New Class: Amboje'

These are the most common priests of the Southern Continent, intermixed with spirit shamans and Sorcerors who believe their powers come from spirits, or blood of Couatl or Yuan Ti. (Which it may well.)

These mystics are part healer, part necromancer. They gain their powers by tapping into the realms of the dead or the web of life around them, and allowing ancestral or nature spirits to temporarily possess their bodies, though there is some danger involved with this, as occasionally, spirits are unwilling to leave before they have a chance to complete certain tasks, or the spirit contacted is not who the Amboje' believed they were.

Amboje' may also sacrifice some small part of their own vitality to the dead spirits or into the life web they commune with in order to gain greater skill or power temporarily.

• Hit Die: d6
• Skills: 4+Int/lvl

• Class Skills: Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Jump, Intimidate, Knowledge: Arcana, Knowledge: History, Knowledge: Nature, Knowledge: Religion, Listen, Profession, Ride, Search, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim
• Weapons and Armor: Amboje' are proficient with Daggers, Quarterstaffs, Slings, Clubs and Shortbows. They are Proficient with Light Armor and Light Shields, but suffer the same penalties as Druids for wearing metallic armor or shields.
• Attack: poor BAB progression
• Saves: poor Fort and Ref, good Will save progressions
• Spellcasting: Divine spellcasting, spells/day as below.

Class abilities by level:

• Level 1: Undead familiar, Sacrifice, speak with dead, Turn/Rebuke Undead/Plants, Geas, Spellcasting
• Level 3: Shield of the underworld
• Level 5: Exorcism
• Level 7: Improved Shield of the underworld
• Level 10: Perfect sacrifice: skills 1x/day
• Level 12: Perfect sacrifice: spells 1x/day
• Level 14: Perfect sacrifice: skills 2x/day
• Level 16: Perfect sacrifice: spells 2x/day
• Level 18: Perfect sacrifice: skills 3x/day
• Level 20: Host of ancestors

Spells per day

1^st: 3 1

2^nd: 4 2

3^rd: 4 2 1

4^th: 5 3 2

5^th: 5 3 2 1

6^th: 5 3 3 2

7^th: 6 4 3 2 1

8^th: 6 4 3 3 2

9^th: 6 4 4 3 2 1

10^th: 6 4 4 3 3 2

11^th: 6 5 4 4 3 2 1

12^th: 6 5 4 4 3 3 2

13^th: 6 5 5 4 4 3 2 1

14^th: 6 5 5 4 4 3 3 2

15^th: 6 5 5 5 4 4 3 2 1

16^th: 6 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 2

17^th: 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 2 1

18^th: 6 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 2

19^th: 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 2

20^th: 6 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 3 3

Spell List:

0^th: Arcane Mark, Cure/Inflict Minor Wounds, Daze, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Disrupt Undead, Ghost Sound, guidance, Know Direction, Read Magic, Touch of Fatigue

1^st: Backbiter, Bane, Bless, Camoflauge, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Cure/Inflict Light Wounds, Detect Undead, Doom, Detect Good/Evil/Chaos/Law, Divine Sacrifice, Entangle, Familiar Pocket, Hide from Undead, Omen of Peril, Pass Without Trace, Protection from Good/Evil/Law/Chaos, Sleep

2^nd: Aid, Augury, Consecrate, Cure/Inflict Moderate Wounds, Death Knell, Decomposition, Delay Poison, Desecrate, Enthrall, False Life, Ghoul Touch, Misdirection, Remove Paralysis, Scare, Wave of Grief, Whispering Wind

3^rd: Animate Dead, Bestow Contagion, Briar Web, Curse, Blindness/Deafness, Cure/Inflict Serious Wounds, Enhance Familiar, Gentle Repose, Magic Circle Against Good/Evil/Law/Chaos, Mark of the Hunter, Nondetection, Prayer, Poison, Remove Curse, Remove Disease, Vampiric Touch, Wrack

4^th: Command Plants, Cure/Inflict Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Detect Scrying, Dimensional Anchor, Dismissal, Dispel Magic, Divination, Enervation, Fortify Familiar, Neutralize Poison, Phantasmal Killer, Poison, Restoration, Scrying, Tongues

5^th: Atonement, Break Enchantment, Commune with Nature, Cure/Inflict Light Wounds/Mass, Dispel Good/Evil/Chaos/Law, Hallow, Slay Living, Spiritwall, Tree Stride, Unhallow, Waves of Fatigue

6^th: Banishment, Circle of Death, Create Undead, Cure/Inflict Moderate Wounds/Mass, Find the Path, Heal/Harm, Liveoak, Spellstaff, Transport via Plants, True Seeing, Undeath to Death

7^th: Animate Plants, Cure/Inflict Serious Wounds/Mass, Regenerate, Repulsion, Scrying/Greater, Waves of Exhaustion

8^th: Control Plants, Create Greater Undead, Cure/Inflict Critical Wounds/Mass, Dimensional Lock, Discern Location, Finger of Death, Horrid Wilting

9^th: Energy Drain, Heal/Mass, Shambler, Soul Bind

Class Abilities:

• Spellcasting: Amboje' are Divine spellcasters. Their Save DC modifier and Bonus Spells per day are determined by their Wisdom score. Rather than tapping into negative or positive energy to cast their spells, Amboje' allow themselves to be briefly possessed by either nature spirits or ancestor spirits to gain insight into the web of life and death. While especially pervasive in the Mother Jungle, this web exists everywhere, and location does not restrict their spellcasting ability.

  All Amboje' spells require a material component. Specifically, they must have a stick prepared with the name of the spirit they wish to summon into themselves. This replaces any material components normally required by the spell. While the sticks are not consumed in the casting, this does require that the Amboje' have one hand free to cast, unless the stick used is a quarterstaff or similar weapon. Once used, each stick's "energy" is expended until it can be prepared anew at the next time the Amboje' memorizes spells for the day. The only exception is when the Amboje's sacrifice ability is used to recall a spell already cast that day, which recharges the appropriate carved name.

  Amboje' have to memorize spells, with normal time requirements as a Cleric, and have no ability to cast spontaneously.

• Undead Familiar: Similar to the Sorceror ability, but Amboje' can contact an animal spirit to animate the form it once held, or another dead form of the same type, in the process becoming bonded to the Amboje'

  The creature advances as a normal familiar per the caster's level in Amboje' and any other class with the familiar ability (though they do not gain a second familiar, regardless), and for abilities based upon level increase.

  The benefits of the familiar itself are less dependent on the type of creature, and more upon what type of form it inhabits.

  Select any 1 HD, tiny creature, and choose whether it is zombified or skeletal.

  Zombie Familiar: Amboje' gains 4 hit points, +2 on Saves vs. Poison and Disease, and Gains Cold and Electricity Resistance 5

  Skeletal Familiar: Amboje' gains DR 2/Bashing and +2 to Concentration Checks

• Speak with Dead: The Amboje may use this as the Spell, but with no components required, once per day per 3 Amboje' class levels (round up). They must know the name and location of death of the creature to be contacted. At 20^th level, this ability is at will.
• Turn/Rebuke Undead: Amboje' do not channel positive or negative energy, but rather tap into the web of life and death. This gives them both greater and lesser ability where turning is concerned. They may Turn or Rebuke both Undead and Plant Creatures as a Cleric of their Amboje' level would Turn Undead. Whether to Turn or Rebuke is chosen at the time of the attempt. Regardless, they may never Destroy Undead or Plant Creatures, regardless of the result of the roll.

  In addition, they do not qualify for any Feats which use a Turn Attempt to fuel the feat, unless the Feat specifically affects (and does not destroy) Undead and/or Plant Creatures.

• Geas: When an Amboje' casts a spell with a level greater than their Wisdom bonus (i.e. an Amboje' with a Wisdom of 16, and thus a +3 bonus, casting a spell of 4^th level or higher), or when using the Sacrifice ability, and sacrificing more hit points than their Wisdom Bonus, the spirits they summon into themselves may ask something in return from the Amboje'. After the spell is cast, or the sacrifice duration ends, roll a die. On an even roll, the spirit departs normally. On an odd roll, the Amboje' must roll a Will save, DC 15+Spell Level or ½ # of Hit Points Sacrificed (round up), or have a choice of sacrificing a point of Constitution, subject to the normal restrictions and mechanics for Sacrificing Con by the Sacrifice ability, or be subject to a Geas/Quest spell with no Save or Resistance applicable. Typically these are minor, but potentially inconvenient, time consuming, or embarrassing requests by the spirit, such as leaving flowers at a gravesite which could be many miles away, planting a tree in a specific spot, dancing wildly in the rain, going without an item of clothing or protection for 24 hours, locating someone's remains and burying them, etc. This will always be within the Amboje's abilities, and will typically take no more than 24 hours to complete. There may be exceptions in cases of extraordinarily expensive sacrifices (11 or more hit points) or high level (8^th and 9^th) level spells.

  Until completion, the Amboje' is subject to all normal restrictions of the Geas/Quest spell. While Exorcism (used by someone other than the Amboje') or Remove Curse can negate a Geas, until the Geas is completed, the Amboje' may not sacrifice for the same skill/reason he performed the Sacrifice that resulted in the Geas, or, if it was the result of a spell, may not cast that spell again until the Geas is completed. Treat it as if the spell was not on the Amboje' spell list. Even if the spirit was exorcised or a remove curse used, once the Geas is completed, the Amboje' may again cast or sacrifice without restriction.

  If the Amboje' had to sacrifice a point of Constitution to activate the Sacrifice ability, they will never also receive a Geas. The "gift" of full life essence is enough to satisfy the spirits in all cases.

• Shield of the Underworld: Any Armor or Protective Item that grants an AC Bonus to the Amboje' gives the same bonus vs. Immaterial Creatures, as if the item possessed the Ghost Touch Enchantment.

  The Amboje' also gain a +4 Class Bonus to all saves. vs. Death Spells/Effects.

  At 7^th Level, the Amboje' gains a +4 Save Bonus to all special abilities of Undead or Plant Creatures that give a Saving Throw, and become immune to all negative energy effects, including level drain, whether by spell or Undead Creatures or other effects.

• Exorcism: As the Spirit Shaman Ability
• Host of Ancestors: At 20^th Level, the Speak with Dead ability becomes at will, and all Hit Point and Constitution costs associated with the Sacrifice ability are halved. (Round up, always minimum 1.)
• Sacrifice: Amboje' may sacrifice bits of their life essence to allow an ancestor or nature spirit to ride in their skin for a longer period of time to gain a number of benefits.

  To do this, they must select a number of hit points or constitution points to sacrifice. These are lost at the beginning of the ritual, whether its successful or not.

  The ritual itself is a full round action. the benefits last for a time specified by the individual sacrifice.

  Regardless of success or failure, for 1 hour after a sacrifice is made, the Amboje' gains a +2 to all Diplomacy or Intimidate checks made against Plant or Undead Creatures.

  *Important Note: Hit Points or Con Points sacrificed /cannot/ be recovered through magical means. Healing spells, restoration, etc. will not recover these points, nor will Fast Healing or any other special ability. They may only be recovered through rest, at normal rates. (The Fast Recovery Feat still applies normally)

  Mechanics: To use the Sacrifice ability, the Amboje' must select which ability they wish to produce, and sacrifice the required amount of Hit Points or Constitution. These are temporarily sacrificed from their normal Hit Point and/or Constitution total, even if the Amboje' has temporary hit points or an enhanced Constitution at the time of the Sacrifice. They may choose to spend more than the required amount of Hit Points to lower the difficulty of the Knowledge: Religion roll required, at their option.

  The Ritual is a full-round action. At the end of the round, the Amboje' rolls a Knowledge: Religion check to contact an appropriate ancestor. The DC is 20 minus the amount of hit points spent. If an appropriate Ancestor is contacted, the Amboje' then rolls a Concentration check, DC 10+ # of Hit Points Spent. If this roll succeeds, the Sacrifice works properly. If it fails, the ritual fails, but the sacrificed Hit Points or Constitution points are still lost.

  If Constitution is spent instead, the Knowledge: Religion check is only DC 15 - # of Points spent, and the Concentration check is DC 10+ 3 per Constitution point spent.

  Constitution may be spent in place of Hit Points (but not vice versa), with each point of Constitution counting as 5 Hit Points for purposes of what effects can be used. If this is done, use the Constitution spending DCs for the Knowledge: Religion and Concentration checks instead.

  Only 1 type of Sacrifice may be made at a time, and until the duration of one passes, no further Sacrifices may be made.

  There are 3 things the Sacrifice ability may enhance: Skills, Spellcasting, and Spell Recovery.

  • Skill Enhancement:

    By Sacrificing 3 Hit Points, may gain a +2 Ancestor Bonus to a single Skill Roll. For Class Skills, the duration is 1 Minute instead.

    By Sacrificing 4 Hit Points, may choose 1 skill which will not automatically fail on a Natural 1 roll for 10 Minutes. If the Class is a Class Skill, the Amboje' may take 10 on rolls for the Skill selected in this time, even if the skill choice or conditions would normally prevent taking 10.

    By Sacrificing 7 Hit Points, may add the Amboje's Wisdom Bonus to any single Skill Roll instead of the normal attribute Bonus. For Class Skills, the bonus is in addition to the other attribute bonus, if any, and duration is 1 Minute.

    By Sacrificing 10 Hit Points, may produce any of the previously listed Skill effects, treating the skill to be affected as if it were a Class Skill. Gain a +2 Ancestor Bonus to all Class Skills for the same duration the effect would last. This sacrifice is made instead of the costs of the previous abilities, not in addition to.

    At 10^th Level and Beyond, once per day, an Amboje' may elect a "Perfect Sacrifice" before making a single skill roll. They Sacrifice 1 Constitution before the roll is made. The dice are then rolled. After the results of the roll are determined, the Amboje' may make the roll a success by sacrificing 2 Hit Points per point the roll is short of a success. This will allow the Amboje' to sacrifice any number of Hit Points, up to taking themselves to -9. If the roll would still fail at this point, the skill fails. They may do this an additional time per day at 14^th and 18^th Levels.

    By Sacrificing 1 Constitution, the Amboje' may gain a +5 Ancestor Bonus to all rolls of a single skill for 1 Minute, and rolls of that skill will not automatically fail on a Natural 1.

    By Sacrificing 2 Constition while under the affects of any other Sacrifice ability, the Amboje' may, once per day, re-roll any single Skill Roll they just made, but must accept the results of the second roll, even if worse.

    By Sacrificing 3 Constitution before making any Class Skill Roll, the Amboje' may automatically make the roll a minimal success. No dice are rolled. This will overcome any penalties to the roll save those the Amboje' could accept to produce more than a base-line success. (i.e. will still succeed at a Survival roll to track in driving rain, but may not raise the DC to try and gain more information than the minimal success roll would provide)

  • Spellcasting:

    By Sacrificing 5 Hit Points or 1 Constitution, the Amboje' may add a +2 to the Save DC of any single spell they cast within the next Minute. If they do not add it to a spell within the time limit, the points are still lost, but have no effect.

    By Sacrificing 5 Hit Points or 1 Constitution, the Amboje may lower a Creature's effective Spell Resistance by 3 vs. a single spell the Amboje' casts within the next Minute.

    By Sacrificing 10 Hit Points or 2 Constitution, an Amboje' may Cast one spell with an effective Caster Level 3 higher for all effects. The spell to be affected must be cast within 10 minutes of the sacrifice, or the effects are lost, but the Hit Points or Constitution are still Sacrificed.

    At 12^th Level, the Amboje' may, once per day, before a Caster Level check is made, declare a Perfect Sacrifice. Roll the dice as normal. They Sacrifice 1 Constitution before the roll is made. After the roll is made, the Amboje' may sacrifice 3 Hit Points per +1 to the roll required to make the roll a success. An Amboje' may take themselves as low as -9 hit points with this effect. If the roll would still be a failure at this point, the roll fails.. If they also wish to spend an additional point of Consitution on the same Sacrifice, they may also add +2 to the Save DC.

    At 16^th Level, this may be done twice per day.

  • "Remembering" Spells:

    An Amboje' may Sacrifice 3 Hit Points per level of the spell, or 1 Consitution per 4 levels of the spell (1-4^th: 1 Con, 5^th-8^th: 2 Con, 9^th: 3 Con) to regain a spell the Amboje' has already cast that day (since last spell memorization.)

    Alternately, may Sacrifice double the cost listed (6 hit points per spell level or 2 Con per 4 spell levels) to gain any spell from the Amboje' spell list, which may then be cast normally. If an Amboje' uses the latter ability, and has not cast any spells of the spell level chosen that day, the "remembered" spell replaces one of his memorized spells.