Patreon Drop: Corrupted Curses

Hey there Patrons! These week I have for you another Soulforge archetype, this time further expanding on combining Brands with Soulforge's martial prowess, and the Sower of Corruption Prestige Class, focused around laying waste to your foes by corrupting their very bodies!

Soulbrand (Soulforge Archetype)

Skills of the Branded: The soulbrand gains 4 additional skill ranks at each class level and adds Disguise, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), and Stealth to their list of class skills.

This modifies the soulforge’s skill ranks per level and class skills.

Branded Soul: The soulbrand’s soul has been branded by a powerful curse, one they have learned to harness for their own ends. The soulbrand adds all veils with the Brand descriptor to their veil list. The soulbrand gains 1 special veil slot that they can use to shape only Brand veils each day, known as a soul veil slot. They gain 1 additional soul veil slot at 4th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. Brands veils shaped in a soul veil slot can be shaped alongside other veils in the same chakra slot, including other soul brands. Brands shaped in their soul veil slots cannot be invested normally with essence, and cannot be bound normally to their chakra slots; instead, the soulbrand invests essence in their branded soul and treats that as the amount of essence invested in each of their soul Brand veils. If the soulbrand is not a veilweaver, they use their Wisdom as their veilweaving modifier and their class level as their veilweaving level with their soul brands.

Whenever one of the soulbrand’s class features would trigger when they forge their soul, it instead triggers when they rest and reshape their soul Brand veils each day.

This replaces the soulforge’s soul forging and twin soul class features.

Cursemarked: The cursed brand applied to the soulbrand’s soul has a unique and visible appearance, appearing as a mark or other obvious and supernatural effect. This mark imposes a -5 penalty on Disguise checks made to cover it or hide it. However, dealing with this mark has granted the soulbrand particular insight into hiding their mark, allowing them to use the higher of their Wisdom and Charisma when making Disguise checks.

Cursed Weapons (Su): The soulbrand’s curse affects the very nature of the weapons they wield, sheathing them in a dark and foul aura that infects the very souls of creatures they strike using them. Whenever the soulbrand successfully hits with a weapon attack, they may choose to use the higher of their Wisdom and their Strength for their damage roll. If they choose to do so, the damage dealt by their Wisdom modifier rends the target's soul, dealing akashic damage in place of its normal damage type. 

Additionally, at 1st level, and every two levels thereafter, the soulbrand’s weapon attacks deal 1 additional point of akashic damage on a successful hit. This damage is not multiplied on a critical hit. This damage increases to 1 point per class level when attacking a cursed creature or a creature affected by one of the soulbrand’s brands that required a failed save to resist its initial application.

Branding Strike (Su): At 1st level, the soulbrand has learned to further channel the power of their cursed strike through their weapons, allowing them to deliver a brand upon their foe as part of striking at their soul. Once per round when the soulbrand hits a creature with a weapon attack, the soulbrand can attempt to place one of their brands on the target as a free action (even outside of their turn). The target must be within the range the soulbrand can apply their brands, and the target makes any saving throws to resist the application of the brand as normal. 

At 6th level, and again at 11th and 16th level, the soulbrand can use this ability one additional time each round.

Brandbinding: At 3rd level, the soulbrand’s mastery over their brands allows them to bind their brands for greater effects. When the soulbrand shapes their veils for the day, they can bind one of their soul Brand veils. If a brand has multiple chakras it can be shaped to, the soulbrand chooses which chakra slot they treat it as bound to when they shape the brand. At 6th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level the soulbrand can bind an additional one of their soul Brand veils. 

Forge Capacity: This ability also applies to the soulbrand’s branded soul.

This modifies the soulforge’s forge capacity class feature, but not for the purposes of archetype compatibility.

Brand Reach: At 3rd level, the soulbrand can maintain their brands on creatures within Medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per veilweaver level). This does not change the range at which they can apply their brands (normally Close range). At 9th level, they can place their brands on creatures within Medium range, and maintain them on creatures within Long range (400 feet + 40 feet per veilweaver level). At 15th level, they can place their brands on creatures within Long range, and their brands can be maintained on creatures no matter their distance from the soulbrand, including if those creatures travel to a different plane. 

Myriad Brandstrike (Su): At 7th level, when the soulbrand uses their branding strike ability they may take 1 point of essence burn to apply two brands to the target instead of one. The application of each brand is resisted by the creature individually, as normal, and this ability uses up two of the soulbrand’s uses of branding strike for the round. If they have less uses remaining than they would expend, they can’t use this ability.

At 12th level, they may instead take 3 points of essence burn to apply three brands instead of one, and doing so uses three uses for the round instead of one.

At 17th level, they may instead take 5 points of essence burn to apply four brands instead of one, and doing so uses four uses for the round instead of one.

Curseseeker (Su): At 10th level, the soulbrand can always sense the distance and direction to and perfectly pinpoint the location of any creature affected by one of their unsuppressed brands. The soulbrand can also sense any branded or cursed creature within Close range of them (25 feet + 5 feet per two class levels) as per blindsight. This ability is blocked by any ability that would prevent divinations against the afflicted creature. 

Cursesight (Su): At 18th level, the soulbrand can sense any creature they have branded as per blindsight, as long as the brand affecting that creature is unsuppressed, and can sense any branded or cursed creature within Long range of them (400 feet + 40 feet per level) as per blindsight. This ability is blocked by any ability that would prevent divinations against the afflicted creature. 

Brandsight (Su): At 18th level, the soulbrand gains blindsight 15 feet around any creature afflicted by one of their brands. This ability is blocked by any ability that would prevent divinations against the afflicted creature. 

Truebrand Strike (Su): At 20th level, whenever the soulbrand attempts to apply one or more brands to a creature using their branding strike, that creature automatically fails their saving throws to resist the brands being applied (they 

are still considered to have failed to resist the application for the purposes of the soulbrand’s cursed weapons ability).

Sower of Corruption (Prestige Class)

Some seek corruption for the power it might grant themselves, others harness the powers of corruption solely for more sadistic ends; to corrupt the very bodies and souls of the foes they face.

Alignment: Drawn to the power granted by corruption, sowers of corruption are usually Neutral, if they seek this path of corruption to empower themself, or Evil, if they seek the path of corruption to lay waste to their enemies. Rarely a Good-aligned character can fall towards the path of corruption in a vain attempt to channel its dark energies for seemingly benevolent purposes.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements: To qualify to become a sower of corruption a character must meet the following prerequisites:

• Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks or Knowledge (Religion) 5 ranks

• Feats: Resist Corruption

• Class: One or more levels in a veilweaving class

• Veilweaving: Must be able to shape 2 or more veils

• Special: Any one of the following:

  • Ability to shape a Corrupt descriptor veil

  • At least three points of permanent corrupted essence 

  • Corrupted Ignition

  • Imbue with Corruption

  • Well of Corruption

Class Skills: The sower of corruption’s class skills are Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (Religion), and Stealth.

Skill Ranks Per Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Proficiencies: Sowers of corruption do not gain any proficiencies with weapons or armor.

Veilweaving: At 1st level, the sower of corruption gains new veils shaped, essence, improved essence capacity, and binds as though they had gained a level in any one veilweaving class they belonged to before they gained this prestige class. They do not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one veilweaving class before they became a sower of corruption, they must decide to which class they add each level of sower of corruption for the purpose of determining their veils shaped and binds known.

Corrupted Veilweaving: At 1st level, the sower of corruption gains the ability to shape all veils with the Corrupt descriptor. This ability does not grant them the ability to shape Esoteric veils with the Corrupt descriptor, such as Blood or Ring veils, unless they have another ability that grants them the ability to shape veils in those slots.

Barrier of Corruption: At 1st level, and again at every level except 5th, the sower of corruption gains Barrier of Corruption as a bonus feat. Gaining this feat additional times in this way ignores the normal prerequisites for taking it multiple times. If the sower of corruption would gain that feat from this ability and it would cause them to gain it a 5th time, they instead gain a bonus corruption feat of your choice, as per their empowered corruption class feature.

Sow Corruption (Su): At 1st level, once per round when the sower of corruption successfully hits a creature with an attack they can sow corruption within them. If that creature has un-corrupted essence, one point of their essence is corrupted (non-temporary essence is corrupted before temporary essence). A successful Fortitude save, DC 10 + 1/2 your veilweaving level + your veilweaving modifier, negates the corruption of their essence. If they fail, every 24 hours they may make a new saving throw to remove the corruption from their essence; if multiple points of essence have been corrupted by the sower of corruption, they make a single save for all of their corrupted essence. If the creature has no essence, or all of their essence is already corrupted, on a failed save they instead gain one point of temporary corrupted essence for 1 minute. Unlike normal corrupted essence, the essence corrupted by this ability does not impose a Strength penalty.

At 3rd level, and again at 5th level, the sower of corruption may use this ability one additional time each round.

If the sower of corruption has the Soul of the Corrupt forged soul, their sow corruption and spreading corruption abilities cannot trigger off of the same attack.

Empowered Corruption: At 2nd level, and again at 4th level, the sower of corruption gains a bonus corruption feat of their choice. They must meet the prerequisites for this feat as normal. Rather than selecting a corruption feat, the sower of corruption can instead choose to gain 2 points of corrupted essence. 

Harvest Corruption (Su): At 2nd level, once per round as a move action the sower of corruption can attempt to harvest the corruption from a creature as a melee touch attack, or as a ranged touch attack out to 30 feet + 10 feet per class level. On a successful hit, the sower of corruption harvests their corruption, burning an amount of their corrupted essence up to 1 + 1 per class level, and healing the sower of corruption for 2 hit points per point of corrupted essence burned. The sower of corruption can use this ability on themself as a swift action, it is not considered an attack, and they do not suffer damage from having their corrupted essence burned by it.

If the sower of corruption has the Soul of the Corrupt forged soul, they can use their harvest corruption abilities granted by both this prestige class and their forged soul once each round, but they cannot target an individual creature with both during the same round.

At 4th level, they may use this ability as a move or swift action, but still only once per round, and they can harvest corruption as a ranged touch attack out to a range of 300 feet.

Reap Corruption (Su): At 5th level, whenever the sower of corruption hits a creature who has corrupted essence with an attack, that creature suffers damage equal to the amount of corrupted essence they have. This damage is considered dealt by corrupted essence for all purposes, and is multiplied on a critical hit. If this effect is triggered by the sower of corruption’s harvest corruption ability, this damage is dealt before corrupted essence is burned.

If the sower of corruption has the Soul of the Corrupt forged soul, this damage stacks with that of their amplified corruption ability.

Sphere Sower of Corruption (Sower of Corruption Archetype)

This archetype for the sower of corruption prestige class alters it to utilize the Ultimate Veilweaving Sphere, which will be released next week

Requirements: To qualify to become a sphere sower of corruption a character must meet the following prerequisites:

• Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 5 ranks or Knowledge (Religion) 5 ranks

• Spheres: Veilweaving sphere with the Corrupted Power drawback

This modifies the sower of corruption’s requirements.

Casting: A sphere sower of corruption may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. A sphere sower of corruption is considered a Low-Caster.

This replaces the sower of corruption’s veilweaving class feature.

Magic Talents: A sphere sower of corruption gains 1 magic talent at each class level.

Corrupted Veilweaving: At 1st level, the sphere sower of corruption learns to shape all veils with the Corrupt descriptor that belong to at least one slot they are capable of shaping veils to. If they cannot shape veils in an Esoteric chakra slot, such as Blood slot veils, they do not learn Corrupt veils that can only be able to be shaped to those slots, and do not gain the ability to shape Corrupt veils to that slot even if they learn one that could be from this ability.

This modifies the sower of corruption’s corrupted veilweaving class feature.

Corrupted Power: The sphere sower of corruption uses their casting ability modifier in place of their veilweaving modifier when determining the effects of all of their sower of corruption class features. If the sphere sower of corruption buys off their Corrupted Power drawback, they lose the benefits of all of their other sower of corruption class feature save for its Casting and Magic Talents.

OGL

15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Open Game License v 1.0 © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document. © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Patreon Drop: Corrupted Curses © 2025 Studio M—, Authors Hal Kennette.

Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.