Originally posted by kalthandrix:
This little gem came to me today when I was chatting with Pennarin on-line and we were talking about the Multicasting feat I came up with. So I wrote up this entire thing today- starting at about 10 pm- so some of it may be a but rough.
Som of you may recognize some of the features from the boxed set and that was my goal- to make something that hinted at the old core class abilities.
Let me know what you think. I have include one new feat at the bottom of the PrC specifically for this class, with more to come in the near future.
[quote]Keeper of the Guarded Land
“Long has the Land suffered! We, its guardians, were killed, hunted, or forced to break our bond of guardianship. But like the forest that is destroyed in an wildfire, we have returned, stronger, and we will not betray our trust again.”
-Derik Split-tree, Master Keeper
Ages ago, the land was green and lush, giving its bounty to all freely. Then came Rajaat and his Champions, with their twisted magic that ripped the life from the land, leaving behind barren, sterile, lifeless ash. The land was almost helpless against the destruction and its peaceful caretakers, the druids, were hunted like rabid animals and slaughtered by the War-Bringer’s hoards.
After millennia of abuse and uncaring warfare, the once green hills and deep oceans are gone, replaced with silt and lifeless ash. Dying, the once mighty and peaceful Spirits of the Land have been reduced to shadows of their former selves as they cling to the few areas of life left within the earth. In an attempt to regain the proper balance of nature, the remaining Spirits have called out to some, finding those who care for the land and weep at its destruction.
These special few are shown special places where the Spirit’s power resides like water deep under the earth, and after offering up oaths, blood, and life to defend the land against those who would rob it of its energy for power, the Spirit of the Land imparts a portion of its being to the oath-taker, forging them into a Keeper of the Guarded Land, a tool for protection, rebirth, and retribution against those who would defile the land.
In most cases, only druids follow the path of a keeper of the guarded lands, thought there have been cases where a ranger has taken a small step down the druidic path to meet the requirements. Keepers as they are sometimes called, remain relatively neutral toward most visitors to his guarded lands, observing them and their behavior for a time before deciding whether to reveal his presence or drive them off. As they lead semi-hermitic lifestyles, a keeper of the guarded land will sometimes approach those he has watched within his guarded lands to find out the current goings on outside of his lands. All Keepers react with distrust toward any arcane spellcaster and will seek to kill or drive off any defiler who enters their lands. Keepers are sometime encountered outside of their lands, though rarely due to their increasing need to remain within the boundaries of their guarded lands as they grow in power.
Hit Dice: d8
Requirements:
To qualify to become one of the keeper of the guarded land, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Feats: Great Fortitude
Skills: Knowledge (nature) 10
Spells: Able to cast 4th level divine spells.
Special: Must have the wild empathy and wild shape class features.
Class Skills:The keeper of the guarded land’s class skills (and key ability for each skill) are Animal Handling (Cha), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis). Skill points at each level: 3+ Int modifier.
LevelBABFortRefWillFeatures Spells<br />1+0+2+0+2Guarded Land, Bonded Spirit —<br />2+1+3+0+3Long Step +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />3+2+3+1+3Restoration +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />4+3+4+1+4 +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />5+3+4+1+4Defiler Bane —<br />6+4+5+2+5 +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />7+5+5+2+5Command the Beasts +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />8+6+6+2+6 +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />9+6+6+3+6 +1 level in existing divine spellcaster class<br />10+7+7+3+7Body of the Land —
Class Features:
All of the following are class features of the keeper of the guarded land prestige class.
Weapons and Armor Proficiency: The keeper of the guarded land gains no additional proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Spells Known: A keeper of the guarded land gains spells per day as if he had gained a level in whatever divine spellcasting class he belonged to before he gained the prestige class. If he has more than one divine spellcasting class then he must choose which one to apply the increase to. He does not gain any other benefit that a character of that class would normally gain, such as bonus feats or metamagic feats.
Guarded Land (Ex): A Keeper selects an area of land to protect: a guarded land. It is here that the Keeper will forge his union with the Spirit of the Land. While within his guarded land, a Keeper is infused with energy from his patron spirit, offering its knowledge, heightening their perceptions, and sheltering them from unwanted eyes. At 1st level, a keeper of the guarded lands gains a +1 bonus to all skill checks made while within the area of their guarded lands. They also gain an additional +3 circumstance bonus to all Spot, Listen, Hide, and Move Silently checks, while within their guarded lands, as the very earth cushions their foot falls, brush thickens where they stand, and the air carries the slightest sound to their ears; making their total bonus for those checks a +4.
Bonded Spirit (Ex): A keeper of the guarded land makes a soul deep pact with the Spirit that inhabits the land they have selected to guard over, linking them to the very land they have sworn to protect. These pacts are not just words, they are graven upon the very soul of the keeper and the Spirit of the Land, providing each with power and protection. This bond provides a keeper of the guarded lands with +2 hit points per level within this class (+20 at 10th), and a +1 to all saves at every odd level gained (+5 at 9th).
This bond comes with a price however. The Keeper needs to be within their guarded lands most of the time, and as they grow in power and their relationship with the Spirit of the Land gets stronger, the amount of time the keeper of the guarded lands can be absent from their lands decreases. At 1st level, a Keeper may be absent from his guarded lands for up to ten weeks, before suffering the effects of being away. Every level gained within this class reduces the time they can be away by one week. So at 10th level, a Keeper may not be absent from his guarded lands for more then a week before suffering the adverse effects of being away.
If a Keeper exceeds the length of time they can be away, their bond with the Spirit of the Land begins to draw from their life-force to remind them of their oaths and obligations to the land. This means that for every additional day they are absent, the keeper of the guarded land takes one point of temporary Constitution drain which resists all attempt at restoration via rest or curative magic. Upon their return to their guarded lands the Constitution damage can be restored through rest or magic.
This bond can be broken by an atonement or break enchantment spell if cast by a spellcaster of a higher level then the keeper’s caster level. Doing so breaks the bond and the now ex-keeper of the guarded lands loses all extraordinary class features provide by this class. If the keeper had temporary Constitution damage dealt to him at the time the bond is broken, he must make a Fortitude save DC 25 for each point of temporary damage. Failure results in the loss becoming permanent, though they could be restored with a greater restoration, wish, heal, miracle, or similar spells or effects.
Long Step (Ex): While within their guarded lands, a Keeper is able to merge briefly with the Spirit of the Land and move himself almost instantaneously anywhere within his land. Beginning at 2nd level, a keeper of the guarded land can transport himself and up to 50 lbs. per level of gear or other creatures to any place within a total range of 400 per day. The range they are able to travel increases to 800 feet at 4th, 1600 feet at 6th, 3200 feet at 8th, and at 10th level they are able to move to any location within their guarded lands at will. Unlike dimension door, teleport and other travel effect, this ability is not hindered by dimensional anchor or force spells as long as the Keeper has contact with the earth of his guarded lands.
Restoration (Ex): Rather then see their lands destroyed by greedy spellcasters, a keeper of the guarded land is willing to sacrifice their life to help insure that the coming generations will witness the glory of the undefiled earth. At 3rd level, while away from his guarded lands, a keeper within a defilers radius may choose to sacrifice 1 hit point per 5 foot radius of land that would normally be defiled as fuel for the spell rather then let the land be destroyed. A keeper within his guarded lands, regardless of where in his lands he is at, is automatically drained by defiler spells, due to the strength of their bond. As an additional side effect, the Keeper knows the exact location that the defiling spell was cast from, whether he is within his guarded lands or not, enabling him to find a defiling opponent whenever they cast a spell within his guarded lands.
A keeper of the guarded land is also able to reverse defiling damage that has already been inflicted upon the earth or make an area much more fertile, though the process is much more demanding, taking not only time but also drawing deeply from the Keeper physical strength and vitality. For every 5’ radius section the keeper of the guarded land wished to restore, he must burn one point of Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and spend a day within the area careing for the soil by watering and planting things within it. Doing so changes the terrian type by one catagory, changing defiled land (desolate) into barren land, ect (see Table 7-1 Terrain Modifiers, pg 61 in DS3.5 Players Manual). Obsidian plains are completely devoid of all live and is uneffected by this ability. While doing this, none of your ability scores may fall below 3 as a result of restoring the land. Trying to do so causes you to loose conscienceness.
Defiler Bane (Ex): The fury of the Spirit resides within the Keeper, ready to aid him in destroying those who defile the land for power. At 5th level, the Keepers natural weapons and weapons wielded by them gain the bane enchantment against defilers. This power infuses the weapons held by the keeper of the guarded land, but dissipates when the weapon is released.
Command the Beast (Ex): As the Keeper comes closer to the Spirit of the Land, animals recognize this and often aid them in protecting the land. At this level, the keeper of the guarded land gains the ability to command any creature with the animal-type, similar to a cleric’s ability to command undead. While outside their guarded lands, a Keeper can command animals as if he was a cleric of half his caster level. This power is heightened when the Keeper is within his guarded lands, allowing him to command animals as if he were a cleric equal to his caster level. The animals effected by this command are able to understand directions given to them by the keeper of the guarded lands, but are still limited to their physical ability to perform tasks. The keeper of the guarded lands may command animals up to 4 times per day.
Body of the Land (Ex): In a ritual held within the heart of the Keeper’s guarded land, the keeper is fully embraced by the Spirit of the Land, who permanently merges part of its being with the mortal body of the keeper. When the Keeper emerges from the ritual, the signs of his devotion to the land are evident upon his flesh, as the Keeper’s body has taken on some physical characteristics of his guarded lands. For example, a Keeper may emerge with a stony textured skin like an out cropping of rock and their eyes a deep watery blue like water from a pool that collects at the base of a tree, and their voice reminiscent of the wind whispering through the cave nearby.
The keeper of the guarded land’s type becomes Elemental (native) and he gains all of traits of the elemental type. In addition, the Keeper gains two slam attacks with damage based upon their size, a natural armor bonus of +4, and increases to his ability scores as follows: +4 on Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom and a +2 on Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma
Feat-
Extended Absence
Requirements: Must have the bonded spirit class feature.
Benefit: This feat allows a person with the bonded spirit class feature to extent the length of time that they are gone from their guarded lands by one day per point of Constitution modifier they possess.
Normal: Depending upon their level, a character with the bonded spirit class feature may only be absent from their guarded lands for one to ten weeks at a time before they begin to incur temport Constitution damage .[/quote]
Originally posted by Zardnaar:
Looks good. Is it supposed to have 3 skill points/level though. Seems an odd number (2 or 4 instead?) in more ways than one 
Originally posted by Sysane:
Other than some minor typos very nice 
Originally posted by dunsel:
Excellenet as always Kalthandrix!
My druid player will certainly like this!
Bravo! 
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
Really? Damn spellchecker failed me again! I cannot find them so if you could point them out to me that would be swell.
Well then so far so good then- I was initially worried about power balance issues, as they do gain some pretty powerful abilities, but I think that over all they are balanced against the lost of some spell progression and the fact that the most powerful they become the less time they can be gone from their lands and some of their abilities are kind of weaker when they are away. I also think that this makes a nice prelude to the SotL AB and for those characters who decide not to advance with psionics.
Originally posted by Sysane:
Originally posted by kalthandrix:
Thanks Sysane- this proves that at least one person has actually read the PrC
Dunsel- thanks for the praise.
It was kind of strange how I got the itch to do this PrC- I was on-line talking with Pennarin and was bouncing around some suggested fixes my Multicasting feat (which I will post a revised version of today) and when it was fixed I had said that this would be great for a Thri-kreen driud, followed by me also saying that aside from kreen gladiators, kreen driuds are the coolest- which got me thinking about druids and their cool flavor from 2e- hence the Keeper of the Guarded Land was born.
So I hope that you will get some good use out of this PrC- because IMo it not only provides for some cool roll-playing but also role-playing too.Let me know how it works out for you.
Originally posted by ruhl-than_sage:
I’ve got some more typos for you . Great PrC by the way, the intro is beautifully written and the abilities capture the spirit of the class very well. I have some minor issues with the restoration ability, but I’ll get to that after I point out the typos and wording concerns.
[quote]Ages ago, the land was green and lush, giving its bounty to all freely. Then there (unecessary word) came Rajaat and his Champions, with their twisted magic that ripped the life from the land, leaving behind barren, sterile, lifeless ash. The land was almost helpless against this (the) destruction and its peaceful caretakers, the druids, were hunted like rabid animals and slaughtered by the War-Bringer’s hoards. (insert paragraph break here)After millennia of abuse and uncaring warfare, the once green hills and deep oceans are gone, replaced with silt and lifeless ash. Dying, the once mighty and peaceful Spirits of the Land have been reduced to shadows of their former selves as they cling to the few areas of life left within the earth. In an attempt to regain the proper balance of nature, the remaining Spirits have called out to some, finding those who care for the land and weep at its destruction.
These special few are shown special places where the Spirit’s power resides like water deep under the earth, and after offering up oaths, blood, and life to defend the land against those who would rob it of its energy for power, the Spirit of the Land imparts a portion of its being with (within?) the oath-taker, forging them into a Keeper of the Guarded Land, a tool of (for) protection, rebirth, and retribution against those who would defile the land.
In most cases, only druids follow the path of a keeper of the guarded lands(,) as the, thought (though) there have been cases where a ranger has taken a small step down the druidic path to meet the requirements. Keepers as they are sometimes called, remain relatively neutral toward most classes, though they are most friendly with rangers. (I think you could write this line better) As they lead semi-hermitic lifestyles, a keeper of the guarded land will sometimes approach those he has watched within his guarded lands to find out the current goings (goings on) outside of his lands. All Keepers react with distrust toward any arcane spellcaster and will seek to kill or drive off any defiler whom (not 100% on this one, but I think this should be who rather than whom) enters their lands. Keepers are sometime encountered outside of their lands, though rarely due to their increasing need to remain within the boundaries of their guarded lands as they grow in power. (Keepers are rarely encounter outside of their guarded lands, as they feel an increasing need to remain within them as they grow in power.)[/quote]
[quote]Spells Known: [Insert: At each level indicated,] A keeper of the guarded land gains a the (remove) spells per day as if he had gained a level in what ever (one word) divine spellcasting class that (unecessary word) he belonged to before he gained the prestige class. If he has more than one divine spellcasting class then he must choose only one to which (which one) to apply the increase [Insert: to]. He does not gain any other benefit that a character of that class would normally gained (gain), such as bonus feats or metamagic feats.
Guarded Land (Ex): A Keeper selects an area of land to protect, which is called a (this is considered his) guaded (guarded) land. It is here that the Keeper will forge his union with the Spirit that resides within this area, (of the Land.) While within his guarded land, a Keeper is infused with energy from his patron spirit, offering their (its) knowledge, heightening their perceptions, and sheltering them from unwanted eyes. At 1st level, a keeper of the guarded lands gains a +1 [Insert: sacred?] bonus to all skill checks made while within the area of their guarded lands. They also gain an additional +3 circumstance bonus to all Spot, Listen, Hide, and Move Silently checks, while in (within) their guarded lands, as the very earth cushions their foot falls, brush thickens where they stand, and the air carries the slightest sound to their ears, making their total bonus for those checks a +4. (I would use parenthesis here rather than a comma.)
Bonded Spirit (Ex): A keeper of the guarded land makes a soul deep pact with the Spirit that inhabits the land they have selected to guard over, extraordinarily (supernaturally) linking then (them) to the very land they have sworn to protect. These pacts are not just words, they are graven upon the every (remove) soul of the keeper and upon (remove) the spirit [Insert: of the land], providing each with power and protection. This bond provides a keeper of the guarded lands with +2 hit points per level within this class (+20 at 10th) [Insert: , ] and a +1 to all saves [Insert: at] every odd level gained (+5 at 9th).
His bond comes with a price though (however). A (The) Keeper needs to be within their guarded lands [Insert: most of the time], and as they grow in power and their relationship with the Spirit of the Land gets stronger, the amount of time [Insert: the] keeper of the guarded lands can be absent from their lands decreases. At 1st level, a Keeper may be absent from his guarded lands for up to ten weeks, before suffering the effects of being away. Every level gained within this class reduces the time they can be away by one week. So at 10th level, a Keeper may not be absent from his guarded lands for more then a week or suffer (before suffering) the adverse effects of being away. (Insert paragraph break here) If a Keeper exceeds the length of time they can be away, their bond with the Spirit of the Land begins to draw off some of (from) their life-force to remind them of their oaths and obligations to the land. This means that for every [Insert: additional] day in excess that (remove) they are absent, the keeper of the guarded land takes one point of temporary Constitution drain which resists all attempt to restore (at restoration) via rest or curative magic. Upon their return to their guarded lands the Constitution damage can be restored through rest of (or) magic.
The (This) bond can be broken by an atonement or break enchantment (Italicize spell names) spell if cast by a spellcaster of a higher level then the Keepers (keeper’s) caster level. Doing so breaks the bond and the now ex-keeper of the guarded lands loses all extraordinary class features provide by this class. If the keeper had temporary Constitution damage dealt to him at the time the bond is broken, he must make a Fortitude save DC 25 for each point of temporary damage. Failure results in the loss becoming permanent, though they could be restored with a greater restoration, wish, heal, miracle, (again Italicize spell names) or similar spell(s) or effect(s).
Long Step (Ex): While within their guarded lands, a Keeper is able to merge briefly able to merge (remove) with the Spirit of the Land and move himself almost instantaneously anywhere within his land. Beginning at 2nd level, a keeper of the guarded land can transport himself and up to 50 lbs. per level of gear or other creatures to any place within a total range of 400 [Insert: feet] per day. The range they are able to travel increases to 800 feet at 4th, 1600 feet at 6th, 3200 feet at 8th, and at 10th level they are able to move to any location within their guarded lands at will. Unlike dimension door, teleport (Again italicize spell names) and other travel effect, this ability is not hindered by dimensional anchor or force spells as long as the Keeper has contact with the earth of his guarded lands.
Restoration (Ex): Rather then see their land(s) destroyed by greedy spellcasters, a keeper of the guarded land is will(ing) to sacrifice their life to help insure that the coming generation(s) will witness the glory of the undefiled earth. At 3rd level, while away from his guarded lands, a keeper within a defilers radius may choose to sacrifice 1 hit point per 5 foot radius of land that would normally be defiled as fuel for the spell rather then let the land be destroyed. A keeper within his guarded lands, regardless of where in his lands he is at, is automatically drained by defiler spells, due to the strength of the(ir) bond. As an additional side effect, the Keeper knows the exact location that the defiling spell was cast from, enabling him to find a defiling opponent whenever they cast a spell within the (his) guarded lands.[/quote]
I’ve got to go to work, so I’ll get to the rest later.
Originally posted by ruhl-than_sage:
OK back to work on the rest of it.
[quote]Defiler Bane (Ex): The fury of the Spirit resides within the Keeper, ready to aid him in destroying those who defile the land for power. At 5th level, the Keepers natural weapons and weapon(s) wielded by them gain the bane enchantment (you have an extra space here) against defilers. This power infuses the weapons held by the keeper of the guarded land, but dissipates when the weapon is released.
Command the Beast (Ex): As the Keeper comes closer to the Spirit of the Land, animals recognize this and often aid them in protecting the land. At this level, the keeper of the guarded land gains the ability to command any creature with the animal-type, similar to a cleric(’)s ability to command undead. While out(side) of (unecessary word) their guarded lands, a Keeper can command animals as if he was like (unecessary word) a cleric of half his caster level. This power is heightened when the Keeper is within his guarded lands, allowing him to command animals as if he were a cleric equal to his caster level. The animals effected by this command are able to understand directions given to them by the keeper of the guarded lands, but are still limited to their physical ability to perform tasks. The keeper of the guarded lands may command animals up to 4 (+cha modifier) times per day(.) +1 per Charisma modifier they possess. (remove)
Body of the Land (Ex): In a ritual held within the heart of the Keeper’s guarded land, the keeper is fully embraced by the Spirit of the Land, who permanently merges part of its being with the mortal coral (Hunh?) of the keeper. When the Keeper emerges from the ritual, the signs of his devotion to the land are evident upon his flesh, as the Keeper’s body has taken on some physical characteristics of his guarded lands. For example, a Keeper may emerge with a stony textured skin like an out cropping of rock and their eyes a deep watery blue like water from a pool that collects at the base of a tree, and their voice reminiscent of the wind whispering through the cave nearby.
The keeper of the guarded land’s type becomes Elemental (native) and he gains all of traits of the elemental type. In addition, the Keeper gains two slam attacks with damage based upon their size, a natural armor bonus of +4, and increases to his ability scores as follows: +4 on Strength, Constitution, and Wisdom and a +2 on Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma
Feat-
Extended Absence
Requirements: Must have the bonded spirit class feature.
Benefit: This feat allows a person with the bonded spirit class feature to extent the length of time that they are gone from their guarded lands by one day per point of Constitution modifier they possess.
Normal: Depending upon their level, a character with the bonded spirit class feature my (may) only be absent from their guarded lands for at most (remove) one to ten weeks at a time before they begin to incur temport Constitution damage .[/quote]
