Animist (Spiritualist)
While the phantom is the most exciting and iconic part of the spiritualist, it also seemed like the most fun thing to cut when creating a new spiritualist archetype. Despite the fact that the animist is without the spiritualist’s best-known ability, this character actually plays in a similar fashion, but with unique abilities all its own.
New Spiritualist Archetype
Animist
While most spiritualists maintain a bond with a powerful guardian spirit or advisor called a phantom, a select few choose to interact with a different form of spirit. These are animists, spiritualists who commune with and command mischievous spirits known as poltergeists. These spirits are dangerous and unruly, but prove to be powerful allies to a skilled animist. Animists have the ability to command these creatures to manipulate the physical world, moving objects or tormenting the minds of the living.
Poltergeist (Su): An animist commands mischievous spirits known as poltergeists, which possess her but obey her instructions. A poltergeist is loyal to the animist and generally acts in her best interests and heeds her commands, though will often suggest courses of action that cause mayhem or destruction. Poltergeists are always chaotic neutral and speak whatever languages the animist does, and can communicate with the animist at any time.
These mischievous entities normally reside in the animist's consciousness, but can be made manifest in order to manipulate objects or living beings for a short time. While residing in the animist's consciousness, the poltergeists grant the animist potent mental defenses and insights into her surroundings. While manifested, on the other hand, poltergeists can animate objects or attempt to wreck havoc on another character’s psyche. In either case, the poltergeist can only remain manifested for a short time before being forced to return to the animist’s consciousness.
This ability replaces the phantom class feature.
Voices of Mischief (Su): While a poltergeist is not physically manifested, it remains in the animist’s consciousness, protecting her mind and guiding her actions. While residing in the animist’s consciousness, the poltergeist grants the animist a +2 bonus on all saving throws against mind-affecting effects. At 12th level, this bonus increases to +4.
Additionally, so long as the poltergeist is not manifested, the animist can choose to expend one use of her manifestation ability as an immediate action in order to automatically succeed on a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, or on a skill check. In either case, the DC for the saving throw or skill check must be less than or equal to 20 + her class level. If she uses this ability, she becomes confused for 1d4 rounds.
This ability replaces the shared consciousness class feature.
Manifestation (Su): An animist can manifest her poltergeist a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Wisdom modifier. A manifested poltergeist can remain manifested for a number of rounds equal to twice the animist’s level before it loses its connection to the physical world. When this happens, the animist must concentrate on the poltergeist as a standard action and succeed on a Will save with a DC equal to 10 + twice the number of rounds since the poltergeist lost its connection to the physical world. If she fails this check, the poltergeist returns to the animist’s consciousness. Poltergeists can be manifested for one of two distinct purposes.
A poltergeist can animate an object, causing it to spring to life and fight on the animist’s behalf. When this occurs, the poltergeist can animate a single Small or smaller unattended nonmagical item, which becomes an animated object of the appropriate size. At 5th level, the object may be of Medium size or smaller; at 9th level, the object may be of Large size or smaller; at 13th level, the object may be of Huge size or smaller; at 17th level, the object may be of Gargantuan size or smaller. At 20th level, an animist can expend 2 uses of this ability in order to animate a Colossal object.
An object animated in this way gains an additional construction point for every 2 levels the animist possesses, and a bonus to its Strength and Dexterity scores and natural armor based on the animist’s level. Starting at 2nd level, the animated object gains a +2 bonus to its Strength and Dexterity scores. At 8th level, and every 6 levels thereafter, this bonus increases by a further +2, and the animated object gains a bonus to its natural armor equal to twice this bonus to Strength and Dexterity. Otherwise, the animated object has statistics identical to a normal animated object. As a standard action, the animist can concentrate on the animated object in order to allow it to use the animist’s base attack bonus and base saves for 1 round in place of its own. If the animated object is slain, the poltergeist immediately returns to the animist's consciousness, but the animist loses one additional use of her manifestation ability.
Alternatively, a poltergeist can be manifested in order to attack the psyche of another character within 30 feet. Each round, the target must succeed on a Will save or become confused for the remaining duration of the poltergeist’s manifestation. Additionally, the target suffers a –2 penalty on all other saving throws against mind-affecting effects. At 12th, level, this penalty increases to –4.
This ability replaces the etheric tether class feature.
Ventriloquism (Sp):At 2nd level, the animist can use ventriloquism as a spell-like ability at will, but only to make her voice seem like it is coming from an object animated by her poltergeist or from a character currently under mental assault from her poltergeist.
This ability replaces the bonded senses class feature.
Geist Interference (Su): At 3rd level, the animist can lash out with her poltergeist in order to cause others to suffer a sudden bout of misfortune. As an immediate action, she can expend one use of her manifestation ability in order to cause a single character within 30 feet to reroll an attack roll it just made and take the worse result. At 8th level, the animist may instead force a character within 30 feet to reroll a saving throw in this way. At 13th level, she may use this ability a number of times per day equal to her Wisdom modifier without needing to use a use of her manifestation ability. At 18th level, she can expend two uses of this ability in order to cause an attack roll to automatically fail, and she may use this ability as a free action rather than as a swift action.
This ability replaces the bonded manifestation class feature.
Empower Poltergeist (Su): At 4th level, as long as the animist is within arm’s reach of an object her poltergeist is animating, the animated object gains a +2 shield bonus to its AC and a +2 bonus on all saving throws. If the animist is within arm’s reach of a character that is under assault from her poltergeist, if that character was confused by the effect, he must roll for confusion twice and take the result of the animist’s choice.
This ability replaces the spiritual interference class feature.
Manipulate Objects (Sp): At 5th level, the animist can reach out to malevolent spirits in order to move objects. The animist can move objects weighing a number of pounds less than or equal to her Wisdom modifier as though with the spell mage hand, except that she can concentrate on the effect as a swift action.
This ability replaces the detect undead class feature.
Multiple Manifestations (Su): At 6th level, the animist can manifest a pair of poltergeists as a standard action by expending two uses of her manifestation ability. One manifestation must be an animated object and the other must be an assault on a character’s psyche. The animist must make separate Will saves to maintain each manifestation after each poltergeist has lost its connection to the physical world.
This ability replaces the phantom recall class feature.
Move Objects (Sp): At 10th level, the animist can manipulate objects more easily. She can cast unseen servant as a spell-like ability at will.
This ability replaces the fused consciousness class feature
Greater Empower Poltergeist (Su): At 12th level, the animist always confers the benefits of empower poltergeist to her poltergeists, even if she is not within arm’s reach of it.
This ability replaces the greater spiritual interference class feature.
Geist Heal (Su): At 14th level, an animist can call upon her poltergeists to heal her own wounds. As an immediate action, she can expend any number of uses of her manifestation ability. For each use expended in this way, she regains a number of hit points equal to 1d10 + her class level. After using this ability, she becomes confused for a number of rounds equal to the number of uses of manifestation spent on this ability.
This ability replaces the spiritual bond class feature.
Control Objects (Sp): At 17th level, the animist can manipulate objects (though not creatures) as with the sustained force and violent thrust uses of the telekinesis spell. She can use this effect for a number of rounds each day equal to her level.
This ability replaces the dual bond class feature.
Poltermind (Su): At 20th level, an animist gains immunity to confusion (including that caused by her own abilities) and may use her manifestation ability an additional 10 times per day.
This ability replaces the empowered consciousness class feature.