Anointed One

Many lizardfolk tribes ally themselves with true dragons in order to ensure their survival. Some of them even worship these creatures as gods in their own right. The Anointed Ones, as they are called in tribal society, are chosen disciples of a tribe’s draconic patron. They learn the secrets of herbalism and alchemy from tribal elders and use this knowledge to bolster their bodies and their weapons with sacred ointments and oils, making them strong enough to rip their opponents’ weapons and armor to shreds. An anointed one typically undergoes a ritual overseen by his draconic patron upon taking his first level in this prestige class, during which he is baptized in a liquid reflecting that dragon’s nature. For example, a red dragon might anoint its warriors in the blood of a hundred villagers, while a silver dragon might require its servants to immerse themselves in near-freezing water from a thawed glacier.

Role: The anointed one is a warrior-like alternative to the dragon disciple as a prestige class for dragon-themed adventurers. Blending combat prowess with a small suite of abilities from the alchemist class, they retain a connection to the arcane without being full-scale magic-users. Although many dragonsired lizardfolk take up the path of the anointed one, other members of their race also serve draconic patrons—and even some non-lizardfolk, as well, although they are exceptionally rare.

Alignment: Anointed ones ascribe to a wide range of moral and ethical codes depending on the alignment of their dragon patron. Some are virtuous paragons, while others are coldhearted butchers.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become an anointed one, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

• Alignment: Must be within one step of their draconic patron’s alignment (see below).
• Base Attack Bonus: +5.
• Skills: Craft (alchemy) or Spellcraft 5 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks.
• Feats: Power Attack, Improved Sunder, Weapon Focus.
• Special: An anointed one must swear an oath of fealty to a draconic patron—a true dragon of young adult or older age category. If the anointed one’s alignment shifts more than one step away from his patron’s, or if he disobeys a direct order from that patron, he loses all features of this prestige class except for bonus feats, and he may not progress any further in this class.

Class Skills

The anointed one’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Perception (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table 4: Anointed One

Level	BAB	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1	+1	+0	+1	Anointed weapon, formulate oils, mutagen
2	+2	+1	+1	+1	Discovery, thundering strike +1d6
3	+3	+2	+1	+2	Bonus feat
4	+4	+2	+1	+2	Discovery, lock weapons
5	+5	+3	+2	+3	Bonus feat
6	+6	+3	+2	+3	Discovery, aligned weapon, thundering strike +2d6
7	+7	+4	+2	+4	Bonus feat
8	+8	+4	+3	+4	Discovery, paragon weapon
9	+9	+5	+3	+5	Bonus feat
10	+10	+5	+3	+5	Discovery, master sunderer, thundering strike +3d6

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the anointed one prestige class.

Anointed Weapon (Su)

At 1st level, an anointed one chooses a specific weapon to anoint as part of his dedication ritual to his draconic patron. This weapon must be of the same type as that which he has chosen for the benefits of his Weapon Focus feat. The anointed one adds his class level to his anointed weapon’s hit points and to his CMD against sunder checks that target his anointed weapon.

He also adds half his class level to his anointed weapon’s hardness. If the anointed weapon is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per anointed one level plus the cost of the new weapon.

This ritual takes 8 hours to complete.

Formulate Oils (Ex)

At 1st level, an anointed one receives Brew Potion as a bonus feat, but may only use it to create oils. The anointed one does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat. An anointed one can create oils containing formulae from the alchemist formulae list of a level up to 1/3 of his class level (minimum 1st level, up to 3rd level), using his anointed one level as his caster level.

The formula must be one that can be made into an oil.

Mutagen (Su)

This ability functions as the alchemist ability of the same name. The anointed one adds his class level to his alchemist levels (if any) to determine the duration of the mutagen or any other level-dependent variables.

Discovery (Su)

This ability functions as the alchemist ability of the same name. The anointed one gains a discovery at 2nd level and every two levels thereafter, but must choose discoveries from the following list, adding his class level to his alchemist levels (if any) for the purpose of qualifying to select any given discovery: concentrate poison , enhance potion , extend potion , infuse mutagen , lingering spirit, preserve organs, primordial poisons, spontaneous healing, wings.

Thundering Strike (Su)

At 2nd level, an anointed one’s anointed weapon becomes charged with vibrant energy and eldritch strength, capable of delivering devastatingly powerful blows to enemies. His attacks with his anointed weapon deal an extra 1d6 points of sonic damage on a successful hit (this extra damage is not multiplied on critical hits). Additionally, if an opponent successfully sunders the anointed one’s anointed weapon, that opponent automatically suffers double this amount of sonic damage. The sonic damage dealt by this ability increases to 2d6 at 6th level and 3d6 at 10th level.

Bonus Feat

At 3rd level, and every odd level thereafter, an anointed one gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats, or from the new dragonsired feats listed below.

Lock Weapons (Ex)

At 4th level, when an opponent makes a successful attack with a melee weapon (but not a natural weapon or unarmed strike) against an anointed one, he can expend a use of an attack of opportunity to attempt to lock weapons with the attacker. The anointed one makes an attack roll as if he were making an attack of opportunity; for each size category the attacking creature is larger than the anointed one, the anointed one takes a –2 penalty on this roll. If his result is greater than or equal to the attacking creature’s attack roll, the creature’s attack deals damage to the weapon rather than the anointed one.

The anointed one must declare the use of this ability before the creature’s damage roll, or any critical hit confirmation roll, is made. Additionally, whenever the anointed one successfully locks weapons with an attacker, the attacker must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the anointed one’s level + the anointed one’s Strength modifier) or become staggered until the end of its next turn.

Aligned Weapon (Su)

At 6th level, the anointed one’s anointed weapon becomes permanently aligned on a single axis (as per the align weapon spell). The weapon alignment chosen must correspond to the alignment of the anointed one’s draconic patron.

Paragon Weapon (Su)

At 8th level, the anointed one’s anointed weapon permanently gains one of the following weapon properties: anarchic, axiomatic, holy, unholy. The property chosen must correspond to the alignment of the anointed one’s draconic patron. Once chosen, this weapon property cannot be changed.

Master Sunderer (Ex)

At 10th level, an anointed one multiplies the damage dealt to an item on a successful sunder attempt by his anointed weapon’s critical hit multiplier, and also adds the sonic damage from his thundering strike ability to the damage dealt to the item (the sonic damage is not multiplied, however).

Alternatively, the anointed one can also now perform a sunder check against an unarmored foe, applying all additional damage noted above; the targeted creature suffers no actual damage on a successful sunder attempt, but for every 5 points of damage the sunder would deal to an item, the target creature’s natural armor bonus to AC is reduced by 1 for the remainder of the encounter (to a minimum of 0).