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Harvesters

The Gods of Death make as their bailiwick the cessation of life, whether as a cruel end to life, or as a natural extension of the cycle of Life. Unavoidable, inevitable, death waits for every being in the end, or so it should be. But when that natural order is challenged, the Harvester will step forward to put things right. Skilled in the destruction of the undead and those who have unnaturally extended their lives, they walk in the shadows, stepping out only to strike down the guilty, and draw out a portion of their souls to further their own ends.
    Most Harvesters are clerics of death gods, but Paladins also make excellent Harvesters due to their physical prowess and excellent powers. Other classes may find the Harvester more difficult, but it is possible if they choose to take a few levels of cleric as well. They must however serve a Death god in some capacity, as the power of the Harvester derives from the link between the deity and his servitor. The chief qualification of the Harvester is the ability and willingness hunt down rogue undead and mortals that have lived beyond their alloted time.
    NPC Harvesters are normally solitary figures, keeping to themselves and hunting down their prey. There exists a loose organization of like-minded individuals called the Children of the Shadowed Path, whose members seve the interests of the god Zhakrin. They accept among their ranks any who follow the tenets of Death, and provide the training and rituals necessary to rise up from a simply hunter of the dead into the ranks of a true Harvester.

Requirements

Base Attack: +5
Feats: Extra Turning
Skills: 8 ranks Knowledge (Undead) and 5 ranks Knowledge (Planes). A Harvester must be knowledgable not just in the nature of life and death, but must also know something of the spiritual worlds beyond the Material Plane so that they can correctly pass judgement on both undead and immortals.
Spellcasting: Able to cast 2nd level divine spells
Special: Before a character can begin advancing as a Harvester they must procure a special container whose materials cost no less than 310 gp. This container is used by the Harvester to contain portions of the souls which they harvest. Harvesters must have Zhakrin as their patron deity.

Class Skills

The Harvesters class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Con), Heal (Wis), Knowledge Undead (Int), Knowledge Religion (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

All of the following are features of the Harvester prestige class. Paladins may enter the Harvester prestige class and later continue their paladin advancement without penalty.
    Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Harvesters are proficient with all simple weapons, with medium and light armor types, and with shields. Note that armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Slight of Hand, and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every 5 pounds of armor and equipment used.
    Spells per Day: A Harvester continues to gain access to more powerful divine magic while advancing in this prestige class. Thus, when the Harvester advances a level and gains a new spellcaster level, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the divine spellcasting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (improved chance of controlling or rebuking undead, more frequent remove disease, and so on). For example, if Mamlon, a 7th level cleric, gains two levels as a Harvester, he gains new spells as if he had risen to 9th level as a cleric, but uses the other Harvester aspects of level progression such as base attack bonus, save bonus, and hit dice. If he next gains a level as a cleric, making him a 10th level cleric/2nd level Harvester, he gains spells as if he had risen to 12th level as a cleric.
    If a character had more than one divine spellcasting class before he became a Harvester, the player must decide which class to assign each bonus spell casting level for the purpose of determining divine spells per day.
    Spiritual Discernment (Su): A Harvester can detect the presence of rogue undead and immortals in a quarter circle emanating in whatever direction they face. The amount of information revealed depends on how long they study a particular area or subject. Rogue undead are

Creature Type Creature Power Rogue Undead HD ÷ 2 Rogue Immortal Level Outsider Immortal   Level + HD   Creature Power Strength Lingering Dim 1 or less Faint 2 to 4 Moderate 5 to 10 Strong 11+ Powerful

undead which were not risen from the grave by artificial means such as create undead or animate dead. Instead, these are undead creatures which were spawned by other undead or which supernaturally arose from the grave. Rogue immortals are creatures which do not age and yet still possess souls. Mortals who place their souls into construct bodies, become lichs or shades, or make an effort to evade death and extend their natural lifespans fall into this category. Finally, creatures which have used an elixir of youth or potion of longevity to continue living longer than naturally possible are also detected should they still be alive beyond their expected lifespan.
    Dungeon Masters who use few creatures of the above types in their campaign may elect to include outsiders who are innately immortal to be acceptable targets for this ability.
    1st Round: Presence or absence rogue undead or immortals in that quarter.
    2nd Round: Number of rogue undead and immortals in the area and the strength of the strongest creature present.
    3rd Round: The strength and location of each creature. If a creature is outside of your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
    Detecting the strength of a creature depends on the creatures type and Hit Dice or character level.
    Harvest Soul (Su): Harvesters are able to collect parts of creatures souls for use as fuel for their other powers. Harvesters believe that this is an obligation of the rogue spirit and part of its atonement for eluding the ultimate grasp of death. To harvest a soul the harvester must lay the killing blow on the creature in question. Then, as a standard action on the following round, the Harvester opens their soul container and harvests a portion of the spirit from the recently dead. A Harvester's container can hold no more than 2 souls per class level of the Harvester or a maximum of 10 plus the Harvester's charisma modifier. A Harvester cannot possess more than one container. Should the container ever be destroyed then the souls within are released. For every five souls contained within there is a 50% chance that a wraith appears and attacks the Harvester.
    Hand of Zhakrin (Sp): At the cost of one imprisoned soul a Harvester can create a hand of Zhakrin. This powers function is the same as unseen servant cast by a sorcerer of the Harvesters caster level.
    Smite (Su): At the cost of one imprisoned soul a Harvester can smite a rogue undead or immortal with one normal melee attack. The Harvester adds their Charisma modifier (if positive) to their attack roll and deal 1 extra point of damage per level. For example, a 6th level Harvester with a light mace would deal 1d6+6 points of damage, plus any additional bonuses for high Strength or magical effects that normally apply. If the Harvester accidentally smites a creature that is not a rogue undead or immortal, that smite has no effect but is still used up.
    Turn Undead (Su): When a Harvester reaches 3rd level, they gain the supernatural ability to turn undead. They may use this ability a number of times per day equal to three plus their Charisma modifier. A Harvester turns undead as a cleric of five character levels lower would. Thus a 7th level cleric/3rd level Harvester would turn undead as a 5th level cleric.
    Shadow Servitor (Sp): A 5th level Harvester can summon a shadow, as the creature known by the same name, to act as his servitor. This shadow is the most basic creature of its type and cannot advance. The shadow serves the Harvester for one day or for a number of days equal to the Harvester's Charisma bonus, whichever is the greater, or until slain. At the end of this time the shadow dissipates harmlessly. Creating a shadow servitor comes at the cost of 3 souls and requires a full round of concentration. A shadow cannot be created in an area in which there is no shadowed space. Shadow servitors cannot speak and cannot create spawn. They obey any verbal commands given by the Harvester. In the absence of commands to fulfill, the servitor follows along within five feet of the Harvester.
    Spiritual Alchemy (Su): At 6th, 8th, and 10th level a Harvester gains special knowledge which allows them to use their captured souls to fuel metamagic effects. The Harvester chooses a metamagic feat. At the cost of a number of spirits equal to the level modifier of the metamagic feat the Harvester can enhance a spell which they cast with the metamagic feat effect. The Harvester does not actually gain feats with their Spiritual Alchemy skill but rather they learn to emulate similar effects; thus a Harvester's spiritual alchemy ability cannot be used as a virtual feat. Casting a spell that has been enhanced with spiritual alchemy is a full round action. For example, a Harvester chooses the Empower Spell effect for their Spiritual Alchemy I. Thereafter, at the cost of 2 spirits, the Harvester can emulate the Empower Spell feat.
    Wraith Servitor (Sp): A 9th level Harvester can summon a wraith, as the creature known by the same name, to act as his servitor. This creature is the most basic creature of its type and cannot advance. The wraith serves the Harvester for one day or for a number of days equal to the Harvester's Charisma bonus, whichever is the greater, or until slain. At the end of this time the Wraith harmlessly dissipates. Creating a wraith servitor comes at the cost of 6 souls and requires a full round of concentration. Wraith servitors can communicate in vague whispered speech which only the Harvester can understand. The wraith has no memory of its past life, cannot create spawn, and will obey any verbal commands given by the Harvester. In the absence of commands to fulfill, the servitor follows along within 5 feet of the Harvester.