Classes/Grim Knight

Class Details:
Hit Die: d12

Type: Hybrid

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features
The following are class features of the grim knight.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
grim knights are proficient with all simple weapons and simple armor.

If this is the character’s first level in a class he gains proficiency with the Scythe and all martial armor.

Casting
A grim knight may combine spells and talents to create magical effects, and uses his choice of Intelligence or Charisma as his Casting Ability Modifier.

If this is the character’s first level in a casting class he gains a single discipline feat he qualifies for, may choose his casting type (See Casting Types on the Magic page), and may increase the casting time of a spell by 2 steps to ignore the spell failure caused by casting in light armor; if the grim knight possesses the armored caster feat he may instead use this ability to ignore the spell failure caused by casting in heavy armor.

Mystic Pool
A grim knight learns to push their natural energies to create both the magical and extraordinary. This pool contains a number of points equal to his levels in grim knight. A mystic pool may be used as a stamina or a spell point pool, though it does not stack with either when determining the size of either pool. Similar to a stamina and spell point pool, a mystic pool restores itself after a long rest.

At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter the mystic pool’s size increases by an additional 1. If he obtains a mystic pool from another class or source he may combine the pools and their levels to determine the total capacity of the mystic pool. If this is the character’s first level in a class their mystic pool’s capacity increases by an additional 2.

Classes with a mystic pool count as both Martial and Casting classes for the purposes of determining MPB and SPB, and if this is their first level in a martial or magic class.

Implements
A grim knight may choose a grimoire, sickle, or scythe as an implement.

Magic Talents
A grim knight gains 1 magic talent at every time he gains 1 BCB from his grim knight level, each magic talent may be used to learn a new talent or new spell the grim knight qualifies for. In addition, he gains a bonus spell (but not talent) for every 3 BCB he gains from this class.

Death Affinity (Su)
The grim knight is magically attuned to the ways of death. If this is the grim knight’s first level in a magic class he gains his choice of Cold or Dark affinity as a bonus affinity talent.

The grim knight uses his class level as his BCB for the purposes of casting spells of Necromancy keyword and chooses one of the following specializations granting him a single spell and bonus stance feat. The Grim Knight does not gain the bonus stance feat if this is not his first level in a martial class, and cannot use any class feature that relies on the granted stance until he gains the granted stance:


 * Vampire: The Grim Knight gains Life Thief as a Bonus Spell and Power Stance as a bonus feat.
 * Litch: The Grim Knight gains Disruptive Touch as a Bonus Spell and his choice of Skirmisher Stance or Power Stance as a bonus feat.
 * Necromancer: The Grim Knight gains Animate Dead as a Bonus Spell and Skirmisher Stance as a bonus feat.

Umbral Pool (Su)
At 2nd level the grim knight gains access to an additional pool of power known as an umbral pool. An umbral pool allows the grim knight to fuel a number of abilities they possess as well as enhance their weapon. This umbral pool has a number of points equal to 1 + his charisma modifier (minimum 3) and refreshes once per day when the grim knight regains his mystic pool for the day. A grim knight may spend 1 point from his Mystic Pool to regain 3 points of his umbral pool.

A grim knight may spend 1 point from his umbral pool as a swift action to empower a sickle or scythe he is wielding with the chill of death, causing it to deal 1d4 additional cold or dark damage for 1 minute. At 5th level this damage improves to 1d6, 2d4 at 10th; 2d6 at 15th, and gains an additional 1d6 every 5 levels thereafter. The damage is determined at the point this ability is used and is limited to the type of affinity talent he currently knows or has prepared.

Dark Gift (Ex/Su)
At 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter the Grim Knight gains a dark gift that he qualifies for. If a dark gift calls for a save attack it is made at 1d20 + ½ SPB + Charisma modifier, adding any enhancement bonuses from his implement to the save attack.

For a complete listing of dark gifts, see Table - Dark Gifts.

Grim Tactics (Su)
At 3rd level, the Grim knight expands his tactics, gaining additional prowess based on his specialization chosen at first level. The Grim Knight selects one Grim Tactics ability from the following list:


 * Vampiric Hunger (Vampire): You gain Vampiric Touch as a bonus talent even if you do not meet the prerequisites. While in power stance, you may spend an umbral pool point and make a focused attack action with your sickle or scythe. If the attack hits you gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage caused by the attack as if the creature was damaged by the vampiric touch spell, except these spell points expire after 1 round. You may spend an additional spell point as normal when using this ability to allow the vampiric touch apply the effects of the life thief spell.
 * Close Quarters Casting (Litch): Once per round after successfully hitting a creature in melee with a sickle or scythe you may spend a reaction to cast your Disruptive Touch spell as a melee touch attack at a -2 penalty on the struck creature; this casting does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Attacks made with spellstrike may not trigger this ability.
 * Necromatic Tactician (Necromancer): You gain Skirmisher’s patrol as a bonus feat if you don’t already possess it. Once per round as an immediate action when a creature provokes an attack of opportunity from your Skirmisher’s patrol you may spend a mystic pool point to cause your controlled undead from Animate Dead to leap up to 30 feet towards the target and make a single attack against the creature if this leap puts them within range.

Grim Reaper’s Swing (Su)
At 5th level, the Grim Knight gains additional proficiency with Sickles and Scythes. When wielding a Sickle or Scythe appropriately sized for him these weapons deal damage as if they were one size category larger, and are treated as having the keen masterwork modification; this ability does not stack with keen or other abilities that increase the critical threat range of a weapon. In addition the Grim Knight gains a +1 deific bonus on attack and damage rolls with a Scythe or Sickle; this bonus improves by +1 for every 4 levels after 5th.

Grim Touch (Su)
At 7th level, the grim knight may spend 2 points of his umbral pool as a standard action to deal dark damage to a touched living creature. The grim knight deals 1d6 damage plus an additional 1d6 at for every 3 levels of grim knight he possesses after 1st. The grim knight may instead use this ability as a move action if targeting an undead creature, and heals them instead of harming them. If the grim knight targets himself with this ability, using it is only a swift action but it harms him unless he is undead or has an ability that allows him to be healed by dark damage or be treated as undead for healing.

This ability may be treated as a spell to be used with spellstrike or any ability that would allow the Grim Knight to cast the Disruptive Touch spell.

Umbral Empowerment (Su)
At 9th level, the grim knight further empowers his Umbral Pool allowing him an additional benefit based on his specialization chosen from the list:


 * Hungering Blade(Vampire): The Grim Knight may spend 2 points from his umbral pool as a swift action to treat his currently wielded Scythe or Sickle as if it possessed Greater Vampiric special weapon ability for 1 minute. This may be in addition to any special abilities the weapon already possesses.
 * False Life(Litch): The Grim Knight may spend 2 points from his umbral pool as a standard action to grant himself 1d10 + his Charisma modifier as temporary hit points. These temporary hit points last 1 hour. At 15th level this ability improves to 2d10+charisma modifier.
 * Empower Dead (Necromancer): When the Grim Knight may spend a move action to touch one of his undead to grant them a +4 deific bonus to a single ability score of your choice for 10 minutes per Grim Knight level. The Grim Knight may use this ability as part of his Grim Touch ability; if used as part of the Grim Channeling Dark Gift he must spend an additional Umbral Pool point for each of his undead he wishes to enhance. For every 4 levels after 9th the Grim Knight may enhance an additional ability score of his animated dead with this ability.

Unlife Transformation (Su)
At 11th level, the grim knight learns to focus his energies of death, temporarily and partially transforming himself into one of the unliving. As a move action the grim knight may undergo unlife transformation, treating himself as undead for the duration of the ability, allowing abilities such as his Grim Touch to heal him, as well as determining what spells may affect him that require a living creature. In addition while this ability is active the grim knight gains immunity to dark damage and vulnerability to light damage. This ability may be used for a number of rounds per day equal to half his levels in grim knight level plus his charisma modifier though these rounds do not need to be consecutive. The grim knight may end this ability as a free action. One the unlife transformation has ended the grim knight is fatigued for twice the number of rounds he spent in unlife transformation.

Dark Form (Su)
At 13th level, when entering an unlife transformation the grim knight may choose to treat it as the transformation spell for the purposes of adding traits. The grim knight may add 2 traits + 1 per 5 levels of grim knight he possesses and cannot grant the same trait more than once. This causes the Dark Form to be treated as a polymorph spell. If using this ability the Unlife Transformation now exists the grim knight for 1 minute when it ends.

In addition the grim knight gains access to the following list of special traits that he may apply to only his dark form:


 * Undead Will: The grim knight gains immunity to fear effects, unless those fear effects would bypass the immunities of undead.
 * Undead Vitality: You gain fast healing 1.
 * Shadow Veil: You emit an area of darkness around you reducing the light level by 1 step within 30 feet.
 * Fear Aura: You may activate a fear aura as a reaction, causing creatures within 30 feet to be subject to a will save attack (1d20 + ½ SPB + Charisma modifier), adding any implement enhancement bonuses you possess. A successful save attack causes creatures to become shaken while within the fear aura and an additional 1d4+1 rounds after leaving it. For each degree of success the fear effect is increased by 1 step. You may end the fear aura as a reaction.
 * Blood Drain (requires Vampire specialization): You gain the Blood Drain universal ability.
 * Grim Ray (requires Litch specialization): You may use your Grim Touch ability on creatures up to 30 feet away as a ranged touch attack.
 * Undead Mutations (requires Necromancer specialization): You may grant a single trait to each of your undead from animate dead for the duration of the Unlife Transformation.

Misfortune Aura (Su)
At 15th level, the grim knight learns that misfortune and death go hand in hand gaining a 20 foot aura of misfortune. Whenever a living creature attempts to roll a d20 within 20 feet of a grim knight, he may spend 2 umbral pool points as an immediate action. The targeted creature must roll two d20s and take the lowest roll before applying any modifiers.

Unholy Might (Su)
At 17th level, while within his unlife transformation the grim knight may gain a +6 enhancement bonus to a single ability score of his choice

Greater Death Affinity (Su)
At 19th level, the grim knight gains an additional benefit based on his specialization. He may select one benefit from the list based on his specialization:


 * Mist Form (Vampire): The grim knight learns to utilize one of the methods of escape available to vampires. Once per day, when the grim knight would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points he may as an immediate action instead automatically set himself to 1 hit point, and become an incorporeal body of mist. While in this mist form he gains the immunities of an incorporeal creature, and gains a fly speed equal to twice his land speed with perfect maneuverability, and is otherwise immune to all combat maneuvers; but otherwise may still be harmed while in this form. While in this form the grim knight may not take any other actions besides move, and may immediately move up to his speed as part of activating this ability. This ability lasts for 5 minutes and the grim knight may choose to end it early as a move action.
 * Lesser Phylactery (Litch): The grim knight learns to make a lesser phylactery, allowing him to retain a portion of himself to assist in rebuilding his form. As long as the grim knight has his lesser phylactery on his person and not stored in an extradimensional space he may once per day activate his lesser phylactery as an immediate action granting himself regeneration 5 for 1 minute. The grim knight may use this in response to an attack that would kill him. If the grim knight’s body is completely destroyed, the phylactery is destroyed or removed from his person, or his body is within an anti-magic zone this regeneration is immediately removed and cannot restore the grim knight.
 * Dark Sacrifice (Necromancer): You’ve learned to tie your soul to your undead minions allowing them to receive damage in your stead. Twice per day if the Grim Knight would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points he may instead as an immediate action split the incoming damage between himself and his undead minions. A single animated dead cannot take more than their maximum hit points in damage, but otherwise the grim knight may choose to distribute the damage as he wishes between himself and his undead minions.

Master of Death (Su)
At 20th level, the grim knight becomes an avatar of death, becoming an instrument of the reaper’s will. Creatures slain by the grim knight cannot be brought back to life by any means short of divine intervention. In addition the grim knight gains lifesense 60.