Demolitionist (3.5e Class)

Demolitionists are fairly durable with good saves, however, their abilities are limited, especially at lower levels which means their spells must be used with care.

Abilities: Most of a demolitionist's skills are fueled by Intelligence making it the most important ability. High Constitution and Dexterity also benefit a demolitionist's durability. A demolitionist may also benefit from good strength since her large hit dice and good armor allows him to fight in melee without too much risk.

Races: Races with an affinity for invention and alchemy, such as humans and gnomes, are most common.

Alignment: Any

Starting Gold: 4d6×10 gp (140 gp).

Starting Age: Simple

All of the following are class features of the demolitionist.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Demolitionists are proficient with all Simple Weapons, light armor, as well as firearms such as the Alchemist's Breachload Rifle and Alchemist's Breachload Pistol plus any other firearms present in the campaign. Medium armor does not interfere with a demolitionist's abilities but she is not proficient it.

Spells: A demolitionist casts arcane spells which are drawn from the demolitionist spell list (below). A demolitionist must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time (see below). To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the demolitionist must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a demolitionist's spell is 10 + the spell level + the demolitionist's Intelligence modifier. A demolitionist's effective caster level is equal to 3/4 their demolitionist level (rounding down). E.g. a level 5 demoltionist has a CL of 3 while a demolitionist 9/fighter 4 has a CL of 6.

Like other spellcasters, a demolitionist can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given above. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score.

Unlike a bard or sorcerer, a demolitionist may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting a good night’s sleep and spending 1 hour studying her spellbook. While studying, the demolitionist decides which spells to prepare.

Spellbook: A Demolitionist begins play with a Textbook containing three 1st-level spells of your choice. For each point of Intelligence bonus the demolitionist has, the textbook holds one additional 1st-level spell of your choice. At each new demolitionist level, he gains two new spell of any spell level or levels that she can cast for her textbook. At any time, a demolitionist can also add spells found in other textbooks to her own. This is done using an Spellcraft check just like a Wizard can.

Destructive Trasmutation (Sp): Whether through arcane power, alchemy, or chemical understanding, a demolitionist can destroy structures with a touch. Int times per day +1 per two levels, a demolitionist may cast Soften Earth and Stone, Transmute Rock to Mud, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Sand to Glass, Transmute Sand to Stone, and Transmute Stone to Sand as a spell-like ability.

As he levels up a demolitionist gains additional destructive transmutations. At caster level 7, he may add Disintegrate (usable only on objects) to the list. Likewise he may add vitrify at caster level 14. Each of these cost two uses of Destructive Transmutation. At 20th caster level, at the cost of three Destructive Transmutation uses, a demolitionist may use transmute rock to lava.

Combat Alchemist (Ex): At 1st level a demolitionist gains skill focus craft (alchemy) as a bonus feat. In addition they need only pay one quarter the price of an object for raw materials instead of one third.

Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a demolitionist can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can't be used if the demolitionist is wearing heavy armor or carrying a medium or greater load. A helpless demolitionist does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At level 14 a demolitionist gains Improved Evasion. This ability works like evasion, except that while the demolitionist still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks henceforth he henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless demolitionist does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Flak Jacket (Ex): At 3th level, a demolitionist gains DR 1/Critical. This bonus increases by +1 every three levels. This benefit represents a demolitionist's extraordinary ability to protect herself. If the demolitionist is immune to critical hits, any attacks that would have scored a critical hit counts for ignoring this damage reduction.

Trial by Fire (Ex): Starting at level 4, a demolitionist gains an extraordinary resilience to the effects of their own creations and similar attacks.

Resistance (Ex): At 4th level she gains fire resistance 5 and sonic resistance 5.

Saves (Ex): At level 8 she gains a +2 proficiency fort bonus on saves versus effects that would daze, stun, paralyze, nauseate or otherwise slow or immobilize (excluding diseases or poisons)

Steadfast (Ex): By level 11, a demolitionist gains a resistance to being moved against her will. She gains a +4 bonus against trip, bull rush, or similar effects that would move her. Additionally, a demolitionist at level 11 is immune to effects that would cause her to become dazed. After obtaining level 11, any effect that would stun a demolitionist instead causes her to be dazed for an identical amount of time as the stun effect.

Survival (Ex): At 16th level, the bonuses increase to fire resistance 10, sonic resistance 10, and a +4 bonus on relevant fortitude saves.

Fortification (Ex): By level 20, a demolitionist gains light fortification, giving her a 25% chance to ignore critical hits and the extra damage from sneak attacks. Ignored criticals are subject to the damage reduction granted by Flak Jacket.

Hit the Deck (Ex): At 5th level, friendlies caught in the blast of a demolitionist's explosives receive a +4 bonus to their Reflex save for the purpose of avoiding blast damage. The demolitionist also receives a +2 competence bonus on Reflex saves, this stacks with her original +4 if she's caught in her own blast.

Blastwave (Ex): At 7th level, a demolitionist's sonic and acid explosives deal extra damage to structures and objects equal to her demolitionist level. Fire and electricity based explosives deal full damage (instead of half) before applying the object's hardness. Ice elemental attacks are only reduced to one-half prior to subtracting the hardness (as opposed to one quarter).

High Explosive (Ex): Upon reaching 10th level, a demolitionist's ability to craft explosives improves. She gains the explosive spell metamagic feat. Also, a demolitionist only raises the spell level by one instead of the typical plus two.

Shell Shock (Ex): At 13th level, any creatures that fail their Reflex save are subjected to additional effects depending on how much they fail their save by. For the purpose of the table, a natural 1 still counts as an automatic fail, the result should still be calculated to determine the effect.

Spells:

Demolitionists choose their spells from the following list:

1st Level: Grease, obscuring mist, burning hands, magic missile, shocking grasp, chill touch, knock, pyrotechnics, faerie fire.

2nd Level: Resist energy, protection from arrows, acid arrow, heat metal, chill metal, fog cloud, glitterdust, web, see invisibility, continual flame, darkness, flaming sphere, gust of wind, scorching ray, shatter, ghoul touch, explosive runes, dispel magic, soften earth and stone, warp wood.

3rd Level: Stone shape, flame arrow, daylight, fireball, lightning bolt, stinking cloud, protection from energy, quench, minor creation.

4th Level: Transmute rock to mud, transmute mud to rock, wall of fire, wall of ice, shout, fire trap, move earth, wall of stone, rusting grasp, spike stones, major creation.

5th Level: Disintegrate, hardening, eyebite, freezing sphere, chain lightning, wall of iron, acid fog, antimagic field, passwall, wall of force, cloudkill, harm, greater dispel magic, antilife shell, slay living, mass inflict light wounds, sunbeam, vitrify.

6th Level: Sunburst, greater shout, power word stun, incendiary cloud, reverse gravity, delayed blast fireball, fire storm, earthquake, transmute rock to lava, true creation.

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Flak Jacket: Flak Jacket continues to increase every three levels after the 20th.

Bonus Feats: The epic demolitionist gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic demolitionist bonus feats) every other level after 20th.

Epic Demolitionist Bonus Feat List: Augmented Alchemy, Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Combat Casting, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Rod, Craft Epic Staff, Craft Epic Wondrous Item, Efficient Item Creation, Enhance Spell, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellcasting, Familiar Spell, Forge Epic Ring, Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Multispell, Permanent Emanation, Scribe Epic Scroll, Spell Focus, Spell Knowledge, Spell Mastery, Spell Penetration Spell Stowaway, Spell Opportunity, Spontaneous Spell, Tenacious Magic. In addition to the feats on this list, the demolitionist may select any item creation feat or metamagic feat not listed here.

Weapons: .

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Feat: .

Bonus Feats: .

Gear: .

Gold: .

Religion: Any, often none

Other Classes: Demolitionists typically view their alchemy as a 'science' and therefore don't always agree with divine spellcasters over the topic of magic. The sometimes disdain barbarians who lack the formal education required for alchemy.

Combat: With a d8 hit dice and the ability to use armor, a demolitionist is best suited near the front lines where they can use their spells with maximum effectiveness. Although their durability and ability to cast damaging spells make them functional at nearly any range.

Advancement: The most common multiclass is rogue but demolitionists also multiclass as fighters or other arcane spellcasters. For determining what prestige classes a demolitionist can take, she qualifies for classes requiring an arcane caster level (treat the demolitionist class level as caster level), but cannot cast spells.

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

Adaptation: .

Sample Encounter: .

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