Scion of the Worm

“My masters are not far behind.” - Shtahalam, scion of the worm

Scions of the worm are those that have decided to place themselves in the services of the psurlons completely, in the hope of gaining a greater understanding of psionics. They serve their psionic masters in exchange for power and grow more and more like their masters.

Psions and wilders seem most attracted to the scion of the worm class, but psychic warriors who wish to bolster their combat abilities also find that the class features are of interest.

NPC scions of the worm are mostly found wandering the wastes on errands for their masters, but can also be encountered in the city-states and villages, searching for secrets or slaves to bring back. They often go wrapped in large garments, passing themselves for one of the New Races to avoid arousing suspicion about their appearance.

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements:

To qualify to become a scion of the worm, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Lawful evil.
Race: Any humanoid.
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 4 ranks, Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks.
Feats: Combat Manifestation.
Psionics: Able to manifest 3rd-level powers.
Special: Must make friendly contact with a psurlon adept and undergo a ritual in which they willingly submit to read thoughts to prove their sincerity.

Class Skills:

The scion of the worm’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape artist (Dex), Gather information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (the planes and psionics only) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Scions of the worm gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Powers Known: A scion of the worm continues training in the powers of the mind. At every level indicated on the class table, a scion of the worm gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if he had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class he belonged to before he added the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of the class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic, psionic or item creation feats, psicrystal special abilities, and so on). This essentially means that he adds the level of scion of the worm to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly.

If a character had more than one manifesting class before he became a scion of the worm, he must decide to which class he adds the new level of scion of the worm for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.

Foreign Mind (Su): Due to exposure to and influence from the psurlons, a scion of the worm gains a +2 racial bonus to charm and compulsion effects.

Domination (Ps): A scion of the worm can manifest psionic dominate once per day, as a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The save DC is equal to 14 + the scion of the worm’s Charisma modifier. The character’s manifester level is the manifester level of the effect. This ability is usable twice per day at 4th level.

Maw of the Psurlon (Ex): Upon achieving 2nd level, the lips of a scion of the worm retract and their teeth become pointed, granting them a bite attack for 1d4 points of damage.

Ability Boost: By 3rd level, constant exposure to the psurlons transforms the scion of the worm’s brain and elongates their head, increasing their Intelligence score by 2 points.

Blindsight (Ex): Upon achieving 5th level, a scion of the worm loses the use of their vision, with their eyes getting smaller and turning solid black, but can now ascertain their surroundings by nonvisual means. This ability enables them to discern objects and creatures within 60 feet. The scion of the worm does not need to make Listen or Spot checks to notice creatures within range of their blindsight.

Psurlon Apotheosis (Ex): At 5th level, a scion of the worm has been changed and twisted by the power of the psurlons. Their skin turns a deep, brick-red color, with a subtle, segmented look at the joints. The scion of the worm’s type changes to monstrous humanoid. This transformation has no effect on the scion of the worm’s Hit Die type. The scion gains a +2 racial bonus on Will saves as their mind is made even more alien by their psurlon mentors.

Ex-Scion of the Worm: A scion of the worm who changes their alignment away from lawful evil or willingly opposes the psurlons loses many of the features of this prestige class. The only class features that are not lost are the psurlon apotheosis, maw of the psurlon, and blindsight abilities. The character is permanently warped and twisted into a monstrous humanoid for the rest of their life.

Psurlon Grafts

Wormgrafter [Item Creation]

You can apply psurlon grafts to other living creatures or to yourself.
Prerequisite: Psurlon, Heal 10 ranks.
Benefit: You can create psurlon grafts and apply them to other living creatures or to yourself. Creating a graft takes one day for each 1,000 cp in its price. To create a graft, you must spend 1/25 of its price in XP and use raw material costing one-half of this price.

Psurlons are masters of creating and developing psyche and mentally-enhancing grafts. They use some themselves but most are designed with their pawns and servitors, both loyal and controlled, in mind.

Psychic Knot

This graft gives a bad surprise to those that wish to mentally influence its recipient. If the recipient is subject to a mental attack, the graft is the first to receive the bulk of the effect, revolting the attacking mind with its alien strangeness. The psurlons rarely implant these grafts into already controlled minions, as even they are not immune to the ill effects of contacting a mind protected by a psychic knot. After being grafted, all social interactions enacted by the recipient suffer from a difficulty in understanding normally-minded creatures.
Graft Location: Head. Description: This graft takes the form of a dark-red lump of flesh located in the back of the head of the recipient, with fleshy, spidery tendrils of the same color covering the scalp from the neck up to the forehead.
Activation: A psychic knot is always active once the graft is installed. Using it requires no action beside being subject to a mind-affecting power (as noted below).
Effect: The graft affects the mind of psionic creatures trying to influence the recipient (whether the effect would be beneficial or not). When the recipient is subject to a mind-affecting power or psi-like ability, the manifester must make a Will save (DC 16) or becomes dazed for 1d4 rounds as their mind reels from the alieness encountered while contacting the mind protected by the graft. In addition, upon a failed save, the manifester’s DC to gain their next psionic focus is 20 plus the number of rounds he was dazed.
The drawback of this graft is the difficulty of the recipient to process social information as their mind grows less receptive to outside influence and more alien, taking a -2 penalty on Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Sense Motive checks.
Construction: Requires Graft Psurlon Flesh, creator must be a psurlon, id insinuation power, 5,000 cp, 200 XP, 10 days.
Graft Donor: A piece of psurlon brain.
Graft Sacrifice: 2 hp, -2 penalty on Diplomacy, Gather Information and Sense Motive checks.
Price: 10,000 cp.

Sensory Nodule

This graft enables the recipient to sense and perceive details that its visual organs would otherwise miss or mistake.
Graft Location: Head. Description: A small bump-like lobe located above the eyes of the recipient.
Activation: The effects granted by the sensory nodule are always active once the graft is installed. Using it requires no action on the part of the recipient.
Effect: In addition to their normal senses, the recipient can now ascertain their surroundings by nonvisual means, gaining blindsight with a range of 30 feet. This ability enables the recipient to discern hidden objects and creatures within range, and the recipient does not need to make Listen or Spot checks to notice creatures within range of his blindsight.
Illusions spells from the glamer and figment subschools are automatically disbelieved if they are within range. The recipient gains a +4 to its saving throws to disbelieve other illusion spells that they are subject to if they are within range.
Construction: Requires Graft Psurlon Flesh, creator must be a psurlon, synesthete power, 3,000 cp, 240 XP, 6 days.
Graft Donor: Part of a psurlon’s prostomium.
Graft Sacrifice: 2 hp.
Price: 6,000 cp.