THE CULTIST

"Poor fool…I'm afraid that my patron grants me the grander power."
-Erica Bensen, Cultist of Wee Jas

Divinity is unwavering and undeniable but that does not mean that it isn't misplaced. Any object, person, or concept can be worshiped as a god, and yet everyone chooses to attack the few individuals willing to go against the flow. Everything has power to grant, in its shadow if not in itself. In addition, even divinity and worship has their own shadows, equally powerful for those willing to seek it out.
Cultists understand this concept, worshipping dubious sources and taking from this worship the power of the shadows in which they must hide themselves. The Cultists wield this new magic tenderly, lest their actions arouse the attention of others.

MAKING A CULTIST
A Cultist can use some potent magic but her abilities are even more tightly focused than those of the Shadowcaster. They are stronger combatants but their penchant lies in stealth, using the shadows to hide themselves. Their exact role, however, inevitably relies on the mysteries they learn.
Cultists rely on quick wits and quicker reflexes to keep both themselves and their allies secret. However, this means foregoing more physical forms of training, leading to a meager fortitude.
Cultists almost never try to take command, even if they are charismatic enough to do so. Rather, in true cultist spirit, they try to approach command and subtly alter decisions to their benefit.
Abilities a Cultist needs both wit and personality to force their mysteries into existence. In addition, they often end up more violent missions, making a high strength score an asset.

Races: Surprisingly, there are less human Cultists than there are in most civilized races, probably due to an unusual open-mindedness among them, making cultists to all but the most taboo or extreme causes/objects unneeded.
The most common sources of Cultists come from races with active racial deities, such as gnomes, dwarves, elves, and orcs. In many of their societies, the mere failure to worship their racial deity may mark them as an outcast, a heretic, and a possible Cultist (some cultists do give normal worship to non-racial gods).

Alignment: Surprisingly, despite their shadowy powers and usual hate by the public clergy, a Cultist need not be evil. Some see their persecution as a divine test and others just want to remain along and unnoticed, keeping them a neutral party.
Others choose to worship lesser celestial beings, noble (if questioned) ideals, and people of objects of great good (including deities, which they may worship in their own unique way). These cultists remain misunderstood but deal with it through seclusion and let themselves be recognized only by the subtlest signs as they direct those around them towards (their interpretation of) their worship's designs.
Of course, these few are far outnumbered by those who worship devils, demons, and other dubious sources of power, some far worse. These few individuals, hiding in damp catacombs and forming insidious cabals, give the more lighthearted Cultists an even worse name.

Starting Gold: 4d4X10 (100 gp)
Starting Age: As Rogue

Hit Die: D8

CLASS SKILLS (4 + Int mod per level)
A Cultist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Religion) (Int), Knowledge (Planes) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha)

CLASS FEATURES
Your class features represent your constant need for secrecy, You manipulate shadows, as well as hiding within them, protecting yourself from those who do not understand.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: You are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, along with light and medium armor and light shields.

Fundamentals of Shadow (Su): As a Cultist, the first powers that you find in your worship are basic. These powers, called fundamentals, function as spell-like abilities usable at will. You begin play with 1 fundamental and gain an additional one at 6th level and every 4 levels afterwards. At 10th level, all fundamentals become supernatural abilities. At 18th level, all fundamentals become extraordinary abilities.

Mysteries and Paths: Rather than casting spells as other do, you invoke the power of mysteries through your prayer. You know one mystery at 1st level, one at 2nd level, and one at every even level afterwards. Each such mystery is usable twice per day. Up to 10th level, you may only learn apprentice mysteries. Starting at 12th level, you may learn initiate or apprentice mysteries

A Cultist need not learn paths in order, as long as they know at least two mysteries of a previous level. Also, you can always select the first mystery in a path of a category you have access to, even if you didn't gain two mysteries of a lower level.

Mysteries are often new tools for a Cultist and take awhile to cultivate. However, consistent prayer and dedication can eventually bring them closer to their abilities. Cultists originally cast mysteries as divine spells. They have somatic components and are subject to interruption but do not have an armor-based spell-failure chance. Whenever a mystery is cast, their shadows are subtly altered, noticeable through a DC 20 Perception check.

Even though a path need not be learned in order, when a path is completed all mysteries in that path become spell-like abilities and the daily use of all mysteries in that path doubles (not counting bonus mysteries from a high Charisma score).
Each mystery learned is a new part of their worship, and thus cannot be learned more than once at any time. However, at 12th level and every odd level afterwards, you may replace one mystery known with another mystery of the same or lower levels, so long as the sacrificed mystery was not used as the prerequisites for any feat, prestige class, or other mystery, although all prerequisites for the new mystery must be met.

You gain bonus mysteries of each level you can cast based on your Charisma score. Although you do not prepare spells, you must rest for 8 hour and pray for 15 minutes to regain your daily use of mysteries.

In order to cast a mystery, you must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the mystery's level. The save DC for your mysteries equals 10 + mystery level + your Cha modifier. For mysteries that scale based on Intelligence, use Wisdom in place of Intelligence. Your levels in this class count for the purpose of determining your overall caster level.

Trapfinding: You learn that the world is not a pleasant place for an outcast, and have worked on detecting the traps of others. You gain the Trapfinding class feature, which adds 1/2 your level to Perception skill checks made to locate traps and to Disable Device skill checks (minimum +1). You can use Disable Device to disarm magic traps.

Patron's Gift (Su): Starting at 2nd level, you learn how to manipulate the forces of life and death through the shadowy reflections of each. As a swift action, you may sacrifice a daily use of a mystery and make a touch attack against a creature within reach, or on yourself or a willing creature with no attack roll required. The creature touched is either healed or damaged by an amount equal to twice the level of the mystery sacrificed + your level. This ability may be used to channel positive or negative energy, as chosen by you each time this ability is used. The damage or healing multiplier increases at 6th level and every 4 levels thereafter, as seen in the table.

If the cultist uses this ability to heal themselves, they may instead grant themselves fast healing equal to twice the spell level of the sacrificed mystery for a number of rounds equal to their class level.

True Believer: At 2nd level, you gain True Believer as a bonus feat. You can use this feat an additional time per day at 3rd level and every odd level thereafter.

Expanded Faith: At 3rd level, and every 4 levels afterwards, a Cultist learns to expand their studies from the shadows into the divine. At each of these levels the Cultist may learn one spell from the Oracle list of up to the highest spell level available to them, although they may not choose any spell requiring a material component . These spells are usable twice per day, as if they were mysteries. 0-level spells are treated as fundamentals. 1st-3rd level spells are treated as apprentice mysteries. 4th-6th level spells are treated as initiate mysteries.

Shadow Guardian (Su): Eventually, the shadows you hide behind show you favor, protecting you and your mind.
At 4th level, you gain immunity to all effects that detect your alignment or faith.
At 8th level, you gain immunity to all diseases (supernatural or otherwise).
At 12th level, you gain immunity to poison.
At 16th level, you are continually protected by a Deathward effect.
At 20th level, your mind is continually protected by a Mind Blank effect.

Influence Undead (Su): At 5th level, you gain some sway over the undead. 3+Cha mod times per day you can unleash a burst of shadow energy in a 60ft radius around yourself. Undead in the area must make a Will save DC 10 + 1/2 Level + Cha mod, or be dazed for 1 round, and unable to perceive you for 1 round per level, or until you take an offensive action against them. This ability counts as channel energy for all purposes, such as channel resistance or channel feats, though it does not count as channeling positive or negative energy.

Shadow's Call (Sp): At 9th level, once per day, you can call an outsider with up to 1 hit dice/2 levels to your service for 1 hour. You may attempt to call a creature with more hit dice but for each hit dice added, there is a cumulative 5% chance that the attempt is wasted with no effect; the maximum hit die you can call is equal to your class level. The process takes one minute to complete and provokes attacks of opportunity. The creature called must be within one step of your alignment and gains the dark template for the duration of its stay. The called creature attacks any who attack you and leaves you and your apparent allies alone if you cannot communicate with it. If you share a language or can communicate telepathically with it, you can command it to undertake different actions on your behalf, so long as they are not suicidal or self destructive. This counts as a Conjuration (Calling) spell of a level equal to half the creature's hit die.

Influence Outsider: At 13th level, your ability to sway the undead can now spreads to a more universal level. You may now use a daily use of Influence Undead to instead influence outsiders, who suffer from the same effects if they fail their save. A single use of Influence Undead cannot be made to affect both an undead and an outsider, you must determine which version of this ability you utilize with each use.

Improved Shadow's Call: At 15th level you gain an additional use of Shadow's Call per day, though you can only have one such creature called at one time. In addition, the chance for failure decreases by 10%.

Wings of Faith: At 17th level, you are granted wings of shadowstuff, which take on a strange texture between feathery and membranous. While using these wings, you gain a fly speed of 60 feet (good maneuverability). You may dismiss or create these wings as a swift action.

Greater Shadow's Call: At 19th level you gain an additional use of Shadow's Call per day, and the chance for failure decreases by an additional 10%.

Mysteries
A Cultist can select from any mystery available to a Shadowcaster, which can be found in Tome of Magic, or in this list.