Author Topic: House Dimir  (Read 3026 times)

Offline Ziegander

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House Dimir
« on: February 03, 2012, 01:13:07 PM »


House Dimir

House Dimir is one of the ten guilds of Ravnica. It is a guild of secrecy, manipulation and underhanded deals, a shadowy organization operating behind the scenes to twist Ravnica to its own ends. The guild provides espionage, smuggling, burglary, counter-intelligence, assassination and other illegal services for the Ravnican populace, although its patrons are unaware that they are in fact employing the guild, instead thinking they are employing guildless mercenaries or another guild such as the Rakdos. The guild is so secretive that even its own agents often do not know who they truly work for.

House Dimir is ruled over by the ancient vampire Szadek. The vampire was one of the ten paruns that signed the Guildpact and remained in charge of the guild for the subsequent 10,000 years. One of the crucial clauses of the Guildpact was that none of the signatories (including Szadek) could reveal the existence of the Dimir to Ravnica's people, protecting the guild's anonymity while forcing it to remain hidden. This created a flaw in the Guildpact's structure that would eventually allow it to be broken.

Officially, the guild does not exist. The Ravnican people generally believe that there are only nine guilds and that if there ever was a tenth, it dissolved thousands of years ago. The name Dimir is not known by most people and those that do know it believe it to be a myth, childrens' story or a paranoid conspiracy theory. This misinformation is actively propagated by the Dimir themselves as a method for avoiding suspicion.

The Dimir Secretkeeper


Alignment: Any Non-Lawful, Non-Good (or Primary-Secondary in your choice of Black or Blue).
Hit Die: 1d6

LevelBABFortRefWillSpecial
AC Bonus
1st+0+0+2+2Aura of Deception, Dark Knowledge (Tactics), Trapfinding
+0
2nd+1+0+3+3Sneak Attack +1d6, Quick Disguise
+0
3rd+2+1+3+3Camouflage, Petty Thieving
+0
4th+3+1+4+4AC Bonus, Steal Spells
+1
5th+3+1+4+4Guile, Sneak Attack +2d6
+1
6th+4+2+5+5Dark Knowledge (Puissance)
+1
7th+5+2+5+5Steal Thoughts
+1
8th+6/+1+2+6+6Sneak Attack +3d6
+2
9th+6/+1+3+6+6A Thousand Faces, Transmute
+2
10th+7/+2+3+7+7Dark Knowledge (Foe)
+2
11th+8/+3+3+7+7Sneak Attack +4d6
+2
12th+9/+4+4+8+8Steal Memories
+3
13th+9/+4+4+8+8Dark Knowledge (Skill)
+3
14th+10/+5+4+9+9Hide in Plain Sight, Sneak Attack +5d6
+3
15th+11/+6/+1+5+9+9Improved Guile
+3
16th+12/+7/+2+5+10+10Transmute Self
+4
17th+12/+7/+2+5+10+10Sneak Attack +6d6
+4
18th+13/+8/+3+6+11+11Steal Soul
+4
19th+14/+9/+4+6+11+11Dark Knowledge (Dread Secret)
+4
20th+15/+10/+5+6+12+12Lord of Secrets, Sneak Attack +7d6
+5

Class Skills (8 + Int modifier): Appraise, Autohypnosis, Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Jump, Knowledge (Any), Listen, Lucid DreamingMotP, Move Silently, Open Lock, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Swim, Tumble, and Use Magic Device.

Weapon & Armor Proficiencies
A Dimir Secretkeeper is proficient with all simple and all light or one-handed martial weapons, with light armor, but not with shields.

Aura of Deception (Su): A Dimir Secretkeeper is shrouded in mystery making her, all items in her possession, and all ongoing spells affecting her, immune to and exempt from Divination effects, unless the caster succeeds on a caster level check against DC 11 + her class level. If the caster's check fails, the Dimir Secretkeeper can attempt a Bluff check as an immediate action, opposed by the caster's Sense Motive skill, to relay false information of the type that the Divination attempted to acquire. This works just like a normal use of the Bluff skill.

Dark Knowledge (Ex): A number of times per day equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier, no more than once per encounter, a Dimir Secretkeeper may draw upon her cache of secrets to grant herself and her allies benefits against creatures they face. To benefit from Dark Knowledge an ally must be able to see, hear, and understand the Dimir Secretkeeper, but otherwise the ability has no maximum range beyond line of sight.

To use Dark Knowledge, a Dimir Secretkeeper must first succeed on a Knowledge check to identify a creature's special powers or vulnerabilities appropriate to the creature (see Knowledge Skill). If her check succeeds, she may spend a swift action to grant herself one of the benefits listed below. For every 5 points her check beats the DC by she may grant an additional benefit.

  • Tactics - A 1st level Dimir Secretkeeper may grant herself and her allies a +1 insight bonus to attack and damage rolls for the rest of the encounter. This bonus increases to +2 at 6th level, +3 at 10th, +4 at 13th, and +5 at 19th.
  • Puissance - A 6th level Dimir Secretkeeper may grant herself and her allies a +2 insight bonus to AC and saving throws for the rest of the encounter. This bonus increases to +3 at 10th level, +4 at 13th, and +5 at 19th.
  • Foe - A 10th level Dimir Secretkeeper and her allies pinpoint the location of any identified creatures within 30ft and deal those creatures 1d6 extra damage with their attacks. The radius of detection and extra damage increase to 45ft and 2d6 respectively at 13th level, and 60ft and 3d6 at 19th.
  • Skill - A 13th level Dimir Secretkeeper may grant herself and her allies a +10 insight bonus to all skill and ability checks that are opposed by any identified creatures. This bonus increases to +15 at 19th level.
  • Dread Secret - A 19th level Dimir Secretkeeper may grant herself and her allies the ability to make a single death attack against the identified creatures before the ends of their next respective turns. Making a death attack is a standard action, and if it hits, the identified creature must succeed at a Fort save (DC 10 + 1/2 Dimir Secretkeeper level + her Intelligence modifier) or be slain outright. Even if the creature's save succeeds it becomes Frightened for 1 minute. This effect cannot escalate a creature's Fear condition.
Trapfinding (Ex): As Rogue.

Sneak Attack (Ex): Starting at 2nd level; as Rogue.

Quick Disguise (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a Dimir Secretkeeper can use the Disguise skill to create a disguise in 1/10th the normal time. She is also able to don and remove equipment, such as armor, in 1/5 the normal time (donning and removing a shield become free actions).

Petty Thieving (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, once per round, when a Dimir Secretkeeper successfully hits a foe with a sneak attack, she may make a Disarm attempt against that creature or a Sleight of Hand attempt to take something from that creature, as a free action without provoking attacks of opportunity. If she tries to Disarm her foe and fails, that foe doesn't get to attempt to Disarm her back.

Camouflage (Ex): Starting at 3rd level, when a Dimir Secretkeeper is in an Urban environment she may use the Hide skill as if continuously benefiting from cover or concealment.

AC Bonus (Ex): Starting at 4th, a Dimir Secretkeeper adds his Intelligence modifier to his AC as well as an additional dodge bonus as shown in the table above as long as he wears light or no armor.

Steal Spells (Su): Starting at 4th level, when a Dimir Secretkeeper successfully hits a foe with a sneak attack, that foe must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Dimir Secretkeeper level + her Dexterity modifier) to avoid losing a number of spell slots and/or daily uses of spell-like abilities whose total combined levels do not exceed the number of extra damage dice the Dimir Secretkeeper's sneak attack dealt. This ability cannot be used to steal spell-like abilities that aren't measured in daily uses.

If a Dimir Secretkeeper hits a foe with multiple sneak attacks in the same action, that foe makes only a single saving throw, with a DC increased by 1 for each successful sneak attack, but if that save fails, then the Dimir Secretkeeper may steal a number of slots or SLAs whose total combined levels do not exceed the total combined number of extra damage dice dealt to that foe this turn from her sneak attacks.

If a creature loses spell slots or daily uses of spell-like abilities in this way, then the Dimir Secretkeeper gains them until her next extended rest (8 hours of sleep for most creatures). If a creature that lost spell slots in this way was a prepared caster, the Dimir Secretkeeper automatically knows what spells are prepared in her stolen spell slots. Likewise, she automatically knows the spell-like abilities she has stolen.

However, if a creature that lost spell slots in this way was a spontaneous caster, then when the Dimir Secretkeeper attempts to cast a spell from one of her stolen spell slots she casts a random spell of the appropriate spell level from the victim's list of spells known. She may attempt a Use Magic Device check, DC 15 + spell slot level, in order to cast a specific spell of the appropriate level from the victim's list of spells known.

It is recommended that the player of a Dimir Secretkeeper keep separate listings of spell slots stolen from prepared casters, spell slots stolen from spontaneous casters, and of daily uses per day of spell-like abilities.

Guile (Ex): A 5th level Dimir Secretkeeper is able to resist the effects of even unusual attacks with elegant ease. Whenever she succeeds on a Reflex or Will saving throw against an effect that has a reduced effect on a successful save, such as a with an entry of Reflex half or Will partial, she suffers no ill effects instead.

Steal Thoughts (Su): Starting at 7th level, when a Dimir Secretkeeper successfully hits a foe with a sneak attack, that foe must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 Dimir Secretkeeper level + her Dexterity modifier) to avoid becoming Staggered for 1 round and subject to a Detect Thoughts effect as the spell, automatically allowing the Dimir Secretkeeper to read its surface thoughts for the next hour. A creature whose saving throw succeeds is immune to Steal Thoughts until you gain a level.

If a Dimir Secretkeeper hits a foe with multiple sneak attacks in the same action, that foe makes only a single saving throw, with a DC increased by 1 for each successful sneak attack.

If a foe that casts spells or has daily uses of spell-like abilities fails its save against this effect, then it does not make a separate Will save to avoid losing spell slots and/or daily uses of spell-like abilities. Instead, if it fails its save against this effect, then it is considered to have also failed its save against the Dimir Secretkeeper's Steal Spells ability.

A Thousand Faces (Su): At 9th level, a Dimir Secretkeeper gains the ability to change her appearance at will, as if using the Disguise Self spell. This affects her body but not her possessions. It is not an illusory effect, but a minor physical alteration of her appearance, within the limits described for the spell.

Transmute (Su): Starting at 9th level, a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Intelligence modifier, a Dimir Secretkeeper may alter a spell slot or a daily use of a spell-like ability she has stolen, changing it to be any spell she likes of the same level or lower from the same class spell list. She may even do this with spell slots stolen from spontaneous casters. Using this ability is a free action.

Steal Memories (Su): Starting at 12th level, when a creature fails its save against the Dimir Secretkeeper's Steal Thoughts ability, at the Dimir Secretkeeper's option, it loses all memory of the past few minutes, up to 1 minute per class level and, instead of being Staggered for 1 round, that creature loses its next move or standard action (the Dimir Secretkeeper's choice).

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): Starting at 14th level, when a Dimir Secretkeeper is in an Urban environment she may use the Hide skill even while being observed.

Improved Guile (Ex): Starting at 15th level, when a Dimir Secretkeeper fails its Reflex or Will save against an effect, she may attempt a new save against the same DC at the start of her next turn, and may substitute the higher of her Reflex or Will saves for a save of the type that the effect normally allows. She may only make a single new save in this way for each effect.

Transmute Self (Su): Starting at 16th level, by spending two daily uses of her Transmute ability, a Dimir Secretkeeper can polymorph herself into any creature whose HD doesn't exceed her class level from Tiny to Huge size as the Shapechange spell. She must be familiar with the form she wishes to take.

Steal Soul (Su): Starting at 18th level, when a creature fails its save against the Dimir Secretkeeper's Steal Thoughts ability, at the Dimir Secretkeeper's option, it gains two negative levels and, instead of being Staggered for 1 round, that creature becomes Dazed for 1 round (or, if immune, it loses its next move or standard action).

If a creature is slain by these negative levels, instead of rising as a Wight, the Dimir Secretkeeper stores that creature's soul within herself, preventing that creature from being resurrected by any means, including Wish or Miracle. For every soul stored in this way, the Dimir Secretkeeper gains 5 temporary hit points, which stack with other temporarily hit points she has, and a +1 bonus to ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and effective class level (whenever her level is used in a die roll or calculation, increase it by one for each stored soul). If a Dimir Secretkeeper is slain, then all her stored souls are freed and may depart to the afterlife or be returned to their bodies by any normal means.

Lord of Secrets (Ex): At 20th level, a Dimir Secretkeeper is immune to all mind-affecting effects, calling effects, and death effects and is immune to and exempt from Divination effects (no caster level check allowed). Any attempt to use any of the above on the Dimir Secretkeeper automatically fails and if any creature is responsible for the effect it must succeed at a Will save (DC 20 + Dimir Secretkeeper's Intelligence modifier) or suffer permanent Insanity.



Ravnica: City of Guilds
The Azorius Arbiter, the Boros Legionnaire, the Dimir Secretkeeper, the Golgari Graveborne, the Gruul Wildspeaker, the Izzet Mathmagican, the Orzhov Ghostwayman, the Rakdos Hellraiser, the Selesnya Convoker, and the Simic Visionary.