Diabolism

Lucifer.

Diabolism, or Diabolatry is the worship of the princes of Hell, including Lucifer, who is the Prince of Darkness and Absolutism.  Diabolism is the worship of Devils and Demons as a way of getting power.  On Lemurias, the worship of devils and familiar spirits is rare since most people worship other gods.  However, the summoning of spirits and trafficking with familair spirits is common to Diabolists.

As many of the powerful figures of the Abyss and Hell are powerful enough to grant Divine Magic, they typically grant such to their followers.  Diabolists or mistakingly believe in three things:

• Lucifer is eventually going to overthrow the loathed Creator and the hated Redeemer, who cast Lucifer out of Heaven. Believers also believe that they will have a favored place with Lucifer in the Afterlife. 
• Lucifer is the Morning Star, the dawn bringer, the bringer of all knowledge to Man.
• By doing everything backwards (breaking the Laws of Attraction, the Harvest, and Gratitude), they will attain enlightenment and prosperity. 

Besides Lucifer, the worship of many princes of darkness is also included. These include the god Asmodeus as well as his ilk.  Lesser fiends that are worshipped by Diabolists will typically have the Fiend of Blasphemy prestige class and/or the Fiend of Corruption prestige class from the Fiend Folio.

Diabolist

Abrogail, diabolist.

Some face damnation willingly. Seeking to control the awesome might of the infernal legions and twist the very powers of Hell to their whims, these blasphemous spellcasters jeopardize their immortal souls for mastery over devilkind. While those who already worship evil forces might come to control these profane powers and through their vile faiths, sinister arcanists too might learn the names, signs, and incantations to bind devils from heretical tomes and communion with the damned. Though some tread the path of the diabolist to enslave the forces of Hell and turn them towards goals other than corruption, only the most stalwart of diabolists can resist the temptations of the Pit. Regardless of whatever grim path leads spellcasters to seek power over the diabolical, their destination is nearly always the same-- an eternity of damnation in the depths of Hell.

Class Details

Hit Die: d6.

Requirements

To qualify to become a diabolist, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Lawful neutral, lawful evil, or neutral evil.

Language: Infernal

Skills: Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks, Knowledge (religion) 3 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks

Special: Must have conjured a devil using lesser planar ally or lesser planar binding (or a similar spell) and successfully coaxed the fiend into performing a task longer than 1 day.

Class Skills

The diabolist's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Diabolist Table

Class Features

All of the following are Class Features of the diabolist prestige class.

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

Spells per Day

When a new diabolist level is gained, the character gains new spells per day as if she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a diabolist, she must decide to which class she adds each level of diabolist for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Damned

When a diabolist is killed, her soul is instantly sent to Hell. Any character attempting to resurrect her must succeed at a caster level check equal to 10 + the diabolist's level or her spell fails. That character cannot attempt to resurrect the diabolist again until the following day, though other characters can attempt as they please.

Imp Companion

A diabolist forms a close bond with a particular imp, similar to a druid's bond with an animal companion. The imp is loyal to the diabolist (though ultimately loyal to Hell). The imp companion's abilities, feats, Hit Dice, and skills advance as the diabolist advances in level (see sidebar). If the imp is slain or the diabolist release it from her service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring a 24-hour ritual to conjure and bind the new imp to herself.

Infernal Charisma

A diabolist gains a +2 bonus on all Charisma checks made when interacting with devils. This bonus increases to +4 at 4th level and to +6 at 7th level.

Channel Hellfire

At 2nd level, a diabolist can alter spells that deal energy damage to instead deal hellfire damage. She can do this as a free action a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1). Spells altered to use hellfire gain the lawful and evil descriptors.

Infernal Bargain

At 2nd level, a diabolist making use of planar ally (or a similar spell) can make an opposed Charisma check against a called (but not summoned) devil. If she succeeds, the devil reduces the price it demands to serve by half.

Augment Summoning

At 3rd level, a diabolist gains the Augment Summoning feat even if she does not meet the prerequisites.

Heresy

Also at 3rd level, a diabolist gains a +2 bonus on all checks made to research specific devils' true names or sigils. This bonus increases to +4 at 9th level.

Hellish Soul

At 5th level, a diabolist has been deemed useful enough to the cause of Hell to be allowed a brief respite from damnation. If killed by any means outside of the will of Asmodeus, the archdevils, or another influential force in Hell, the diabolist can be resurrected as normal.

Infernal Transport (Sp)

At 6th level, a diabolist can transport herself through Hell in a burst of brimstone. She may use this ability twice per day as per dimension door, or expend both uses to travel as if using teleport. She cannot use this ability to enter or leave areas warded against evil creatures.

Hellfire Ray (Sp)

At 8th level, a diabolist may use hellfire ray twice per day.

Master Conjurer

At 10th level, when a diabolist calls a devil whose name she knows, she may cast the calling spell as a standard action and bargain with it as a move action. She adds half her Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate modifier on the bargaining Charisma check (if any).

Behind the Curtain: Diabolism

When I found out what real Diabolism is, I face palmed in shame. However, I had to write up Diabolism as it is regarded in our mythologies. Basically, Lucifer is the cause of why we have priesthoods. That's pretty much all I have to say.

See Also

Demoniac

OGL Section 15 -- Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Chronicles: Princes of Darkness, Book of the Damned Vol. I. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: F. Wesley Schneider.