Chapter Eight: Prestige Classes
Angel of Destruction
Requirements
When the time comes to punish mortals, deities call upon the angels of destruction, the malache habbalim. While the primary focus of the angels of death is to punish or claim members of the faith, angels of destruction are in the unique position of testing the faithful by aiding enemies of the faith as well as slaying members of opposing faiths. Though sages sometimes have difficulty grasping the difference between these angels and the angels of death, the difference is a matter of scale: While few angels of death exist, tens of thousands of malache habbalim swell Heaven’s legions, and the angels of death are their generals. In monotheistic campaigns, angels of destruction may also serve Hell, acting as the destructive and vengeful hands of their deity, though they are not evil themselves. Angels of destruction can also be found in some parts of Hell punishing evil souls. Like angels of death, the calling of angel of destruction appeals to barbarians, fighters, paladins, and rangers, though some sorcerers and wizards join the ranks, hoping to battle enemy spellcasters. The higher orders of angels (such as cherubim, ophanim, and seraphim) make up most of the ranks of malache habbalim. As they tend to gather in numbers, the angels of destruction serving any particular deity often form a military hierarchy, though those with a chaotic patron may resemble a horde of barbarians more than an orderly regiment of soldiers. They also operate in smaller groups or entirely alone. Ex-Angels of Destruction: The angels of destruction gain their power from the righteous vengeance of a god. A malache habbalah who abandons his faith or turns evil loses all abilities of this prestige class, becoming an ex-angel of destruction. An ex-angel of destruction with a new patron regains his class abilities if he receives an atonement spell from a cleric of his new faith whose level is the same as or greater than his own. However, fallen angels cannot regain their malache habbalah duties, though they may exchange levels in this prestige class for levels in blackguard as a fallen paladin does, with no minimum level in the prestige class required and no conversion of skill points. A fallen angel of destruction is just a particularly cruel and powerful fiend. Famous angels of destruction include Af (“anger,” brother angel to Hemah, sent with him to kill Moses), Hemah, Kemuel (“assembly of god,” chief of the angels of destruction), Uriel (“fire of god,” angel of salvation, who stood at the gate of Eden with a fiery sword after Adam and Eve were cast out), and Zaafiel (“wrath of god,” angel of hurricanes). Hit Die: d8
To qualify to become an angel of destruction, a character must fulfill all the following criteria. Race: Bound angel Base Attack Bonus: +5 Base Save Bonuses: Will +4 Skills: Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks Feats: Cleave, Power Attack Patron Deity: Any Alignment: Any nonevil
Class Skills Class skills for the angel of destruction are: Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis). For more information on these skills, see Chapter Four in the Player’s Handbook. Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Intelligence modifier
Class Features All the following are class features of the angel of destruction. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Angels of destruction gain no proficiencies in weapons or armor of any type. Smite Infidel (Su): Once per day an angel of destruction may use his ability to smite infidel. This functions like the paladin’s ability to smite evil, except that it works on creatures of any alignment—as long as they do not worship the angel’s patron deity. If the angel has a smite ability from another source, he may combine multiple smites in a single attack. At 3rd and 5th level, he gains another use of this ability per day. Chain of Fire (Su): At 2nd level, an angel of destruction gains the ability to create a chain of fire, a lashing weapon made of links of flame. The chain acts like a +1 silver flaming light flail. The angel always is considered proficient with this weapon, and any weapon feats (such as Improved Critical, Weapon Focus, and Weapon Specialization) with the heavy flail, light flail, spiked chain, or whip apply to using the chain of fire. Creating the chain does not require an action, nor does causing it to vanish. If it ever leaves the angel’s grasp, it vanishes immediately. Key to Hell (Su): Angels of destruction are sometimes sent to punish wicked souls in Hell. At 4th level, an angel of destruction may enter Hell under an ability similar to the protection of a key to Hell† spell and seek out an evil soul. For every hour the angel spends punishing that soul with lashes from his chain of fire, he gains a +1 morale bonus to attacks, weapon damage, saves, and checks (maximum +3) for the next day. Unlike the key to Hell† spell, attacking a
TABLE 8-2: ANGEL OF DESTRUCTION Class Level 1 2 3 4 5
Base Attack Bonus +1 +2 +3 +4 +5
Fortitude Save +2 +3 +3 +4 +4
Reflex Save +0 +0 +1 +1 +1
Will Save +2 +3 +3 +4 +4
Special Smite infidel 1/day Chain of fire Smite infidel 2/day Key to Hell† Chain of greater fire, smite infidel 3/day
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