The Gaming Den

I got bored, so I spent some time plotting a game I'm going to DM pretty soon. I want to use that Acid Mage class I essayed a while back for an antagonist NPC, and had a minor epiphany about how to take it.

I remembered someone saying it should be more visceral, so it got turned into a mutating aberration whose job in combat is minor battlefield control, direct damage, and ability damage, in the form of poison and disease-related abilities.

Wastemaker
"Do not cross me this day. Do not cross me, for I will take the flesh from your very bones and have marrow therein, and all whom are loved by you will be afflicted with the most foul diseases and die achingly in puddles of the pus from their sores mixed with their own vomit."

Filth wasn’t invented until civilization was. Waste degrades naturally, and most animals don’t make that much of it. However, once people started living in cities, that’s when real filth started appearing. Magic, though, has always been around, and it interacts with the world in strange ways. This is especially true of the Wastemakers.

It's known that rare individuals are naturally magical, and if they’re raised around refuse and disease, such as are found in the slums of a city, there is a fair chance their natural magic will take on the virulent nature of their environment. Wastemakers generate their effects at least semi-naturally, and they rapidly become aberrations of their original race, with their physiologies mutating as they gain new abilities. Of particular interest are the coin-sized orifices on the palms of the hands and on raised tubes attached to the forearm, from which a Wastemaker’s mist and acid abilities are issued.

HD: d8
BAB: Medium,
Good Saves
Class Skills: The Wastemaker’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Each skill individually, Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (-), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill points 4+Int.

1 Acid Magic, Acid Resistance, Burning Gob, Acid Spray, Robust
2 Acid Body, Aberration, Alchemic Tweak, Poison, Obscuring Mist
3 Concentrated, Diseased Sting, Natural Weapon, Strong Stomach, Water Walk,
4 Acid Immunity, Fog Cloud, Fog Sight, Fog Walk, Dripping
5 Acid Arrow, New Poison, Waterbreathing
6 Poison and Disease Immunity, Virulent, Stinking Cloud
7 Black Dragon Breath, Neutralizing Secretion, Splashing
8 Melts in your Brain, New Poison, Solid Fog, Debilitating, It’s Ugly, but it’s a Magic Ugly.
9 Poison Mist, Diseased Cloud
10 Consume, Debilitating
11 New Poison, Great Virulence,
12 Acid Fog, Debilitating
13 Caustic, Really Virulent
14 Acid Cloud, New Poison, Foul Air, Debilitating

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: A Wastemaker is proficient with all simple weapons and with all clubs and flails, and is proficient with light armor and shields (But not tower shields).


Acid magic (Su): A Wastemaker is considered to have every spell with the Acid descriptor for the purposes of activating magic items

Acid Resistance (Ex): A Wastemaker has acid resistance of twice his character level

Burning Gob (Sp): A Wastemaker may shoot a gob of acid as a standard action. It has short range and does 1d6 per character level, and is a ranged touch attack.

Acid Spray (Sp): As an standard option, Wastemaker may fill the air around him with acidic spray from special pores on his body. It which goes out to ten feet and dissipates after a round. Any other creature in the mist takes 1d6 acid damage.

Robust (Ex): The Wastemaker adds his class level or his constitution bonus, whichever is lower, to his damage rolls with acid attacks.

Acid Body (Ex): The Wastemaker’s chemistry has altered itself. This causes no harm to the Wastemaker, but their blood, sweat, and saliva are now strongly acidic. Any creature that harms the Wastemaker with piercing or slashing damage in melee takes 1d6 damage from the spraying blood. In addition, the weapons used to do this take 1d6 damage, ignoring hardness. If the Wastemaker is harmed by a natural weapon, such as a claw or bite attack, the attacker takes max damage from the acid body. Should the occasion arise, an Wastemaker’s saliva does 1d4 damage per round. Should the Wastemaker ever desire to have this trait removed, in the event of wanting children or being able to kiss somebody without branding them, it can be removed with a Limited Wish, Wish, or Miracle.

Alchemic Tweak: As a standard option Wastemaker can alter the chemistry of a being’s or object’s form, making it form a small amount of acid. This ability does 6 damage (Plus the extra from Bitterness) which can be halved upon a failed Fortitude Save (DC 10 + ½ HD + Charisma). Should the target fail its save, it continues to take damage, the original amount being halved each successive round (round down in the case of fractions), disappearing the round after it reaches 1. This can be used out to medium range and always hits.

Poison (Sp): As a standard action, a Wastemaker may fire a gob of poison out to short range. It causes a Fort save upon a ranged touch attack, but only does 1d4 damage to a physical stat, chosen when this ability is gained. The save DC is 10 + one-half character level + Constitution modifier. Every third level (5, 8, 11, 14) afterwards, an Wastemaker may select a new attribute to target. At level 8, a Wastemaker gains Melts in Your Brain, and may now make poisons that affect mental attributes. A Wastemaker is immune to his own poisons.

Obscuring Mist (Sp): At 2nd level, An Wastemaker may use Obscuring Mist as a spell-like ability at will, projecting the mist from raised openings on his arms.

Aberration: From 2nd level on, a Wastemaker’s physiology has diverged from his original type, and it will only continue to do so. His type changes to Aberration and he gains his previous

Concentrated (Ex): From 3rd level on, a Wastemaker’s acid cuts through Acid Resistance, hardness, and Immunity. No more than one-half of the damage inflicted by his acid damage can be negated by hardness, immunity or resistance to acid.

Natural Weapon: At 3rd level, a Wastemaker’s body deforms to make a natural weapon. It may inflict one of piercing, bludgeoning, or piercing damage, and deals a base of 1d8 damage with a critical multiplier of 19-20/x2 (for a medium creature).

Note: The weapon is usually grown from or out of the Wastemaker’s dominant arm, and the form varies from Wastemaker to Wastemaker. It can be a asymmetrically long and bulky arm for a slam attack, long claws on the end of the hand, a curving blade of bone yanked into attack position by tendons, a long bone spike, or even a tentacle. Adjust the stats to fit the weapon, increasing the reach, threat range and crit multiplier by one point in exchange for downgrading the damage die by one step for each point of increase. Thus, the weapon could have a damage of 1d6 and a critical multiplier of x3, or a threat range of 18-20, or even an extra five feet of reach. The damage die can be decreased decreased twice. Once the natural weapon is chosen, it cannot be changed.

The natural weapon does not usually interfere with the functioning of the hand on that arm, but if it does, increase natural weapon attribute by one step to compensate. The Wastemaker’s other arm is still his off-arm and suffers the appropriate penalties.

If the natural weapon is not an arm and is instead an additional limb, (such as vestigial limb or a tail or similar), it uses half of the Wastemaker’s strength bonus

Diseased Stinger (Ex): A Wastemaker’s body contains every disease he’s been exposed to, and he may inflict any of them upon someone, via a stinger that grows on his natural weapon. Stinging inflicts deals an additional 1 point of damage, and is done as a standard action, after which it may not be used for 1d4 rounds, and a person is infected with a disease upon a successful attack roll. The disease’s onset is immediate.

Strong Stomach (Ex): A Wastemaker is immune to sickening and nausea.

Water Walk (Sp): At level 3, a Wastemaker reacts strangely with water. A Wastemaker has Water Walk as a spell-like ability at will, which he may activate as a free action and lasts until he decides to deactivate it.

Acid Immunity (Ex): At level 4, a Wastemaker is immune to acid damage.

Fog Cloud (Sp): At level 4, an Wastemaker has Fog Cloud as an at-will spell-like ability.

Dripping: At level 4, a Wastemaker’s natural weapon secretes acid in drips, and does an extra 1d6 of damage upon a successful hit.

Fog Sight (Su): A Wastemaker’s vision in fog and mist is unhindered for no reason whatsoever.

Fog Walk (Su): Likewise, he takes no ill effects from any fog, mist, or cloud abilities, ever.

Acid Arrow (Su): At level 5 a Wastemaker may use Acid Arrow, as the spell, as a spell-like ability, caster level equal to character level.

Waterbreathing (Ex): A Wastemaker gains the ability to breathe in water as easily as he does in air.

Poison and Disease Immunity (Ex): At level 6, a Wastemaker’s body is now so far from the usual of its race that it is completely untouchable by disease or poison of any kind.

Virulent: At level 6, an Wastemaker’s poison and disease abilities, while not exceptionally strong, are definitely different from most anything you’ll encounter. They overcome immunity to non-magical poisons and diseases.

Stinking Cloud: At level 6, a Wastemaker may use Stinking Cloud as a spell-like ability, at will.

Black Dragon Breath: At level 7, a Wastemaker may produce a short-range cone or a medium-range line of acid as an attack option. This does 1d6 per character level, and offers a reflex save (DC 10 + one-half level + Con bonus) to take half damage.

Neutralizing Secretion: At level 7, should the Wastemaker be concerned about the well-being of his party comrades, may produce an acid-neutralizing [EDITED] in liquid or mist form that can be substituted for any acid or mist ability they have. A person or object coated in the secretion gains Acid Resistance 20. If used to replace the acid effect of Black Dragon breath and used upon a pool or puddle of acid, it renders the hazard inert and harmless (though slimy).

Splashing: A Wastemaker’s natural weapon does increased acid damage on a critical hit. Upon a successful critical hit, the natural weapon does an additional 1d10 of damage. If its critical multiplier is x3, it does 2d10. If it is x4, it does an extra 3d10 upon a critical hit.

Debilitating: Each time a Wastemaker gains this ability, he or she develops a poison that debilitates the enemy rather than does ability damage. The conditions available include sickened, dazed, dazzled, and fatigued and use the same save as the poison ability does and last a number of rounds equal to 1d4 + the Wastemaker’s Con bonus.
Special: Choosing the same affliction twice upgrades it. Sickened upgrades to nauseated, dazed upgrades to stunned, dazzled upgrades to blind, and fatigued upgrades to exhausted. An upgraded affliction lasts for a number of rounds equal to 2 + half of the Wastemaker’s Con Bonus

It’s Ugly, but it’s a Magic Ugly (Su): A Wastemaker’s natural weapon gains 1 point of enhancement bonus for every three character levels he has, and may be enchanted like other magic weapons, except the Wastemaker has to physically be present for the entire process (use the rules for enchanting Warforged).

Solid Fog (Sp): A Wastemaker may now use Solid Fog as a spell-like ability.

Poison Mist (Ex): The Wastemaker may now use Obscuring Mist, Fog Cloud, or Stinking Cloud, and make the resulting fog/mist an inhaled poison, as per their poison ability. Any being that walks through the cloud or is caught in it must make a Fort save each round or be poisoned.

Diseased Spray (Su): A Wastemaker may take a standard action and project a 20-foot-cone that exposes all within it to a disease he has been exposed to.

Consume (Su): After a Wastemaker’s acid has inflicted damage on a creature, the Wastemaker may reabsorb it next round, provided he can touch it, and heal half the damage done.

Shape Fog: As long as it has the same volume, a Wastemaker may direct their mist and fog abilities to fill squares they choose, thus creating walls and rings and hollow spots within the cloud.

Acid Fog (Sp): An Wastemaker may use Acid Fog as a spell-like ability at will.

Caustic (Ex): An Wastemaker’s acid now ignores all hardness and bypasses acid immunity.

Even More Virulent (Su): A Wastemaker's poisons and disease overcome all immunity to them, except that possessed by a non-living creature.

Acid Cloud (Sp): An Wastemaker may generate large amounts of acidic fog as an attack action. He may produce 3 10’ cubes per character level of this acid, and it does 1d6 per character level to everything in it. It stays for a duration of 1 minute/2 levels.

Foul Air (Su): At 14th level, a Wastemaker may surround himself with a cloud of contaminated air. He selects one of his diseases or poisons each time he uses this effect and every creature within a 15-foot-radius (centered on the Wastewalker) must make a Fort save each round or contract that disease or poion. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to the Wastewalker's Con modifier.

In this case 'waste makes haste'. Not something many PCs would be willing to hunt down or encounter.
Magic Ugly, indeed.

"Aberration" is unfinished but I assumed they count as, well, an Aberration.

Defining immunities to fog or cloud spells would be much easier if 3.x included subtypes to define such effects. Would it be too powerful to simply resist all [Water] and [Air] magic?

And please define mundane immunity. Extraordinary immunity?