Bottler

**Parent Class:** Dread

Sometimes, dreads do not rely on their own innate
abilities to cause fear in their foes. These rare dreads,
known as bottlers, capture and change the lingering
terrors of others to suit their own purposes. To them,
haunts are nothing more than weapons and tools.

At 5th level, the bottler may, as a standard action, break
one of his sacred bottles to spontaneously re-create
a haunt from memory. Each of the haunts presented
below are used as a part of the bottler’s training, and
he is assumed to have experienced and survived them
(that is, he may create them freely with this ability). The
area of the haunt is centered on the bottler, and he may
automatically control the haunt each round as long as
he has at least one empty sacred bottle remaining. This
haunt lasts for a number of rounds equal the bottler’s
Charisma modifier, or until destroyed (whichever
happens first). This is a supernatural effect. While the
haunt is active, the area changes subtly to match the
haunt’s effects (a ghostly alleyway for the choking hands
haunt, or a long hallway for the orbs haunt, for example).
This has no in-game effect, and vanishes as soon as the
haunt is destroyed.

*Slamming Portal:* LE haunt (doors or shutters in 5-ft.
radius); ML 1; Perception DC 10 (to see a portal closing);
hp 2; tricked by *hide from undead*. The haunted door or
window slams shut, held fast as if by *hold portal* for 1
minute or until the haunt is destroyed.

*Orbs:* CE haunt (10-ft.-by-20-ft; hallway); ML 2;
Perception DC 10 (to notice pulsating, glowing orbs); hp
4; destroyed by *slow* effect. This swarm of glowing orbs,
ranging in size from tiny peas to large melons, cause
witnesses to be subjected to the effects of *scare* (DC 13).
The bottler must be at least 6th level to use this haunt.

*Cold Spot:* NE persistent haunt (15-ft. radius); ML 3;
Perception DC 10 (to notice sudden temperature drop);
hp 13; damaged by fire. When the area is entered, the
temperature immediately drops to freezing, drawing
warmth from the living. This duplicates *chill touch* (DC
11), automatically affecting all creatures in the area for
each round they remain. A bottler must be at least 7th
level to use this haunt.

*Choking Hands:* CE persistent haunt (15-ft.-by-30-ft.;
alleyway); ML 4; Perception DC 20 (to see coalescing
vapor); hp 18; tricked by *hide from undead*. This spirit
manifests as a pair of spectral skeletal hands, latching
on to the throats of the victim. This +4 touch attack
duplicates a *vampiric touch* each round, adding the
temporary hit points to the haunt’s hp total. A bottler
must be at least 8th level to use this haunt.

*Mad Monk:* CN haunt (25-ft.-radius; churchyard); ML
5; Perception DC 20 (to hear pouring liquid); hp 10. A
robed monk materializes, offering a gold chalice to a
target in the area. There is a 50% chance that the liquid
within functions as a *cure critical wounds* - otherwise, it
functions as the *poison* spell (DC 16). The haunt ends as
soon as one creature drinks from the chalice. The bottler
must be at least 9th level to use this haunt.

*Baleful Apparition:* CE haunt (30-ft.-by-30-ft.; chamber);
ML 6; Perception DC 18 (to feel an ominous presence);
hp 12. Victims of the haunt are subject to disturbing,
phantasmal images. These unnatural sights and sounds
cause all in the area to be affected as if by *fear* (DC 16). A
bottler must be at least 10th level to use this haunt.

*Deathless Defenders:* CE haunt (30-ft. radius); ML 7;
Perception DC 20 (to see spectral image of a decayed
regiment); hp 14; tricked by *hide from undead*. Appearing
as regiments of spectral, decaying warriors, these haunts
charge those in the area bearing rusting arms and armor.
These attacks mimic the effects of *eyebite* (DC 19). The
bottler must be at least 11th level to use this haunt.

*Ghastly Whispers:* CE haunt (up to 40-ft. radius); ML 8;
Perception DC 20 (to hear whispers growing louder); hp
16. Those in the area can hear a faint whispering, growing
louder and louder. This maddening disorientation
functions as an *insanity* (DC 20). The bottler must be at
least 12th level to use this haunt.

*Ectoplasmic Miasma:* CE persistent haunt (30-ft.
radius; ethereal cloud); ML 9; Perception DC 15 (to see
congealing mist); hp 40; tricked by *hide from undead*.
Dozens of spectral visages appear, howling and twisting,
in the fog, their limbs and faces mangled. These figures
pass through those in the area, duplicating both *solid*
*fog* and *acid* fog (DC 17), except that they deal untyped
damage. The bottler must be at least 13th level to use
this haunt.

*Headless Horseman:* CE persistent haunt (10-ft.-by-50.
ft.; bridge); ML 10; Perception DC 20 (to hear the galloping
of a phantom horse); hp 45. This haunt appears as a
headless, mounted rider, wearing ancient armor, head
swinging from the saddle of its rotting horse. Every
round, it gallops by, attacking a target within the area
as if with *mage’s sword* (with a +16 attack bonus). The
bottler must be at least 14th level to use this haunt.

*Spectral Carriage:* CE haunt (15-ft.-by-60-ft.; roadway);
ML 11; Perception DC 22 (to hear galloping hooves); hp
22. Appearing as a translucent horse-drawn carriage, full
of laughing ghosts in rotting finery, this haunt swerves
to run down all the area. This functions as a *clenched*
*fist* (+25 attack), affecting every target in the area. The
bottler must be at least 15th level to use this haunt.

*Hungry Earth:* CE haunt (80-ft.-radius; graveyard);
ML 12; Perception DC 29 (to feel the ground shift); hp 24.
Deep, yawning graves open in the earth beneath each
target in the area, functioning as an *earthquake* cast
on open ground (DC 15 or 20). Victims that fall into the
grave are buried as normal until they free themselves or
are recovered. The bottler must be at least 16th level to
use this haunt.

*Gjenganger:* CE persistent haunt (up to 65-ft. radius);
ML 13; Perception 28 (to see the haunt becoming
corporeal); hp 58. The gjenganger manifests corporeally,
appearing as a twisted, stunted double of a target in the
area. However it appears, the haunt relies on its “dead
man’s pinch”, a +13 melee touch attack that causes
bubonic plague, as if by *contagion* (DC 16). The bottler
must be at least 17th level to use this haunt.

*Keening Suicides:* CE haunt (60-ft.-radius; tower); ML 14;
Perception DC 30 (to hear distant, plummeting screams);
hp 28. This haunt appears with the awful wails of those
leaping to their deaths from high atop the tower. These
wails overwhelm the living, filling them with lethal
sorrow. This functions as a *wail of the banshee* (DC 23) to
all within the area. The bottler must be at least 18th level
to use this haunt.

This ability replaces the bonus feats normally gained
by a dread at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.

succeed at a manifester level check against a DC equal to 10 + the manifester level of the haunt. If the haunt is
persistent, the DC of this save is increased by 2. A bottler
must have at least one empty sacred bottle to control a
haunt. A bottler in control of a haunt may choose either
its next target (if the haunt is currently active) or when
it triggers (if the haunt is currently inactive). If a bottler
fails to control a haunt, he may not attempt to control it again for 24 hours.

At 10th level, a bottler may completely possess a haunt
he controls. While the bottler is possessing a haunt, he
is dazed, but controls all actions the haunt takes, when
it triggers, and may activate the haunt on his turn,
instead of when it would normally act. In addition,
the bottler may cause a possessed haunt to count as
persistent for a number of rounds equal to his Charisma
modifier (minimum 1). If the haunt is destroyed while
he is possessing it, the possession ends and the bottler
is stunned for a number of round equal to the number
of rounds he was possessing it. A bottler may cease
possessing a haunt at any time as a free action, in which
case the haunt also ends immediately.

This ability replaces the dread’s 2nd and 10th level terrors.

### **Bottle of Sealing (Su)**

At 11th level, the bottler learns
to seal haunts within his bottles for later use. A bottler
may, as a free action, expend one of his daily terror uses
to attempt to capture a haunt instead of controlling
it. To capture a haunt, the bottler must succeed at a
manifester level check against a DC equal to 15 + the
manifester level of the haunt. If the haunt is persistent,
the DC of this save is increased by 2. If a bottler attempts
to capture a haunt with CR higher than his class level, he
automatically fails, but the use of terror is not expended.
A bottler must have at least one empty sacred bottle to
attempt to capture a haunt. If a bottler fails to capture
a haunt, he may not attempt to capture it again for 24 hours. A captured haunt is inactive, and is immune to
all effects until it is freed (a standard action). When it
is freed, the haunt immediately becomes active and
controlled by the bottler, treating him as the center of
its area. Each captured haunt takes up one sacred bottle
– if the bottler has no empty sacred bottles, he may not
control or capture any haunts until he has freed up a
bottle by releasing a haunt. If a bottle containing a haunt
is destroyed, the haunt within it dissipates harmlessly.

At 15th level, the bottler gains a +4 insight bonus on the
save to control or capture a haunt. He may also attempt
to control or capture a haunt one additional time in a 24-
hour period if he fails the first attempt.

This ability replaces twin fear.