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I've posted this in a warlock thread or two, but it seems for the most part to have gone unnoticed. Before I give up on the idea, I'd like to see a few opinions on whether this actually works or not.

In Dragonmarked, you can find the Nosomatic Chirurgeon Prestige Class. While interesting on its own, one ability found within might actually allow warlocks to qualify for other PrCs with the requirement of 'able to cast X-level spells'.

The ability in question is this, quoted for the purposes of discussion and wording nuances:

Nosomatic Chirurgeon (Dragonmarked)]Pestilential Touch (Su): A chirurgeon develops the supernatural ability to channel spell energy into debilitating harm. This ability allows you to spontaneously "lose" a single usage of any spell or spell-like ability to cast any inflict spell of the same spell level or lower. (An inflict spell is any spell with "inflict" in its name, such as inflict light wounds).

Unlike with a normal casting of an inflict spell, the damage dealt by this ability is not negative energy, and so cannot be used to cure undead.

Now, apparently we have an ability that can convert any of the warlock's arsenal of spell-like abilities into any of the inflict wounds or inflict damage series, as well as any other 'spells with inflict in the name' out there (I haven't bothered to check for more just yet.)

The way I read the Pestilential Touch ability, it should grant warlocks the ability to cast spells, though not of a particular type. If I'm right, this means warlocks can now qualify for 'able to cast spells of X level' PrCs (though not 'able to cast divine/arcane spells of X level') without a loss in caster level (the NS has 4/5 progression, but only loses casting on the last level).

The PrC is somewhat difficult to qualify for, but if you pick Strongheart halfling as your race and find a way to get Heal and Knowledge (nature) as class skills, you're golden.

The other abilities you get from the class aren't that bad either, including the eventual ability to inflict any disease you've treated with the Heal skill. (Festering Anger/Warp Touch, anyone?)

...and now I'll turn this over to the CO community, to see if this is insight, or in wrote:

LiamDeclan wrote:

I would have to say, yes it does Timmy. It should let you into classes like Arcane Trickster for instance. Even if it didn't, which it really should, the whole flavor of being able to inflict damage (which I am curious as to how much this damage is), and give people illness/disease would be iconic of witches/warlocks. Does the PrC allow you to curse people too? That would be awesome.

The damage inflicted simply depends on the spell emulated, which is usually below that of an eldritch blast. (Assuming we're talking about the PHB inflict line here.)

Though I can't say that I'm really sure Arcane Trickster would work, given that the Pestilential Touch ability fails to specify whether the inflicts are arcane or divine spells.

Here's the current list of spells that you gain through Pestilential Touch. So far, I've checked the PHB, Spell Compendium, and Eberron Campaign Setting; any more contributions are welcome.
Spells with "Inflict" in Their Names: Show

The General Tricks & Combos thread to which Tleilaxu_Ghola alluded has been created. Feel free to add tricks such as these to the thread to preserve them for public knowledge. Of course you are free to make your own thread concerning a given trick, but it would be nice if people would publish their findings to the trick thread afterwards, again for posterity.

And boy howdy that would be pretty sweet with Tomb Tainted Soul. Huzzah.

EDIT: Nevermind, stupid thing.

Still, convering a SA or SP into an actual "spell" is pretty freaky. Arcane? Divine? ASF? And really, for warlocks this is boundless (they have no limites on the amounts of spell-like abilities they can cast)

FromTheShadows wrote:

Someone on the Tricks & Combos thread made the same mistake. As per the wording of Pestilential Touch, the inflicts do not deal negative energy damage and thereby cause damage to undead as usual.

Curse your speedy reply! You beat my edit!