Death Dealer

The barbarian is a killing machine, a fearless destroyer of men. Yet, that is not his only purpose in life.

Quintessential Barbarian II

Author Patrick Younts

Series Quintessential Series

Publisher Mongoose Publishing

Publish date 2004

The barbarian kills when he must but avoids killing others when he can, for he sees no purpose in senseless death. Such is not the case with the death dealer. The death dealer is a barbarian who has allowed his rage to overwhelm him, who has embraced his killing instincts and immersed himself in the red tide of deadly fury. As a warrior, the death dealer is feared above all others, for he knows no fear, no compassion in battle and no equal in homicidal ferocity. He goes where he will, does as he will and strikes down any who would dare to raise sword and fist against him. For all his killing fury, the death dealer is not necessarily an indiscriminate killer; only evil death dealers kill without reason, though even good aligned death dealers have little in the way of kindness to offer anyone.

The death dealer is the perfect prestige class for a Player who wishes his character to recall the iconic barbarian of such famed artists as Frank Frazetta. Dark and brooding, cloaked in shadows and blood, such barbarians are dangerous and powerful and their predatory nature calls out to our darker impulses.

Hit Die: d12.

Requirements

In order to qualify for the death dealer prestige class, the character must meet or exceed all the following requirements.
Base Attack Bonus: +11.
Skills: Intimidate 13 ranks, Survival 13 ranks.
Feats: Eye of the Tiger, Infamous Killer, Weapon Focus (any two-handed
melee weapon).
Alignment: Any chaotic.
Special: Must possess the ability to rage.

Death Dealer
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+0	Red eyes
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+0	Greater rage
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+1	Weapon Specialisation, Deadly intent 1/day
4th	+4	+4	+1	+1	haste 1/day
5th	+5	+4	+1	+1	Rage, red eyes 2
6th	+6	+5	+2	+2	Thirsty blade
7th	+7	+5	+2	+2	Tireless rage, deadly intent 2/day
8th	+8	+6	+2	+2	haste 2/day, unstoppable rage
9th	+9	+6	+3	+3	Mighty rage
10th	+10	+7	+3	+3	Avatar of death, red eyes 3

Class Skills

The death dealer’s class skills (and the relevant abilities) are: Bluff (Charisma), Climb (Strength), Craft (Intelligence), Intimidate (Charisma), Jump
(Strength), Sense Motive (Wisdom) and Survival (Wisdom).

Skill Points: 2 + Intelligence bonus per level.

Class Features

All the following are class features of the death dealer.

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies: The death dealer is proficient with all simple and all martial weapons and isproficient with light and medium armour and with all shields, save tower shields. Remember that a death dealer loses his fast movement when wearing medium armour or carrying a medium or heavy load.

Red Eyes (Ex): The death dealer’s eyes burn with the light of his unquenchable killing fury. Beginning at 1st level, the death dealer adds a bonus equal to his class level to all Intimidate skill checks made to attempt to demoralise opponents in combat. In order for this ability to work, the death dealer’s enemies must be able to see his burning eyes, so blinded opponents are immune to the effects of red eyes.

At 5th level, when the death dealer successfully demoralises his opponents, they suffer the penalties of being shaken for two full rounds.

At 10th level, when the death dealer has become a master slayer, his enemies suffer a -4 penalty when they are successfully demoralised.

Greater Rage: Upon reaching 2nd level, the death dealer gains the greater rage ability, just as a barbarian does. This increases his Strength and Constitution bonus to +6 each when he enters a barbarian rage.

Weapon Specialisation: The death dealer is a masterful warrior, with an understanding of the capabilities of his chosen weapon that is staggering to behold.

At 3rd level, the death dealer gains the Weapon Specialisation feat for free (even if the death dealer does not have 4 levels in fighter). The benefits of this feat can be applied to any one two-handed melee weapon to which the Weapon Focus feat has been applied. The death dealer gains Weapon Specialisation only once. If the death dealer has already gained the Weapon Specialisation feat and applied it to a two-handed melee weapon, then he gains the benefits of the Greater Weapon Specialisation feat, even if he does not already possess the Greater Weapon Focus feat.

Deadly Intent (Sp): The death dealer strikes to kill, each and every time he swings his weapon.

At 3rd level, the death dealer can double the threat range of the weapon to which he applied the Weapon Specialisation feat, as by the keen edge spell cast by a sorcerer of the death dealer’s class level. The death dealer can do this once a day as a free action, concurrent with entering a rage. If he wishes, he can also activate this ability as a free action after he has already entered a rage; in either case, the benefits of deadly intent last until the rage ends.

At 7th level, the death dealer can use deadly intent twice per day.

haste (Sp): The death dealer hungers for the kill and his weapons move with a speed and savage grace which defies easy description. Beginning at 4th level, the death dealer can increase his speed and ferocity once per day, as the haste spell cast by a sorcerer of his class level. The death dealer can activate this ability as a free action concurrent with entering a rage, or as a free action on any round during which he is raging. Once activated, the haste effect lasts for the duration of the current rage. haste cannot be entered into in the same round in which the death dealer activates deadly intent. At 8th level, the death dealer gains the ability to use haste a second time each day. In addition, haste and deadly intent can now be activated simultaneously.

Rage: At 5th level, the death dealer gains the ability to rage one additional time each day.

Thirsty Blade (Ex): The death dealer and his weapon long for the sensation of hot blood pouring down upon them and in battle, they strike deeply and mercilessly. Beginning at 6th level, the critical multiplier of the weapon to which the death dealer applied the Weapon Specialisation feat is increased by one. So, for example,

a Greataxe’s critical multiplier of x3 would be increased to x4. The benefits
of thirsty blade apply only while the death dealer is raging.

Tireless Rage: At 7th level and higher, the death dealer no longer becomes fatigued at the end of his rage.

Unstoppable Rage (Ex): Once a death dealer has entered a killing frenzy, there is no force, save his own will, which can compel him to end it. At 8th level, the death dealer gains immunity to any mind-affecting spell or spell-like effect which, like the spell calm emotions, would end his rage.

Mighty Rage: At 9th level, the death dealer’s bonuses to Strength and Constitution during his rage each increase to +8 and his morale bonus to Will saves increases to +2.

Avatar of Death (Su): The death dealer is a living engine of destruction, a demon in human skin, beloved and kin to the gods of death. At 10th level, when the death dealer achieves his ultimate mastery of the killing arts, he is surrounded by an aura of death that invigorates him and destroys the flesh of those he has mortally wounded. Once per round, when the death dealer is raging, if he comes within 10 feet of an opponent with -1 hit points or less he absorbs their ebbing life force, killing them and gaining 1d8 hit points and a +2 bonus to his Strength. This is the same as the spell death knell cast by a cleric of the death dealer’s class and barbarian levels combined. The temporary hit points and bonus to Strength end when the death dealer’s rage does. The death dealer can only benefit from one +2 bonus to his Strength at any one time.

The Epic Death Dealer

Hit Die: d12.
Skill Points Per Level: 2 + Intelligence bonus.
Bonus Feats: The death dealer receives bonus feats every three levels.
Barbarian Rage: The death dealer gains the ability to rage an additional time each day every four levels.
Deadly Intent: The death dealer gains an additional use of the deadly intent ability every four levels.
haste: The death dealer gains an additional use of the haste ability every four levels.