Mutant (CR +1)

When long-term exposure to radiation or bizarre magical fields doesn’t result in a creature’s death, it might mutate the creature into a twisted version of itself. Some of these mutations can be advantageous, while others are unquestionably a hindrance. Mutants often band together into roving bands of loosely affiliated marauders, traveling the land in search of food, shelter, or whatever else motivates their fractured minds.

Creating A Mutant

Mutant” is an acquired template that can be added to any living, corporeal creature. A mutant retains the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Base creature’s CR + 1.

Type: The creature’s type changes to aberration (augmented). Do not recalculate its Hit Dice, base attack bonus, or saves.

Attacks: A mutant retains all the natural weapons, manufactured weapon attacks, and weapon and armor proficiencies of the base creature.

Special Abilities: A mutant retains any extraordinary and supernatural abilities of the base creature.

Abilities: A mutant gains a +4 bonus to two ability scores of its choice and takes a –2 penalty to two ability scores of its choice.

Skills: A mutant gains Climb, Intimidate, Knowledge (any one), Perception, Sense Motive, Survival, and Swim as class skills.

Deformities: Each mutant has one of the following deformities. It can take a second deformity to gain a mutation as detailed in Mutations on page 181. A deformity can’t be taken if it wouldn’t disadvantage the mutant.

Blind (Ex)

The mutant can’t see, and gains the blinded condition unless it possesses a means of seeing other than normal vision, darkvision, or low-light vision. This blindness can’t be magically removed.

Deaf (Ex)

The mutant can’t hear, and gains the deafened condition. This deafness can’t be magically removed.

Fragile (Ex)

When the mutant fails a Fortitude save, it is staggered for 1 round.

Fractured Mind (Ex)

When the mutant fails a Will save, it is confused for 1 round.

Lame (Ex)

The mutant’s stunted legs reduce its base speed by 10 feet. This deformity can’t be taken if the mutant’s base speed is already slower than 20 feet.

Light Blindness (Ex)

The mutant has the light blindness special ability. This deformity can’t be taken in conjunction with the blind deformity.

Mindless (Ex)

The mutant gains the mindless trait. A mindless mutant has no Intelligence score, loses all feats and skills, and is immune to mind-affecting effects. A mutant with class levels retains its hit points, base attack bonus, and base saves from its class levels, but loses all weapon and armor proficiencies and other class abilities. This deformity could prevent the mutant from being eligible to take certain special abilities, at the GM’s discretion.

Misshapen (Ex)

Humanoid mutants only. The mutant can’t wear armor (including magic armor) fashioned for humanoid creatures. Armor made to fit the mutant costs twice as much.

Poor Ability (Ex)

The mutant takes a –4 penalty to one ability score in addition to the normal ability score penalties applied by the template.

Mutant Spasms (Ex)

When the mutant fails a Reflex save, for 1 round it can’t take attacks of opportunity or immediate actions and loses its Dexterity bonus to AC, on ranged attack rolls and attack rolls made using finesse weapons, and on ability checks and skill checks.

Useless Arm (Ex)

One of the mutant’s arms is malformed and useless.

Vulnerability (Ex)

The mutant is vulnerable to one energy type. If the base creature has innate resistance or immunity to that energy type, it loses those abilities.

Mutations: A mutant gains one of the beneficial mutations below when it acquires this template, plus an additional mutation for every 4 Hit Dice it possesses. By taking an extra deformity (see above), a mutant can add an additional mutation. Only the first extra deformity provides this benefit. A mutant that gains additional Hit Dice after acquiring this template does not gain additional mutations.

Armored (Ex)

The mutant’s natural armor bonus to its AC increases by 2. This ability can be taken multiple times.

Bulbous Eyes (Ex)

The mutant has darkvision with a range of 60 feet and low-light vision.

Celerity (Ex)

As a swift action, the mutant gains the benefits of haste for 1 round. This ability can be used once every 1d4 rounds. The mutant gains a +2 bonus on Initiative checks.

Echolocation (Ex)

The mutant has blindsense with a range of 30 feet and gains Blind-Fight as a bonus feat.

Extra Arm (Ex)

The mutant has an extra arm and gains Multiweapon Fighting as a bonus feat if this mutation brings its total number of arms above two. This ability can be taken multiple times, adding an arm each time.

Fast Healing (Ex)

The mutant gains fast healing 5.

Feral (Ex)

The mutant gains a bite attack and gains one claw attack for each arm or forelimb. These natural weapons deal damage based on the mutant’s size. If it already has these attacks, their damage improves by one size category.

Gills (Ex)

The mutant has the aquatic subtype, the amphibious ability, and a swim speed equal to its base speed.

Increased Speed (Ex)

One of the mutant’s speeds increases by 10 feet. If this mutation is taken multiple times, apply it to a different speed each time.

Leaping (Ex)

The mutant gains Acrobatics as a class skill and a +10 bonus on Acrobatics checks to jump. The mutant always counts as having a running start when jumping.

Mental Armor (Su)

The mutant generates a protective field (as mage armor) while conscious. If its mental armor is removed, the mutant can restore it as a swift action.

Rage (Ex)

The mutant gains the ability to enter a manic rage, as per the barbarian rage class feature. The mutant uses its Hit Dice as its barbarian level. If it also has levels in barbarian, it adds its racial Hit Dice to its barbarian levels to determine its number of rounds of rage per day.

Resistance (Ex)

The mutant has resistance 10 to a single energy type. This special ability can be selected multiple times, for the same or different types. Selecting it twice for one energy type grants resistance 20; taking it three times for the same energy type provides immunity.

Rugged (Ex)

The mutant has DR 5/—.

Sealed Mind (Ex)

The mutant is immune to mind-affecting effects.

Slam (Ex)

The mutant gains a slam attack for each arm or forelimb. These attacks deal damage based on the mutant’s size. If the mutant already has a slam attack, its slam damage improves by one size category.

Spell-Like Ability (Sp)

The mutant has one of the following spell-like abilities, usable at will unless noted otherwise: charm monster, charm person, chill metal, deep slumber, dimension door (3/day), dominate person (dominating a new character frees any previously dominated creature), heat metal, mirror image, modify memory, rage, shocking grasp, shout, sleep, suggestion, telekinesis. The mutant’s caster level is equal to its Hit Dice. The mutant can choose only spells with a level no higher than half its Hit Dice. This ability can be taken multiple times, choosing a different spell each time.

Stench (Ex)

The mutant has the stench ability, with a duration of 1 minute.

Telepathy (Su, Sp)

The mutant has telepathy with a range of 100 feet as a supernatural ability and detect thoughts as a spell-like ability, usable at will.

Wings (Ex)

The mutant grows wings, gaining a fly speed of 40 feet with average maneuverability.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 5 © 2015, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Dennis Baker, Jesse Benner, John Bennett, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Robert Brookes, Benjamin Bruck, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Thurston Hillman, Eric Hindley, Joe Homes, James Jacobs, Amanda Hamon Kunz, Ben McFarland, Jason Nelson, Thom Phillips, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Alistair Rigg, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Wes Schneider, David Schwartz, Mark Seifter, Mike Shel, James L. Sutter, and Linda Zayas-Palmer.

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