Medicine Man (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Medicine men (and women) are similar to animists, but more focused on making deals with spirits, negotiating for "spirit medicine", the power to work specific miracles. This makes them very flexible spellcasters, but less able to provide spiritual defense for their community. Some medicine men do not particularly care for any community or tribe and work as mercenaries.

Class Information

This is a animist archetype.

Hit Dice: d8.

Class Features

A medicine man has all normal animist class features, except as noted.

Allied Monsters

Remove all summon nature's ally spells from the medicine man's spell list. Add all summon monster spells to the medicine man's spell list. A medicine man always gains the latest summon monster as known spells as they gain access to a new spell level. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels. Allied monsters replaces allied spirits.

Mercenary Spirits

Because the medicine man bargains with a multitude of spirits for specific services rather than developing close relations with favored spirits, he does not have the same link to spirits that a normal animist has and does not receive the same protection and guidance. The medicine man lacks these animist class abilities: animist taboo, spirit guide, summon allied spirits , spirit channel, placate spirit, spirit protection, spirit ward, spirit quest, greater spirit protection, guide concentration, shadow walk, guide walk, weaken spirits, spirit destination, spirit loyalty, and planar deputation.

Spells

Each medicine man must choose a time of day when he must spend 1 hour in quiet meditation to regain his daily allotment of spells and bargain with the spirits for the specific spells he knows on that day.

Like an animist, a medicine man knows only a small number of spells. However, each day a medicine man may change the spells he knows. When a medicine man meditates to regain his daily allotment of spells, he sends forth his spirit guide to bargain with the spirits and retrieve knowledge of the specific spells he will be able to use that day. He can cast any spell he has retrieved at any time, assuming he has not yet used up his spells per day for that spell level.

Metamagic

If a medicine man knows any metamagic feats, he applies them to his spells when he retrieves them for the day. For example, a medicine man might choose to retrieve an empowered flame strike by using a 6th-level spell known. Any time he uses flame strike during the ensuing day, he must use a 6th-level spell slot to cast it, and it is always empowered. A medicine man could use a 4th-level spell slot and a 6th-level spell slot to retrieve flame strike and empowered flame strike if he wanted to have both spells available in a day. A medicine man cannot choose to alter his spells with metamagic feats on the fly, as other spontaneous casters do. Medicine men using metamagic feats do not have an increased casting time as sorcerers do.

Banish Spirit

This is the same as the animist ability, but the medicine man can use it once per day at level 14, and an additional time per day for every three additional animist levels.

Table: Medicine Man

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Allied monsters, detect spirits, orisons	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3		4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	+1	+1	+3		5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Ghost warrior	6	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	+1	+1	+4	See the unseen	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+4	+2	+2	+5		6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+5	+2	+2	+5	Seal spirit	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+6	Exorcism	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+6/+1	+3	+3	+6		6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—
10th	+7/+2	+3	+3	+7	Ghost champion	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—
11th	+8/+3	+3	+3	+7		6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—
12th	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8		6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—
13th	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8		6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—
14th	+10/+5	+4	+4	+9	Banish spirit (1/day)	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+5	+9		6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10		6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Banish spirit (2/day)	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+6	+11		6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Ghost general	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Banish spirit (3/day)	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Spells
• Spirit Guide
• Summon Allied Spirits
• Spirit Channel
• Placate spirit
• Spirit Protection
• Spirit Ward
• Spirit Quest
• Banish Spirit
• Greater Spirit Protection
• Guide Concentration
• Spirit Journey
• Guide Walk
• Weaken Spirits
• Spirit Destination
• Spirit Loyalty
• Planar Deputation

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