Fixing Archetypes: The Nature Rager

Up your hand if, like me, you have been disappointed by the version of the Enlightened Bloodrager archetype published in the Adventurer's Guide. I quite liked the Arcane Anthology version -even if I wouldn't have used the extra bonus feats- but retarding 0-th level spells casting to 4th level isn't a thing I can approve. Above all, this way you lose your 1st-level bloodrage power without nothing in exchange till later!

It is a thing, though, and we can't use the old version of the archetype if we want to be faithful to Rules As Written. It's not as if they were two slightly different versions, both available, like the two Grenadier alchemists or the Drunken Rager and Drunken Brute for barbarians.

Still, my 7 years old boy wants to be a lightning-casting rager with nature spells and an animal companion, and how bad a mother would I be if I didn't make him happy? So what I can do is try to "fix" the archetype taking the better parts from both versions, and removing the masked hero part to make it more setting-neutral.

What do you think about the...

Nature Rager

Through meditation and union with the forces of the world around them, some ragers gain a spiritual illumination, becoming the loyal and serene guardians of nature.

Nature Spellcasting: A nature rager’s sophisticated outlook allows him to cast an expanded array of spells. Instead of his normal spells per day and spells known for his bloodrager level, an enlightened bloodrager uses the spells per day from the medium class. This grants him the ability to learn a number of 0-level spells, which are cast like any other spells, but don’t consume spell slots and can be used again.

The nature rager adds all druid spells of 4th level and lower (including 0-level spells) to his bloodrager spell list. If a spell appears on both the bloodrager spell list and the druid spell list, the nature rager uses the lower of the two spell levels listed for the spell. The bloodrager treats any druid spells he takes with this ability as bloodrager spells for the purposes of other abilities (such as greater bloodrage).

At 5th level and every 3 levels thereafter, the nature rager can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, he loses the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least 1 level lower than the highest-level spell the nature rager can cast. The nature rager can swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

This ability alters spellcasting and replaces the bloodline power gained at 1st level and all bonus spells gained as part of a bloodline.

Illumined Bloodrage (Su): At 4th level, while bloodraging, a nature rager can still use Intelligence-, Dexterity-, and Charisma-based skills and can use abilities that require patience or concentration. This ability alters bloodrage and replaces the bloodline power gained at 4th level.

Bloodline Feat: At 6th level, a nature rager adds Nature Soul and all feats that list Nature Soul as a prerequisite to the list of feats she can select as a bloodline feat.

This ability replaces the damage reduction the bloodrager gains at 7th level; the bloodrager gains DR 1/- at 10th level, and this increases by +1 every 3 levels after that.

Bloodline Powers: At 8th level, a nature rager gains the bloodline power normally granted at 1st level. At 12th level and every 4 levels thereafter, he gains the bloodline power normally granted 8 levels earlier, to a maximum of gaining at 20th level the bloodline power normally gained at 12th level. This ability modifies bloodline power.

Bloodline: The following bloodlines are especially suitable for a nature rager: celestial, destined, draconic, elemental, and fey.