Slasher

Slasher

A Base Class for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

They are the things that go bump in the night, the very real monsters under your bed, and the killers in your closet. Slashers are inhuman monsters, tortured by something in their past and granted (or inflicted with...) supernatural abilities to extract their gory revenge. Tasked with seeking revenge they are given new accursed power so that they might ride the mortal world of its inhabitants. They bathe in the blood of the innocents, revel in the carnage they bring, and take solace in the pain they inflict upon their victims before their last scream fades...

Hit Dice: D12.

Role: A slasher is a murderous psychopath hellbent on killing. Most effective when their opponents do not know their weaknesses, they are capable of killing opponents en mass if not killed first.

Inspirations: Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Chucky, Sleepy Hollow.

Alignment: Any Evil

Starting Wealth: 4d6 × 10 gp (average 140 gp.). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The slasher’s class skills are Climb (Str), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (local) (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table 1-1: The Slasher

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+0	+0	+2	Accursed, calling card, silent killer, slasher (1), tragedy, weapon of grief
2nd	+2	+0	+0	+3	Water to blood, Slasher Talent
3rd	+3	+1	+1	+3	Dread (10 ft.)
4th	+4	+1	+1	+4	Implacable (1)
5th	+5	+1	+1	+4	Killer instincts, slasher (2)
6th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+5	Slasher Talent
7th	+7/+2	+2	+2	+5	Dread (15 ft.)
8th	+8/+3	+2	+2	+6	Implacable (2)
9th	+9/+4	+3	+3	+6	Slasher (3)
10th	+10/+5	+3	+3	+7	From beyond the grave, talent
11th	+11/+6/+1	+3	+3	+7	Dread (20 ft.)
12th	+12/+7/+2	+4	+4	+8	Implacable (3)
13th	+13/+8/+3	+4	+4	+8	Slasher (4)
14th	+14/+9/+4	+4	+4	+9	Slasher Talent
15th	+15/+10/+5	+5	+5	+9	Dread (25 ft.)
16th	+16/+11/+6/+1	+5	+5	+10	Implacable (4)
17th	+17/+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Slasher (5)
18th	+18/+13/+8/+3	+6	+6	+11	Slasher Talent
19th	+19/+14/+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Dread (30 ft.)
20th	+20/+15/+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Implacable (5), king of gore

Class Features:

The following are the class features of the slasher.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

The slasher is proficient with all simple and martial weapons. He is proficient with light and medium armor (not with any shields or heavy armor).

Accursed (Su):

A slasher lives for carnage and bloodshed. The curse that both afflicts and empowers them grows stronger with each killing they witness. They have a pool of curse point that they can expend to perform supernaturally brutal act to torment the lives of their victims and destroy their hope. A slasher gains 1 curse point whenever they witness a creature die and they gain 2 if they were the one that dealt the killing blow. A slasher can hold a number of curse points equal to twice his slasher level + his Charisma modifier. These points always refill to full at the stroke of midnight but otherwise can fluctuate throughout the day.

Silent Killer (Ex):

Slashers lose the ability to speak or communicate in a comprehensible fashion. They may comprehend others who communicate in a language they understand, but cannot speak themselves. Their normally breath heavily, growl, scream, or cackle when conveying emotion.

Tragedy (Ex):

At 1st level, the slasher selects one tragedy from the list below as a representation of the source of his accursed killing abilities.

Cursed One

Dark magic was at work, inflicting a powerful hex or blight upon the soul of a cursed one. Be they an honest man cursed by fell magic or an evil one condemned by just laws - their fate is sealed. This normally has some off effect on their appearance or demeanor. They can be made small, disfigured, branded, or anything else that marks them as forever cursed.

Boons:

• Skill: Gains Knowledge (arcane) (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha) as class skills.

• Dark Ward: The cursed one gains SR equal to 11 + their slasher level.

• Branded: At 1st level a cursed one selects an oracle’s curse (see Chapter X in the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide) and also gains the accompanying benefits at 5th, 10th, and 15th level. Not all curses are appropriate for slashers (particularly ones that grant them additional spells).

• • Suggested Curses: Deaf, lame, wasting

  • Not Allowed: Tongues

• Weakness:

• • If effected by a spell or hex originating from an enemy their fast healing is inverted for 3 rounds.

  • If they wield a magical weapon or wear magical armor whose enhancement bonus is greater than 1/3rd their slasher level their healing is inverted until they remove it from their person.

• Targets: Any creature with a caster level of at least 1 or any creature who is capable of using a spell-like ability.

Knight of Hell

Rejected by the devil and cursed to walk the world as the servant of his wicked will, a knight of hell on Earth. Knights of Hell are often either tragic figures who never deserved the curse they received or creatures so wicked in life even the devil doesn’t want them. Either way, they feel the compulsion to kill in the name of whatever dark god made them.

Boons:

• Skills: Gains Ride (Dex), Knowledge (religion), and Knowledge (nobility) as class skills.

• Proficiency: A knight of hell Is proficient with all armor and shields (including tower shields).

• Hell Mount: At 1st level, a knight of hell gains the service of a mount as per the mount class feature of the cavalier (see Chapter 2 in the Pathfinder Advanced Player’s Guide), using his slasher level as a his druid level, at 4th level this mount gains the infernal template in addition to its normal advancement, using his slasher level as a his druid level, at 4th level this mount gains the infernal template in addition to its normal advancement.

• Weaknesses:

• • Their fast healing is inverted for 3 rounds if damaged by a good-aligned weapon.

  • Their fast healing is inverted if they come within 30 feet of a holy symbol of a good-aligned deity. Their fast healing remains inverted until they are out of range.

• Targets: Any non-evil aligned creature.

Remorseless Killer

Slashers of this breed are serial killers, psychopaths, bloodthirsty warlords, and genocidal dictators who were convicted in life but not pardoned in death. Cursed to walk the world once more by fate (a summoning ritual gone wrong, a dark cabal resurrected them, the god of death needed blood spilt, etc) they revel only in bloodshed.

• Skill: Gains Survival (Wis), Knowledge (History), and Acrobatics (Str) as class skills.

• Total Slaughter: If the remorseless killer causes his victim to take bleed damage from his slasher class feature the amount of bleed damage per round triples.

• Gory Death: Creatures reduced to 0 HP by the remorseless killer are instantly killed and their body reduced to a great pool of blood with their personal effects strewn amongst the carnage.

• Weakness:

• • Their fast healing is inverted for 3 rounds if damaged by a lawful-aligned weapon.

  • Their fast healing is inverted if they come within 30 feet of a holy symbol of a lawful-aligned deity. Their fast healing remains inverted until they are out of range.

• Targets: Any lawfully aligned creature.

Restless Avenger

Consumed with the notion of torturous revenge a restless avenger seeks to exact his revenge on anyone or anything that has sleighted him. Often times they start out consumed with a specific act of revenge (avenging a loved one, finding a lost friend, freeing a wrongfully accused man, restoring family honor, etc) but sooner or later they become addicted to the thrill. Regardless of the road that leads them to the devil’s doorstep, they always seek supernatural aid to help them in a dark hour. Their new accursed existence knows no rest, no peace, and no end to their task.

• Skill: Gains Survival (Wis), Knowledge (History), and Acrobatics (Str) as class skills.

• Restless: The restless avenger never requires sleep and never grows tired. He does not need to sleep and gains the Endurance feat at 1st level as a bonus feat.

• Die Tired: Creatures who take damage from his slasher class feature are are fatigued for 3 rounds.

• Weakness:

• • Their fast healing is inverted for 3 rounds if damaged by a chaotic-aligned weapon.

  • Their fast healing is inverted if they come within 30 feet of a momento of something that reminds them of their first act of vengeance until they are out of range. This might be a lock of hair of the same color as their dead wife, a toy like the one their child once played with, shackles in the specific style that they had to wear when incarcerated, etc. Their fast healing remains inverted until they are out of range.

  • The tolling of a bell causes their fast healing to become inverted for 3 rounds.

• Targets: Any chaotically aligned creature.

Seeker of Power

How prideful is man that he deems himself a proper vessel for the wicked powers of the darkest parts of the occult? Often times a seeker of power is an arrogant mage or mere mortal who tries to cheat magic and use some kind of short cut. Perhaps they summoned a demon or had their soul reduced to a tattered vestige of it’s previous form by some raw dark energies. They could be magic users who partook in the necromantic ritual to become a lich and failed or tried to become the avatar of a dark god and were punished for their hubris. Either way, they receive a fragment of the magical power they sought but were nearly destroyed in the process...

• Skill: Gains Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (arcane), and Spellcraft (Int) as class skills.

• Dark Acolyte: The cursed one can cast prestidigitation at will. In addition, at the following levels he select a spell from the Sorcerer/Wizard spell list. He can cast any spell he gains in this fashion as a spell-like ability by expending a number of curse points equal to twice the spell level. If the seeker of power casts a spell in this fashion he takes damage equal to twice the spell level he just cast.

Table 1-2: Seeker of Power Spells

Slasher Level	Spell Gained
1st	1st-level spell
5th	2nd-level spell
7th	3rd-level spell
9th	4th-level spell
11th	5th-level spell
13th	6th-level spell
15th	7th-level spell
17th	8th-level spell
19th	9th-level spell

• Weakness:

• • Their fast healing is inverted for 3 rounds if damaged by a silver or cold-iron weapon.

• Targets: Any outsider.

Tortured Child

Made into a living monster by their parents, through torture and neglect- a tortured child gains their power from dark places. Sometimes their strengths comes from pleading oaths and promises whispered in the dark after a beating and answered by powers most fell. The tormentor need not only be a parent however. Siblings, more distant family members, priests, or teachers are also possible but the slasher must have been a child while in his moment of weakness. They are beings born out of fear and hate.

Boons:

• Skills: Gains Bluff (Cha) and Sense Motive (Wis) as class skills.

• Alone in the Dark: A tortured child is immune to fear effects and the DC of any fear effects caused by a tortured child are increased by 2.

• Bully: At 1st level, a tortured child gains a +1/3rd slasher level (minimum +1) as a profane bonus on attack and damage rolls against creatures smaller than it.

• Weakness:

• • Their fast healing is inverted for 3 rounds if a tortured child hears the cries of a baby.

  • Their fast healing is inverted if they come within 30 feet of an effigy/symbolic icon of a parent of the correct gender until they are out of range. (example: if his mother tortured him, it would be a small icon of a mother). This may also occur if they come within 30 feet of an item that causes them to painfully recall something from their childhood (a shirt that looks exactly like the ones they use to wear, a reed switch like the one their father use to beat them with, etc). Their fast healing remains inverted until they are out of range.

• Targets: Any humanoid.

Calling Card (Su):

At 1st level, a slasher selects one of the following calling cards. The slasher has a 60 foot radius of this effect that may be suppressed as a swift action. This only affects non-magical sources.

• Power Surge: “The torches of hell herald the coming of the devil.” Torches double in size and take on an eerie color of the slasher’s choosing. This doubles the area of brightness of non-magical light sources double. This also causes all spells with the fire descriptor to be cast at +1 caster level.

• • A torch normally increases light levels by 2 in a 20 foot radius and by 1 in a 20 foot radius  beyond that. With this calling card it would raise it by 2 in a 40 foot radius and by 1 in a 40 foot radius beyond that (for a total of 80).

• Snuff: “We will be fine as long as the light’s don’t go out.” All non magical sources of light automatically are suppressed. In addition, all magical sources of light are treated as if they were within a 60 foot antimagic field when the slasher is near. The slasher uses his slasher level as it caster level for this ability. This also causes all spells with the darkness or shadow descriptor to be cast at +1 caster level.

• Soundstorm: “One, two, buckle my shoe...” The area of the the slasher’s calling card is filled with a haunting melody, unsettling cackels, heavy breathing, or even the voice of a child singing a nursery rhymes. It cannot be used to communicate or be influenced to any great degree by the slasher. All concentration checks for enemies in the area of the calling card are made at a -4 penalty.

• Grave Chill: “W-why can I see my breath?” The air in the area of the the slasher’s calling card drops 60 degrees. Water breath turns to steam, water begins to freeze, and a chill creeps up people’s spine. In addition, any non-magical liquid freezes to a depth of 6 inches.  Creatures that were swimming on the surface of a targeted body of water become trapped in the ice. Attempting to break free is a full-round action. A trapped creature must make a DC 25 Strength check or a DC 25 Escape Artist check to do so. This also causes all spells with the cold descriptor to be cast at +1 caster level.

• Fountains of Blood: All non-magical water turns into blood. Any weakened pipes or loose fittings burst as if they were struck with 6 points of damage. The blood boils and spouts, creating small fountains. This also causes all necromancy spells to be cast at +1 caster level.

Weapon of Grief (Su):

At 1st level the slasher selects a weapon type appropriate to the slasher’s tragedy. Once the weapon has been selected it cannot be changed. He becomes proficient in the use of the weapon. If the weapon is an improvised or simple weapon, he selects the closest martial or exotic weapon it resembles and may use that weapon profile if he prefers.

If the slasher pays 1 curse point at the start of his turn he may add his Charisma bonus (if any) as a profane bonus on all damage rolls against good-aligned creatures and the target described in his tragedy's entry when wielding that weapon type until the start of his next turn.

Slasher (Su):

At 2nd level, a slasher can inflict supernaturally grievous wounds on an enemy. As an accursed agent of murder and spite, their weapon of grief drips with the taint of anger and hate. He may take a full round action to deliver a single attack at his full BAB. If it hits he may deal his normal weapon damage plus 1 point of ability score damage to an ability score of his choice or 1 point of bleed damage. At 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter the amount of ability score damage or bleed damage improves by 1 to a maximum of 5 at 17th level. he may spend an amount of curse points equal to the amount of damage he chooses to inflict to use this ability as the first attack in a full attack action

Slasher Talents:

At 2nd level and every 4 levels thereafter a slasher gains a new way to utilize the tragic curse placed upon his soul to terrorize his victims.

• Arsenal of Grief: A slasher with this talent may select a weapon group from the fighter weapon training class feature (see Chapter 3 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook) that the slasher’s weapon of grief is from and the bonus from the weapon of grief class feature applies to all weapon in that weapon group.

• Bloody Knife: A slasher gains the Bleeding Critical feat as a bonus feat even if he does not meet the prerequisites.

• Death Cackle (Sp): A slasher with this talent can, so long as he has at least 2 curse points, cast hideous laughter at will as a spell-like ability. He uses his full slasher level as his caster level. A slasher must be at least 6th level to select this talent.

• Death Eater (Su): A slasher can spend 1 curse point as an immediate action when a creature is killed within 30 feet of them to recover hit points equal to that creature’s HD to a maximum of the slasher’s own HD.

• Feed on Fear (Su): As a swift action when within 30 feet of a creature currently suffering from the frightened, panicked, or cowering condition the slasher can become full (as if they had just ate a meal). In addition, if this is the first time in a 24 hour period the slasher has fed on the fear of that specific creature, the slasher recovers 1d8 + 1/2 the HD of the creature.

• Forked Tongue (Su): The slasher ignores their silent killer class feature. In addition, the slasher gains a +4 profane bonus on Intimidate and Bluff checks.

• Go Unnoticed (Sp): A slasher with this talent can use disguise self at will, but only to appear as a normal, unassuming, creature of their base race. In addition, creatures tend to forget seeing the slasher, having to make an Intelligence check (DC 10 + the slasher’s Charisma modifier) to recall any specific detail about him.

• Hamstring (Ex): A slasher may forgo the ability score damage or bleed damage granted by his slasher class feature to reduce a creature’s movement speed by half until they receive a DC 15 Heal check. Creatures immune to ability score damage or precision damage are immune to this effect.

• Headless Horror (Su): The slasher can detatched their head as a swift action. The head functions as per normal while detached from the body. A slasher with a detached head gains blindsight 30 feet and their head continues to function. Dealing damage to the head causes damages to the slasher, but after an amount of damage equal to the slasher’s HD the head is destroyed and reforms at the start of his next round later atop the slasher’s body. A slasher can always chose to have their detached head whither away as a swift action. A slasher with this talent is immune to the vorpal weapon special ability. In addition a slasher with this talent can detach their head when subject to a critical hit to reduce the critical multiplier by x1 to a minimum of x2. A slasher must be at least 6th level to select this talent.

• Impending Doom: Double the radius of the calling card (120 feet). In addition, any increase to caster level caused by a calling card is +2 caster level for allies of the slasher (rather than +1. Enemies still receive the +1 caster level bonus).

• Right Behind You (Su): As a move action a slasher who no enemy creature can draw line of sight to can spend 3 curse points to teleport (as if by dimension door) to a square within 10 feet of an enemy. This square must offer him some kind of concealment or otherwise allow for him to make a Stealth check. If no such square exists, he cannot use this ability.

• Savage Slasher: A slasher using his slasher class feature may apply both their ability score damage and bleed damage option at the same time. If using the hamstring talent as well the slasher need only sacrifice one of the options. A slasher must be at least 9th level to select this talent.

• Scream Queen: Any creature killed by the slasher emits an ear-splitting scream if he so chooses to force them to do so. All allies of that who can hear the scream are subject to an Intimidate check to demoralize from the slasher (even if they can’t see him) made at a +2 profane bonus. A slasher with this talent can also chose to cause a creature to die without making a single sound.

• Shade (Sp): A slasher with this talent can spend 1 curse point as a move action to become invisible (as per the invisibility spell) until the end of their next turn.

• Twisted Calling Card: Select a second calling card. The slasher may have both, one, or none active at a time and may switch any or all on or off with a swift action. This may be taken multiple times. Each time grants him a new calling card.

• Victimiser: A slasher with this talent can channel his malice into the hunt for a specific creature. He may do this as a free action against any creature he had had contact with in the last 24 hours and this bonus lasts until the creature is killed or until the slasher picks a new victim. The slasher gains a +8 bonus on checks made to track the creature and applies twice his Charisma modifier to damage rolls via his weapon of grief class feature against them. A slasher must be at least 6th level to select this talent.

• Worst Nightmare (Su): Whenever an enemy creature within 30 feet of the slasher opens a door, moves a curtain, or otherwise opens a some sort of portal to a place the slasher could conceivably hide the slasher can spend 3 curse points as a free action that he may take, even if it his not his turn, to teleport to that location as a free action just before they open the door. He may expend a further 2 to curse points to make an attack of opportunity once he gets there. No matter how much the enemy creature searches the door, he does not detect the slasher on the other side because, until the moment he opens the door, the slasher is not there.

Dread (Su):

At 3rd level the first time a creature enters within 10 feet of a slasher in a 24 hour period it must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 slasher level + Charisma modifier) or be shaken for 3 rounds. Allies of a slasher are immune to this effect at his discretion (a free action). The radius of this effect improves by 5 feet at 7th level and by an additional 5 feet every 4 levels thereafter to a maximum of 30 feet at 19th level. At 7th level creatures who fail the Will safe are afflicted with the frightened condition for 3 rounds instead and at 15th level they are afflicted with the panicked condition for the same duration instead.

Implacable (Su):

At 4th level, so long as he has at least 1 curse point the slasher gains fast healing 1 + 1 at 8th level and every 4 levels thereafter. If introduced to their weakness this “inverts” their fast healing. This means that their fast healing is suppressed and they take twice as much damage as they normally would be healed for. Example: A 5th level slasher has fast healing 1. In the presence of their weakness, their fast healing is suppressed and they take 2 damage at the start of their turn instead.

Killer Instincts (Su):

At 5th level, the slasher gains lifesense 30 feet. This allows him to notice and locates living creatures within 30 feet, just as if it possessed the blindsight ability.

From Beyond the Grave (Su):

At 10th level, the first time in a day that the slasher is killed they are resurrected as per raise dead 1d4 hours after they die.

King of Gore (Su):

At 20th level, the first time in a day that the slasher is killed they are resurrected as per true resurrection 1d4 minutes after they die (this replaces from beyond the grave). In addition, creatures killed by a slasher are sent to an evil aligned underworld regardless of the creature’s true alignment. Finally, a creature who is killed by the slasher heals the slasher a number of hit points equal to x2 the killed creature’s HD.