THE CABALIST

Ezekiah, a cabalist

What lies within the stars? What secrets are hidden beneath the endless, frightening night
sky? Things beyond any comprehension. A knowledge so ancient that it could put the entire
multiverse in a great danger. No one dares to inspect such a topic. No one, except those
driven mad by whispers from afar, whispers of beings older than time that once ruled the
entire multiverse. What they seek, is their return.

Abilities
Intelligence is the most important ability for a Cabalist, since it determines the DC of their
spells and increases their knowledge, which they crave more than anything else.
Constitution is also important, because it helps the Cabalist survive when a summoned spirit
gets loose.

Alignment
Any Evil. Summoning the dead to disclose the secrets of the universe is a wholly
blasphemous act, and the possibility of uncovering ancient knowledge that could endanger
the very existence of the universe only lures the minds of the most mad and perverse
people.
Hit Die
d6.

Class Skills
The cabalists's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft
(alchemy) (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Listen (Wis),
Search (Int), Speak Language (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st level

(4 + Int modifier) * 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level

4 + Int Modifier.

Table 1.1: The cabalist

Level BAB Fort Ref Will Features Eldritch Max

Blast Spell
level

1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Black Grimoire, Eldritch 1d6 1st

Blast, Wicked Alchemy

2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Tainted Confidant 1d6 1st

3rd +1 +1 +1 +3 Mark of Corruption 2d6 1st

4th +2 +1 +1 +4 Ritual of Calling 2d6 2nd

5th +2 +1 +1 +4 Eldritch Blast (shape) 3d6 2nd

6th +3 +2 +2 +5 Silent Guardians 3d6 2nd

(gravetouched)

7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Vile feat 4d6 3rd

8th +4 +2 +2 +6 Ritual of Calling (ghost) 4d6 3rd

9th +4 +3 +3 +6 Eldritch Blast (ghost touch) 5d6 3rd

10th +5 +3 +3 +7 Silent Guardians (any 5d6 4th

corporeal)

11th +5 +3 +3 +7 Vile feat 6d6 4th

12th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 Ritual of Calling (resurrect) 6d6 4th

 13th +6/+1 +4 +4 +8 Eldritch Blast (channel spell) 7d6 5th

14th +7/+2 +4 +4 +9 Silent Guardians (double) 7d6 5th

15th +7/+2 +5 +5 +9 Vile feat 8d6 5th

16th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 Ritual of Calling (outsider) 8d6 6th

17th +8/+3 +5 +5 +10 Eldritch Blast (vile) 9d6 6th

18th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Silent Guardians (any) 9d6 6th

19th +9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Final Transformation 10d6 6th

20th +10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Ritual of Calling (elder evil) 10d6 6th

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Cabalists are proficient with simple weapons, but not with any type of armor or shield.
Armor of any type interferes with a cabalists movements, which can cause his spells with
somatic components to fail.

Black Grimoire
A cabalist writes his spells in a special spellbook called Black Grimoire. To cast a spell, he
must hold the Grimoire in one hand. The Grimoire can be disarmed or sundered as if it was
a weapon. A cabalist casts arcane spells which are drawn from the cabalist spell list. A
cabalist learns two 1st level spells at level 1, and two additional spells any time he gains a
level. He can also gain new spells by buying them or copying them from other Grimoires. A
spell costs 25 Gp per spell level. A cabalist can cast any spell he knows at will. When he
casts a spell with a duration greater than instantaneous, if another instance of that spell is
already ongoing, that instance immediately ends. The maximum spell level he can cast for
his level is given in the table. To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the cabalist must have an
Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving
throw against a cabalists spell is 10 + the spell level + the cabalists Intelligence modifier.
In addition, a cabalist gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat.

The cabalist spell list can be foun here.

Eldritch Blast (Su)

A cabalist is able to channel the pure essence of dark magic to wreak havoc. Eldritch Blast is
a ranged touch attack with a range of 60 ft. that deals 1d6 negative energy damage, plus
1d6 for every two cabalist levels beyond the first. Undead creatures are not healed by
Eldritch Blast, instead taking no damage from it.

Eldritch Blast works as a weapon in some regards, and as a spell in others. A cabalist can
make a full attack using his Eldritch Blast if his Base Attack Bonus allows him to, and can
apply feats related to a specific kind of weapon, such as Weapon Focus, to Eldritch Blast. On
the other hand, Eldritch Blast is subject to Spell Resistance, and feats such as Spell
Penetration and Ability Focus can be applied to it. When you make a melee or ranged attack
with a weapon or your unarmed strikes, a cabalist may choose to channel his Eldritch Blast
through it as a free action. If the enemy is hit, he is subject to the Eldritch Blast damage.

At 5th level, a cabalist may choose to change the shape of his Eldritch Blast. Instead of a
ranged touch attack, it becomes either a 30 ft. cone, a 10 ft. blast, or a 40 ft. line. The
attack roll is no longer required, but creatures affected are entitled a reflex save (DC 10 +
1/2 your HD + the cabalist's Intelligence modifier) to halve the damage.

At 9th level, the Eldritch Blast deals untyped damage and can hit incorporeal and ethereal
creatures as a ghost touch weapon. It also gains a bonus equal to the cabalist's Intelligence
modifier to overcome Spell Resistance.

At 13 level, a Cabalist may choose to channel a spell through his Eldritch Blast. When he
uses it, he may choose a spell he knows which targets a single creature. If the creature is
hit by the blast, that creature is also subject to the spell. Only the first creature hit every
turn is subject to the spell, and she suffers the effect only once per turn.

At 17 level, the range of the Eldritch Blast doubles (cone, line and blast radiuses are also
doubled), and it does not require a ranged attack roll to hit anymore. It also ignores any
concealment the target could have. All the damage dealt by the Eldritch Blast is treated as
Vile damage. (Vile damage is described in Book of Vile Darkness)

Wicked Alchemy
Due to the cabalist's familiarity with strange potions and the materials used to preserve
corpses, he gains a bonus on Craft(alchemy) checks equal to half his level.

Tainted Confidant
At 2nd level a cabalist obtains a familiar, in the same manner as a sorcerer does. The foul
creature constantly whispers mysterious words in the cabalist's ears. While a cabalist is
within 30 ft. from his familiar, he gains a +4 on all Knowledge checks.

Mark of Corruption
Summoning the dark powers is such a nefarious act it leaves a permanent sign on both
body and soul. A 3rd level cabalist gains Willing Deformity (BoVD) as a bonus feat. If he
already has it, he gains another Deformity feat. For every Vile feat the cabalist possesses
except Willing Deformity, the Intimidate bonus given by Willing Deformity increases by +2.
At levels 7, 11 and 15 a cabalist gains an additional Vile feat he meets the prerequisites for.

Ritual of Calling
There are things in the universe that are best left alone. Secrets so ancient and ominous
that just thinking of them makes even the most daring man shake with terror. Only those
who seek to end the world have thirst for this kind of knowledge, and thus put themselves
and the entire cosmos at danger through preforming forbidden rituals. A 4th level, the
cabalist may perform a ritual called the Ritual of Calling. The ritual must be performed at
night, in a secluded place, preferably infested by ghosts or another malevolent presence.
The cabalist must have prepared beforehand a special alchemical admixture in which he
must put the pulverized remains of a non Good humanoid creature dead within 100 years
per cabalist level of the performer. There is no need for the entire corpse (or, more likely,
skeleton) to be intact, a piece of bone is sufficient. This admixture requires a successful
Craft(alchemy) check with CD 10 + the HD of the creature, and costs 25 Gp for every HD of
that creature. The ritual requires four hours to complete. After that, the spirit of the
creature which the performer puts the remains into the ritual components is summoned.
The cabalist must now make a cabalist level check against DC of 10 + the HD of the
summoned creature. If the cabalist fails, the summoned spirit overcomes his will and takes
control of his body: he becomes under the effect of Magic Jar, as the spell, until dispelled of
otherwise ended. If the cabalist succeeds, he can ask questions to the spirit as per the
Speak with Dead spell. He can ask one question for every cabalist level he has. The spirit is
treated as having Knowledge(the planes) as a class skill and a number of ranks in that skill
equal to the maximum amount allowed by his HD.

At 8th level, a cabalist may perform the ritual to summon creatures dead within 500 years
per cabalist level. If he fails the cabalist level check when summoning a spirit, he does not
fall under the effects of Magic Jar, and instead the summoned creature is brought into the
material world and appears in front of him. The creature is identical to her form before
dying, except that her alignment is changed to Chaotic Evil and she has the Ghost template.
The spirit wishes only to destroy and it is hostile to anyone, including (and especially) the
one who summoned him.

At 12th level, a cabalist may choose to fully restore to life the spirits he summons. If so, he
does not make the cabalist level check during the ritual, and the cost of the ritual
components become 300 Gp per HD of the summoned creature. At the end of the ritual, the
summoned creature is brought back to life, as through the Raise Dead spell. The creature's
intentions and her attitude towards the summoner largely depend on her disposition and
goals.

At 16th level, a cabalist learns how to contact more powerful entities, things not of this
world. Instead of summoning the spirits of the dead, he can call in any non mindless Evil
Outsider or Aberration with HD not greater than his. Doing so requires appropriate
components worth 100 Gp for every HD of the summoned creature. The summoned
creature is not necessarily hostile to him, but is free willed and will not follow his orders
unless forced to; in fact, they will probably try to give him orders and punish his
disobedience. If the summoned creature finds her goals somehow related to that of the
cabalist, they could freely accept to collaborate. If the cabalist wins the cabalist level check
during the ritual, he can force the summoned creature to return
to her home plane as a standard action, as per the Dismissal spell, with no save, at any
time.

At 20th level, a cabalist has finally discovered how to unleash the apocalypse on earth. He
can perform a different version of the ritual. This version requires him to be helped by other
cabalists, material components with cost equal to 1000 Gp for every cabalist level of the
creatures involved in the ritual, and a number of days to be completed equal to the cabalist
levels of the creatures involved. At the end of the ritual, a portal to another plane is opened,
allowing the coming of a single non mindless Evil Outsider or Aberration, even a certain
creature called by name (Demon Lords, Archdevils and Elder Evils are all good candidates).
The summoned creature is chosen at the beginning of the ritual. To summon a creature this
way, the amount of cabalist levels involved in the ritual must be at least equal to four times
the HD of the creature. The summoned creature always comes accompanied by a number of
servants from her home plane. The total HD of creatures summoned by this effect cannot be
greater than the amount of cabalist levels involved in the ritual. All the creatures summoned
by this effect are free willed and will try to accomplish their goals no matter what. No
cabalist level check is required for this version of the ritual.

Silent Guardians
At 6th level, a cabalist learn how to infuse corpses with dark energies and bind them to his
will in order to build a small army of faithful soldiers. As a 1 hour-long ritual that must be
performed at night, the cabalist may apply the Gravetouched Ghoul template (LM) to any
creature dead within 1 day per cabalist level. The creature follows the cabalist's orders. A
cabalist may control a total HD of creature equal to his level plus his Intelligence modifier
through this ability at the same time, and the maximum HD a single creature can have is
equal to half that amount. The ritual requires material components with a cost equal to 25
Gp for every HD of the creature.

At level 10, a cabalist may choose to create any kind of corporeal Undead with this ritual.
He needs an adequate mass of corpses in order to do so, with each size category counting
as 4 creatures of the next smallest size category. For example, to create a Large Undead he
needs four medium corpses or sixteen small corpses, and so on.

At level 14, the number of HD of Undead a cabalist can control with this ability doubles (the
maximum HD a single Undead can have is still equal to your level plus your Intelligence
modifier, all divided by two).

At level 18, a cabalist may choose to create any kind of Undead with this effect.

Final Transformation
After decades of study, the cabalist finally unravels the secret of eternal life. At 19th level,
by undergoing a 24 hours-long ritual that costs 20000 GPs in material components, he gains
the Lich template, but he does not craft a phylactery. He must choose the place in which he
reforms after death, but it must be a graveyard, or some other location permeated with
death. The only way to destroy such a creature is to reduce his HP to 0, then bring the
corpse in an area under the effect of a Hallow spell and fully submerge it in acid while
saying a special prayer (DC 25 Knowledge(religion) to know the prayer).

Spoiler: Cabalist spells

Hide
Level 1: Backbiter (SpC), Bane, Cause Fear, Chill Touch, Curse Water (SpC), Deathwatch,
Doom, Hypnotism, Inflict Light Wounds, Inhibit (SpC), Moon Lust (SpC), Net of Shadows
(SpC), Ray of Enfeeblement, Sanctuary, Serene Visage (SpC), Silent Image, Spirit Worm
(SpC)

Level 2: Bladeweave (SpC), Blindness/Deafness, Command Undead, Darkness, Death Knell,

Desecrate, False Life, Ghoul Touch, Hideous Laughter, Inflict Moderate Wounds, Minor
Image, Mirror Image, Phantasmal Assailants (SpC), Ray of Weakness (SpC), Rebuke (SpC),
Scare, Silence, Touch of Idiocy, Wave of Grief (SpC)
Level 3: Bestow Curse, Claws of Darkness (SpC), Cone of Dimness (SpC), Darkfire (SpC),
Deep Slumber, Deeper Darkness, Disrupt Undead (greater) (SpC), Halt Undead, Inflict
Serious Wounds, Major Image, Mind Poison (SpC), Ray of Exhaustion, Shadow Binding
(SpC), Undead Torch (SpC), Vampiric Touch

Level 4: Burning Blood (SpC), Confusion, Consumptive Field (SpC), Crushing Despair, Death
Ward, Enervaton, Hallucinatory Terrain, Illusory Wall, Inflict Critical Wounds, Life Ward
(SpC), Phantasmal Killer, Poison, Shadow Well (SpC), Wrack (SpC)

Level 5: Crawling Darkness (SpC), Doomtide (SpC), Feeblemind, Graymantle (SpC), Inflict
Light Wounds (mass), Insect Plague, Magic Jar, Miasma of Entropy (SpC), Mind Fog, Mirage
Arcana, Night's Caress (SpC), Nightmare, Persistent Image, Shadow Hand (SpC), Slay
Living, Spiritwall (SpC), Unhallow, Waves of Fatigue

Level 6: Antilife Shell, Circle of Death, Dream Casting (SpC), Eyebite, Fleshshiver (SpC),
Ghoul Gauntlet (SpC), Harm, Illusory Pit (SpC), Inflict Moderate Wounds (mass), Permanent
Image, Ray of Entropy (SpC), Revive Undead (SpC), Shadowy Grappler (SpC), Undeath to
Death