Elven Gatekeeper

“No path is barred to me, no gate locked or door shut. I have walked a thousand worlds, and will walk a thousand more before death claims me. I have seen a sky full of stone and one full of flame. I have spoken to gods and feasted with long dead kings. What do you seek, mortal? I can find it if you dare speak.“

The Quintessential Elf II

Author Shannon Kalvar
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2004

Many people claim that the elves walk ways unknown to mortals. They say that elven roads travel far from the fields we know, into other planes. Some even say that elves do not truly dwell in mortal lands at all. Elven forests and elven homes, according to this view, exist only as expressions of a deeper truth.

Gatekeepers know the truth. Like all elves, they are as much spirits as mortals. Unlike their brethren, they turn their back on the mundane world for the far reaches of space and time. They learn the secret ways and forgotten gates that lead into other worlds. They learn a hundred charms to reveal the paths between the stars. This lore leads them ever onward, until they finally find whatever they seek.

Each gatekeeper takes up the keys of the world for a reason. Some wander for love of wandering. Others search for magical or practical knowledge. A few walk the worlds searching for an answer to some great question. Regardless of the reason, the reality of the quest binds gatekeepers into a loose fellowship. They share a common bond formed of experience and need.

Any elf of sufficient knowledge may take up the way of the gatekeeper. Rogues and tricksters find its movement abilities particularly useful. Wizards and sorcerers of a specific bent have any number of uses for the ability to transport themselves quickly from plane to plane. There are even gatekeepers from the warrior Professions, drawn by some great quest to the charms of opening and passage.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements

To qualify to become a gatekeeper, a character must fulfil all the following criteria:

Race: Elf or half-elf.
Skills: Knowledge (the planes) 10 ranks, Spellcraft 10 ranks.
Spells: Ability to cast 2nd level arcane spells.

Class Skills

The gatekeeper’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dexterity), Concentration (Constitution), Craft (all skills, taken separately) (Intelligence), Decipher Script (Intelligence), Disable Device (Dexterity), Handle Animal (Charisma), Heal (Wisdom), Jump (Strength), Knowledge (Arcana) (Intelligence), Knowledge (planes) (Intelligence), Listen (Wisdom), Open Lock (Dexterity), Perform (all skills, taken separately) (Charisma), Profession (all skills, taken separately) (Wisdom), Ride (Dexterity)(Dexterity), Sense Motive (Wisdom), Spellcraft (Intelligence), Spot (Wisdom), Survival (Wisdom), Use Magic Device (Charisma) and Rope Use(Dexterity).

Skill Points At Each Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.

The Gatekeeper
Class Level	Base Attack	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Charms of knowing
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Charms of passage	+1 level to existing class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Charms of opening	+1 level to existing class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Charms of sealing	+1 level to existing class
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Charms of breaking	+1 level to existing class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Charms of borders	+1 level to existing class

Class Features

All of the following are features of the gatekeeper prestige class.

• Armour and Weapon Proficiency: Gatekeepers gain no new proficiencies with any weapons, or with armour or shields.
• Spells: The gatekeeper continues to gain spell power, albeit more slowly than other spellcasters do. At every even level (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th and 10th), the gatekeeper gains new spells as though he had also gained a level in any one spellcasting class he belonged to before becoming a gatekeeper. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained.
• Charms of Knowing (Su): At 1st level the gatekeeper learns a hundred charms that reveal the passage of outsiders. He gains the ability to detect outsiders within 120 feet as a standard action, which must be maintained with a further standard action every round in order maintain the detecting effect. He may also follow the trail they leave as if he were using a detect spell appropriate to the creature’s alignment.
• Charms of Passage (Sp): At 2nd level the gatekeeper learns 64 charms that speed travel. He gains +10 to his base movement rate and can run at five times normal speed rather than four (or six times if he has the Run feat). He may travel for 12 hours a day without having to make a forced march. If the elf has 10 or more ranks in Ride (Dexterity)or Handle Animal, his mount will gain from this benefit as long as he is mounted upon it.
• Charms of Opening (Sp): At 4th level the gatekeeper learns 32 charms that remove barriers. The gatekeeper can spontaneously channel any 2nd level or higher spell he knows into a knock spell. If the elf has 10 or more ranks in Open Lock, he can always take 10 when attempting to open a lock. If the elf has 10 or more ranks in Disable Device he may always take 10 when attempting to disarm a trap. If the elf has 10 or more ranks in Survival, he may ignore movement penalties (both overland and tactical) for obstructed terrain.
• Charms of Sealing (Sp): At 6th level the gatekeeper learns 16 charms that seal the path before his enemies. As a standard action he can target one creature within 60 feet. That creature must make a Will save (DC 10 + the gatekeeper’s Charisma modifier). If he fails, then his base movement is reduced to 5 feet . If the character wishes to, he may channel stored spell energy into the charm; this increases the DC of the Will save by an amount equal to the level of the spell expended. Only one spell may be expended in such a way per attempt. The movement reduction will last for a number of rounds equal to the gatekeeper’s character level.
• Charms of Breaking (Sp): At 8th level the gatekeeper learns eight charms that break the bindings of magic holding outsiders to a world. As a standard action he may target one outsider within 60 feet. The outsider must make a Will save (DC 10 + the gatekeeper’s Charisma modifier). If the target fails, it is immediately banished. The gatekeeper receives a +2 synergy bonus to the ability’s DC for each of the following he possesses: 10 or more ranks in Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (the planes), Knowledge (religion), Spellcraft and the Magical Aptitude Feat.
• Charms of Borders (Sp): At 10th level the gatekeeper learns four charms that open gates to the other worlds. He can utter one as a full-round action to create a gate, as the spell, that lasts for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier. The gatekeeper may only use this ability four times a day.

Epic Gatekeeper

• Hit Die: d6.
• Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Intelligence modifier.
• Spellcasting: The epic gatekeeper gains new caster levels one of his existing caster classes every even level after 10th gatekeeper level (i.e. 12th, 14th, 16th, 18th and 20th). He does not gain any new spells after 20th level.
• Bonus Feats: The epic gatekeeper gains an additional feat every three levels higher than 20th. He may select epic feats from the SRD.