Pyromaniac (3.5e Prestige Class)

Pyromaniac

“	If fire can't fix your problem, you're not using enough.	”
—Elixoren, Elf Wizard/Pyromancer, The Pyromancer's Guidebook by Elixoren the Red

Pyromaniacs don't just use fire. They adore it, revel in it, respect it and ally with it. If your default strategy to any situation isn't "use fire", you don't deserve to be in this class. That means ANY situation - a fancy ball, combat, climbing a tower, even healing someone. This class helps you do that with it's multitude of abilities.

Becoming a Pyromaniac

Pyromaniacs are mostly powerful blasters, using fire to destroy their enemies.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any nonlawful.
Spellcasting:	Must be able to cast three fire based spells
Special:	Must have burned down a building for no purpose other than the joy of watching it burn.

Table: The Pyromaniac

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spellcasting
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+2	+2	Pyromania, Burn Spell, Flaming Evolution	-
2nd	+1	+0	+3	+3	-	+1 to existing casting class
3rd	+2	+1	+3	+3	Resistance to Fire 10	+1 to existing casting class
4th	+3	+1	+4	+4	Searing Spell	+1 to existing casting class
5th	+3	+1	+4	+4	-	+1 to existing casting class
6th	+4	+2	+5	+5	Fire Subtype	-
7th	+5	+2	+5	+5	Fiery Spell	+1 to existing casting class
8th	+6	+2	+6	+6	-	+1 to existing casting class
9th	+6	+3	+6	+6	-	+1 to existing casting class
10th	+7	+3	+7	+7	Body of Flame	+1 to existing casting class
Class Skills ( + Int modifier per level) .

Class Features

A Pyromaniac's abilities are all centered around fire - creating it, using it and augmenting it. Studies show twenty percent of most pyromaniacs' waking hours are spent using fire, and another sixty percent are closely related - follow that guideline. All of the following are class features of the Pyromaniac.

Spellcasting: At each level except 1st and 6th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Pyromaniac, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Flaming Evolution(Ex): At first level a Pyromaniac’s love of fire begins to merge and evolve with their Spellcasting ability, add 1 cantrip from the Druid, Cleric, Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer classes.

Burn Spell(Sp): A Pyromaniac uses spells slots to fuel powerful fire based abilities. To use any of these abilities, you must sacrifice a spell slot as if you had casted the spell. You get one of these abilites on 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th level. These abilities have a Burn level, equal to the (burned spell slot’s level) + total abilities known. These abilities take a standard action to activate and extended ones can be stopped as a free action.

Fire Breath: You let the energy from your burned spell fuel a flame inside you body, then exhale, breathing fire that even dragons would envy. As a standard action, you breath fire, dealing 1d10/Burn Level to a cone of length 30 + 5 ft/Burn Level (Ref Half).

Blazing Weapon: You channel the energy from your burned spell into a weapon, creating a shaped instrument of fiery destruction. This weapon can be any weapon you are proficient with, but cannot be used as a physical weapon (barring use of power attacks, trips, sunders and other such actions). It deals 1d4 damage per Burn level, has no critical threat range, makes touch attacks, weighs nothing and cannot gain a strength bonus to damage. A longer weapon can also be created, dealing half damage but having reach as a Spiked Chain. It lasts 10 minutes.

Aura of Flame: You let the energy from your burned spell flow out of your body, creating flames that burn all that get too close. This flame extends 5 feet and deals 1d4 damage per Burn level. It also burns up medium or smaller wooden projectiles and small or smaller wooden weapons, rendering them useless. Every 4d4 damage dealt these sizes increase by one. This ability is extremely draining on the user, dealing Burn Level damage to her. These effects last 1 minute.

Flame On!: By concentrating energy into your feet and hands, you can create jets of fire allowing you to fly at great speeds. You gain a fly speed of 40 + 10*Burn level (perfect) for 1 round/Burn Level. Additionally, you leave a trail of fire as wall of fire, but with fire shooting out both sides of the wall and with damage multiplied by (Burn Level/2).

Healing Flames: You channel the energy from your burned spell to coat your hands with warm, soothing flame, then touch an ally, spreading it across their wounds to seal them. This fire lingers, allowing them to spread the healing, passing the flame from one person to the next until it's healing powers are expended. With a melee touch, you heal any living creature for 1d6 hit points per Burn Level, and grant them Fast Healing (Burn Level) for one minute. While this Fast Healing is active, they can "pass" it to another creature, granting them the remaining Fast Healing. If a divine spell is burned for this purpose, the healing can instead deal damage to Undead and Evil Outsiders (or Good Outsiders for Evil divine casters). Additionally you can heal at a distance of 30ft for 1d4 per Burn level

Pyrotechnics: You use channeled fire to assist you in anything you might need, from entertaining guests to healing the sick to persuading a guard to let you pass. When you use this ability, you gain a bonus to any one skill check equal to your Burn Level. You can only use this if trained in the skill being used.

Shield of Flame: You allow the energy from your burned spell to coalesce into a barrier of solidified flame, protecting you and harming all others and lasting for 1 round/Burn Level. You gain total cover from sources in front of you as well as partial cover from sources to either side. Additionally, those within 5 feet take 1d6 damage per Burn Level. In addition, you gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to half Burn Level.

Orb of Flame: You concentrate the energy from your burned spell into a tiny ball, then launch it at an enemy. By making a ranged touch attack with range increment 30 feet + 5 feet per Burn Level, you fire the orb, dealing 1d12 fire damage per Burn Level to the target and 1d6 damage per Burn Level to those adjacent. If it misses, the ball continues in a straight line, allowing you to make ranged touch attacks with doubled penalties for range on enemies beyond your original target. If it hits nothing before reaching 10 range increments, the ball detonates in the last square it reaches, dealing the indirect damage to those within 5 feet.

Pyroburst: You let out all the energy from your burned spell in an explosive blast with radius 30 feet + 5 feet per Burn Level. This deals 1d10 per Burn Level damage to any within 10 + 5 feet per two Burn Levels and knocks them to the edge of the blast (Reflex half and negates the knock back). If they are flung 10 feet or more, they take 1d6 damage per 10 feet moved and are knocked down.

Pyromania (Su): At first level, a Pyromaniac attunes her spellcasting to fire, making every spell blaze with her spirit. Each spell gains the Fire subtype, and if a damaging spell, has damage converted to fire. Additionally when rolling to hit with fire based spells you gain advantage.

Resistance to Fire (Su): At 3rd level, a Pyromaniac attunes her body to fire. This gives her Resistance to Fire 10.

Searing Spell (Su): At 8th level, a Pyromaniac's skill with fire reaches an even greater level, allowing her to use fire in every situation, hurting even those immune to fire. The Pyromaniac gains the feat Searing Spell, and can use it without an increase in spell level three times per day.

Fire Subtype (Su): At 6th level, a Pyromaniac's body becomes so attuned to fire, she gains the Fire subtype, rendering her immune to fire and vulnerable to cold damage.

Fiery Spell (Su): At 4th level, a Pyromaniac's skill with fire improves further, burning foes even more. She gains the feat Fiery Spell, and can use it without an increase in spell level three times per day.

Body of Flame (Su): At 10th level, a Pyromaniac's body literally becomes fire. Her type becomes Elemental (Fire, Native), and gains the Burn ability of a Fire elemental of equal size, which also applies to touch attacks.

Ex-Pyromaniacs

Playing a Pyromaniac

Combat: Pyromaniacs are extremely powerful blasters, but can also do some battlefield control, healing and buffing. They often have stronger constitutions than other casters and use that to their advantage, weaving through waves of foes to use their area attacks to the best of their ability.

Advancement: Most Pyromaniacs are sorcerers, using their increased number of spells to fuel Burn Spell. As such, many classes or prestige classes made for Sorcerers do nicely with Pyromaniac. Martial classes can be used in conjunction with Pyromaniac to create powerful fire-themed gishes, especially for Monks who benefit from the touch-based attacks even further. Classes that provide dual progression in spellcasting can also efficiently fuel Burn Spell, and can often further augment spells. Classes such as Abjurant Champion and Eldritch Knight work even better, providing martial and arcane support for this class.

Resources: Pyromaniacs are usually shunned in the world, generally without any organization or guild to help them. Powerful ones with certain skills can get along well, however, and those that do will usually be willing to lend a hand to people of the same mindset.

Pyromaniacs in the World

“

Flesh is dirty, festering, filthy. Fire is clean.

”

Pyromaniacs are generally feared and shunned for their destructive power. Many cities and forests have been set ablaze by an uncontrolled Pyromaniac, and the frequency of such events is greatly exaggerated. As such, only the most charismatic of Pyromaniacs can get by without some degree of animosity from the public.

NPC Reactions: Most other spellcasters (adepts included) are somewhat accepting of Pyromaniacs, but find their obsession with fire both unnerving and strange. They start as Indifferent.

Warriors, nobles, experts and commoners are all afraid of Pyromaniacs for the same reason - they fear the relentless fire they can bring. They start as Unfriendly.

The only exception to this is when a Pyromaniac knows Pyrotechnics. Experts are then the only accepting group of Pyromaniacs, acknowledging their versatile skill. They start as Friendly.

Pyromaniac Lore

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

DC	Result
11	.
16	.
21	.
26	.

Pyromaniacs in the Game

Adaptation:

Sample Encounter:

EL whatever:

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