Planar Shepherd

Description:

Most druids are only concerned with the immediate world. Granted it is huge, with forests and deserts and mountains and seas. There is a terrain for every kind of druid imaginable and all require dedication to maintain and protect. But it is only one world and there are so many others. Eberron, more so than other worlds, regularly interacts with the other planes. Chief among these events are manifest zones that periodically appear, grow, shrink and disappear again. These zones act as doorways between the Material Plane and other planes of existence. The energies that spill over affecting the land for generations to come. And it takes a special kind of druid to understand how the cycles of the planes affect the world of the here and now. They are Planar Shepherds.

Role: Planar shepherds are almost always druids that are inducted into a sect that has good reason to explore and learn about other planes. This is typically either the Greensingers, who wish a general positive outlook between the Material Plane and the planes, or the Nightbringers, that believe the Material Plane needs to be punished for its acts against denizens of other planes.

Source: FoE, pg. 105

Alignment: Planar shepherds run the gambit of alignments, being as varied as the planes.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements:

To qualify to become a planar shepherd, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Skills: Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks.

Feats: Greensinger Initiate or Nightbringer Initiate.

Special: Wild shape class feature, ability to cast 3rd level divine spells, ability to cast Summon Nature's Ally.

Class Skills:

The planar shepherd's class skills (and the key abilities for each skill) are Diplomacy (Chr), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Perception (Wis), Spellcraft (Int) and Survival (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Planar Shepherd

Class Features:

All of the following are class features of the planar shepherd prestige class.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Planar shepherds do not gain any new proficiencies with weapons or armor.

Spells per Day / Spells Known: At the indicated levels, a planar shepherd gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain other benefits a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known (if he is a spontaneous caster), and an increased effective level of spellcasting. If he had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a planar shepherd, he must decide to which class she adds the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day. Once this decision is made, it cannot be changed.

Animal Companion Benefits: Levels in planar shepherd stack when determining the effective level of your animal companion, if any.

Planar Attunement (Su): At 1st level, the planar shepherd chooses a single plane other than the Material Plane. The plane chosen cannot have alignment trait that is opposite of the planar shepherd's alignment. Once chosen, this selection cannot be changed. The planar shepherd, and his animal companion, if any, are immune to any environmental or innate magical dangers of that plane, as if he, and his animal companion, if any, were natives of that plane. The planar shepherd also learns whichever language is most commonly spoken on his chosen plane. If he already speaks it, he may choose another language spoken on his chosen plane.

Summon Monster Benefits (Su): At 1st level, the planar shepherd is able to select creatures from the Summon Monster list to summon with his Summon Nature Ally spells, using the same table. Creatures summoned from this class feature must share a subtype as one of the traits of the planar shepherd's chosen plane (fire, cold, good, evil, etc)

Wild Shape Benefits: Levels in planar shepherd stack when determining the effect level for your wild shape class ability.

Detect Manifest Zone (Sp): At 2nd level, the planar shepherd is able cast Detect Manifest Zone as a spell-like ability at will.

Planar Wild Shape: At 2nd level, the planar shepherd gets Planar Wild Shape as a bonus feat.

Plane Shift (Sp): At 3rd level, the planar shepherd is able to cast Plane Shift once per day, but only between the Material Plane and his chosen plane from the Planar Attunement class feature. At 6th level, this increases to twice per day and at 9th level, this increases to three times per day

Planar Diplomat (Ex): At 5th level, the planar shepherd becomes a respected peer among the natives of his chosen plane. Creatures native to his chosen plane will not attack or initiate hostile actions toward him or his companions without being threatened first or being personally slighted. Summoned creatures from his native plane require the summoner to succeed on an opposed Charisma check with the planar shepherd in order to be ordered to attack the planar shepherd. This also allows the planar shepherd to use Diplomacy to deal with natives of his chosen plane.

Intensify Manifest Zone (Sp): At 7th level, the planar shepherd can cast Intensify Manifest Zone once per day as a spell-like ability without the need for the material component cost.

Planar Self (Su): At 10th level, the planar shepherd becomes an outsider, native to the plane chosen by his Planar Attunement class feature. This changes his creature type to outsider with a single subtype appropriate to his chosen plane. This also gives him damage reduction of 10 / magic. The planar shepherd no longer ages, although mental benefits still accumulate normally. Unlike other outsiders, a planar shepherd can still be raised or resurrected as his original creature type.