Monster Ally

This was originally a part of the monster knight and monster magus archetypes. I decided to make it a separate add-on and made notes in other archetypes saying that they fit together.

A monster ally is a summoner who has a pact with a supernatural creature that is of this world. This archetype works conceptually well with many other archetypes, especially ones that give up the summon monster ability.

The GM is encouraged to allow characters to combine this archetype with other archetypes, even those that modify the same class features. This does not work with archetypes like the clan summoner or creative artist that limits how much the eidolon can be present, nor does it work with the monster channeler or synthesist archetypes.

The monster ally has all the unchained summoner’s class features, except as described here.

Native Eidolon

A monster ally begins play with the services of a powerful creature called a native eidolon.

The native eidolon has a pact with the monster ally for reasons that need not be entirely clear. A native eidolon is a creature from the summoner’s home plane, usually the material plane. Fortunately for the monster ally, this can be any kind of eidolon; a creature that is normally extraplanar can naturalize itself to the material plane.

Some scholars suggest that becoming a native outsider is the reason such creatures chose to become eidolons to a monster ally in the first place.

The monster ally can opt to call a new native eidolon as a one-hour ritual that severs all ties with the old native eidolon. The replacement eidolon must travel to the monster ally using its own abilities, a process that can take a week or more depending on location.

The native eidolon gains the native subtype and loses the extraplanar subtype. It cannot be summoned or dismissed. This means that it cannot be conveniently stowed; keeping the native eidolon around can cause problems. The native eidolon gains the hard to kill evolution and a choice of bonus evolutions at first level.

It can choose either to gain the large evolution, or the change size evolution. Hard to kill and change size are evolutions only available to monster allies and described below. Whenever the summoner changes the eidolon’s evolutions, he can also change which of these evolutions it gains.

This is a modification to the eidolon ability, except as noted this is the same as a regular eidolon.

Hard to Kill (Ex)

Native eidolons are very hard to kill; they go unconscious normally at negative hit points, but automatically stabilize and can survive at negative hit points equal to half their full hit points. Unlike normal eidolons, native eidolons heal naturally over time. A native eidolon that is slain can be raised or resurrected without suffering negative levels even if its type would normally not allow this.

Change Size (Su)

As a standard action the native eidolon can alter its size, from Tiny to it’s normal size (normally Medium, but see the large evolution). Any equipment the native eidolon wears or wields also changes size. The eidolon gains the effects due an eidolon of whatever size it currently is. A Tiny native eidolon gains a +4 bonus to its Dexterity score, takes a –8 penalty to its Strength, and a –4 penalty to its Constitution. It gains a +2 size bonus to its AC and attack rolls, a –2 penalty to its CMB and CMD scores, a +4 bonus on its Fly skill checks, and a +8 bonus on its Stealth skill checks. It also loses its natural reach and all natural and weapon attacks do two steps less damage than a Medium eidolon. A Tiny eidolon is likely to be mistaken for a familiar.

Momentary Monsters

The summon monster ability of the monster ally can be used when the native eidolon is present, but when doing so the duration is only 1 round/level. This is a modification of the summon monster I ability and applies to all levels of the monster ally’s summon monster spell-like ability. If monster ally is combined with another archetype that modifies the summon monster ability to summon a different type of creature or a specific subset of monsters, the duration of such summons is similarly reduced. If the ability is changed to something that does not involve summoning monsters, this ability has no effect and does not interfere with selecting that archetype.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Legendary Summoners © 2020, Legendary Games; Author: Carl Cramer.

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