Grim Reaper

“There is a cycle to all things. I serve as both a reminder and an enforcer of that edict.”

The obitu comes from death. Its bones were laid to rest once by loved ones in hopes their owner would find peace. Instead, some cruel twist of fate has stolen that right. It is not fair, it is not natural, and the grim reaper is outraged. To honor the bones he walks in, he feels a duty to hunt and destroy the undead. While he did not rob the peace from the bones that he now walk in, the grim reaper can at least set them in motion to atone for those that did.

A grim reaper draws on the powers of life and death to destroy supernatural evil. Bestowing the obitu infection to the undead is only half the battle. If the beast cannot be turned, it must be destroyed. The grim reaper hunts vampires, stalks ghouls, and haunts the haunts. He is to them what they are to the living. His hooded visage and shining blade will strike fear in those that deal in terror. He is the reaper of the grim, and sower of life.

Role: Grim Reapers have diverse backgrounds. Some started out as clerics, other rangers, while still others were fighters or rogues. Most eventually take up the role of a multiclassed cleric/ranger, as these classes work best with a hunter and destroyer of undead foes.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements

To qualify to become a grim reaper, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Class Skills

The grim reaper’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Perception (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Grim Reaper
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Spells per Day
1st +1 +0 +0 +1 Bonus feat, expanded spell list, superior turning
2nd +2 +1 +1 +1 Favored enemy (undead) +2 +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
3rd +3 +1 +1 +2 Potent carrier +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
4th +4 +1 +1 +2 Legendary hunter +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
5th +5 +2 +2 +3 Bonus feat +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
6th +6 +2 +2 +3 Favored enemy (undead) +4 +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
7th +7 +2 +2 +4 Life over death +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
8th +8 +3 +3 +4 Life from death +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
9th +9 +3 +3 +5 Bonus feat +1 of existing divine spellcasting class
10th +10 +3 +3 +5 Life strike +1 of existing divine spellcasting class

Class Features

The following are class features of the grim reaper prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Grim reapers are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. They are proficient with light armor.

Spells per Day: When a new grim reaper level is obtained beyond 1st level, a grim reaper gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a grim reaper, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feat

Starting at 1st level, and every 4 levels thereafter (5th and 9th level) a grim reaper gains a bonus feat that must be chosen from the following list: Blind-Fight, Boon of Bones, Death Spawn, Iron Will, Great Fortitude, Plague Born, or Turn Undead.

Expanded Spell List

A grim reaper can add the following spells to any of his divine spell lists if he does not already have them:

0th disrupt undead (if you do not have 0 level spells available to your divine class, use this as 1st level instead)
1stdetect undead, hide from undead
2ndcommand undead
3rdhalt undead

Superior Turning (Ex)

A grim reaper may add his grim reaper level to the DC of his attempts to turn undead (if he has this ability).

Favored Enemy (Ex)

At 2nd level, the grim reaper gains undead as a favored enemy, much like the ranger class feature of the same name. These bonuses stack with other classes that have a favored enemy class feature. At 6th level, this bonus increases to +4.

Potent Carrier (Ex)

At 3rd level, every melee attack that the grim reaper makes and successfully deals damage with can also inflict the vivification virus on a corporeal undead creature. The DC to avoid this disease becomes 12 + the grim reaper level.

Legendary Hunter (Ex)

At 4th level, the grim reaper may add a competence bonus equal to his prestige class level on Intimidate and Sense Motive checks versus undead.

Life Over Death (Ex)

At 7th level, the grim reaper becomes immune to energy drain and any negative energy effects, including channeled negative energy.

Life From Death (Su)

At 8th level, once per day, upon completing a successful melee attack that deals damage to an undead opponent, the grim reaper, or an ally in a square adjacent to the grim reaper, heals an amount of damage equal to the same amount of damage that was just dealt. The grim reaper initiates this ability as a swift action after damage is dealt from the attack.

Life Strike (Su)

At 10th level, once per day, upon completing a successful melee attack against an undead opponent, the opponent immediately loses all undead trait immunities until the end of the grim reaper’s next turn. The grim reaper initiates this ability as a swift action after confirming a successful hit against the target.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Remarkable Races: Compendium of Unusual PC Races, Pathway to Adventure Edition. Copyright 2009, Alluria Publishing; Author: J. Matthew Kubisz

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