Prestige Class: Planar Servant

Planar servants are powerful spellcasters who have gained the powers usually wielded only by the Gatekeeper druids. They have developed a close relationship with one of the planes, and eventually learn how to manifest the characteristics of their chosen plane or strengthen manifest zones that already exist. Planar servants are extremely rare, and they tend to consider themselves guardians of their planes rather than masters of them. They are known as servants of their chosen plane rather than the general term of planar servant: for example, a cleric who used this prestige class to improve his healing spells would be known as a servant of Irian.

Planar servants in the world
Write the first section of your page here.

Playing a planar servant
Depending upon the nature of their chosen plane, planar servants vary considerably in their combat tactics. Since their planar auras are centred upon them—though they may move after creating one—planar servants can affect enemies only by engaging them in close combat or luring them closer. Because of the danger involved, many planar servants opt to play defensive roles, protecting the group until enemies come close enough to be affected by their aura. However, a planar servant can also cause considerable mayhem with a more reckless approach, and those who serve the more chaotic-aligned planes often opt for these more brazen strategies.

Regardless of their role in an adventuring party, however, most servants begin battle by moving where their abilities will be most useful, and creating a planar aura. Much thought must be given to the planar aura's location, since all but the most powerful planar servants must expend a standard action to relocate it; the most successful groups develop strategies to contain their enemies, either within or without the planar aura, thus gaining the greatest possible combat advantages. All planar servants must carefully apportion their planar reserve as well: they have many additional weapons to wield against their foes, but the most powerful of them will completely drain their reserve in a matter of moments. As a result, most planar servants—even those who use reckless batlte tactics—are somewhat careful and methodical, always taking care to ensure their powers are used to greatest effect.

Requirements
You must meet all the following requirement before taking your first level in the planar servant prestige class.

Spells—Must be able to cast attune form (Planar Handbook 94)

Feats—Planar Touchstone

Skills—Knowledge (the planes) 8 ranks, Survival 4 ranks

Abilities
Hit Dice—d6

Skill points—2 + Intelligence modifier

Class skills—Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (the planes), Profession, Spellcraft, Survival

Chosen plane—Upon entering this prestige class, you must choose which of the planes of Eberron you will serve. Making this choice is a life-altering decision and a permanent one: you can never change your chosen plane, not even with character retraining options. You cannot choose the Material Plane as your chosen plane, and the current state of the planes makes serving Dal Quor impossible. Planar secrets—When you become a planar servant, you gain a bonus on Knowledge (planes) and Survival checks equal to your class level.

Planar reserve—When you reach second level, you acquire a reserve of planar energies that is replenished each day at dawn, or whenever you memorize spells. This reserve has a number of points equal to twice your planar servant level, plus one additional point for each point of your Charisma bonus. These points can be used for a number of extra abilities, which you begin learning at second level, but you can also use your planar reserve to improve your spellcasting. For each point you expend from your planar reserve, you can improve your caster level checks to overcome spell resistance by two or the saving throw DC of your spells by one. However, these bonuses only apply to spells that are usually enhanced on your chosen plane. Improving your spellcasting in this manner is a free action and lasts until the beginning of your next turn.

Planar aura—Planar servants eventually learn how to surround themselves with small manifest zones. These take the form of auras centred upon the planar servant; initially they are quite small, with a radius no larger than ten feet, though this improves to twenty feet at fourth level. Normally, these auras have no tangible game effects: the area around the planar servant merely takes on the physical characteristics and feel of their chosen plane: a servant of Fernia, for example, would cause the air around him to feel singed. The planar servant's other abilities, however, allow him to emulate certain other characteristics of his chosen plane within the confines of the aura by expending points from his planar reserve. Creating a planar aura is a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and the planar servant can freely create them, but only one planar aura can exist at any given time.

Planar guardian—When you reach second level, you gain a +2 bonus on all Charisma-based checks with creatures who have strong connections to that plane. This includes all native residents of your chosen plane, but not necessarily all creatures that bear similiarities to them; for example, a servant of Risia would gain this bonus when interacting with chraals, but not with all creatures that have the cold subtype. This bonus increases to +4 at fourth level.

Emulate planar traits—When you master the fundamentals of planar magics, you can spend a free action to expend points from your planar reserve to emulate some characteristics of your chosen plane within the confines of your planar aura. Multiple traits can be emulated simultaneously, but you must spend all the necessary points to do so; unless otherwise noted, these planar traits last until the beginning of your next turn.


 * Emulate space—Second-level planar shepherds can cause their planar auras to emulate the physical characteristics of their chosen plane, by expending one point from their planar reserve per round this ability remains active. If your chosen plane has an unusual gravity or shape, the space affected by your planar aura retains these characteristics. For example, if your chosen plane has a self-contained shape, creatures can walk through the edge to appear on the other side. However, creatures can pass through the borders of any planar aura normally if they pass a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + double your planar servant level + your Charisma modifier).


 * Emulate elements and energies—At third level, you learn how to create the more powerful physical characteristics of your chosen plane. If your chosen plane is element-dominant or energy-aligned, you can cause your planar aura to exhibit the relevant effects by expending two points from your planar reserve per round that this ability remains active.


 * Emulate magic—When you reach fourth level, any enhanced or impeded magic effects remain within the confines of your planar aura, but you must expend three points from your planar reserve for each round that this ability remains active. Spells are only enhanced and impeded within the aura, so a fireball that strikes enemies on both sides of the aura's border would only be enhanced against those within.


 * Emulate time—The most powerful planar servants can briefly recreate the strange passage of time in their chosen plane. If your chosen plane has unusual rules for the passage of time, you can emulate its effects within your planar aura. If time passes more slowly within your aura than outside of it, then everyone outside of the aura gets one free combat round; the reverse is true for auras where time passes more quickly within the aura. However, during these extra rounds creatures within the aura can only affect other creatures within it, and vice versa; additionally, unlike the other planar trait abilities, the emulating time effect ends as soon as these extra combat rounds have been completed. Emulating time within your planar aura requires expending five points from your planar reserve.

Planar avatar—When you reach fifth level, you become a mighty guardian of your chosen plane. Your bonus from the planar guardian special ability improves to +6, and you can create planar auras as swift actions. The radius of planar auras doubles to forty feet as well.