Walker in the Waste

(Sandstorm variant, p. 89)

A walker in the waste embodies the harsh, unforgiving nature of the desert.

**Spells:** Ability to cast at least three spells with fire descriptor as divine spells

#### Class Features

All of the following are class features of the walker in the waste prestige class.

**Spellcasting:** At each level except 1st and 10th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a walker in the waste, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

**Endurance:** You gain Endurance as a bonus feat. If you already have the Endurance feat, you can choose another feat.

**Desiccating Touch (Su):** As a touch attack, you can drain moisture from a living creature. At 1st level, this ability deals 1d6 points of dessication damage, or 1d8 points to plant creatures or elementals with the water subtype. At every odd-numbered level thereafter, the dessication damage increases by 1d6 (or 1d8), to a maximum of 5d6 (or 5d8) at 9th level. The touched creature can make Fortitude save (DC 10 + walker in the waste level + your Wis modifier) for half damage.

**The Wasting (Su):** On reaching 2nd level, you can transform a handful of dust or sand into a terrible disease. Once per day, you can blow sand into the face of a living opponent within 20 feet. Using this ability is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. You can pick up dust from the ground as a move action or take it from a pouch as a free action. The opponent is entitled to a Reflex save (DC 10 + walker in the waste level + your Wis modifier) to avoid inhaling the dust. On a success, the dust has no effect and drifts harmlessly to the ground. An opponent who fails this save contracts the wasting, a supernatural affliction that gradually mummifies its victims (see Disease, page 21).

**Local Drought (Su):** Beginning at 3rd level, you can produce desert conditions in a 20-foot-radius emanation with you at the center. The temperature band in that area rises by one step or to hot, whichever produces the hotter result. (See Heat Dangers and the effects of natural dehydration in Chapter 1.) You can suppress this effect for 1 round as a free action, but it renews automatically on your next turn unless you consciously suppress it again.

**Withered Toughness (Ex):** When you attain 4th level, your body becomes inured to the arid conditions in which you thrive. Your flesh grows leathery and tough, and your natural armor bonus improves by 2. In addition, you gain immunity to the effects of dehydration (although not the effects of magical dessication damage) and heat dangers (such as heat exhaustion and sunstroke), sun glare, and sunburn, although fire damage affects you normally.

**Pillar of Salt (Sp):** At 5th level and higher, you can use flesh to salt once per day, duplicating the effect of the spell (see page 116). Your caster level for this ability is equal to your class level.

**Create Sand Golem (Ex):** At 6th level, you learn the secret of creating a sand golem (see page 82). You do not need the Craft Golem feat to create a sand golem, as you normally would, but you cannot use this ability to create any other type of golem.

**Create Salt Mummy (Su):** At 8th level, you learn a specialized form of the ancient art of mummification. Invested with the dark power of the waste, you are able to preserve and animate a corpse. You also add to it the essence of dehydration to produce a horrid salt mummy (see below).

**Greater Drought (Su):** Beginning at 9th level, you can produce extreme desert conditions in a 100-foot radius emanation with you at the center. The temperature band in that area rises by two steps or to severe heat, whichever produces the hotter result. (See Heat Dangers and the effects of natural dehydration in Chapter 1.) You can suppress this effect for 1 round as a free action, but it renews automatically on your next turn unless you consciously suppress it again. This effect supersedes that of the local drought ability.

**Dry Lich:** On reaching 10th level, you learn to apply the secrets of waste preservation to your own body, becoming a dry lich. You must undergo the Sere Rite, overseen by another dry lich, which includes preserving your flesh, removing your organs and storing them in special canopic jars, and imbuing your body with foul magic to make it undying. See the dry lich template, page 155, for more information.

As a dry lich, you cannot be permanently killed unless the canopic jars containing your life essence are destroyed.