Vengeance Taker

The chosen servants of Corbin, vengeance takers are devoted to destroying those who have wronged society and those it protects. Many vengeance takers are driven by personal vendettas and quests for revenge that have become obsessive and epic in nature. While not doggedly pursuing the targets of their own revenge, vengeance takers take up the hunt against wanted criminals and those who have wronged others. Vengeance takers are notorious for always catching their prey, and the bards tell tales of vengeance takers that have journeyed to hell in order to pursue a quarry who died during the chase.

Vengeance takers are dedicated and obsessive, often devoting every resource they can muster against the targets of their vengeance. Able to assume the righteous indignation and thirst for revenge of others, far too many vengeance takers become disgusted with their fellow man, becoming withdrawn and cynical. Many view this withdrawal from polite society as a necessary sacrifice for Corbin, though, and vengeance takers are afforded a high degree of respect among their clergy.

Vengeance takers are frequently forced into adventuring as they pursue the targets of their vengeance, often only a step or two behind their frantically fleeing quarry. Still others take up wandering in order to assist the vengeance of the world as a whole, hunting down notorious criminals and villains.

Clerics are the most common vengeance takers, though a good number of fanatical rangers also adopt this class.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements

In order to qualify to become a Vengeance Taker, a character must meet the following criteria.

Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Patron Deity: Corbin

Base Attack Bonus: +4

Skills: Knowledge (religion) 4 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks

Feats: God Touched, Track

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 2nd level divine spells. Clerics who wish to become vengeance takers must have access to the Retribution domain.

Class Skills

The Vengeance Taker’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (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	Retribution Spells, Vigilante	-
2	+1	+3	+0	+3	Vengeance	+1 caster level
3	+2	+3	+1	+3	Favored Enemy	-
4	+3	+4	+1	+4	Retaliation	+1 caster level
5	+3	+4	+1	+4	Revenance, Visions of Vengeance	-
6	+4	+5	+2	+5	Favored Enemy	+1 caster level
7	+5	+5	+2	+5	Shackle Magic	-
8	+6	+6	+2	+6	Eternal Punishment	+1 caster level
9	+6	+6	+3	+6	Favored Enemy	-
10	+7	+7	+3	+7	Eye for an Eye	+1 caster level

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Vengeance Taker prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Vengeance takers are proficient with all simple weapons, all types of armor, and with shields. Stormlords prefer to fight with their deity’s favored weapon, a longsword.

Spellcasting: A vengeance taker 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 divine 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).

Retribution Spells: A vengeance taker can pray for and receive any Retribution domain spell as if it were on her divine spell list. The spell uses a spell slot of a level equal to its level in the Retribution domain list.

Vigilante (Ex): A vengeance taker is adept at taking matters into his own hands, and quickly learns the most effective ways to get reliable information out of people. The vengeance taker adds his class level to either his Diplomacy or Intimidate checks (his choice), as well as to his Sense Motive checks.

Vengeance (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, a vengeance taker may select a specific creature as a target of his vengeance. His calculated study of this foe, as well as the blessings of Corbin, grant the vengeance taker a bonus equal to his class level on all Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks made against this creature. He also gains this bonus on all damage rolls he makes against the target of his vengeance. He may add half this bonus to checks or damage against minions or allies of his target of vengeance.

To designate a target of vengeance, the vengeance taker must spend one full hour in prayer. He must know the name of his foe, have met the individual at least once, or have adopted the vengeance of another who meets one of these criteria. In order to adopt the vengeance of another, the person whose vengeance he is to adopt must join the vengeance taker in his prayers to Corbin. At the conclusion of the prayer, the vengeance taker magically adopts all desire for vengeance and retribution from the other person, who now feels as if justice has been done. All knowledge of the act for which the other person seeks vengeance is duplicated within the seeker’s mind with perfect clarity; it is as if the target of vengeance wronged him as well.

A vengeance taker may have only one target of vengeance at a time. He can designate a new target after successfully slaying or returning his previous target to the appropriate authorities, or by spending a full day in prayer.

A vengeance taker who has the favored enemy ability may apply one-half of his favored enemy bonus to the bonus above when attacking or using the indicated skills against a target of vengeance who is also a favored enemy.

Favored Enemy (Ex): A vengeance taker of at least 3rd level has grown accustomed to the methods of a specific group of creatures, effectively gaining that group of creatures as a favored enemy. This ability is otherwise identical to the ranger ability of the same name. At 6th and 9th levels, the vengeance taker may select another favored enemy. In addition, at such times, the bonus against a previous favored enemy increases by +2.

Retaliation (Ex): When struck in melee, a vengeance taker of at least 4th level may lash out violently at his attacker. Once per round, he gains a free attack of opportunity against any opponent who strikes his with a melee weapon. This ability does not grant the vengeance taker the ability to take more than one attack of opportunity per round.

Revenance (Su): When a vengeance taker of at least 5th level is slain, Corbin allows his soul to possess his body and seek vengeance for his death. At sunset following the day he is slain, the vengeance taker rises as an undead creature, gaining the Revenant template. Should the vengeance taker’s body be destroyed before this time, he instead manifests in the nearest temple to Corbin, and must immediately set out to execute his revenge. During this time, anyone who assisted in his death in considered to be a target of vengeance. Once the vengeance taker has avenged himself (all the targets are dead), the body collapses, lifeless once more.

Visions of Vengeance (Sp): At 5th level, the vengeance taker is able to cast scrying once per day as a spell like-ability. This ability is treated as the spell of the same name, as if cast by a sorcerer of the vengeance taker’s class level, though he is able to scry in only two ways. First, the vengeance taker is able to scry upon his target of vengeance without need of a focus. Secondly, he may choose to scry upon the killer of a dead creature, in which case the vengeance taker need only to stare into the eyes of the deceased (treat the vengeance taker as if he had secondhand knowledge of the killer).

Shackle Magic (Su): Beginning at 7th level, spells cast by the vengeance taker manifest additional magical shackles, manacles, and chains, binding and hindering the targets of his spells. In addition to the spell’s normal effects, any target affected by the character’s spells moves at one-half its normal speed (rounded to the next 5-foot increment) for the entire duration of the spell. If the vengeance taker casts a spell that reduces speed (such as slow), the effects are cumulative. Any reduction in speed also affects jumping distance, as normal. The vengeance taker chooses whether or not to use this ability at the time the spell is cast.

Eternal Punishment (Su): A vengeance taker of 8th or higher level need not concern himself with the return of his slain enemies. Any creature slain by the vengeance taker has its soul removed from the normal order of things, and incarcerated in the Plane of Justice, under Corbin’s watchful gaze. The vengeance taker must make the killing blow (whether via weapon or spell) for this ability to be effective. Such creatures cannot be brought back to life by any form of magic, including wish, miracle, or true resurrection spells. Even the direct influence of other deities is unable to free the creature’s soul; only Corbin can allow the creature to return to life, a very rare event in any case.

Once per day, the vengeance taker may choose to interrogate the soul of any creature he has personally sent to the Plane of Justice. This functions much like a speak with dead spell, save that the vengeance taker does not require a corpse, instead wrenching the soul of the deceased creature from the afterlife for a short-lived moment of respite. Relieved at even a temporary reprieve, the soul is more than willing to talk; it receives no saving throw to resist the vengeance taker’s questions. The vengeance taker may only question a given soul once per week.

Eye for an Eye (Su): At 10th level, the vengeance taker is able to invoke the effects of a retributive aura, warding any number of his allies within a 60 foot radius burst from his position. Whenever a warder creature is struck in melee or ranged combat by another creature, the creature dealing the damage takes an amount of retributive damage equal to the damage done to the warded creature, after adjustments for effects such as damage reduction or energy resistance.

This ability affects damage dealt by spells as well as well as weapon attacks, though, in the case of spells that damage multiple creatures, the spellcaster only suffers retributive damage from one warded creature of the vengeance taker’s choice (typically, whichever creature failed any relevant saving throw or took the most damage). In the case of spells that deal damage to multiple creatures over multiple rounds, the vengeance taker may choose which warded creature will determine the spellcaster’s retributive damage for that round.

This ability lasts a number of rounds equal to the vengeance taker’s class level, and is usable once per day.

Ex-Vengeance Takers

A stormlord who willingly changes alignment or who ceases the worship of Corbin immediately loses all benefits of this class. In addition, the character is considered to be a target of vengeance for every other vengeance taker in existence, in addition to any other targets of vengeance they may have. He regains his abilities and advancement potential if he atones for his actions (see the atonement spell on page 201 of the Player’s Handbook).

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