Scion of the Storm

The world is not peaceful.

Originally Posted by Hyooz of the Giant in the Playground Forums.

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There is no ‘natural Balance’ to enjoy or be preserved. There is only the world’s fury. Everyone knows the world’s wrath, many have seen hurricanes or tornadoes, volcanoes, earthquakes, lightning storms, or wildfires. The Scions of the Storm can hear the world itself crying out in anger, and become vessels of its rage. Their mission is grander than any forest sentinel, dedicated to protecting a few trees. Something much greater is always at stake, and in a blind rage, you have to expect a few self-inflicted wounds.

I feel it… the fury of the world itself. It will consume us all in its blistering gale. –

Alice Zenith, tiefling Scion of the Storm

BECOMING A SCION OF THE STORM

Scions of the Storm are not recruited, but awakened. Those who are already tapping into the world’s weapons eventually realize why the world has such weapons. A pattern forms in their mind as they see and hear of storms around the world. Then they can hear it. The festering rage deep within the world. If they choose to continue listening, and perhaps act on what they hear, then the Scions gain their power.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Alignment: Any Chaotic
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 3rd level arcane or divine spells. Must be able to cast at least 3 spells with the Earth, Electricity, Fire, Water, or Wind descriptor.
Skills: Knowledge (nature) 8 ranks,
Special: Must have personally witnessed destruction from a natural disaster, be this a storm, a tidal wave, an earthquake, etc.

Class Skills

The Scion of the Storm’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Constitution), Craft (Intelligence), Diplomacy (Charisma), Handle Animal (Charisma), Heal (Wisdom), Knowledge (nature) (Intelligence), Listen (Wisdom), Profession(Wisdom), Ride (Dexterity), Spellcraft (Intelligence), Spot (Wisdom), Survival (Wisdom), and Swim (Strength).
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence

Hit Dice: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Storm Aspect, Storm Beacon	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Fury Strikes	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Call Storm	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Storm Ally	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Storm Aspect, Eye of the Storm	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Inner Storm, Driving Rain	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Dual Storm, Grand Storm	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
8th	+6	+6	+2	+6	Improved Storm Ally	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	Storm Aspect	+1 level of previous spellcasting class
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	Storm Avatar, Ultimate Storm	+1 level of previous spellcasting class

Weapon Proficiencies: A Scion of the Storm gains no new weapon or armor proficiency.

Storm Aspect: ”I am the wind. The tornadoes bow to my will. Mountains are worn away before me.” While a Scion of the Storm represents the entirety of the world’s power, he chooses a particular storm as his preferred weapon.

Select one of the following: Earth, Electricity, Fire, Water, Wind.

Storm Beacon (Su): From the very beginning, the Scion is followed by storms. Wind whips around him in his anger, lightning crackles in his eyes, and the earth trembles at his step. He increases the DC of all spells with the descriptor of his Storm Aspect by half his class level.

Fury Strikes (Su): ”Unarmed? Do you not feel that wind? The earth beneath you? You’ll find my weapon quite formidable.” When the Scion of the Storm attacks with an unarmed attack, natural weapon, or melee weapon, he gains benefits based on Storm Aspects he possesses. See the table below for details.

• Earth: Your strikes shatter the earth beneath your foes. When you hit with an attack, a 3×3 square centered on your foe becomes difficult terrain. This only works if both of you are standing on the ground.
• Electricity: Lightning crackles through your body, coursing through your attacks into your foe. Your blows gain the Shocking weapon property.
• Fire: The flames deep within the earth rumble, lashing out at your foe. Your blows gain the Flaming weapon property.
• Water: Your blows are like a torrential rain, drenching your foe with the sky’s fury. Your foe takes a -2 to AC for 1d4 rounds.
• Wind: Howling winds whip around you, buffeting your foe. Your foe takes a -2 to attack for 1d4 rounds.

Call Storm (Su): ”You call your pathetic spells lightning? You say that’s wind? Let me show you real power. The world itself lashes out at you!” A Scion isn’t much without his storm. When a Scion summons his first storm, he truly awakens to the power he has stumbled upon. As a full-round action, the Scion can tap into the world’s anger and bring forth a storm, centered on himself. You can call any storm on the list below, you gain a special extra, however, if the storm matches a Storm Aspect you possess.

These storms are quite destructive, both to man and nature alike. Areas struck by storms of the magnitude a Scion can generate often leave regions devastated. Luckily, a Scion typically can only generate such a magnitude over a fairly limited radius, but the destruction wrought to manmade structures and natural areas should not be taken lightly.

• Earth: The ground is shorn, shaking and breaking with a mighty roar and rumble. For 1d6 rounds, a radius of 50’ becomes difficult terrain. Also, all creatures in the radius must make a Balance check DC 15+(your base casting stat modifier) or be knocked prone.
• Aspect Bonus: Creatures prone at the beginning of their turn take 1d6 bludgeoning damage/class level. Also, the storm lasts 1d6+2 rounds instead of only 1d6 rounds.

• Electricity: Dark clouds loom overhead. Suddenly, a bolt of energy strikes, searing the ground and destroying what it hits. Once a round, for 1d6 rounds, everyone in a 50’ radius from where you initiated the storm must make a reflex save. In the event of a tie, the creature with the lowest Dexterity score loses. The creature with the lowest save instantly takes 3d6 electricity damage.
• Aspect Bonus: The damage increases to 5d6 electricity damage, and the duration increases to 1d6+2 rounds instead of 1d6 rounds.

• Fire: Magma oozes from the ground or fiery hail descends from the heavens. However it happens, the world unleashes its fury in flame. For 1d6 rounds, all creatures in a 50′ radius take 3d6 fire damage (reflex save DC 15 + (primary casting stat) for half).
• Aspect Bonus: The reflex save DC increases by 3, and the duration increases to 1d6+2 rounds instead of 1d6 rounds.

• Water: Rain pours unceasingly, inundating an area. Vision is distorted, and the ground is slick. A 50’ radius suffers the effects of a fog cloud and grease effect (DC 15 + primary casting stat). This will last for 1d6 rounds.
• Aspect Bonus: The duration increases to 1d6+2 rounds. The fog cloud effect increases to solid fog.

Wind: Horrible winds shriek and wail, ripping the bark from trees and buffeting even mountains. All ranged attacks in a 50’ radius suffer a 50% miss chance, and the area acts as if severe winds are blowing through it. The duration is 1d6 rounds.

Aspect Bonus: Wind strength increases to Windstorm strength, and the duration increases to 1d6+2 rounds.

Storm Ally (Su): ”Alone? Ha. I never fight alone.” The storm and rage within the Scion is released. Clouds pour from his mouth and nose, lightning leaping from him into the billowing mist. A small portion of the Scion’s power stands manifest, rumbling and threatening your death. Once per encounter, as a standard action, the Scion of the Storm can summon a medium Storm Elemental who will assist him as if he had used a Summon Monster spell for 1 round/level.

At 8th level, the size of the elemental you can summon increases to Huge.

Eye of the Storm (Su): “No, I don’t feel a draft, actually. “Storms are only fearsome to those who do not command them. Winds whip the rain around you, and you tread lightly upon the flames licking at you. A 10’ circle, centered on you, is unaffected by any storm, called by you or otherwise. You can activate or deactivate this ability at will.

Inner Storm (Su): Once per encounter, you can unleash the storm raging within you in a burst of incredible speed and energy. Storms, by nature, are volatile, however, so tapping directly into their power comes at a cost. As a swift action, you can unleash your power, and immediately take up to a standard action. You are, however, fatigued until the end of the encounter.

Driving Rain (Su): “Wet? Cold? I’m afraid I can’t sympathize.” Storms are an oppressive presence to those who don’t bask in their power. Movement is more difficult, they shiver or falter, and their will to press forward is shorn. While within the radius of one of your storms, creatures take a -2 penalty to all saves against your spells and class abilities.

Dual Storm (Su): When using your Call Storm ability, you can call two storms simultaneously. The effects of both happen over the same area and have the same duration. In the event where you call only one storm that matches one of your Storm Aspects, use the shorter of the two durations.

Grand Storm (Su): The radius of all your called storms increases to 100’.

Storm Avatar: A transformation occurs. The storm’s rage is so much a part of his nature, his very body shifts to make room for it. Lightning crackles openly across his flesh, wind swirls around him constantly, the earth trembles where he treads, and his eyes burn with fire. He gains elemental traits, his type changes to elemental, and he gains specific bonuses based on the Storm Aspects he possesses.

• Earth: A Scion of the Storm possessing the Earth aspect can pass seamlessly through the ground. He gains the Earth Glide ability as an earth elemental.
• Electricity: The storm rages in him, lightning possesses his soul. He is driven by the spark deep inside. The Scion of the Storm does not take damage from electricity spells. Instead, he is healed 1 point for every 3 damage he would have taken.
• Fire: The flames of the earth reside deep within the Scion. How can you hope to burn him? The Scion of the Storm gains fire immunity.
• Water: His very blows are as the typhoon and tempest. He swims freely in floods and basks in the impact of a tidal wave. He gains a Swim speed of 60ft and a constant water breathing effect.
• Wind: The tornadoes bow to you. Hurricanes come at your whim. The mightiest wind is nothing more than your very breath. The Scion with the Wind aspect no longer needs to breath for any reason, and can cast gust of wind at will as a supernatural ability (DC 10 + 1/2 hit die + primary casting stat).

Ultimate Storm (Su): A Scion of the Storm can command the ultimate power the world has to wield against its inhabitants. It takes time, but if a Scion so chooses, cities will fall. As a ritual that requires 8 hours of uninterrupted meditation, the Scion of the Storm can conjure a storm or powerful storm (see the DMG pg 93-94) over an area up to 100 miles away. For storms that require a certain terrain type, that terrain must be present to invoke the storm. The storm, once conjured, will last as long as the storm typically would, and is out of the Scion’s control.

Additionally, his power to manipulate his own storms becomes even greater. When using your Call Storm ability, you can call three storms simultaneously. The effects of all three happen over the same area and have the same duration. In the event where you call a storm that does not match one of your Storm Aspects, use the shortest of the three durations.

Fallen druid

druid‘ command of nature makes it easy to become a member of this class. It does, however, require a disregard for nature that druid find abhorrent. The storms wielded by this class cause wanton destruction. Yes, the same is true of their natural counterparts, but to willingly invoke such destruction is simply impossible to rectify with the druid‘s code. druid who choose to forsake their respect for nature and embrace the power of the storm, however, do have access to more than normal Scions.

druid Levels	Abilities gained
1-2	You retain your druidic casting, and you qualify for Scion of the Storm despite not being able to cast spells.
3-4	You gain access to another Storm Aspect.
5-6	Your animal companion abandoned you, but your Storm Ally becomes a permanent companion similar to the animal that used to serve you. Its size increases at 8th level as normal.
7-8	You gain access to another Storm Aspect.
9-10	Your Scion of the Storm levels stack with your druid level to determine wildshape forms and number of times/day it can be used.
11+	A fallen druid of this stature immediately gains a Scion of the Storm level for each level of druid he trades in. The character level of the character does not change. With the loss of druid levels, the character no longer gains as many extra abilities for being a fallen druid.

PLAYING A SCION OF THE STORM

A Scion will continue to play very similarly to how he played before. He will prefer weather related spells, and may wade into melee combat more often. The main consideration for a Scion is how, when, and where to use his storms. He must consider his allies, if he has any, as well as their effect on the area around him.

Combat: His weather related spells will be his best friend. Their DC will be boosted more than most of his spells, especially in his storms.

Advancement: The primary choices in advancement will be the aspects he takes, and when to take them. These aspects effect everything from his melee attacks to his storms, so the choices should not be made lightly.

Resources: Worldly resources will be rare, but natural resources are extensive.

SCIONS OF THE STORM IN THE WORLD

“She strode in through the hurricane… it looked like the rain wouldn’t even touch her. What the hell are we supposed to do against that?” – Mark Allen, castle guard

Scions of the Storm are a rare breed. Arcanists typically have other things to distract themselves with than playing with the weather or making the wind change. Most of those who wield divine magics serve gods who do not prefer manipulation of the natural world; those who do revere nature do just that, and playing with storms is unthinkable. There is the occasional man or woman, however, who witnesses the might of a hurricane and hears more than the wind and rain. They hear an odd harmony. A Balance being restored. A respect for the world itself being won back. They choose to forsake what they once knew and pursue the storm’s might, knowing there must be more to their power than sheer destruction.

Daily Life: The daily life of a Scion will look very much like the daily life of a typical druid. They wield an incredible power, yes, but most are not driven to use it at every possible instance. Some, indeed turn the storm’s power toward their own gains, and they are incredible opponents to all that is sane in the world. Most, however, prefer a more judicious use of their abilities. They are never friends of the law, given a single use of their central power can level buildings. Many will spend their time contemplating what brought them here, trying to see the butterfly’s wingflap that brought the storm personified to this city’s doorstep.

Notables: The best known Scions are Thomas Ulric and Alice Zenith. The two knew nothing of each other, yet their destinies were intertwined. Thomas was an arcanist, studying how magic could be used to influence weather patterns. There was a seed of darkness in him, however, and his pursuit of knowledge turned into a power the world hadn’t seen before, as he turned hurricanes against mighty cities to drag them to their knees.

Alice was a druidess, studying in the covens. Already a bit of an outcast because she was a tiefling, when she became interested in the nature of the storm, she was outcast entirely. She found her powers, though, and at nearly the same time as Thomas, became a Scion. Her nature was purer, however, and when Thomas began his rampage, only she could stand up to him.

Their confrontation was a legendary clash of power. It is said the plains that now exist near where they eventually met in battle were once a might mountain, brought to its knees by their battle. In the end they were both undone by the other, and peace once again had a chance.

Organizations: Scions are outcasts more typically than they are welcomed anywhere. It is very difficult for them to find berth with any organization in particular once their abilities become known.

NPC Reaction

The most common response is typically one of awe, as one would feel watching a great storm in the distance. Many, however, are outright terrified of the Scions, and many others still outright hostile. Anyone who has lost a loved one to a storm will find the Scion particularly objectionable.

SCIONS OF THE STORM IN THE GAME

The Scion’s storms, while his signature ability and central to the class, must be used with caution. Their outright power may be limited in the grand scheme of magic, but a range of destruction that does not differentiate friend or foe must always require consideration before being used. The environmental results of a storm should also be considered by the DM in particular. A rainstorm may not destroy a wooded area, but a fire storm would have a devastating effect.

Adaptation: The Scion could, instead of merely finding power from the world, tap into some alternate, chaotic source of his powers. Perhaps a god in your setting enjoys a little storm here and there. The flavor is fairly mutable. The storms themselves need not even be natural storms. Perhaps your Scion is simply a master of elements.

Certain storms can be tweaked if your campaign is taking place in certain environs. Rain may not be common in the arctic north, but a snowstorm is very possible.

Encounters: An encounter with a Scion would make an excellent big bad or other climactic encounter. Consider good use of the Ultimate Storm ability. A man standing stoic in the middle of a city being ravaged by tornadoes is a powerful image.