Tyrant

Tyrant

A Prestige Class for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

“He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

It is fair to say that all men desire power. Often the world descends into chaos as men squabble and bicker over who deserves power, as each tries to gain more power than the rest. Few are the men who seeks to wield this power with a sense of purpose. The tyrant stands among these privileged few, assured of his right to rule over lesser beings. Whether a despot or duke, benign or barbaric, all tyrants seek to rule over the land and impose their will to end the chaos they see around them by whatever means necessary.

## Requirements:

Alignment: Lawful, Non-good

BAB: +5

Feats: Iron Will

Skills: Knowledge (nobility) 5 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks

Hit Die: d10

Skills: Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str)

Skill points per level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

# Class Features:

The following are the class features of the tyrant prestige class.

## Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

A tyrant doesn’t gain any new weapon or armor proficiencies.

## Code of Conduct:

“Don’t insult me. I am no common thug. I have standards, principles. I have my dignity. So drink, my friend. If I wanted you dead, you’d know.”

A tyrant is expected to act with a sense of honor (such as not lying or not using poison). He must honor all deals he willingly makes and respect those who hold similar ideals. He is expected to fight fairly (such as not backstabbing and he must accept surrender). At the same time, he must also place his own interests and goals above those of others, most notably his own survival. He must seek to further his influence and power whenever he can through fair conquest. A tyrant that violates his code of conduct loses access to his conviction pool and cannot gain new levels in tyrant until he atones.

## Conviction:

“Do not think me some warlord with delusions of grandeur. I know the path set out before me. This land needs a guiding will, and I shall be the one to provide it. And I shall suffer none to stand in my way.”

The main source of a tyrant’s power is his conviction; the belief beyond a shadow of doubt that he is right. This takes the form of a pool of conviction points that he may use to empower himself in a number of ways. A 1st level tyrant has a conviction pool of 2 + his Charisma modifier. He gains an additional 2 points every tyrant level. The conviction pool refills each day after 8 hours of rest. Utilizing his conviction is a free action, unless otherwise noted, that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A tyrant can activate any number of conviction powers in a round, assuming he has the actions to do so, but he cannot use the same power more than once a round.

### Conviction may be used in the following ways at 1st level:

Unyielding: The tyrant can use a point of conviction to re-roll a failed Will or Fortitude save. He must use the new roll, even if it is worse. This power may only be used once per round per effect.

Convincing: The tyrant can use a point of conviction to gain a morale bonus equal to his tyrant level on a single Intimidate or Diplomacy check.

Give No Ground: The tyrant can use a conviction point to gain a bonus to his CMD equal to his tyrant level against Bull Rush, Reposition, and Trip attempts for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma modifier.

## Smite Chaos:

“Look around you. Everywhere there is anarchy, and the people suffer. I shall end this madness, and bring order.”

Once per day, a 1st level tyrant can focus his conviction into a powerful anger focused against the forces of chaos. As a swift action, the tyrant chooses a single enemy. If the target is chaotic, the tyrant adds his Charisma bonus (if any) to attack rolls, and adds his tyrant level to all damage rolls against the target of his smite. If the target is an outsider with the chaotic subtype, a chaotic-aligned aberration, or a fey, the bonus to damage for the first successful attack deals 2 points per tyrant level. Regardless of the target, smite chaos attacks bypass all DR the target might have.

At 4th level, and every three levels thereafter, the tyrant may smite chaos an additional time per day, to a maximum of 4 times per day at 10th level. This ability may not be used with other smite powers, such as an anti-paladins smite good. Declaring a new smite against the same target automatically ends the current smite effect.

## Overpower the Meek (Ex):

“Kneel before your better, dogs. Kneel and I might just let you live!”

At 2nd level, a tyrant can spend a conviction point to attempt to demoralize all enemies within 30 feet of him as a standard action.

## Sway the Unthinking (Su):

“Know that even the dead recognize my authority. What hope have you?”

At 3rd level, a tyrant can demoralize enemies that he normally wouldn’t be able to. He may spend a conviction point to attempt to demoralize undead, oozes, constructs, and plant-based enemies. He take a -8 penalty on these rolls. At 8th level, this penalty is reduced to -4.

### Sidebar: Demoralizing Mindless Creatures

There has been some debate on this. For the purposes of this book we are assuming that you cannot normally demoralize/Intimidate/Diplomacy a mindless creature.

## Command to Flee (Su):

“That’s right, run! Run and tell the world of my power!”

At 4th level, the tyrant can channel his conviction into a terrifying roar. As a full round action, the tyrant can spend a conviction point to attempt a special Intimidate check against all enemies within 30 feet of him at a -5 penalty. All enemies that would become shaken instead become frightened for the same duration.

## War of Ideals (Su):

“This is not a matter of good and evil. Even a battle of good against good can cause the people to suffer. Thus there can only be one way; mine.”

At 5th level, the tyrant can have his smite chaos ability affect non-chaotic creatures by spending 2 conviction points. This is still considered a smite chaos attack and he does not gain the benefits granted by smite evil or smite good.

## Grandeur Overwhelming (Ex):

“I know you weren’t about to attack me. That would be foolish.”

At 6th level, the tyrant can spend a conviction point to ready a special action. If the tyrant is targeted by an attack or touch spell, he makes an Intimidate check. The DC for the check is the target's attack roll. If the tyrant succeeds, the target cannot go through with the attack, or attack the tyrant until their next turn. The target may still attack someone else. Spells interrupted in this fashion are not lost. This power can only affect a single attack on a given turn.

## Position of Power (Sp):

“I see you tremble in your weakness. Serve me, accept my will, and I shall make you strong.”

At 8th level, the tyrant can spend a conviction point to attempt to overpower a shaken enemy. He must attempt a special Intimidate check against the target as a full-round action, adding 10 to the DC. If he succeeds, the target is affected by a dominate person spell, and the target is no longer shaken. The effect lasts for a number of minutes equal to the tyrant’s class level.

## Undying Conviction(Ex):

“You think this is over? It’s never over. I will NEVER give up.”

At 9th level, if the tyrant is reduced to below 0 hit points but not slain, he may spend a conviction point as an immediate action to stabilize and remain conscious. He is able to act normally and does not fall unconscious and begin dying if he takes a standard or full round action. He does fall unconscious if he takes damage from any other source.

## Master of My Realm (Ex):

“This land is mine. You were a fool to challenge me here.”

At 10th level, the tyrant can designate a single castle or other suitably fortified structure as his lair. As long as the tyrant maintains undisputed control of this structure, he has DR 5/- and a +4 on all Charisma based skill checks, as long as the tyrant resides in his lair. In addition, the tyrant can return to his lair once per day, creating an effect identical to the spell greater teleport.

If the lair is no longer suitable to his needs (it is destroyed, the land around it becomes unsuitable, governmental collapse, etc), a tyrant may designate a new location as his lair. This may occur no more than once per year. The tyrant can only have a single lair at a time. If he has control over more than one suitable structure, he must choose which one is his lair and the rest remain places he simply owns.

## Section 15 OGL Copyright Declaration:

Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document. © 2011, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Paizo Publishing, LLC.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide. © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn

Little Red Goblin Games Racial Guide I. © 2010, Little Red Goblin Games, LLC; Author: Scott Gladstein, Caleb Aylsworth

Little Red Goblin Games Racial Guide II. © 2010, Little Red Goblin Games, LLC; Author: Scott Gladstein, Jeremiah Zerby, Caleb Aylsworth, Christos Gurd

Grey Alien Racial Guide. © 2010, Little Red Goblin Games, LLC; Author: Scott Gladstein, Jeremiah Zerby, Caleb Aylsworth

Noble & Skirmisher © 2013, Little Red Goblin Games, LLC; Author: Scott Gladstein, Jeremiah Zerby, Caleb Aylsworth, Dayton Johnson

Tome of Twisted Things © 2014, Little Red Goblin Games, LLC; Author: Ian Sisson, Caleb Aylsworth, Scott Gladstein, and Christos Gurd.