Beast Tamer – Bard Archetype

Design Notes: This is a coversion of the archetype from Owlcat’s Wrath of the Righteous computer RPG, adjusted for PnP and geared to our settings. Skills were also shuffled and a couple more features added in order to better thematically reflect the archetype. The magic fang effects of inspire ferocity, being quite underwhelming given the levels they appeared, were also altered.

Bards originate from a variety of backgrounds, including former shepherds, street charmers, and such. Those who find animals a more appreciative audience than humans are usually become known as beast tamers. Such bards can greatly enhance the abilities of their beastial allies through inspiring performances.

Skills: The beast tamer adds Handle Animal and Survival to his class skills, and removes Appraisal and Linguistics. This alters the bard’s class skills.

Naturalist (Ex): The beast adds Handle Animal and Survival adds half his class levels to Handle Animal and Survival checks, in addition to the Knowledge skills gained from bardic knowledge. This alters and functions like bardic knowledge, and any effect, feat or item that modifies bardic knowledge also modifies this ability.

Spellcasting: A beast tamer adds Summon Minor Ally and Summon Nature’s Ally I-VI to his list of spells, and loses Summon Minor Monster and Summon Monster I-VI. Levels 1st through 6th of Summon Nature’s Ally are considered as being on the bard’s spell list, and Nature’s Ally spells higher than 6th level cannot be cast from spell trigger or spell completion items without an appropriate Use Magic Device check. This alters the bard’s spellcasting.

Animal Whisperer (Su): The beast tamer can effect creatures of the animal type with his suggestion and mass suggestion performances as if they were humanoid, and animals with an Intelligence of 3 or less understand the beast tamer as if they shared a language. This alters suggestion and mass suggestion and replaces distraction.

Inspire Ferocity (Su): A 1st level beast tamer can use his performance to inspire ferocity in his summoned allies and companions, bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be able to see or hear the bard’s performance and an ally besides the bard must be of the animal type — this includes allies who are in an animal form, such as from wild shape or other polymorph affects. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +1 competence bonus on attack and melee damage rolls.

At 5th level, and every six bard levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 17th level.

At 8th level all affected allies are granted the effect of the Greater Magic Fang spell, using the bard’s level as his caster level to determine its level-dependent effects. In addition, all natural attacks count as if they were silver and cold iron.

At 14th level all natural attacks by affected allies count as if they were Adamantine.

At 18th level, allies affected by this performance also are treated as if they have the improved natural attack feat. They are also able to continue acting in a round that their hitpoints drop below 0, as if they were disabled; they continue to lose hitpoints as normal, as well any hitpoint loss suffered from making actions while disabled; if the performance ends before they reach a negative amount equal to their Constitution score, they proceed to fall unconscious and are dying as normal.

This replaces inspire courage, dirge of doom, inspire competence, and frightening tune.

Augment Summoning: At 2nd level, the beast tamer gains augment summoning as a bonus feat. This replaces Well-versed.

Beast Call (Sp): At 2nd level, the beast tamer can cast can Summon Nature’s Ally I a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. He can cast this spell as a standard action, and the creatures remain for 1 minute per level (instead of 1 round per level). At 4th level, and every 2 levels thereafter, the power of this ability increases by 1 spell level, allowing him to summon more powerful allies (to a maximum of nature’s ally IX at 18th level). The beast tamer cannot have more than one creature summoned by this spell-like ability at one time. If the ability is used again, any existing summon from this spell-like ability is immediately dismissed. This replaces the bard’s versatile performance.

Master of Beasts (Ex): At 5th level, the beast tamer adds half his class level to Diplomacy and Intimidate effects to affect the attitude of creatures of the animal type. For such creatures of Intelligence 3 or lower, they can understand the beast tamer as if they shared a language. This replaces Lore Master.