Illustration by Ubaid Ullah Ahmed
Phoenix-Child
Phoenix children give me great
solace that no matter how deep in Damnation one has fallen, one can find the
way up to Heaven. It gives me great solace that the vilest of villains can
repent, and do good upon this earth, and that redemption does not end with
death, but that penance begins with rebirth.
A phoenix-child in his or her
previous life has always done wrong not just in their own eyes and the eyes of
others but in in that of a particular patron deity, in Questhaven this is most
often Our Reaper of Death and Rebirth.
Phoenix-children are truly repentant individual who has been resurrected to set
right what they have done wrong or to atone in this world for their sins. They
always carry a list of deeds they must perform in this new life, even if it is
just mental one, though most carry a written one. When they are reborn in the
ashes of their own pyre they gain both a new god-given name, new abilities, and
a new appearance, but always bear a prominent birth mark in the shape of a
burning phoenix. Yet few mortals have the mercy of the divine, so they often
must overcome great prejudice and persecution if it is discovered who they once
were.
Phoenix-Child (Universal
Archetype)
“Phoenix-child” is a
universal archetype that is usually applied via the actions of the GM, rather
than a choice by a player. Characters who multiclass apply this archetype to
every applicable class, adding the class’ levels together to determine the
archetype abilities gained.
Alignment: becomes the alignment of the patron deity or
ethos that sponsored the base creature becoming a phoenix child.
Special Qualities:
Rebirth (Su):
The phoenix-child’s old body is consumed by flames and a new one walks forth
from the ashes. When the DM determines an appropriate time, such as the end of
the encounter that caused the character’s death, or a return that allows a
phoenix-child creature to save the lives of former foes.
The
fire of rebirth actually changes a person. When the phoenix-child emerges from
the flames of its pyre, her appearance may have changed, including but not
limited to her sex, race, and/or cultural background and basic physical
appearance. Her hair color, eye color,
the shape of her nose – any obvious physical appearance is always changed in
the process. The new face will be of someone killed by the phoenix in her prior
life whenever possible. The phoenix-child may also gain new abilities and lose
others, fundamentally altering her personality. The PC can change replace all
class levels with class level of any other class allowed in the campaign,
reassign skill points, reselect feats, and determine a new hit point total as
if one were creating the character anew with this level of experience. The GM is encouraged to provide new equipment
via the wealth by level charts as if one had created a new character, replacing
the characters previous equipment as if it had been transformed by a deity of
death or rebirth, including the subject’s spellbook if any. This is how a powerful and charismatic evil
mage can be consumed by the pyre and come out a laconic but strong soldier.
Phoenix-children
gain two permanent negative levels when they are reborn into to the land
of the living, just as if it had been hit by an energy-draining creature. If
the subject is 1st level, it takes 2 points of Constitution drain
instead (if this would reduce its Con to 0 or less, it can't become
one a phoenix-child). A character that is reborn as a spellcaster has a 50%
chance of having the correctly prepared spell upon coming back as a phoenix-child.
A spellcasting creature that does not prepare spells (such as a sorcerer) has a
50% chance of not losing any given unused spell slot as if it had been used to
cast a spell.
A
phoenix-child creature returns with a number of hit points equal to its current
HD. Any ability scores damaged to 0 are raised to 1. Normal poison and normal
disease are cured in the process of becoming a phoenix-child, magical diseases
and curses are not undone. Missing parts of the original body are still missing
when the creature becomes one of the phoenix-children.
Any
bonded animals can become a phoenix-child if they were slain along with their
master when she returns as one of the children of the phoenix.
The
phoenix-child’s original form cannot be returned to life, though her new phoenix-child
form can be by all the normal means.
The List (Su)
The first thing the phoenix-child does after taking her new name is write down
a list of all the things she must do in order to right the wrongs of her prior
life. The items must be specific (e.g. “kill the Last Warlord,” “destroy the Crematorium of Our Grim Wanderer,”
“retrieve Stevon’s soul from hell’s damnation,” etc.). There may be as many or
as few items on the list as the GM’s determines is appropriate, but everything
that can be done to make amends for her prior transgressions against the patron
deity or ethos must be listed, and the GM must approve the final list. One
should be mindful not to make the list short or easy. Whenever the reborn is directly
performing a task on the List, she receives a +1 sacred bonus to all rolls. At
4th level, this becomes a +2 bonus; at 10th level, a +3 bonus. When the
Phoenix-child checks off the last item on the List she dies, absolved of all
sins forgiven by the deity or ethos. This does not happen often, as children of
the phoenix usually die pursuing the items on their list. They can be returned though life via normal
means.
Phoenix Gifts (Sp) At 3rd level, a phoenix child gains continual flame, detect magic,
detect poison, and see invisibility as spell-like abilities
with a caster level equal to her character level. She can use this ability a
number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma bonus (minimum +1) This
ability replaces the character’s 3rd level class feature or two 1st
level spell slots if the phoenix-child is a spellcaster and has no class
feature at this level.
Shroud of Flame (Su) At 5th level, a phoenix-child can burst into
fire as a free action. Thus inflicts an additional 1d6 points of fire damage
with each natural attack, and any creature within reach must make a successful
Reflex save (DC 10 + ½ her character level + her Con modifier) each round to
avoid taking 1d6 points of fire damage plus 1d6 points of fire for every 5
character levels after that she possesses at the start of its turn. A creature
that attacks the phoenix-child with natural or non-reach melee weapons takes
1d6 points of fire damage (no save) with each successful hit. This ability
replaces the character’s 5th level class feature or two 2nd level
spell slot if the phoenix-child is a spellcaster and has no class feature at
this level.
Wall of Fire (Sp) At 7th level a phoenix-child can cast wall of fire as a swift action once per day. At 11th
level a phoenix-child gains an additional use per day, and again at 17th
level a phoenix-child gains an additional use per day. This ability replaces the character’s 7th
level class feature or two 3rd level spell slots if the
phoenix-child is a spellcaster and has no class feature at this level.
Phoenix Shape (Su) At 9th level, a phoenix-child gains the ability to turn herself into a
Medium sized phoenix and back again three times per day. This ability functions
like the beast shape III spell,
except as noted here. The effect lasts for 1 hour per character level, or until
she changes back. Changing form (to phoenix or back) is a standard action and
doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. A phoenix-child retains her ability to speak
while in phoenix form.
A
phoenix-child can use this ability an additional time per day at 10th level and
every two levels thereafter, for a total of eight times at 18th level. At 20th
level, a phoenix-child can use phoenix shape at will. As a phoenix-child gains
in levels, this ability allows the phoenix-child to take on the form of larger
versions.
At
12th level, a phoenix-child can use phoenix shape to change into a
Large phoenix as beast shape IV.
At
14th level, a phoenix-child can use phoenix shape to change into a
Huge phoenix and gains a +6 size bonus to Strength, a -4 penalty to Dexterity,
and a +6 natural armor bonus.
At
16th level, a phoenix-child can use phoenix shape to change into a
Gargantuan phoenix and gains a +10 size bonus to Strength, a -4 penalty to Dexterity,
a +8 size bonus to Constitution, and a +8 natural armor bonus.
This
ability replaces the character’s 9th level class feature or two 4th
level spell slots if the phoenix-child is a spellcaster and has no class
feature at this level.
Self-Resurrection
(Su) At 13th level a slain phoenix-child only remains dead for
only 1d4 rounds unless its body is completely destroyed by an effect such as disintegrate. Otherwise, a fully healed
phoenix-child in phoenix shape emerges from the remains 1d4 rounds after death
(even if she has no uses per day left), as if brought back to life via resurrection. A phoenix-child cannot
self-resurrect if she possesses this permanent negative level. A phoenix-child
that dies within the area of a desecrate
or antimagic field spell cannot
self-resurrect until the desecrate or
antimagic field effect ends, at which
point the phoenix-child immediately resurrects. This ability replaces the
character’s 13th level class feature or two 6th level spell slots if the
phoenix-child is a spellcaster and has no class feature at this level.
