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Bleaker (HD d8)

By Christopher Campbell (planehopping@hotmail.com)

"Come 'ere, poppit. Let Aunty Bee ease yer mind... That's it; let it go. There's no point to it, so don't let it get to ya..."
There's no point to it. There is no "Great Plan," no "Grand Design," no "Hidden Truth." If you insist on searching for something that doesn't exist, you'll go mad. This is the message of the Bleak Cabal, and they do a good job of delivering it. Bleakers, as they call themselves, are a depressing lot; they claim it's because they know there's nothing to "know." They care for the depressed and the insane, curing some, converting some, and inflicting madness on detractors just to prove the point that there's no point.
Anyone can become a bleaker, once a character realizes her physical, mental, and spiritual skills are meaningless. Sorcerers and wizards reach this realization later than most, for they are loathe to admit that magic has no meaning. In the end, though, most come around. Only those that adhere to a strong code of law and order refuse to admit that life is pointless, for they blindly maintain that order gives life meaning.


Class
Level		 Base
Attack
Bonus
Fortitude
Save
Reflex
Save
Will
Save

Special
1+0+2+0+2Jumbled Thoughts
2+1+3+0+3Absorb Madness
3+2+3+1+3Enlightenment
4+3+4+1+4Share Despair
5+3+4+1+4Enlightenment
6+4+5+2+5Prison of the Mind
7+5+5+2+5Enlightenment
8+6+6+2+6Share Madness
9+6+6+3+6Enlightenment
10+7+7+3+7Howl of Pandemonium

Class Requirements:
To qualify to become a bleaker, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any nongood.
Base Fortitude Save: +2.
Base Will Save: +2.
Sense Motive: 4 ranks.
Special: The character must suffer some tragic, personal loss that results in acute depression.
Class Skills:
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Constitution: Concentration.
Wisdom: Innuendo, Sense Motive.
Charisma: Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information.
Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the bleaker prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Characters who take a level of bleaker gain no proficiency in armor or weapons.

Jumbled Thoughts (Ex): The bleaker is constantly wrestling with her depression, which is nearly all consuming; she gains a +4 circumstance bonus to Will saves against mind-affecting spells and spell-like abilities.

Absorb Madness (Su): At 2nd level, the bleaker can negate mind-affecting spells and spell-like abilities affecting other creatures, including permanent effects such as a feeblemind spell, by making a Wisdom check (1d20 + Wisdom modifier) opposed by the effect's saving throw DC. She must be in physical contact with the subject for an entire round. If contact is broken for any reason, that use of the ability is lost for the day. The act of absorption is physically draining and may only be performed three times a day plus the bleaker's Wisdom modifier (always at least once). If an attempt fails, the bleaker may try again.

Enlightenment: At 3rd level, the bleaker finds a small amount of inner peace as she wrestles with her "inner demons," reflected as a 1 point bonus to her Wisdom score. This is not an enhancement bonus; it is an ability score increase. The bleaker receives the bonus again at 5th level, 7th level, and 9th level.

Share Despair (Sp): At 4th level, the bleaker can project her depression in a 30-foot radius centered on her person, duplicating the effects of the emotion (despair) spell three times a day. The caster level is equal to the bleaker's class level, and the effects last as long as the bleaker concentrates.

Prison of the Mind (Ex): At 6th level, the bleaker is able to use her depression as a mental shield, gaining immunity to all spells and spell-like abilities with the compulsion descriptor.

Share Madness (Su): At 8th level, the bleaker is able to deliver the effects of a feeblemind spell by touch once per day. Use of this supernatural ability must be declared before the attack is made, and the bleaker is considered armed when making the attack. If the attack misses, the ability is wasted for the day. The saving throw DC is 10 + the beaker's level + Wisdom modifier.

Howl of Pandemonium (Su): At 10th level, the bleaker is able to channel the very wind of Pandemonium as a 30-foot cone once per week. Preparation for this supernatural ability is a full round action; the bleaker begins howling on her initiative the following round and continues to do so for a number of rounds equal to her Wisdom modifier, until she ceases concentration, or until her concentration is disrupted. Each round of howling has a specific effect (see below). The bleaker may opt to continue howling by making a Fortitude check vs. the appropriate DC for each additional round. Once the check is failed, the howl ends. The confusion effects of the howl of Pandemonium are considered a sonic attack.
Round 1 (DC 15):
The wind picks up debris and deals 1d4 points of damage.
Round 2 (DC 16):
The wind’s force increases and damage increases to 2d6 points.
Round 3 (DC 17):
The sound of the wind causes confusion (as the spell) for 1d4+1 rounds.
Round 4 (DC 18):
The wind picks up heavier debris and damage increases to 2d8 points.
Round 5 (DC 19):
The sound of the wind causes confusion (as the spell) for 2d4+1 rounds.
Round 6 (DC 20):
The wind picks up creatures who fail a Reflex save, dashing them against objects for 2d10 points of damage. A successful Reflex save still results in half damage from flying debris.
Round 7 (DC 21):
The sound of the wind causes confusion (as the spell) for 2d6+1 rounds.
Round 8 (DC 22):
The wind picks up creatures who fail a Reflex save, dashing them against objects for 4d10 points of damage. A successful Reflex save still results in half damage from flying debris.
Round 9 (DC 23):
The wind picks up creatures who fail a Reflex save, dashing them against objects for 4d10 points of damage and blowing them 30 feet from the area of effect in a random direction (use the Grenadelike Weapons table in the Player’s Handbook to determine direction). A successful Reflex save still results in half damage from flying debris and the creature is knocked prone.
Round 10 (DC 24):
The shrieking wind causes insanity in the form of a feeblemind spell.