PrC: The Ebony Dryan

[Lushmoss]

The ranger panted heavily as he rushed through under the dark canopies of the forest. Bleeding from a large gash wound, his heart pounded with more than just exhurtion. Fear had crawled into shell, and laid it's cold grasp within his breast. What was that thing!? Massive, hulking, like nothing he'd ever seen before. The druids had told him to beware going this deep into their home, but he was as always just too cocky and blew off their warnings... He could hear its scream: It sounded like an owls screech with the echoing voices of dying men. He knew it was behind him, but he thought it was growing more distant. Once more he thanked his wizard friend for encouraging to buy those enchanted boots. The he heard the pounding of the abomination's feet getting louder, all around him it seemed...
Then it stopped. He didn't. He kept going, speeding ahead as fast as he could. He didn't see the flare of emerald eyes in front of him. He didn't see the vines as they flew out to meet his head...
Only for a moment did the hulking mass of wood and vine regard the wriggling form of the human in it's grasp. Then it savagely snapped the ranger's neck in one flick of it's "wrist" and ran him through with a oversized lichen-covered scimitar for good measure. It discarded the body at the food of an ash, and screeched in primal satisfaction of it's feral duty done.

Nature is said to be not nesessarily a singular enitity, but a conciousness of the collective animals and plants that are tied with one another. However, one legend that few druids tell is of how the Ebony Dryan tablets came to be. For, it is said that Nature actually manifested itself, not in a natural way of birth or fruit, but in the magics that the Gods use to come upon the Material. As the manifestation was indeed a person, it was therefore singular at not purely the collective force. She became known as Gaia.

It is disputed whether she actually existed between the benevolent druids and the feral ones, as the only supposed lasting trace of her was a set of 12 tablets carved of ebony. They held extreme power to those who harnessed them over time: They became giant, malicous beasts of plant matter who served the druids in the tasks that they deemed most important. It was noticed that some of the woods, but not druids, could use these tablets too, though whilst druids and other faithful priest turned into what could be considered living arts, the hunters often became hulking masses of polished bark.

Only those who follow the brutal, cold and feral side of the way can emulate the Tablets into their person: Such thoughtless violence that the Dryan bring is not for those with good in their hearts.

Requirements:

Alignment: Neutral Evil or True Neutral

Spells: Be able to cast 1st level divine spells that stem (are granted) from nature or the Nature Domain).

Attack Bonus: +6

Skills: Knowledge: Nature, and Survival (8 ranks each).

Special: Be in possession (and within a 5ft. proximity) of one of the Ebony Dryan Tablets.

STATS:

HD: d12

Skills: 2+Int modifier

Skills available to the Ebony Dryan are: Hide, Listen, Spot, Search, Survival, Knowledge: Nature, Climb, Concentration.

Level         BAB        F/R/W          Special
1             +0         2/0/2           Bond to the Tablet, Natural Armour Increase (+1)
2             +1         3/0/3           Ability Boost (+2 Con)
3             +2         3/1/3           Wrists of the Vine, Slam Attack 1d6, Constrict
4             +3         4/1/4           Ability Boost (+2 Str), Natural Armour Increase (+2), Rejection, Damage Reduction 5/Slashing
5             +3         4/1/4           Plant Subtype, Energy Conversion
6             +4         5/2/5           Ability Boost (+2 Str), Natural Sheath, Slam Attack 1d8
7             +5         5/2/5           Powerful Build, Rush, Natural Armour Increase (+3)
8             +6/+1      6/2/6           Nocturnal Prime, Ability Boost (+2 Str)
9             +6/+1      6/3/6           Awakening
10            +7/+2      7/3/7           Gaia's Selected

Abilities:

Bond to the Tablet (Su): To achieve even a single level in this class, the character must be in the possession of one of the 12 tablets "Gaia" supposedly bestowed upon her subjects. From this minor artifact comes the power to over time turn into a murderous machine of nature. Having multiple tablets has no additional effect, and the character can only become attuned to a single one of these potent items.

Once a level in Ebony Dryan has been taken, the artifact begins to grant it's powers onto it's possessor. Should the tablet ever be taken away from the Ebony Dryan for a number of days equal to it's level, then the Dryan loses all Supernatural and Spell-Like abilities and cannot gain any further Ebony Dryan levels until the tablet is restored to his or her possession.

As the character gains levels, his or her appearance changes drastically to reflect the power that "Gaia" is bestowing upon the Dryan to ultimatly preserve nature:
1st Level: Skin toughens, and aquires a slight greenish tint. The tablet must be carried, by hand or in a container the character is wearing.
2nd Level: Muscles become more pronounced, tiny growths appear on the body.
3rd Level: The skin is now the colour of green wood, and more bark-like. Tendons and muscles are beginning to look like vines.
4th Level: Flesh is as hard as oak. Eyes glow green in the dark. The tablet is now embedded in the character's torso somewhere.
5th Level: Organs are now vestigial: The character is now extremely plantlike, growing thin and tall, with limbs much like thick vines.
6th Level: An ebony bark begins to grow on the flesh. Stature is hunched, and growing animalistic. The tablet is now fully inside of the character: only death or powerful magic can remove it now.
7th Level: The character is by now nearing twice the size it was before. It is barely recognizable as the race is was originally. Eyes burn with viridian fire.
8th Level: A gleaming obsidian bark covers the soft green flesh beneath like a carapace. Hair, facial or otherwise, have fully changed to vines or leaves.
9th Level: Tiny vine-like growths pop up from where the Dryan steps (Can be suppressed at will). Nearby plants waver eerily in its presence.
10th Level: The Ebony Dryan has reached the pinnacle of its metamorphosis. It is now one of nature's ultimate killing machines, to perform her most sacred (and bloody) charges.

If the Ebony Dryan has any animal companions, then they undergo a similar, superficial change. They are still considered to be animals though.

Wrists of the Vine (Ex): At will, the Ebony Dryan can extend vines from the ends of it's arms to reach for or attack things at a distance. His natural reach is increased by 5ft.

Constrict(Ex): The Ebony Dryan deals bludgeoning damage equal to it's slam attack on a successful grapple check.

Rejection(Ex): The Dryan develops an aversion to wearing excessive amounts of unnatural items. From now on, the character cannot wear armour (metal or otherwise), clothing, backpacks, and shields. It may still bear other unoppressive items like amulets, belts, and rings, but not encompassing bits like gloves or boots. It will tolerate cloaks at a pinch (though they tend to get weather-beaten quickly).

With this aversion comes a closed mind: The Ebony Dryan loses 2 points of Cha and Int, just like they gain their physical abilities.

Plant Type(Ex): The character is now considered a Plant rather than a Humanoid (or whatever type it was before). It gains all of the Plant racial traits, but doesn't lose it's old racial benefits. Do not recalculate HD, skills, or Saves.

Energy Conversion(Su): Healing magic comes naturally to Dryans, and they know how to convert energy into a repairational boons. The character can drop a prepared spell and heal a number of Hit Points equal to (5xthe dropped spell's level) on itself or any plant as a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. (In the case of 0th level spells, only 2HP is gained.)

Natural Sheath(Ex): As the Ebony Dryan is now a morphic plant, it can now hold many compartments within or about it's body. The largest cannot hold anything bigger than a club. An item stored this way is concealed, the equivilant of holding it underneath a cloak. The Ebony Dryan can expell a stored item at will as a free action (though you still need Quick Draw to "draw" a weapon as a free action.).

Powerful Build(Ex): As the Ebony Dryan grows, his physical stature lets him function in many ways as if he were one size category larger.

Whenever an Ebony Dryan is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the Dryan is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him.

An Ebony Dryan is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A Dryan can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.

Rush(Ex): This monster can move suprisingly fast at times. Once every minute, the Ebony Dryan can double it's base speed for one round.

Nocturnal Prime(Su): After a time the Ebony Dryan can hear the dark whispers of the woods. When in an area of shadow, or forest, the Dryan receives a +4 magical bonus to Hide, Spot, Listen, and Search. Should the Dryan be in an area both shadowed and forested, then these bonuses stack.

Awaken(Su): Nature is everywhere: From the moss between cobblestones to the titanic oaks in primeval forests, parts of the natural world struggle to survive in even the most hostile locals. Given time, it can wear away solid walls and defeat the most daunting of creatures. Each plant has that potential... given time.

At 9th level, the Ebony Dryan can release that potential by accelerating that process expedentially. Given 5 uninterrupted rounds of concentration, the Dryan can cause even the slightest of plants to grow up to Large Size in an 80ft radius centered on himself. The Ebony Dryan decides the exact way these plants grow: if it wishes, they are shaped like thick vines and are identical to the Dark Tenticles spell, only with a +20 to their grapple checks. Another variant forces the plants to grow like ivy, which dredge their way into the mortar between stones and shape man-made walls to the Dryan's will: He can command the ivy to create portals through wall where there were none, build stairs (with enough bricks), or even weaken supports and build barriers. Lastly, he can order the plants to simply grow to large masses of slippery plant tissue, effectively creating barriers and blockades about himself.

The Dryan usually will only use this abusive power of nature if he is desparate, or sees at absolutely nesessary. He can only choose one of the effects listed above during a use, all of which last for three minutes before the plants die and wither away. He may use this supernatural ability once per day. Alternatively, he may instead use this power to replicate the effects of Plant Growth, as cast as a 10th level Druid.

Gaia's Selected(Su): The ultimate purpose of the Ebony Dryans is to be the brutal guardians of the natural world from the machinations of the progressive cities. Upon reaching 10th level, a Dryan loses his Powerful Build ability and become one size larger, gaining all the abilities that come with going up a size catagory. Dryan also lose part of themselves in this way, and -2 to Cha and Int is the result. The Dryan can cause it's slam attack to constantly replicate the effects of the Rusting Grasp spell at will. Fianlly, as Gaia's last gift to her guardians, any attack made by the Ebony Dryan's slam attack are considered to be Epic when overcoming Damage Reduction: Such is the small slice of divinity that is given to the Ebony Dryan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, thoughts anyone? Way too over powered?

Quick note, I've lowered the Natural Armour Bonus to just one each for three levels.