Hiveplague Savant (3.5e Prestige Class)

Author: Eiji-kun (talk) Date Created: 8-24-14 Status: Complete Editing: Mechanical changes on Talk

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You've given into the terrible diease afflicting you, and now it gives back and makes you stronger. 5 10 Good Good Poor Good Other Partial

Hiveplague Savant

“	Buboes, phlegm, blood and guts! Boils, bogeys, rot and pus! Blisters, fevers, weeping sores! From your wounds the fester pours.	”
—Barbarus, Tiefling Hiveplague Savant, Tome of the Giants

You were an unfortunate victim of the ruinous hiveplague disease, which wracked your body and mind until the pain and agony overcame you. As the terror of death loomed overhead you felt a calming voice reach out from the darkness...

"Accept us. We will make it better. We will make you healthier than you have ever been."

You choice life over death, and in doing so your wish came true. The pain subsided and though your body continued to boil and decay into a horrifying visage of disease and death, you no longer cared. A strange loving contentment, even a pleasure, was to be found in your new fetid form. You have become a hiveplague savant. Spread the love of disease to everyone, so they may feel as you do.

Becoming a Hiveplague Savant

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any, but the process of accepting is a major evil act and usually makes the resulting creature evil.
Feats:	Any two of the following: Deformity (Obese)BoVD, Diehard, Endurance, Great Fortitude, or Toughness.
Special:	Base Fortitude save +7, at least 10 HD, have been infected with ruinous hiveplague.

Table: The Hiveplague Savant

Hit Die: d12

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Class Advancement
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Disease Carrier, Extraordinary Health, Fetid Biology, Hideous Fortitude, Immunities 1	+1 existing class level
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	Death Throes, Fast Healing, Immunities 2
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	Immunities 3, Why Won't You Die	+1 existing class level
4th	+4	+4	+1	+4	Immunities 4, Mettle, Regeneration
5th	+5	+4	+1	+4	Immortality, Immunities 1, Improved Fetid Biology	+1 existing class level
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level. Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Hiveplague Savant.

Class Advancement: At every odd level, the hiveplague savant gains the class features (including spellcasting ability) and an increase in effective level as if you had also gained a level in a class to which you belonged to before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain the benefit of your previous class's hit dice, attack progression, skill points, or saving throws. If you had more than one class before becoming a hiveplague savant, you must decide which class to add to each level for the purpose of determining class features. You can advance base classes, but not prestige classes.

Disease Carrier (Ex): When you accept the offer of the ruinous hiveplague, you are immediately cleared of all symptoms and ability damage. However you still carry the disease, and the disease is now incurable within you. When you are not wounded you have enough control over the disease not to infect allies, but when you are wounded they are subject to infection via contact. You are also capable of coughing (a move action) to generate a 5 ft cube of disease adjacent to yourself which lasts for 1 round. This form is inhaled.

Extraordinary Health (Ex): A hiveplague savant's current and future hit dice are always maximized.

Fetid Biology (Ex): The hiveplague savant no longer needs to eat or sleep, as its biology is entirely tended to by its infection.

Hideous Fortitude (Ex): The hiveplague savant is not a pretty creature, such is the price for power. You gain a penalty to Charisma equal to your class level, but gain a profane bonus to Constitution. You can choose to base your Intimidate checks off of your Constitution instead of Charisma.

Immunities (Ex): The hiveplague savant is blessed with a host of immunities, starting with immunity to disease and poison (though they continue to host diseases including the ruinous hiveplague itself). At 2nd level, they gain immunity to ability damage, sickening, nausea, and fear as they gain new confidence and fortitude. At 3rd level, they gain immunity to stunning and paralysis. At 4th level they gain immunity to ability drain, death effects, and energy drain as their body bursts with new vile life. Finally at 5th level, they gain immunity to mind-affecting effects as even their brains become little more than a colony of pus and disease.

Death Throes (Ex): A 2nd level hiveplague savant is bursting at the seems with foul gases and juices born of a boiling rot of vile life. When a hiveplague savant is killed, they may detonate in a noxious cloud identical to stinking cloud centered on them (DC equal to disease's DC), but which also blinds the creature for the same duration they remain nauseated, and exposes all creatures to ruinous hiveplague. The body melts away and space the hiveplague savant occupied permanently becomes a vile pool of disease, and exposure to the pool raises the DC of the disease by +4.

The hiveplague savant can trigger the death throes pre-maturely once per day as a standard action, though doing this does not melt his body into a pool of disease. Once he has done this he cannot do it again for the rest of the day, even if he dies. The hiveplague savant is immune to his own death throes and the death throes of other hiveplague savants.

Fast Healing (Ex): The bacteria strengthen the body, granting the hiveplague savant fast healing equal to their Con modifier.

Why Won't You Die: The hiveplague savant gains Why Won't You Die as a bonus feat.

Mettle (Ex): A 4th level hiveplague savant who succeeds at a Fortitude Partial or Will Partial save takes no effect as if he had immunity.

Regeneration (Ex): The fast healing gained previously becomes regeneration at 4th level. The regeneration is bypassed by good aligned attacks, fire, and silver.

Immortality (Ex): At 5th level the hiveplague savant becomes biologically immortal, with no maximum age and taking no penalties from aging. In addition if they are slain they leave a pool of disease as normal. However if anyone is infected specifically by the pool of disease and then subsequently dies, the infected creature is subject to a special reincarnate which transforms the dead creature into the hiveplague savant over the course of 10 minutes.

Improved Fetid Biology (Ex): A 5th level hiveplague savant is immune to critical hits, effectively being a uniform sack of disease at this point. In addition the DC for his disease becomes 10 + 1/2 HD + Con (if higher) and it can even effect creatures immune to disease. However, they get a +8 bonus on the saving throw.

All of your current and future hit dice become d12s, as your body fortifies itself into an invulnerable juggernaut.

Campaign Information

Playing a Hiveplague Savant

Combat: You are a disgusting debuffer and powerful tank, able to survive with your many immunities and massive hit points.

Advancement: While hiveplague savants are typically of a martial bent, their future largely depends on what kind of classes they were previously.

Resources: No one but other hiveplague savant's like each other. In their own kind they treat each other as family, and one wonders how much of the original person remains and how much is the disease talking.

Hiveplague Savants in the World

“	Accept my gift. Don't worry, its normal for skin to liquefy at this point.	”
—Mort, Golden One Hiveplague Savant

NPC Reactions: A hiveplague savant is a cursed monster, pitied at best and abhorred most often. The reaction is not unwarranted.

Hiveplague Savant Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge Dungeoneering can research hiveplague savants to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge Dungeoneering

DC	Result
10	A hiveplague savant is a terrifying end result of when the terrible ruinous hiveplague infects a powerful creature. It continues to spread disease even after it is seemingly "cured".
15	Hiveplague savants are host to many immunities, they are practically dead yet blooming with vile impure life.
20	Powerful hiveplague savants are immortal, and can live on through their diseases they pass on. Stories tell of hiveplague savants who took on damage to kill 20 men and kept marching forward.
30	Those that reach this level of success become aware of specific hiveplague savants, their whereabouts, motives, recent activity, and other lore.

Hiveplague Savants in the Game

Adaptation: They could easily be the servants of a god of disease for that divine twist.

Sample Encounter: A group of "friendly" hiveplague savants have come to town to share. And share they do, all manner of plagues. How can you stop the epidemic and those who sow their foul seeds?

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