Heartless

Warriors whose hearts have been replaced with eldritch substitutes, known as heart cores. Beating in their chest, the heart core holds more power than the body can bear and can erupt forth in great bursts of energy.

Few can imagine what drives someone to become a heartless. Most become heartless to survive life-threatening injury or illness, using the newfound heart to force their body to live. That the heart has more power than their body would need is incidental, and seen as a pleasant bonus. Other actively seek out these arcane heart replacements, desiring the immense power promised within. These warriors see the heart core as a handy weapon, its energy able to be released upon unsuspecting foes.

The heartless contend with a body that has more energy than it knows how to handle. This generally isn’t a problem in daily life, but when strained the heart core becomes a liability; the energy starts to work against the body as the adrenaline pushes the power production to unsafe levels. To avoid suffering an arcane heart attack, heartless resort to violently venting the core’s energy.

Hit Dice: D8.

Role: Heartless are effective blasters, able to throw damage around the battlefield. They require high Constitution scores to be able to build up stress and increase the DC of core rupture.

Alignment: Any

Starting Wealth: 3d6 x 10 gp (average 105 gp.). In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills: The heartless’ class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (local), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Table: The Heartless
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special
1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Heart core, core rupture 1d6, stillheart, stress
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Burst modifier, unfeeling
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Bleed resist, core rupture 2d6
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Stillheart, talent
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Channel core 3d6, core skill
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Burst modifier
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Core rupture 4d6
8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 Talent
9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Bleed resist, core rupture 5d6
10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +7 Burst modifier, core skill
11th +8/+3 +7 +3 +7 Core rupture 6d6
12th +9/+4 +8 +4 +8 Talent
13th +9/+4 +8 +4 +8 Core rupture 7d6
14th +10/+5 +9 +4 +9 Burst modifier
15th +11/+6/+1 +9 +5 +9 Core skill, core rupture 8d6
16th +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Talent
17th +12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Core rupture 9d6
18th +13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 Burst modifier
19th +14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 Core rupture 10d6
20th +15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 Core skill, talent

The following are the class features of the heartless.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

The heartless is proficient with all simple weapons and with light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields).

Heart Core (Ex)

The heartless is sustained by an eldritch heart replacement, although the exact nature of the new heart varies. At 1st level the heartless chooses what type of replacement, referred to as their heart core, they have received. Once the choice is made it cannot be changed.

A list of heart cores and their effects are listed at the end of the class.

Stress (Pn)

While it does sustain them, the inhuman power contained within the heart core means that it can overwhelm the heartless at times, unless they bleed the power off slowly. At 1st level, the heartless gains a pool of stress that reflects their ability to resist the breakdown of their heart core. The heartless can store 3 + their Constitution modifier in stress at 1st level. Every level after that, the heartless can store an additional 2 stress. At the start of each round while in combat (or in other stressful situations, such as a crucial skill check), the heartless gains 1 stress. All accumulated stress is lost after 8 hours of rest.

If the stress pool becomes full, the heartless immediately suffers a meltdown; a catastrophic eruption of their heart core. The heartless become nauseated for 1 round, trigger their heart core’s meltdown effect, and finally reset their stress 0. A Fortitude save (DC 10 + total amount of stress) reduces the nauseated condition to sickened.

Sidebar: Dispelled Hearts

As magical creations, heart cores are vulnerable to antimagic effects like dispel magic. The heart core is treated as a magic item with a caster level equal to the heartless’ class level. If the heart core is dispelled, the heartless immediately suffers a meltdown. The heartless still receives a save to reduce the effect of the meltdown.

Core Rupture (Su)

At 1st level, the heartless can unleash the power contained within their heart core in a sudden burst of energy. As a standard action that lowers their stress by 1, the heartless can deal 1d6 damage to all creatures, except themselves, within a 30 foot cone. A Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier) halves the damage. The exact nature of the damage is determined by the heartless’s heart core. The heartless must have at least 1 stress to use this ability.

At 3rd level, and every odd level after that, the damage dealt by core rupture increases by 1d6, to a maximum of 10d6 at 19th level.

Stillheart(Su)

At 1st level, the heartless becomes immune to any ability that requires the target to have a heart (heartpiercing and heartseeker weapons, a scarab of death, etc).

At 4th level the heartless becomes invisible to the lifesense ability.

Burst Modifier (Su)

At 2nd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the heartless gains a new way to alter the nature of their core rupture ability. Choose one burst modifier from the following list. There are 2 types of modifiers; [Shape] modifiers that adjust the area core rupture effects, and [Effect] modifiers which add extra effects to core rupture. A given use of core rupture can only be affected by a single shape modifier and a single effect modifier.

Shape Modifiers

  • Focused Burst [shape]: The heartless can use their core rupture ability as a ranged touch attack with a range equal to twice the range of core rupture. A creature stuck in this fashion does not receive a Reflex save to halve the damage. The creature may save against additional effects at the normal DC. On a critical hit, core rupture deals +1d6 damage instead of double damage.
  • Heartseeking [shape]: The heartless’s core rupture twists and bends around impediments, hunting down the target. This shape causes it to only target a single creature, target touch AC with no Reflex save, ignores all cover less than total, and has a range of twice the normal range of core rupture. On a critical hit, core rupture deals +1d6 damage instead of double damage. The heartless must have the focused burst burst modifier to learn this burst modifier.
  • Lobbing Burst [shape]: The heartless can launch a ball of energy that explodes at a distant point. The heartless designates a point within 5 feet/level, and all creatures within a burst with the same range as core rupture are struck by core rupture.
  • Rupture Beam [shape]: The heartless can use their core rupture ability as a line with a range equal to twice the range of core rupture (a 30 foot cone becomes a 60 foot line).
  • Rupture Smite [shape]: When making an attack action (either a single attack or during a full round attack), the heartless can channel their core rupture through their weapon as a swift action. They must declare the use of this ability before rolling for the attack. If they hit, they add their core rupture damage to the damage dealt. Damage dice from core rupture aren’t multiplied on a critical hit.

Effect Modifiers

  • Binding [effect]: When the heartless fires energy from its core it takes on the form of a semi-solid rather than a ray of energy. This material is sticky, tacky, and still inflicts the normal damage (fire damage might be burning pitch, electricity a coil of charged wires, etc). This causes any creature to be subject to a web spell as part of the effect if they fail the save. The DC of this is the same as the DC for the normal rupture effect.
  • Lingering Charge [effect]: The area affected by core rupture becomes energetically charged. On the turn after the heartless uses core rupture, any creature that moves through the affected area takes damage as though struck by core rupture. Creature receive a Reflex save to halve the damage as normal. This cannot be combined with the focused burst or heartseeker burst modifiers.
  • Overcharge [effect]: The heartless adds their class level to the damage dealt. If the heartless uses this effect, their turns ends immediately after using core rupture.
  • Palpitation Burst [effect]: A creature that takes damage from core rupture must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier) or become sickened for 1 round per d6 of damage dealt as their own heart begins to beat wildly out of sync. Creatures without a Constitution score or specifically noted as not having a heart are immune to this effect. This effect can only be added to core ruptures that deals electricity, love, or negative energy damage.
  • Pressure Burst [effect]: A creature that takes damage from core rupture is pushed back 5 feet per 2 heartless levels. A creature that makes their save against core rupture resists this forced movement.
  • Traversing Burst [effect]: When using core rupture, the heartless may move to a new square within the area affected, as if by dimension door. When the heartless arrives in their new square, they end their turn. The heartless must be at least 10th level to learn this burst modifier.
  • Vulnerability [effect]: Creatures who take damage from core rupture become vulnerable to the damage type it deals for 1 minute, taking 1.5x normal damage during that time. Creatures who make their save against core rupture resist this effect.

Unfeeling (Ex/Pn)

With no mortal heart to guide them, a heartless will often become callous and distant. At 2nd level, the heartless gains a morale bonus equal to 1/2 their heartless level on Will saves against fear and emotion effects. However, the heartless must save against all emotion effects, including harmless or beneficial effects.

Bleed Resist (Ex)

Without a heart to pump blood, it is harder to make a heartless bleed. At 3rd level, the heartless halves all bleed damage they recieve, rounded down, to a minimum of 0 damage.

At 9th level, the heartless becomes immune to bleed damage.

Core Controls (Su)

As a heartless becomes more dependent on their new heart they gain a degree of control and familiarity of the powerful core they have in their chest. Through hard work at 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the heartless gains a new core control from the following list:

  • Backlash: The heartless has managed to rig their core to automatically lash out against any enemy who causes them harm. Once per turn after being struck by a melee attack, the heartless may use core rupture as an immediate action.
  • Extra Burst Modifier: The heartless gains a new burst modifier. They must meet all the prerequisites for the burst modifier. This talent may be taken more than once.
  • Extreme Pressure: By cranking up their power output the heartless increases the range of their core rupture ability by 10 feet. This talent may be taken more than once; it’s effect stack.
  • Heart Attack: A heartless learns that sometimes their meltdown can be useful and to control something means giving up control of it for a moment. As a standard action, the heartless may trigger a meltdown (see the stress class feature) regardless of how much stress they currently have.
  • Heartfelt Friend: The energy output by a core can be controlled in subtle ways. After learning to control the way it can be woven and controlled, the heartless can designate up to 1+1/4 their heartless level (minimum of 1) creatures as immune to the effect. The heartless may change who is immune to the effect as a swift action.
  • High Pressure Release: By building up extreme pressure, the heartless is able to create even more volatile energy releases. While the heartless has at least 1/2 their level in pressure, they add +2 to the DC of core rupture.
  • Pacemaker: The safeguards installed by the heartless (be they physical, magical, or simply conditioning) allow them to no longer suffer the extra meltdown effect caused by their heart core. They still need to save against the nauseated condition, and other creatures within range still suffer the additional effect. The heartless must be at least 8th level to take this talent.
  • Pressure Vessel: Though medicine, healthy living, and/or a built up tolerance the heartless can increase the size of their stress pool by 3. This core control can be taken more than once; it’s effect stack.
  • Stress Relief: A heartless can learn to shift some incoming healing energy to their core. This takes a lot of practice to get down right and the training can be brutal (as one needs to suffer wounds to be healed). Whenever the heartless receives magical healing they additionally lose 1 stress per 5 hit points healed, to a maximum of 1/4 their heartless level (minimum 1).

Heart Cores

Clockwork

Your heart core is a bizarre mixture of ticking gears, copper wiring, and crystal diodes.

Damage Type: Electricity

Meltdown

Each creature within 30 feet of the heartless, including the heartless, must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier). Creatures that fail must repeat the actions they took last turn as best as they are able. Creatures that cannot repeat their last action instead take no action.

Tinkering

At 1st level, and every level after 1st, the heartless gains an additional skill point. This skill point must be used for one of the following skills: Disable Device, Knowledge (engineering), or Use Magic Device.

Clockwork Armor

The heart core partially integrates with any armor the heartless wears. At 5th level, the heartless reduces the armor check penalty for any worn armor by 1/5 their heartless level (min -0). Additionally, the heartless is no longer fatigued due to sleeping in medium or heavier armor.

Overclock (Sp)

At 10th level, the heartless may cast haste as a spell-like ability on themself as a move action by accruing any amount of stress (minimum 1 stress). The haste effect lasts 1 round for each point of stress taken.

Animating Core (Sp)

At 15th level, the heartless can attach their core to another object, be it a construct or inanimate object, granting them control over the now-animated creation. Once per day as a standard action, the heartless can cast greater object possessionOA as a spell-like ability.

Mechanical Man

At 20th level, the clockwork nature of the heartless’s core has now spread to much of their being. The heartless gains immunity to bleed, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.

Cryocore/Pyrocore

Your heart core is a shard taken from the elemental plane of fire or shaved off a glacier found in the elemental plane of water.

Damage Type: Cold/Fire (choose one)

Meltdown

All creatures within 30 feet of the heartless, including the heartless, become vulnerable to either cold or fire damage (same as the core’s damage type). Other creatures may make a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier) negates the vulnerability. The heartless may make a Fortitude save at the same DC to convert the damage to nonlethal as normal and negate the vulnerability.

Heart of the Elements

At 1st level, the heartless chooses either fire or cold damage, once the choice is made it cannot be changed. Their heart core features apply to the chosen damage type, and core rupture deals the chosen damage. They gain energy resistance 15 against their chosen element.

Raging Heart

At 5th level, the heartless may accrue 1 stress to increase the damage die of rupture core ability by 1 step (d6>d8).

Improved Heart of the Elements

At 10th level, the heartless gains resist 30 against their chosen element.

Elemental Consumption

The heartless can temporarily feed their own flesh into their heart core. Starting at 15th level, once per day the heartless can cast firey body as spell-like ability that accrues 3 stress per turn. If this stress would take the heartless over the maximum stress, the firey body effect ends. If the heartless’ core deals cold damage, the firey body takes the form of a swirling mass of ice crystals and rime, grants cold immunity, and deals cold damage.

Greater Heart of the Elements

At 20th level, the heartless becomes immune to their chosen element.

Crystal Core

The core in your chest is a beautiful crystal that shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow when struck by light. The innately positive energy contained within is a reflection of your lifeforce and allows you to restore life and energy to others.

Damage Type: Positive energy or love damage* (chosen on a per-use basis)

Special: Any healing done by positive energy counts as temporary hit points that last for 1 minute and cannot bring a creature above their maximum hit points.

Meltdown

The heartless takes their level in damage. This damage cannot reduce them below 1 hit point and if it would it leaves them with 1.

Inspiration

At 1st level, whenever an ally is hit with a core rupture they additionally gain a +1 luck bonus on all d20 rolls for the next round.

Heart Implant

Starting at 5th level, the heartless can manufacture 1d4 small gems or crystals per day that function like tiny versions of their own core. Making them requires that a heartless take 1 minute to turn a handful of stones into these wondrous little gems. These can be implanted in things without a functional heart (such as undead) and controlled by the heartless. A touch attack is required to implant one. Creatures implanted with one are treated as if they were under the effects of a command undead spell, regardless of the creature’s actual creature type. The crystals burn out after 12 hours after they were created and can be removed as a full-round action by intelligent creatures.

Vitalizing Core

A crystal core overflowing with positive energy leaks some of it into its host when controlled correctly. At 10th level the heartless gains fast healing 1. This improves to 3 at 15th level and 5 at 20th level.

Overwhelm

At 15th level the energy infused in the small gems or crystals they manufacture can be implanted into creatures that have a functional heart. In addition the heartless can manufacture 3d6 crystals per day and each crystal lasts for 24 hours (rather than 12).

Light and Joy

At 20th level the heartless can put 6 of the crystals they manufacture into the heart of a creature to restore life to it as if by true resurrection once per day. All 6 crystals can be delivered via a single touch attack.

Sidebar: Love Damage

First presented in Gonzo 2, love is a universal force that none can resist. Evil creatures gain a +2 bonus on saves against love damage effects. However, evil creatures take 1.5x damage from love damage. Creatures immune to mind affecting effects gain a +4 bonus on associated Will saves but are still subject to them even if they would normally be immune to such saves. These bonus on saves stack (an evil mindless creature would gain a +6 bonus to resist love damage).

Magic Crystal

The node of magic that glows in your chest both empowers you and keeps you alive. As far as cores go it is very stable and hard to manipulate if you don’t wish it to be. Their stability and the natural wards against magic it generates make it a popular choice.

Damage Type: Force

Meltdown

The heartless and all creatures within 30 feet are knocked prone by an explosion of magical energy and odd gravity fluctuations if they fail a Reflex save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier). The heartless is automatically knocked prone with no save.

Stable Core

Starting at 1th level, once per turn the heartless can elect to gain or lose 1 point of stress as a free action.

Magical Aura

Starting at 5th level this core provides its host with a powerful magical aura that grants the Spell Resistance 6 + their level.

Control Lock Barrier

The heartless is no longer needs to save against the nauseated condition caused by their meltdowns.

Improved Magical Aura

Starting at 15th level grants Spell Resistance 11 + their level.

Protective Aura

The heartless gains a deflection bonus to their AC equal to their stress value, to a maximum of +8.

Void

Truly heartless, your core is a gaping hole in reality that seeks to draw in the world around you. How exactly this empty void sustains you is uncertain, and at times it may inflict a spiritual pain, but the ability to draw on the empty void is an undoubtedly powerful gift.

Damage Type: Negative energy

Meltdown

All creatures within 30 of the heartless, including the heartless, gain 1 temporary negative level per 4 stress (minimum 1). A Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier) negates this effect. These negative levels are removed after 24 hours.

Pull of the Void

At 1st level, when the heartless uses core rupture, they can attempt to draw in creatures. Creatures struck by core rupture are pulled 5 feet per d6 closer to the heartless. This cannot be combined with the pressure burst burst modifier. Creatures that save against core rupture are immune to this forced movement.

Emotional Void

At 5th level, morale bonuses within 30 feet of the heartless are reduced by an amount equal to their current stress. This cannot reduce a bonus below +0.

Absorb Arcana

At 10th level, the heartless can attempt to dispel a single magical effect. As a standard action, the heartless may make a caster level check (using their heartless level as their caster level) against a single magical effect, as if casting dispel magic. If successful, the effect is dispelled, and the heartless gains stress equal to the spell effect’s effective level.

Voidheart

At 15th level, when the heartless uses core rupture, they may instead release the emptiness within their core for a moment. Creatures who would be struck by the effect take 1 temporary negative level for every 2d6 normally dealt by core rupture. A Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier) resists the effect. These negative levels are removed after 24 hours.

Hunger of the Void

At 20th level, the heartless may attempt to destroy a creature by absorbing it into their core. As a standard action, the heartless chooses a creature within 30 feet. That creature must make a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 heartless level + Constitution modifier) or die. This is a disintegration effect. On a successful save the creature instead takes 20d6 force damage. Either way, the heartless takes stress equal to 1/2 the creatures HD. Once targeted, a creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours.

This website uses cookies. See the Legal & OGL page for important information. Any material NOT covered by the Open Game License Version 1.0a is covered by the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License.