Defiler (Dark Sun)

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The Defiler is a Wizard variant class/kit from the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons setting of Dark Sun, which predates the Daemon Engine of the same name. Long story short, on Athas, magic was developed when some dick learned how to tap into the life energy of the planet and convert that into mystical power - before then, everyone used psionics. It promptly took off like wildfire - fittingly, since ripping life out of the earth itself tended to fuck things over for plants. You see the shithole that Athas is now? That's the result of rampant overusage of defiling magic.

Defilers in general used their increased power to take over the world and dominate everyone else; the "Dragon Kings" that ruled the setting were all superpowered Defilers who had mastery over small city states that they invariably ruled with varying degrees of cruelty. The ultimate destiny of the class was to become an Athasian Dragon; though only Borys of Ur-Draxa ever made it all the way to the end of that particular progression tree all the other Dragon Kings were at least partway there.

In AD&D, Defilers were more powerful than vanilla wizards (who also existed in the setting as Preservers, carefully taking only what energy they needed for a spell instead of just ripping it out wholesale), mostly in that they gained levels a hell of a lot faster - just getting to 2nd level only took 1,750 EXP, when a normal wizard would require 2,500 EXP, and this "negative EXP bonus" basically doubled at each level. The downside was that they killed everything around them when they used spells, which on a dying planet made them Public Enemy #1. Mechanically, this caused them to affect an area determined by a) the level of the spell they were casting, b) the fertility of the terrain they were in, and c) how many spells they'd already cast in that previous area. All plant life in the affected area died, and all living creatures were wracked with pain, taking an initiative modifier penalty equal to the spell level of the spell cast by the defiler. Defiled terrain would be incapable of supporting life for a year.

In the Revised Edition of the campaign setting book, defilers drained life from the planet as part of their spell memorization rather than as part of their spellcasting. This version also allowed living beings to make a save vs. spell to avoid the initiative penalty caused by the defiler's aura of pain. The Defilers & Preservers splatbook instead gave DMs the option to decide if defilers drained life when casting, memorizing or even at both times, if they wanted to be real jerks

The Revised Edition of the campaign book also added a new mechanic that required defilers to make a d20 roll when preparing spells that had to be checked off on a table against both their Intelligence and the fertility of the terrain in which they were trying to prepare; depending on their roll, they could end up with less or more spells than normal, and the more fertile the terrain in which they were preparing their spells, the easier it was to gather at least the basic minimum. This ruleset was then reprinted in the splatbook "Defilers and Preservers". The defiler "gathering power" check is a standard Intelligence check that compares the result of a d20 roll to both the defiler's Intelligence score and the fertility of the terrain in which they're residing, as shown in the table below. Gathering insufficient energy penalizes how many spells per day the defiler can use; gathering abundant energy, on the other hand, lets them cast more spells on that day.

Terrain Type	Insufficient Energy	Sufficient Energy	Abundant Energy
Lush (forests, large gardens, parks)	More than Int (-1 spell/level)	Int to Int-7 (usual spells/level)	Int-8 (+3 spells/level)
Abundant (verdant belts, grasslands, mud flats)	More than Int-2 (-1 spell/level)	Int-2 to Int-7 (usual spells/level)	Int-8 (+2 spells/level)
Fertile (oases, scrub plains)	More than Int-3 (-1 spell/level)	Int-3 to Int-7 (usual spells/level)	Int-8 (+2 spells/level)
Infertile (stony barrens, rocky badlands, bare mountains)	More than Int-5 (-2 spells/level)	Int-5 to Int-8 (usual spells/level)	Int-9 (+1 spell/level)
Barren (boulder fields, sandy wastes, salt flats)	More than Int-7 (-2 spells/level)	Int-7 to Int-9 (usual spells/level)	Int-10 (+1 spell/level)

In 3rd edition, defiling was presented as an optional mechanic in Dragon Magazine #315, which attempted to convert notable elements of various AD&D settings to the then-new 3rd edition ruleset. This ruleset was much more complicated than its counterpart; in short, when a wizard cast a spell, they could choose to defile, which would let them siphon energy from the land itself, which was handled mechanically as "defiler points" - these points could then be spent to apply a metamagic effect, recover an expended spell (or spell-slot, for spontaneous casters), or "buy off" some of the normal EXP and/or cash expenditure required by the spell; 1 defiler point would cover 250 EXP or 500 GP. However, defiler points also caused the wizard to suffer increasing penalties, until the defiler either shucked the taint off by meditating in relatively fertile areas, or subsumed the taint, which removed the penalties (save for becoming a t'liz) but made the defiler much easier to track.

Defiling became a general option for all Arcane classes in 4th edition, where they could beef up Daily Spells at the cost of killing all plants around them and costing nearby allies a Healing Surge. This power got expanded with the Master Defiler paragon path, which culminated in the ability to suck the life out of enemies to fuel the spells you promptly blew them up with.

Defiler is a shoe-in for a new Wizard subclass option if and when the 5th edition Dark Sun splatbook comes out.

Kits

Dragon Magazine #231 ran an article called "Defilers and Preservers", which offered an array of new kits specific to the wizards of Dark Sun. It offered six kits in total; the Grey Chasseur (Huntsman) and Protector for Preservers, the Pale and the Slayer for Defilers, and finally the Obscure and the Relic Seeker, which could be taken by both.

Obscures are Shadow Mages specialized in espionage, investigation and defense. Most work alongside the Veiled Alliance, but others have taken up the cause of protecting and aiding all manner of groups or powerful individuals. They typically tend to be cold, distant, and devoted to the concept of balance. They favor a mixture of divination spells, spells relating to stealth and concealment, and spells that manipulate light and shadow, but avoid darkness spells, since shadows are cut off by the absence of light.

Base Class: Preserver or Preserver-turned-Defiler

Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Yes

Available Races: Any Preserver capable (Human, Elf, Half-Elf, Aarakocra)

Ability Score Requirements: Constitution 15, Wisdom 16

Alignment Requirements: Any Neutral

Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Planes Lore Bonus, Path Lore Required, Recommended Astrology, Bribery, Etiquette, Direction Sense, Fire-Building, Meditation, Mental Armor, Reading/Writing, Spellcraft

Special Benefits:

Shadow Transmutation: At 3rd level, 20% of the obscure's body turns into living shadow. At each level, a further 5% transmutes, until 50% of the shadow wizard is pure shadow. The obscure can also cast Chill Touch 1/level each day by touching others with their shadow-flesh.

Shadow Form: From 7th level, an obscure can assume a Shadow Form (as per the psychometabolic science) as a granted ability. They can take Shadow Form for a total number of turns per day equal to their level.

Mystical Armor: From 9th level, an obscure's base AC becomes 5 against non-magical weapons.

Special Hindrances:

Fickle Power Supply: An Obscure must make a Power Gathering Check, like a Defiler. Due to the extraplanar nature of their power source, they roll a D10 to determine the "terrain type" portion of that table; 1 = barren, 2-4 = infertile, 5-7 = fertile, 8-9 = abundant, 10 = lush. Basking in shadow when doing so grants +1 to the roll.

Disturbing: An obscure suffers a -1 reaction penalty that increases to -2 at 4th level, -3 at 7th level, and -4 at 10th level. If other characters see the shadow stain gained at 3rd level, they must save vs. petrification or flee in terror.

Shadow Fueled: If the obscure has no access to shadows, such as due to being enveloped in total darkness, they must make a Constitution check at -2 or suffer 1d4 damage. They must also cast spells through the standard method of being either a preserver or defiler, depending on their base class, until they regain access to shadows.

Spiritual Strain: A shadow wizard must make a Constitution check whenever they gather power to fuel their spells; if they fail the check, they take 1d2 damage (if the "in play" power gathering method is used) or 1d6+1 (if the "off-stage/when memorizing" method is used). In the latter case, the shadow wizard fails to memorize their spells unless they repeat the process, which requires a second Constitution check; if this fails, then the shadow wizard cannot attempt to memorize spells for a 24 hour period.

Patron's Whims: An obscure almost always has some kind of patron outside of their adventuring group, who will generally have 1 espionage-related mission every 2 months.

Pales are Athasian Necromancers devoted to mastery of the undead and to eventually becoming undead themselves. In contrast to the standard Athasian necromancer, who yearns to extend their life as long as possible, pales care only about power. That said, whilst officially required to be evil mechanically, nothing stops them from cooperating with the living, though you'll be on the antiheroic end of the scale even by Dark Sun standards. They favor a mixture of necromantic and offensive spells.

Base Class: Defiler

Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: No

Available Races: Human, Half-Elf

Ability Requirements: Constitution 14, Wisdom 16

Weapon Proficiencies: All Wizard, plus any Bone weapon

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Planes Lore Bonus, Ancient Languages Required, Recommended Ancient History, Astrology, Bargain, Intimidation, Reading/Writing, Religion, Spellcraft

Special Benefits:

Command Undead: When a pale encounters undead creatures, they can attempt to control them by passing a Command Undead check (5% per level + the Pale's Wisdom score). With unintelligent undead, the pale affects twice their level in Hit Dice and controls them for 1d6+1 rounds. With intelligent undead, their Command Undead skill is reduced by the creature's Hit Dice and the duration is only 1d4 rounds.

Undead Companion: From 5th level, a pale is constantly attended to by a loyal undead minion. If this minion is destroyed, the pale gains a new one at their next level up. Initially, this minion is a skeleton, but it becomes a standard zombie at 7th level, a Thinking Zombie at 9th level, and a Wracked Spirit from 13th level.

Fear Not the Dead: A pale is immune to any fear effect caused by an undead, unless the undead's Hit Dice exceeds the pale's level by 3 or more.

Special Hindrances:

Token Dependent: Obscures use obsidian shards imbued with trapped spiritual energy as a focus to connect them to the powers of the Gray. Without their obsidian shard focus, an obscure cannot draw power from the Gray and must instead use the normal Defiler rules for power generation. To create a focus requires a ritual that takes 1d4+2 days, culminating in a Wisdom check; success causes the pale to take 1d4+1 damage and succeed, failure causes the token to fail to form, and instead the wizard suffers 2d4+2 damage.

Fickle Power Supply: An obscure must make a Power Gathering Check, like a Defiler. Due to the extraplanar nature of their power source, they roll a D10 to determine the "terrain type" portion of that table; 1 = barren, 2-4 = infertile, 5-7 = fertile, 8-9 = abundant, 10 = lush.

Spiritual Strain: An obscure must make a Constitution check whenever they gather power to fuel their spells; if they fail the check, they take 1d2 damage (if the "in play" power gathering method is used) or 1d6+1 (if the "off-stage/when memorizing" method is used). In the latter case, the necromancer fails to memorize their spells unless they repeat the process, which requires a second Constitution check; if this fails, then the necromancer cannot attempt to memorize spells for a 24 hour period.

Terrifying Mien: When a pale meets an NPC, the pale must succeed on a Save vs. Death Magic or else the NPC will flee in terror.

Relic Seekers are the arcane scholars of Athas, adventurers in the classic sense; they'll go anywhere, brave any danger, to recover a relic, learn a new bit of information, or discover an ancient secret. They look for anything and everything that might grant them insight into the mysteries of the past. They typically favor a lot of divination and abjuration spells.

Base Class: Preserve or Defiler

Multiclassing/Dual-Classing: Multiclassed Wizard/Thief

Available Races: Any that can become Wizard

Ability Score Requirements: Intelligence 12 Wisdom 11

Alignment Requirement: Any Lawful

Weapon Proficiencies: As Wizard

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient History, Ancient Languages Bonus, Reading/Writing Required, Recommended Appraising, Bribery, Etiquette, Direction Sense, Rope Use, Somatic Concealment, Teaching

Special Benefits:

Foundational Trinket: A relic seeker starts play with a single minor magical items.

Hoardbuilder: A relic seeker gains +5% experience for each magical item or ancient relic they collect.

Identification: A relic seeker can attempt to identify if an item is either genuine or magical in nature with a 5% chance of success per level.

Thief Skills: Starting at 3rd level, a relic seeker gains access to the Thief skills Open Locks, Find Traps, Climb Walls and Read Languages. They start with 0% in all of these, except for Read Languages (10%); 3rd level gives them 15 points to divvy up, and they gain thief skill points per level.

Special Hindrances:

Curiosity Killed the Mekilot: Whenever a relic seeker picks up a rumor concerning a worthy item for their collection, they must succeed on a Wisdom check to avoid rushing off to find it at the first opportunity.

Unearthly: A relic seeker suffers a -2 penalty to Initiative in the first round of combat, and is always surprised by combat unless in a ruin or while on a relic hunt.

Forbidden Skillset: Remember; literacy is illegal in many places of the Tablelands, and the relic seeker often carries ancient relics of writing. They had best be careful not to give themselves away when in Urik or Nibenay.

Slayers are defilers who take the obvious use of their powers and become arcane assassins. Typically favoring the more subtle magics of necromancy, illusion and summoning magic - for obvious reasons, in a world that hates and fears magic, showy displays of killing magic demand higher price tags for self preservation - slayers are hated but valuable, much like the Athasian bards.

Base Class: Defiler

Multiclassing: Yes

Available Races: Human, Elf, Half-Elf

Alignment Restrictions: Any Non-Good

Weapon Proficiencies: As per Wizard

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Somantic Concealment Bonus, Spellcraft Required, Recommended Bribery, Etiquette, Herbalism, Intimidation, Mental Armor, Reading/Writing, Spellweaving

Special Benefits: A slayer invariably has a powerful patron, typically a noble or a merchant lord, which grants them access to help, a ready supply of resources, and a useful contact.

Special Hindrances: Firstly, a slayer's patron will typically expect the slayer to perform 3-4 assassinations each year, and won't look kindly to being ignored or refused. Secondly, slayers are the most hated wizards on Athas, so a slayer has to go extra-far to cover up what they do, even beyond the standards of hiding their status as a wizard.