Demoniac (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Those who seek to worship and gain power from a specific demon lord are known as demoniacs. All demon worshipers understand that sinful mortal souls become demons once the Abyss digests them, but the demoniac simply cannot wait for death to begin this transformation, and instead begins the transformation while she yet lives. Depending on which demon lord a demoniac devotes herself to, her evil obedience, suite of powers, and resistance changes. Yet in the end, all demoniacs are damned, their souls transformed by the Abyss into demons upon their deaths. The drow are particularly fond of this prestige archetype, but typically refer to the demoniacs as demonic initiates.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype, a cleric devolving herself into a demon.

Prestige Class: Demoniac from Pathfinder Campaign Setting: Lords of Chaos: Book of the Damned, Vol. 2.

Build Classes: Cleric

Role: A demoniac is filled with abyssal energy, which she uses to shape herself, her comrades, and the world around her in the image of her demon lord.

Alignment: Chaotic evil. Demoniacs must devote themselves to one particular demon lord, a creature of godlike power and stature.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Skills

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

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

These are all the class features of the demoniac.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Demoniacs are proficient with all simple weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields (except tower shields). Demoniacs are also proficient with the favored weapon of their patron.

Demonic Aura (Ex)

A demoniac has a particularly powerful aura of chaos and evil (see detect evil for details).

Spells

A demoniac casts divine spells which are drawn from the cleric spell list. Her alignment restricts her from casting certain spells opposed to her moral or ethical beliefs; see Good and Lawful Spells below.

To prepare or cast a spell, a demoniac must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a demoniac's spell is 10 + the spell level + the demoniac's Wisdom modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a demoniac can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Demoniac. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).

Demoniacs debase themselves to their demonic patron to gain spells. Each demoniac must choose a time at which she must spend 1 hour each day in obedience (see below) to regain her daily allotment of spells. Time spent resting has no effect on whether a demoniac can prepare spells. A demoniac may prepare and cast any spell on the cleric spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation.

Orisons: Demoniacs can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level cleric spells, each day, as noted on Table: Demoniac under “Spells per day.” These spells are treated like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again.

Good and Lawful Spells: A demoniac can't cast good spells or lawful spells. Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaotic, evil, good, and lawful descriptors in their spell descriptions.

Domains

A demoniac selects two domains, selected from among those offered by her patron. She cannot choose the Law or Good domains.

Demoniac levels count as cleric levels when using domains. Each domain grants a number of domain powers, dependent upon the level of the demoniac, as well as a number of bonus spells. A demoniac gains one domain spell slot for each level of demoniac spell she can cast, from 1st on up. Each day, a demoniac can prepare one of the spells from her two domains in that slot. If a domain spell is not on the cleric spell list, a demoniac can prepare it only in her domain spell slot. Domain spells cannot be used for spontaneous summoning.

In addition, a demoniac gains the listed powers from both of her domains, if she is of a high enough level. Unless otherwise noted, activating a domain power is a standard action.

Spontaneous Summoning (Ex)

A demoniac can channel stored spell energy into summoning spells that she hasn't prepared ahead of time. She can “lose” a prepared spell in order to cast any summon monster spell of the same level or lower. Add brimorak to the demoniac's list of monsters available for summon monster iv.

Obedience (Ex)

In order to maintain the abilities gained from this class (including all spellcasting abilities), a demoniac must indulge in a daily obedience to her chosen demon lord. This ceremony is how the demoniac prepares spells.

Demonic Mark (Ex)

At 4th level, the demoniac is branded with the sign of her chosen demon lord as a tattoo-like mark somewhere on her body. Once per day, a demoniac can call upon the profane power of this mark to power a spell as she casts it. Doing so causes the spell to gain the chaotic and evil descriptors, and causes the spell not be expended as it is cast, allowing the demoniac to cast the spell again at a later point in the day.

Damned (Ex)

At 6th level, the demoniac definitely sells her soul to her demon lord. When a demoniac is killed, her soul is instantly claimed by the Abyss. In time, the demoniac’s soul is transformed into a demon appropriate to the greatest sins the demoniac gloried in while she lived. Any character attempting to resurrect a slain demoniac must succeed at a caster level check equal to 10 + ½ the demoniac’s level or the spell fails. That character cannot attempt to resurrect the demoniac again until the following day, though other characters can attempt to do so if they please.

Demonic Boon

As a demoniac gains levels, she gains Boons from her demonic patron as her body and soul become increasingly infused with demonic energies. The nature of the Boons granted varies, depending upon the demoniac’s chosen demon lord. Each demon lord grants three Boons, each more powerful than the last.

At 8th level, the demoniac gains the first boon. At 12th level, she gains the second boon, and at 16th level, she gains the third and final boon. Consult the Demonic Obedience feat and the various demon lord descriptions for details on demonic Boons. (Summaries of the obedience required and boons granted is provided in the notes below). When a demonic boon grants a spell-like ability, her caster level for the spell-like ability equals her total character level.

This ability allows a demoniac to access these Boons earlier than they are normally granted by the Demonic Obedience feat; it does not grant additional uses of the Boons once the character reaches the necessary Hit Dice to earn the Boons normally.

Energumen (Su)

Once per day at 10th level, a demoniac can open her soul to a demonic spirit as a free action. This spirit possesses the demoniac for a number of rounds equal to her demoniac level, granting a +2 profane bonus to one ability score of the demoniac’s choice.

At 14th level, energumen grants a +4 profane bonus to one ability score, electricity resistance 10, and a +4 bonus on all saving throws against poison.

At 18th level, energumen grants a +6 profane bonus to one ability score and also immunity to electricity and poison.

When the energumen ends, the demoniac becomes confused for a number of rounds equal to her demoniac level as the demonic spirit has its way with her mind. At the start of each round of confusion, the demoniac can make a DC 25 Will save to end the confusion effect immediately.

Energumen is a possession effect, and is negated by protection from evil or protection from chaos. A demoniac can prevent or end the confusion side effect by having one of these spells cast upon her when (or before) the energumen ends, but being affected by such a spell before the energumen has run its course also causes the benefits granted to end prematurely.

Demonic Form (Ex)

When a demoniac reaches 20th level, she may undergo a temporary transformation into a unique demon. Her type changes to outsider with the chaotic, demon, evil, and native subtypes. She gains damage reduction 10/good and cold iron, resistance to acid 10, cold 10, and fire 10, and telepathy to a range of 100 feet. When she gains this ability, she chooses one additional physical transformation from the following to gain when she transforms:

• Wings (fly speed of 40 feet with good maneuverability).
• Gills (ability to breathe water and a swim speed of 30 feet).
• A single natural attack (a claw, bite, gore, slam, or tail sting—damage inflicted as appropriate for the demoniac’s size).

Once this additional physical transformation is chosen, it can never be changed. The newly created demon’s natural weapons, as well as any weapon it wields, are treated as chaotic and evil for the purpose of resolving damage reduction. The demoniac can remain in this form for a number of minutes per day equal to her caster level; this duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be used in 1 minute increments. Returning to her normal form is a free action.

Table: Demoniac

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

+2

+0

+2

Demonic aura, domains, obedience, orisons, spontaneous summoning

3

1+1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

2nd

+1

+3

+0

+3

4

2+1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

3rd

+2

+3

+1

+3

4

2+1

1+1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

4th

+3

+4

+1

+4

Demonic mark

4

3+1

2+1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

5th

+3

+4

+1

+4

4

3+1

2+1

1+1

—

—

—

—

—

—

6th

+4

+5

+2

+5

Damned

4

3+1

3+1

2+1

—

—

—

—

—

—

7th

+5

+5

+2

+5

4

4+1

3+1

2+1

1+1

—

—

—

—

—

8th

+6/+1

+6

+2

+6

Demonic boon 1

4

4+1

3+1

3+1

2+1

—

—

—

—

—

9th

+6/+1

+6

+3

+6

4

4+1

4+1

3+1

2+1

1+1

—

—

—

—

10th

+7/+2

+7

+3

+7

Energumen +2

4

4+1

4+1

3+1

3+1

2+1

—

—

—

—

11th

+8/+3

+7

+3

+7

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

2+1

1+1

—

—

—

12th

+9/+4

+8

+4

+8

Demonic boon 2

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

3+1

2+1

—

—

—

13th

+9/+4

+8

+4

+8

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

2+1

1+1

—

—

14th

+10/+5

+9

+4

+9

Energumen +4 (resistances)

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

3+1

2+1

—

—

15th

+11/+6/+1

+9

+5

+9

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

2+1

1+1

—

16th

+12/+7/+2

+10

+5

+10

Demonic boon 3

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

3+1

2+1

—

17th

+12/+7/+2

+10

+5

+10

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

2+1

1+1

18th

+13/+8/+3

+11

+6

+11

Energumen +6 (immunities)

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

3+1

2+1

19th

+14/+9/+4

+11

+6

+11

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

3+1

3+1

20th

+15/+10/+5

+12

+6

+12

Demonic identity

4

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

4+1

Ex-Demoniacs

A demoniac whose alignment becomes anything other than chaotic evil, or who goes against the will of her demonic patron, loses all class features of this class. She cannot thereafter gain levels as a demoniac until she atones for her deeds (see atonement spell). This is the only route a demoniac can take to switch to a different demonic patron—the atonement must come from a worshiper of the new demon lord.

Summary of Lost Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Aura
• Channel Energy
• Spontaneous Spells

Appendix: Generic Demon Lords

This is a list of genericized demon lord domains, and obedience and boons appropriate to each.

Aberrations, Clocks, Prisons

Obedience: You must start an obedience at exactly the start of an hour. You must spend this hour bound with chains, rope, manacles, a straitjacket, or some similar restraint. While bound, you must recite prayers and strain against your bindings enough to leave marks on your flesh for the remainder of the day. Gain a +4 profane bonus to your CMD.

Boons

1. Maiden’s Cry (Sp) lesser confusion 3/day, hold person 2/day, or ray of exhaustion 1/day
2. Binding Touch (Sp) Once per day, you can use binding, but only at a range of touch. You need not expend any material components to use this ability, nor can assistants aid you in its casting. You can only have one creature affected by this ability at any one time. If you successfully use this ability on a second creature, the previously bound creature is immediately freed. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th level spell.
3. Unwind the Clock (Sp) You can use time stop once per day.

Age, Time, Worms

Obedience: Meditate in a closed coffin partially filled with worm-infested soil or leech-infested mud. During the obedience, you must swallow or inhale at least a dozen living worms or leeches. Gain a +4 profane bonus against effects that cause slowness or magical aging, or anything that damages, drains, or penalizes ability scores.

Boons

1. Blessing of the Worm (Sp) ray of enfeeblement 3/day, gentle repose 2/day, or slow 1/day
2. Curse of Brittle Bones (Sp) Once per day, you can use bestow curse, heightened to a 7th-level spell. This special curse causes the creature cursed to suddenly grow to venerable age. This curse imparts a –6 penalty to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, but does not grant any bonus to Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.
3. Conqueror Worm (Sp) You can use summon monster IX once per day, but only to summon one advanced fiendish purple worm.

Alchemy, Invention, Transformation

Obedience: Practice the Divine Experiment by following the procedure to transmute lead into gold; this process normally requires a philosopher’s stone, but for this obedience, the demoniac can substitute any material for lead—it’s not the actual transmutation that functions as the obedience, but the act of going through the motions. Gain a +4 profane bonus against transmutation effects.

Boons

1. Truth in the Flesh (Sp) enlarge person 3/day, alter self 2/day, or beast shape I 1/day
2. Transformation (Sp) Extended transformation once per day.
3. Master of Shapes (Su) You gain the shapechanger subtype. Your body can react instantaneously to mitigate attacks, granting immunity to critical hits and sneak attacks (which are treated as normal attacks). Whenever you are affected by a polymorph effect, you heal 4d8 points of damage.

Amphibians, Boggarts, Swamps

Obedience: Drown a living creature in swamp water (or at the very least, in muddy water), then impale the dead body on a sharp branch so wild creatures can feast on it. After impaling the creature, you must spend the rest of your obedience meditating on the sound of fluid dripping from its sodden body. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against disease and poison caused by exposure to the jungle or creatures native to swamps.

Boons

1. Swamper’s Boon (Sp) jump 3/day, summon swarm 2/day, or water walk 1/day
2. Warty Skin (Ex) Your skin grows thick and warty, increasing your base natural armor bonus by +3.
3. Summon Froghemoth (Sp) Once per day, you may summon a fiendish froghemoth as if using summon monster IX.

Apes, Jungles, Tyrants

Obedience: Ingest hallucinogenic jungle plants and then beat a complex rhythm on a large drum made of human skin and bones while chanting prayers. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against disease and poison caused by exposure to the jungle or creatures native to jungles.

Boons

1. Jungle’s Wrath (Sp) entangle 3/day, bull’s strength 2/day, or summon monster (fiendish ape only) 1/day
2. Summon Child of the Jungle (Sp) Once per day as a swift action, you can summon an advanced fiendish girallon, 1d3 advanced fiendish dire apes, or 1d4+1 advanced fiendish apes as if by casting summon monster VI.
3. Jungle’s Might (Su) You gain a +2 profane bonus to Strength and a +2 bonus on all Fortitude saving throws.

Assassins, Darkness, Lust

Obedience: Ingest a dose of psychedelic plants or fungi and engage in any number of sexual acts (either alone or with others), during which at least a pint of blood must be shed. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against blindness and charm effects.

Boons

1. The Lady’s Charms (Sp) charm person 3/day, darkness 2/day, or suggestion 1/day
2. Instant Blindness (Sp) Three times per day, you can cast quickened blindness/deafness.
3. Dominate Thrall (Sp) Once per day, you may cast dominate monster. You may only have one creature dominated at a time via this effect, but the effects are permanent until you dominate a new target, at which point the previous target is released from domination but is stunned for 1d4 rounds.

Beasts, Labyrinths, Minotaurs

Obedience: Remain motionless for 55 minutes, and then spend the last 5 minutes speaking 50 observations regarding your surroundings into a hollowed-out bull’s horn. Gain immunity to maze and a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against confusion and insanity effects.

Boons

1. Conspirator’s Whisper (Sp) summon monster I 3/day, misdirection 2/day, or beast shape I 1/day
2. Minotaur Form (Su) Once per day, you may change shape into a minotaur for 1 hour (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 298). When you do so, you gain a +4 size bonus to Strength, but suffer a –2 penalty to Charisma. If you are actually a minotaur, this ability instead allows you to assume a humanoid form at will (this change of form does not alter your ability scores).
3. Maze of Madness (Sp) Extended maze 1/day.

Bindings, Dridders, Vermin

Obedience: Bind a living creature so only a few key portions of anatomy (such as the belly, mouth, or eyes) remain exposed, allowing you to torment these exposed areas with needles, tiny knives, or poisonous vermin. Gain a +4 profane bonus on grapple checks and to CMD.

Boons

1. Web Embrace (Sp) animate rope 3/day, web 2/day, or snare 1/day
2. Spider’s Blessing (Sp) You can use poison and vermin shape II once per day each as spell-like abilities.
3. Temporal Web (Sp) Once per day, you may use temporal stasis heightened to function as a 9th-level spell. The target of this ability appears to be wrapped tightly in spiderwebs. You can maintain up to three targets in a temporal web at a time—if you use this ability on a fourth target, you must select one of the other three targets to immediately release. This ability is the equivalent of an 9th-level spell.

Blasphemy, Lamias, Suicide

Obedience: Perform a ritualized suicide by first scribing a note lambasting your enemies and then pretending to kill yourself via strangulation or cutting. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against mind-affecting effects.

Boons

1. Heretic’s Hiss (Sp) command 3/day, whispering wind 2/day, or suggestion 1/day
2. Heresy (Su) Once per day as a standard action, you can utter blasphemy or heresy against a single religion other than the worship of a demon lord. A worshiper of the targeted religion must be able to hear your utterance, or this ability fails. You gain SR equal to your HD + 11 against spells cast by worshipers of the religion you spoke out against—this SR lasts until you use this ability again to blaspheme a different religion (as long as you continue your daily obedience, this SR persists until you select a different religion).
3. Mass Suicide (Sp) You can cast weird once per day as a spell-like ability. Rather than assault the victims with images of fear, this ability assaults the targets with images and sensations of crippling sadness and despair. Those who succumb to the spell and die do so at their own hands. If no method of suicide is available for one who succumbs to this effect, the victim simply dies outright of sadness. This effect is equivalent to a 9th-level spell.

Blood, Cannibalism, Vampires

Obedience: Drink some of the blood of a willing creature, and allow the same creature to drink some of your own blood, after which you must meditate on the teachings of your demon lord. Alternatively, you can feed on the flesh of a creature of your own race until you are full. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against the supernatural abilities of undead creatures.

Boons

1. Blood Favor (Sp) deathwatch 3/day, spider climb 2/day, or vampiric touch 1/day
2. Blood is Life (Su) Once per day as a full-round action, you may drink the blood of a creature that has been dead for no more than an hour to gain the benefits of heroes’ feast and death knell for 1 hour. The blood imbibed must come from a creature with a minimum CR of your character level –2.
3. Vampirism (Su) Once per day, you may infuse yourself with the qualities of a vampire. Apply the vampire template to yourself for the duration of this effect, which lasts for 1d6 rounds plus an additional number of rounds equal to your Charisma bonus. When the effect ends, you are staggered for 1d4 rounds. If you are already a vampire, you gain the advanced template for the duration of this effect.

Caverns, Reptiles, Troglodytes

Obedience: In a cavern, impale a living sacrifice on a stalagmite so that the creature does not die immediately. Dance around the sacrifice while shouting prayers, taking time every 10 minutes to push the impaled creature further down the stalagmite. Time the dance so that at the end, the creature is at the stalagmite’s base—it need not survive to the end of the dance. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against special attacks and spells originating from reptilian creatures.

Boons

1. Reptile Blessing (Sp) charm animal (reptiles only) 3/ day, darkness 2/day, or greater magic fang 1/day
2. Children of the Caves (Sp) Once per day you can use summon monster IX as a spell-like ability, but only to summon 1 fiendish tyrannosaurus, 1d3 fiendish elasmosauruses, or 1d4+1 fiendish ankylosauruses.
3. Primeval Might (Ex) You become infused with primeval power, and gain a +4 profane bonus to Constitution and your natural armor.

Chasms, Infestation, Locusts

Obedience: Meditate while allowing insects or worms of any type to crawl upon your body—if no such vermin is available, you must instead lie facedown in a trench dug into soil and mouth prayers into the dirt while scratching yourself with sharp bits of bone or wood. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against disease and against effects caused by vermin.

Boons

1. Swarming Susurrus (Sp) inflict light wounds 3/day, summon swarm 2/day, or summon monster III (vermin only) 1/day
2. Swarm Walker (Su) You can walk through any swarm without fear of taking damage or suffering any ill effects— swarms recognize you as one of their own. As long as you stand within a swarm, you gain a +4 profane bonus on Initiative checks and on all saving throws.
3. Swarm Master (Sp) Quickened insect plague 1/day.

Cold, Giants, Revenge

Obedience: Spill the blood of a living creature onto snowcovered ground; the creature must remain alive during the entire obedience, and must die within a minute of the obedience’s end. Gain a +4 bonus on all saving throws against cold.

Boons

1. Frozen Wrath (Sp) chill touch 3/day, bull’s strength 2/day, or sleet storm 1/day
2. Cold’s Caress (Ex) Gain cold resistance 30. If you are immune to cold, you may instead gain fire resistance 30. You may change to fire resistance if you gain immunity to cold at a point after you gain this boon.
3. Wrath of Frost (Sp) You can cast giant form I once per day. Three times during this ability’s duration, you can cast an empowered cone of cold as a spell-like ability. This ability is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.

Cruelty, Deception, Hags

Obedience: Perform an act of cruelty upon a nonbeliever after spending an hour observing the nonbeliever— preferably from a vantage unknown by the victim. This act must, at the very least, incite the victim to tears or anger. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against illusions. Initiates

1. Witch’s Trick (Sp) disguise self 3/day, misdirection 2/day, or bestow curse 1/day
2. Elder’s Grace (Ex) You immediately age into the next age category, taking all of the appropriate bonuses to mental ability scores without any of the penalties to physical ability scores. If you are venerable when you achieve the boon, you die and become a ghost. Any illusion effect you create gains a +2 profane bonus to the save DC.
3. Shriek of the Damned (Sp) Once per day you may use wail of the banshee.

Death, Necromancy, Wrath

Obedience: Grind a half-pound of bones from the skeleton of a sentient creature, mix with water to create a gray paste, and then eat it at the end of a long recitation of prayers. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against death and negative energy effects.

Boons

1. Necromancer’s Secrets (Sp) detect undead 3/day, command undead 2/day, or vampiric touch 1/day
2. Invoke Death (Sp) Once per day, you may use slay living as a spell-like ability. A creature slain by this spell immediately rises from death as a juju zombie. The zombie is not under your control, but it will not attack you. This ability is equivalent to a 7th-level spell.
3. Call the Dead (Sp) Once per day, you may summon a nightwing, 1d3 devourers, or 1d4+1 advanced mohrgs as if using summon monster IX.

Deformity, Sea, Sea monsters

Obedience: Offer a bowl of fresh blood to your demon lord by speaking prayers over the blood and then emptying the blood into the sea. The bowl must be made of gold and inscribed with profane runes—such a bowl must be worth no less than 100 gp, but can be reused for multiple obediences. Gain a +4 profane bonus against the extraordinary or supernatural attacks of creatures with the aquatic or water subtype.

Boons

1. First Oath (Sp) speak with animals (aquatic animals only) 3/ day, disfiguring touch 2/day, or summon monster III (aquatic creatures only) 1/day
2. Second Oath (Ex) You become immune to damage from water pressure, and gain the ability to breathe water, a +2 profane bonus to Constitution, and a swim speed equal to your base land speed (or increase your current swim speed by 30 ft.).
3. Third Oath (Sp) Dominate monster 1/day (aquatic creatures only).

Deserts, Sand, Senseless Warfare

Obedience: Offer prayers during an hour-long ritual of self-flagellation with a salt-encrusted whip—the ritual must end at noon. If this obedience does not take place under the light of the sun, you must end the ritual by swallowing a handful of sand and salt. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all Fortitude saving throws against effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion, or that damage, drain, or penalize ability scores.

Boons

1. Desert’s Embrace (Sp) endure elements 3/day, scorching ray 2/ day, or daylight 1/day
2. Nurgal’s Breath (Sp) You can cast sunbeam once per day—the beam of sunlight created by this ability issues from your open mouth.
3. Desiccating Pulse (Sp) You can cast horrid wilting three times per day.

Desolation, the Moon, Werewolves

Obedience: Under the night sky, you must offer up prayers to the moon. On nights when there is no moon, you must supplement your prayers by sacrificing an intelligent creature of your own race by tearing out its throat with your teeth and feeding on the still-warm body. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws made when the moon is visible in the night sky. Initiates

1. Gift of the Moon (Sp) charm animal 3/day, summon nature’s ally II (1 fiendish wolf or 1d3 wolves only) 2/day, or beast shape I 1/day
2. Afflicted Lycanthrope (Su) You contract lycanthropy and become a werewolf (even if you normally couldn’t gain that template). If you are already a werewolf, you become a true lycanthrope. If you are already a true lycanthrope, you gain a +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution.
3. True Lycantrhope (Su) You can use your lycanthropic change shape ability as a swift action. You become a true lycanthrope if you were an afflicted lycanthrope. If you are already a true lycanthrope, you gain another +2 bonus to Strength and Constitution.

Disease, Fungus, and Parasites

Obedience: Eat moldering flesh rife with parasitic worms and drink putrid alcohol distilled from strange fungi during a 1-hour feast. You gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against disease and effects that cause nausea.

Boons

1. Sickness Within (Sp) ray of enfeeblement 3/day, warp wood 2/ day, or contagion 1/day
2. Parasitic Link (Su) Once per day with a successful touch attack, you can infest a living creature with tiny worms and gnawing mites unless the target makes a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Constitution modifier). These parasites retain an unholy link to you, draining that creature’s energy and transferring it to you. This infestation persists for 10 rounds, during which you act as if hasted and the infested victim is staggered. As a swift action, you can quicken the parasitic infestation—this reduces the remaining duration by 1 round, but causes the parasites to chew and feed at an accelerated rate, dealing 1d2 points of Constitution damage to the target. You can only maintain a parasitic link with one creature at a time. These parasites are a disease effect.
3. Fungal Ruin (Sp) Once per day, you may target a creature with a destruction spell. A creature slain by this effect crumbles into a mound of russet mold that immediately releases a cloud of spores in a 20-foot-radius burst. This ability functions as a 9th-level spell.

Envy, Lies, Violent Murder

Obedience: Perform an autopsy on a creature killed within the last 24 hours, using bare hands instead of tools as much as possible. Gain a +4 profane bonus against effects that cause bleed and figment illusions.

Boons

1. Killer’s Finesse (Sp) true strike 3/day, invisibility 2/day, or keen edge 1/day
2. Life in Blood (Su) You treat bleed effects as fast healing. For example, if you suffer an effect that causes bleed 5, you do not take any damage from the effect and instead gain fast healing 5. This effect ends whenever you are fully healed.
3. Murderer’s Wrath (Ex) You gain sneak attack +3d6. This increase to sneak attack damage stacks with sneak attack damage you may have from other sources. Whenever you inflict sneak attack damage with a slashing weapon, you inflict +2 points of damage per sneak attack die.

Fecundity, Madness, Monsters, Nightmares

Obedience: Engage in a tryst with the sincere intention of being impregnated or impregnating your partner, or sacrifice a creature that has been alive for no more than a week. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against insanity, confusion, and polymorph effects.

Boons

1. Lunatic’s Gift (Sp) lesser confusion 3/day, touch of idiocy 2/ day, or summon monster III 1/day
2. Teratoma (Ex) You gain a beneficial deformity. Generally, this deformity manifests as a tentacle, tail, claw, or bite that grants you a secondary natural attack dealing 1d6 (1d4 for Small creatures) points of damage. You gain an additional ability depending on the attack chosen as well—this ability can be chosen from the following special attacks: bleed 3, grab, trip, or a 5-foot increase to reach with the natural attack.
3. Third Eye (Su) A third eye opens in your forehead. This eye grants you darkvision to a range of 60 feet (if you already have darkvision, it extends the range of your darkvision by 60 feet) and a +4 profane bonus on Perception checks. Three times per day, you may use a gaze attack that lasts for 1 round; activating this gaze attack is a swift action. This gaze attack has a range of 30 feet, and drives those who fail to resist its effects with a Will save permanently insane, as per the spell insanity (save DC equals 10 + half your HD + your Charisma modifier).

Fire, Salamanders, Volcanoes

Obedience: Burn a valuable nonmagical object (something worth at least 100 gp) or any living creature as an offering and eat the ashes. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against fire effects.

Boons

1. Fire’s Harlot (Sp) burning hands 3/day, flaming sphere 2/day, or fireball 1/day
2. Flame’s Consort (Ex) Gain fire resistance 30. If you are immune to fire, you may instead gain cold resistance 30. You may change to cold resistance if you gain immunity to fire at a point after you gain this boon.
3. Awaken Flames (Su) As a standard action once per day, you may call forth an elder fire elemental from any flame source. Alternatively, you may activate this ability as a swift action during the casting of any fire spell. The elemental appears immediately, and you can direct its actions as a free action via telepathy. The elemental is considered called, not summoned, and remains your minion for 1 hour.

Forbidden Lore, Magic, Snakes

Obedience: Self-flagellate with a small whip or tree branch, punctuating each stroke with utterances of mystic words of power. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against charm effects and written magical effects.

Boons

1. Secret Lore (Sp) identify 3/day, augury 2/day, or illusory script 1/day
2. Heretical Revelation (Su) Up to three times per day, you can whisper terrible secrets to an adjacent target as a standard action. The target can resist with a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Charisma modifier). If the target fails its save, it is stunned for 1 round, then confused for 1d4 rounds, and then nauseated for 2d6 rounds. This is a language-dependent, mind-affecting effect.
3. Penultimate Incantation (Sp) Up to three times per day, you can affect a single creature within 60 feet with a targeted greater dispel magic. Each spell or effect dispelled inflicts fire damage to the target equal to the result of your caster level check made to dispel that effect. This ability is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.

Gargoyles, Gluttony, Ruins

Obedience: Perch atop a high outcrop and look out over the surrounding terrain. If the outcrop is in an uninhabited area, you need do nothing more but wait for an hour, but if the outcrop is in an inhabited area (such as a city), no passersby should realize you are a living thing—any who do must be slain before the hour’s end. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against effects that cause sickness, nausea, fatigue, or exhaustion.

Boons

1. Gargoyle’s Gift (Sp) sanctuary 3/day, shatter 2/day, or vampiric touch 1/day
2. Glutton’s Feast (Sp) You can cast heroes’ feast once per day. The food created by this effect consists of raw or rotting meat and rancid milk. Those who partake of this feast consume their food shockingly fast, as if they were starving—it takes only 1 minute to gain the effects of this spell. Nonworshipers must make a Fortitude save (16 + your Charisma modifier) to avoid being sickened by the feast for 6 hours (though all other benefits of the feast still apply). This ability is the equivalent of a 7th level spell.
3. Death-Stealing Gaze (Su) You gain the death-stealing gaze ability of a nabasu demon. You can activate this ability as a free action, and can use it for up to 3 rounds per day plus an additional number of rounds equal to your Constitution bonus—these rounds need not be consecutive. The saving throw to resist this gaze is equal to 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Charisma modifier. Nabasu demons who gain this boon can use their death-stealing gaze at will, regardless of their total number of growth points.

Ghouls, Graves, Secrets of the Dead

Obedience: You must partake of a cannibal feast; the body upon which you feed must either be at least a week old or be eaten while atop a grave. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against paralysis and against disease effects from undead.

Boons

1. Kiss of the Grave (Sp) deathwatch 3/day, ghoul touch 2/day, or speak with dead 1/day
2. Undead Minion (Sp) You can cast create undead once per day. The undead that is created obeys you without question. If you use this ability to create a new undead minion, the previous undead is destroyed.
3. Ghoulish Apotheosis (Ex) The next time you die, you rise as a ghoul after 24 hours. Your type changes to undead and you lose all the abilities of your previous race, replacing them with +2 natural armor, darkvision 60 feet, channel resistance +2, and a ghoul’s physical attacks. You do not change your total Hit Dice or alter your ability scores. If you achieve this boon when you’re already an undead creature, you instead gain a +4 profane bonus to Charisma.

Greed, Portals, Riddles

Obedience: Inscribe several of the 23 riddles of the flesh (an interlocked series of conundrums, the answer to which no mortal has achieved) on your own flesh with a tiny bone knife carved from a child’s rib. Gain a +4 profane bonus on Will saving throws against sonic and language-dependant effects.

Boons

1. Sphinx’s Secret (Sp) hold portal 3/day, touch of idiocy 2/day, or shrink item 1/day
2. Portal Jump (Sp) Once per day as a swift action, you can step through one doorway, arch, or window and emerge from another at any point within 500 feet. This is a teleportation effect similar to dimension door, but you do not become disoriented when you use this ability. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.
3. Create Portal (Sp) Once per day, you may use gate as a spell-like ability, but only to create a gate as a mode of planar travel, not as a method of calling creatures. This ability is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.

Illusions, Traps, Knives

Obedience: Torture a living creature that is smaller than your size category on a mechanical device that utilizes blades or spikes, or torture a bound creature of any size with a knife. The creature must remain alive for the duration, and must die within 1 minute of the obedience’s end. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against illusions and a +4 profane bonus to AC against traps that inflict slashing damage.

Boons

1. Sadist’s Trick (Sp) magic weapon 3/day, phantom trap 2/day, or snare 1/day
2. Deeper Cuts (Ex) When you damage a creature with a slashing weapon or effect that deals slashing damage, at your discretion you may add a bleed 5 effect to the target.
3. Andirifkhu’s Kiss (Sp) Empowered blade barrier 1/day (you are immune to the effects of this blade barrier).

Natural Disasters, Storms, Trolls

Obedience: You must cavort naked atop a hill, rooftop, or mountaintop during a storm, or else ritualistically sever the fingers, toes, then arms and legs of a nonevil being, burning each severed fragment to ash before moving on to the next. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against weather-related effects and spells.

Boons

1. Storm Breath (Sp) obscuring mist 3/day, gust of wind 2/day, or call lightning 1/day
2. Earthshaker (Sp) You can cast earthquake once per day, but this ability only affects a 40-foot-radius spread. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.
3. Invoke the True Storm (Sp) You can cast storm of vengeance once per day.

Ooze Monsters, Poison, Sloth

Obedience: Submerge a small, severed piece of a human body in a vial of acid and chant praise to your lord as the flesh dissolves. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against poison.

Boons

1. Sign of the Faceless Lord (Sp) grease 3/day, delay poison 2/ day, or slow 1/day
2. Poisonous Touch (Sp) Up to 3 times per day, you may use poison as a spell-like ability. If you make an attack with a melee weapon, you may activate this ability as a swift action as part of your attack, targeting the foe struck with the effect. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.
3. Call Forth the Spawn (Sp) Thrice per day you may use destruction as a spell-like ability. The body of a creature slain by this ability immediately transforms into an ochre jelly under your mental control. Ochre jellies created by this ability melt away into noxious residue after 1 hour. This ability is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.

Perversion, Pride, Taboos

Obedience: Achieve sexual release, either alone or with a partner, and then defile a page torn from the religious canon of a lawful good deity. Gain a +4 bonus on saves against enchantment effects.

Boons

1. Sins of the Flesh (Sp) charm person 3/day, eagle’s splendor 2/ day, or beast shape I 1/day
2. Compelling Voice (Su) Your mind-affecting effects become harder to resist. Increase the save DC of such effects created by you by +1, or by +2 when used against an intelligent creature that could be sexually attracted to you.
3. Truth in the Flesh (Sp) Shapechange 1/day.

Sand, Scorpions, Thirst

Obedience: Pray while lying prone on sand for an hour, during which time you must eat at least one live scorpion. Gain a +4 profane bonus on saves against poison from vermin and effects that cause fatigue or exhaustion.

Boons

1. Desert’s Wrath (Sp) endure elements 3/day, glitterdust 2/day, or searing light 1/day
2. Raise Scorpion (Su) Once per day, you may cause a dead body within 60 feet to transform into a fiendish giant scorpion under your mental control. This transformation lasts for 1 round per level, after which the scorpion returns to its original corpse form. This is a polymorph effect.
3. Dehydrating Strike (Su) Once per day as a swift action, at any point when you successfully inflict damage on a target, you can cause that target to become instantly and painfully dehydrated if it fails a Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 your HD + your Constitution modifier). If the save is successful, the victim is staggered for 1 round. If the save fails, the victim takes 1d10 points of Strength drain, is stunned for 1 round, and is then staggered for 1d4 rounds after recovering from being stunned.

Sky, Temptation, Winged Creatures

Obedience: String up the intestines of a freshly killed creature somewhere that will attract the attention of hungry birds (such as the branches of a tree or the crenelations of a tower), then meditate on the offering. Gain a +4 profane bonus on all saving throws against effects from flying creatures and compulsion effects.

Boons

1. Whispers on the Wind (Sp) charm person 3/day, enthrall 2/ day, or fly 1/day
2. Possession (Sp) You can cast magic jar once per day as a spell-like ability. You can use a holy symbol or statue of your demon lord as your receptacle—if you do so, you can determine the exact creature type and position of all potential life forces you’re capable of possessing. This ability is the equivalent of a 7th-level spell.
3. True Temptation (Sp) If any creature speaks your demon lord's name aloud three times with a single breath, and that creature is within 60 feet of you, you can cast quickened charm monster on that creature as an immediate action. You can use this power up to three times per day. Creatures with fly speeds take a –4 penalty on saves against this effect. If a creature that fails its save against this effect has protection from evil or a similar effect activated, that effect is immediately and automatically dispelled. You can use this ability against a creature that has not invoked your demon lord’s name, but if you do so, it functions as a normal (non-quickened) charm monster spell that does not dispel protection from evil effects. This ability is the equivalent of a 9th-level spell.

The text in this article is Open Game Content. It is covered by the Open Game License v1.0a, rather than the Action copyright. To distinguish it, these items will have this notice. If you see any page that contains OGL material and does not show this license statement, please contact one of the Action administrators. Please note that images used in article may have different copyright than the text.