The Devourer - LotFP Custom Class

The Devourer

          Hunger is ever present. We need to consume to survive, to nourish our minds and bodies. We kill animals, sometimes brutally, to feed ourselves; a river of blood with a bed of bones sustains civilization. But what if the target of our hunger was something too terrible to countenance? Devourers are those folk who have been saddled with such a terrible burden: every one of their sorry lot is in some way anthropophagic, whether it be a hunger for human flesh, blood, or carrion, they must in some way eat other sapient beings to continue existing themselves. Any ethical standards typically vanish in short order in the face of such odious appetites.

          Often called Ghouls, Vampires, or Wendigo, many have been cursed in some way, or infected with some repugnant disease. Devourers find themselves at the absolute brink of any society, civilized or savage. Most try to hide what they are, leading double lives as seemingly average members of a community or tribe, eating only when they absolutely must. Others hold no such pretenses, becoming predators in the wilderness, feasting upon unwary travelers. Their need for flesh alienates them to almost everyone, but their frightening comestible requirements can often be ignored (at least temporarily) by the desperate and the unscrupulous, taking advantage of the Devourer's potent abilities while doing their utmost to forget the terrible costs.

Level	Experience	HP	Paralyze	Poison	Breath	Device	Magic	Hunger	Consumptions
1	0	1d6	13	15	15	13	16	12	1
2	2,000	1d6	13	15	15	13	16	12	1
3	4,000	1d6	13	15	15	13	16	12	1
4	8,000	1d6	13	13	13	11	14	12	1
5	16,000	1d6	11	13	13	11	14	11	2
6	32,000	1d6	11	13	13	11	14	11	2
7	64,000	1d6	11	9	9	9	12	11	2
8	128,000	1d6	11	9	9	9	12	11	2
9	256,000	1d6	9	9	9	9	12	10	3
10	384,000	+2*	9	7	7	7	10	10	3
11	512,000	+2*	9	7	7	7	10	10	3
12	640,000	+2*	9	7	7	7	10	10	3
13	768,000	+2*	6	5	5	5	8	9	4
14	896,000	+2*	6	5	5	5	8	9	4
15+	+128,000/lvl	+2*	6	5	5	5	8	9	4

*Constitution modifiers no longer apply

B/X & OSE Rules

Requirements	None
Prime Requisite	DEX
Hit Dice	d6
Thac0 Tables	As rogue
Maximum Level	14
Armor	Any, including shields
Weapons	Any
Languages	Alignment, Common

          Devourers can see in the dark as Dwarves or Elves. Though shackled with an eternal hunger, Devourers do not age or have any other dietary needs. They also increase their unarmed damage from a d2 to a d4, representing the vicious claws or teeth that they need to consume their victims.

          The ability which defines Devourers is known as Hunger and it takes the form of two parts, the Hunger Gauge & Consumptions.

          The Hunger Gauge has six levels: Starving, Ravenous, Hungry, Peckish, Sated and Gorged. Each of the different levels gives the Devourer a set of effects depending on which level they are currently on. Each day a Devourer must make a save against their own Hunger, if they fail they drop down an additional level, i.e. from Hungry to Ravenous. When the Devourer hits Starving and they fail their hunger save, they roll their HD against themselves as damage instead of dropping down a level, if they survive they must make another check the following day unless they've managed to feed. At character creation Devourers start at Sated and must select whether they feed on blood or flesh. Feeding upon flesh results in the death of the intelligent creature being fed upon, the wounds are simply too great to feasibly survive in most settings. Dead or rotted flesh provides sustenance at half the rate that fresh meat does. Being fed upon for one's blood results in a cumulative -2 Constitution penalty and a save vs Poison to not catch a virulent disease, this penalty persists until they have taken to bed for at least a week. The Referee may rule that certain creatures are large enough that they may provide more than one hunger level worth of sustenance or that others may prove insufficient. 

Hunger Level	Effect
Starving	+3 to Initiative, +3 to Damage rolls, -1 to Attack rolls.
Ravenous	+2 to Initiative, +2 to Damage rolls.
Hungry	+1 to Initiative, + 1 to Attack rolls, +1 to Damage rolls.
Peckish	+1 to Initiative, + 1 to Attack rolls, +1 to Damage rolls.
Sated	+1 to Attack rolls, +1 to Reaction rolls
Gorged	+1 to Attack rolls, +2 to Reaction rolls

          The second part to the Devourer's abilities are known as Consumptions, which are enhancements or abilities fueled by their Hunger Levels on a one to one basis, no hunger save is made, they are simply spent. Spending hunger levels does not require an action, but Devourers can only spend them on their turn. They also cannot spend more hunger than their Constitution modifier in a single turn, or use a Consumption multiple times unless stipulated. Consumptions fade at the end of combat, or after ten minutes if used outside of it.

Consumption of the...	Effect
Mighty	Augment your Strength a number of points equal to 1/3 of your level, minimum 1. This Consumption may be used multiple times in a combat.
Agile	Enhance your Dexterity equal to 1/3 of your level, minimum 1. This Consumption may be used multiple times in a combat.
Resilient	Gain damage resistance equal to 1/3 of your level, minimum 1.
Fleet	Add your level to your movement speed. Double your jumping and leaping distances.
Everlasting	Regain 1d4+1 HP. This HP may take you over your maximum, any excess fades at the end of combat. This Consumption may be used multiple times in a combat.
Skinchanger	Transform into a carnivorous creature a number of times per day equal to 1/3 of your HD, plus your Charisma modifier, minimum 1.
Changeling	Take upon the visage of the last intelligent being that you fed upon.
Necroscope	You may see and interact with ghosts, spirits and other intangible beings.
Stalker	You may hear through doors and thin walls, and may notice hidden doors as an Elf of your level.
Predator	Your unnerving gaze can hold others in place. A number of times per day equal to 1/3 of your level, minimum 1, you may force a creature to make a save vs Paralysis or be unable to move until attacked or otherwise harmed.