Burned One

The burned one is a twisted, insane creature obsessed with a maniacal love of fire and burning. Through a forbidden ritual known as the Rite of Charred Flesh the aspirant opens (willingly or unwillingly) a small portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire within his own body, granting him incredible power at a macabre cost. Few can endure the torment this ritual causes for long.

The first burned one, Ignarius the Charred, arose at the dawn of the Fifth Age of Migdalia. Ignarius had the unfortunate timing of finishing his wizard apprenticeship mere days before the Arcane War finally ended. As a Rournar, Ignarius was still allowed to practice wizardry, but he still thought himself cheated. The powerful arcane spells which he had dreamed of using against his nation’s mortal enemies were now outlawed, and few surviving wizards were willing to share their deadly knowledge with a hot-tempered young man itching for a spell duel. Thus it was that Ignarius, seeking the knowledge abandoned by the Valos-Vur, traveled to the ruins of Vur-Dravin.

Arriving in the smoking ruins of the Vur capitol, Ignarius discovered what he was seeking. The secrets of generations of Vur conjurers lay strewn about shattered hallways and smoke-choked libraries. Ignarius studied for weeks, never encountering anything more intelligent than a wandering golem or berserk elemental. It seemed as if the Vur had simply vanished, leaving their city and their knowledge behind.

In one half-flooded chamber, Ignarius discovered a large tome bound in crimson dragon hide and large brass buckles, all the more remarkable for the otherwise squalor of the chamber. Further study of the strange tome revealed to Ignus a long-forgotten Sethsarri ritual promising incredible power and absolute mastery of elemental fire to anyone brave enough to perform it. Ignarius completed the Rite of Charred Flesh that very night.

A patrol of Runic Knights found Ignarius two months later, blackened, twisted, and reeking of charred flesh. It was a testament to his newfound power that he was able to incinerate a full half dozen Knights before being subdued. Ignarius was brought before a tribunal of archmages, who studied him carefully before sentencing him to his fate. Although the penalty for performing a Sethsarri ritual was death, the archmages took pity on the blackened, twisted man before them, fully expecting him to be consumed by the elemental portal within the week.

However, the flames did not kill Ignarius, but instead fueled his rage and hatred for the weak wizards around him. In a spectacular display of raw, unbridled power, Ignarius incinerated over half the population of Zert, melting nearly a quarter of the stone buildings, his prison included, to slag. Though Ignarius himself disappeared into the flames that night, the Rite of Charred Flesh somehow survived, tempting more than a few power-hungry wizards to purchase mastery of fire for the price of their own burnt flesh.

Hit Dice: d4

Requirements

In order to qualify to become a Burned One, a character must meet the following criteria.

Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks, Knowledge (the planes) 5 ranks

Feats: Energy Substitution (fire), Great Fortitude

Spellcasting: Ability to cast flaming sphere

Special: Must perform (or have performed upon him) the Rite of Charred Flesh. This ritual requires 10 rounds from start to finish, and once began, nothing can halt its progress. Each round, the character takes 1d4 points of fire damage as his flesh is slowly consumed by the portal opening within his body. Should this damage be reduced or prevented in any way, the ritual fails and must be repeated anew.

Class Skills

The Burned One’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int). See Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1	+0	+2	+0	+2	Fire Subtype, Burning Agony	-
2	+1	+3	+0	+3	Searing Touch	+1 caster level
3	+2	+3	+1	+3	Twisted Body, Fire Arcana	-
4	+3	+4	+1	+4	Searing Blast	+1 caster level
5	+3	+4	+1	+4	Exhalation of Smoke	-
6	+4	+5	+2	+5	Skin of Flames	+1 caster level
7	+5	+5	+2	+5	Mind Afire	-
8	+6	+6	+2	+6	Summon Fire Elemental	+1 caster level
9	+6	+6	+3	+6	Pain Fire	-
10	+7	+7	+3	+7	Incandescent Transcendence	+1 caster level

Class Features:

All of the following are class features of the Burned One prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Burned ones gain no new proficiency with weapons or armor.

Spellcasting: A burned one continues training with magic. Thus, at 2nd level and every other level thereafter, the character gains new spells per day and spells known as if he had also gained a level in whatever arcane spellcasting class he belonged to prior to adding this prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that level would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, etc).

Fire Subtype (Ex): The very ritual of becoming a burned one carries its own benefits...and its own perils. The burned one gains the “Fire” subtype, rendering him forever immune to all forms of fire damage. However, he now suffers half again as much (+50%) damage from cold damage.

Burning Agony (Ex): The burned one’s body is a gateway to hottest fires of the Elemental planes, causing him eternal suffering. He suffers a circumstance penalty equal to his burned one level to all Dexterity- and Wisdom-based skill checks due to this constant agony. However, this agony is far greater than anything else imaginable, rendering him immune to all other forms of pain (such as a wrack spell).

Searing Touch (Su): At 2nd level, the burned one’s connection with the Elemental portal within him strengthens, allowing him to channel its power. The burned one can now deal 1d8 points of fire damage as a touch attack at will. This damage is also added to each of the burned one’s unarmed attacks.

Fire Arcana (Su): At 3rd level , the burned one’s mastery over fire increases, and spells he casts that create fire become more difficult to resist. The saving throw DC of any spell the burned one casts with the “Fire” descriptor increases by +1.

Twisted Body (Ex): By 3rd level, the burned one’s skin begins to crack and char black, and he reeks constantly of roasting flesh. The burned one receives a deformity penalty equal to his burned one level to all Charisma-based skill checks. This penalty instead applies as a bonus to Intimidate checks.

Searing Blast (Su): A 4th level burned one may exhale blasts of red-hot flames at will, dealing 4d6 points of fire damage as a ranged touch attack. The range for this attack is 30 feet.

Exhalation of Smoke (Su): A burned one of 5th level or higher is able to exhale a thick cloud of choking, arid smoke as a standard action. This cloud spreads in a 20 foot radius around the burned one, but does not follow him if he moves elsewhere. The cloud obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature 5 feet away has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance), while creatures further away have total concealment (attacks have a 50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target). The cloud remains for 1 minute per burned one level, though moderate winds (11+ mph) disperse the cloud in 4 rounds, and strong winds (21+ mph) disperse it in 1 round.

Every breathing creature within the cloud (except the burned one and other creatures with the “Fire” subtype) takes a -4 penalty to Strength and Dexterity unless they succeed a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the burned one’s class level + his Charisma modifier). These penalties last for 1d4+1 rounds after the cloud dissipates or after the creature leaves the area of the cloud. This ability does not function underwater.

Skin of Flames (Su): Upon reaching 6th level, the burned one gains the ability to immolate himself, surrounding his body in a corona of crackling flames. During this time, any creature striking the burned one with its body or a handheld weapon deals normal damage, but also takes 1d6 points of fire damage +1 point per class level. Creatures wielding weapons with exceptional reach, such as halberds, are not subject to this damage if they attack you. While using this ability, flames crawl across the burned one's body, giving off light equal to half the illumination of a torch (10 feet). The burned one may activate or deactivate this ability as a free action.

Mind Afire (Su): At 7th level, the portal within the burned one begins to contaminate his mind, granting him visions of the Elemental Plane of Fire. The burned one gains a competence bonus equal to his class level on all skill checks related to the Elemental Plane of Fire or creatures native to that plane.

Furthermore, any creature attempting to use a spell or ability which allows telepathic communication or the reading of the burned one’s thoughts risks accidentally accessing the portal contaminating the burned one’s mind. Such a creature must attempt a Will saving throw (DC 10 + burned one level + his Charisma modifier) or suffer 1d6 points of fire damage, possibly catching fire (DC 15 Reflex save avoids).

Summon Fire Elemental (Sp): A burned one of 8th level or higher is able to summon an elder fire elemental from the portal within his body once per day. This ability otherwise functions as a summon monster spell cast by a sorcerer of a level equal to the burned one’s character level.

Painfire (Su): Upon reaching 9th level, flames created by the burned one becomes infused with his unending agony. Any creature damaged by a spell the burned one casts with the “Fire” descriptor, as well as any creature damaged by his searing touch, searing blast, or skin of flames abilities, must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the burned one’s class level + his Charisma modifier) or suffer a -4 penalty to its attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks due to the excruciating pain. This penalty lasts a number of rounds equal to the burned one’s Charisma modifier (minimum 1 round), and is considered to be a pain effect.

Incandescent Transcendence (Su): Upon reaching 10th level, the burned one’s body is nearly consumed by the elemental portal within his body, bringing him to the brink of utter oblivion. The primal energies infusing his body become permanent, changing his type to “Elemental”. The burned one gains darkvision to a range of 60 feet, as well as immunity to poison, paralysis, stunning, and sleep effects. He is no longer subject to critical hits or flanking, and no longer needs to eat, sleep, or breathe. In addition, his searing touch damage increases to 2d8, and his searing blast damage increases to 6d6.

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