D&Dtools1

A stoneblessed bonds to the stone of the mountains, blending into a dwarf, gnome, or goliath community and making it her home.

Requirements

Class Features

*Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Stoneblessed gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Stonebond (Ex): A stoneblessed must choose one race of stone with which to bond: dwarf, gnome, or goliath. This choice must be the same race that invited the stoneblessed to become one of them (see Requirements, above). Depending on her choice, a stoneblessed gains certain abilities.

Dwarf: A dwarf-bonded stoneblessed adds Appraise (Int), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (architecture and engineering) (Int), and Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int) to her list of stoneblessed class skills. A dwarf-bonded stoneblessed gains a +2 bonus on Appraise and Craft checks related to stone or metal.

Gnome: A gnome-bonded stoneblessed adds Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), and Spellcraft (Int) to her list of stoneblessed class skills. A gnomebonded stoneblessed gains a +2 bonus on Listen and Craft (alchemy) checks.

Goliath: A goliath-bonded stoneblessed adds Balance (Dex), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Survival (Wis) to her list of stoneblessed class skills. A goliath-bonded stoneblessed gains a +2 bonus on Sense Motive checks and can engage in accelerated climbing (climbing half her speed as a move action) without suffering the —5 penalty on the Climb check.

Racial Battle Technique (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, a stoneblessed gains a +4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type. In addition, she gains another ability based on her chosen race: A dwarf-bonded stoneblessed gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls against orcs and goblinoids. A gnome-bonded stoneblessed gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids. A goliath-bonded stoneblessed gains a +1 bonus on attack rolls against giants.

Stoneborn (Ex): At 3rd level, a stoneblessed completes the bond with her chosen race. The stoneblessed gains a permanent +2 increase to her Constitution score. In addition, for all effects related to race, a stoneblessed is considered a member of the race to which she is bonded. For example, dwarf-bonded stoneblessed are just as vulnerable to effects and abilities that affect dwarves as actual dwarves are (such as a ranger's favored enemy ability), and they can use magic items that are usable only by dwarves. The stone blessed meets any racial prerequisite for prestige classes and feats as if she were a member of her bonded race. Finally, the stone blessed gets an ability based on her type of racial bond:

Stonecunning (Ex): A dwarf-bonded stoneblessed gains a +2 bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework. Something that isn't stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf-bonded stoneblessed who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if she were actively searching, and a dwarf-bonded stone blessed can use the Search skill to find stonework traps as a rogue can. A dwarf-bonded stoneblessed can also intuit depth, sensing her approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.

Speak with Animals (Sp): Once per day, a gnome-bonded stoneblessed can use speak with animals, as the spell cast by a 1st-level druid.

Toughness: A goliath-bonded stoneblessed emulates the resilience of the goliath tribesfolk and gains Toughness as a bonus feat.

Adaptation

This prestige class—or one like it that you make yourself—is a way to give racial abilities to creatures not of that race. The class offers racial abilities based on specialized training or cultural immersion first, saving spell-like abilities and more obviously magical or biological abilities for the 3rd (and highest) level of the prestige class. If you're creating a prestige class tied to a particularly powerful race, you might need more than three levels to effectively balance powerful racial abilities.

Advancement