Binder of Blood
(Source: Hand of Shadow)
RequirementsSkills: Heal 8 ranks. |
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Hit Die: d8.
Class Skills: Concentration (Con)), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal
(Wis), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Knowlegde (Shadow)
(Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (n/a), and
Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Binders of blood gain no additional proficiency with weapons or armor.
Tainted Healing (Su): A 1st-level binder of blood has resigned himself to the practice of the healing arts, and the dark god mocks his vocation by removing his ability to spontaneously convert divine spells into inflict spells. Instead, the binder of blood gains the ability to spontaneously convert spells into cure spells as if he were a cleric who channeled positive energy. However, perhaps as a result of the amount of negative energy laced within them, these spells cause excruciating pain and leave horrible scars in their wake. Living cratures that fail their Will save against these spells (or that do not resist them) must additionally make a Fortitude save at the same DC or be dazed by pain for a number of rounds edqual to the number of dice rolled for the healing spell. Those who attempt the initial Will save but fail gain a +4 bonus to this second saving throw.
This effect means that the binder of blood's spontaneously converted cure spells can be used offensively, but they have the drawback of allowing the foe two saving throws, first the Will and then the Fortitude, to resist the effects; they also, of course, have the unfortunate effect of healing foes.
This effect does not apply to cure spells prepared normally (including those granted by the Healing domain), nor does it affect the binder of blood's ability to command or rebuke undead. Spontaneously converted cure spells effect undead normally.
Surgical Insight (Ex): At 2nd level, after performing autopsies and studies on dozens of battlefield casualties, the binder of blood gains a disturbing level of insight into the workings and pain responses of the races he has studied. To gain surgical insight on a race, the binder of blood must spend 8 hours per racial HD of the base creature studying a live or dead member of that race. If the creature is living, it must make a DC 20 Fortitude save for every 8 hours it spends under the knife, or it dies. The DC increases by +1 for each Fortitude save after the first.
Once these studies and operations have been performed, the binder of blood thereafter gains a +1 insight bonus on all attack rolls, skill checks, and caster level checks against creatures of that race, as well as saving throws against spells, effects, and special attacks by members of that race. Note that the creature must be the same race, not merely the same creature type. For each additional member of that species studied in this manner, the bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +1 per two class levels (rounded down).
Bonus Feat (Ex): At 3rd, 6th, and 9th level, the binder of blood gains a bonus feat chosen from the following list: Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Extra Turning, Improved Turning, Iron Will, Mobility, Quick Draw, Skill Focus (Heal), Toughness, or Tower Shield Proficiency. He must still meet all prerequisites for the bonus feat.
Merciful Stroke (Ex): It is often expedient to put the dying and grievously wounded to a quick end, both to prevent the damage that their screams cause to morale as well as to prevent the enemy from learning information from them if they are captured. At 3rd level, a binder of blood gains the ability to deliver a coup de grace as a standard action instead of as a full-round action.
Shake It Off (Ex): 4th-level binders of blood can use a combination of surgical technique and shadow essence to breathe a semblance of life into the dying. When he successfully uses the Heal skill to stabilize a dying creature, the binder of blood may expend one of his daily uses of the rebuke undead ability. The creature gains a number of temporary hit points equal to the amount rolled on the turning damage, which last for a number of minutes equal to the maximum HD of undead affected as rolled on the turning check. A creature cannot gain more temporary hit points via this method than its normal hit point maximum.
Legate and binder of blood levels stack for this and other binder of blood class abilities that use the rebuke undead ability, but not for normal uses of that ability.
Final Rights (Su): A 5th-level binder of blood learns to perform a ritual that will send the souls of the dead to an eternity of shadowy torment in the dark god's embrace. To do this, the binder of blood makes a rebuke undead attempt targeting any dead bodies within range that could rise as Fell. The creatures' HD while living is their effective HD for the purposes of this check. Any bodies that would be rebuked by this effect (those that had HD in life greater than half the binder in blood's class level) gain a +10 profane bonus to the saving throw made to resist rising as Fell. Any bodies that would be commanded by this effect (those that had HD in life less than or equal to the binder in blood's class level) automatically succeed on the saving throw made to resist rising as Fell. This also prevents creatures in the latter category from ever rising as Lost; since they automatically succeed in their saves, they cannot roll a natural 1. Additionally, the souls of any creatures affected are bound to Izrador, and can thereafter only be brought back to life via divine spells granted by Izrador.
Performing this ritual takes one minute, and the effect is ruined if the ritual is interrupted.
Tainted Stroke (Su): At 7th level, the binder of blood's ability to quickly and efficiently kill a helpless foe improves. He may now deliver a coup de grace as a move action instead of as a standard action, and he does not provoke attacks of opportunity when doing so. However, he may also channel the fallen soldier's departing life force into a foul vigor that enhances nearby allies. To do so, he must use a full-round action to coup de grace a target while expending one of his daily uses of the rebuke undead ability. This coup de grace provokes attacks of opportunity as normal. If the target is killed by the coup de grace, a number of allies within 60 ft. equal to the maximum HD affected on his turning check gain the following benefits: +2 profane bonus to Strength, +2 profane bonus to Will saves, and temporary hit points equal to half his turning damage (round down). These benefits last for one minute per HD of the coup de graced target, after which the allies who benefitted from the effect become fatigued. A creature can only benefit from one tainted stroke at a time; if a new tainted stroke is performed, the newer temporary hit points and duration replace those of the old tainted stroke.
Improved Surgical Insight (Ex): At 8th level, the binder of blood's insight into the species he has studied becomes inhumanly precient. The insight bonus now also applies to weapon and spell damage rolls made against members of the studied races, to the DCs of his spells that specifically target a memeber of the studied race, and to the binder of blood's AC against attacks made by members of the studied races. As an insight bonus to AC, this benefit only applies against attacks of which the binder of blood is aware.
Fell Stroke (Su): At 10th level, a binder of blood becomes a master of granting death as weall as undeath. He may now deliver one coup de grace per round as a free action in addition to any coup de graces performed that round as move actions. However, he may also perform a ritual of castigation over a recently killed corpse, carving the symbol of the Shadow into its brow. The ritual takes 10 minutes, after which the binder of blood must use one of his daily uses of the rebuke undead ability, making a turning check. If the target's HD in life were less than or equal to the maximum HD affected on the binder of blood's turning check, it will awaken as an ungral Fell one hour later. The Fell automatically degrades to a faengral after a number of days equal to the binder of blood's turning damage, and after the same amount of time a faengral degrades into a maelgral. Regardless of its current level of decay, however, the Fell is automatically considered rebuked by unholy symbols of Izrador within 60 feet, regardless of who (if anyone) wears the symbol.
The target creature gains no saving throw to resist this transformation, but for every 10 minutes that passed between the creature's death and the beginning of the ritual, the binder of blood is considered one level lower for the purposeses of his turning check and turning damage. This means that a creature that has been dead for more than a few hours is beyond even the most experienced binder of blood's power.
| Class Level |
Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special | Divine Spellcasting Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Tainted healing | — |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Surgical insight | +1 level |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Bonus feat, merciful strike | — |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Shake it off | +1 level |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Final rights | — |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +2 | Bonus feat | +1 level |
| 7th | +4 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Tainted stroke | — |
| 8th | +6 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Improved surgical insight | +1 level |
| 9th | +6 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Bonus feat | — |
| 10th | +7 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Fell stroke | +1 level |