Fiona, Martial Hedgewitch (Updated)

Just some alterations to talents progression for this warrior nun.

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 Lady Fiona Wylde

Half-elf hedgewitch (Martial Hedgewitch) 1

CG Medium humanoid (elf, human)

Init +0; Senses low-light vision, Perception +6

Aura chaos and good

Defense

AC 17, touch 10, flat-footed 17 (armor +5, shield +2)

hp 9 (1d8+1)

Fort +1, Ref +0, Will +6. +2 racial bonus vs. enchantment spells and effects.

Immune sleep

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee longsword +2 (1d8+2, 19-20) or shield bash (1d4+3)

Special Attacks channel positive energy, lay on hands 3/day

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1; MSD 12; Concentration +5

Tradition Divine Petitioner (Drawbacks: Verbal Casting, Focus Casting, Prepared Caster, Aligned Combatant [Destruction], Aligned Protection [Protection]); +1 spell point per odd level gained in a spellcasting class); CAM Wis

Spell Points 6

Destruction Sphere - DC 14; Duration None; Range Close (25 ft), Touch; Talents Energy Aura, Fire Blast;Drawbacks Aligned Combatant, Energy Focus

- Destructive Blast (Energy Aura, Fire Blast)

Protection Sphere - DC 14; DurationAegis (1 Hour), Ward (Concentration; 1 Round); Range Aegis (Touch), Ward (Up to 15 ft); Talents Repel Evil; DrawbacksAligned Protection (evil)

- Aegis (Deflection)

- Ward (Barrier, Repel Evil)

Martial
Tradition Shield Master (Equipment sphere: Elvish Heritage, Shield Training; Shield sphere: Bashing Shield); PAM Wis
Equipment sphere - DC 14, Talents Armor Training, Elvish Heritage, Shield Training

- armor training (proficiency with medium and heavy armor)

- elvish heritage (discipline) (proficiency with elven branched spear, elven curve blade, longbow, longsword, rapier, scimitar, short sword, shortbow, two-bladed scimitar, and two-bladed sword)

- shield training (discipline) (proficiency with all shields and shield bashes)

Shield sphere - DC 14, Talents Bashing Shield, Drawbacks none
- active defense (spend an attack of opportunity to increase your shield bonus to AC against that attack by +2)

- bashing shield (you do not lose your shield bonus to AC when making an attack with your shield)

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 10, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 18, Cha 11

Base Atk +0; CMB +2; CMD 13

Traits Bastard, Shield Bearer

Feats Defensive Combat Training, Skill Focus* (Sense Motive)

Skills Diplomacy +4, Heal +8, Knowledge (nature) +4, Knowledge (planes) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Sense Motive +9

Languages Common, Elven

SQ fey thoughts (Knowledge-nature, Perception), tradition (covenant), tradition benefit (detect evil), tradition power (lay on hands)

Gear heavy steel shield (20 gp), longsword (15 gp), scale mail (50 gp), warpriest’s kit (16 gp), 4 gp

Special Abilities

Destruction Sphere You can use destructive power.

Aligned Combatant Choose an end of the alignment spectrum that you possess (good, evil, lawful, or chaotic). Your destructive blast deals no damage to creatures who possess this alignment and full damage to creatures of the opposite alignment (evil for good, lawful for chaotic, etc.). Neutral creatures (those who possess neither your selected alignment nor its opposite) suffer half damage from your destructive blast.

Energy Focus Choose a blast type group. You may only make destructive blasts from that blast type group. You must select a (blast type) talent from the chosen blast type group with the bonus talent granted by this drawback. You may not select any other (blast type) talents outside the chosen blast type group.

Destruction: Destructive Blast As a standard action, you may deliver a burst of blunt magical force as a melee touch attack or a ranged touch attack within close range. A destructive blast is subject to spell resistance, and while it bypasses DR/magic, it does not automatically bypass other forms of damage reduction if it deals physical damage (bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing). A ranged destructive blast counts as a ray attack.

A basic destructive blast deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every odd caster level.

Table: Destructive Blast Damage
Level Damage
1st 1d6
3rd 2d6
5th 3d6
7th 4d6
9th 5d6
11th 6d6
13th 7d6
15th 8d6
17th 9d6
19th 10d6

21th 11d6

23th 12d6

25th 13d6

You may spend 1 spell point when making a destructive blast to increase the damage dealt to one damage die per caster level (minimum: 2d6).

Destruction: Energy Aura (blast shape) As a move action, you may spend a spell point to surround yourself with an aura of elemental energies for a number of rounds equal to your casting ability modifier; any creature that ends its turn within 5 feet + 5 feet per 10 caster levels of you is affected by your destructive blast, though the damage is reduced to its minimum (so a 4d6 blast would deal 4 damage, or 12 with Crafted Blast). A Reflex save negates this damage. You may only have one aura active at a time; casting it again ends the previous instance.

Destruction: Fire Blast (blast type) Your destructive blast deals fire damage. Any creature struck by the attack or that failed their Reflex saving throw if one was required must succeed at a Reflex save or catch fire. A burning creature takes 1d6 damage the following round, plus 1d6 per round until the flames are extinguished. Each round the target may attempt another Reflex save to attempt to extinguish the flames. Rolling on the ground or using a blanket to smother the flames (a full-round action) grants the target a +4 bonus to that round’s saving throw.

Equipment: Armor Training You gain proficiency with light armor and medium armor. If you are already proficient with light armor, you instead gain proficiency with medium armor and heavy armor. You may take this talent up to two times.

Equipment: Elvish Heritage (discipline) You gain proficiency with the elven branched spear, elven curve blade, longbow, longsword, rapier, scimitar, short sword, shortbow, two-bladed scimitar, and two-bladed sword.

Equipment: Shield Training (discipline) You gain proficiency with all shields, including tower shields, and are proficient in all shield bashes. Associated Feat: Shield Proficiency, Tower Shield Proficiency.

Paths The hedgewitch draws power from her paths, blending magic and hidden knowledge to powerful effect. A hedgewitch chooses two paths at 1st level, gaining their class skills, path benefits, path powers, and their path masteries at 20th level. In addition, each path grants access to a number of secrets the hedgewitch may choose whenever she gains a secret.

Choosing the martial hedgewitch archetype replaces one of the character’s paths.

Path: Covenant Whether as a member of a mystery religion, a follower of totemic spirits, or a researcher into ancient gods, the devotee’s power comes through study and devotion to powers unseen.

Class Skills: Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int).

Path Benefit: The devotee selects an alignment from the following list: chaos, evil, good, or law. This must be an alignment she possesses (if she is neutral, she may choose any of the above alignments for this purpose). She gains an aura of her chosen alignment as a cleric of equal level. In addition, she may detect her opposite alignment (good and evil oppose one another, just as law and chaos oppose one another) as if using the Divine Alignment divine ability. To use this ability, she must spend a move action and focus on a single item or creature within 60 feet. She does not detect alignment in any other object or creature when using this ability in this way.

Path Power: If the devotee is of good alignment (or neutral and chooses to channel positive energy) she may touch a creature as a standard action (or herself as a swift action) and heal that target 1d6 hit points per 2 hedgewitch levels (minimum 1d6). She may use this ability a total number of times per day equal to 3 + 1/2 hedgewitch level. She may use this ability to harm undead, which is a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity. Undead do not receive a saving throw against this damage. This counts as positive energy. If she is evil (or neutral and chooses to channel negative energy), this ability instead harms living creatures and heals undead. This counts as negative energy.

This ability counts as possessing the lay on hands or touch of corruption class features (depending on whether she channels positive or negative energy) for the purpose of qualifying for and using feats that modify these abilities.

She may also expend two uses of this ability to channel energy, as the cleric class feature. As a standard action, she releases a wave of energy through her holy (or unholy) symbol, affecting all creatures of one type (living or undead, her choice) within 30 feet, healing or harming them just as if she had touched them, except creatures that take damage from channeled energy may attempt a Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 of her hedgewitch level + her casting ability modifier) to halve the damage. She may choose whether or not to include herself in this effect. This requires a holy (or unholy) symbol to use, and counts as possessing the channel energy class feature when qualifying for and using feats.

Protection Sphere You are a user of the magics of preservation.

Aligned Protection Choose an end of the alignment spectrum that you possess (good, evil, lawful, or chaotic). Your aegises and wards only provide protection against creatures of the opposite alignment (evil for good, lawful for chaotic, etc.). Creatures who possess your selected alignment or are neutral (those who possess neither your selected alignment nor its opposite) are not stopped by your barriers, hindered by your wards, and your aegises provide no protection against effects that originate from those creatures.

Protection: Aegis As a standard action, you may touch a creature and spend a spell point, granting them an aegis for 1 hour per caster level. Unwilling targets are allowed a Will save to resist gaining an aegis, and aegis is subject to spell resistance.

Multiple aegises of the same talent can be placed on a single creature, and the creature can benefit from them when they are providing different effects. This means Armored Magic can give a target both armor and shield, and Energy Resistance can grant resistance to multiple energy types to the same target.

You gain the following aegis when you gain the Protection sphere:

Protection: Deflection (Aegis) You grant the target a +1 deflection bonus to AC, +1 per 5 caster levels.

Protection: Ward As a standard action, you may create a ward centered on yourself with a radius of up to 10 feet + 5 feet per caster level, but can also be made so small as to only cover yourself. Wards remain as long as you concentrate, but you may spend a spell point to allow them to remain for 1 round per caster level without concentration. Wards remain in the location they were created, even if you move (however, if the ward is created entirely on top of a vehicle, it will move with that vehicle). If a ward affects targets inside it, its effects are subject to spell resistance.

When you gain the Protection sphere, you gain the following ward:

Protection: Barrier (Ward) You may create a ward that creates a mostly-transparent wall of force at its perimeter. While this barrier does not block line of sight, it does block line of effect; thus, while you could still target a creature through the barrier (such as for an attack that attempts to break the barrier and still deal damage to the creature on the other side), the barrier does stop attacks, movement, breath weapons, and any spells or sphere effects that rely on line of effect until the barrier is destroyed. Ethereal creatures are technically stopped by the barrier, but can usually find a way around it (as the barrier does not cut through objects, and so usually stops at ground level). Creatures inside a space where a barrier is created are shunted to the nearest empty space on the outside.

A barrier has hit points equal to twice your caster level and a Break DC of 15 + 1/2 your caster level. A barrier can hold weight, up to 2,400 lbs. + 250 lbs. per caster level; beyond that, a barrier simply shatters as if broken with a Strength check. If a barrier is broken anywhere, the entire effect ends.

If an attack is directed at a target through the barrier, the attack first deals its damage to the barrier itself. If this damage is enough to destroy the barrier, the attack continues on to its intended target, although damage dealt to the barrier is subtracted from any damage done to the target or targets. Burst-effect attacks such as splash weapons, fireball spells, or others attempting to travel through the barrier explode at the barrier’s edge and also must overcome the barrier’s hit points to damage targets on the other side. If you maintain your barrier through concentration, its hit points are renewed each round on your turn.

Protection: Repel Evil (ward) You may create a ward that repels creatures of one end of the alignment spectrum (chaotic, evil, good, lawful), chosen by you when this ward is created. All creatures of that alignment cannot cross the edge of this ward unless they succeed at a Will save. Once a creature has succeeded at this Will save, they may cross the barrier without trouble and are immune to your Repel ward for 24 hours. If a creature is already within this warded area when it is created, or if the ward is moved into their space, they instantly become immune to the ward, as if they had succeeded at their saving throw. You cannot repel an alignment that you yourself possess.

Shield Sphere Practitioners of the Shield sphere master shields, bucklers, and tower shields, leveraging more power and utility out of such equipment than most warriors ever dream of. All practitioners of the Shield sphere gain the following ability:

Shield: Active Defense If you are using a shield and you are attacked by a creature you are aware of while not flat-footed, you may spend an attack of opportunity to increase your shield bonus to AC against that attack by +2. This decision must be made before the roll is made. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, the increase to your shield bonus provided by this talent increases by 1. Talents with the (deflect) tag grant additional effects to this ability. Each use of active defense may only benefit from one (deflect) talent. You may expend your martial focus to use active defense in place of spending an attack of opportunity.

Shield: Bashing Shield You do not lose your shield bonus to AC when making an attack with your shield. Additionally, you may make shield bash attacks with a buckler as if it were a light shield. Reduce the damage as if the shield bash was one size smaller when used this way. Associated Feat: Improved Shield Bash.

Build

Fiona is built with a 4d6 roll, discard lower system and 105 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is +⅙ of a new magic talent (human FCB). If using a lower point buy, you can lower Dexterity and Intelligence. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Strength and Wisdom. Wisdom is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic talents and your spell pool, in addition to bolstering your Will saves and the skill checks of many useful abilities; Strength is your combat ability and increases your CMB and CMD. Charisma is important too for diplomatic relationships and to intimidate your enemies in combat, and Constitution increases your hit points and Fortitude saves.

How to Play Fiona

Born to a noble human family, Fiona is in truth the daughter of a wood elf; her parents were forcibly separated so that her mother could marry the man chosen by her family. Angry for the wrongs received, she vowed to find her real father and live true to the purest ideals of both her parent races. She became a knightly nun to displease her evil stepfather, but soon found that it suited her.

Fiona is angry, prone to revenge, and desirous to create a durable understanding between elves and humans. She’s devout to the god of Destruction and Renewal, and fiercely opposed to all evil and any tyranny.

Future Abilities

Magic Talents Deathless, Distant Teleport, Energy Cloud, Energy Resistance, Energy Sphere, Energy Wall, Extended Range, Fire Mastery*, Mass Teleport, Master of Elements, Nature Lord, Nature’s Movement, Nature Sphere (Fire package), Planeshift*, Rebuff, True Teleport*, Unseeing Teleport, Warp Sphere

Martial Talents Cover Ally*, Defend Other, Deflecting Shield, Extensive Defense*, Guardian Sphere (Challenge package), Indomitable, Interposing Shield, Shield Expert*, Shielded Focus, Smashing Counter, Soul’s Shield, Versatile Shield

Secrets Amateur Hedgewitch (Combat), Champion, Channel Feat, Combat Feat x2, Combat Talent x2, Divine Portfolio (Strength/Courage), Greater Divinity, Weapon Training

Feats Bashing Finish, Blessed Striker, Channeled Shield Wall*, Greater Shield Focus, Guarded Charge, Saving Shield, Shield Specialization, Shielded Casting*, Shielded Stand, Turn Undead*, Two-Weapon Fighting, Warrior Priest, Weapon Focus* (longsword)

Patron Request: Feral Garguns from Races of Stone

 As requested by Ronald J Paris!

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Feral Gargun (Monstrous Race, 29 RP)

Hybrids of humans and rock giants, feral garguns live at great altitudes on the mountains and are often mistaken for yeti or sasquatch.

Type: Monstrous Humanoid (giant) (3 RP)

Size: Medium (0 RP)

Speed: Normal (0 RP) 30 ft.

Ability Score Modifiers: Paragon (1 RP) +4 Str, -2 Int, -2 Wis, -2 Cha. Feral garguns are hulking brutes not known for being brilliant.

Languages: Xenophobic (0 RP) Feral garguns speak their own language, called Gol-kaa. They can learn Common, Dwarven, Giant, or Gnome if they have a high Intelligence score.

Ability Score Modifier Traits

Advanced Constitution (Advanced Trait, 8 RP): Feral garguns gain a +4 bonus to their Constitution score.

Advanced Dexterity (Advanced Trait, 4 RP): Feral garguns gain a +2 bonus to their Dexterity score.

Defense Racial Traits

Energy Resistance (1 RP): Feral gargun have resistance 5 to cold.

Iron Hide (Advanced Trait, 2 RP): Feral garguns have a +2 natural armor bonus.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

Altitude Affinity (2 RP): Feral garguns gain the Altitude Affinity feat as a bonus feat at 1st level. They don’t have to match the prerequisites for the feat.

Movement Racial Traits

Jumper (2 RP): Feral garguns are always considered to have a running start when making Acrobatics checks to jump.

Offense Racial Traits

Claws (Advanced Trait, 2 RP): Feral garguns have 2 claw attacks dealing 1d6 points of damage each (thanks to their powerful build trait).

Powerful Build (Advanced Trait, 4 RP): Feral garguns gain the CMB and CMD size bonus as Large creatures, and are treated as Large creatures for the purpose of skill modifiers, natural attacks damage, and being subject to attacks depending on size like swallow whole. They can use Large weapons without penalty.

Senses Racial Traits

Darkvision 60 ft.

Rico, Folk Healer (Updated)

 This update required very few interventions…

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Rico Vulfsson Skadein, the Generous

Male dwarf ranger (Folk Healer) 1

NG Medium humanoid (dwarf)

Init +3; Senses Perception +5/+7

Defense

AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+5 armor, +3 Dex). +4 dodge against monsters of the giant subtype.

hp 14 (1d10+4)

Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +5. +2 racial bonus vs. poison, spells, and spell-like abilities.

Defensive Abilities defensive training

Offense

Speed 20 ft.

Melee throwing axe +4 (1d6+3)

Ranged throwing axe +4 (1d6+3)

Special Attacks favored enemy (monstrous humanoids +2)

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1; MSD 12; Concentration +6

Tradition Apothecary (Material Casting, Skilled Casting [Craft: Alchemy]; +1 spell point, +1 for every 3 levels in a spellcasting class); CAM Wis

Spell Points 7

Life Sphere - DC 15; Duration None; Range Touch; Talents Diagnose, Instill Life, Restore Health; Drawbacks Medicinal

- Cure (1d8+2)

- Diagnose

- Instill Life

- Invigorate

- Restore

- Restore Health

Statistics

Str 16, Dex 17, Con 16, Int 13, Wis 20, Cha 12

Base Atk +1, CMB +4, CMD 17 (21 vs. bull rush or trip while standing on the ground)

Traits Artisan, Caretaker

Feats Eschew Materials, Studied Healing*

Skills Craft (alchemy) +7, Craft (smith) +7, Heal +10, Knowledge (nature) +5, Profession (herbalist) +9/+13, Profession (smith) +11/+15, Survival +9

Languages Common, Dwarven, Undercommon

SQ craftsman, folk remedy, industrious urbanite, surface survivalist, skilled healer, stonecunning, weapon familiarity

Gear healer’s kit, lamellar armor (horn), ranger’s kit, throwing axe, 8 gp.

Special Abilities

Favored Enemy (Ex) At 1st level, a ranger selects a creature type from the ranger favored enemies table. He gains a +2 bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks against creatures of his selected type. Likewise, he gets a +2 bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls against them. A ranger may make Knowledge skill checks untrained when attempting to identify these creatures.

At 5th level and every five levels thereafter (10th, 15th, and 20th level), the ranger may select an additional favored enemy. In addition, at each such interval, the bonus against any one favored enemy (including the one just selected, if so desired) increases by +2.

If the ranger chooses humanoids or outsiders as a favored enemy, he must also choose an associated subtype, as indicated on the table below. (Note that there are other types of humanoid to choose from—those called out specifically on the table below are merely the most common.) If a specific creature falls into more than one category of favored enemy, the ranger’s bonuses do not stack; he simply uses whichever bonus is higher.

Folk Remedy By drawing on her training in medicine, the folk healer can prepare special herbal remedies to aid in the healing process. The folk healer can brew potions that use the Life sphere, even if she does not have the Distill Compound feat. Furthermore, when she creates them, she may increase the DC of her crafting check by +5 to include a Life talent she does not possess. She may also use her Heal skill to make the crafting check.

This replaces tracker.

Life Sphere You wield the powers of life. All Life sphere effects are subject to spell resistance.

Medicinal You must select the Instill Life talent with the bonus talent granted by this drawback, and you can only use your Life sphere abilities through this talent.
Incompatible: Glorious, Sympathetic

Life: Cure As a standard action, you may spend a spell point to touch a target and heal it an amount of damage equal to 1d8 + your caster level. To living creatures, this is a harmless positive energy effect, but it is harmful to undead and other creatures normally damaged by positive energy (Will half).

Life: Invigorate As a standard action, you may invigorate a touched creature, granting them temporary hit points equal to your caster level (minimum 1). Unlike normal temporary hit points, this ability can only be used on an injured target and cannot raise a target’s current hit points plus their temporary hit points to be higher than their total hit points. This benefit lasts for 1 hour (Will negates [harmless]).

Life: Restore As a standard action, you may touch a target and spend a spell point to restore their health (Will negates (harmless)). When using restore, you must choose to restore mind, body, or soul. If affecting multiple targets, this choice becomes the same for all targets.

If restoring mind, this accomplishes all of the following:

• Removes the dazzled condition.
• Removes the shaken condition or lessens frightened to shaken, or panicked to frightened.
• Removes the staggered condition.

If restoring body, this accomplishes all of the following:

• Removes the battered condition. (See Spheres of Might.)
• Removes the fatigued condition or lessens exhaustion to fatigued.
• Removes the sickened condition or lessens nauseated to sickened.

If restoring soul, this:

• Heals 1d4 points of ability damage to one ability score of your choice.

If the condition targeted is part of an on-going effect, restore instead suppresses the condition for a number of rounds equal to your caster level. This cannot be used to remove curses or instantaneous effects.

Life: Diagnose As a swift action, you can learn any conditions that are affecting a living creature (unconscious, dying, nauseated, panicked, stunned, poisoned, diseased, confused, etc.) within range of your Life sphere abilities.
By increasing the casting time of this ability to a standard action or by spending a spell point, you can learn the details of any condition they are under, such as whether they have been affected by a spell or the nature of any disease or poison they are afflicted with. You may use this on a deceased creature to determine how they died, so long as the target has been dead for no more than one day per caster level.
You may also use this ability on any ally that is currently under the effect of one of your Life sphere abilities regardless of range or line of effect (such as allies who currently possess temporary hit points from your invigorate ability), as long as they are on the same plane of existence. You always know the direction and distance to your ally.

Life: Instill Life (Instill) As a standard action you may touch a small container of liquid and instill a cure, a restore, or an invigorate used in conjunction with the Greater Invigorate talent, or a use of the Affliction talent, which functions as a potion or oil. This cannot be augmented by the Empathic Healing talent.
An instilled liquid remains potent until you rest to regain spell points. If you have equipment on hand (such as an alchemy lab), the cost of bottles and water is considered negligible.
You may target food but not an already-magical item, such as a potion. All spell points must be spent and all variables of the sphere effect must be chosen at the time the instilled liquid is created. You cannot instill multiple effects in a single liquid, nor create multiple instilled liquids with a single action.

Life: Restore Health Your cure ability heals an additional 1 hit point per caster level. When restoring a target’s body, the exhausted and nauseated conditions are completely removed rather than lessened, and you may attempt a magic skill check against the DC of any poison or disease the target is suffering from. On a success, this removes that poison or disease from the target. This does not reverse damage the target may have suffered from the poison or disease (such as ability damage), but it does stop the poison or disease from causing any more.

Material Casting Your magic requires the expenditure of specific materials: precious metals, rare components, etc. The exact nature of this material should be worked out with the GM, but as a rule of thumb, this should cost a silver piece worth of materials per caster level per ability used. A player who does not want to track the cost of such material components can instead simply spend 10 gp per caster level per month on components, which is assumed to cover his costs for spells cast and research performed. You must possess a spell component pouch or otherwise have access to your components to use your magic. The gp cost of materials listed in this drawback are certainly not the only metric that can be used to reflect the role of magic materials in a setting, and GMs are encouraged to consider what role magic materials might play in their game.
Perhaps magic in one world requires a pearl to use per spell point, and players must track how many pearls they possess. Perhaps magic is fueled by a rare mineral, the buying and selling of which is heavily regulated by powerful kings, merchants, and other world powers; in such a world, Material Casting might even be worth two drawbacks to reflect its rare usage.

Skilled Healer (Ex) The folk healer gains the Studied Healing feat as a bonus feat. At 3rd level, the folk healer gains a +2 insight bonus to her Heal checks. This bonus increases by +1 for every odd level after the 3rd, and she does not suffer a penalty to her Heal skill for not having a healer’s kit. She can also provide long term care to herself.

In addition, she gains the skill unlocks for the Heal skill as appropriate for her number of ranks in that skill.

This replaces favored terrain.

Skilled Casting You must create your magic through singing, drawing, or performing some other activity. Your magic is tied to a particular Perform, Profession, or Craft skill (although with GM permission another skill may be substituted). You must succeed at a skill check to use any sphere ability. The DC of this skill check is 15 + the ability’s caster level. For every 2 points by which this skill check falls short of this DC, the ability manifests at -1 caster level. If this reduces the ability to a caster level below 0, the manifested ability fails and any spell points used are lost.
A caster with Skilled Casting must be able to perform their skill to use their magic, which is similar to but not the same as possessing other drawbacks. For example, a caster who must draw to create magic must have at least one hand free, although unless he also possesses Somatic Casting he may do so while wearing any armor without a chance of arcane spell failure. Likewise, a caster who uses music to create magic must be able to speak, but unless he also possesses Verbal Casting he can do so by whispering and thus not automatically break stealth.
At the GM’s discretion, this drawback may count as two drawbacks if the skill involved requires bulky equipment or the use of both hands (for example, the Perform (strings) skill, or Craft (stonework)).

Build

Rico is built with a 4d6 roll, discard lower system and 175 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is +1 hit point. If using a lower point buy, you can lower Intelligence and Charisma. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attribute is Wisdom. Wisdom is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic and martial talents and your spell pool, increases your Will saving throws, and bolsters your survival, profession, and healing skills. Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are important too, to have a better attack and damage roll and more hit points.

Playing Rico
Rico is gentle, wise, and peaceful. Dedicated to his arts, he keeps to himself in the forest’s heart, cures ill animals, creates tools for the villagers and helps wounded travelers. As a surface dwarf, he lacks the rudeness and greed of his subterranean kin, and often offers his advice and work for free.

Future Abilities

Magic Talents Deeper Healing, Friend to Wildlife (animals), Greater Invigorate, Greater Restore, Materials of Legend, Metal Mastery, Nature sphere (Metal package), Reforge Mastery, Rejuvenation.

Feats Close–Quarters Thrower*, Distance Thrower*, Precise Shot*, Endurance, First Response, Herbal Components, Master Alchemist, Nature Soul, Pinpoint Targeting*, Quick Draw, Toxic Recovery, Two–Weapon Fighting*, Weapon Focus (light hammer), Weapon Focus (throwing axe)

Skills Craft, Heal, Profession, and Survival are the most useful skills for you. Put some ranks in Appraise, Diplomacy, Perception, and Sense Motive too.

Choose the Throwing combat style and select allies as your Nature Bond. Aberrations, humanoids, evil outsiders, and undead are good favored enemies.

The Forest Knight (Dual-Wielding Hunter) Updated

 I created this Sphere character for my son a while ago, but I can't put him in a book as he is... too similar to a certain heroic drow of classic fantasy. I'll have to think something else. ^_^
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The Forest Knight (Dual-Wielding Hunter)

Half-elf hunter (Greenrunner) 1

NG Medium humanoid (elf, human)

Init +3; Senses low-light vision, Perception +9

Defense

AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +3 Dex)

hp 9 (1d8+1)

Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +3. +2 racial bonus vs. enchantment spells and effects.

Immune sleep

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee shortsword +3 (1d6, 19-20), swordbreaker dagger +3 (1d4), or shortsword/swordbreaker dagger +2/+2

Ranged longbow +4 (1d8, x3)

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1, MSD 12, Concentration +4
Tradition Hunter (Drawbacks: Focus Casting, Verbal Casting; Animal Shaman [Mind], Boon: +1 spell point, +1 per three levels in casting classes) CAM Wis

Spell Points 4

Fallen Fey Sphere - DC 13; Duration 1 minute/level; Range none; Talents none; Drawbacks none

- Fey-Link (nature-connection [forest])

Nature Sphere - DC 13; Duration 1 round, Concentration; Range Close (25 ft); Talents Master of Elements, Speak with Animals; Drawbacks Limited Nature x2

- Master of Elements (air, metal, plant)

- Speak with Animals

Martial
Tradition Weapon Master (Equipment: Duelist Training, Finesse Fighting; Dual Wielding sphere: Balanced Blows); PAM Wis

Beastmastery sphere - DC 13, Talents Animal Companion, Animal Empathy, Drawbacks none
- handle animal (tame: train an animal to readily obey your commands in and out of combat; animal empathy: improve the attitude of an animal)

- animal companion (gain the services of a loyal animal companion)

Dual-Wielding sphere - DC 13, Talents Balanced Blows, Drawbacks none

- dual attack (attack with 2 weapons at a -2 penalty)

- balanced blows (reduce the penalties for your dual attack ability by ½ [minimum -1])

Equipment sphere - DC 13, Talents Duelist Training, Dual Blade Savant, Drawbacks none

- duelist training (discipline) (proficiency with the bastard sword, butterfly knife, double chicken saber, dual blade, dueling sword, estoc, greatsword, longsword, pistol, rapier, shortsword and swordbreaker dagger)

- finesse fighting (use Dexterity modifier when calculating melee attack rolls with light weapons and weapons with the finesse weapon special feature)

Statistics

Str 10, Dex 16, Con 13, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 12

Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 13

Traits Elven Serenity, Grove Neophyte

Feats Skill Focus* (Knowledge-nature), Weapon Focus (shortsword)

Skills Handle Animal +5/+7, Heal +7, Knowledge (nature) +7, Perception +9, Perform (strings) +6, Ride +7, Survival +7

Languages Common, Elven

SQ animal focus 1 min/day, fey thoughts (Diplomacy, Perform), nature training

Gear hunter’s kit (15 gp), leather armor (10 gp), longbow (75 gp) with 20 arrows (1 gp) and 5 thistle arrows (5 gp), shortsword (10 gp), swordbreaker dagger (10 gp), 14 gp

Special Abilities

Animal Focus (Su) At 1st level, a hunter can take on the aspect of an animal as a swift action. She must select one type of animal to emulate, gaining a bonus or special ability based on the type of animal emulated and her hunter level. The hunter can use this ability for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. The hunter can emulate only one animal at a time.
The hunter can also apply one of these aspects to her animal companion. Unlike with the hunter herself, there is no duration on the animal aspect applied to her animal companion. An aspect applied in this way does not count against the hunter’s minutes of duration per day—it remains in effect until the hunter changes it. The companion’s aspect can be the same aspect the hunter has taken on or a different one. The hunter can select or change the animal foci on both herself and her animal companion as part of the same swift action.
If the hunter’s animal companion is dead, the hunter can apply her companion’s animal focus to herself instead of her animal companion. This is in addition to the normal one she can choose, and (as with a companion’s focus) remains in effect until the hunter changes it instead of counting against her minutes per day.

Bat: The creature gains darkvision to a range of 60 feet. At 8th level, the range increases by 30 feet. At 15th level, the creature also gains blindsense to a range of 10 feet.

Bear: The creature gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Constitution. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Bull: The creature gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Falcon: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on Perception checks. This bonus increases to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Frog: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on Swim checks and on Acrobatics checks to jump. These bonuses increase to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Monkey: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on Climb checks. This bonus increases to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Mouse: The creature gains evasion, as the rogue class feature. At 12th level, this increases to improved evasion, as the rogue advanced talent.

Owl: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on Stealth checks. This bonus increases to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Snake: The creature gains a +2 bonus on attack rolls when making attacks of opportunity and a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks of opportunity. These bonuses increase to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Stag: The creature gains a 5-foot enhancement bonus to its base land speed. This bonus increases to 10 feet at 8th level and 20 feet at 15th level.

Tiger: The creature gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Dexterity. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Wolf: The creature gains the scent ability with a range of 10 feet. The range of this sense increases to 20 feet at 8th level and 30 feet at 15th level. The range doubles if the opponent is upwind, and is halved if the opponent is downwind.

Beastmastery Sphere The Beastmastery sphere focuses on all forms of animal handling.
Unlike most other spheres which rest squarely on the related core rules, talents and abilities granted by the Beastmastery sphere override certain skill functions (particularly Handle Animal and Ride). No additional checks are required outside of those listed in the associated ability. Some abilities call out joint actions. These actions require both the user and his animal ally to pay the requisite action cost.
Animal Allies: Some talents and abilities reference animal allies; your animal companions, familiars, tame creatures, and any creature actively serving as your mount with an Intelligence score of 2 or less are considered your animal allies. Animal allies always act on your initiative.
Special: Animal companions, Conjuration sphere companions, drake companions, eidolons, and familiars cannot gain this sphere or talents from this sphere.
When you first take the Beastmastery sphere, choose one of the following packages: Handle Animal or Ride. (chosen: Handle Animal)

Beastmastery: Handle Animal You gain 5 ranks in the Handle Animal skill, plus 5 ranks per talent spent in the Beastmastery sphere (maximum equal to your total Hit Dice). If you possess skill ranks in Handle Animal, you may choose to retrain them, but you do not gain ranks when only temporarily gaining this package, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.
You also gain the following ability:

Beastmastery: Tame (Handle Animal) You may attempt to train an animal to readily obey your commands in and out of combat. This requires 8 hours and a creature of the animal type that has an attitude toward you of indifferent or better. This time may be divided as per the magic item crafting rules. You may only train one creature at a time with this ability. At the end of this period, make a Handle Animal check with a DC of 10 + the creature’s Hit Dice. If successful, the creature is now considered tame.
You may not tame a creature with more Hit Dice than you have ranks in Handle Animal. You may have multiple tame creatures under your control, but their total Hit Dice cannot exceed your ranks in Handle Animal. If you attempt to tame a creature that would exceed your Hit Dice cap, you must choose which other creatures to release. Animal companions and familiars, such as from class features, the Animal Companion talent, or the Pet talent, never count against this Hit Dice cap.
You may not use this ability on a creature with the swarm subtype. A creature with a template adds the challenge rating adjustment of the template to its HD (minimum increase +0) for determining if you may tame it and for how many creatures you can have tame. Variant creatures with increased challenge ratings (such as a pyrohydra compared to a normal hydra, if using the Broad Skills talent), treats the challenge rating increase of the variant as if it were a template for this purpose. A creature whose permanent Intelligence score is raised above 2 is no longer a valid target for this ability and is automatically released. This effect ends if you go two full days without spending at least 1 hour training your tame creatures.
This is treated as an extraordinary mind-affecting compulsion effect for the purposes of opposed control checks, such as another compulsion effect affecting your tame creature. Use your ranks in Handle Animal in place of your caster level for the opposed check.

Beastmastery: Animal Empathy (handle animal) You can improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person, using your Handle Animal skill in place of Diplomacy. If you possess the wild empathy class feature, you may add your Handle Animal ranks to your levels in the class that grants the class feature (with a maximum equal to your Hit Dice) to determine the result.
The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.
To use this ability, you and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that you must be within 30 ft. of one another under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time.

Beastmastery: Animal Companion You gain the services of a loyal animal companion. Your effective druid level for this companion is equal to your base attack bonus -3 (minimum 1). If you already possess an animal companion or if you take this talent a second time, your effective druid level increases by 4, to a maximum of your character level. Your effective druid level stacks with those from other sources to a maximum of your character level. If you possess the Broad Skills talent, you may instead choose a vermin companion. Your companion always counts as an animal ally.
If the companion is suitable to serve as a mount, you do not take an armor check penalty on Ride checks while riding it. The mount is always considered combat trained and begins play with Light Armor Proficiency as a bonus feat but does not gain the share spells special ability. If you already have an animal companion from another source, it gains Light Armor Proficiency as a bonus feat.
Should your companion die, you may find another after 1 week of mourning. This new companion does not gain the link, evasion, devotion, or improved evasion special abilities until the next time you gain a level or after 1 week serving as your animal companion, whichever comes first. This talent counts as possessing the mount class feature. Abilities that grant talents temporarily, such as taking the Extra Combat Talent feat with martial flexibility or gaining it from an armiger’s customized weapon can not be used to gain this talent.

Fallen Fey Sphere

Fallen Fey: Fey-Link As a swift action, you change your creature type to fey for 1 minute per caster level. You are treated as a fey and no longer count as your previous creature type for all purposes including spells, magic items, etc., but you do not gain any of the benefits of the fey type or lose the benefits of your previous creature type, and still possess any subtypes you previously possessed (thus, an elf using this ability would be treated as a fey with the elf subtype).

Whenever fey-link is active, you may spend 1 spell point as a free action to gain the benefits of a fey-blessing until the end of the fey-link. There is no limit to the number of fey-blessings you may have active at a time, but each one must be activated separately, and all only endure until the end of the fey-link. Renewing a fey-link does not increase the duration of a fey-blessing, and ends all fey-blessings you currently possess.

When you gain the Fallen Fey sphere, you gain the following fey-blessing:

Fallen Fey: Nature-Connection (fey-blessing) You gain a +1 bonus on initiative checks and Knowledge (geography), Survival, Stealth, and Perception checks made within one terrain of your choice (chosen when this fey-blessing is cast). This bonus increases by +1 for every 5 caster levels you possess. Consult the ranger list of favored terrains to see potential terrain types.

Focus Casting Your magic requires you to use an item such as a wand, holy symbol, ring, or staff to create magic. The focus must be wielded or equipped to be used (for example, a wand must be held, a ring must be equipped in a ring slot, etc.) Using magic without your focus requires you to attempt a concentration check (DC 20 + 1/2 the caster level) to produce the desired effect. Failure means time (and any spell points) are spent, but no effect happens. If a focus is lost, stolen, or broken, the caster must create a new focus by securing the necessary item and spending 8 hours bonding with it. At the GM’s discretion, however, another caster’s focus may be used instead.

If you are carrying your focus when subject to a polymorph effect that would normally meld your equipment into your new form, your focus melds into your body as well, causing this drawback to function as the center of power drawback for the duration of the effect.

You may not select this drawback if you possess the Center Of Power or Galvanized drawbacks.

Nature Sphere You can command the very terrain to do your bidding.

Limited Nature You gain only a single geomancing ability of your starting Nature package. For example, if you have the (plant) package, you gain only Entangle, Harvest, or Pummel. You must take a (geomancing) talent with the bonus talent gained from this drawback.

You may take this drawback twice. If taken twice, you cannot use geomancing powers at all, only (spirit) talents. Instead of a (geomancing) talent, you gain the Master Of Elements talent and one (spirit) talent of your choice as the bonus talents gained from this drawback.

Nature: Master Of Elements (spirit) You count as possessing three additional Nature packages of your choice when determining what (spirit) talents you can gain and use. You may take this talent twice, which allows you to count as possessing every package. If you later gain all Nature packages except one per time you’ve gained this talent, you immediately retrain this talent into Expanded Geomancing.

Abilities from (spirit) talents that scale off of geomancing abilities (such as an ability that deals damage or determines size by referencing a particular ability ability) function normally according to the statistics that ability would have if you possessed it. For retraining purposes, possessing any Nature package counts as having Master Of Elements.

Nature: Speak With Wildlife (spirit) Choose either animals or vermin. You may spend a spell point to gain the ability to speak with your chosen creature type for 1 minute per caster level. You can ask questions of and receive answers from them, but this does not make them any more friendly than normal. Mindless vermin cannot understand or answer with more than basic information, wary and cunning animals are likely to be terse and evasive, and stupid creatures make inane comments. If a creature is friendly toward you, it may do some favor or service for you. You may take this talent twice, gaining both options.

Nature Training (Ex) A hunter counts her total hunter level as both druid levels and ranger levels for the purpose of qualifying for feats, traits, and options that modify or improve an animal companion.

Verbal Casting You must speak in a loud, clear voice to cast spells. Using magic alerts all nearby hearing creatures to your presence and location, effectively breaking stealth. You cannot cast in an area of magical silence, or in any other situation where you are unable to speak clearly.

Panther Animal Companion (Elemental Companion)

Equivalent Druid Level 1

N Small animal (air)

Init +5; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5 (with falcon AF)

Defense

AC 17, touch 16, flat-footed 12  (+5 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)

hp 11 (2d8+2)

Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +1

Offense

Speed 51 ft.

Melee bite +7 (1d4+1 plus trip), 2 claws +7 (1d2+1)

Statistics

Str 12, Dex 21, Con 13, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6

Base Atk +1; CMB +1; CMD 16 (20 vs. trip)

Feats Weapon Finesse

Skills Acrobatics +9, Stealth +9

SQ link

Tricks combat training (attack, come, defend, down, guard, heel), stay

Build
The Forest Knight is built with a 20-point buy and 140 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is +1 ft. to the animal companion’s speed. If using a lower point buy, you can lower Strength and Intelligence. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Wisdom and Dexterity. Wisdom is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic and martial talents and your spell pool, in addition to boosting your Will saves and Perception and Survival checks; Dexterity makes you a great finesse warrior and archer, increases your initiative and bolsters AC and Ride checks. Constitution is important too, since it increases your hit points, and Charisma fuels your Handle Animal ability and helps in dealing both with people and wilderness creatures.

Playing a Forest Knight

You are a protector and a destructor, whose justice is like lightning. You are an expert in two different combat styles, fighting with two weapons in melee and shooting a great number of arrows from a distance, and also hit your foes with multi-shaped bolts of electricity. Your familiar is a hawk and your animal companion is a panther; together they can assume the form of a powerful black griffon to take you to combat in the sky. You give most often the falcon animal focus to your animal companion.

Future Abilities

Magic Talents Alteration Sphere (Flesh Warper), Beastward, Chain Blast, Destruction Sphere (Energy Focus), Electric Blast*, Energy Aura, Energy Bomb, Energy Leap, Energy Strike, Energy Sphere, Explosive Orb, Fusion, Grace of the Sidhe, Mass Alteration*, Natural Blessing, Nature Sight, Size Change

Martial Talents Barrage Sphere, Blitz Focus, Dancing Display, Cyclone Cut, Defensive Whirl, Dual Wielding Sphere, Expert Reloading, Extra Beastmastery Package, Following Strike, Impossible Reload, Paired Proficiency, Pet x2, Pinning Punishment, Scout Sphere, Track the Scene

Feats Dual Wielding Mystic Fusion, Dual Wielding Mystic Strike, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Planar Focus, Speak With Animal Allies, Two-Weapon Defense, Weapon Focus (longbow), Weapon Focus (swordbreaker dagger)

Skills: Handle Animal and Ride are your most needed skills. Fly is also very useful for airborne combat.

Give the Aerial template to your familiar for extra flying prowess and lightning attacks. Choose Tiger as your second animal focus.

Companion Future Abilities

Feats Agile Maneuvers, Devotion against the Unnatural, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Skill Focus (Stealth), Weapon Focus (bite), Weapon Focus (claws)

Bonus Tricks bombard, break out, catfall, defend, deliver, detect, guard, sic’em, sneak