Black Cat Rager

Occasionally, those born with the cursed aspect of the Malefactor successfully repress their unfortunate nature by giving full release to their violent proclivities. These raiders, pit-fighters, and criminal enforcers most frequently develop the skillset of the Barbarian. However, the Yla spirits that haunt a malefactor-born cannot be sated merely witnessing chaos, and eventually redouble their destructive mischief. When these engines of chaos meet, a Black Cat Rager is created.

Black Cat Ragers combine the lunatic fury of the Barbarian with the maledictions of the malefactor, creating a cyclone of destruction on the battlefield.

Role: The Black Cat Rager is a powerful combatant who combines rage-fueled melee dominance with debilitating curses, leaving destruction in her wake.

Requirements

To qualify to become a Black Cat Rager, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

• Alignment: Black Cat Ragers are invariably dedicated to lunacy and excess, and cannot be lawful in alignment.
• Skills: Acrobatics 5 ranks; Climb 5 ranks.
• Maledictions: Must know Cross the Path.
• Rage Powers: Must be able to rage, know Beast Totem, lesser.
• Other: Must be able to make a Harrowing strike (attack rolls).

Class Skills

The Black Cat Rager’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: Black Cat Rager

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+0	+2	+0	Black cat rage, Black claw strike (maledictive rend) Malediction
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+0	Rage, rage power
3rd	+3	+1	+3	+1	Improved harrowing strike
4th	+4	+1	+4	+1	Malediction, raging strife surge
5th	+5	+1	+4	+1	Bonus feat, rage, rage power
6th	+6/+1	+2	+5	+2	Black claw strike (improved damage) Malediction, damage reduction 1/-
7th	+7/+2	+2	+5	+2	Malediction (40 ft.), discord
8th	+8/+3	+2	+6	+2	Improved aura of misfortune, rage, rage power
9th	+9/+4	+3	+6	+3	Black claw strike (harrowing), improved harrowing strike
10th	+10/+5	+3	+7	+3	Cat’s choice, rage

Class Features

All of the following are features of the Black Cat Rager prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Black Cat Ragers gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Black Cat Rage (Ex)

A Black Cat Rager may use any maledictions she knows, as well as any other spell-like or supernatural abilities common to malefactors, during a rage.

Black Claw Strike (Ex)

While using the claws provided by her Lesser Beast totem rage power, a Black Cat Rager gains unique benefits in combat.

At first level, any time a Black Cat Rager successfully hits a target with both of her claw attacks, she may enact any malediction that she knows, as long as it normally requires a standard action (or less) to enact, and targets the creature struck. Maledictions that normally affect more than one target may be used with Black Claw Strike, but only the struck creature is affected.

At sixth level, the damage dealt by a Black Cat Rager’s claws increase their damage one step, as if they had increased in size one category.

At ninth level, a Black Cat Rager may make a Harrowing strike with each of her claw attacks (when making a full attack), expending only a single point of strife in order to do so.

Bonus Feat (Ex)

A Black Cat Rager gains a bonus feat at 5th level, which may be chosen from the following list:

Baleful Aura, Cursed Weapon, Extended Strife Surge, Extra Strife, Extra Rage, Extra Rage Power, Extra Malediction, Focused Malediction, Improved Strife Surge, Quick Malediction, Tenacious Malediction.

Cat’s Choice (Ex)

At tenth level, the Black Cat Rager must choose between two possible capstone abilities for her progression, choosing either Greater Rage (as an 11th-level Barbarian) or Dread Escalations (as a 10th-level Malefactor). Once this choice is made, it can never be changed, although an applicable progression in the appropriate class can qualify the Black Cat Rager for the other ability.

Damage Reduction (Ex)

A Black Cat Rager gains DR 1/- as a seventh-level barbarian.

If the Black Cat Rager already has DR 1/- or better, it instead improves by 1.

Discord (Ex)

Creatures that team up to attack a Black Cat Rager find that they impede each other more than they help.

Characters using the aid another action against a Black Cat Rager need to successfully attack AC 15, rather than AC 10, in order to have an effect, and creatures that flank the Malefactor suffer a -2 profane penalty on their attack rolls against her instead of enjoying any flanking bonus.

Improved Aura of Misfortune (Su)

The Black Cat Rager increases the penalty of her Aura of misfortune ability by one.

Improved Harrowing Strike (Su)

A Black Cat Rager’s Harrowing strike improves as if she had gained the next level as a Malefactor that grants an improvement to that ability. If Harrowing strike has improved to its maximum extent, this ability provides no benefit.

Malediction (Su)

You gain a malediction, as per the Malefactor ability. At seventh level, the Black Cat Rager increases the range of her maledictions to 40 ft., if they do not already extend to that range.

Rage (Ex)

The Black Cat Rager gains an additional 2 rounds of rage, as if she had gained a level in Barbarian.

Rage Power (Ex)

You gain a rage power, as per the barbarian ability. You must meet any prerequisites for the rage power you choose.

Raging Strife Surge (Ex)

During a rage, a Black Cat Rager can enter a Strife Surge by expending an extra two rounds of rage at the beginning of her turn.