Class Archetype · Beta

Flesh Crafter

Every Abdarian female is born to the craft of reshaping living flesh; a Flesh Crafter is one who has made a weapon of it. She binds a beast to herself — often one of her own males, who is to her no more than a clever animal — and she shapes it: claws, carapace, wings, and worse, worked into its body while she remakes her own.

The anti-druid. Where the druid reveres the natural shape of things and borrows it with respect, the Flesh Crafter tears that shape up and writes a better one. To the druidic traditions she's an abomination — the mad scientist at the far end of the nature-bond — and the rare druid who takes up her art is cast out and hunted by his own kind.

How the change takes. She doesn't attach anything foreign — she redirects what a body already has, borrowing bone, muscle, and skin from elsewhere and returning it when the change ends. A quick evolution folds claws or pincers out of a hand that's still there underneath — the fingers don't vanish, they sheathe — and when it ends, the flesh eases back to its old shape over a few breaths, no different than a bruise fading, only faster and visible to the eye. The bigger the change, the longer it takes to shape and the longer it holds: a claw shaped in a heartbeat fades in a few rounds; a body genuinely remade — wings grown, a size gained, bone made bulletproof — takes long minutes of stillness to shape, and holds for the better part of a day once it does. It costs the recipient nothing but trust and the will to hold still.

Role. A melee-and-support hybrid built around a single evolving companion. She casts no spells — her power is written directly into flesh, evolution by evolution, spent on her bonded beast or mate, her allies, and herself.

Alignment

Any. Anathema to druids (see Anathema, below).

Hit Die

d8.

Starting Wealth

3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp).

Class Skills

The Flesh Crafter's class skills are Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Survival (Wis).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Key Ability: Wisdom.

Class Progression

Class Features

The following are class features of the Flesh Crafter.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A Flesh Crafter is proficient with all simple weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Bonded Beast (Su)

At 1st level a Flesh Crafter binds one creature to herself as the canvas of her art — a bonded beast advancing as a druid's animal companion of her Flesh Crafter level. She may choose either a true animal (a wolf given an extra pair of arms, a raven taught to spit acid — a practice-piece, and no great loss if an evolution fails), or, at an Abdarian table, a beast-tribe male such as a Thunder Mountain male, who is himself only a clever animal and is run as an animal companion built on his male racial statistics. A male Abdarian who is a full character, with class levels of his own, is a different matter — see Bonded Mate, 5th level.

She shares a permanent telepathic bond with her beast (as Abdarian Mind-Speak), out to 100 feet at 1st level, extending with Greater Reach at 11th level and becoming unlimited on her plane at 15th level.

Evolution Pool (Su)

A Flesh Crafter has an evolution pool of points shown on the table, which she spends to grant her bonded beast — or, from 5th level, her bonded mate — evolutions from the flesh-craft list below. These are permanent and may be re-chosen each time she gains a level, and neither bond carries any separate capacity limit beyond the pool itself. Her effective level for evolutions equals her Flesh Crafter level. Forced Evolutions on other creatures work differently — see Twisting the Flesh.

Twisting the Flesh (Su)

By touch, she can force a temporary evolution — a Forced Evolution — onto a willing creature other than her bonded beast or mate. Casting time and duration both scale with the evolution's point cost, because these are real changes to a body, not something rushed in a fight: 1 point is a standard action, lasting a number of rounds equal to her Flesh Crafter level; 2 points is a standard action, lasting a number of minutes equal to her Flesh Crafter level; 3 points is a full-round action, lasting 1 hour per Flesh Crafter level; 4 points takes a full 10 minutes to work and lasts until her next rest.

Such a creature can hold Forced Evolutions totaling no more than her Wisdom modifier plus its own Constitution modifier in points at once (minimum 1). Each casting demands a Heal check, DC 10 + twice the number of points from her Forced Evolutions already active on the target; on a failure the evolution doesn't take, the daily use is spent regardless, and the target suffers backlash damage equal to the attempted evolution's cost as its body rejects the change.

She may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Wisdom modifier. At 3rd level she may work at 30 feet instead of by touch; at 11th level she may reach any creature within her telepathic bond.

Self Evolved (Su)

At 2nd level she may allocate up to 25% of her evolution pool (rounded down, minimum 1) onto herself, as permanent evolutions she meets the requirements for. Points spent this way are unavailable to her bonded beast or mate. She may not take the ability-score evolution this way.

Improved Self Evolved (Su)

At 9th level, the cap on Self Evolved rises to 50% of her evolution pool.

Anathema (Ex)

A Flesh Crafter and the druidic classes are irreconcilable. A character with druid, hunter, or similar nature-bond levels who takes a level of Flesh Crafter loses all such class abilities and may never regain them; a Flesh Crafter can likewise never gain druid levels. Druids treat her as an enemy of the natural order. Within Abdarian society this carries no such stigma — the craft is honored, and not evil.

Bonded Mate

From 5th level she may take a willing intelligent ally — often, at an Abdarian table, a male Abdarian played by another player — as her bond in place of an animal companion. A bonded mate keeps his own class, levels, and Hit Dice; he doesn't gain animal-companion progression. Instead he carries evolutions from her pool exactly as her bonded beast would — permanent, chosen and re-chosen whenever she gains a level — and shares her telepathic bond and Life Link. This is how a mated pair is played: a full character, remade as deeply as she chooses.

Life Link (Su)

At 4th level she may sacrifice her own hit points to spare her bonded beast: each point sacrificed prevents 1 point of damage to the beast.

Beast's Ferocity (Ex)

At 8th level her bonded beast gains Ferocity, fighting on below 0 hit points.

Mass Twisting (Su)

At 12th level a single use of Twisting the Flesh may force the same evolution onto every willing ally within her bond at once, each still bound by its own capacity limit.

Lasting Evolution (Su)

At 14th level she may make one Forced Evolution on an ally permanent (until she changes it), rather than temporary.

Life Bond (Su)

At 15th level, while she has hit points remaining, lethal damage that would drop her beast (or bonded mate) instead flows to her.

Perfected Flesh (Su)

At 18th level her Self Evolved limit rises to 100% of her evolution pool — she may remake herself entirely, if she so chooses.

Mass Evolution (Su)

At 19th level she may re-shape her beast entirely as a full-round action, swapping all of its evolutions for a new set from her pool.

True Evolution (Su)

At 20th level her bonded beast — or bonded mate — becomes a masterwork of the craft: choose four evolutions it always has for free (not counted against any pool or limit), and it no longer ages.

Flesh-Craft Evolutions

The list below doubles as the toolkit the Matriarchs used to build the Abdarian tribes. Each evolution costs a number of points from the Flesh Crafter's evolution pool. Evolutions on a bonded beast or bonded mate can be changed whenever the Flesh Crafter gains a new level; between levels they are fixed. Some evolutions have minimum Flesh Crafter level requirements. Unless noted otherwise, each evolution can only be selected once.

1-Point Evolutions

Claws / Bite (Ex): The recipient grows a pair of natural claws, gaining two claw attacks (primary, 1d4 damage; 1d6 if Large, 1d8 if Huge), or a bite attack instead (primary, 1d6 damage; 1d8 if Large, 2d6 if Huge). Choose one when this evolution is taken.

Thickened Hide (Ex): The recipient's hide thickens — dense fur, rigid scales, or bony plating — granting a +2 bonus to natural armor. This evolution can be taken once for every five levels the Flesh Crafter possesses.

Keen Senses (Ex): The recipient gains the scent special quality, low-light vision, or a +8 racial bonus on one chosen skill. Choose one benefit when this evolution is taken.

Gills (Ex): The recipient grows gills and can breathe underwater indefinitely, and gains a swim speed of 30 feet.

Climber / Leaper (Ex): The recipient gains a climb speed of 20 feet, or a +10 foot bonus to land speed. Choose one when this evolution is taken.

Energy Ward (Ex): Select one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. The recipient gains energy resistance 5 against that type.

Bleed (Ex): Select one of the recipient's natural attacks. On a hit, that attack also inflicts 1d6 points of bleed damage.

Hooves (Ex): The recipient grows hooves, gaining two hoof attacks. These are secondary attacks dealing 1d4 points of damage (1d6 if Large, 1d8 if Huge).

Improved Damage (Ex): Select one of the recipient's natural attacks and increase its damage die by one step.

Magic Attacks (Su): The recipient's natural attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Pincers (Ex): The recipient's hands fold into pincers when needed, gaining two pincer attacks. These are secondary attacks dealing 1d6 points of damage (1d8 if Large, 2d6 if Huge) and grant a +2 bonus on CMB checks to grapple. The hands aren't lost — the pincers sheathe when not in use.

Pull / Push (Ex): Select one of the recipient's natural attacks. On a hit, it may attempt a free combat maneuver check to pull the target 5 feet closer or push it 5 feet away (choose one when taken). Pull requires 10 feet of reach.

Reach (Ex): Select one of the recipient's natural attacks. That attack's reach increases by 5 feet.

Slam (Ex): The recipient gains a slam attack. This is a primary attack dealing 1d8 points of damage (2d6 if Large, 2d8 if Huge). Requires limbs (arms).

Slippery (Ex): The recipient gains a +4 bonus to CMD against grapple attempts and a +4 bonus on Escape Artist checks.

Sting (Ex): The recipient grows a barbed stinger, gaining a sting attack. This is a primary attack dealing 1d4 points of damage (1d6 if Large, 1d8 if Huge). Requires a tail.

Swim (Ex): The recipient gains a swim speed equal to its base speed.

Tail (Ex): The recipient grows a long, balancing tail, granting a +2 racial bonus on Acrobatics checks made to balance.

Tail Slap (Ex): The recipient gains a tail slap attack. This is a secondary attack dealing 1d6 points of damage (1d8 if Large, 2d6 if Huge). Requires a tail.

Tentacle (Ex): The recipient grows a tentacle, gaining a tentacle attack. This is a secondary attack dealing 1d4 points of damage (1d6 if Large, 1d8 if Huge).

Unnatural Aura (Su): The recipient radiates an unsettling presence. Normal animals will not willingly approach it unless the handler succeeds on a DC 25 Handle Animal, Ride, or wild empathy check.

Wing Buffet (Ex): The recipient gains two wing buffet attacks. These are secondary attacks dealing 1d4 points of damage (1d6 if Large, 1d8 if Huge). Requires wings.

2-Point Evolutions

Extra Limbs (Ex): The recipient grows an additional pair of arms, or a grasping tail capable of manipulating objects. Additional arms can wield weapons if the recipient is proficient, but grant no natural attacks of their own.

Pounce (Ex): The recipient can bring its full weight to bear at the end of a charge, gaining a full attack instead of a single attack.

Grab / Constrict (Ex): Select one of the recipient's natural attacks. On a hit, it may attempt a free combat maneuver check to grapple a target no larger than itself. If the recipient has a serpentine or coiling build, a successful grapple this way also deals the triggering attack's damage again each round the grapple holds.

Rend (Ex): When the recipient hits the same target with two claw attacks in a single round, it tears the wound open for additional damage equal to one claw's damage plus 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier. Requires claws. Requires 6th Flesh Crafter level.

Venom (Ex): Select the recipient's bite or sting attack. On a hit, the target is poisoned (Fort save; 1d4 Str damage, 1/round for 4 rounds, cure 1 save). The save DC is 10 + half the recipient's Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier. Requires 7th Flesh Crafter level.

Carapace (Ex): The recipient's hide hardens into a natural carapace, granting a +4 bonus to natural armor and a +2 bonus to CMD against grapple attempts.

Alignment Smite (Su): Once per day, as a swift action, the recipient may smite a creature of a chosen alignment: its next successful attack against that target deals +1d6 damage and overcomes any alignment-based damage reduction the target has. Requires 5th Flesh Crafter level.

Energy Attacks (Su): Select one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. All of the recipient's natural attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of energy damage of that type on a hit. Requires 5th Flesh Crafter level.

Extra Feat (Ex): The recipient gains a bonus combat feat, provided it meets the prerequisites.

Gore (Ex): The recipient grows horns, gaining a gore attack. This is a primary attack dealing 1d6 points of damage (1d8 if Large, 2d6 if Huge).

Head (Ex): The recipient grows an additional head, which can be granted its own head-based evolutions, such as Breath.

Immunity (Su): Select one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic. The recipient gains immunity to that type. Requires 7th Flesh Crafter level.

Keen Scent (Ex): The recipient's scent becomes extraordinary underwater, detecting creatures by smell within 180 feet and blood in the water up to a mile away. Requires Gills and Keen Senses (scent).

Sickening (Ex): Once per round the recipient may unleash a wave of revulsion. Creatures within 20 feet must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + half the recipient's Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier) or be sickened for 1 round.

Trample (Ex): As a full-round action, the recipient may overrun a smaller creature without a maneuver check, dealing 1d6 points of damage (1d8 if Large, 2d6 if Huge) plus 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier. The target may attempt an attack of opportunity at −4, or forgo it for a Reflex save (same DC as Sickening) for half damage.

Tremorsense (Ex): The recipient gains tremorsense out to 30 feet, so long as both it and the target are in contact with the ground. Requires 7th Flesh Crafter level.

Trip (Ex): Whenever the recipient hits with a bite attack, it may attempt a free combat maneuver check to trip the target. Requires bite.

Weapon Training (Ex): The recipient gains proficiency with all martial weapons.

3-Point Evolutions

Wings (Ex): The recipient grows wings, gaining a fly speed of 40 feet with average maneuverability.

Burrow / Blindsense (Ex): The recipient gains a burrow speed of 20 feet, tunneling through earth, sand, and clay without leaving a trace, or blindsense out to 30 feet. Choose one when taken. Requires 9th Flesh Crafter level.

Damage Reduction (Su): Select an alignment opposite one the recipient possesses. It gains DR 5, bypassed by weapons of that alignment. Requires 9th Flesh Crafter level.

Frightful Presence (Ex): The recipient may activate this ability as part of an offensive action. Creatures within 30 feet must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + half the recipient's Hit Dice + its Charisma modifier) or be shaken for 3d6 rounds; creatures with 4 or fewer Hit Dice than the recipient become frightened instead. Requires 11th Flesh Crafter level.

Sacrifice (Su): As a standard action, the Flesh Crafter may sacrifice up to 2 hit points per her own Hit Die and touch a willing target, healing that creature for half the amount sacrificed.

See in Darkness (Su): The recipient can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, including magical darkness. Requires 9th Flesh Crafter level.

Swallow Whole (Ex): If the recipient begins its turn with a smaller creature grappled by a bite gained through Grab, it may attempt a combat maneuver check to swallow that creature. A swallowed creature takes bite damage plus 1d6 bludgeoning damage each round and remains grappled; it can cut its way free (damage equal to 1/10 the recipient's total hit points) or escape the grapple normally. Requires Grab tied to a bite attack.

Web (Ex): The recipient can spin webs, throwing them up to 8 times per day as a ranged touch attack (50-foot range, 10-foot increments) to entangle a creature up to one size larger than itself. Entangled creatures escape with an Escape Artist or Strength check (DC 10 + half the recipient's Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier). The webs have hardness 0 and hit points equal to the recipient's Hit Dice; the recipient can climb its own webs and pinpoint anything touching them.

Fiendish Heritage † (Ex): A trace of oni- or demon-blood worked into the flesh: +2 on saves vs. acid, disease, fire, and poison; spell resistance 5 + Hit Dice against spells with the good descriptor; and the recipient counts as fiend-blooded for anything that keys off it. At 7th Flesh Crafter level (+2 evolution points) the save bonus rises to +4 and the spell resistance extends to any good-aligned caster; at 12th level (+2 more points) both become immunity and SR 11 + Hit Dice. Requires Oni-Kin or DemonKin blood in the Flesh Crafter herself — she can only shape what runs in her own veins.

4-Point Evolutions

All 4-point evolutions require 13th Flesh Crafter level.

Grasping Bulk (Ex): The recipient grows to Large size, gaining +8 Strength, +4 Constitution, and +2 natural armor, but suffering −2 Dexterity, a −1 size penalty to AC and attack rolls, and a −4 penalty on Stealth checks. Requires 15th Flesh Crafter level.

Breath (Su): Select one energy type: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. The recipient can exhale a 30-foot cone or 60-foot line of that energy once per day, dealing 1d6 points of damage per 2 Hit Dice it possesses (Reflex half; DC 10 + half its Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier). Requires Head.

Ability Surge (Ex): Select one physical ability score (Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution). The recipient gains a +2 bonus to that score.

Blindsight (Ex): The recipient gains blindsight out to 60 feet.

Dimension Door (Su): Once per day, the recipient can use dimension door as a spell-like ability.

Fast Healing (Su): The recipient gains fast healing 5.

Incorporeal Form (Su): The recipient can become incorporeal at will as a standard action.

Lifesense (Su): The recipient senses living creatures within 60 feet, as though it possessed blindsight against them.

No Breath (Ex): The recipient no longer needs to breathe and is immune to effects that require breathing, such as inhaled poisons.

Spell Resistance (Ex): The recipient gains spell resistance equal to 11 + its Hit Dice.