Warchief

Requirements

Base Attack Bonus: +3

Special: Must have led a tribe in battle. Warchief is a tough class to prestige into, not because of the requirements but because of the restrictions of the abilities. It requires being the same race as the warchief and part of the tribe, so this is a good class for NPCs or as a follow up to leadership feats so your cohorts can be affected as well. THe ability boosting is very enticing though.

Role: DPS

Characteristics: Leader of a tribe that frenzies their loyal warriors

Source: Miniatures Handbook

Game Rule Information

The Warchief has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Strength for Combat, Constitution for staying up

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d10

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Warchief's class skills are Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha) Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and Swim (Str)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Warchief.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Warchief is proficient with Warchiefs gain no proficiency with weapons or armor

Tribal Frenzy Ex: A warchief is able to inspire his followers to acts of extreme battle frenzy. The warchief may activate this frenzy as a standard action. He may then maintain it as a free action. It ends at the conclusion of any turn in which the warchief does not maintain it. The frenzy affects any creature that is a member of the warchief's race and tribe, that starts its turn within 30 feet of the warchief, and that is able to hear the warchief. The frenzy grants a +2 enhancement bonus to the Strength score of each affected ally (not including the warchief himself).

At the start of each of their turns, everyone affected by the Strength boost takes 1 point of damage for each Hit Die they have. Thus, an orc warchief can grant +2 Strength to each member of the pack of 1st-level orc warriors he commands, but they each take 1 point of damage per round as long as the Strength boost remains in effect.

Every two levels (3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th), the bonus to Strength increases by +2.

Ability Boost Ex: As a warchief gains levels in this prestige class, his Charisma score increases as noted below. These increases stack.

Devoted Bodyguards Ex: Beginning at 8th level, once per round, whenever a warchief is hit by an attack, he may make a DC 15 Reflex save to have that attack affect an adjacent tribe member instead. The attack is treated as though it had hit the chosen bodyguard instead of the leader, regardless of the bodyguard's Armor Class or any other defensive effects. A tribe member may not serve as a bodyguard if it is dazed, stunned paralyzed, or otherwise unable to act.

Table 1-1: Warchief Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Tribal frenzy (Str +2)
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Ability boost (Cha +2)
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Tribal frenzy (Str +4)
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	—
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Tribal frenzy (Str +6)
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Ability boost (Cha +2)
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Tribal frenzy (Str +8)
8th	+6	+6	+2	+6	Devoted bodyguards
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	Tribal frenzy (Str +10)
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	Ability boost (Cha +2)

Build Ideas

The Tribal Chief:

Warchief is a weird class to build for since there's limited stuff you can benefit the party with unless you design to have synergy with this at the start of a campaign with other players. Marshal is weirdly fitting for this class. If I were building this I'd build 7 levels of Marshal to get more auras and movement bonuses. The charisma boost from Warchief boosts Marshal abilities and the auras helps keep your tribes alive so they just compound on each other.