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).

Animal Aspect (Su)

This is a work in progress.

At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the animal mystic gains an animal aspect and incorporates the fighting tricks of one kind of animal into her martial arts. Select one of the following animals and gain the indicated benefit. You cannot select a variant animal animal aspect until you have chosen the normal aspect of the same animal. In some cases the "base animal" is a class of animals.

• Antelope: You do not lose your Dexterity bonus to armor class when you do the run action.
• Anura: Your leaps count as running jumps even without a running start.
  • Frog: You can make unarmed grapple attacks as if you had reach, but do not threaten an area for this purpose and cannot make attacks of opportunity this way.
  • Toad: You get a +1 bonus on Stealth checks.
• Armadillo: When you take the full defense action, increase your armor class by an additional +2.
• Bat: If you miss due to concealment you may reroll the concealment miss chance on your unarmed attacks.
• Bear: You gain a +1 bonus on grapple checks.
• Bird: Gain a +1 bonus on Perception checks.
  • Crow: A creature damaged by one of your unarmed attacks must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Constitution bonus or be dazzled for one round. A creature need only make this saving throw once per round.
  • Raptor: When you spend a move action to make a Perception check, your distance modifier on visual Perception checks is -1 per 100 ft. of distance (rather than -1 per 10 ft. of distance).
• Boar: You remain conscious and can continue fighting even if your hit point total is below 0. You are still staggered and lose 1 hit point each round. You still die when your hit point total reaches a negative amount equal to your Constitution score.
• Canine: You gain scent, except when in water.
  • Dog: Gain +2 to sense motive against creatures whose scent you can feel.
  • Wolf: You do not trigger attacks of opportunity when you do trip attacks.
• Cat: When you make an unarmed attack in a surprise round, you gain a +2 bonus to hit.
  • Cheetah: When you charge, you move three times your speed instead of twice your speed.
  • Jaguar: When you charge and hit with an unarmed attack, you may make an additional unarmed attack at a -5 penalty against the same target.
  • Lion: When you successfully scare using Intimidation, the target becomes frightened for the first round of the duration.
• Camel: Once per day you can force an opponent hit by one of your unarmed attacks to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Constitution bonus or be Sickened for 1 round.
• Crocodile: When you successfully grapple a creature with an unarmed attack, that creature is knocked prone.
• Dolphin: You can hold your breath for a number of minutes equal to 4 times your Constitution score before you risk drowning.
• Elephant: You can use Move By Attack and attack with an unarmed attack (only).
• Fish: You do full damage with unarmed attacks underwater.
  • Barracuda: You gain a +2 bonus on unarmed damage attack when grappling.
  • Eel: You cause 1 point of electric damage with an unarmed attack.
  • Octopus: When you do the retreat action underwater, you can move four times your speed.
  • Gar: You gain a +1 bonus on grapple checks.
  • Pirahna: You gain scent underwater.
• Fox: You gain a +1 bonus on Reflex saves.
• Hedgehog: You cause half unarmed damage to anyone trying to force you into a grapple.
• Llama: Once per day you can force an opponent hit by one of your unarmed attacks to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Constitution bonus or be Sickened for 1 round.
• Ram: You gain a +2 bonus on Bull Rush maneuvers.
• Simian: You gain a +1 bonus on Climb checks
  • Ape: You do not cause attacks of opportunity when you do the disarm maneuver.
  • Gorilla: You gain a +1 bonus on grapple checks.
• Monkey: You do not lose your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class when climbing.
• Snake: You get +4 CMD against Trip attacks.
  • Spitting cobra: As a standard action you can force an opponent within 30 ft. to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Constitution bonus or be blinded for 1 round.
  • Viper: Once per day you can force an opponent hit by one of your unarmed attacks to make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + ½ class level + Constitution bonus or take 1d4 points of Constitution damage.

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

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