Dominator of Belial Prestige Class — D&D 3.5e
D&D 3.5e Prestige Class · Infernal Covenant · Belial’s Servants
At a Glance
- Class
- Dominator of Belial; ten-level prestige class
- Rules
- D&D 3.5
- Patron
- Belial, Lord of the Fourth
- Role
- Melee coercion, fear, charm and infernal endurance
- Alignment
- Lawful Evil
- Hit Die
- d6
- Skills
- 4 + Intelligence modifier per level
- Progression
- Three-quarter BAB; strong Fortitude and Will; weak Reflex
- Spellcasting
- No spells per day, spells known or caster-level advancement
- Entry
- BAB +6, Intimidate 12 ranks, required feats and an infernal pact
- Epic path
- Continues beyond class level 10 once the character is eligible for epic advancement
Role and Fantasy
The Dominator of Belial turns injury into obedience. This infernal prestige class rewards a combatant who closes with a foe, wounds them, then uses fear or enchantment to break their resistance. Its signature powers are the burning Touch of Fire, the dread of Presence of Pain and the punishment of enemies already caught in its grasp.
The Fourth Hell, Phlegethon (Phlegethos), embodies oppressive heat, suffering and the pursuit of power through pain. Dominators pledge themselves to Belial and carry that philosophy into mortal courts, guilds and households. A dominator might rule a fortress, lead a temple cult, govern as a merchant prince or control a city’s watch. Restrictive laws, curfews and unequal treatment of subjects become instruments of personal authority.
Fighters, Monks, Rangers and Rogues can pursue this path. It can also tempt a fallen Paladin who chooses a different route from the Blackguard. A spellcaster can enter, but pays for these infernal powers by giving up further spellcasting advancement during the prestige class.
A dominator seeks command over mortals while remaining bound to an infernal superior. Lawful Evil describes that allegiance and conduct; it does not make every cruel ruler a fiend or every mortal authoritarian a servant of Belial.
Entry Requirements
A character must meet every requirement before taking the first level of Dominator of Belial.
- Alignment: Lawful Evil
- Base Attack Bonus: +6
- Skills: Bluff 4 ranks, Intimidate 12 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks
- Feats: Devotee of Darkness (Belial), Persuasive, Vile Martial Strike (or Vile Ki Strike or Vile Natural Strike)
- Special: The dominator of Belial must have made peaceful contact with a greater devil (at least CR 15). The devil then instructs the would-be dominator on the process to submit to the will of Belial, Lord of the Fourth.
Earliest entry: Intimidate 12 ranks requires at least nine character levels under the normal class-skill rank limit. The first prestige-class level can therefore be character level 10, provided the character also meets the BAB, feat and contact requirements. Cross-class skill costs still apply when buying ranks through a class that lacks Intimidate.
The pact: Peaceful contact is a negotiated encounter with the devil, not merely seeing one, fighting one or surviving its attack. The required oath binds the character to Belial’s service. The class gives no additional automatic penalty for breaking that oath; resolve the pact’s consequences through its agreed terms and the campaign.
Class Progression and Mechanics
Hit Die: d6. Skill points at each level: 4 + Intelligence modifier, with the normal minimum of 1. The class has three-quarter base attack progression, good Fortitude and Will saves, and a poor Reflex save.
Class Skills
The dominator of Belial’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Charisma), Escape Artist (Dexterity), Gather Information (Charisma), Intimidate (Charisma), Move Silently (Dexterity), Open Lock (Dexterity), Sense Motive (Wisdom), Sleight of Hand (Dexterity), Spot (Wisdom), Rope Use (Dexterity).
| Lvl | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Touch of Fire; True Torturer |
| 2 | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Presence of Pain |
| 3 | +2 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Punishment +1d6 |
| 4 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Presence of Passion |
| 5 | +3 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Embracement of Pain |
| 6 | +4 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Punishment +2d6 |
| 7 | +5 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Revelation of Pain |
| 8 | +6 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Soul of Fire |
| 9 | +6 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Masochist; Punishment +3d6 |
| 10 | +7 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Suffer |
Spellcasting interaction: No level of this class advances a prior spellcasting class. Its supernatural powers imitate particular spells and use total character level where their descriptions say so; that is separate from the caster level of any Cleric, Sorcerer or other spellcasting class the character already has. Class level controls the listed saving throw formulas, target limits and Revelation of Pain’s duration.
Ability types: Extraordinary (Ex) features follow the normal rules for extraordinary abilities. Supernatural (Su) features are magical, do not provoke attacks of opportunity, are suppressed by antimagic, and normally ignore spell resistance. A power that references a spell keeps that spell’s effects except for the changes specifically stated in the feature.
Daily uses: Touch of Fire, Presence of Passion and Suffer each have their own daily allowance equal to the Charisma modifier. No minimum of one use is stated: a modifier of zero or less provides no uses. Presence of Pain has no daily limit; Revelation of Pain begins at one use per day.
Class Features
Weapon and Armour Proficiency — Level 1
A dominator of Belial gains proficiency with simple weapons, as well as ranseurs and whips. The dominator also gains proficiency with light and medium armour, but not with shields. In the hands of a dominator of Belial, whips may cause lethal or non-lethal damage depending on the desires of the dominator.
Touch of Fire (Su) — Level 1
The touch of a dominator may transmit scalding heat. A number of times per day equal to the dominator’s Charisma modifier, the dominator may cause 1d6 points of fire damage on any successful melee or whip attack. Touch of Fire damage does not stack with fire damage from other sources. The dominator also receives fire resistance 10.
True Torturer (Ex) — Level 1
The dominator receives a +4 bonus to all checks related to torturing victims as described in the Book of Vile Darkness. Thus, appropriate Bluff, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks are modified as necessary during torture sessions.
Presence of Pain (Su) — Level 2
The presence of a dominator can fill those around her with a tremendous sense of pain and dread. As a standard action, the dominator can cause all within five feet of her person to suffer from intense pain. Those within the radius must succeed on a Will save DC = 10 + the dominator’s class level + the dominator’s Charisma modifier or fall under the effects of fear as cast by a sorcerer of the dominator’s character level.
Punishment (Ex) — Level 3
The dominator excels in further harming those already writhing in pain. Any creature that the dominator has successfully struck in melee or with a whip within the last four rounds or any creature under the influence of the dominator’s Presence of Pain or Revelation of Pain suffers an additional +1d6 points of damage from subsequent dominator melee attacks. The dominator can select whether or not this extra damage is lethal or non-lethal in nature. The amount of extra damage the dominator can cause increases by 1d6 every three levels. Creatures that are immune to critical hits are likewise immune to Punishment.
Presence of Passion (Su) — Level 4
The dominator can cause those who have been harmed by her to seek to please her in order to avoid further torture. The dominator can attempt to cast charm person on any being that has sustained more than 10 points of damage from one successful melee attack she has caused as a standard action. The dominator may attempt this power a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier. The Will save DC = 10 + the dominator’s class level + the dominator’s Charisma modifier + 1 for every 5 points of damage beyond 10. All forms of damage stack for the purposes of determining the modifier. The charm person behaves as the spell as though cast by a sorcerer of the dominator’s character level with the following adjustments. First, due to the nature of the Presence of Passion, the victim affected by this power does not receive a bonus to the initial saving throw.
Second, the victim will do almost anything to avoid more pain, and suffers a -2 penalty to all Charisma checks when asked by the dominator to perform a deed not in his nature. Finally, if the victim is asked to do something suicidal, he will do it in order to avoid future reprisals, but receives a Will saving throw to overcome the effects. Once the effect of the Presence of Passion wears off, the victim perceives the dominator in a very hostile light. The dominator may not charm more than one person per class level in this manner.
Embracement of Pain (Ex) — Level 5
The dominator receives a boon against effects that should harm or otherwise incapacitate her as she is filled with passion rather than pain. This translates into a +2 bonus to all saving throws made against fear and pain effects; furthermore, such spells against which the dominator fails are only half as effective and last half as long.
Revelation of Pain (Su) — Level 7
Once per day as a standard action, the dominator may cast symbol of pain as a sorcerer equal to her character level. This symbol of pain takes only one action to cast rather than 10 minutes, but lasts for only five minutes per the dominator’s class level. Those under the effects of Revelation of Pain also suffer -4 penalties to saving throws and Charisma checks against any of the dominator’s subsequent attacks or spells.
Soul of Fire (Ex) — Level 8
The dominator receives complete immunity to all fire attacks. Additionally, the dominator’s Touch of Fire now deals 1d10 points of damage which stacks with fire damage from other sources. In addition, the dominator may attempt to use any fire-based magic item as if she had full skill ranks in Use Magic Device with a +4 competence bonus.
Masochist (Ex) — Level 9
The dominator receives intense pleasure when harmed or otherwise damaged. Any time the dominator suffers five or more points of damage from one attack, she receives a +1 bonus to attacks, initiative, saving throws, and skill checks; the DCs to her dominator specific special abilities likewise receive a +1 bonus. These bonuses remain for one round. Furthermore, the dominator never suffers from massive damage attacks and does not fall unconscious upon reaching 0 or fewer hit points; however, she automatically dies when she reaches -10 hit points. The dominator may deliver this damage to herself if she so desires.
Suffer (Su) — Level 10
The dominator has reached the pinnacle of her power as a slave of Belial. She achieves complete immunity to fear or pain effects. When engaged in melee combat, those who successfully harm the dominator find that half of the damage they cause is dealt to them in turn at the end of their action. Finally, the dominator may attempt, as a standard action, to dominate person anyone that she has successfully harmed in melee combat or with a whip; this must be done within 4 rounds of actually dealing the damage. This spell functions as though cast by a sorcerer of the dominator’s character level and has a Will save DC of 10 + the dominator’s class level + the dominator’s Charisma modifier + 1 for every 10 points of damage a dominator dealt in a single attack. The dominator may attempt to affect a number of victims per day equal to her Charisma modifier, and may have up to 10 dominated slaves at any one time. Those released from the dominator’s power hate her with a passion, perceiving her in a very hostile manner.
Features in Play
- Establish an opening. Strike a foe in melee or with a whip. That hit qualifies the foe for Punishment on later melee hits during the next four rounds; the first qualifying hit does not gain the extra damage merely by establishing the condition.
- Choose damage or control. Presence of Pain consumes a standard action and affects creatures within five feet, including allies. It does not replace one attack in a full attack. Moving into a packed melee makes it easier to reach enemies but harder to spare companions.
- Exploit the wounded foe. Presence of Passion requires more than 10 damage from one successful melee hit. Add together that hit’s damage components, not the damage from an entire full attack. The control attempt then uses its own standard action.
- Track the right level. A 14th-level character with five Dominator levels uses character level 14 for the referenced fear and charm effects, but class level 5 in their class-based DCs and limits.
- Spend fire deliberately. Before Soul of Fire, Touch of Fire cannot add another fire source to the same hit. At level 8 it becomes 1d10 and can stack with other fire damage. Fire resistance and immunity remain relevant to the final damage.
Worked example: A Dominator 5 with Charisma 14 has two daily uses each of Touch of Fire and Presence of Passion, and a base Presence of Pain DC of 17. A single melee hit dealing 21 damage raises Presence of Passion’s DC by 2, to 19. The target limit for that charm is five creatures. These numbers do not grant any new spell slots.
Reading the victim: True Torturer modifies the listed skill checks during the source’s interrogation procedure. It does not force truthful testimony, detect guilt or replace the effects of a truth-detecting spell. An intimidated witness can lie, misunderstand an event or give the answer they think will end the questioning.
Builds and Multiclass Interaction
Martial entry: A Fighter can meet BAB and Intimidate requirements without sacrificing a developing spell list. Charisma supports daily uses and saving throw DCs; Constitution helps offset the d6 Hit Die. The class supplies neither full BAB nor bonus combat feats, so it exchanges some direct fighting growth for control and endurance.
Rogue entry: A Rogue can build the social and perception skills needed for a coercive operator. Punishment is a separate feature from sneak attack: it uses its own qualifying conditions, and creatures immune to critical hits are immune to Punishment. Do not count its dice as sneak attack dice for a feat or other requirement unless that rule explicitly permits it.
Cleric and martial entry: Matthew Hopkins demonstrates the Fighter 2 / Cleric 7 / Dominator of Belial 5 combination at CR 14. His seven Cleric levels retain their own spellcasting; the five Dominator levels add infernal features, not five more levels of Cleric spells. A new player build must still account for every prerequisite, including skill costs and the required feats.
Whip use: The class grants whip proficiency and a choice of lethal or nonlethal damage. It does not explicitly remove the weapon’s other restrictions, grant attacks of opportunity with it or change its normal reach. Check the whip rules before choosing armour-breaking or reach-based feats.
Edition use: These are D&D 3.5 class levels. Use an NPC’s complete 5.5e, 5e or Pathfinder stat block when running that version of the character; its listed actions, saves and resources govern that encounter. A converted NPC’s challenge rating and attacks are not a player-class progression.
Rules and Balance at the Table
The Dominator of Belial is strongest against creatures susceptible to fear, pain and mental control. Undead, constructs and other creatures with relevant immunities can shut down major parts of its toolkit. Its d6 Hit Die, reduced attack progression and lack of spellcasting advancement are significant costs, particularly for a primary caster.
Action economy: Presence of Pain, Presence of Passion, Revelation of Pain and Suffer’s domination each require a standard action. They compete with attacking and ordinary spellcasting. Touch of Fire is applied to a successful hit; the source specifies no separate activation action. Do not turn a standard-action control power into a free rider on each weapon hit.
Damage and DCs: The original Passion and Suffer formulas have no stated ceiling. Large single-hit damage can therefore raise their DCs sharply, and Revelation of Pain further penalises a victim’s saves against the dominator. Multiattack totals do not count as one hit. Masochist’s +1 bonus comes from the same feature each time: under the normal same-source stacking rule, another qualifying hit refreshes the one-round benefit rather than adding another +1.
Defence and capstone: Embracement of Pain applies to fear and pain effects, not all incoming damage. Suffer returns damage to the attacker; it does not say that the dominator takes half damage. Soul of Fire supplies fire immunity at class level 8, and Suffer’s immunity to fear and pain arrives at level 10. No non-epic level is entirely empty: levels 3 and 6 improve Punishment even though they add no new named power.
Agree These Rulings Before Play
Some details are not defined by the class text. The following are practical table rulings, separate from the features above.
- Targets: Presence of Passion says “any being” and Suffer says “anyone”, while their referenced spells target humanoids. A conservative ruling keeps the spells’ humanoid restriction; a broader ruling should name exactly which creature types are eligible. Mind-affecting immunity still matters.
- Passion’s timing: Unlike Suffer, Presence of Passion gives no explicit time window after the qualifying hit. Agree a window; four rounds is a convenient house rule matching the other wound-triggered features.
- Revelation’s save: No class-specific DC is given for Revelation of Pain. A spell-based ruling uses DC 15 + Charisma modifier for the fifth-level symbol effect, plus Masochist when applicable. Record this ruling rather than assuming the separate Presence of Pain formula applies.
- Symbol duration: Decide whether five minutes per class level replaces only the rune’s active duration or also limits the lingering pain after a victim leaves its area. The referenced spell normally leaves pain lingering for an hour. State the choice before placing the symbol.
- Half effectiveness: Halve measurable damage or numerical penalties from an affected fear or pain spell, and halve its duration. A binary condition has no meaningful half-strength state; agree how it is handled. This is not resistance to ordinary weapon wounds.
- Fire items: For Soul of Fire, define a fire-based item by the effect being activated. A practical interpretation uses maximum class-skill ranks for the virtual Use Magic Device ranks, then adds Charisma and the +4 competence bonus. It does not grant extra actions or waive other activation requirements.
- Returned damage: Let Suffer return half the damage actually suffered from the triggering melee attack, rounding down. Treat this return as a single echo that cannot trigger another Suffer echo. That prevents two dominators from creating a damage loop.
For player characters: Establish whether this pact and its coercive powers suit the campaign before selecting the class. If the table wants limits on damage-based DC escalation, self-inflicted Masochist triggers or long-term domination, agree those house rules explicitly; they are not hidden restrictions in the original progression.
Epic Dominator of Belial
An epic dominator extends the same pattern of injury, control and endurance. A ten-level prestige class can advance past level 10 only once the character is already at least character level 20; class level 11 is therefore gained at character level 21 or later. A Fighter 9 / Dominator 10 at character level 19 must gain another eligible level before entering this epic continuation.
Hit Die: d6. Skill points per additional level: 4 + Intelligence modifier. Follow the epic rules for character-level attack and save bonuses rather than extending the non-epic BAB and save columns indefinitely.
- Punishment (Ex): At class level 12, and every three class levels thereafter, increase Punishment by +1d6. This continues Punishment; it does not grant a separate sneak attack feature.
- Revelation of Pain (Su): At class level 14, and every seven class levels thereafter, gain one additional daily use.
- Bonus feats: At class level 13, and every three class levels thereafter, select a bonus feat from the class’s epic bonus feat list. Meet that feat’s normal prerequisites.
| Class level | Features |
|---|---|
| 11 | — |
| 12 | Punishment +4d6 |
| 13 | Bonus feat |
| 14 | Revelation of Pain: 2/day |
| 15 | Punishment +5d6 |
| 16 | Bonus feat |
| 17 | — |
| 18 | Punishment +6d6 |
| 19 | Bonus feat |
| 20 | — |
The dashes indicate no new listed feature; Hit Dice and skill points still advance. Punishment continues at levels 21, 24 and every three thereafter. Revelation of Pain rises to three uses per day at class level 21. Bonus feats continue at class levels 22, 25 and every three thereafter.
Epic DCs: Apply the epic prestige-class rule to formulas based on class level: count only half the class levels beyond 10, rounding down. Character-level spell effects remain distinct from that class-level DC calculation.
Epic Dominator of Belial Bonus Feat List: Epic Endurance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Weapon Focus (whip), Epic Weapon Specialization (whip), Fast Healing, Great Charisma, Great Constitution, Great Dexterity, Improved Touch of Fire, Perfect Health, Superior Initiative.
Charisma remains the principal ability for the class’s control powers. Constitution and feats that improve endurance help an epic dominator survive the close combat needed to trigger Punishment and Suffer.
Tomás de Torquemada is the linked example of an epic Dominator of Belial.
Campaign Placement
A dominator works well as an infernal official whose mortal authority makes direct confrontation costly. Give the character a concrete office, followers with their own motives and a pact with terms the adventurers can discover. A lawful title does not justify the cruelty, and an infernal patron does not make every subordinate equally evil.
- The sealed testimony: Several witnesses repeat the same account after private audiences with the official. Evidence from outside the controlled household exposes the contradiction.
- The furnace charter: A merchant house has purchased protection from Phlegethos. Its chief enforcer uses the class’s fire resilience and control powers to secure the bargain.
- The broken pact: The dominator’s infernal superior demands a service that threatens the ruler’s own position. The party can exploit that conflict without mistaking it for repentance.
In combat, use escorts, terrain and a clear retreat plan. Keep friendly creatures outside Presence of Pain’s five-foot radius. Track wound windows, charmed or dominated victims and daily uses openly enough to resolve the encounter consistently. Allies and called devils contribute separately to encounter difficulty.
Dominator of Belial — Rules Questions
What is the earliest level a character can enter?
Normally the first Dominator of Belial level is character level 10. The 12-rank Intimidate prerequisite requires a character of at least level 9 under the ordinary 3.5e class-skill rank limit, and the character must also meet the base attack, feat and peaceful-contact requirements.
Does the prestige class advance spellcasting?
No. Its ten levels do not increase spell slots, spells known or spellcaster level from a previous class. Any supernatural feature that imitates a spell is governed by that feature’s own rules; it does not grant a general spellcasting progression.
Which features are usable without spell slots?
The listed supernatural and extraordinary class features function as described in the class-feature entries. Check each feature’s action, range, saving throw and daily use allowance rather than treating all the powers as a shared pool.
Are there official fifth-edition or Pathfinder versions?
This page records the original D&D 3.5e prestige class and its epic continuation. No published Pathfinder 1e, D&D 5e (2014) or D&D 5.5e (2024) conversion is claimed here. Any adaptation into those systems requires a separate, clearly labelled rules design and should not be treated as an official class option.
Where can the class appear in a campaign?
An established dominator may serve as a magistrate, cult leader or court official, while the related Matthew Hopkins entry provides a campaign NPC connected to this prestige class. See Campaign Placement for encounters that do not depend on an immediate fight.
Sources and Licensing
Class source: The Gates of Hell (Dicefreaks), Grimoire of Cosmic Entities, Volume One, by Eli Atkinson, William Church and Serge W. Desir, Jr. Original concept by Serge W. Desir, Jr. The Dicefreaks d20 Community source thread lists the netbook’s chapters, including Prestige Classes of Perdition. Retain the source’s own copyright, Open Game Content and Product Identity notices when reusing its material; an artwork licence does not license the class rules.
Rules reference: The d20 SRD epic rules explain eligibility, epic attack and save bonuses, and the treatment of class-based saving throw DCs.
Artwork: The opening painting is Edwin Austin Abbey’s The Play Scene in Hamlet (1897). The historical painting below is by Nikolai Nevrev (1898). The anonymous silhouette is Openclipart artwork credited under CC0; see its Wikimedia Commons source.
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