Skyrider (Legendary Gunslinger Archetype)

In a battlefield full of chaos, some choose to stay above it all, soaring majestically in the air while raining down destruction from the skies. For a sky rider, her place is among the clouds, laying siege to opponents from aloft her trusted winged companion as she barrages foes with hot lead.

Animal Companion (Ex)

At 2nd level, a sky rider forms a bond with an animal companion, gaining a bird for her animal companion This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the sky rider on her adventures. This ability functions like the druid animal companion ability (which is part of the nature bond class feature). The sky rider’s effective druid level is equal to her sky rider level. If a character receives an animal companion from more than one source, her effective druid levels stack for the purposes of determining the companion’s statistics and abilities. A sky rider can teach her companion sky rider’s tricks from the skirmisher ranger archetype instead of standard tricks. The animal companion can use skirmisher tricks when commanded, a number of times per day equal to half its Hit Dice plus its Wisdom modifier.

If a sky rider releases her companion from service or her animal companion perishes, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer in the environment where the new companion typically lives.

This ability replaces slinger’s quirk, steely resolve, and skilled resolve.

Wild Empathy (Ex)

At 2nd level, a sky rider can improve the initial attitude of an animal. This ability functions as a Diplomacy check to improve the attitude of a person. The sky rider rolls 1d20 and adds her sky rider level and her Wisdom modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly.

To use wild empathy, the sky rider and the animal must be within 30 feet 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.

The sky rider can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check.

This ability replaces eagle eyes.

Aerial Mount (Ex)

At 4th level, a sky rider gains the Monstrous Mount feat, regardless of if she meets the prerequisites, although she can only choose a griffon or hippogriff with this feat. If she wishes, rather than needing to find a new animal companion, she can instead choose to let her previous animal companion transform into a griffon or hippogriff.

This ability replaces the 4th level nimble; a sky rider gains nimble for the first time at 8th level.

Bound Mobility (Ex)

A sky rider’s animal companion also benefits from the sky rider’s nimble class feature.

This ability alters nimble.

Skybound (Ex)

At 6th level, a sky rider gains the Monstrous Mount Mastery feat, regardless of if she meets the prerequisites, being treated as though she was 7th level for the purpose of being able to access her mount’s mastery ability.

This ability replaces the gunner’s style gained at 6th level.