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Acolytes of the skin seek to gain power by replacing their skin with that of a demon's.

Requirements

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Acolytes of the skin gain no additional proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Spells per Day: At every second level gained in the acolyte of the skin class, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, metamagic or item creation feats, hit points beyond those he receives from the prestige class, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an acolyte of the skin, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Wear Fiend (Su): An acolyte of the skin summons the essence of a fiend to himself and wears it like a second skin. The Ritual of Bonding is painful and not be undertaken lightly. The ritual requires 10 rounds from initiation to completion, and once begun, nothing can halt its progress. The fiendish essence subsumes the caster's own skin, an agonizing process that deals 1d4 points of damage each round of the ritual—wise candidates keep some cure potions on hand.

At the end of the rite, the acolyte's skin sports an oily, almost unnoticeable sheen. However, as he gains additional levels of the prestige class, his skin darkens, sprouts spikes, and gradually gives the wearer a fiendish visage. The fiendish essence also begins to whisper foul secrets to its wearer, urging him to evil. (The wearer may accept or ignore this advice according to his temperament.)

The bonded fiendish skin is for all intents and purposes the character's own. It grants the acolyte of the skin a +1 natural armor bonus, a +2 inherent modifier to Dexterity, 60-foot darkvision, and the spell-like ability poison once per day as cast by a 16th-level caster.

The DM determines the actual nature of the skin, be it demonic, devilish, or some other fiendish creature.

Flame Resistant (Ex): At 2nd level, the fiendish skin binds tighter, granting the acolyte fire resistance 20.

Fiendish Glare (Su): At 3rd level, the acolyte of the skin gains the supernatural ability to unnerve opponents with a ferocious glare once per day. This is not a gaze attack, and the target need not meet the acolyte's eye. Glaring is a standard action that affects any creature he can see within 100 feet. Opponents must succeed at a Will save (DC in the acolyte's eyes, suffering a —2 morale penalty to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws for 10 minutes. A creature with 50 or fewer hit points is also stunned for 3d4 rounds, one with 51 to 100 hit points is stunned for 2d4 rounds, and one with 101 to 150 hit points is stunned for 1d4 rounds. A creature with 151 hit points or more is not stunned but still suffers the —2 morale penalty if it fails its saving throw.

Fiendish Knowledge: The fiendish skin whispers promises of great power, and to prove it, reveals a hitherto unknown ability. At 4th and 8th level, the acolyte chooses a bonus feat for which he already meets the prerequisites.

Skin Adaptation (Su): By 5th level, skin and wearer have grown more comfortable together, as if they had never been separate. The natural armor bonus granted by the fiendish skin increases to +2, the acolyte's darkvision improves to a 120-foot range, and he can now use poison twice per day as cast by a 16th-level caster. In addition, the acolyte gains an inherent +2 modifier to Constitution.

Cold Resistant (Ex): At 6th level, the fiendish skin confers cold resistance 20.

Glare of the Pit (Su): At 7th level, the acolyte gains the supernatural ability to produce fiery rays from his eyes. Once per day as a standard action, he can project two rays (one from each eye) with a range of 100 feet. He may aim both at one target, or one each at two different targets, by making a ranged touch attack. A ray that hits the target deals 8d6 points of fire damage. If both rays hit the same target, the damage is 16d6.

Summon fiend (Sp): At 9th level, the acolyte learns to draw on another power of his fiendish skin. If the skin is demonic, once per day he can attempt to summon a vrock with a 35% chance of success; if devilish, once per day he can attempt to summon a gelugon with a 35% chance of success. The summoned creatures do the acolyte's bidding but automatically return whence they came after 1 hour. A fiend that has just been summoned cannot use its own summon ability for 1 hour. At the DM's discretion, using this power leaves the acolyte beholden to the summoned fiend.

Symbiosis: At 10th level, the fiendish skin and the acolyte are one, and only final death can separate them. His type changes to «outsider», which means (among other things) that he is no longer affected by spells that specifically target humanoids, such as charm person, but he can be hedged out by a magic circle spell against his alignment. Additionally, the acolyte gains damage reduction 20/+1.

Advancement