Gravekeeper

The Gravekeeper

 * The Great Fusion brought with it a inordinate amount of death and destruction, and it was only a matter of time before the dangerous seepage of magic in the new world began to affect even that which was lost. A cult soon sprang up, a small group that steadily gained followers in the wake of tragedy. They used rituals both ancient and new to control the power of death that was everywhere, turning it to their side.

Play Style - The gravekeeper class works to keep their party alive with spells to reduce or negate damage that enemies deal, rather than relying on heavy armor or healing. This allows gravekeepers to do more than just stand on the front line taking attacks since the effect of most of their magic is lingering and can affect a relatively large area.

Weapon Specialty - As long as they have only 1 small or medium weapon and no shield equipped, the gravekeeper gets access to the Death's Embrace bracer. This supernatural piece of armor gives them +1 armor, +5 movement speed, and +1 spell resistance.

Skill Bonus - Gravekeepers are far and wide known as those who hunt death, making them feared across the lands by commoners. They get a +1 bonus to all Detect Stealth and Intimidate rolls.

Alignment - Gravekeepers can be any non-evil alignment.

Hit Points - The gravekeeper begins with 13 hit points and gains 1d8 hit points per level.

Base Fortitude Save - 2

Base Reflex Save - 0

Base Will Save - 2

Armor Type - The gravekeeper starts with the Light Armor Proficiency.

Movement - The gravekeeper class has a base movement of 10 feet.

Pros and Cons
Advantages - Unlike the knight and cleric classes who rely on tough armor and healing to soak up damage, the gravekeeper class tanks by way of negating and redirecting damage altogether. By simply not taking damage to begin with, the gravekeeper keeps themselves alive in the midst of battle without being weighed down by a heavy shield or spending every other turn healing themselves. This allows gravekeeper players to more actively participate in a fight rather than just defend.

Disadvantages - In order for the gravekeeper class to work, they need to stay heavily stocked with souls. A player needs to find a decent balance between using their souls for protective spells and conserving souls for use in emergencies. A player who's quick to expend their supply will find themselves unable to cast life saving rituals in a moment of dire need.

Power From Death. And Maybe Beyond.
The gravekeepers have learned to turn the misfortune of death to their own advantage, using the souls of the deceased to give themselves better protection. Gravekeepers use both death driven spells and last rites to keep themselves, and sometimes their allies, alive through the worst of dangers.

Level 1
Every time a non-undead or non-demon dies within 12 feet of the gravekeeper, they gain 3 souls charges. The gravekeeper can keep a maximum number of charges equal to 5 plus their current level. Soul charges are used to empower the gravekeepers spells, and for every 2 charges they have all incoming damage is reduced by 1. For every 3 charges they all, all damage dealt is increased by 1.

Level 2
The gravekeeper learns the spell Momento Mori, allowing them to spend stored soul charges to strike dread into their target, causing their next attack to do 1 less damage for each charge spent.

Level 3
Gains 4 stat points

Level 4
The gravekeeper learns the rite Return to Dust, which passively causes anyone that attacks the gravekeeper to suffer a stacking -1 penalty to hit rolls. This rite is always active as long as the gravekeeper has at least 1 soul charge.

Level 5
Gains 2 skill points

Level 6
Gains access to prestige class level 1

Level 7
Learns the spell Chill of Death, allowing the gravekeeper to spend 1 soul charge to numb a target to their very bones and reduce their next hit roll by half.

Level 8
Gains 4 stat points

Level 9
Gains access to prestige class level 2

Level 10
Learns the spell Coffin Nail, which summons an old iron nail into the gravekeepers off hand. The nail counts as a small weapon and does only 1d6 supernatural damage, but also permanently lowers the target's maximum weapon damage by 2 with each successful attack. Attacking with the nail counts as a free action but can only be done once per turn. The nail costs 1 soul charge each turn it is summoned.

Level 11
The gravekeeper learns the rite On a Pale Horse, which causes all damage done to them on a turn in which the gravekeeper moved at least 10 feet to be reduced by half. This rite is active as long as the gravekeeper has at least 3 soul charges.

Level 12
Gains access to prestige class level 3

Level 13
Gains 2 skill points

Level 14
The gravekeeper now gets 6 soul charges every time a non-undead and non-demon target dies within 20 feet of them. For every soul charge the gravekeeper has, incoming damage is reduced by 1.

Level 15
Gains 4 stat points

Level 16
Learns the rite Cold as Death, allowing the gravekeeper's HP to drop to -10 before they become critical and unable to perform normal actions. When the gravekeepers HP reaches 0, all enemies within 10 feet become chilled, causing their next attack to do no damage. This rite is active as long as the gravekeeper has at least 4 soul charges.

Level 17
Learns the spell  Danse Macabre,  allowing the gravekeeper to spend 10 soul charges and 5 HP to force everyone, friend and foe alike, to have their HP pool set to the same amount as the gravekeeper themselves. For 3 turns, none of the effected targets can be healed for more HP than they had at the spells activation, and healing received is reduced by half.

Level 18
Gains 2 skill points

Level 19
Learns the spell One Foot in the Grave,which spends 4 soul charges to reduce the gravekeepers HP to 1, but causing them to take no damage for the next 4 turns. Once the effect ends, the gravekeeper is healed for half the damage that was negated by the spell.

Level 20
The gravekeeper learns the spell Deadly Dissonance, which allows them to use the spiritual energy they've stored up to release a chain reaction once per day. On use, all  enemies within 20 feet of the gravekeeper permanently loses 1d10 damage, 5 armor, and their maximum HP is reduced by 20%.

The Mourner

 * Not every person who takes up the mantle of the gravekeeper becomes cold and impassive towards the death they follow. Some, called Mourners by their fellow gravekeepers, take each death they encounter to heart and strive to bring rest to the souls visited upon them by performing final rituals for the departed.

Level 1
The gravekeeper puts the souls of the departed to rest as they die, causing any death within 12 feet of the gravekeeper to heal them and all allies for 5 HP.

Level 2
Every time a death occurs within 16 feet of the gravekeeper, they receive protection from the recently departed and take half damage from the next attack dealt to them.

Level 3
Any time the gravekeeper kills a target, they gain a protection charge that causes the next attack against themselves or an ally that would cause critical damage to be negated entirely. Up to 3 charges can be stored at a time.

The Undertaker

 * Once they truly and fully understand the dead, the gravekeeper can control them far beyond what anyone else thought possible. The Undertaker Clan, a group of highly specialized gravekeepers, has learned to meld the soul into a weapon and to even use the long dead to reanimate fresh corpses.

Level 1
The gravekeeper can spend 4 soul charges to re-animate any non-legendary target that has died within the last 5 turns, giving the gravekeeper complete control over the target, which has the same stats, equipment, and abilities as when it was alive. The gravekeeper can also spend soul charges to heal their re-animated minion for 5HP per charge. The gravekeeper can only have one re-animated minion at a time.

Level 2
The gravekeeper learns to expel the souls they've aquired as a ranged weapon, allowing them to send out a deathly bolt that deals 4+1d10 supernatural damage to a target up to 16 feet away. Spends 3 soul charges. Targets that take damage this way permanently lose 1 armor.

Level 3
Enemy units within 8 feet of the gravekeeper begin to decay and weaken, causing them to deal 1 less damage and take 3 supernatural damage per turn.