Chimeric Devotee (3.5e Prestige Class)

Chimeric Devotee

“	Our wild warriors embrace the beast within while the monastics seek to calm it. The arcanist would manipulate and command it as the priest offers prayer and supplication to it. As for me... I AM the beast.	”
—J'ahn Gal-ha, nomadic human Chimeric Devotee, oral tradition of the Su-h Ga'al tribe

A Chimeric Devotee has no shape that she calls her own. Instead, she occupies whatever body is most expedient for her at the time. While others base their identities largely on their external forms, a Chimeric Devotee actually comes closer to her true self through her transformations. Of necessity, her sense of self is based not on her expressed form, but on her soul, which is truly the only constant about her. It is the inner strength of that soul that enables her to take on any shape and remain herself within.

Some scholars attribute their mercurial form to an ancestry which includes either doppelganger or silver dragon heritage or perhaps both. Their origin is clouded in history and secrecy, owing to the fact that their numbers are exclusively found within the druidic order; an organization which is known for keeping its own share of guarded knowledge.

The uncanny ease with which these shape shifters are able to adopt new visages and persona would arouse suspicion in even the most trusting of individuals, and outright fear and distrust in most people. Having no 'natural' form is spiritually taxing, thus a Chimeric Devotee must maintain at least a measure of neutrality in their philosophical idealists. As a group, they are known to range from great and selfless acts of philanthropy to despicable and horrendous acts of depravity, any Chimeric Devotee could be either a benefactor or a source of true malevolence. An evil Chimeric Devotee in particular poses a terrible threat, for she can appear anywhere, in any body. The same opponents may face her again and again, in one shape after another, never realizing that they are actually facing a single enemy.

Chimeric Devotees are typically loners, moving between or avoiding communities of various creatures as suits their whims. They sometimes find work as spies or explorers.

Becoming a Chimeric Devotee

Disillusionment with society, a loss of faith in the ways of the intelligent races, aversion to artifice and industry, immersion in the spirits and energies of nature or the undeniable call of the wild are among the many reasons that a druid may choose the path of the Chimeric Devotee.

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any Neutral (NG, LN, N, CN, NE).
Base Attack Bonus:	The minimum BAB to become a Chimeric Devotee is +3.
Race:	Any.
Skills:	A druid must have 8 ranks in Knowledge(nature) to be eligible for this class.
Feats:	Iron Will, Great Fortitude.
Spellcasting:	The initiate must be able to cast 3rd level spells as a druid.
Patron:	Any not presiding over industry, civilization or technology.
Special:	Wild Shape class feature.

Table: The Chimeric Devotee

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Spellcasting	Wild Shape / Greater WIld Shape			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will		Daily Uses	Sizes	Shapes
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	+1 druid CL & spells/day	+1 use/day	Large	Humanoid; Dire	Multiattack
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	+1 druid CL & spells/day	+1 use/day	Giant	Monstrous Humanoid	-
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	+1 druid CL & spells/day	-	Tiny	Beast; Plant	Greater Wild Shape
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	+1 druid CL & spells/day	-	Huge	Fey; Vermin	-
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	+1 druid CL & spells/day	+1 use/day	-	Magical Beast	Fast Wild Shape
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	+1 druid CL & spells/day	+1 use/day	Diminutive	Ooze	-
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	+1 druid CL & spells/day	-	Gargantuan	Dragon	(Ex)Wild Shape
8th	+6	+6	+2	+6	+1 druid CL & spells/day	-	-	Elemental	-
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	+1 druid CL & spells/day	+1 use/day	Fine	Outsider
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	+1 druid CL & spells/day	+1 use/day	Colossal	-	Evershifting Form
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) The class skills of the Chimeric Devotee (and the key ability for each skill) are: Animal Empathy (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (any) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Wilderness Lore (Wis).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Chimeric Devotee.

Saves: As Druid; FORT = Good, REF = POOR, WILL = GOOD

Weapons & Armour: Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Chimeric Devotee gain no new weapon or armor proficiencies, but retains proficiency in the use of the same weapons and armor granted by her devotion to the druidic faith.

Spellcasting: A Chimeric Devotee continues to develop in her spell casting ability as per her Druidic teachings; gaining spells and caster levels as if she had advanced in her previous career as a druid each level. Levels of Chimeric Devotee stack with levels of druid for determining spells per day and other level dependent spell criteria.

Spells: To cast a particular spell, you must have a Wisdom score of at least 10 + the spell's level. Your bonus spells are based on your Wisdom. Saves to avoid the effects of your spells have a DC of 10 + the spell's level + your WIS bonus (if any).

Multiattack (Monstrous): : Upon beginning her career as a Chimeric Devotee, while Wild Shaped into a form that has a primary attack and at least one secondary attack, the Chimeric Devotee benefits from the Multiattack feat. The creature’s secondary, tertiary (and so on) attacks with natural weapons take only a –2 penalty rather than the standard -5 penalty.

Wild Shape: : As she advances in level, the Chimeric Devotee gains additional uses of her Wild Shape class ability. Levels of Chimeric Devotee stack with levels of druid for determining the duration allowed with each use of Wild Shape.

Wild Shape Forms: : As she advances in level, the number of types of creatures into which the Chimeric Devotee is able to Wild Shape increases. Each class level (except level 10) adds at least one new creature type (i.e. magical beast, vermin, ooze, etc.) to the list of types that she is able to Wild Shape into. The Chimeric Devotee must still be familiar with the form which she wishes to take.

Wild Shape Sizes: : As she advances in level, the Chimeric Devotee adds new size categories into which her Wild Shape ability will allow her to transform.

Greater Wild Shape (Su): : Beginning at 3rd level, a Chimeric Devotee replaces her Wild Shape ability with Greater Wild Shape. A character using Greater Wild Shape retains her own extraordinary abilities, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities while Wild Shaped. Levels of Chimeric Devotee stack with levels of druid for determining the duration allowed with each use of Greater Wild Shape.

Fast Wild Shape (Ex): : Beginning at 5th level, the speed with which a Chimeric Devotee can use her wild shape ability is improved by one category. (i.e. standard to move-equivalent). Levels gained in Chimeric Devotee stack with Druid levels for determining the duration of Wild Shape, HD available in Wild Shape uses

Extraordinary Wild Shape: : At 7th level, the character may now assume all extraordinary abilities of the form she chooses with her Greater Wild Shape ability, including (but not limited to) blindsense, fast healing, regeneration, and scent.

Evershifting Form: : At 10th level, the Chimeric Devotee has reached the pinnacle of her shapechanging abilities. From this point on, she can use greater wild shape once per round, as a standard action (base wild shape speed of standard action), as many times per day as she wishes. Her type changes to shapechanger for determining what effects and items can affect her. She becomes immune to any transmutation effect unless she is willing to accept it, and she gains darkvision (60 feet), which remains in effect regardless of her form. In addition, the Chimeric Devotee no longer suffers ability penalties for aging and is not subject to magical aging, though any aging penalties she may already have suffered remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the Devotee still dies of old age when her time is up.

Ex-Chimeric Devotees

Any conditions which would cause a druid to fall from nature's favor and lose class abilities would likewise cause a Chimeric Devotee to lose access to all of her abilities gained from this class. Atonement can be made from transgressions in the same fashion that a disgraced druid may repent transgressions and once again regain nature's favor.

Playing a Chimeric Devotee

Combat: From scout, to tank, to battlefield control, to healer; few rolls are barred from a well prepared Chimeric Devotee.

Advancement: Upon reaching the end of this path, the Chimeric Devotee is free to walk any other they see fit; bearing in mind the normal consequences of breaking their druidic vows. Many resume to walk their the path of their druidic traditions.

Resources: Chimeric Devotees may form loose groups or tribes within the druidic order in which often the only common thread connecting members is a non-static physical form.

Chimeric Devotees in the World

“	As you do what you think you ought, I am what I must be. -Elias Snowfall, Changeling Chimeric Devotee	”
—mining camp massacre survivor, Excerpt from report of attack to authorities

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Chimeric Devotee Lore

Characters with ranks in knowledge(nature) or knowledge(religion) can research druidic history to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

<-the appropriate skills->

DC	Result
11	Some druids nurture a deeper connection with the feral wild and the untamed spirits of nature.
16	It is said that some of the more notorious and fearful creatures of lore may be transfigured Chimeric Devotees working to protect their territories from the encroaching of industry.
21	<-very rare information->.
26	There is legend of a path which advances the Chimeric Devotee through an initiation into other planes of existence; bringing the Devotee into union with all of the wilds of all of the planes.

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