Earth Born (3.5e Prestige Class)

Earth Born

Becoming an Earth Born

“	There is nothing more intoxicating than moving through the thick sludge of fresh, rich loam.	”
—Ragnabo, Dwarf Earth Born

With the ability to strike down foes with immense, massive arms of rock, what can get in the way?

An Earth Born studies the basic building of nature, deciding to harness the power of earth, mud, dust, and lava. Eventually they transcend their mortal forms and become elemental beings themselves.

Before one can become an Earth Born they must first meet peacefully with an earth or mud elemental or creature with an earth subtype that can choose to test their affinity to earth. The Test of the Earth Born is unknown to the participant and up to the DM.

A Earth Born often are intrigued by all forms of nature before they ever take levels in the prestige class, these spellcasters typically find themselves drawn to the earth energy type. They find satisfaction in the unleashed purity of the earth energy forms, and they become an Earth Born to grow closer to earth's purity.

Most Earth Born come from druids, although some Wizards or Sorcerers venture to the class, it is rare to see one. A cleric with the Earth Domain could also qualify for the prestige class.

Entry Requirements

Skills:	Knowledge (Nature) 8 ranks Knowledge (The Planes) 4 ranks
Feats:	Stone Form
Spells:	Able to cast at least 4 spells that deal earth type damage. One of the spells has to be of at least 3rd level.
Special:	Must possess a Burrowing speed Must make a peaceful contact with an earth elemental, or outsider that has an earth subtype (can be a summoned creature). Must display an affinity to earth by way of a test given by the elemental (up to DM decision -- see Test of the Earth Born).

Table: The Earth Born

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spellcasting
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Earth Specialty, Earth Resistance 5	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Immunity to Sleep, Bonus Feat	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Earth Penetration +2	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Earth Resistance 10, Earth Adaptation, Spell Secret	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Earth Focus +1, Summon Earth Elemental 1/day	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Wild Shape Earth +1/day	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Earth Resistance 20	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th	+5	+6	+2	+6	Earth Penetration +4, Bonus Feat	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	Immunity to Paralysis and Poison	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	Earth Perfection, Earth Focus +2, Earth Immunity	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Earth Born gain no additional proficiency in weapons or armor.

Spells Per Day: When a new Earth Born level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a spell casting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained, except for an increased effective level of spell casting. If a character had more than one spell casting class prior to becoming an Earth Born, she must decide which class she adds the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Earth Specialty: Beginning at 1st level, the Earth Born may as a free action substitute for the earth type in any spell she casts with an element descriptor. For bards and sorcerers, this supersedes the requirement that a meta-magic feat applied to a spell takes a full-round action to cast. Note that the spell's normal casting time (typically 1 action) must still be taken.

Earth Resistance: Beginning at 1st level, the Earth Born gains increasing resistance to earth. This resistance is 5 points at level 1, and increases to 10 points at level 4, 15 at level 7, and becomes full immunity at level 10.

Immunity to Sleep: At 2nd level, as an Earth Born continues to transcend her mortal form, she gains immunity to sleep effects. She also at this point begins to look slightly more elemental (a little brown in the eyes, gritty to the touch, possibly a dark basalt color begins to show through her skin).

Bonus Feat: At 2nd and 8th levels an Earth Born gains extra feats.

Earth Penetration: The Earth Born begins to further refine their earth energies, and gains the ability to penetrate spell resistance with greater ease, if they are using an earth spell. She gains a +2 competence bonus on caster level checks (1d20 + caster level) to overcome a creature's resistance. At 8th level, this bonus increases to +4. These bonuses stack with those granted by the Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration feats.

Earth Focus: From 5th level on, an Earth Born is better able to manipulate earth. The save DC for any earth spell increases by 1. At 10th level, these save DCs increase by 1 again (total increase of 2). These increases are cumulative with those granted by the Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus feats.

Earth Adaptation: At 4th level, the Earth Born no longer takes environmental damage or suffers from hazards relating to earth or dust. In addition, she suffers no ill effects and has no difficulty moving and navigating through earth or dry climates. However, spells that duplicate earth environments (i.e. transmute rock to mud) do inflict their normal damage, after the earth resistance is factored in.

Spell Secret: A Earth Born can choose one spell known to her that then becomes permanently modified as though affected by one of the following meta-magic feats: Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell. The spell's level does not change and once the choice of spell and modification are chosen they cannot be changed. She does not need to know the meta-magic feat she applies.

Summon Earth Elemental: Once per day, the Earth Born can now summon an Earth Elemental to fight their enemies.

Wild Shape Earth: The Earth Born gains the Wild Shape ability (as Druid's first gaining of Wild shape). If she already knows Wild Shape, then she gets another usage of Wild Shape, per day. She can now transfer any basic wild shape creature into an earth subtype version.

Immunity to Paralysis and Poison: As an Earth Born approaches Earth Perfection, she gains immunity to paralysis and poison at 9th level.

Earth Perfection: At 10th level, an Earth Born, through long association with elemental entities and extensive study of their secrets, completely transcends her mortal form to become an elemental creature (Earth elemental (DnD Creature)). Her type changes to elemental. She no longer needs to eat, sleep, or breathe (though she must still rest to regain spells). She gains an elemental creature's immunity to stunning, and she is no longer subject to extra damage from critical hits or flanking. An Earth Born gains the speed and movement modes, natural attacks, special attacks, and special qualities of a Medium earth elemental, except that the save DC against her elemental attack form, if any (Slam) is 20 + her Con modifier. Unlike a normal elemental, an Earth Born retains a soul separate from her body. She can be raised from the dead as normal for a creature of her previous type.

Earth Immunity: From 10th level on, an Earth Born gains immunity to Earth effects.

Ex-Earth Borns

If an Earth Born wanders from seeking the purity of earth for any reason (since it is an independent study), no negative affects become present in the character. But if they choose to pick it up again later, after a year of inactivity, they must regain alignment with the earth by meeting with the elemental again, and possibly testing again.

Playing an Earth Born

Combat: While it is thought to be mostly a spellcasting class, it is derived from the druid class, therefore they can fill many different roles needed in the party.

Advancement:

Resources: The resources for an Earth Born are limited.

Earth Borns in the World

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NPC Reactions:

Earth Born Lore

Earth Born Lore stretches back through the ages, much more ancient than druids, and more potent than Elemental Savants. Very few have been made even in the last millennia and those that have rarely dedicate themselves fully to the task. There has been no deity that Earth Born lore points to but it seems that they simply worship the elements themselves and nature as more powerful than any deity ever to exist. At one time the Earth Borns were not the only elemental children. There are even rarer classes (Fire Born, Air Born) that they ruled with. As man came to being and began settling more and over taking nature itself many of them have dwindled to non-existence. Only the Earth Born are even seen rarely because of the earth climate that the earth spirit dwells in the Earth Born are the most active of the classes. Earth Borns are pre-chosen before birth and their nature drives them into the class. When they are born they are visited by the very elemental that will test them. This elemental will sometimes bear supernatural gifts to the child that can only be unlocked by the Earth Born through years of personal search. Many times the character will be restless before taking up the Earth Born path, they often get a sense of incompleteness or just a yearning for something (earth -- see Elemental Children)

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nature) can research Earth Borns to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (nature)

DC	Result
21	They become Earth Elementals
26	They are more ancient than savants
31	Many Earth Borns go into solitude for ages
40	Earth Borns are pre-chosen before birth and their nature drives them into the class. When they are born they are visited by the very elemental that will test them. This elemental will sometimes bear supernatural gifts to the child that can only be unlocked by the Earth Born through years of personal search.

Elemental Children

This group known as The Children of the Elements (Elemental Children) were once a great and powerful group. Very few, if any, have been made in the last millennia. And the ones who have been made, are rarely able to find the resources to dedicate themselves to the task. None are known to worship deities, but rather worship nature itself, and the elements themselves. As man came to being, and began settling more, and overtaking nature itself, many of them have dwindled into non-existence. Only the Snow Born are even seen rarely, because of the cold climate that the cold spirit dwells in. The Snow Born are the most active of the classes.

Elemental children are all pre-chosen before birth and their nature drives them to this path. When they are born they are visited by the very elemental that will test them. This elemental will sometimes bear supernatural gifts to the child that can only be unlocked by the Snow Born through years of personal search. Many times the character will be restless before taking up the path -- they often get a sense of incompleteness or just a yearning for something.

Earth Borns in the Game

Adaptation:

Sample Encounter:

EL whatever:

Test of the Earth Born

The Player rolls a d4 and depending on the roll must complete 1 of the following tests:

• 1: Cast a harmful earth spell on a nearby creature
• 2: Sit alongside the slope of a lava-strewn active volcano, until they reach the point at which they might die. (If they stay in, until released at the last moment, then they pass)
• 3: Create a house suitable for dwelling by humanoids, made entirely of earth/rock materials, using no spell components
• 4: Survive a week in a subterranean environment (ie: the Underdark) with nothing but what they can carry.

These tests can take any amount of time as the participant is taken to the frozen time dimension and no time passes in the normal dimension.

Related

Elemental Children
Earth Elemental (DnD Creature)
Fire Born (DnD Prestige Class)
Snow Born (DnD Prestige Class)
Air Born (DnD Prestige Class)

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