Phantom Tamer (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

The phantom tamer is a spiritualist who attracts new spirits as he encounters them, offering them to resolve their trauma in exchange for service. The phantom tamer is a martial artist of the way of force.

Class Information

This is a martial arts archetype, a spiritualist specialized in controlling undead.

Class: Spiritualist.

Starting Wealth: 1d6 x 10 gp (average 35 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Features

The phantom tamer has all the spiritualists class features, except as follows

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Phantom tamers are proficient with all simple weapons, kukris, saps, and scythes. They are not proficient in any armor or shields.

Spells

Add the following spells to the phantom tamer's spell list at the indicated levels.

0—Disrupt undead.
1—Repair undead.
3—Command undead.

Tame Phantom (Su)

When an undead creature or haunt is destroyed within 100 ft. of the phantom tamer, he has the option of absorbing it into himself within the next minute. This is a full-round action. In the process of absorbing the spirit, the phantom tamer learns all the details of the potential phantom and can then either accept the spirit or send it on its way. If the undead creature's challenge rating is three or more points lower than the spiritualist's class level, it is unable to serve as a phantom and must be released.

If the spirit is sent on its way this power has no effect except the time spent. If the spirit is accepted, it replaces the phantom tamer's current phantom. It works as a normal phantom, except that the GM decides on all the details; the phantom's emotional focus, skill ranks, feats, and how it has spent its attribute increases. These should all reflect abilities the undead creature had, but need not be an exact match. It begins with full hit points and all abilities unused and available.

An undead creature which is accepted as a phantom cannot rejuvenate or otherwise be restored to an undead creature as long as it is bound to the spiritualist. It must make a Will saving throw each day while the spiritualist prepares spells, using the Will saving throw it had as an undead creature and a save DC of 10 + half the phantom tamer's class level + the phantom tamer's Charisma modifier. If this check fails the phantom is freed from its mortal ties and proceeds to the afterlife and will not rejuvenate or otherwise return to being an undead creature without outside help. It will continue to serve as a phantom until it is replaced. It can still be raised or turned into an undead creature, such as by the create undead spell.

An undead creature absorbed by a phantom tamer keeps the agenda it had as an undead creature, but it must still accept the spiritualists orders and fulfill them both in letter and spirit. The phantom has the undead creature's memories, but are not forced to divulge these to the spiritualist and often uses such knowledge to bargain for its personal goals.

This is a modification to the phantom ability.

Phantom Armor (Sp)

At 4th level the armor bonus of mage armor and bracers of armor stack when worn by a phantom tamer. These bonuses do not otherwise stack with armor, either normal or force. The armor created by phantom tamers looks similar to their phantom, displaying a mix of the phantom's and spiritualist's aura colors.

Undead as Phantoms

Various undead creatures manifest as phantoms of different emotional focus. Ideally, this should be given by the motivations and background of the creature, but often such details are not known. Then the emotional focus of the undead can be decided by its role and abilities. Here is a guide for what kinds of undead focus which emotion. If no clear focus suggests itself, the GM can simply roll a die, re-rolling results that seem absurd.

1. Anger: Undead with class levels in a fighting class or who are offensive fighters doing a lot of damage.
2. Dedication: Defensive or slow undead, often with many resistances.
3. Despair: Undead inflicting debilitating conditions.
4. Fear: Undead able to inflict fear and undead that flee certain situations.
5. Greed: Undead able to rejuvenate or otherwise restore themselves from destruction.
6. Hatred: Undead able to use stealth and trickery.
7. Jealousy: Undead that use possession or magic jar.
8. Lust: Undead that use charm and compulsion abilities.
9. Pride: Undead able to use illusions or to alter their own appearance.
10. Remorse: Undead vulnerable to sunlight.
11. Zeal: Non-intelligent undead and haunts.

1. Anger: Undead doing a lot of damage.
2. Dedication: Defensive or slow undead, often with many resistances.
3. Despair: Undead inflicting debilitating conditions or drain levels.
4. Fear: Undead able to inflict fear and undead that flee certain situations.
5. Hatred: Undead able to use stealth and trickery.
6. Jealousy:
7. Zeal: Non-intelligent undead and haunts.

Undead vulnerable to sunlight.

Undead able to rejuvenate or otherwise restore themselves from destruction.

Undead that use possession or magic jar.

Undead that use charm and compulsion abilities.

Undead able to use illusions or to alter their own appearance.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

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

• Armor Proficiency
• Phantom

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