The Blood Shaman (Guileful Hedgewitch)

 Here’s a new rebuild. Skill talents are much fitter than the Charlatanism path for a Hedgewitch that is also a Rogue and a trap-finder.

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The Blood Shaman (Vampiric Hedgewitch)

Dhampir hedgewitch (Guileful Hedgewitch) 1

CN Medium humanoid (dhampir)

Init +1; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +5

Defense

AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 Dex)

hp 8 (1d8)

Fort +0, Ref +2, Will +4. +2 racial vs. disease and mind-affecting effects. 

Defensive Abilities resist level drain; Weaknesses light sensitivity

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee spear +2 (1d8+3, x3) or bite +2 (1d3+2)

Ranged spear +2 (1d8+2, x3)

Special Attacks curse 3/day (1d6, DC 13)

Guile

Skill Leverage 1; Trade Tradition Thief; OAM Cha (+3)

Infiltration Sphere - Skills Disable Device 1 rank, Stealth 1 rank; Talents none; Utility Talents Skilled Sneak

Subterfuge Sphere - Skills Disguise 1 rank; Talents none; Utility Talents none

Vocation Sphere - Utility Talents Burglar, Con Artist, Dungeon Delver, Pirate

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1; MSD 12; Concentration +4

Tradition Nomad Shaman (Drawbacks: Magical Signs, Verbal Casting; Bodily Enhancement and Restricted Enhancement (tribe members) (Enhancement), Limited Nature x2 (Nature); Boon: Draw Magic); CAM Cha

Spell Points 5

Blood Sphere - DC 13; Duration Concentration; Range Close (25 ft); Talents none; Drawbacks none

- Control Blood (bleed, coagulate)

Death Sphere - DC 13; Duration 1 round/level or 1 minute/level; Range Medium (110 ft); Talents none; Drawbacks none

- Ghost Strike (extenuating strike)

- Reanimate

Statistics

Str 14, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 16

Base Atk +0; CMB +2 (+4 on grapple maneuvers to pin an opponent); CMD +13

Traits Doom Cultist, Final Embrace

Feats Blood Thirst

Skills Craft (alchemy) +4, Disable Device +6, Disguise +6, Heal +3, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Knowledge (local) +7, Sleight of Hand +6, Stealth +6

SQ fangs, manipulative, path (black magic), path benefits (oracle curse [vampirism]), path powers (curse)

Gear alchemical blood (40 gp), cauldron (1 gp), leather armor (10 gp), shaman’s kit (15 gp), spear (2 gp), thieves’ tools (30 gp), 7 gp.

Special Abilities

Blood Sphere You can manipulate blood and its properties.

Blood: Blood Control As a standard action, you may establish a link to the blood of a target within close range. Unwilling targets are permitted a Fortitude save, and the effect is subject to spell resistance. Targets with less than half their maximum hit points take a -4 penalty on this save. This link lasts for as long as you concentrate, though you may spend a spell point for it to last 1 round per caster level without concentration.
Targets that gain immunity to bleed damage from their creature type, subtype, or a template are immune to blood control. Creatures that gain immunity to bleed damage from other sources are susceptible to blood control, but still benefit from their immunity against bleed damage.
If a second creature attempts to establish blood control on a creature that is already controlled, it must succeed at a magic skill check. A creature may always attempt to end the blood control on itself by attempting a new Fortitude save as a mental-only standard action that may be taken even when normally unable to take standard actions, such as when dazed or nauseated.
You may apply one (quicken) or (still) ability as part of casting blood control. Once blood control has been established, you may spend a standard action (unless otherwise noted) to apply additional (quicken) or (still) abilities. Spending at least a standard action to do so counts as concentrating on the ongoing blood control for that instance of blood control (if able to concentrate on an effect as a move action, applying additional (quicken) or (still) abilities as a move action, such as via the Quicken metamagic feat, would also count as concentrating for that round).
A creature may not be affected by both a (quicken) and a (still) ability at the same time. If a caster attempts to use a (quicken) talent on a creature currently under the effects of a (still) talent or vise versa, the previous effect ends. Some creatures that are normally immune to bleed damage but that frequently feed on blood may be susceptible the blood control. Any creature that has used the blood drain universal monster ability in the previous hour or any creature composed largely of blood (such as a blood golem) may be affected by blood control. Other appropriate creatures may also be affected, at the GM’s discretion.
When you gain the Blood sphere, you learn the following abilities:

Blood: Bleed (quicken) You may cause the target of your blood control to take bleed damage equal to your caster level for the duration of your blood control. This damage can be stopped prior to the end of your blood control by the Coagulate ability, a DC 15 Heal check, or any amount of magical healing or fast healing/regeneration.

Blood: Coagulate (still) You may end any bleed damage affecting the target of your blood control. For the duration of the blood control, the target reduces any bleed damage taken by 1 + 1 per 3 caster levels and any creature using an effect that would inflict bleed damage must succeed at a magic skill check or have the bleed damage negated. Creatures imposing bleed damage via non-magical abilities (such as an attack that deals bleed damage) may substitute their base attack bonus for their magic skill bonus on this check.

Death Sphere You may command the powers of unlife.

Death: Ghost Strike As a standard action, you may make a ghost strike, summoning negative energy as a melee touch attack or a ranged touch attack within medium range. A ghost strike is considered a negative energy death effect, and as such has no effect on undead, constructs, and other creatures immune to such things (although some talents provide exceptions). Ghost strike effects do not stack with themselves, and are subject to spell resistance.
You gain the following ghost strike when you gain the Death sphere:

Death: Exhausting Strike (Ghost Strike) The subject of your ghost strike becomes fatigued for 1 round per caster level (Fortitude negates). You may spend a spell point to increases this effect to making the target exhausted for 1 minute per caster level (Fortitude negates). On a successful save, the target is still fatigued for 1 round. Unlike regular fatigue and exhaustion, these conditions end as soon as the duration expires.

Death: Reanimate As a standard action, you may touch an intact dead body and spend a spell point to reanimate it as a zombie or skeleton (depending on the composition of the body in question) for 1 minute per caster level. This creature gains the zombie or skeleton template and obeys your commands, although only basic commands such as “go”, “stay”, “follow me”, “attack”, or “guard” are understandable. While specifics can be given (“guard this area against humans but let goblins pass”), undead are unintelligent and easily fooled.
A reanimated body cannot speak and has no knowledge or ability to think and so cannot answer questions or reveal anything it knew in life. When the duration expires, the body collapses until reanimated again. It does not regain hit points between reanimations. If reduced to 0 hit points, the body collapses and is destroyed; it cannot be reanimated again.
You may have a total number of reanimated creatures active at any one time whose combined Hit Dice does not exceed twice your caster level. If you attempt to reanimate a creature that would push your total beyond this limit, you must choose which creatures cease to be reanimated or are released from your control. You cannot reanimate a creature with more Hit Dice than twice your caster level. Temporary increases to caster level (such as from implements or the thaumaturge’s forbidden lore class feature) do not increase the statistics, maximums, or number of undead the caster controls.

Draw Magic You gain a +1 competence bonus to your caster level whenever at least 3 creatures under the effects of your sphere abilities are within 30 feet of you. This competence bonus increases to +2 if there are at least 6 such creatures within 30 feet.

Infiltration Sphere Operatives of the Infiltration sphere train to avoid scrutiny, move stealthily, and outsmart traps that stand in their way. They are silent and unobtrusive when they need to be, blending into shadows and moving where no eyes will see.

Associated Skill: Disable Device.

You gain the following benefits when you gain the Infiltration sphere.

When you gain the Infiltration sphere, you gain 5 ranks in Disable Device, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Infiltration sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in Disable Device, you may immediately retrain them.

Skill Leverage: When you gain the Infiltration sphere, you unlock skill leverage with Disable Device and Stealth.

You also acquire the Fast Sabotage and Light Step abilities.

Infiltration: Fast Sabotage (Ex) You can attempt Disable Device on any item that would normally require up to 2d4 rounds in a single standard action (without a penalty for working quickly). You can perform disastrous sabotage (new skill use) in 1d4 rounds (without a penalty for working quickly). If the sabotage allows a saving throw, it is against your sphere DC if that is higher than the usual DC. If the sabotage allows a skill check, the DC is 15 + 150% your ranks in Disable Device + your operative ability modifier. Instead of a common Disable Device sabotage effect, you can apply the effect of a suitable (sabotage) talent to the device, but you cannot apply a talent faster by accepting a Disable Device penalty (as you can with disastrous sabotage).

You can apply the sabotage effect immediately or choose for it to take effect when triggered. Typical triggers are when it is used a certain number of times (for items like weapons) or after a certain total number of minutes of use (for items like tools or vehicles). You can also make the trigger contingent on specific, physically distinct modes of use. For example, you might make sabotage to armor trigger when the wearer attempts two skill checks to move or sabotage to a lock trigger upon becoming specifically locked or specifically unlocked. When sabotage is triggered by an action or the use of the item, it takes effect during the triggering use (which might penalize or waste that action). If a (sabotage) talent’s effect goes unused for more than 1 day, it triggers.

Until it becomes relevant, the sabotage can generally only be noticed with an active Perception check opposed to your Disable Device result. (Sabotage that has not been triggered yet is never relevant.) Most sabotage that has not yet triggered can be removed without triggering it with a successful opposed Craft check using a suitable skill for the item or with an opposed Disable Device check at a –5 penalty. If a creature attempts to remove sabotage that has not triggered yet and fails by 5 or more, the sabotage triggers immediately.

Each sabotage indicates how it can be ended; if it requires an opposed skill check to end, use either Disable Device at a penalty or Craft unless noted otherwise.

The standard action allowed by this ability is fast enough to sabotage an item held or carried by a creature with a successful dirty trick combat maneuver check (a new Disable Device skill use on page 44). Sabotaging an item a creature wears or carries is not a hostile action for magical effects like invisibility if you give the sabotage a trigger (rather than applying the effect immediately).

Infiltration: Light Step [approach] (Ex) You adopt this approach as a swift action while you are using Stealth. You reduce by 5 the penalty to Stealth for moving up to your full speed, for skulking in the open (page 72), as part of creating a diversion to hide, or for relying on positional concealment (page 15). The penalty is reduced by the number of ranks in Stealth you possess instead if that is higher. You abandon the approach when you break Stealth.

Infiltration: Skilled Sneak [utility] You gain Stealth as an additional associated skill for this sphere (gaining ranks normally).

Magical Signs Your magic is accompanied by tell-tale signs; for example, your body glows brightly, the sound of tortured souls shriek as you cast, a deep chill affects all nearby creatures, etc. Using magic automatically breaks stealth, and whenever you use magic all creatures within 60 feet who are observing you are considered to have automatically succeeded at a Spellcraft check to know which sphere effect, talents, and casting tradition you used.
You may not select this drawback if you possess the Witchmarked drawback.

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.

Path: Black Magic The black magician has delved into magic theories and practices some believe are better left untouched.
Class Skills: Disguise (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (planes).
Path Benefit: The black magician chooses an oracle curse. She gains this curse and its associated benefits, using her hedgewitch level as her effective oracle level. If she already possesses an oracle’s curse (or gains one later), this instead allows her hedgewitch levels to stack with the levels of the class that grants access to the oracle’s curse.
If your curse provides you with spells known (for example, Haunted), you instead gain a bonus spell point at the levels you would normally gain those spells.
Vampirism: You crave the taste of fresh, warm blood. You take damage from positive energy and heal from negative energy as if you were undead. At 5th level, you gain channel resistance +4. At 10th level, you add vampiric touch to your list of 3rd-level oracle spells known and undead anatomy to your list of 5th-level oracle spells known. At 15th level, you gain damage reduction 5/magic.

Path Power: As a standard action, the black magician may curse a target within 30 feet. She may bestow a number of curses in a day equal to 3 + ½ her hedgewitch level. Targets may attempt a Will save (DC 10 + ½ her hedgewitch level + her casting ability modifier) to negate the curse. As a curse, only effects such as the Break Enchantment talent or spells like remove curse can remove a curse before its duration ends, and treat the black magician’s class level as her caster level for the purpose of removing one of her curses. The black magician may always dismiss her own curses as a free action.
At 1st level, she may give a target a -2 penalty to attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and saving throws for a number of rounds equal to her casting ability modifier. This improves to -4 at 9th level. This does not stack with itself.
At 5th level, she may cause the target to roll twice whenever it makes an attack roll, skill check, ability check, or saving throw and take the lower result for a number of rounds equal to her casting ability modifier.
At 9th level, she may give a target 6 points of ability drain to one ability score of her choice. This does not stack with itself.
At 13th level, she can permanently blind or deafen the target.
At 17th level, she can permanently confuse the target.

Subterfuge Sphere Operatives of the Subterfuge sphere train to avoid scrutiny and act unsuspected. They are unobtrusive when they need to be, moving with crowds and moving so subtly that their actions are unnoticed even when they are plainly seen. Even when noticed, Subterfuge masters can seem like they belong almost anywhere, drawing no attention even under an enemy’s nose.

Associated Skill: Disguise.

You gain the following benefits when you gain the Subterfuge sphere.

When you gain the Subterfuge sphere, you gain 5 ranks in Disguise, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Subterfuge sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in Disguise, you may immediately retrain them.

Skill Leverage: When you gain the Subterfuge sphere, you unlock skill leverage with the Disguise and Sleight of Hand skills.

You also acquire the Baffling Revelation, Confident Subtlety, and Fast Disguise abilities.

Subterfuge: Baffling Revelation (Ex) You can outwit any creature as long as they are fooled by your current disguise, you possess an item they believed they possessed, or you know a secret they consider important and well-kept. To outwit them using this ability, you must brandish the item they thought they had, you must reveal the secret, or you must reveal yourself to not be who you appear to be. Revealing a secret or your disguised nature can be verbal or visual, as appropriate. Creatures must generally be within 30 feet for you to outwit them verbally, but they can be up to 60 feet away if you reveal your ruse visually. Anyone who discovers you are disguised this way does not necessarily discover who you are. Once an item or secret is used to outwit a creature, that item or secret cannot be used by anyone to outwit that creature again.

Subterfuge: Confident Subtlety [approach] (Ex) Adopting this approach is a swift action. While you maintain this approach, you reduce the penalty to Sleight of Hand checks for attempting to take an action subtly without taking longer by 6 (reducing it to -4).

Subterfuge: Fast Disguise (Ex) You can don a disguise as a full-round action, including using a disguise kit and changing your clothing and accessories. You can don or doff worn magic items and shields this way. If you don a disguise that features delicate details or you attempt to impersonate a specific individual, you take a –5 penalty to your Disguise check if you took less than 1d4+1 rounds. Changing your physical features requires spending 1 use from a disguise kit, but changing your clothes does not. If you have any (disguise) talents, you can apply one as part of creating this disguise. While you wear a disguise you created, the physical reminder of the disguise helps you reflexively act in character, giving you a +2 circumstance bonus on Bluff and Disguise checks as long as they do not conflict with the disguise you wear. For example, you could not use the bonus to attempt a Disguise check to make a voice different from the person you are disguised as. The bonus increases by 1 per 5 ranks in Disguise you possess.

Associated Feat: Deceitful.

Traditions: Choosing the guileful hedgewitch archetype replaces one of the character’s paths.

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.

Vocation: Burglar (trade) [utility] You gain Climb, Disable Device, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth as class skills. You take no penalty to Stealth due to your speed while climbing.

Vocation: Con Artist (trade) [utility] You gain Bluff, Disguise, Knowledge (local), and Linguistics as class skills. You may use the better of your Charisma or Intelligence modifier when attempting either Bluff or Knowledge (local) checks, chosen when you select this talent.

Vocation: Dungeon Delver (trade) [utility] You gain Acrobatics, Disable Device, Knowledge (dungeoneering), and Use Magic Device as class skills. You are only considered to have failed by 5 or more on any of these skill checks if you fail by 7 or more.

Vocation: Pirate (trade) [utility] You gain Appraise, Climb, Intimidate, and Swim as class skills. You may use your Climb or Swim modifier in place of Acrobatics to balance.

Build

The Blood Shaman is built with a 20-point buy and 105 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is +⅕th of a Blood or Death sphere talent. If using a lower or higher point buy, try however to keep all attributes balanced. Charisma is your casting statistic, affects the save DCs of all your magic and skill talents and your spell pool; in addition, it fuels the abilities you gain from your hedgewitch path, and is useful for channeling energy and intimidating enemies. Wisdom bolsters your Will saves; Strength is your combat statistic, Dexterity increases your Armor Class and Ref saves and bolsters the skills gained from the Infiltration and Subterfuge spheres; and Constitution gives you more hit points and increases your Fort save. Lastly, Intelligence gives you a lot of useful skill points to spend in various Knowledge skills, as well as in Heal and Intimidate.

How To Play a Blood Shaman

Bittered from your unholy birth, you pursued a solitary life, surrounded by the undead you reanimated, before finding a tribe of outcasts you could keep care of. You now are in search for redemption, but also of revenge against the vampire who sired you and of a way to become fully human. You learned to craft alchemical blood to free yourself from the curse of your vampiric thirst.

Future Abilities

Magic Talents Absorb Blood, Alchemical Creation*, Bleeding Wounds*, Creation Sphere (Material Focus [blood]), Cryptic Strike, Divination Sphere, Drain, Exsanguinating Strike, Fear*, Ghost Sight, Greater Reanimate, Hemorrhage, Improved Bleed, Manipulate Alchemy*, Mind Sphere (Empath, Hypnotic Gaze), Manipulate Health, Manipulate Undeath, Mass Reanimate*, Powerful Charm*, Self Control*, Summon Spirit, Vampiric Strike

Martial Talents Greater Grapple*, Iron Grip*, Wrestling sphere*

Skill Talents Bluster Sphere, Circumvent Magic, Danger Awareness, Frightening Threat*, Infuriating Insult, Light Touch*, Meaningful Look, Profound Gaze, Shocking Betrayal, Stunning Pronouncement, Traceless Presence, Vanish Into Stillness; Utility: Adaptable Appearance, Apothecary, Camouflage, Drab Outfit, Fool Divination, Light Touch, Nebulous Threat, Shadower, Sweep for Traps

Secrets Amateur Hedgewitch (Covenant), Channel Feat, Combat Talent (Fencing), Extra Healing, Familiar, Greater Hexcrafter (Witch’s Brew), Hexcrafter (Cauldron), Magical Skill x2, Skill Talent

Path Mastery Summon Spirit 

Feats Brew Potion*, Command Undead*, Crimson Theurgy, Hypocondriac’s Terror, Improved Spell Combat, Greater Grapple, Improved Familiar, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Reservoir, Sphere Virtuoso*, Surgeon’s Trade Secrets*, Vampire’s Guile

Skills Knowledge, Heal, Intimidate, and Craft (alchemy) are the best skills for a blood shaman. Stealth and Disguise well complement his roguish abilities.

Channel negative energy with Amateur Hedgewitch (Covenant). Your familiar is a Prankster raven that later becomes a nosoi with Improved Familiar: give it the Transformation feat instead of Alertness so it can assume the guise of a quasit.