Ghost Tamer (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

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

Class Information

This is a martial arts archetype, a medium specialized in fighting undead.

Class: Medium.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Features

The ghost tamer has all the mediums class features, except as follows

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Ghost tamers are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient in any armor or shields.

Spells

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

0—Disrupt undead.
1—Command undead, repair undead.
2—Phantom steed, sentry skull.
3—Animate dead, unliving rage.
4—Create undead, ethereal jaunt.

Ghost Armor (Su)

A character with this ability can project a powerful protective aura that functions as armor and becomes an expert at using bracers of armor. This aura is force armor, and protects against incorporeal touch attacks. It can be activated at will as a swift action, and the protection stays up until deactivated or as long as the user is conscious. At class level 4, this armor can be used alongside bracers of armor, with stacking benefits. It does not otherwise stack with armor, either normal or force. It can be affected by armor-enhancing effects like magic vestment, but such enhancements do not stack with braces or armor. This counts as heavy armor to abilities that require or work with armor and suffers a 25% chance of arcane spell failure. It provides an armor bonus of +5.

The armor created by ghost tamers looks like a manifestation of their channeled spirit, displaying a mix of the spirit's and medium's aura colors.

Tame Spirit (Su)

When an undead creature is destroyed within 100 ft. of the ghost tamer, he has the option of absorbing its spirit into himself within the next minute. This is a full-round action. The medium learns all the details of the potential spirit and can then either accept the spirit or send it on its way.

If the spirit is sent on its way this power has no effect except the time spent.

If the spirit is accepted, it works the same as a spirit gained trough a seance, except that the GM decides on all the details; the spirit's legend, its taboo, and the details of its spirit powers. These should all reflect abilities the undead creature had, but need not be an exact match. If the spirit offers a duplicates of a feat or spell the medium already knows, the medium is free to pick any desired feat or spell he desires, within the normal constraints of the spirit type. The new spirit has one point less influence than the previous one had (with a minimum of one point of influence). Spell slots and abilities with a limited number of uses is tied to the medium, not the spirit; if a ghost tamer channeling the archmage has used up a spell slot casting an arcane spell and then later channels the hierophant, that spell slot is still expended; if the medium a spirit of the same archetype again that day, it can only grant any remaining uses of that power.

For every three points the spirit's challenge rating is less than the medium's class level, the spirit loses one spirit power it would normally give the medium, with the normal influence effect of channeling a weaker spirit. This is the only way a ghost tamer can channel a weaker spirit.

An undead creature whose spirit is accepted cannot rejuvenate or otherwise be restored to an undead creature as long as it is channeled by the medium. It must make a Will saving throw each day while the medium prepares spells, using the Will saving throw it had as an undead creature and a save DC of 10 + half the ghost tamer's class level + the ghost tamer's Charisma modifier. If this check fails the spirit 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 can still be raised or turned into an undead creature, such as by the create undead spell.

A spirit channeled using tame spirit keeps the agenda it had as an undead creature and can beg the ghost tamer emphatically to perform certain tasks, but it has no actual control unless it gains sufficient influence.

Tame spirit can never be shared in the way a seance can. The spirit remains channeled until the ghost tamer uses tame spirit to channel a new spirit, regaining all daily abilities when the ghost tamer prepares spells.

This replaces seance.

Ghost Touch (Su)

At 2nd level, any weapon the ghost tamer wields gains the ghost touch property while wielded. Weapons fired, thrown, or dropped lose the property at the end of the ghost tamer’s turn. This replaces shared seance.

Haunt Trap (Su)

At 3rd level, when the ghost tamer uses the haunt channeler ability to completely absorb a haunt, he can choose to capture its spirit as the tame spirit ability. While channeled, a haunt cannot recharge and can be dissipated in the same manner as an undead affected by tame spirit; a haunt has a Will save bonus of 2 + half it's challenge rating. This is a modification to haunt channeler.

Spirit Manifestation (Sp)

At 5th level, the ghost tamer can contact the spirit of the undead creature he is currently channeling using location channel any number of times per day and regardless of where the seance is performed. This is a modification to location channel.

Twin Spirit Channel (Su)

At 15th level, the ghost tamer can now use tame spirit without losing the spirit he is currently channeling, and thus channel a secondary spirit simultaneously with his primary spirit. This increases the influence score by one per hour and grants him the lesser and intermediate spirit power from another legend. If the medium uses an ability that incurs influence, the medium's primary spirit gains that amount of influence over him, not the secondary spirit. The medium doesn't gain the benefits of his spirit bonus from the secondary spirit.

The medium can end the trance of three early as a free action. This replaces trance of three.

Ghost Army (Su)

At 18th level, any weapon or armor used by an ally within 60 ft. of the ghost tamer gains the ghost touch property while wielded. Missile weapons imbue this ability on their ammunition Items fired, thrown, or dropped lose the property at the end of the wielder's turn. This replaces spacious soul.

Undead as Spirits

Various undead creatures manifest as different kinds of spirits. Here is a guide for what kinds of undead function as which spirit. If no clear group suggests itself, the GM can simply roll a die, rerolling results that seem absurd.

1. Archmage: Any undead capable of casting arcane spells, particularly if they have a selection or actual character class levels. Daughter of the dead, lich.
2. Champion: Undead with class levels in a fighting class or who are offensive fighters doing a lot of damage or that inflict harmful conditions. Draugr, skeleton, skeletal champion.
3. Guardian: Defensive or slow undead creatures, often with many resistances or inflicting debilitating conditions. Incorporeal undead focused of fighting. Berbalang, mummy, zombie.
4. Hierophant: Undead casting divine spells or with levels in or ties to a divine spellcasting class. Daughters of the dead, hecuva.
5. Marshal: Undead with leadership or the ability to control others. These are often creatures of great Charisma. Geist, vampire.
6. Trickster: Undead with freedom to act, able to use stealth and trickery. Undead with vulnerability to sunlight. Many of these are incorporeal, but not all incorporeal undead are tricksters. Gearghosts, ghouls, specters.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

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

• Weapon and Armor Proficiency
• Seance
• Haunt Channeler
• Location Channel
• Trance of Three
• Spacious Soul

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