Weretouched Master

Description:

Weretouched masters are shfiters that have learned to reestablish the long-lost link to their lycanthropic ancestors. While this does not provide them with true lycanthropy, it does bring a great deal closer to what life was like for their forefarthers. They learn how to better emulate their natural prowess of their past and eventually manage to shift into one specific animal. Those that do so are seen among the shifter communities as managing to truly reunite with the past that was cut off from them. Sadly, this enhanced shifting often gives outsiders rise to the belief that not all lycanthropes are gone, sometimes leading to altercations with torch-bearing mobs. It is for this reason that those shifters that manage to pursue this path often stay far from civilization.

Role: Weretouched masters often come from rangers and barbarians that seek the enhanced abilities in battle or on the hunt. Few druids seek this path, however, as the connection to nature and their past can be obtained in easier ways. Occasionally, a shifter rogue may pursue the pinnacle of the alternate form in order to make sneaking in and out of protected locations easier.

Source: ECB, pg. 85

Alignment: Weretouched masters tend to be neutral or chaotic, but that is only because the pursuit of the lycanthrope heritage usually goes against most laws and customs of more 'civilized' folk.

Hit Dice: d8

Requirements:

To qualify to become a weretouched master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Race: Shifter

Base Attack Bonus: +4

Skills: Knowledge (nature) 2 ranks, Survival 5 ranks

Feats: Any shifter feat.

Class Skills:

The weretouched master's class skills (and the key abilities for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Handle Animal (Chr), Intimidate (Chr), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis) and Swim (Str).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Weretouched Master

Class Features:

All of the following are class features of the weretouched master prestige class.

Weapons and Armor Proficiency: Weretouched masters gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor or shields.

Weretouched: At 1st level, the weretouched master learns the truth of his lycanthrope heritage. In particular, he learns (read: chooses) what kind of lycanthrope he is descended from and, thus, what kind he can learn to reconnect with. The type of lycanthrope is limited to what primary shifter trait was chosen at character, as detailed on the following table. Once the type of lycanthrope the weretouched master is descended from, it determines the rest of the benefits of this prestige class and cannot be changed.

Weretouched Connection (Su): At 1st level, the type of lycanthrope that the weretouched master is descended from becomes more pronounced during his shifting. Cosmetically, this means a significant increase or decrease in hair, the growth (and subsequent loss) of a small tail or a significant distortion in the facial makeup. More importantly, however, whenever the weretouched master is shifting, he gains the appropriate benefit based on his lycanthropic hertiage. The bonus to the physical attribute stacks with that of your shifter trait. If you already have the natural weapon listed, then damage die is increased by one step, as per Improved Natural Attack. This stacks with the actual Improved Natural Attack feat.

Wild Empathy (Ex): At 2nd level, gains the wild empathy class feature, just like a druid. This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The weretouched master rolls a 1d20 and adds his weretouched master level and his Charisma 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 weretouched master and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions. Generally influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute but, as within influencing people, it might take more or less time. The weretouched master can use this ability to influence magical animals with an Intelligence of 1 or 2, but at a -4 penalty to the check. If the animal is of the same type as what was chosen for Weretouched I, the weretouched master gets a +4 racial bonus to the check.

Bonus Shifter Feat: At 2nd and 4th level, the weretouched master gains a bonus shifter feat. He must qualify for the feat normally.

Improved Weretouch Connection (Su): At 3rd level, the weretouched master's connection to his lycanthropic heritage grows. Cosmetically, when he shifts, the nature of his lycanthrope ancestor is easily recognizable. Those descended from werebats have their ears and faces shift to match. Weresharks have their skin covered in sharp scales and grow a temporary second set of teeth. The other lycanthrope descendants all have a full covering of fur, colored appropriate to their type. More importantly, while shifting, the weretouched master gains DR 10 / silver. This damage reduction stacks with that of the Shifter Defense feat, but does not stack with any other sources of damage reduction.

Frightful Presence (Ex): At 4th level, whenever the weretouched master is shifting, he has a frightful presence, as per the universal monster rules. The DC for this ability is 10 + the weretouched master's class level + his Chr modifier. This effect lasts for the standard 5d6 rounds and the range in a 30' radius centered on the weretouched master. The weretouched master can suppress this ability by spending a free action, but if he attacks or makes any other aggressive action (casting an offensive spell, using the Intimidate skill, etc), the effect immediately resumes.

In order to prevent 'packmates' from being scared away in the middle of combat, the weretouched master must spend one month in the company of those he is with. Thus, long standing adventuring parties are not subject to the frightful presence of one of their group, but newly introduced members, or people they might be trying to save, are. This reason, more than any other, is why weretouched masters tend to be loners.

Alternate Form (Su): At 5th level, the weretouched master can use his shifting ability to change in the animal version of his lycanthrope ancestor. In effect, this allows the shifter a second choice of what change into as, just as a true lycanthrope can choose to change into his hybrid of animal form and, just like a true lycantrhope, this alternate form is always the same animal. The number of times per day, type of action and duration of this alternate form are exactly the same as his normal shifting ability, although his gear does not change with him or is otherwise carried. In all other ways, treat this effect as Beast Shape III with a caster level equal to the weretouched master's character level. In the case of werebears, the decision between grizzly bear and polar bear must be made upon getting this class feature. Once this decision has been made, it cannot be changed.

It is important to note that this does not make the weretouched master a lycanthrope. He still does not possess a curse, nor can he infect others with lycanthropy. This, however, is not common knowledge about this prestige class and weretouched masters are often hunted down under a case of mistaken identity. If killed in this form, the weretouched master reverts back to his natural shifter form, although severed body parts do not automatically revert.