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Prestige Class: Buraiya

Cult of Personality

"My first memory of the power of the buraiyas? It was the day of a funeral for a venerable member of one of Kadesh's most important families. A junior member of the clan had crossed the buraiyas, and such an offence cannot be lightly forgiven. As we all sat in remembrance, the corpse arose from its tomb, and began to attack the living members of his family. It slew them all-men, women, and children-ignoring all others present. When the last of the clan lay dying, the zombie collapsed and became a corpse again.

"I was six years old at the time."-Hara Rudraksha, from his unauthorised biography Karma Sutra: The Life of a Tyrant.

The buraiyas are a cult of assassins dedicated to the service of the Immortal Kala, Patron of Death and Reincarnation. They exist to promote Her ideals through guile, intimidation, and murder. The buraiyas are most active in the northern highlands of Sind, where they have existed for centuries. Many times, the ruling Rajadhirajas of Sind have attempted to exterminate the cult, but they have continued to prosper. Their tactics of assassinating important personages and replacing them, as well as their rumoured abilities to call upon the divine powers of Kala to reincarnate the souls of their most successful leaders, and installing them into key positions in the ruling castes, have kept the buraiyas from ever being completely eliminated. Members of the cult almost single-handedly dominate the Mumlyket of Kadesh, and they have penetrated very deeply into the ranks of neighbouring Peshmir's nobility as well.

All is not completely well with the buraiyas, however. There is at least one sect within the cult that opposes current leader Kabir Rudraksha's regime. Led by Salmalin Mahavir (Clr5/Bur5/Rog2), and largely clerics of Kala, they seek to turn the buraiyas' political interests to more sacred goals.

Fighters, rogues, and clerics are the most common members of the buraiyas. Monks, sorcerers, and wizards are occasionally found in their ranks as well, mercenaries who have been indoctrinated into the higher ranks of the cult. Barbarians, druids, rangers, bards, and paladins are unlikely to join the buraiyas.

Buraiya						Hit Die: d6
Lvl	Attack Bonus	Fort. Save	Ref. Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1	2	3	4
1	+0	+0	+2	+0	Sneak attack +1d6, death attack, poison use	0	-	-	-
2	+1	+0	+3	+0	Karmic concordance (+1), uncanny dodge (Dex bonus to AC)	1	-	-	-
3	+2	+1	+3	+1	Sneak attack +2d6	1	0	-	-
4	+3	+1	+4	+1	Karmic concordance (+2)	1	1	-	-
5	+3	+1	+4	+1	Sneak attack +3d6, uncanny dodge (can't be flanked)	1	1	0	-
6	+4	+2	+5	+2	Karmic concordance (+3)	1	1	1	-
7	+5	+2	+5	+2	Sneak attack +4d6	2	1	1	0
8	+6	+2	+6	+2	Karmic concordance (+4)	2	1	1	1
9	+6	+3	+6	+3	Sneak attack +5d6	2	2	1	1
10	+7	+3	+7	+3	Karmic concordance (+5), uncanny dodge (+1 vs. traps)	2	2	2	1

Lvl: The level of the buraiya.

Attack Bonus: The buraiya's attack bonus, added to the character's normal attack bonus.

Fort. Save: The save bonus on Fortitude saving throws, added to the character's normal save bonus.

Ref. Save: The save bonus on Reflex saving throws, added to the character's normal save bonus.

Will Save: The save bonus on Will saving throws, added to the character's normal save bonus.

Special: Level-dependent class features.

Spells Per Day: These are divine spells (see the Player's Handbook, Chapter 12) that are prepared and cast just as clerics cast their spells. For all spell effects dependent on the caster's level, treat the buraiya as equal to his or her buraiya level.

Requirements

To qualify to become a buraiya, a character must fulfil all the following criteria:

Alignment: Any evil.

Move Silently: 8 ranks

Hide: 8 ranks

Knowledge (Religion): 4 ranks.

Special: The buraiya must be entombed for one week in a crypt.

Class Skills

The buraiya's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are:

Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int, each skill taken separately), Decipher Script (Int, exclusive skill), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Innuendo (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Intuit Direction (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Pick Pockets (Dex), Read Lips (Int, exclusive skill), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha, exclusive skill), Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Buraiyas are proficient with the dagger (any type), dart, kukri, pick (any type), sap, short bow (normal and composite), short sword.

Sneak Attack: If a buraiya can catch an opponent flat-footed, he may strike a vital spot for extra damage. Any time the target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (regardless of whether the target actually has a Dex bonus or not), or when the buraiya flanks the target, the buraiya's attack deals extra damage. The extra damage is +1d6 at 1^st level and an additional 1d6 every two levels thereafter. This ability is otherwise identical to the rogue's sneak attack and is cumulative with any sneak attack capability the character has from other classes.

Death Attack: If the buraiya studies his victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sneak attack with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sneak attack has the additional possibility of either paralysing or killing the victim (buraiya's choice). While studying the victim, the buraiya can undertake other actions, so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the buraiya or recognise him as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails his Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + the buraiya's class level + Intelligence modifier) against the kill effect, he dies. If the saving throw fails versus the paralysis effect, the victim's mind and body become enervated, rendering him completely helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the buraiya. If the saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sneak attack. Once the buraiya has completed the 3 rounds of study, he must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds. If the death attack is attempted and fails, or if the buraiya does not make the attack within 3 rounds, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can make another attempt at a death attack.

Karmic Concordance: Through his devotion to Kala and his awareness of the influence of Entropy, the buraiya can stave off the call of death. He gains a +1 bonus to saves versus death spells and magical death effects at 2^nd level, and an additional +1 every two levels thereafter. This is a supernatural ability.

Uncanny Dodge: Beginning at 2^nd level, the buraiya gains the extraordinary ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to become aware of it.

At 2^nd level and above, the buraiya retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (He still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilised.)

At 5^th level, the buraiya can no longer be flanked. This defence denies rogues the ability to use flank attacks to sneak attack the buraiya. The exception to this defence is that a rogue at least four levels higher than the buraiya may flank and thus sneak attack him.

At 10^th level, the buraiya gains an intuitive sense that alerts him to danger from traps. This ability grants the buraiya a +1 bonus to Reflex saves made to avoid traps.

If the buraiya has another class that grants the uncanny dodge ability, the buraiya's ability is determined by adding together his total class levels in the classes that grant the ability.

Spells: From 1^st level and thereafter, the buraiya gains the ability to cast a limited number of spells. These spells are divine in nature, granted by the buraiya's patron Immortal, Kala, and are subject to all rules on divine spells on page 156 of the Player's Handbook (including preparing and casting spells).

To cast a spell, the buraiya must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. Thus, buraiyas with Wisdom scores lower than 10 may not cast these spells. Buraiya bonus spells are based on Wisdom, and saves versus these spells have a DC of 10 + spell level + buraiya's Wisdom modifier (if any). When the buraiya receives 0 spells of a given level, the buraiya may only receive bonus spells. A buraiya without a bonus spell for that level may not yet cast a spell of that level. The buraiya's spell list appears below.

Spell List

1^st Level Deathwatch

Detect poison

Divine favour

Inflict light wounds

2^nd Level Darkness

Death knell

Inflict moderate wounds

Undetectable alignment

3^rd Level Animate dead

Contagion

Deeper darkness

Inflict serious wounds

4^th Level Divine power

Inflict critical wounds

Poison

Reincarnate