Osteogen [Osteo Base]

[Stratovarius]

Osteogen
"Bones of the earth, your bones, my bones, they are the source of our true power."
- Hasgyrn Horgan, dwarf Osteogen

Bones come in all shapes and sizes, found in the smallest of creatures and the greatest of beasts. Even the earth has bones, in the form of the great spires of rock that spear forth from the land. It is the core of all things, the structure which holds up all beings that live in the world, and from that centre comes great power, for the bones of a creature hold the essence of that creature, for bound within them is the course of their life, and the power and the glory that was theirs. By binding up the energy of a life lived to the full within the bone, those with the skill and the knowledge become infused with all the energy of that creature, holding it to their will. It may be used to beg rain to leave the crops flush with good growth, or with a gesture, a growl, and a glare as the bones spear a poor hapless soul who fell afoul of those who possess power. Above all, those who use it know they have struck to the core of the matter at hand.


Making a Osteogen
The osteogen is attuned to the nature of bone, immersed in the nature and the creation and cost of all that comes with that force. By grasping that knowledge within himself, he has learned that even such an inflexible substance as bone may be altered and used as a skilled practicioner sees fit. Able to alter his and his foe's skeletal structure to unheard of degrees, the osteogen can call the magic and the power through his knowledge of the secrets of bone. To be an osteogen is to be a master of the secrets of life.

Abilities: Wisdom is the ability that the osteogen uses for his osteoblast abilities. For those who have a more physical bent to their control and structure of bone, the physical stats gain in importance. His other abilities rely on charisma for their strength, while his mind keeps his skills sharp.

Races: Osteogens appear amongst all races, but are almost always centred amongst those who have a more primitive take on life, who see spirits and bones and organs as important, and who find in a sheep's liver clues to the future. They are the shamans and the seers of a tribal life, rolling the bones to look to the future, even sacrificing creatures from beyond the village land to save their home from infection and unrest. As such, those who live in tribal states such as goblins, orcs, and others find these most common, but all races may have osteogens.

Alignment: Osteogens can be of any alignment, although they trend towards the more evil end of the spectrum, due to a native intolerance of outsiders, and the rather gruesome manner in which they create their spellcasting tools. However, as with almost all sources of power, the manner in which it is used and the mind behind it determine the implications of its use.

Starting Gold: As Wizard.

Starting Age: As Wizard.


Table 1: The Osteogen
Hit Die: d6

Level  BAB   Ref   Fort  Will  Abilities
------------------------------------------------------
1      +0    +0    +2    +2    Hardened Skeleton, Osseus Hammer
2      +1    +0    +3    +3    Liquefy Bone
3      +1    +1    +3    +3    Skeleton of Razors
4      +2    +1    +4    +4    Hardened Skeleton, Dance of the Bones
5      +2    +1    +4    +4    Bonus Feat
6      +3    +2    +5    +5    Shards of Bone                       
7      +3    +2    +5    +5    Roll the Bones
8      +4    +2    +6    +6    Hardened Skeleton, Shaman's Dance
9      +4    +3    +6    +6    Piercings                       
10     +5    +3    +7    +7    Bonus Feat, Shattering Blast
11     +5    +3    +7    +7    Ritual of Bone Blackened
12     +6    +4    +8    +8    Hardened Skeleton, Piercings                       
13     +6    +4    +8    +8    Osseus Liturgy
14     +7    +4    +9    +9    Dance of the Bones                       
15     +7    +5    +9    +9    Bonus Feat, Piercings       
16     +8    +5    +10   +10   Hardened Skeleton                       
17     +8    +5    +10   +10   Osseus Waves                       
18     +9    +6    +11   +11   Piercings, Skeletal Mastery
19     +9    +6    +11   +11   Ritual of the Skinwalker                       
20     +10   +6    +12   +12   Hardened Skeleton, Bonelord

Class skills (4 + Int modifier per level, x4 at first level): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Handle Animal, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (History), Knowledge (Religion), Knowledge (The Planes), Perform, Profession, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Survival.
             
Class Features
Bone occurs within all things, forming a stiffening, structural core that keeps life in a full and proper form, and shapes the world that lays draped over the skeleton beneath. These are the tools of the osteogen, who wields them as one would a weapon, his will more powerful than any weapon, and more inflexible than even the strongest of bones.

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Osteogens are proficient with all simple weapons and light armour.
  
• Osteomancy: The Osteogen, through his knowledge of the internal workings of all things, and the power that resides within each bone, gains the ability to cast osseins. The Osteogen uses Wisdom to determine what level of ossein he can cast, as well as for the DC of his abilities. The Osteogen starts with three 1 HD bones or organs, each inscribed with a single first level ossein.
  
• Hardened Skeleton (Ex): The Osteogen's body slowly hardens as his years of practice give him the ability to manipulate and strengthen his internal organs. He gains +1 natural armour, increasing to +2 at level 4, and a further +1 every four levels beyond that, to a maximum of +6 at level twenty. This only applies to a creature with a natural skeletal structure.
  
• Osseus Hammer (Su): The osteogen can launch small chunks of bone through the air, dealing 1d4+1 bludgeoning damage per two class levels as a ranged touch attack, out to a maximum of 60 ft. He may instead choose to launch deadly shards, dealing 1d6 piercing damage. All other features remain the same. This is a standard action.
  
• Liquefy Bone (Su): Much as he can improve his own skeletal structure, he can damage that of another creature. Should the target, who must be a creature with a skeletal structure, fail a fortitude save against a DC of 10 + one half Osteogen level + your Wisdom modifier, the target is slowed, as per the slow spell, for one round per class level. The creature also takes 1d4 points of constitution damage per four osteogen levels (minimum 1d4). If the creature is entirely created of bone, such as a skeleton, it is destroyed unless it succeeds at the fortitude save. The target must be within 10 ft. per class level, and can only be affected by this ability once, unless he has subsequently healed away all ability damage. This ability is a standard action.
  
• Skeleton of Razors (Ex): The osteogen forces his bones to extrude elongated portions of bone, covering his flesh in an array of razored edges. Any creature who grapples or strikes the osteogen in melee combat with a non-reach melee weapon, natural attack, or unarmed strike takes slashing damage equal to twice his class level.
  
• Dance of the Bones (Su): The bones of creature are the core of their being, and if they can be held and controlled, they sway far better than even the most impressive puppet show. The Osteogen can animate 1 dead creature with a skeletal structure for every 4 class levels, and they gain the Skeleton template. The osteogen must dance and sway for 5 minutes to awaken these creatures, and from then on, he must continue to dance, moving no more than one half his normal speed as a full-round action. Should he stop, the skeletons collapse and are destroyed, and cannot be raised again. At level 14, he can animate 2 skeleton creatures per 4 class levels. Each skeleton can have up to 4 HD per class level.
  
• Bonus Feat: The osteogen gains knowledge of a single [Bone] feat. He gains knowledge of a second at 10, and a third at 15.
  
• Shards of Bone (Su): Cracking and shattering of bone results in many fine and dangerous slivers, and the osteogen knows to channel them as a weapon. By expending ossein points, the osteogen causes everyone within 20 feet to take 2d4+2 points of piercing damage per ossein point from the thousands of bone shards that spray forth. Creatures receive a Reflex save for half against the damage. The DC for this save is 10 + 1/2 class level + wisdom modifier. He cannot exceed the maximum number of ossein points he could expend on an ossein.
  
• Roll the Bones (Su): Produced from a small pouch, the bones are tools of augury and prediction, clattering and rolling across the ground as they determine those things unknown. Rolling them as a move action, the osteogen can either gain a +1 bonus to his osteoblast level, lasting for one minute. He may do this a number of times per day equal to 3 + Wisdom modifier. Or, the osteogen can, as a 10 minute ritual, cast Augury. He may only use this to cast Augury once per week, at a caster level equal to his osteoblast level. At level nine, he may use Divination instead. At level eleven, Sending, and at level thirteen, Commune. Each time he gains knowledge of an addition spell, he may also use the ability one more time per week.
  
• Shaman's Dance (Su): By dancing and twisting around the fire in gyrations incredible, the Osteogen can apply the benefits of metamagic feats that he knows to an ossein that he casts at the end of the dance. The osteogen must know the metamagic feat he wishes to apply, and must dance for 5 minutes per level adjustment. At the end of the dance, the metamagic feat is applied to the ossein cast. The caster level of the ossein is reduced by the level adjustment of the metamagic feat.
  
• Piercings (Ex): The Osteogen has learned how to permanently equip certain graven bones, by piercing them into his body. He chooses an ossein he knows and can cast, and permanently engraves it into his body, allowing him to always treat it as attuned. He may pierce himself with 1 bone at level 9, and 1 every three levels thereafter, to a maximum of 4 at level 18. Treat all bones this way as if they have associated hit dice equal to one half class level.
  
• Shattering Blast (Su): A single glance, and a creature explodes, bone fragments spraying across the room. As a swift action, the Osteogen can make any skeletal creature under his control explode, as per the Shards of Bone ability, except that the damage dealt is 2d4+2 per two hit dice of the skeletal creature.
  
• Ritual of Bone Blackened (Su): Long and dark is the ritual that causes fire to spring forth from the crevices of the soul, but exist it does. Used for good or ill, it will scorch all those who touch it. By performing a dark ritual for 15 minutes, the Osteogen lets the fire in his bones spiral outwards, cloaking him and his allies within 20 ft. in a robe of flames. Any who get within 5 ft. of an enflamed creature takes 10 fire damage, plus 1 per Osteogen level. The osteogen takes 1 damage per 5 dealt to other creatures, and may cancel the ritual at any time as a swift action. If he does not, it lasts for a maximum of 4 hours. Creatures under the effects of ritual are immune to its fire damage.
  
• Osseus Liturgy (Su): Locked within the bones are secrets of things that a practised Osteogen can draw forth, even if he does not know exactly what he searches for. By dancing, he may draw forth an ossein that he does not have attuned, dancing for 10 minutes per level of the ossein. At the end of the dance, he may cast the ossein on a legal target, and pay twice the required cost from his ossein pool. This ability allows him to exceed the maximum number of ossein points allowed.
  
• Osseus Waves (Su): Able to grow bone matter at will, the osteogen causes it to fasten to all allies within 30 feet of him. They gain the benefit of his Hardened Skeleton and Skeleton of Razors abilities, as an osteogen of the ally's level. The osteogen now doubles the bonus from Hardened Skeleton and Skeleton of Razors.
  
• Skeletal Mastery (Ex): Bone is the plaything of the osteogen, his element and his life. The bone in his body thickens and swells, encompassing all vital areas. The osteogen becomes immune to all critical hits, and takes only half damage to his constitution score.
  
• Ritual of the Skinwalker (Su): Turning his body inside out, the Osteogen can force his skeleton to the outside of his body, absorbing the impacts and regenerating the damage away. By performing a ritual for 10 minutes, the Osteogen gains DR/bludgeoning equal to his class level. These benefits last for two hours.
  
• Bonelord (Ex): There have been few in all of the recorded time who could match this Osteogen in the control and cultivation of bones. Any creature with a skeleton slain by a class feature or ossein rises again in 1d4 rounds as a skeleton under the Osteogen's control. All of these skeletons gain the benefits provided by Osseus Waves. The osteogen can control 1 skeleton per class level, in addition to those he could control through Dance of the Bones. Each skeleton can have up to 4 HD per class level, and is permanent until destroyed.