Prestige Classes


Blackfire Adept

Source Paths of Prestige pg. 12
A loosely organized order of nihilistic alienists and demonologists, the Blackfire Adepts study the power of unmaking as it manifests throughout the multiverse. They focus their obsessive research on blackfire. This eldritch phenomenon burns away the fibers of reality wherever it touches, thinning the walls between planes—especially between the Material Plane and the dark and unholy pits of the evil Outer Planes. Some pursue blackfire for purely academic purposes, but most seek to harness and wield its energy to loose the destructive power of the multiverse upon all creation.

The Riftwardens diametrically oppose the Blackfire Adepts. While Adepts seek to harness the might of the evil Outer Planes for their own, constantly opening planar gateways in hopes of catching glimpses of the elusive blackfire, Riftwardens instead attempt to close these portals. Because Riftwardens hinder the efforts of Blackfire Adepts, the summoners take whatever opportunities come their way to sabotage or corrupt these hated rivals.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Blackfire Adept, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment: Any non-good.
Feats: Augment Summoning, Spell Focus (conjuration).
Skills: Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
Spells: Able to cast summon monster III as a spell or spell-like ability.
Special: Able to speak Abyssal and Infernal.

Class Skills

The Blackfire Adept's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Hit Die: d6.

Class Features

LevelBase Attack BonusFort SaveRef SaveWill SaveSpecialSpells Per Day
1st+0+0+0+1Sacred summons
2nd+1+1+1+1Blackfire taint+1 level of spellcasting class
3rd+1+1+1+21st blackfire pact+1 level of spellcasting class
4th+2+1+1+2Blackfire eruption+1 level of spellcasting class
5th+2+2+2+3Breaching
6th+3+2+2+32nd blackfire pact+1 level of spellcasting class
7th+3+2+2+4Breaching legion+1 level of spellcasting class
8th+4+3+3+4Accursed sympathy+1 level of spellcasting class
9th+4+3+3+53rd blackfire pact
10th+5+3+3+5Riftward breaching+1 level of spellcasting class

The following are class features of the Blackfire Adept prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Blackfire Adept gains no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Sacred Summons: A Blackfire Adept gains Sacred SummonsUM as a bonus feat at 1st level, as if she had an evil aura (regardless of her actual alignment).

Blackfire Taint (Su): At 2nd level, as a standard action, a Blackfire Adept can corrupt the planar substrate into strands of blackfire that create a destructive resonance between herself and a target within 30 feet. She gains a +1 profane bonus on attack rolls and caster level checks against the target, and the target takes a –1 penalty on saving throws against the adept’s attacks (or –2 if the attack is a conjuration effect). The taint lasts a number of rounds equal to her class level, though a successful Will save (DC 10 + the Blackfire Adept’s class level + the Blackfire Adept’s Charisma modifier) reduces this to 1 round. The effect immediately ends if the target moves more than 30 feet away from the Blackfire Adept.

The profane bonus and penalty become +2 and –2 (–3 against conjuration effects) at 6th level. They become +3 and –3 (–4 against conjuration effects) at 10th level.

Blackfire Pact (Su): At 3rd level, a Blackfire Adept may choose one evil outsider subtype from among the following: asura, daemon, demodand, demon, devil, div, kyton, oni, qlippoth, or rakshasa. Against outsiders with that subtype, she gains a +1 profane bonus on saving throws, caster level checks, Charisma checks, and Charisma-based skill checks. When using the planar ally or planar binding spells, she can call 2 additional Hit Dice of outsiders with the chosen subtype, and those creatures gain temporary hit points equal to her class level, a +1 profane bonus on saving throws, and a +1 profane bonus to the caster level DC for effects that would banish, dismiss, or dispel them.

At 6th level and 9th level, the Blackfire Adept may select an additional evil outsider subtype for her blackfire pact. In addition, the bonus against any one of her selected subtypes (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +1.

Blackfire Eruption (Sp): At 4th level, a Blackfire Adept can sacrifice a prepared spell or spell slot of 4th level or higher, calling forth a searing ebon vortex in the spell’s stead. A blackfire eruption acts as unholy blight, but its maximum damage is increased by 1d8 points (2d6 against good outsiders) per level of the sacrificed spell above 4th. A blackfire eruption ignores the hardness of objects, as it unravels their fundamental reality. A creature slain or an object destroyed by a blackfire eruption is reduced to ash, as by the disintegrate spell. This is a conjuration effect.

Breaching (Su): At 5th level, when a Blackfire Adept attempts to call or summon a creature from one of her blackfire pact subtypes into an area where summoning is blocked by a magical effect (such as magic circle against evil, forbiddance, or dimensional lock), or when a creature within 30 feet she has called or summoned from her blackfire pact would have its attacks against a creature blocked by such an effect, as a swift action she can sacrifice a prepared spell or spell slot of the same level as the warding effect. If her caster level is higher than the caster level of the warding effect, it is immediately negated. If it is the same or lower, a caster level check (DC 11 + the caster level of the warding) is required to negate the warding effect.

At 10th level, a Blackfire Adept’s breaching can penetrate and destroy an antimagic field, a prismatic sphere, or an extradimensional shelter like a mage’s magnificent mansion, though a caster level check is always required regardless of the Blackfire Adept’s caster level. She can summon creatures into a naturally magic-dead area (such as the Mana Wastes) with a successful DC 31 caster level check, but the magic-dead area is not negated.

Breaching Legion (Su): At 7th level, when a Blackfire Adept summons a creature from one of her blackfire pact subtypes, she can choose to allow that creature to use any innate summoning abilities it possesses. The creatures it summons are not under the Blackfire Adept’s control. Once this decision is made, it cannot be reversed until the summoned creature is sent back to whence it came.

Accursed Sympathy (Su): At 8th level, whenever a Blackfire Adept or her called or summoned creature deals hit point damage to a target affected by her blackfire taint, as a swift action she can increase the damage dealt by the attack by 1 hit point per class level. If the target dies, the Blackfire Adept gains temporary hit points equal to 1/2 the target’s total number of Hit Dice. These temporary hit points last 1 hour and do not stack.

Riftward Breaching (Su): At 10th level, whenever one or more creatures appear via a conjuration effect (including calling, summoning, or teleportation effects) within 30 feet of a Blackfire Adept, she can as an immediate action unleash a blackfire eruption that targets all such creatures within 30 feet (but does not affect other creatures). Creatures that fail their saving throws are immediately transported to a random plane in the evil Outer Planes as though affected by a planeshift spell.