Diabolist (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Some face damnation willingly, selling their souls for power. Born without natural affinity for magic, they gain this affinity by literally dealing with the devil. Seeking to control the awesome might of the infernal legions and twist the very powers of Hell to their whims, these blasphemous spellcasters jeopardize their immortal souls for mastery over devilkind.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype. The diabolist is a sorcerer with hellish power. Regardless of whatever grim path leads spellcasters to seek power over the diabolical, their destination is nearly always the same—an eternity of damnation in the depths of Hell.

Publisher: Purple Duck Games.

Prestige Class: Diabolist from Pathfinder Chronicles: Princes of Darkness, Book of the Damned Vol. I.

Build Classes: The diabolist is built on the wizard, but the following alternate build classes are described below: arcanist, cleric, oracle, psychic, sacerdote, sorcerer, or witch.

Role: A diabolist draws directly upon the powers of hell to aid his cause.

Alignment: Lawful evil, neutral, lawful neutral, or neutral evil only. Though some tread the path of the diabolist to enslave the forces of Hell and turn them towards goals other than corruption, only the most stalwart of diabolists can resist the temptations of the Pit. A diabolist that changes to a good or chaotic alignment immediately loses that alignment if he uses the channel hellfire, infernal charisma, or master conjurer class features.

Hit Die: See build numbers, below.

Class Skills

The diabolist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

These are all the class features of the diabolist.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A diabolist is proficient with all simple weapons and his patron's favored weapon. Diabolists are not proficient with any armor or shields, and wearing armor can cause arcane spells with somatic components to fail.

Spells

The diabolist learns and casts spells exactly like a wizard, including using arcane magic, the effect of Intelligence on spellcasting, spellbooks, automatically learned spells, and cantrips.

Aura

The diabolist has an alignment aura as if he was a cleric of a lawful evil deity. See detect evil for details.

Damned

When a diabolist is killed, his soul is instantly sent to Hell. Any character attempting to resurrect him must succeed at a caster level check equal to 10 + the diabolist's level or the spell fails. That character cannot attempt to resurrect the diabolist again until the following day, though other characters can attempt as they please.

Infernal Familiar

The diabolist gains a familiar identical to that of a wizard's arcane bond feature. A diabolist may not bond with an object, and the familiar is always lawful evil in alignment and black and/or crimson in color.

Bonus Spells

A diabolist gains bonus spells as he advances in level. At 3rd level, and every two levels thereafter, a diabolist learns an additional spell from the list below. These spells are added to the diabolists spell list and to his familiar, known spells, or spellbook, as appropriate. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels.

Burning hands (3rd), scorching ray (5th), suggestion (7th), charm monster (9th), dominate person (11th), planar binding (13th), limited wish (15th), power word stun (17th), meteor swarm (19th).

Channel Hellfire

At 2nd level, the diabolist can alter spells that deal fire damage to instead deal hellfire damage. He can do this as a free action a number of times per day equal to his Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifier (whichever is higher, minimum 1). Spells altered to use hellfire gain the lawful and evil descriptors. Using this ability is a lawful and evil act.

Hellfire deals half fire damage and half damage from unholy energy. Damage dealt by hellfire is known as hellfire damage. Evil-aligned creatures and creatures with the evil subtype take no damage from the unholy energy, but good-aligned beings and those with the good subtype take double the normal damage from it. Creatures under the effects of spells like protection from evil or protection from law are unaffected by this unholy energy, though they still take fire damage.

Infernal Charisma

At 4th level a diabolist gains a +2 bonus on all Charisma checks and Charisma-based skill checks made when interacting with devils and creatures with the half-fiend and fiendish templates and on checks made to research specific devils' true names or sigils. This bonus increases to +4 at 10th level and to +6 at 18th level. Using this ability is a lawful and evil act.

Imp Companion

At 6th level, the diabolist gains the Improved Familiar feat but must choose an imp. At will this imp can assume the shape of the animal familiar the diabolist had before gaining this ability, as beast shape II but with no change in ability scores.

Infernal Transport (Sp)

At 8th level, a diabolist can transport himself through Hell in a burst of brimstone. He may use this ability once per day as dimension door (sp) or plane shift (sp) (only to hell or to his native plane). He cannot use this ability to enter or leave areas warded against teleportation or evil creatures. Using this ability is a lawful and evil act. He gains an additional use of this ability at level 12 and every four levels thereafter, and can expend two uses to teleport (sp). At level 16 he can expend three uses as greater teleport (sp) and at 20th level four uses as gate (sp). Using this ability is a lawful and evil act.

A diabolist with an infernal patron and the appropriate Obedience feat can trade daily uses of this ability for the obedience boons offered by his infernal patron. If he does this, he gains one daily use of infernal transport at level 12, two at level 16, and four at level 20. He gains the first infernal boon at level 8, the second at level 12, and the third at level 16. This ability allows a diabolist to access these Boons earlier than they are normally granted; it does not grant additional uses of the boons once the character reaches the necessary Hit Dice to earn the Boons normally.

Hellish Soul

At 10th level, a diabolist has been deemed useful enough to the cause of Hell to be allowed a brief respite from damnation. If killed by any means outside of the will of the archdevils or another influential force in Hell, the diabolist can be resurrected as normal.

Master Hellfire (Su)

At 14th level, the diabolist may use channel hellfire with any spell that deals energy damage. Spells altered to use hellfire lose any energy type descriptors and gain the fire, lawful, and evil descriptors.

Master Conjurer

At 20th level, when using a planar binding spell to call a devil whose name he knows, he may cast the calling spell as a standard action and bargain with it as a move action. Using this ability is a lawful and evil act.

Table: Diabolist

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						0	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Aura, damned, infernal familiar	3	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Channel hellfire	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Bonus spell	4	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Infernal charisma +2	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus spell	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Imp companion	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Bonus spell	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Infernal transport	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Bonus spell	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Hellish soul, infernal charisma +4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Bonus spell	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	infernal transport (2/day, teleport)	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Bonus spell	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—	—
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Master hellfire	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—	—
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Bonus spell	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1	—
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Infernal transport (3/day, greater teleport)	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Bonus spell	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	2	1
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Infernal charisma +6	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	2
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Bonus spell	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	3
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Master conjurer, infernal transport (4/day, gate)	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Alternate Build Classes

The diabolist can be built on these alternate classes: arcanist, cleric, oracle, psychic, sacerdote, sorcerer, or witch.

A diabolist learns and casts spells exactly like the build class, including type of magic (arcane, divine, or psychic), the effect of ability scores on spellcasting and cantrips, knacks or orisons. He only suffers arcane spell failure in armor if he casts arcane spells.

In addition, the diabolist inherits the following class features from the build class:

Arcanist None.

Cleric A diabolist cleric has the same base attack bonus, base saving throws, hit dice, and armor and weapon proficiencies as a cleric and inherits the chaotic evil good and lawful spells and domains abilities. He knows the Evil domain (this can be a subdomain if in use) and one additional domain suited to his infernal allegiance. This second domain can be the law domain, but no other alignment domain.

Oracle The diabolist oracle has the same base attack bonus, base saving throws, hit dice, and armor and weapon proficiencies as an oracle. At 1st level he gains a mystery (including mystery skills and spells), an oracle's curse, and a revelation, but he gains no further revelations.

Psychic The diabolist psychic gains the psychic discipline class feature, including discipline spells and discipline powers. Because he lacks a phrenic pool, certain discipline powers do not work, notably those of the Enlightenment discipline.

Sacerdote The diabolist sacerdote keeps the advanced spellcasting, bonus languages, chaotic evil good and lawful spells, divine focus, divine wrath, and manifestation class features. He must always choose the evil and lawful domains. This class is from Legendary Classes: Sacerdote, also from Purple Duck Games.

Sorcerer A diabolist sorcerer has a bloodline, but gains only bloodline arcana, bloodline skill, and bloodline spells from that bloodline. Most diabolist sorcerers have the bloodline of some evil outsider, but not all.

Witch A diabolist witch uses his infernal familiar to store spells, and any spells his familiar knows are transferred to his imp familiar at level 6.

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a favored class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their favored classes. The following options are available to the listed race who have diabolist as their favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed favored class reward.

• Dwarf: Add 1 point of damage when using channel hellfire.
• Elf: Add 1/2 to your Spellcraft skill bonus.
• Gnome: Add one spell from your spell list to your spells known, spellbook, or familiar, as appropriate. This spell must be from the illusion school.
• Half-Elf: When casting enchantment spells, add +1/3 to the effective caster level of the spell, but only to determine the spell’s duration.
• Half-Orc: Add a +1 bonus on concentration checks made due to taking damage while casting spells.
• Halfling : Add +1/2 dodge bonus to your AC against attacks of opportunity triggered by casting spells.
• Human: Subtract 1/2 from the strength of your alignment aura (see detect evil) and from your class level for the damned class feature. Add 1/2 to your class level for the purpose of qualifying for the hellish soul ability.

• Anpur  : ^HSD Gain 1/4 of a Weapon Proficiency, Armor Proficiency, or Shield Proficiency feat. You must fulfill the prerequisites. For each proficiency gained this way, reduce reduce the chance of arcane spell failure by 5% when wearing armor.
• Avodim: ^FEC Gain 1/8 additional daily use of infernal transport. If you have the Infernal Obedience feat, reduce the time it takes you to perform your infernal obedience by 3 minutes (minimum 1 minute).
• Dhosari: ^FEC Gain 1/2 additional daily use of hellfire.
• Erkunae: ^FEC Gain 1/4 of a Weapon Proficiency or Armor Proficiency feat. You must fulfill the prerequisites. For each proficiency gained this way, reduce the chance of arcane spell failure by 5% when wearing armor.
• Kobold ^ARG Increase natural armor bonus by 1/5.
• Tengu ^ARG Gain 1/5 daily use of death knell (sp), with a caster level equal to your class level. The bonuses of multiple uses of this ability stack.
• Tiefling: ^ACG Add 2 to the strength of your alignment aura. A powerful aura can stun those who detect it, see detect evil.

Infernal Obedience Feat and Boons

Certain archdevils offer specific boons in exchange for obedience. This feat is available to any devil worshipper, but diabolists gain the advantages of the feat more rapidly.

Infernal Obedience (General)

You made a contract of obedience with an archdevil, offering a specific service in exchange for boons of infernal power.

Prerequisites: Knowledge (religion) 3 ranks, must worship an archdevil.

Benefit: Each archdevil requires a different daily obedience, but all obediences take no more than 1 hour per day to perform. Once you’ve performed the obedience, you gain the benefit of a special ability or resistance as indicated in the "Obedience" entry for the archdevil to whom you performed the obedience.

If you have at least 12 Hit Dice, you also gain the first boon granted by your archdevil upon undertaking your obedience. If you have at least 16 Hit Dice, you also gain the archdevil's second boon. If you have 20 Hit Dice or more, you also gain the archdevil's third boon. Unless a specific duration or number of uses per day is listed, a boon’s effects are constant.

If you ever fail to perform a daily obedience, you lose all access to the benefits and boons granted by this feat until you next perform the obedience.

Special A diabolist gains access to these boons at lower levels as a benefit of their prestige archetype. He gains the first infernal boon at class level 8, the second at class level 12, and the third at class level 16. This ability allows a diabolist to access these Boons earlier than they are normally granted; it does not grant additional uses of the boons once the character reaches the necessary Hit Dice to earn the Boons normally.

Appendix: Generic Archdevils

These are generic archdevils, with domains, obedience, and boons.

Contracts, Pride, Slavery, Tyranny

Alignment LE

Cleric Domains Evil, Fire, Law, Magic, Trickery

Subdomains Arcane, Ash, Corruption, Deception, Devil (Evil), Devil (Law), Divine, Greed, Legislation (Law), Smoke

Favored Weapon Mace

Obedience Using a ruby-bladed knife, inscribe symmetrical cuts into the flesh of another creature—preferably an unwilling sentient being you own or hold dominion over. The blade may be solid ruby or forged of metal and edged with serrated ruby fragments. Drain the victim’s blood into a bowl of bone made from the skull of a sentient humanoid. The amount of blood drained is up to you; you don’t have to drain so much that you make the creature weak or too useless to serve you. Use the bowl of blood to draw a large pentagram on the ground. Kneel within the pentagram and concentrate on the glory you will bring to the Prince of Darkness’s name. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against fire effects.

Boons

1: Darkfire (Sp) burning hands 3/day, darkness 2/day, or deeper darkness 1/day

2: Embersight (Su) Your eyes take on the appearance of red-hot, glowing embers, granting you the ability to see in darkness much like devils. You gain darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you chose either darkness or deeper darkness as the spell-like ability granted by your first boon, you can also see perfectly through both darkness and deeper darkness. If you already have darkvision to a range of 60 feet or more, instead increase the range of your darkvision by 10 feet. Your eyes make you extremely distinctive, causing you to take a –4 penalty on Disguise checks.

3: Hellfire Blast (Sp) You can use delayed blast fireball once per day as a spell-like ability to throw a sphere of soulscouring hellfire. The hellfire is a distinctive mixture of black and crimson flames in which screaming devilish faces can be seen twisting and writhing. Half the damage from this spell is fire, while the other half is unholy. This damage modification applies only to the delayed blast fireball you create through this boon, not to any other spells, effects, or attacks.

Contracts, Devils, Secrets

Alignment LE

Cleric Domains Evil, Knowledge, Law, Rune

Subdomains Devil (Evil), Devil (Law), Language, Memory, Thought

Favored Weapon Trident

Obedience Every day you must lie to someone for your own personal gain (this cannot be the same person more than once a week). Additionally, once per week, you must write down a new secret that you have learned about someone else and burn it as a sacrifice. Gain a +4 profane bonus to Diplomacy checks attempted against targets whose attitudes are unfriendly or worse.

Boons

1: Faith Taker (Sp) unseen servant 3/day, detect thoughts 2/day, or glibness 1/day

2: False Priest (Su) You gain a +4 bonus on Disguise checks to pass as a worshiper of another deity and can cast spells using holy symbols other than your own. Additionally, for a number of hours per day equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), you can disguise your alignment. By spending a standard action, you hide your true alignment and instead detect as being of the same alignment as the deity whose holy symbol you are wearing.

3: Revoke Healing (Su) A number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), you can deal damage to a creature in your line of sight that you have magically healed within the past 24 hours. The damage equals the amount restored by the highest-level spell with the healing descriptor that you can cast. This may result in you causing more damage than you healed. The damage occurs in a single round. In the case of healing spells that heal over multiple rounds, only healing provided in the first round is counted when determining damage.

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Section 15 Addendum

Pathfinder Chronicles: Princes of Darkness, Book of the Damned, Vol. I. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: F. Wesley Schneider.