Tiefling Gauntlet Witch Variant: Demonhand Witch Racial Archetype
By turns imposing and sneaky, demonhand witches are often reavers and raiders, seekers after lost Caelmarath arts and leaders of motley bands of cutthroats and ne’er-do-wells. Their golden fiendflesh gauntlets are equally changeable, possessed of fiendish sentience and the power to flash as if composed of hellish flame or to become almost incorporeal, dark, and shadowy. Andek Fehrus, supposed scion of Demon Mountain sports a golden fiendflesh gauntlet, but his claim to be a demonhand witch or a son of the Master of Demon Mountain has never been proven.
A demonhand witch’s golden fiendflesh gauntlet has the following modifications:
Imbued with fiendish sorcery, golden fiendflesh gauntlets appear to be a wickedly spined amalgam of metal, hide, and living golden flesh that pulsates and occasionally whines when excited or exhales noisily when tired. The golden fiendflesh gauntlet is a symbiotic entity that cannot be removed from the tiefling without destroying it and causing the tiefling great harm. It does not have the teleport gauntlet ability. More bestial than regular eldritch gauntlets, golden fiendflesh gauntlets do not possess the lore, telepathy, or legend lore abilities.
A golden fiendflesh gauntlet reaches from the hand to the upper arm and provides protection equal to that of leather armor. Due to its mutable form, Climb, Escape Artist, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, and Survival are all class skills for the demonhand witch.
Fiendish Symbiosis (Su): Due to the added fiendish power of the golden fiendflesh gauntlet, demonhand witches treat their Intelligence as 1 point higher for all witch abilities. Additionally, if the tiefling is a multiclassed sorcerer, he treats his Charisma as 1 point higher for all sorcerer abilities.
As a corollary effect of the golden fiendflesh’s symbiotic attachment, any effect that targets the demonhand witch affects it as well. The golden fiendflesh gauntlet is vulnerable to any condition that affects its wearer, such as confusion, staggered, fatigued, fear, and so on. It uses its wearer’s saves, gaining a +1 bonus to Fortitude saves and receiving a –2 penalty to Reflex saves and a –1 penalty to Will saves. Moreover, the golden fiendflesh gauntlet can be targeted individually—it shares its wearer’s AC and CMD. Again, any effects targeting it affect the wearer, requiring the demonhand witch to save also. The golden fiendflesh gauntlet uses the wearer’s demonhand level as HD for the purposes of determining effects and has half the wearer’s total hit points.
Sapience (Su): A golden fiendflesh gauntlet’s rudimentary mind possesses an Intelligence score of 5 at 1st level—this increases by 1 for every two demonhand witch levels. Its Wisdom, Charisma, and Ego are otherwise unchanged.
Empathy (Su): The golden fiendflesh gauntlet communicates via pulsating and undulating movements, and it occasionally snorts, whimpers, or makes similar exhalations.
Bloodfinder (Su): A demonhand witch can set the golden fiendflesh gauntlet on the trail of any living, undead, or outsider foe that they have previously encountered. The demonhand witch adds 1/3 his or her level (minimum 1) to Survival skill checks to follow or identify signs of passage.
Fiendish Intuition: The golden fiendflesh gauntlet is attuned to the vibrations and emanations of outsiders. The demonhand witch gains a +2 bonus to Diplomacy checks when dealing with outsiders and may cast detect outsider* (see below) 3/day, gaining an additional use of that spell for every 3 levels of demonhand witch the tiefling possesses.
Fiendish Form: At 3rd level, as a free action, the demonhand witch may choose to make the golden fiendflesh gauntlet alter its form by either flaring up with the light of fiendish might (as the light spell, also provides a +2 to Intimidation checks) or becoming shrouded in darkness (as the darkness spell, also provides a +2 bonus to Stealth checks; this stacks with the tiefling’s Skilled racial trait). The golden fiendflesh gauntlet can create this effect once per day, with an additional use for every 3 levels of demonhand witch the tiefling possesses.
Foe Harrier (Su): At 5th level, the golden fiendflesh gauntlet adds a +2 circumstance bonus to damage when used to attack foes (either in straight melee or in conjunction with an aegis strike, pain clasp, or improved pain clasp) successfully tracked using the bloodfinder ability.
New Spell
Detect Outsider
School divination; Level Cleric 1, Oracle 1, Sorcerer 1, Summoner 1, Witch 1, Wizard 1
This spell functions like detect undead, except that it detects the auras of outsiders.
About the Author: Morgan Boehringer is a freelance author, graphic designer and illustrator living in the Blue Mountains, Australia. He has contributed to Kobold Press’ Journeys to the West, the upcoming Midgard Tales, Kobold Quarterly and Wayfinder magazine. He is also a contributor to the Multiclass Archetypes (http://mcarchetype.wikispaces.com/New+Home+Page) project. He divides his time between various “real” and “fantastic” realms, though his family would say can’t tell the difference between them.
I want so badly to alter this class and archetypes into something more akin to the Magus and play a witchblade-inspired character; the poor BAB of the witch does not lend itself to such a design. Not sure what I thought that would lend to this article, but there it is. Maybe someone else shares in that with me and has a good idea of where to start with it.
A more relevant comment: I hope there’s an aasimar variant on the way following this. I’m *really* digging the racial versions. One could almost build a campaign around it! :D
Is there going to be a PDF with all of these in it, similar to how Kobold published the Spell-less Ranger and Shaman? I’d pay for that, just to have easy access. (I’d pay double if there was a version added for the magus.)
@Foghammer: I agree with you that the poor HD and BAB crimps the offensive capabilities of the gauntlet witch – unfortunately the Toughness feat was as far as I felt I could go toward beefing them up. I *am* working on a thematically similar new Base class as well as an Alternate Witch class that has Magus HD and BAB but no spells (shock horror, I know) If you look at the Black blade Magus archetype in Ultimate Combat you’ll see where a lot of the mechanics took their inspiration from.
Yes the aasimar is in the works, it is set to follow the goblin in a few weeks, as long as the series gets the go ahead.
As for a PDF, I’ve broached that issue with Wolfgang, really it’s down to how well this KQblog series does (views are king!!!) and, I imagine, how much the Kobold Press schedule can handle.
Ideally I’d like to gather the Gauntlet Witch and all the variants and prestige classes, as well as the Alternate Witch Base Class into one PDF – something like “Strange Brew, the Revised and Compiled Gauntlet Witch and other toils and troubles” or “Full Sleeve Midgard: Something Wicked this Way comes” (apologies to the Bard…).
Anyway, Hecate and the Kobold Overlord know what the future holds. Thanks for your input, questions and support. Hope I can keep you inspired…. :)
I have tried using the blackblade, but it really doesn’t lend itself to quasi-armor-based designs such as this. I am looking forward to both the new base class and the alternate witch, however!
I like this series, I’m especially digging the artwork.