Bonded Summoner

Requirements

Skills: Knowledge (the planes) 8 ranks

Special: Must have a familiar.

Spells: Able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells

Language: Must speak Aquan, Auran, Ignan, or Terran.

Summary

Bonded Summoners are mages that have an elemental companion and through exposure and growing closer with this companion they gradually become elementals themselves while progressing with their former spellcasting class.

Role: Spell Utility

Characteristics: Mage with elemental companion that gradually becomes an elemental as well

Source: Miniatures Handbook

Game Rule Information

The Bonded Summoner has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Whichever casting stat you used prior to prestiging, Intelligence for class skills, Constitution for bulk and Concentration

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Bonded Summoner's class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Bonded Summoner.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Bonded Summoner is proficient with Bonded Summoners gain no proficiency with weapons or armor

Spells per Day: At every even numbered level gained in the bonded summoner class, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain all the benefits a character of that class would have gained (metamagic or item creation feats, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spell-casting. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a bonded summoner, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Elemental Companion Ex: At 1st level, a bonded summoner picks his element of study: air, earth, fire, or water. This choice cannot be changed. The bonded summoner calls a Medium elemental of the type chosen, which replaces his familiar. The elemental gets abilities according to the information in the table below. At 3rd level, his elemental companion grows to Large. At 5th level, it grows to Huge. At 7th level, the companion becomes a greater elemental, and at 9th level it becomes an elder elemental. If the elemental companion dies, the bonded summoner takes damage equal to the elemental's Hit Dice. The bonded summoner also takes 1d4 points of damage to each ability score. A new elemental of the same kind as the old one maybe summoned 24 hours later. A bonded summoner may dismiss his elemental at any time without taking this damage, but he must still wait 24 hours before summoning another elemental.

Resistance to Energy Ex: A bonded summoner gains resistance 5 against the energy type associated with his element of study.

At 3rd level, this resistance improves to 10. At 5th level, it improves to 15. At 7th level, it improves to 20. At 9th level, the character gains immunity to the energy type in question.

Immunities Ex: Over time, a bonded summoner slowly turns into an elemental, gaining an elemental's immunities along the way. At 3rd level, he becomes immune to sleep effects. At 5th level, he becomes immune to poison. At 7th level, he becomes immune to paralysis and stunning. At 10th level, he is no longer subject to critical hits.

Cannot Be Flanked Ex: At 9th level, a bonded summoner has become so much like an elemental that he loses the normal human orientation toward "front" and "back." Like an elemental, he can't be flanked.

Elemental Form Su: At 10th level, a bonded summoner gains the ability to turn himself into an elemental and back again once per day. This elemental is an elder elemental of the bonded summoner's element of study. This ability functions like the polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 10 hours, or until the bonded summoner changes back. Changing form (to elemental or back) is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Table 1-1: Bonded Summoner Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spell per Day
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Elemental companion (Medium), resistance to energy 5	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	—	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Elemental companion (Large), resistance to energy 10, immunity to sleep	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	—	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Elemental companion (Huge), resistance to energy 15, immunity to poison	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	—	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Elemental companion (greater), resistance to energy 20, immunity to paralysis, stun	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	—	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Elemental companion (elder), cannot be flanked, immunity to energy	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Elemental form, elemental type, immunity to critical hits	+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

Table 1-2: Energy Resistance

Element	Energy
Air	Electricity
Earth	Acid
Fire	Fire
Water	Cold

Elemental Companion:

Table 1-3: Elemental Companion Progression

Arcane Level	Special
Up to 8th	Deliver touch spells, devotion, empathic link,improved evasion, share spells
9th – 11th	Spell Resistance
12th or higher	Improved Speed

Arcane Level: The bonded summoner's total of levels in the bonded summoner class and other arcane spellcasting classes.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su): A companion can deliver touch spells for the bonded summoner. If the bonded summoner and the companion are in contact at the time the bonded summoner casts a touch spell, he can designate his companion as the "toucher." The companion can then deliver the touch spell just as the bonded summoner could. As usual, if the bonded summoner casts another touch spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

Devotion (Ex): An elemental companion's devotion to the bonded summoner is so complete that it gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Empathic Link (Su): The bonded summoner has an empathic link with his elemental companion out to a distance of 1 mile. The bonded summoner cannot see through the companion's eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Note that even intelligent elementals see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible. Because of this empathic link, he bonded summoner has the same connection to an item or place that his companion does, just as a master and his familiar (see the Familiars sidebar, page 52 of the Player's Handbook).

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, an elemental companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Share Spells: At the bonded summoner's option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his elemental companion. The companion must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the companion if the creature moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the companion again even if it returns to the bonded summoner before the duration expires. Additionally, the bonded summoner may cast a spell witha target of "You" on his companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A bonded summoner and his companion can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect elementals.

Spell Resistance (Ex): If the bonded summoner's arcane spellcaster level is 9th or higher, an elemental companion gains spell resistance equal to the bonded summoner's arcane spellcaster level + 5.

Improved Speed (Ex): All of the elemental companion's speed figures increase by 10 feet.