The Fifth Age was a dark time in the history of Migdalia. The Arcane War of the Fourth Age had devastated the world, destroying cities and nations alike. Countless lives were lost in the seemingly endless war, and though Tael-Mohrd eventually claimed victory over the defeated kingdoms of Alrethel and Vur-Dravin, it was a grim victory indeed. Innumerable children were orphaned during the war, and the near-constant starvation which plagued every nation ensured that few found loving homes. Faced with starvation, many orphans were forced to either beg for coins, steal what food they could, or sell their young bodies for scant handfuls of coppers.Those children who preferred to beg for coins soon realized that while their fellow humans often ignored their cries for alms, the dwarven mercenaries returning to their home of Druskeden did not. Indeed, the heartbroken dwarves, dismayed at such a site, often donated silver or even gold coins to the children; some even went so far as to adopt the pitiful beggars, returning with their new wards to their wealthy clans. Soon, no dwarf could walk through a human city without becoming surrounded by dirty-faced orphans, each begging to be adopted and carried back to the lands of the dwarves. It was in this way that the dwarf known as Varnok Bladehand was able to create the Brautgen.
A vile dwarf with a heart of stone and a particularly twisted mind, Varnok saw potential in these dirty human children. Promising them a life of comfort and luxury, Varnok adopted hundreds of children at a time, eventually becoming a much-loved father figure among the orphans of the streets. Few could have imagined the dark plans he had in store for his “children.”
Upon reaching the small dwarven city of Mihag, the children were escorted to a small, cramped room lined with beds. Compared to the dangerous streets and alleyways the children had been rescued from, the room seemed like a blessing. That is, until Varnok began his teachings. The battle-hardened dwarf lined up each child, and, moving from each one to the next, starred into their eyes. When he came upon the first child who showed no fear towards him, a young girl barely six, with a freckled face and dirty red hair, he reached out with a meaty fist and snapped her neck.
The remaining children began screaming and frantically clawing at the door, but the dwarf had locked the heavy iron portal, trapping them inside. It is said that Varnok whistled a popular drinking tune as he strode from one wailing child to the next, silencing each one with a quick kick from his iron boots. Soon, the children were silent once more, huddled in the corner farthest from Varnok. Three small, crumpled bodies littered the floor between them and the grinning dwarf. In a gruff voice, Varnok told the children that were no longer human, no longer people. They had no names, no ages, no gender. They were simply “Brautgen,” a dwarven word meaning “Little Vermin.”
Varnok drilled the children constantly, allowing them to sleep for only ten or fifteen minutes at a time before barging into their room, kicking and beating them mercilessly. The single meal they received each day was cut with goblin powder, which burned the children’s stomachs and seemed to make them more violent. The dwarf subjected the boys and girls alike to acts of violence and depravity, at the hands of himself as well as their fellow Brautgen, all the while forcing the others to watch. Varnok’s “lessons” desensitized the children to everything around them, with one exception. They leaned to fear the dwarf, and his anger.
Every few months, Varnok would leave for a short time, returning with more idealistic young orphans. These pitiful creatures quickly fell victim to the despicable and often times perverted whims of their older “siblings,” who sought to impress Varnok by demonstrating their grasp of his lessons. In this way, the weaker Brautgen were weeded out from the stronger, or so the aged dwarf thought.
As each child approached the final stages of their training, Varnok tattooed designs of small vermin upon his or her flesh. The ink was magical, the dwarf explained, and would allow the dwarf to track the child down, should he or she attempt to flee from their “family.” Not a single child doubted him.
When he had deemed his children ready, Varnok began to hire them out to their fellow humans as professional assassins. The results were incredible. The Brautgen feared failing Varnok more than death, and often took risks that no sane assassin would attempt. They possessed few, if any, morals, and were often dismissed as nothing more than homeless orphans and harmless children. Varnok grew rich from the profits of the Brautgen, eventually retiring and turning the “family” over to one of his eldest children, a sorceress feared by her siblings nearly as much as Varnok himself. This sorceress added to Varnok’s training, teaching the young urchins how to transform into the vermin they were named for. When starvation in the human lands abated, it was a simple matter for the sorceress to orphan new “siblings” herself. The Brautgen which exists today is nearly identical to the Brautgen of earlier years, serving as one of the most powerful and extensive assassin guilds in Migdalia.
Hit Dice: d6
Requirements
In order to qualify to become a Brautgen Assassin, a character must meet the following criteria.
Race: Human, Half-Elf, or Half-OrcAlignment: Any evil
Base Attack Bonus: +4
Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks
Feats: Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Unarmed Strike
Special: Must be trained by the Brautgen, usually as a child. Must also choose a specific vermin from the list below, which matches the tattoo given to the Brautgen as she approaches the end of her training.
Class Skills
The Brautgen Assassin's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Class Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special 1 +1 +2 +2 +0 Vermin Form, Poison Use 2 +2 +3 +3 +0 Sneak Attack +1d6, Fearless 3 +3 +3 +3 +1 Venomous Blow 1/day, Acrobatics (+5) 4 +4 +4 +4 +1 Poison Immunity, Vermin Skin (+2) 5 +5 +4 +4 +1 Sneak Attack +2d6 6 +6 +5 +5 +2 Venomous Blow 2/day, Vermin Aspect 7 +7 +5 +5 +2 Acrobatics (+10) 8 +8 +6 +6 +2 Sneak Attack +3d6 9 +9 +6 +6 +3 Venomous Blow 3/day, Vermin Skin (+4) 10 +10 +7 +7 +3 Mindless
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Brautgen Assassin prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Brautgen assassins gain no new weapon or armor proficiency.
Vermin Form (Su): At 1st level, the Brautgen assassin chooses a vermin, which must match the tattoo on her body. She may choose either a centipede, a scorpion, or a spider. She may transform into her chosen vermin and back again once per day per class level as a standard action, and may remain in that form for up to one hour per class level. She may only assume the form of a tiny vermin while using this ability. As assassin loses the ability to speak while in this form, though she can communicate with other vermin of the same general grouping as her new form (note that most vermin are mindless, however). This ability is otherwise identical to a druid's wild shape ability.
Poison Use (Ex): Brautgen assassins are trained in the use of poison, and never risk poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade.
Sneak Attack (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, the Brautgen assassin can strike an opponent’s vital spots for extra damage. Any time the assassin’s target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a bonus or not), or when the assassin flanks her target, her attack deals extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6 at 2nd level, and an additional 1d6 every three levels thereafter. This ability is otherwise identical to the rogue’s ability of the same name, and stacks with any other type of sneak attack the character might possess.
Fearless (Ex): At 2nd level, the Brautgen assassin becomes completely immune to all types of fear.
Venomous Blow (Su): At 3rd level, the Brautgen assassin gains the ability to imbue her unarmed attacks with poison. Enabling this ability is a free action, but she must declare that she is using it before she has takes any other action that round. Until the beginning of her next turn, all her unarmed attacks deal poison damage as determined by her chosen vermin (see below). Anyone struck by the assassin during this time must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the Brautgen assassin’s class level + her Charisma modifier) or suffer the initial damage of the poison. One minute later, the victim must make a second save (regardless of the results of the first save) or suffer the secondary damage of the poison.This ability is usable once per day at 3rd level, and an additional time per day at 6th and 9th levels.
Vermin Poison Damage Centipede 1d4 Dex / 1d4 Dex Scorpion 1d2 Con / 1d2 Con Spider 1d4 Str / 1d4 Str
Acrobatics (Ex): A Brautgen assassin of at least 3rd level, gains a +5 competence bonus to Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. This bonus increases to +10 at 7th level. In addition, the assassin may always choose to take 10 on a Balance, Climb, Jump, or Tumble check, even when circumstances would normally prevent her from doing so.
Poison Immunity (Ex): A Brautgen assassin of 4th level or higher is completely immune to poisons.
Vermin Skin (Ex): As the Brautgen assassin becomes more like the mindless, deadly creature she is named after, her skin begins to take on the attributes of her chosen vermin. Her skin toughens, granting her a +2 bonus to her natural armor. This bonus increases to +4 at 9th level.
Vermin Aspect (Sp): At 6th level, the Brautgen assassin gains a spell-like ability that grants her an aspect of her chosen vermin. This ability is usable three times per day, as if cast by a sorcerer of the assassin’s class level. Use of this ability is a swift action, and the ability may only affect the assassin. Each vermin has a different aspect, as shown below.
Vermin Poison Damage Centipede Expeditious Retreat Scorpion True Strike Spider Spider Climb
Speak with Vermin (Su): At 7th level, the Brautgen assassin can speak with her chosen vermin as a free action. Such vermin can only communicate extremely simple concepts (one word at best), but they generally don’t try to eat someone who communicates with them.
Mindless (Ex): At 10th level, the Brautgen assassin has become a cold killing machine. She retains her Intelligence and ability to make decisions, as well as her Intelligence modifiers to skills, ability checks, spell saving throw DCs, and class abilities, she is treated as if she possessed no Intelligence score for all other purposes. She becomes immune to all mind-influencing effects (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects).
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