The Scourge of Enemies
The time has come at last for our first inquisitor archetype of 2014! It’s been a long time coming, so I thought I’d bring you something a little different. This week’s archetype, the scourge of enemies, encompasses all the most horrible elements of inquisition, ignorance, self-righteousness and hatred. That being said, not all scourges of enemies are doomed to being evil or hateful individuals. The archetype is also unique for not only providing a chance to fight a certain creature type, but additionally allowing the inquisitor to be more effective against groups which transcend creature type and subtype. It should be noted that this won’t always be appropriate for every game, and that players should run it by their GM to make sure he or she is willing and able to support this element of the archetype.
New Inquisitor Archetype
Scourge of Enemies
Driven by everything from racial hatred to civic pride, these inquisitors bear a grudge against a single group of individuals or type of creature. Some are champions of truth and justice, taking an obvious bias against demons and devils to an extreme, while others are intolerant zealots mercilessly persecuting followers of the “wrong” god, and some choose to persecute others on a racial or nationalist basis. Whatever their motivations, these inquisitors mercilessly hunt down and punish those they find most offensive, often forming orders and cults devoted to purifying the world.
Scourge’s Judgment (Ex): A scourge of enemies favors fighting members of certain types or beliefs and is adept at using her judgment against specific foes. At 1st level, a scourge of enemies chooses a single creature type (if she selects humanoids or outsiders, she must also select a subtype, as a ranger’s favored enemy class feature), or a single deity, or a single group of people with a national identity. Whenever the inquisitor uses her judgment ability while in combat with a member of the group she has chosen, she treats her inquisitor level as though it were 5 higher than it actually is for the purposes of her judgments. At 10th level and 20th level, she may select another group to apply this bonus to, and increase the bonus to one of the groups she has selected by 5 (so at 10th level she will have one group for which she is treated as 5 levels higher and one group for which she is treated as 10 levels higher).
This ability replaces the domain class feature.
Scourge’s Knowledge (Ex): A scourge of enemies is well versed in all the habits and activities of her foes. A scourge of enemies adds her class level to all Knowledge checks made to identify a member of one of the groups she selected as part of her scourge’s judgment class feature.
Detect Foes (Sp): By 2nd level, a scourge of enemies has battled the forces she has chosen to oppose for so long that she can instantly recognize them, as if with magic. This ability functions like the spell detect evil, except that it functions only for members of the groups selected by the scourge of enemies for her scourge’s judgment class feature. This ability is constantly active, and unlike a traditional spell, it functions in an antimagic field.
This ability replaces the detect alignment class feature.
Scourge’s Combat (Ex): A scourge of enemies learns how to fight her chosen foes, becoming an expert in their tactics and learning how to battle them more effectively. Beginning at 2nd level, a scourge of enemies can add a bonus equal to her Wisdom modifier on all weapon damage rolls made against members of the groups selected by the scourge of enemies for her scourge’s judgment class feature.
This ability replaces the cunning initiative class feature.
Enemy Destroyer (Ex): A scourge of enemies can deliver extremely potent blows to her foes with almost casual ease. Beginning at 5th level, a scourge of enemies automatically confirms any critical hit she threatens against a member of one of the groups she selected as part of her scourge’s judgment class feature.
This ability replaces the bane class feature.
Persecution (Ex): As a scourge of enemies persists in her career, she learns to not only fight her foes on the battlefield, but also in the wider world, learning to hunt them down, and even to besmirch their reputations and wage war against them in a civilized world. Beginning at 11th level, the scourge of enemies adds her class level to all Survival checks made to find members of the groups she selected as part of her scourge’s judgment class feature, as well as on all Diplomacy and Intimidate checks made which reference members of those groups. The GM is the final arbiter of when the scourge of enemies gains this bonus.
This ability replaces the stalwart class feature.
Enemy Slayer (Ex): A scourge of enemies knows the best ways to make her foes suffer lethal and life-threatening wounds, and does not hesitate to do so on the battlefield. Beginning at 12th level, the scourge of enemies adds 1 to the critical threat range of any weapon she wields whenever she attacks a member of one of the groups she selected as part of her scourge’s judgment class feature. This increase is applied after effects like Improved Critical or the keen weapon special ability.
This ability replaces the greater bane class feature.