Verminspeaker (Archetype)
Skills: A verminspeaker loses Linguistics (Int) and Knowledge (planes) (Int) as class skills; instead, she gains Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), and Survival (Wis) as class skills.
Influence Instinct (Ex): At 1st level, a verminspeaker has begun to learn the various impulses that dictate the behavior of creatures of pure instinct. When reciting a recitation that targets a creature, the verminspeaker gets +2 to her truenaming check if that creature is mindless. When targeting multiple creatures with a single recitation, all creatures affected must be mindless in order to gain this bonus.
This ability replaces sympathetic link.
Bonded Vermin (Su): At 2nd level, the verminspeaker has gained the service of a particularly strong vermin. The creature must be a mindless vermin that is available to druids as an animal companion. This creature functions as a druid's animal companion, using the verminspeaker's level as her effective druid level, with the exception that the verminspeaker's animal companion does not get the share spells ability.
Vermin companions have no Intelligence score and possess the mindless trait. In spite of this, the verminspeaker's vermin companion may learn one trick, plus additional bonus tricks as noted on Table: Verminspeaker Animal Companion. When a vermin animal companion gains an ability score increase (at 4 Hit Dice, 8 Hit Dice, and so on), the verminkeeper can apply this increase to the companion's Intelligence, changing it from — to 1, at which point the companion loses the mindless quality and is able to know up to 3 tricks per point of Intelligence, plus the aforementioned additional bonus tricks. Vermin companions have no skill points or feats as long as they have the mindless quality.
This ability replaces master of tongues and linguistic familiarity.
Inflections: At 6th level, the verminkeeper gains the following inflection.
Instinctive
Truenaming DC Modifier: +2
Malleability DC Modifier: +2
If a recitation with this inflection is min-daffecting, then it affects living, mindless creatures even though they are normally immune to mind-affecting abilities. Creatures that are not mindless are immune to any mind-affecting recitation with this inflection.
This ability replaces the inflection gained at 6th level.
Table: Verminspeaker Animal Companion
| Class Level | HD | BAB | Fort Save | Reflex Save | Will Save | Skills | Feats | Natural Armor Bonus | Str/Dex Bonus | Bonus Tricks | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | +0 | 2 | 1 | +0 | +0 | 1 | Link |
| 2nd | 3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | 3 | 2 | +0 | +0 | 1 | - |
| 3rd | 3 | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | 3 | 2 | +2 | +1 | 2 | Evasion |
| 4th | 4 | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | 4 | 2 | +2 | +1 | 2 | Ability score increase |
| 5th | 5 | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | +1 | 2 | - |
| 6th | 6 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +2 | 6 | 3 | +4 | +2 | 3 | Devotion |
| 7th | 6 | +4 | +5 | +5 | +2 | 6 | 3 | +4 | +2 | 3 | - |
| 8th | 7 | +5 | +5 | +5 | +2 | 7 | 4 | +4 | +2 | 3 | - |
| 9th | 8 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +2 | 8 | 4 | +6 | +3 | 4 | Ability score increase, multiattack |
| 10th | 9 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +3 | 9 | 5 | +6 | +3 | 4 | - |
| 11th | 9 | +6 | +6 | +6 | +3 | 9 | 5 | +6 | +3 | 4 | - |
| 12th | 10 | +7 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 10 | 5 | +8 | +4 | 5 | - |
| 13th | 11 | +8 | +7 | +7 | +3 | 11 | 6 | +8 | +4 | 5 | - |
| 14th | 12 | +9 | +8 | +8 | +4 | 12 | 6 | +8 | +4 | 5 | Ability score increase |
| 15th | 12 | +9 | +8 | +8 | +4 | 12 | 6 | +10 | +5 | 6 | Improved evasion |
| 16th | 13 | +9 | +8 | +8 | +4 | 13 | 7 | +10 | +5 | 6 | - |
| 17th | 14 | +10 | +9 | +9 | +4 | 14 | 7 | +10 | +5 | 6 | - |
| 18th | 15 | +11 | +9 | +9 | +5 | 15 | 8 | +12 | +6 | 7 | - |
| 19th | 15 | +11 | +9 | +9 | +5 | 15 | 8 | +12 | +6 | 7 | - |
| 20th | 16 | +12 | +10 | +10 | +5 | 16 | 8 | +12 | +6 | 7 | Ability score increase |
Class Level: The character's effective druid level. The verminkeeper's class levels stack with levels of any other classes that are entitled to an animal companion for the purpose of determining the companion's statistics.
HD: This is the total number of eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice the animal companion possesses, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal.
BAB: This is the animal companion's base attack bonus. An animal companion's base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal's HD. Animal companions do not gain additional attacks using their natural weapons for a high base attack bonus.
Fort/Ref/Will: These are the animal companion's base saving throw bonuses. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves.
Skills: This lists the animal's total skill ranks. Animal companions can assign skill ranks to any skill listed under Animal Skills. If an animal companion increases its Intelligence to 10 or higher, it gains bonus skill ranks as normal. An animal companion cannot have more ranks in a skill than it has Hit Dice.
Animal companions can have ranks in any of the following skills: Acrobatics* (Dex), Climb* (Str), Escape Artist (Dex), Fly* (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Perception* (Wis), Stealth* (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim* (Str). All of the skills marked with an (*) are class skills for animal companions. Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can put ranks into any skill.
Feats: This is the total number of feats possessed by an animal companion. Animal companions should select their feats from those listed under Animal Feats. Animal companions can select other feats, although they are unable to utilize some feats (such as Martial Weapon Proficiency). Note that animal companions cannot select a feat with a requirement of base attack bonus +1 until they gain their second feat at 3 Hit Dice.
Animal companions can select from the following feats: Acrobatic, Agile Maneuvers, Armor Proficiency (light, medium, and heavy), Athletic, Blind Fight, Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Dodge, Endurance, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Initiative, Improved Natural Armor, Improved Natural Attack, Improved Overrun, Intimidating Prowess, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility, Power Attack, Run, Skill Focus, Spring Attack, Stealthy, Toughness, Weapon Finesse, and Weapon Focus.
Animal companions with an Intelligence of 3 or higher can select any feat they are physically capable of using. GMs might expand this list to include feats from other sources.
Special: This includes a number of abilities gained by all animal compansions as they increase in power. Each of these bonuses is described below.
- Link (Ex): A verminkeeper can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The verminspeaker gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.
- Evasion (Ex): If an animal companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.
- Devotion: An animal companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.
- Ability Score Increase (Ex): The animal companion adds +1 to any one of its ability scores.
- Multiattack: An animal companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a –5 penalty.
- Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an animal companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.