Animal Mystic (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Animal mystic is a druid archetype that practices martial arts, emulating the combat styles of wild animals. This is a martial art of the Way of Life.

Class Abilities

Animal mystics have all druid class abilities, except as noted here.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Animal mystics are proficient with club, dagger, handaxe, javelin, and sling. They have no proficiency with armor or shields.

Class Skills

Add Acrobatics (Dex) to the Animal Mystic's list of class skills.

AC Bonus (Ex)

When unarmored and unencumbered, the animal mystic adds her Charisma bonus to her Dexterity modifier when calculating armor class and CMD. She loses this bonus when she uses a shield, wears any armor, when she carries a medium or heavy load, or when she is denied her Dexterity bonus to armor class. In addition, a animal mystic gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five animal mystic levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).

This replaces Wild Shape.

Unarmed Fighting (Su)

An animal mystic gains Improved Unarmed Combat as a bonus feat at first level and inflicts 1d6 damage (1d4 if Small) with an unarmed attack. A animal mystic's attacks with his hands in claw-like motion. There is no such thing as an off-hand attack for a animal mystic striking unarmed. An animal mystic may thus apply his full Strength bonus on damage rolls for all his unarmed strikes.

Usually a animal mystic's unarmed strikes deal lethal slashing or bludgeoning damage, but he can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on his attack roll. He has the same choice to deal different kinds of damage while grappling.

The damage of an animal mystic increases with base attack bonus; when base attack bonus reaches +4, unarmed damage becomes 1d8 (1d6 if Small). At base attack +8 unarmed damage becomes 1d10 (1d8 if Small), and at +12 it becomes 2d6 (1d8 if Small).

This replaces A Thousand Faces.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex)

Starting at 4th level, an animal mystic can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She cannot be caught flat-footed, nor does she lose her Dex bonus to AC if the attacker is invisible. She still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. An animal mystic with this ability can still lose her Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action (see Combat) against her.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

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

• Class Skills
• Weapon and Armor Proficiency
• Wild Shape
• A Thousand Faces