Spirit Drudge

A thrall of sorts to occult forces, a spirit drudge uses an occult familiar to harbor spirits, channeling its powers to wield the otherworldly force of spirits.

Occult Familiar

A spirit drudge can seal pacts with spirits. The spirit drudge’s binder level equals the character’s witch level, and a spirit drudge binds spirits as an occultist of that same level. A spirit drudge uses Intelligence in place of Charisma on binding checks and when calculating the effectiveness of granted abilities.

A spirit drudge uses a familiar as a bridge between reality and the spirit realm. For this reason, a spirit drudge houses bound spirits within the familiar. A multiclass spirit drudge must house all bound spirits within the familiar. This follows the same rules for sealing pacts with spirits. As a result, it is the familiar, not the occult drudge, that is able to show or suppress a spirit’s sign if a good pact is made and it is the familiar that is forced to show the spirit’s sign and suffer its personality influence if a poor pact is made.

A familiar is unable to call upon a spirit’s powers without assistance and gains none of the benefits of being bound to a spirit. While a familiar is showing a spirit’s sign, the spirit drudge gains access to all of the spirit’s powers, including granted abilities, the spirit’s favored allies and enemies, its physical sign (and influence if a poor pact was made), and so forth. Both spirit drudge and familiar can cause the influence penalty to accrue and exorcism attempts can be made against either the spirit drudge or the familiar to prematurely end a pact. Use the higher Will save bonus between the spirit drudge and the familiar against the spirit’s influence or when attempting to resist an exorcism attempt.

If a familiar is slain, any spirits bound to it return from whence they came, causing the spirit drudge to lose access to the spirit’s powers. Both the spirit drudge and the familiar must be on the same plane and within 30 feet of each other in order for the spirit drudge to receive a bound spirit’s benefits. A familiar that is merged with the spirit drudge (such as from a tattooed sorcerer’s tattoo familiar) does not supply a bound spirit’s benefits to the occult drudge. Both spirit drudge and familiar are considered each other’s vestigial companions at all times, preventing a spirit drudge from gaining a spirit’s vestigial companion. A multiclass spirit drudge retains this restriction and all spirits that a multiclass spirit drudge is bound to are housed within the familiar. If a spirit drudge gains any feats or class features that alter the pactmaking process (such as Flexible Pactmaking) the familiar can benefit from this knowledge, applying it to any pacts that the familiar makes. This ability functions as bind spirit for the purpose of qualifying for feats, prestige classes, and similar abilities.

This ability alters the witch’s familiar and replaces hex, major hex, and grand hex.

Occult Patron

At 1st level, a spirit drudge selects a patron from among the 13 constellations to serve as a patron constellation. The spirit drudge cannot seal pacts with a spirit whose constellation opposes the patron constellation. Also, reduce the occult sadist’s binder level by ½ when making binding checks with unaligned spirits.

In addition, add the following spells to the spirit drudge’s list of spells known. While the spirit drudge’s familiar is bound to an aligned spirit, the spirit drudge can prepare and cast these spells as any other witch spell. If all of the familiar’s aligned spirits are expelled, any prepared patron spells are lost along with the spirit.

This ability replaces the witch’s patron spells.

Spirit Drudge Bonus Spells

A spirit drudge gains spells from one of thirteen constellations listed below.

Angel: 1st–sanctuary, 2nd–compassionate ally, 3rd– prayer, 4th–spiritual ally, 5th–cleanse, 6th–serenity, 7th–joyful rapture, 8th–euphoric tranquility, 9th–wish

Beast: 1st–call animal, 2nd–animal aspect, 3rd– beast shape I, 4th–cape of wasps, 5th–baleful polymorph, 6th–beast shape IV, 7th–greater polymorph, 8th–animal shapes, 9th–shapechange

Dark Beyond: 1st–ray of enfeeblement, 2nd–twisted space, 3rd–deeper darkness, 4th–black tentacles, 5th–suffocation, 6th–conjure black pudding, 7th–reverse gravity, 8th–orb of the void, 9th–interplanetary teleport

Dragon: 1st–burning hands, 2nd–elemental touch, 3rd–draconic reservoir, 4th–dragon’s breath, 5th–fire snake, 6th–form of the dragon I, 7th–form of the dragon II, 8th–form of the dragon III, 9th–meteor swarm

Fiend: 1st–cause fear, 2nd–death knell, 3rd–suggestion, 4th–aura of doom, 5th–feeblemind, 6th–unwilling shield, 7th–plague storm, 8th–frightful aspect, 9th–energy drain

Hero: 1st–moment of greatness, 2nd–shield other, 3rd–heroism, 4th–freedom of movement, 5th–spell resistance, 6th–heroes’ feast, 7th–mage’s sword, 8th–binding, 9th–heroic invocation

Mage: 1st–magic missile, 2nd–blur, 3rd–arcane sight, 4th–dimension door, 5th–mage’s faithful hound, 6th–mage’s lucubration, 7th–mage’s magnificent mansion, 8th–clone, 9th–mage’s disjunction

Noble: 1st–command, 2nd–enthrall, 3rd–hold person, 4th–charm monster, 5th–dominate person, 6th–repulsion, 7th– mass hold person, 8th–demand, 9th–overwhelming presence

Scholar: 1st–identify, 2nd–locate object, 3rd–tongues, 4th–scrying, 5th–contact other plane, 6th–legend lore, 7th– circle of clarity, 8th–discern location, 9th–astral projection

Seer: 1st–true strike, 2nd–see invisibility, 3rd–blood biography, 4th–divination, 5th–true seeing, 6th–analyze dweomer, 7th–greater scrying, 8th–moment of prescience, 9th–foresight

Skull: 1st–chill touch, 2nd–haunting mists, 3rd–animate dead, 4th–blight, 5th–slay living, 6th–undead anatomy III, 7th–finger of death, 8th–create greater undead, 9th–wail of the banshee

Thief: 1st–detect secret doors, 2nd–knock, 3rd–gaseous form, 4th–shadow step, 5th–secret chest, 6th–getaway, 7th–phase door, 8th–screen, 9th–refuge

Tree: 1st–shillelagh, 2nd–barkskin, 3rd–burst of nettles, 4th–arboreal hammer, 5th–tree stride, 6th–liveoak, 7th–animate plants, 8th–control plants, 9th–wooden phalanx

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pact Magic Unbound Vol. 2 © 2012, Radiance House. Authors: Alexander Augunas and Dario Nardi.

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