Base Class Vessel (Pathfinder)

A Vessel is a unique creature indeed. Inspired by arcane magic, honed through divine, the Vessel combines techniques to become a versatile creature.  It is said that a Vessel calls upon past lives, but such things are never remembered properly. A Vessel’s Animas emerge as representations of what they once were.

Role

A Vessel’s Anima Forms allow them more versatility than others.  Their powers do not come from a God, but the retention of past lives they once lived.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

CLASS SKILLS

The Vessel’s class skills are Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 2+ Int modifier

CLASS FEATURES

The following are the class features of the Vessel.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Vessels are proficient with all simple weapons.  They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with Anima Form.

Vessels are also proficient with light armor.  A Vessel does not experience spell failure when wearing light armor.

Spells

Although a Vessel casts divine spells, their spell list is the same as the summoner spell list.  He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, assuming he has not yet used up his allotment of spells per day for the spell’s level.

To learn or cast a spell, a Vessel must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Vessel’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Vessel’s Charisma modifier.

A Vessel can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level each day. His base daily spell allotment is given below. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score (see Table 1–3 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook). A Vessel‘s selection of spells is extremely limited. A Vessel begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of the Vessel’s choice. At each new Vessel level, he gains one or more new spells as indicated on Table 2–8. (Unlike spells per day, the number of spells a Vessel knows is not affected by his Charisma score. The numbers on Table 2–8 are fixed.)

Upon reaching 5th level, and at every third Vessel level thereafter (8th, 11th, and so on), a Vessel can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the Vessel “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least one level lower than the highest-level Vessel spell he can cast. A Vessel may swap out only a single spell at any given level and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

Orisons

A Vessel learns a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, as noted below.  These spells are cast like any other spell, but they may be cast any number of times per day. Orisons prepared using other spell slots, due to meta magic feats, for example, consume spell slots as normally.

Anima Form

A Vessel summons the essence of a past life to meld with his own being. The Vessel wears the Anima like translucent, living armor. The Anima mimics all of the Vessel’s movements, and the Vessel perceives through the Anima’s senses and speaks through its voice, as the two are now one creature. The Anima is the same alignment and speaks all the same languages as the Vessel.

To summon an Anima, you use the same rules as an Eidolon (change the word evolutions into memories) except as stated below.

To summon an Anima forth is a standard action and doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity.  Regardless of how many Anima Forms a Vessel has, all their bonus hit points draw from the same pool.  If one Anima Form takes damage and the Vessel switches Forms, the next form shares the same damage as all others.

While fused with his Anima, the Vessel uses the Anima’s physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), but retains his own mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). The Vessel gains the Anima’s hit points as temporary hit points. When these hit points reach 0, the Anima disburses and is sent back to its home plane. The Vessel uses the Anima’s base attack bonus and gains the Anima’s armor and natural armor bonuses and modifiers to ability scores. The Vessel also gains access to the Anima’s special abilities and the Anima’s memories. The Vessel is still limited to the

Table: The Vessel

Base

Attack

Fort

Ref

Will

Spells

Level

Bonus

Save

Save

Save

Special

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

1st

0

0

0

2

Orisons, Anima Form I, Anima Link

1

2nd

1

0

0

3

2

3rd

2

1

1

3

Anima Shield

3

4th

3

1

1

4

Anima Form II

3

1

5th

3

1

1

4

Anima’s Veil 1 Round

4

2

6th

4

2

2

5

4

3

7th

5

2

2

5

Anima’s Veil 2 Round

4

3

1

8th

6/1

2

2

6

Anima Form III

4

4

2

9th

6/1

3

3

6

Anima’s Veil 3 Round

5

4

3

10th

7/2

3

3

7

Anima Meld

5

4

3

1

11th

8/3

3

3

7

Anima’s Veil 4 Round

5

4

4

2

12th

9/4

4

4

8

Anima Form IV

5

5

4

3

13th

9/4

4

4

8

Greater Anima Shield, Anima’s Veil 5 Rounds

5

5

4

3

1

14th

10/5

4

4

9

5

5

4

4

2

15th

11/6/1

5

5

9

Anima’s Veil 6 Round

5

5

5

4

3

16th

12/7/2

5

5

10

Anima Form Split

5

5

5

4

3

1

17th

12/7/2

5

5

10

Anima’s Veil 7 Round

5

5

5

4

4

2

18th

13/8/3

6

6

11

Greater Anima Meld

5

5

5

5

4

3

19th

14/9/4

6

6

11

Anima’s Veil 8 Round

5

5

5

5

5

4

20th

15/10/5

6

6

12

Anima Form Twin

5

5

5

5

5

5

Abilities

Anima’s maximum number of natural attacks. The Anima has no skills or feats of its own unless they take memories that grant them. The Anima must be at least the same size as the Vessel. The Anima must have limbs for the Vessel to cast spells with somatic components. The Anima’s temporary hit points can be restored with the rejuvenate eidolon spell.

While fused, the Vessel loses the benefits of his armor. He counts as both his original type and as an outsider for any effect related to type, whichever is worse for the Vessel. Spells such as banishment or dismissal work normally on the Anima, but the Vessel is unaffected. Neither the Vessel nor his Anima Form can be targeted separately, as they are fused into one creature. The Vessel and Anima cannot take separate actions. While fused with an Anima, the Vessel can use all of his own abilities and gear, except for his armor. In all other cases, this ability functions as the summoner’s normal eidolon ability.  Because of the Anima’s divine nature and how deeply the connection between them and their Vessel, the Anima counts as wild shape for the sake of feats and other abilities.

A Vessel gains one Anima form at 1st level and an additional form at higher levels, a second at 4th, third at 8th, and a fourth at 12th.  At 16th level, as a swift action, the Vessel and his Anima can split into two creatures: the Vessel and the eidolon. Both have the same memories. The Vessel emerges in a square adjacent to the Anima if possible. All effects and spells currently targeting the Vessel-Anima affect both the Vessel and the Anima.

The Vessel can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to his Vessel level. He can end this effect at any time as a full-round action. For the duration of this effect, the Anima functions as a normal eidolon of the Vessel’s class level.

At 20th level, a Vessel and his Anima share a true connection. While a Vessel and their Anima are split, as a standard action, the Vessel can assume the shape of a different Anima.  The Vessel can keep this alternate form for a number of minutes per day equal to his Vessel level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments. The Vessel can end this effect as a free action.

Anima Link: Starting at 1st level, the Vessel forms a spiritual bond with his Anima Form. Whenever the temporary hit points from his Anima would be reduced to 0, the Vessel can, as a free action, sacrifice any number of his own hit points. Each hit point sacrificed this way prevents 1 point of damage done to the eidolon (thus preventing the loss of the Vessel’s temporary hit points), preventing the Anima from being killed and sent back to its home plane.

Anima Shield: At 3rd level, whenever the Vessel is fused with his Anima, he gains a +2 shield bonus to his Armor Class and a +2 circumstance bonus on his saving throws.

Anima’s Veil: At 5th level, while merged with his Anima, a Vessel can, as a swift action, become ethereal for one round every odd level thereafter the duration increases one round (2 rounds at 7th, 3 rounds at 9th, and so on) up to 8 rounds in a day at 19th level.  These rounds need not be consecutive and the Vessel can end this effect as a free action.  This effect is similar to Ethereal Jaunt except for the duration.  The Vessel’s caster level for this is equal to half his Vessel level.

Anima Meld: At 10th level, a Vessel can divert up to 2 points from any of his Animas’ Memory pool to add Memories to himself. He cannot select any Memory that the Anima could not possess, and he must be able to meet the requirements as well. He cannot select the ability increase Memory through this ability. Any points spent in this way are taken from the Anima’s Memory pool (reducing the total number available to the Anima). The Vessel can change the Memories he receives from these points any time he can change the Anima’s Memories.

Greater Anima Shield: At 12th level, whenever an ally is within a Vessel’s reach while in Anima Form, the Vessel can choose to grant the ally a +2 shield bonus to its Armor Class and a +2 circumstance bonus on its saving throws. Or the Vessel can choose to harness this power and increase his Anima Shield bonuses to +4.

Greater Anima Meld: At 18th level, a Vessel can divert more of his Animas’ Memories to himself. This ability functions as the Anima Meld ability, but up to 6 Memory points can be taken from any of his Animas’.

The ANIMA

To build an Anima use the same rules as an Eidolon except as follows.

Class Level: All Anima use the Vessel’s class level to determine its abilities.

Alignment: An Anima’s alignment must be the same as its Vessel.

Skills: Anima do not gain skills of their own, but they may take the Skilled Memory.

Feats: Anima do not gain feats of their own, but they make take the Feats Memory (see below)

Memory Pool: Same thing as Evolution Pool, just changed the name.

Memories

1-Point Memory

Feats (Ex): An Anima with this memory can take a single feat.  The Anima must still meet the prerequisites of the feat.  An Anima can take this Memory once more for every 5 levels the Vessel has.

Shared Experiences (Ex): An Anima with this memory may share a Skilled Memory, Feat Memory, or Native Tongue memory with the Vessel even when they are not fused.  The Anima must select which memory it wishes to share when it takes this memory and that decision cannot be changed.  This memory can be taken multiple times, each time the Anima must select a different memory.  Its effects do not stack. A Skilled memory only provides a +3 bonus instead of the full +8.

2-Point Memory

Native Tongue (Ex): An Anima with this memory can take an additional language beyond what the Vessel speaks.  A single Anima can only take this memory once.

Table: The Anima

Base

Class

Hit

Attack

Good

Bad

Armor

Str/Dex

Memory

Max.

Level

Dice

Bonus

Saves

Save

Bonus

Bonus

Pool

Attacks

Special
1st

1

1

2

0

0

0

3

3

Darkvision, Link, Share Spells
2nd

2

2

3

0

2

1

4

3

Evasion
3rd

3

3

3

1

2

1

5

3

4th

3

3

3

1

2

1

7

4

5th

4

4

4

1

4

2

8

4

Ability Score Increase
6th

5

5

4

1

4

2

9

4

Devotion
7th

6

6

5

2

6

3

10

4

8th

6

6

5

2

6

3

11

4

9th

7

7

5

2

6

3

13

5

Multiattack
10th

8

8

6

2

8

4

14

5

Ability Score Increase
11th

9

9

6

3

8

4

15

5

12th

9

9

6

3

10

5

16

5

13th

10

10

7

3

10

5

17

5

14th

11

11

7

3

10

5

19

6

Improved Evasion
15th

12

12

8

4

12

6

20

6

Ability Score Increase
16th

12

12

8

4

12

6

21

6

17th

13

13

8

4

14

7

22

6

18th

14

14

9

4

14

7

23

6

19th

15

15

9

5

14

7

25

7

20th

15

15

9

5

16

8

26

7