The Nephilim Curse

Requirement: Nephilim, Patriarch Racial Trait

*The blood of a demon prince runs thick through your veins. Without constant vigilance, you slowly lose control of your mind and will to corruption. This is a Vile Corruption.*

## Vile Corruption

Vile Corruptions are terrible burdens to be purged as soon as possible. When you contract a corruption or your manifestation level increases, the GM decides which manifestation you gain. You always acquire the stain, but you can choose not to take the gift. If you refuse the gift, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus on saving throws related to the corruption progressing. For each additional gift you refuse, this bonus increases by 1. You can accept the gifts of your manifestations at any time, but once you do, you immediately lose the corresponding bonus on saving throws.

**Corruption has several elements:**

**Manifestations:** These are symptoms of your curse. Each manifestation has two sides: a gift, and a stain.

**Gift**: A positive side of a manifestation

**Stain**: A negative side of a manifestation

**Manifestation level:** this number is always equal to the number of manifestations you currently have. It is usually roughly equal to half your character level, though this may change depending on campaign events.

**Corruption Stage:** The overall progression of the curse. You begin at Stage 0 - each time the Corruption Stage advances, you creep closer to losing yourself completely to it.

The corruption's power progresses when you fail to maintain rigid discipline on your mind, and when you partake in violent actions. The corruption's power is measured in points of influence.

The influence advances by 1 point whenever you sleep. You may attempt a Will save (DC=15 + your manifestation level) to reduce the advancement by one point (if you surpass the DC by 5 or more, you may also reduce your existing influence points by 1).

The influence advances by 1 point whenever you take a violent action. The GM will decide what qualifies as a violent action. You may attempt a Will save (DC=15 + your manifestation level) to reduce the advancement by 1 point (if you surpass the DC by 5 or more, you may also reduce your existing influence points by 1). In combat, influence never advances more than 1 point per round, regardless of how many attacks you make in that round.

Meditating for a full hour grants a +2 bonus to Will saves against the corruption for the next 24 hours.

At 3 or more points of influence, you have visible difficulty controlling negative emotions, and become irritable, moody, and distant. You are more likely to commit acts of violence or cruelty than normal.

At 5 points of influence, you must attempt a Will save (DC = 15 + your manifestation level). If you succeed by 5 or more, influence drops to 4 points. If you succeed by 4 or less, influence drops to 4 points, but you gain a manifestation. If you fail, you are consumed by the influence of your ancestor, and the corruption advances to the next stage. If you must attempt this saving throw again before the next sunrise, the DC increases by 2 for every previous attempt.

With each point of influence, you gain a +1 to intimidate checks, a -1 to diplomacy checks, and a +1 to all damage rolls.

### Corruption Stage 1:

The first time you succumb to the corruption, your physical form takes on a noticeable aspect of your ancestor - small horns, scaled skin, unnaturally high body temperature, etc. Your manifestation level increases by 1.

### Corruption Stage 2:

The second time you succumb, you take on another noticeable aspect of your ancestor, take a permanent -2 penalty to diplomacy checks, and people begin to Trust you less. Your manifestation level increases by 1.

### Corruption Stage 3:

The third time you succumb, you are utterly consumed by the corruption, and you become an NPC under the GM's control.

### Removing the corruption:

Perhaps there is a way to cleanse your blood and rid yourself of this curse, but you do not yet know what it might be.

## Manifestations

The following are manifestations of the Nephilim Curse

### Contaminated Personality:

*Your attempts to hide your affliction begin to fail*

Prereq: Manifestation level 4

Gift: You gain a +2 bonus to your Charisma score while the you have 4 or more points of influence

Stain: Your mannerisms become increasingly erratic and violent, disturbing others and making it harder to disguise your affliction. You take a –4 penalty on Diplomacy and Disguise checks.

### Temporary Clarity:

*You allow the corruption's influence to cleanse doubt and sluggishness from your mind*

Gift: Once per day, without spending an action, you can sublimate all of your negative thoughts to the corruption to clear your mind in response to gaining one of the following conditions: dazed, frightened, panicked, shaken, staggered, and stunned. You ignore the effects of that particular instance of that condition for a number of minutes equal to your manifestation level (if you suffer from that condition from another source, it applies normally). This time still counts against the condition’s duration. Once the duration expires, the possessing spirit gains 1 point of influence over you.

Stain: The corruption grows faster as you begin to rely on its strength. Whenever you fall asleep (or perform your daily rest), the corruption gains 2 points of influence over you rather than 1 point, and at sunrise, the number of points of influence the corruption has over you changes to 2.

### Traitorous Hands:

*Your hands crave violence*

Gift: A number of times per day equal to your manifestation level, you can use traitorous hand to make a touch attack that confounds foes with the spirit’s influence. The target is nauseated for 1 round per point of influence the spirit has over you (Will negates). Even if the target succeeds, it can’t make attacks of opportunity for 1 round. A creature affected by this ability becomes immune for 24 hours.

Stain: You take a –2 penalty on attack rolls and Dexterity-based checks involving your hands. Whenever you become dazed or stunned, if the spirit has 3 or more points of influence over you after adding the point, the hand attacks you (or a vulnerable ally, GM’s discretion) with a held item or unarmed strike as if proficient, dealing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier (regardless of the held item).

### Two Minds:

*The voices of corruption demand your full attention*

Gift: Your roiling blood provides a reserve of willpower against mental attacks. You gain a +2 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects; if you fail, you can give the spirit 1 point of influence over you to

reroll the save without using an action. If you do, you must accept the result of the second roll and can’t reroll. These benefits don’t apply against this corruption.

Stain: A cacophony of dark thoughts distracts you. Roll twice on initiative checks and take the lower result. You also take a –2 penalty on concentration checks. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty changes to –4.

### Cruel Deceiver

*You can weave magical lies to set victims up for a downfall.*

Prerequisite: Manifestation level 2nd.

Gift: You gain a +2 bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks. You can use dancing lights, disguise self, and ghost sound once per day each as a spell-like ability. You can perfectly mimic the sound of any animal or voice you have ever heard. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonus doubles. At manifestation level 5th, you can use mirage arcana once per day as a spell-like ability.

Stain: You can never speak or otherwise communicate the truth. You can still communicate by various methods, such as uttering insignificant lies, obvious lies, or nonstatements.

### Baleful Glare

*You can weaken foes with a glare.*

Prerequisite: Manifestation level 6th.

Gift: Once per day, when you successfully use Intimidate to demoralize a creature within 30 feet, you can curse that target as a swift action. The victim must succeed at a Will save or be staggered permanently. If you use this ability on a creature that is still under the effects of your baleful glare from a previous day, the target must succeed at a Fortitude saving throw or be paralyzed with fear for 3 days. At the end of each day the target spends paralyzed with fear, it must succeed at another Fortitude saving throw or die. Your effective caster level for these curses is equal to your character level.

Stain: One eye becomes bulging and bloodshot or each eye turns a different color. You take a –4 penalty on Perception checks. This transformation can’t be hidden by magic.

### Grim Fate

*You can twist the strands of fate to your desires.*

Gift: Once per day as an immediate action, you can reroll an ability check, attack roll, caster level check, saving throw, or skill check after learning the result. At manifestation level 8th, you can also lay a curse of unluck upon a creature (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 557) once per day. This takes a standard

action, and must target a creature you can see within 30 feet.

Stain: You can’t benefit from morale bonuses. You take a –2 penalty on Perform and Sense Motive checks. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty doubles.

### Horrific Shock

*You can surprise a foe with overwhelming horror.*

Gift: When you damage a creature on the surprise round, it becomes shaken for 1 round unless it succeeds at a Will save.

Stain: You take on a horrific physical aspect of your ancestor. You take a –2 penalty on Diplomacy, Handle Animal, and wild empathy checks against creatures who can see you. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty doubles.

### Undying Hatred

*You can’t rest while those you hate go unpunished.*

Gift: Once per day, if you would die from hit point damage, instead your hit point total becomes 0 and you stabilize. This ability doesn’t work against death effects. Observers believe you to be dead unless they study you closely and succeed at a DC 25 Heal check. After 1 minute, you regain 1 hit point and regain consciousness.

Stain: When you begin your turn with a helpless foe within 5 feet of your reach, you must attempt a Will save. If you fail, you must attempt a coup de grace against that foe this round if possible. The DC of this Will save is equal to 15 + your manifestation level.

### Weakening Claws

*Your fingernails grow into talons*.

Prerequisite: Manifestation level 3rd.

Gift: Your nails grow into claw natural weapons that deal 1d3 points of damage if you’re Medium (1d2 if Small). If you already possess claws, they are unchanged. Once per day, you can make a weakening claw attack as a standard action. If you hit, you inflict a permanent –4 penalty on the target’s Strength score. The victim can halve the penalty and reduce the duration to 24 hours with a successful Fort save.

Stain: You take a –2 penalty on Disable Device checks, Sleight of Hand checks, and attacks with manufactured weapons. Your spells with somatic or emotion (Pathfinder RPG Occult Adventures 144) components have a failure chance of 5%. If you have a spell failure chance from other sources, add the chances together.

## Items

### Pyrite injection:

It seems that a mixture of blood metal and pyrite has some beneficial effect on your corruption. Once per day, you can inject yourself with an ounce of blood pyrite to lower your influence points by 1. If your influence points were already at 1, the injection grants you a +2 bonus on Will saves to prefect influence advancement for 24 hours.

Pyrite is usually available as a commodity in most communities, though they won't have an abundant supply. You can usually acquire a day's supply for 5sp (50 cents).

You can also forage for Pyrite using the Survival skill. In an area with favorable terrain (a creek, river, or mines), you can attempt a DC10 Survival check to forage for pyrite (DC20 in areas without these features). If you succeed, you find 1d2 days worth of pyrite. For every 2 points by which your check exceeds 10 (or 20, if applicable), you increase the die value by 1 (to 1d3, 1d4, 1d5, etc.). You may take 10 or 20 on this check, when the situation allows. Foraging for pyrite takes 2 hours in favorable terrain, 4 hours in unfavorable terrain.

Blood metal will be harder to find. It is possible to alloy with blood silver, but you'll need a sizable amount. 1 bead of blood silver is enough to make a single dose of blood pyrite. A bead of blood metal would alloy at a rate of 1:1000 into pyrite.

### Talismanic focus:

An object can serve as a focus for your mind. You may choose any object that meets the following criteria:

Small enough to easily carry in one hand

Uniquely identifiable to anyone who knows what to look for (can't just be a rock, but could be a rock with your initials engraved into it)

Connected in some way to your past or background

Once chosen, the item cannot be changed or replaced. As long as the object is on your person, you gain a +2 bonus to saves against influence advancement. If the object is ever lost, damaged, or destroyed, you immediately gain two points of corruption. Restoring or repairing the item grants the bonus again, but does not remove the points of influence.