Occultist

Though most occultists tap into the latent power within a wide variety of mundane implements, certain occultists draw upon stranger sources still.

Battle Host (Archetype)

Well versed in military history, battlefield lore, and the occult, a battle host forms a supernatural bond with a chosen weapon, suit of armor, or shield, from which he can channel psychic energy to cast spells, conjure the spirit of the object's former owner, increase his own physical might, and produce a number of other remarkable abilities.

Class Skills: A battle host adds Knowledge (local) (Int) and Knowledge (nobility) (Int) as class skills. This alters the occultist's class skills.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A battle host is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all types of armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields). This replaces the occultist's weapon and armor proficiency.

Panoply Bond (Su): At 1st level, a battle host forms a supernatural bond with a specific weapon, suit of armor, or shield. This selection is permanent and can never be changed. The bonded item is masterwork quality and the battle host begins play with it at no cost. The bonded item is immune to the broken condition for as long as the battle host lives. If a battle host dies and is restored to life, the bonded item is also restored if it was destroyed. Any magic powers associated with a battle host's bonded item function only for the battle host; in the hands of anyone else it is only a masterwork item. The bonded item starts as an implement for any single school of magic at 1st level, and gains access to additional schools of magic at 2nd, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, granting the battle host access to base focus powers and resonant powers accordingly. The battle host's bonded item serves as his implement component to cast occultist spells of all the schools that he knows. However, he must split his mental focus among the schools he knows for the purpose of determining resonant powers and using focus powers, even though he possesses only one physical item as an implement. This ability alters implements, mental focus, spellcasting, and implement mastery.

Battle Skill: At 2nd level, a battle host's magic item skill ability applies only on checks with weapons, armor, and shields. This ability alters magic item skill.

Battle Reading: At 2nd level, a battle host can use object reading on only weapons, armor, and shields. This ability alters object reading.

Bonus Feats: At 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th levels, a battle host gains a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from those listed as combat feats. The battle host must meet the prerequisites of these bonus feats. This ability replaces shift focus, magic circles, binding circles, and fast circles.

Spirit Warrior (Sp): At 5th level, a battle host can call forth the spirit of a dead warrior who once owned his bonded item. Calling the spirit is a standard action, and unlike the use of most spell-like abilities, it doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity. This ability functions as spiritual ally, using the battle host's occultist level as his caster level and his Intelligence modifier instead of his Wisdom modifier to determine the spell's effects. The battle host can summon a spirit warrior once per day at 5th level, plus one additional time per day for every 4 occultist levels he possesses beyond 5th. This ability replaces aura sight.

Heroic Splendor (Su): At 6th level, a battle host can draw power from his bonded item to imbue himself with superhuman strength, agility, or resilience. As a swift action, a battle host can grant himself a +4 insight bonus to Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution for 1 minute. The battle host can use this ability once per day at 6th level, plus one additional time per day for every 4 occultist levels he possesses beyond 6th. If he activates heroic splendor again before the duration expires, the new use of heroic splendor replaces the old use. This ability replaces outside contact.

Necroccultist (Archetype)

Necroccultists' fascination with death and the undead drives them to explore the forbidden necromantic arts as they search for secrets they can use to manipulate the natural cycle of life and death. They contact and learn from the dead, rather than from items or outsiders, allowing them to drain the life of their foes to feed their own power, and even call forth phantasmal hordes of spirits to destroy their enemies.

Necromantic Bond (Su): At 1st level, a necroccultist gains access to only the necromancy school of implements. He must select necromancy for his implement mastery. Each time he gains an occultist level, a necroccultist can add one necromancy spell from the wizard spell list to his occultist spell list and his list of spells known. The necroccultist can't choose a spell of a higher level than he is able to cast, and he adds the spell at the same spell level it appears on the wizard spell list. At 14th level, he doesn't gain an additional school of implements. Instead, at 14th level, the DCs of saving throws to resist a necroccultist's necromancy spells and necromancy focus powers increase by 2. This ability alters implements and implement mastery.

Deadspeaker (Su): At 2nd level, as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity, a necroccultist can learn the answers to a specific set of questions concerning a dead or undead creature. The necroccultist must consume at least one drop of the creature's blood, a small portion of its flesh, or a fragment of one of its bones as a part of this action. This ability otherwise functions as blood biography, using the necroccultist's occultist level as his caster level. The necroccultist can use this ability once per day at 2nd level, plus one additional time per day for every 2 occultist levels thereafter. This ability replaces object reading.

Ghostly Horde (Su): At 5th level, a necroccultist can spend 1 point of mental focus from a necromancy implement to summon a mob of ghostly spirits to harass his enemies. Summoning the ghostly horde is a standard action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. The ghostly horde appears within 60 feet of the necroccultist, fills an area 20 feet in diameter, and always hovers a few inches off the ground (thus ignoring any difficult terrain). The necroccultist can command the ghostly horde to move up to 30 feet each round as a move action, though the farthest edge of the ghostly horde can never be more than 60 feet from the necroccultist. Any creature caught inside the ghostly horde takes 1d6 points of damage per 2 occultist levels at the start of its turn (up to a maximum of 10d6 points of damage at 20th level). A successful Fortitude save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the necroccultist's occultist level + the necroccultist's Intelligence modifier) halves this damage. This damage is not negative energy—it manifests in the form of physical wounds and aches as if from supernatural aging. Nonliving creatures and creatures immune to magical aging are immune to this damage, but otherwise the damage bypasses all forms of damage reduction. The ghostly horde remains for 1 round, though at the beginning of his turn, the necroccultist can expend 1 point of mental focus as a swift action to extend the duration for 1 additional round. The necroccultist can use this ability once per day at 5th level, plus one additional time per day for every 5 occultist levels thereafter. This ability replaces aura sight.

Life Drain (Sp): At 8th level, a necroccultist can expend 1 point of mental focus from a necromancy implement to unleash a life-draining ray as a ranged touch attack that causes the target to accrue 1d4 negative levels. The ray has a range of 60 feet. The negative levels last a number of minutes equal to the necroccultist's occultist level. For each negative level this attack gives a target, the necroccultist regains a number of hit points equal to his occultist level. The necroccultist can use this ability once per day at 8th level, plus one additional time per day for every 3 occultist levels thereafter. This ability replaces outside contact.

Sha'ir (Archetype)

Sha'irs delve into the occult not through power over objects but instead via their connection with minor servitor genies from the elemental planes. A sha'ir's jin is both a precious ally and a living implement for its master.

Jin (Su): At 1st level, a sha'ir learns how to contact a jin—a minor, insubstantial genie that makes its home on the elemental planes. She learns how to contact a second jin at 6th level and a third jin at 14th level. Each of these jin is connected to one of the eight schools of magic, just like an occultist implement, but also to the air, earth, fire, or water school. Each jin works like a living implement for both of its schools. To provide the implement component for a spell or focus power, a jin must be within 30 feet of its master.

The elemental schools don't have focus powers or resonant powers. Instead, the sha'ir considers all wizard spells of 6th level and lower from the lists corresponding to her jin's elemental schools to be on her occultist spell list. In addition, she adds additional spells to her list of spells known. For every spell level she can cast, she adds one spell from each jin's elemental school and one spell from each jin's non-elemental school.

A jin in its natural form has the base statistics of a Small elemental of the chosen type with the young simple template and without the air mastery, burn, drench, earth glide, earth mastery, vortex, water mastery, or whirlwind abilities.

At 20th level, a sha'ir selects one of her jin and chooses one of its two schools instead of selecting an implement for implement mastery.

If one of her jin is slain, the sha'ir is treated as if she didn't have the appropriate implement to cast the spells associated with that jin. The sha'ir can replace the slain jin the following morning by expending 1 point of mental focus in a special ritual that takes 1 hour to perform.

This ability replaces implements and alters mental focus, spellcasting, and implement mastery.

Augment Jin (Sp, Su): Starting at 2nd level, a sha'ir's jin uses its master's base saving throws if they are better than its own, and it uses either its own hit point total or 1/2 its master's hit points, whichever is higher. At 4th level, a sha'ir can concentrate for 1 full round and expend 1 point of mental focus stored in a jin to grant that jin all the statistics of a Small elemental of its type for 1 round per occultist level (this includes gaining any of the following abilities, if applicable: air mastery, burn, drench, earth glide, earth mastery, vortex, water mastery, and whirlwind). At 8th level, she can instead expend 2 points of mental focus to give one of her jin all the statistics of a Medium elemental. At 10th level, the cost of giving a jin the statistics of a Medium elemental decreases to 1 point of mental focus, and the sha'ir can give a jin all the statistics of a Large elemental for 2 points of mental focus. At 12th level, the cost of giving a jin the statistics of a Large elemental decreases to 1 point of mental focus and the sha'ir can give a jin the statistics of a Huge elemental for 2 points of mental focus. At 14th level, the cost of giving a jin the statistics of a Huge elemental decreases to 1 point of mental focus and the sha'ir can give a jin the statistics of a greater elemental for 2 points of mental focus. At 16th level, the sha'ir can give a jin the statistics of an elder elemental for 3 points of mental focus. This ability replaces magic item skill and object reading.

Manifest Jin (Su): At 7th level, the sha'ir can designate one of her jin and manifest its powers, allowing it to count as a Small elemental at all times, as if using augment jin to augment it to a Small elemental but with a permanent duration. By concentrating for 1 full round, she can change which of her jin she manifests in this way. This ability replaces aura sight.

Jin Spy (Su): At 8th level, when a sha'ir gains her outside contact ability, instead of learning the true names of outsiders, she can ask one or more of her jin to perform tasks. She chooses from the same tasks listed under outside contact (as appropriate to her occultist level). This doesn't require negotiation or gifts, but the jin is not available to the sha'ir during the time it spends performing these tasks. This ability alters outside contact.

Tome Eater (Archetype)

Tome eaters have learned how to tap into the latent psychic energy of the written word by physically devouring books and scrolls to create magical effects and gain mystical insights. They use their bonded tomes to gain access to all sorts of magic, and as they grow in power, they gain an innate sense of the books and writings around them.

Bonded Tome (Su): At 1st level, a tome eater forms a supernatural bond with a specific book. She can replace her bonded tome with another book at any time, though the tome eater must perform a 24-hour binding ritual to attune herself to the new book.

The bonded tome starts as an implement for any two schools of magic at 1st level, and it gains access to additional schools of magic at 2nd, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, granting the tome eater access to base focus powers and resonant powers accordingly. The tome eater's bonded tome serves as her implement component to cast occultist spells of all schools she knows. However, she must split her mental focus among the schools she knows for the purpose of determining resonant powers and using focus powers, even though she possesses only one physical item as an implement. Once per day as part of casting an occultist spell, a tome eater can expend 1 point of mental focus tied to the appropriate school to increase the spell's caster level by 1 or increase the spell's DC by 1. A tome eater can enhance a spell in this manner one additional time per day at 6th level, and another time per day for every 5 occultist levels she possesses beyond 6th. This ability alters implements, mental focus, spellcasting, and implement mastery.

Devour Books and Scrolls (Sp): A tome eater can devour books and scrolls in order to gain various benefits. Devouring a book or scroll is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. A devoured book or scroll is absorbed into the tome eater's body and completely destroyed.

At 4th level, once per day a tome eater can devour a spell scroll or a book to regain mental focus, which she can divide as she likes among her schools of magic, to a maximum of the amount of mental focus she assigned to that school at the beginning of the day. If she devours a scroll, a tome eater regains a number of points of mental focus equal to the spell level of the highest-level spell contained on the scroll. If she devours a nonmagical book that contains at least 100 pages of written text and is worth at least 25 gp, a tome eater regains 1 point of mental focus. If she devours a magical book, she regains a number of points of mental focus equal to half the caster level of the item. If the tome eater devours a spellbook with at least 50 pages of spells of 1st level or higher, she regains 4 points of mental focus.

At 6th level, a tome eater can ready an action to devour an enemy's spell when an enemy within 30 feet attempts to cast a spell from a scroll. This ability works as the counterspell action as if the tome eater were using dispel magic, though the tome eater doesn't need to cast a spell to counter the enemy's spell. A tome eater can use this ability once per day at 6th level, plus one additional time per day for every 4 occultist levels beyond 6th. If a tome eater readies an action to use this ability and the readied action never triggers, she doesn't expend a daily use of this ability. At 16th level, the tome eater can use this ability as an immediate action without readying an action.

At 8th level, a tome eater can devour a book or scroll as a standard action. Additionally, whenever a tome eater successfully uses this ability to counter a spell being cast from a scroll, she can devour the enemy's scroll without spending any additional actions if she hasn't devoured a scroll or book yet that day.

At 12th level, a tome eater can devour a book or scroll as a move action. Additionally, whenever a tome eater successfully uses this ability to counter a spell being cast from a scroll, she can choose to turn the spell back on its caster (as spell turning) instead of devouring the scroll. She can do this whether or not she has devoured a scroll or book yet that day.

This ability replaces shift focus, the implement gained at 6th level, magic circles, outside contact, binding circles, and fast circles.

Word Sense (Sp, Su): At 5th level, a tome eater is constantly under the effect of read magic. Additionally, she can automatically detect the general topic of a piece of writing, and whether that writing is a magical scroll or tome, simply by looking at it. If she spends 1 round concentrating on a text within 30 feet per 100 pages of the text, she can gain a sense of a text's contents as if she had skimmed the text. This ability replaces aura sight.