. II: Knowledge (his-

tory) 10 ranks; +2insight bonu s on wil l saves.) l1rm /llill! s Trials, Anllota/ed: Knowledge (arcana) 10

ran ks; cast div ination and i llus ion spell s at +1 casterlevel.

Arrnurt of Yo rre ll:: Knowledge (arcana) 12 ranks; +1insigh t bonuson Reflex and Forti tude saves.

Verses of Knowledge (the p lanes) t 2ran ks; +1 to thesav ing throw DCs of enchantment and

necromancy spells.of tlu' SUI/cd "lOllg IlC Knowledge (h istory) 14- r


14/17

Class Skill s (2 + Int modifie r pe r leve l): Concent ration, Dec ipher Script, Gathe r Information, Knowledge (allskills takenind ividually), Profession, Spea k Lang uage , Spellcraft, Use Magic Device .

Speci alTwisted form

+1d6 sneak at t ac kImproved FeintPe r iphe ral invisibility+2d6 sn eak a tt ackImproved de mora lizeTwist targ et+3d6 snea k attackTwist perceptionsTwist min d

WillSave+0

+0+1+1+1

+2+2+2+3+3

HIT DI E: 06

RefSave+2

+3+3+4+4+5+5

+6+6+7

For tSave+0

+0+1+1+1+2+2+2+3+3

Level1st

2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th

Cl as s Skills (8 + Int mod if ier per level): Ap praise,Balance, Bluff, Cl im b , Craft , Deciphe r Script, Diploma cy,Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist , Forgery, Ga th e rInforma tion, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (loca l),Listen, Move Silently, Op en Lock, Profession, Search,Sense Mot ive, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Swim, Tum ble, Use

Magic Device, Use R op e.

TH E TWI S TEO LORO

BaseAttackBon u s+0

+1+2+3+3+4+5

+6+6+7

CLASS FEATURESYou became a twis ted lord by partaking o f twi s tr o ot in aceremony supervised byy ou r peer s at the Black Tower.Thefirstpoweryou learn ist heabil tryto twist your form, turni ngyourself into a misshapen, fearsome figure. Over time, youmaster the capab il i ties ofyour warped body, and you thentap into the powers ofyour distorted mind.All the followingare class features of the twisted lord prestige class.Twi sted Fo r m (Ex): When you enter this class.you gain

the abi li ty to adopt a twis ted f orm by lak ing a move act ionto do so. Your face takes on J sinister, misshapen cast. Yourlimbs lengt hen and bend, and your s pi n e S lOO pS . Th e

meuv of your body becomes a th ing of the past.Whi le in y ou r twisted form, you gain a +4 bonus on Bluffchecks to feint in combat, J +4 bonus on .lntim idntc chec kstodemoralizean opponent, and a +4 bonuson Escape Artistcheck s. You t ake a - 4 pen al ty on Diplomacy checks ando the r a ttemp t s to in fluence an Nl 'C's a ttit ude.

You CJn remain in your twis ted f orm as long asyou like.Many twisted lords find it more comfortabletha n the formthey had before they par took of rwisrroot.

+1 level of existing arcane spelkasnng class+1 level of existing arcane spellcast ing class+1 level of existing arcane spellcast ing class

+1 level of existing arcane spellcast ing class+1 level of existing arcane spellcast ing class+1 level of existing arcane sp e llcast ing class+1 level of existi ng arcane spellcast ing class+1 level of existi ng arcane spellcasting class+1 level of existing arcane spellca s t ing class

SpellcastingpecialBook mast er yScho larlyloreBook master yBook mast e ry

Book maste ryBook mast eryTonguesBoo k maste ryBook ma s teryBook mas tery

WillSave+2+3+3+4

+4+5+5

+6+6+7

HIT DIE: 04

RefSave+0+0+1+1+1+2+2+2+3+3

FortSave+0+0+1+1+1+2+2+2+3+3

Level1512nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th

The stealthy assassins of the Eben Cabal, twisted lords cantu rn the i r visages fea rsome at a moment' s no t ice. Theyevenruallylearn to infuse their dirty tactics with the powerof nig htmare .

"Do yOll ,(,lld 111 (' replilsivl'? \X 'ilit ' I d l !lavl' yOII!' /Jlood a/l over Hit'.TItt'11 1'1I1oo/; 11111(11 lI'on l'."

- C e rowa in th e Cau nt , tw i sted lo rd

BECOMING A TWISTED LORDExisting twisted lords have one word of advice for thosewho aspire to their position-c-r'Don'r!"Burwit h in the EbonCabal,t he influence thatthe twisted lords wield isobvious.Few heed the warnings. The y instead par take of twistrootfrom the Slnughterscar and begin the inev itable t ransfer-marion i nto twisted lords.

Combat : Youcont ro l the b:n t leGeld the way you alwayshavo-c-with magic. Yourspells often have alittle extr a kickdue to your research, however.\X!henyou reach t h ep i nnacleof your studics, you are able to perform feats of magic tha tno mere wizard can match .Advanceme n t: DarkscholarsareallEbon masters within

t he Eben Cabal.Most are wizards,al thou gh intell igent sor-cerers can derive great benefits from this class as well .

Re so u rces: The books associated with this class aren 'ti n t h e Black Tower 's main library. You have convinced amore powerful member of t h e Eben Cabal t o let you readforbidden lore from J private collection. \ x:rho kno ws whatelse yOl lmigh t find there?

TWI STED L ORD ENTR Y REQUI REM ENTS

Skills: Bluf f9 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks.Special: You m us t have an af filiation sc o re o f 9 or higherwith in th e Ebo n Cabal to become a twisted lord. If youraffi liat ion score d rops below 9 af te r you have become atw is ted lord , you re ta in all class features and th e abi lity toadvanc e in th e class.Speci al: You must ritualisticallycons ume tw istroot (seeAdvanc em ent).

TH E DA R K SCHOL AR

BaseAtt ackBonu s+0+1+1+2+2+3+3+4+4+5


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are adjacent to J shaken foe,by taking astan dar d action, youcan ass umecon trol of your enemy .Your targe t mus t make a\Xlil l save (DC to + your twistedlord level + your Cha modi-fier). If the save fails, you can control your e nem y's ac tionson subsequent rounds, taking a standard ac tion each roundto do so. At th e end of each of your enemy 's tu rns ,he cana ttemp t ano ther \Xill save to shake of f control . He remainsu nder your co mmand unti l he succeedson the will save orun t i l you choose nor to spend a stan dard action contro llingh im.

PLAYING ATWISTED LORDYou've lived throug h a horr ifying nighr mare- the in itialexpos ure to twisrroor in the ceremony that allowed yOll tobecome a twisted lo rd . You're comfortable in a form tha to ther s find repu ls ive , and you wo uldn' t h ave it any o t h e rway. You can prey on the weaknesses of others' sensibili-t ie s, t aki ng a dvan tage of how they instantly recoil whenthey sec you.You see many of y ou r p eers i n th e Eb en Cabal s hudde r

wh en y Oll pass , but you're mo re comfo rtable with in th es lack Tower's walls, w here a ruth less meritocracy doesn 'thave room for dis taste over someone's looks. Besides , youem assume your natu ral fo rm whe never you need 10.Combat : How you fight as a twisted lord depends a lo t

on your exper ience. At low levels ,you fight l ike a rogue ,mov ing into pos it ion to use you r sneak attack. ln rime,peri pheral inv is ibi l i ty and Improved Fein t give you newways to d eal s neak attack damage even when you aren 't

flan kin g your e nemy . As you attain more levels ,you face an inreresting tact i-cal c hoice betwee n u singperipheral invisibiliry andImp ro ved Fe i nt to se t upsneak at tacks or usingimp roved demoralize tose t u p your s up ern a tu ra lmind twis ts . The answer issitua tional. It depends onthe nature of your foe and

whether you're confident inyour abi li ty to demorali zehim.

Advance me nt : Anyonewho has earned th e rank ofEbon master and has show nt he abf l ir y to man ip ui at e

people by gui le and coerc ion

is e ligib l e to consume twist-roar from the Sl augh tc rsca r. I fdo ne in ritua l C sh io n, tw i st-roo t inges t ion turns yOll intoa twisted lord. The process is

not only painful, it'saccom-pa nied by horrifyingn ig h tmare s t hat a fewwou ld-be twisted lords

find fata lly fr ighteni ng .

Sn e ak At t ack: Beginning at 2nd level, yOll deal extradamage w hen you are flanking an opponen t o r at any r imewhen the target would be denied i ts Dexteri ty bonus.Thisext ra damage only appl ies to ranged at ta ck s i f the targe tis w i thin 30 feet . See the rogue class featu re (PH 50). Yoursneak


16/17

The twisr roor n igh tmares leave persistent scars on yourpsyche that you eventually le arn to use as weapo ns.

As


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& l lu I."! 's, D&I> [)L"c,r" " . \ lAm . ,d20,d20 Sy

Slaughtergarde Player's Guide.pdf

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