Harbinger of Chorgthos
Hello, and welcome to another Best in Class, the best and classiest place to get new archetypes and class features. A little while back, I did an article featuring a slightly different kind of sorcerer bloodline: one tied into a specific family or individual, instead of being a generic theme, such as “fire” or “draconic.” It was so fun that I thought I’d do it again, but get even zanier this time. Instead of a “bloodline” in the traditional sense of inheriting magical power through ancestry, the following “bloodline” is actually the result of the character being touched directly by an otherworldly entity and infused with unnatural magical power.
New Sorcerer Bloodline:
Harbinger of Chorgthos
Chorgthos is an inhuman and incomprehensible entity that dwells in dimensions better left undiscussed, lest their very names weaken the boundaries between our world and theirs. Chorgthos itself has been described in thousands of different ways, and each interpretation of its body is different; although most agree that it has some number of tentacles, they can agree on nothing else, including how many heads it possesses, its color, its size, and the number of limbs it has. It is undoubtedly an enemy to most of humanity, however, and seeks to eradicate all sentient life on this plane. Its power is felt the strongest in dreams, where it can occasionally call out to those unfortunates who are cosmically in-tune with its dimensions, and visit them. These visits generally leave the victims at least partially mad, and often instill them with magical powers from beyond this world.
Class Skill: Knowledge (dungeoneering).
Bonus Spells: chill touch (3rd), detect thoughts (5th), stinking cloud (7th), black tentacles (9th), contact other plane (11th), repulsion (13th), insanity (15th), horrid wilting (17th), weird (19th).
Bonus Feats: Alertness, Augment Summoning, Deceitful, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Great Fortitude, Greater Spell Penetration, Run, Spell Penetration.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that offers a saving throw, you may choose to take 2 points of Wisdom damage in order to increase all saving throw DCs for that spell by +1. This Wisdom damage cannot be restored by any means, including wish or miracle, but recovers naturally at a rate of 1 point per day.
Bloodline Powers: As a harbinger of Chorgthos, you receive special and unique abilities which manifest over time and through experience, and stem from that otherworldly creature’s unfathomable power.
Third Eye (Su): Beginning at 1st level, you manifest a magical third eye. Most harbingers of Chorgthos have their third eye in the middle of their forehead, but some have it on the palm of their hands, in their chest, or other places. When closed, the third eye melds seamlessly into the flesh, and cannot be detected by mundane means. You can open or close your third eye as a move action. As long as the third eye is open, you gain a +4 bonus on Perception checks and suffer a -2 penalty on Will saves. At 1st level, as long as your third eye is open, you can cast detect magic at will. At 5th level, three times per day, when you cast detect magic in this way, you can also choose to be affected as though by detect secret doors (and can concentrate on both as a single action). At 9th level, three times per day, when you cast detect magic in this way, you are also affected as though by see invisibility for as long as the detect magic effect remains.
Psychic Blast (Su): At 3rd level, you can lash out at others with your mind. As a standard action, you can inflict 2d6 points of damage on any intelligent creature (one with an Intelligence score of 3 or more) within 60 feet. A successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier) halves this damage. At 12th level, this damage increases to 5d6. You can use this ability at will.
Non-Euclidean Aura (Su): At 9th level, you gain spell resistance equal to 5 + your sorcerer level.
Shifting Organs (Sp): At 15th level, your organs become semi-animate, and can readjust their position within your body, when necessary. Whenever you would be subject to a critical hit or precision damage (such as a rogue’s sneak attack class feature), there is a 25% you take normal damage, instead. At 19th level, this increases to a 50% chance.
Aberrant Body (Su): At 20th level, your type changes to become aberration. Further, your mind warps as well as your body, and you gain a +4 bonus on saving throws made to resist mind-affecting effects.