The Black Pikes are champions of villainy and degradation. Word of their foul deeds has made them notorious throughout Mori, and the atrocities they have visited upon defenseless villages are too numerous to list. Their calling cards are their pikes of black steel and the mutilated bodies they leave in their wake. While anyone sufficiently evil could, in theory, learn to be a Black Pike, all members so far have been male, and treat women as little more than animals for sport. It is unlikely that a woman would be taught in their ways, as that would imply actual respect on their part for a woman, which has yet to happen.
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Hit Die: d10.
To qualify to become an Black Pike, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any evil.
Skills: Knowledge (religion) 10 ranks, Concentration 10 ranks.
Feats: Weapon Focus (pike), Weapon Specialization (pike)
Spells: Ability to cast darkness as a divine spell.
Special: Must defeat an existing Black Pike in a formal duel. Must be male.
The Black Pike's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (religion/local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Table: The Black Pike
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Special | Spells per Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Path of the Pike | +1 level to divine spellcasting |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Cloak of Gold | |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Dark Cloud | +1 level to divine spellcasting |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Black-Blooded | |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | +1 level to divine spellcasting | |
| 6th | +6 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Foul Weapon | |
| 7th | +7 | +5 | +2 | +5 | The Strength of Tyranny | +1 level to divine spellcasting |
| 8th | +8 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Hardened in Blood | |
| 9th | +9 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Gold Standard | +1 level to divine spellcasting |
| 10th | +10 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Heart of Darkness |
All of the following are features of the Black Pike prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Black Pikes gain no new proficiencies with weapons or armor.
Path of the Pike: A Black Pike relies solely on his pike and magic to defend himself. He forswears the use of all wands, staffs, and weapons but for the pike, as well as the use of armor and shields. If he uses a wand, staff, or another weapon, straps on a shield, or dons armor, he loses access to all class benefits immediately and cannot progress further in the class. A lengthy quest and an atonement are needed before he can benefit from any class features or progress as a Black Pike.
As a result of this single-minded focus, he gains a competence bonus to hit with the pike equal to half his Black Pike levels, rounded down.
Code of Conduct: Upon entry into the Black Pikes, an adventurer is expected to fit a black-steel blade to his pike. Often, new entries use the weapon of their forbears instead. Though there are no other restrictions on what he can do, a Black Pike may not refuse a formal assignment.
Spells per Day: When a new odd-numbered Black Pike level is gained, the character increases in caster level and spells per day as if he had gained a level in any one divine spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except as noted here.
If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before he became a Black Pike, he must decide to which class he adds each level of Black Pike for the purpose of determining spells per day.
Cloak of Gold: Upon attaining 2nd level, the Black Pike is awarded a characteristic golden cloak, the symbol of his full membership. In cities where the Black Pikes are known, wearing such a coat provides a +5 circumstance bonus to Bluff, Gather Information, and Intimidate checks - but also unmistakably identifies the wearer as a Black Pike. Imitations have been known to appear from time to time, but they invariably disappear before too long.
Dark Cloud (Su): At 3rd level, a Black Pike can cause his weapon to give off a miasma of foul energy, sickening all others within a 20' radius for one round per class level as a standard action. A Fortitude save (DC = 10+class level) negates the effect.
Black-Blooded (Ex): At 4th level, the Black Pike becomes immune to all poisons.
Foul Weapon (Su): At 6th level, a Black Pike can cause his pike to emit a dark cloud as part of a full attack.
The Strength of Tyranny (Ex): At 7th level, a Black Pike gains a +3 competence bonus to all disarm checks involving his pike.
Hardened in Blood (Su): Black Pikes of 8th level find that their spirit empowers their weapon. A pike thus wielded is treated as an adamantine weapon for the purposes of hardness, ignoring hardness, bypassing damage reduction, and determining hit points.
Gold Standard (Su): A 9th-level Black Pike can transform the symbol of his identity into a potent defense. As a standard action, he may expend a prepared spell or spell slot to gain the benefit of the starmantle spell for one round per spell level lost, as long as he is visibly wearing his golden cloak. While thus protected, nonmagical weapons cannot harm him, and are turned to dust if they strike him.
Heart of Darkness (Su): In the hands of one who has mastered the path of the Black Pikes, a pike gains a supernatural ability to pierce magical protections. If the Black Pike succeeds at a level check against a protection the first time he attempts to strike a protected target, he may ignore the protection for its duration. (Roll class level + 1d20, and compare the result against DC 10+spell level for each spell.)
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