Animist (Apath)
 | |
| Unofficial rules compendium | |
|
|
Animism is the belief that inside all physical things there are spirits, and these spirits can be befriended, cajoled, or browbeat into cooperation. By gaining the cooperation of spirits, the animist learns to work magic. Animists are no meek clerics who offer worship. A spirit can be bribed, persuaded, or be offered alliance and loyalty, but it can also be coerced or defeated in combat to bind it into service.
Animists are constantly on the border between worlds, usually helping folk and spirits live together. Their traditional duties are both to facilitate contact with spirits and to delineate a border between the mystical and the mundane. Animists explore the planes to find power and solutions to mundane problems, often bringing others with them for spiritual education or trials. But when the threat of planar incursion looms, animists are staunch defenders of planar boundaries.
Most animists live in two tribes at once, the folk tribe and the spirit tribe. They help and protect their allies in both tribes, counting on their assistance in return. Animists help define the border between the domains of living folk, the dead, animals, and spirits. While rarely lawful the way civilized people see things, they help maintain the world order. Some animists side entirely with one side, exploiting folk for benefit of spirits or the other way around, while few are renegades who use both folk and spirits strictly for their own benefit.
Animists see spirits where others find only dead matter. Most of the spirits the animists interact with are invisible to everyone else. Wizards and clerics often claim these spirits do not exist, as they cannot be observed. The only proof of their existence is the power they give the animist. Animists regard most monsters as spirits, and animist powers gives them power over a wide range of supernatural creatures. To the animist an earth elemental is an awakened earth spirit while a rock is an earth spirit at rest. They are both the same, just that one is active and awake while the other is dormant. This confounds and annoys those who try to rationally classify what is supernatural and what is mundane.
Class Information
Age: Animists have an informal education, and use the middle age bracket for starting age.
Abilities: Charisma determines how powerful spells an animist can cast, how many spells he can cast per day and how hard those spells are to resist (see Spells, below) as well as the strength of several class abilities and helps him cajole with spirits. Solid intelligence helps the animist's skills and good physical attributes are always useful.
Alignment: Any. Animism is not in itself aligned, each spirit is an individual with its own concerns. Animists often strive to stay out of worldly concerns and maintain a neutral attitude, but this rarely works out. While uninterested in politics, animists care intensely about the spirits and people close to them. Most animists are part of tribal cultures, and their view of how to interact with spirits and what powers the spirits have is colored by this. Some animists work for spirits of a distinct alignment, and follow their convictions.
Hit Dice: d8
Starting Wealth: 2d6 × 10 gp (average 70 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.
Class Skills
The animist’s class skills (and the key ability for each Skill) are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the animist.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
An animist is proficient with all simple weapons, the handaxe, shortbow, and throwing axe, and with light armor and shields (except tower shields).
Many animists are restricted against wearing iron armor or using iron weapons, see taboo of metal below.
Spells
An animist casts divine spells drawn from the druid spell list. Add beast shape I (3rd), beast shape II (4th), beast shape III (5th), and beast shape IV (6th) to the animist's spell list at the indicated levels. These spells are not learned automatically, each must be picked as a known spell.
An animist can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. To learn or cast a spell, an animist must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an animist’s spell is 10 + the spell’s level + the animist’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, an animist can cast only a certain number of spells per day of each spell level. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Animist. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells).
An animist’s selection of spells is extremely limited. An animist begins play knowing four 0-level spells and two 1st-level spells of his choice. At each new animist level, he gains one or more new spells, as indicated on Table: Animist Spells Known. Unlike spells per day, the number of spells an animist knows is not affected by his Charisma score; the numbers on Table: Animist Spells Known are fixed.
Upon reaching 4th level, and at every even-numbered animist level after that (6th, 8th, and so on), an animist can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the animist 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. An animist may swap 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.
| Level | Spells Known | |||||||||
| Zero | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | |
| 1st | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | 6 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | 6 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | 8 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 12th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 13th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 14th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 15th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 16th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 17th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 18th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 19th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 20th | 9 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Aligned Spells
An animist can't cast spells of an alignment opposed to her own. Spells associated with particular alignments are indicated by the chaotic, evil, good, and lawful descriptors in their spell descriptions. Note that summoning spells have the same same alignment as the creature summoned.
Allied Spirits
When an animist gains access to a a new level of spells, he immediately gains the summon nature's ally spell of that level as a known spell. These spells cannot be exchanged for different spells at higher levels.
Animist Taboo
Each animist has a taboo, an act that is prohibited and disrupts their link to the spirit world. An animist who breaks his taboo is unable to cast animist spells or use any of his supernatural or spell-like class abilities until he has performed a one-hour purification ritual. Select one taboo from this list.
- Taboo of Aliens: The animist cannot talk to outsiders without losing power. He can never use Charisma-based skills, speak to, or otherwise communicate with those not in his tribal group, tough listening to them is allowed. Adopted members of the tribe can be communicated with. Adventuring animists can communicate with their fellow party members, but not with strangers. The animist can communicate with animals and spirits of all kinds without breaking this taboo. This taboo is common in isolated communities or sects.
- Taboo of Death: Ill health is a barrier to the spirit world, one the animist dares not come near. Touching or healing a wound or infection breaks this taboo, as does touching a newly dead body. The animist can safely use the Heal skill and spells on himself and on spirits. Others can be healed, but doing so breaks the taboo after the healing spell or ability has been used. The animist can deal freely with undead. This taboo is from Shinto and common in Japan-inspired settings.
- Taboo of Fire: Fire separates folk from beasts, and certain animists give up the use of fire as a concession to the spirits. An animist with the taboo of fire cannot use any spells with the fire descriptor (this includes summoning spells for creatures of the fire subtype), cannot use torches, lanterns or other fire, and cannot eat cooked food or heat themselves by a fire, which gives a -5 penalty on Survival rolls to forage for food and water or to resist extremes of temperature. He can still use firelight provided by others to see and may stay in heated rooms. This taboo is common among civilized mystics.
- Taboo of Gender: The animist must not touch, heal, or communicate with members of one chosen gender, as in taboo of aliens and taboo of death, above. This taboo also extends to spirits of the banned gender. Random spirits the animist summons or calls are never of the forbidden gender. The animist gains the benefits of the Selective Channeling feat, but only to exclude members of the banned gender. Fighting against, intimidating, and otherwise harming members of the forbidden gender is allowed. This taboo is common all over the world.
- Taboo of Metal: Metal is the manifestation of man’s dominion over nature and at odds with the natural order of the spirits. The animist may not wear metal armor (all armor except cloth, leather and hide) or use metal weapons. Among the weapons animists are proficient with, these work normally when not made of metal: blowgun, club, dart, javelin, and quarterstaff. Wooden weapons and armor affected by the ironwood spell are allowed. The animist is allowed to wear coins and adornments made of soft precious metals, like copper, silver, gold, and platinum. This is the most common taboo.
Sometimes it is not obvious that a taboo has been broken, especially when dealing with transformed or disguised creatures. An animist that unknowingly breaks a taboo suffers no ill effect. An animist that breaks a taboo and is shown conclusive evidence of this within a minute of doing so suffers the full penalty. An animist that is tricked into believing he has broken a taboo suffers the penalty, but only until he sees through the trick.
Detect Spirits (Sp)
The animist perceives nearby spirits. At will, the animist can use detect spirits as a spell-like ability. It functions just like detect undead, except it detects spirits. An animist can, as a move action, concentrate on a single item or individual within 60 feet and determine if it is a spirit or has been in contact with spirits, learning the strength of its aura as if having studied it for 3 rounds. While focusing on one individual or object, the animist does not detect spirits in any other object or individual within range.
Orisons
Animists learn a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, as noted on Table: Animist Spells Known. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they do not consume any slots and may be used again.
Spirit Guide
Animists can contact a spirit guide at first level. Exactly what a spirit guide is depends on who you ask; some see it as a guardian spirit that accompanies each animist trough life, others as an aspect or shadow of the animist's own spirit. A spirit guide in not a creature and has no direct effect on the world; it can only interact with the animist himself.
Spirit guides can take any form imaginable and more. Many look like animals, others appear like natural forces or similar to powerful creatures or even gods. Because the animist tradition is so diverse, the traits associated with a certain spirit can vary from tribe to tribe, so two raven-like spirit guides might have completely different personalities. Not all spirit guides are animals; manifestations of elements, places, ancestors, or other spiritual entities are also common.
The spirit guide allows the animist to reroll a number of Knowledge checks each day equal to the animist's Charisma bonus by listening to the spirit guide's advice. The animist uses the better result, but only one reroll is allowed on each Knowledge check.
When the spirit guide gains more abilities at higher level, it can still only use one ability each round.
Spirit Channel (Su)
An animist can release a wave of energy by channeling the power of the spirit world. This can cause damage to spirits or heal spirits, as decided when the power is used. This is similar to the cleric ability channel energy, but there is no relation to positive or negative energy, alignment, or the undead; the animist hurts or heals all spirits at his own whim.
Spirit channel causes a burst that affects all spirits in a 30-foot radius centered on the animist. The damage dealt is 1d6, plus 1d6 points of damage for every two animist levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). When causing damage, the animist can choose to cause normal or subdual damage. This is spiritual damage and does full damage to ethereal and incorporeal targets and is not subject to damage reduction or damage resistance. Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + ½ the animist's level + the animist's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by spirit channel cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost.
An animist may spirit channel a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. If the animist is a spirit, he can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect.
Healing spirit channel is a pleasurable experience for a spirit, even one that is not wounded. This is part of the magnetism that draws spirits to the animist and powers the placate spirit ability. When bargaining with spirits the animist can offer to use this ability as a part of a bargain.
This ability works with channeling feats as if the animist was as a cleric of his animist's class level.
Placate Spirit (Su)
At 2nd level, the animist learns how to plead and cajole with spirits. The animist can speak with any spirit that understands a language. Add half the animist’s level to any Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, or Sense Motive checks against spirits.
Spirit Protection (Sp)
At 3rd level, an animist can perform a 1-minute rite to gain protection from spirits. The protection functions just like protection from evil, except it is personal and protects against spirits rather than evil and lasts until dispelled or negated. If this ability is dispelled, the animist can recreate it simply by taking a minute to do so.
Ghost Warrior (Su)
At 4th level, the animist confers the ghost touch quality to his armor and weapons. Any melee weapon he uses, including an unarmed or natural attack, becomes a ghost touch weapon for as long as he uses it. Any armor or shield he wears or wields becomes ghost touch armor for as long as he uses it. This can be turned on or off as a swift action.
See the Unseen (Su)
At 5th level the animist can see invisibility for one round as a move action. He can do this at will and it can be kept up continuously by continuing to spend move actions to concentrate on it each round.
Spirit ward (Sp)
At 6th level an animist can perform a special rite to ward herself and his companions against hostile spirits. Performing the rite requires 1 minute. The warding functions like a magic circle against evil centered on the animist, except that it protects against spirits instead of evil. It can stay up for 10 minutes per level per day. This duration need not be continuous, but must be spent in 10-minute intervals.
Seal Spirit (Su)
At 7th level the animist can seal a spirit. This works like the binding spell, but only against a willing or helpless spirit. Coercion is acceptable, and common practice is to defeat the spirit in combat before sealing it. The experience is not uncomfortable and spirits with knowledge about animists are generally not completely opposed to being sealed if there is some side benefit. A bound spirit is automatically stabilized and heals damage normally while bound. Release conditions for the binding are common as part of a voluntary sealing.
As long as any animist uses this power at the binding spot or object before the current binding ends, the effect is extended automatically, but the duration is now based on the renewing animist’s level.
Exorcism (Su)
At 8th level the animist learns to exorcise spirits. As a full-round action, an animist can force a possessing spirit (for example, a ghost with the malevolence ability) within 30 ft. out of the body or object it inhabits. The creature is allowed a Will save to negate the effect. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + ½ the animist's level + the animist's Charisma modifier. If he succeeds in forcing the possessor out, the body or object is unharmed. The animist can try exorcism any number of times, but spirit so exorcised cannot perform another possession for one hour.
Spirit Quest (Sp)
At 9th level an animist learns how he and companions can vanish bodily into other planes once per day, plus one additional time per day per 5 levels after 9. This ability functions like the spell plane shift but takes 10 minutes to activate.
Ghost Champion (Su)
At 10th level, as a standard action, the animist can confer the ghost touch special ability to any weapon or armor used by one of his allies within 30 ft. Any weapon or armor held or worn by a beneficiary of this power becomes a ghost touch weapon or ghost touch armor. This includes unarmed attacks, natural attacks, and natural armor. Ghost champion can be used at will and lasts one round per level of the animist. Only one ally can benefit form ghost champion at a time, the animist cannot use it again while it is already in effect. If the beneficiary dies or falls unconscious, the effect ends.
Banish Spirit (Sp)
At 11th level, the animist can use banishment once per day at level 11, and an additional time per day for every four additional animist levels. The save DC against this ability is 10 + ½ the animist's level + the animist's Charisma modifier. Banish spirit only works against extra-planar spirits.
Greater Spirit Protection (Su)
At 12th level, spirit protection (above) becomes a supernatural ability that is constantly active and cannot be dispelled. The blessing functions just like protection from evil, except that it protects against spirits. The animist can turn this on or off as a swift action.
Guide Concentration (Su)
At 13th level, as a free action, the spirit guide can maintain concentration on a spell or spell-like ability, including see the unseen, above. This is an additional standard action each turn that can only be used to maintain an ability through concentration. The animist makes any required concentration checks normally, but any condition affecting the animist's body are ignored—the spirit guide that actually maintains concentration cannot be interfered with.
Shadow Walk (Sp)
At 14th level the animist learns how to travel trough the borders of the shadow world once per day. This ability functions like the spell shadow walk. At level 18, the animist can use this ability twice per day.
Guide Walk (Su)
At 15th level, when the animist is incapacitated, slept, held, unconscious or otherwise helpless after having failed a Will saving throw, the spirit guide takes over control of the body. The animist is not helpless, but may only perform one move action each round. Effects that work against Fortitude or Reflex saves are not affected.
Tie Down Spirits (Sp)
At 16th level the animist can tie down spirits to the physical world when damaging them with his spirit channel ability. The duration of this ability is random. For each "1" rolled on the spirit channel damage, the spirit is tied down for one round. Spirits that make their Will save against the spirit channel are unaffected. When a spirit is tied down, it loses any spell resistance, energy resistance, energy immunity, damage reduction, and cannot remain or become incorporeal, astral, ethereal, or teleport. A tied down spirit in an impossible location (such as as in incorporeal spirit tied down while inside an object) is harmlessly pushed away from the animist into the nearest available free space.
Spirit Destination (Sp)
At 17th level, when using spirit quest to plane shift, the animist now arrives within one to six miles of his intended destination.
Spirit Loyalty (Su)
At 18th level, an animist can lean on his spirit companion, using its support to keep control of his own mind. If an animist is fails a Will saving throw, he can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. He only gets this one extra chance to succeed on his saving throw.
Ghost General (Su)
At 19th level, as a standard action, the animist can confer the ghost touch special ability to any weapon or armor worn by his allies within 30 ft. when he uses this ability. This works like ghost champion above except there is no limit on how many can benefit at any one time. Ghost general can be used at will and lasts one minute per level of the animist.
Planar Deputation (Sp)
At 20th level an animist can head a planar deputation. This functions as gate, but it can only be used to travel; the animist cannot use it to call extra-planar creatures. He can still create the gate next to a willing named extra-planar being in order to travel to its location, and creatures on the other side can voluntarily come to the animists side but the animist has no special control over them. Planar deputation has a duration of 10 minutes/level and is dismissible. It is a 10 minute ritual that can be used once per day.
Table: Animist
| 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 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Allied spirits, animist taboo, detect spirits, orisons, spirit guide, spirit channel 1d6 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Placate spirit | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Spirit protection, spirit channel 2d6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Ghost warrior | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +4 | See the unseen, spirit channel 3d6 | 6 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Spirit ward | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Seal spirit, spirit channel 4d6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8th | +6/+1 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Exorcism | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | +6/+1 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Spirit channel 5d6, spirit quest | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10th | +7/+2 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Ghost champion | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | +8/+3 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Banish spirit, spirit channel 6d6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — | — |
| 12th | +9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Greater spirit protection | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 13th | +9/+4 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Guide concentration, spirit channel 7d6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — | — |
| 14th | +10/+5 | +4 | +4 | +9 | Shadow walk | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — | — |
| 15th | +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +5 | +9 | Guide walk, spirit channel 8d6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — | — |
| 16th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Tie down spirits | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | — |
| 17th | +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Spirit destination, spirit channel 9d6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | — |
| 18th | +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Spirit loyalty | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 |
| 19th | +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Ghost general, spirit channel 10d6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 20th | +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Planar deputation | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Notes
Spirit magic is magic learned from and empowered by spirits, little gods that exist everywhere, mystic energies that can be communed with to work magic. A spirit magician learns to see and commune with spirits and to use their gifts. This is based on a belief called animism and is inherently divine magic, but can be combined with other magic traditions. On its own, it is sometimes called primal magic. Spirit magicians and occult casters share an interest in spirits, but occultists focus on spirits of the dead while spirit magicians commune mostly with spirits of nature.
A series of articles will present three classes grounded in animism, the animist, shugenja, and wu-jen. These classes share a similar animistic view of the world, and are collectively called spirit magicians. Each class uses spirit magic differently, but they all gain power from spirits to work magic. Spirit magicians are no meek clerics who offer worship. A spirit can be bribed and persuaded by offers of service and loyalty, but it can also be coerced or defeated in combat to bind it into service.
Animism
Animism is the belief that inside all things are spirits, and these spirits can be befriended, cajoled, or browbeat into cooperation. This belief is common in tribal cultures that live close to nature. Often looked down upon in the west, animism has been suppressed by monotheistic religions but often survives in splinter groups or mixed into the practice of other faiths. Asian cultures tend to be more accepting of faith in spirits, allowing animism to develop more specialized forms, such as that of the shugenja and wu-jen. Druidism can be seen as a variant of animism. The most well-known animist religion today is Shinto, but Taoism and Vodou also has significant animist elements. Feel free to use spirit magic in any campaign, animism exists in innumerable forms all over the world.
Spirit Magic
Spirit magic is magic empowered by the spirits and spirit magicians live on the border between the world of folk and the many worlds of the spirits. Those who use spirit magic are here collectively called spirit magicians. Most spirit magicians live in two societies at once, the society of folk and the society of spirits. They help and protect their allies in both groups, counting on their assistance in return. When the threat of planar incursion looms, most spirit magicians are staunch defenders of planar boundaries. Good spirit magicians help folk and spirits live together. Their traditional duties are both to facilitate contact with spirits and to delineate a border between the mystical and the mundane. While rarely lawful the way civilized people see things, they help maintain the world order by guarding the border between the domains of folk, the dead, nature, and monsters. Some spirit magicians side entirely with one side, exploiting spirits for benefit of folk or the other way around, while a few are renegades who use both folk and spirits strictly for their own benefit. Powerful spirit magicians explore the planes to find power, wisdom, and solutions to problems. They often bring others along as guards, assistants, or to provide them with spiritual education.
Most of the spirits spirit magicians interact with are imperceptible to everyone else. Spirit magicians see spirits where others find only dead matter or impersonal magical energies. Wizards and clerics often claim these spirits do not exist, as they cannot be observed. This is laughable to spirit magicians, who see their powers as proof of the power of spirits. This creates some bad will between spirit magicians and followers of more structured traditions of magic.
What is a Spirit?
Spirits come in four forms; objects, mundane creatures, youkai, and immaterial spirits. Objects are dormant spirits. They take no action until awakened by magic. Spells like animate object can turn an object into a youkai. Mundane Creatures are spirits that have taken a living, physical form, but that have very little inherent magic. This includes all animals and humanoids. Mundane creatures can awaken their spirit natures to work magic, but unless they change their very nature they are not youkai. Youkai are spirits that can interact with mundane creatures, such as ghosts, as well as spirits that have materialized or taken possession of a mundane object or creature to become a magical creature. Most monsters are youkai. Immaterial Spirits are spells and supernatural abilities. Spirit magic is the work of immaterial spirits allied to or bound by a magician. Youkai and some mundane creatures can manipulate immaterial spirits, and the immaterial spirits in turn can manipulate all other kinds of spirits.
Note that there are no clear lines between these classifications, and combinations are common. A magic item is an object tied to an immaterial spirit. A summoned creature is an immaterial spirit that has taken the form of a youkai. Spellcasters are usually a mundane creatures, but can cajole immaterial spirits to work for them.
Spirit magicians regard most monsters as spirits, and may have abilities gives them power over a wide range of supernatural creatures. To avoid confusion, these rules call creatures imbued with spirit powers youkai, which is Japanese for monster. To a spirit magician an earth elemental is an awakened earth spirit—a youkai—while a rock is an earth spirit at rest—an object. They are both the same, just that one is active and awake while the other is dormant. This confounds and annoys those who try to rationally classify what is supernatural and what is mundane. Nevertheless, for rules purposes, we need to know exactly what a youkai is, as many of the animists' and shugenja's abilities only work on youkai. For purposes of the these abilities, youkai includes all of the following creatures:
- All aberrations
- Constructs except the clockwork and robot subtypes
- All dragons
- All fey
- All magical beasts
- All monstrous humanoids
- Humanoids of the giant or shapechanger subtypes
- All outsiders
- All creatures of the Plant type (not normal plants)
- All undead
- Creatures created by spells, such as animate object.
- Creatures summoned by spells, such as summon nature's ally.
- Creatures in astral, ethereal, or incorporeal form, or who are possessing another creature or object, such as by the magic jar spell.
Spirit magicians see elementals and fey as youkai of nature and undead as youkai of the dead. Magical beasts, constructs, plants, giants, monstrous humanoids, and aberrations are either youkai-possessed or youkai bound in corporeal form. Most spirit magicians consider youkai to be unruly but lovable rascals. While youkai have a definite place in the world order, their place is in the wilds, on other planes, and in shrines—not roaming wild in the lands of folk. Youkai that cause trouble are often bound and enshrined, placated by treating them as little gods.
Enshrined Youkai
In cultures where animists and shugenja are common, it is normal practice to enshrine youkai. This practice is also known as binding or sealing the youkai, and is done using the Bind Youkai ability. Coercion is acceptable, and it is common practice to defeat a hostile youkai in combat in order to bind it. A youkai bound by this ability is automatically stabilized and heals damage normally while bound.
Being enshrined is restful and comfortable to the youkai, and those with knowledge of animists are generally willing to bargain about being enshrined under the right conditions. If the conditions made in a negotiated binding are broken, the youkai is freed. As long as binding is used again before the current binding ends, the effect is automatically extended for the duration of the new binding.
An enshrined youkai is not hidden away. Rather it is made into the focal point of a shrine or temple, venerated, and thus kept placated. Whole religious orders can be dedicated to keeping a powerful youkai sealed. Shugenja seek out such shrines because they can learn spells from them, but shrine guardians usually demand some kind of service or offering from a strange shugenja before they let them into the presence of the youkai. A normal cost is the same as that for casting a spell of the level the youkai can teach.
Summoning Youkai
Spirit magicians are often good summoners because of their close tie to the spirits. A summoned creature is an immaterial spirit that takes on a physical form and is always considered a youkai, even if the summoned creature is an animal. To reflect the the close ties to the spirits, the Summon Quick Ally feat allows druids and other spirit magicians to summon creatures more quickly.
Summon Quick Ally (General)
| Type | Prerequisite |
| Animal | Wild Empathy |
| Fey | Resist nature's lure |
| Humanoid | A thousand faces |
| Magical Beast | Beast shape III |
| Outsider | Elemental body III |
| Plant | Woodland stride |
| Vermin | Wild empathy usable with vermin |
Prerequisite: Ability to cast summon nature's ally, animist class feature or a another class feature, see table.
Benefit: Choose one creature type from Table: Quick Allies that you fulfill the prerequisite for. When you cast a summon nature's ally spell to summon a creature of this type, the casting time of the spell becomes 1 standard action. This does not work on creatures that have a template.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time, select a different type of creature.
See Also
External Links
Spellcasting Guides
- Animate Dead
- Overcoming Arcane Spell Failure
- Polymorph Guide - Wild Shape Guide useful to all polymorphers.
- Polyharmony Guide - Futher polymoph guidance.
- Shadow Conjuration - Shadow Evocation
- Summoning guide
- Summon Monster
- Touch Spells, Spellstrike, and Spell Combat