The Gog Trickster
It’s Gog Week here at Necromancers of the Northwest, and… what’s that, you don’t know what a gog is? Good question! They’re our latest player character race, a species of oversized imp-like creatures with infernal powers and a penchant for cunning. For more details, be sure to check out yesterday’s Exotic Encounters. And now that you know all about gogs, let’s arm them with a new archetype that’s right up their alley; something that takes the already sneaky mesmerist class from Occult Adventures and makes it even sneakier. Enjoy!
New Mesmerist Archetype
Gog Trickster
It’s uncommon to find a gog who is not treacherous and cunning, but there are some gogs who are able to take these arts to levels unprecedented among even their duplicitous race. These gogs specialize in mind games, misdirection, and, occasionally, well-placed groveling.
Arcane Spellcasting: A gog trickster’s magical power comes not from psychic ability, but rather an arcane connection to its infernal home. A gog trickster is an arcane spellcaster, and, as a result, uses verbal and somatic components, rather than thought and emotion components, when casting spells.
Like other arcane spellcasters, a gog trickster is subject to arcane spell failure when wearing armor. However, he can cast mesmerist spells while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. A gog trickster wearing medium armor, heavy armor, or a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure if the spell in question has a somatic component, however, and a multiclass gog trickster still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from other classes.
This ability modifies the spells class feature.
Snivel (Ex): At 2nd level, as a move action, a gog trickster can cower in feigned fear, making itself appear weak and harmless, and sowing doubt and uncertainty in the mind of an attacker. The gog trickster must choose a single intelligent creature (one with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher) within 60 feet to direct this show of weakness towards. That creature suffers a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls made against the gog trickster until the beginning of the gog trickster’s next turn. Additionally, during this time, if the target casts any spells which target the gog trickster or include him in their area of effect, and if those spells allow a saving throw not denoted as harmless, the gog trickster gains a +2 bonus on its saving throw to resist that effect. Each time the gog trickster uses this ability against the same creature within a 24-hour period, the penalty to attack and damage, as well as the bonus on saving throws, decrease by 1 (to a minimum penalty or bonus of 0).
At 7th level, and every 5 levels thereafter, the penalty to attack and damage, as well as the bonus on saving throws, increase by 1.
This ability replaces the towering ego class feature.
Infernal Boon (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a gog trickster can uses its infernal magic to grant a variety of boons. While most gog tricksters leverage these gifts in exchange for goods, services, and promises of one’s immortal soul, other gog tricksters are freer with them, at least amongst their allies and adventuring companions. In order to grant an infernal boon, the gog trickster must perform a brief profane ritual, in which it traces a sigil in blood upon the recipient’s brow. This takes 1 minute and requires that the gog trickster touch the target. Once granted, an infernal boon lasts for 24 hours, or until the gog trickster chooses to revoke it (a free action).
At 3rd level, the gog trickster can provide a single minor boon at any given time. At 6th level, he can provide a single moderate boon and a single minor boon at the same time. At 10th level, he can provide a single greater boon, a single moderate boon, and a single minor boon at the same time. At 15th level, he can provide either a single greater boon and two moderate boons, or a single greater boon, a single moderate boon, and two minor boons at the same time. The gog trickster can never grant an infernal boon to himself, and can never grant more than one boon to any given creature at the same time.
Minor boons: +4 profane bonus on initiative checks, +1 profane bonus on saving throws, +1 profane bonus on all skill checks, or +4 profane bonus to a single skill.
Moderate boons: +2 enhancement bonus to a single ability score, +2 profane bonus to AC, +1 profane bonus on attack and damage rolls, +6 profane bonus on initiative checks, +2 profane bonus on saving throws, +2 profane bonus on all skill checks, or +5 profane bonus to a single skill.
Greater boons: +4 enhancement bonus to a single ability score, +3 profane bonus to AC, +2 profane bonus on attack and damage rolls, +8 profane bonus on initiative checks, +3 profane bonus on saving throws, +4 profane bonus on all skill checks, or +6 profane bonus to a single skill.
This ability replaces the touch treatment class feature.