Ancestral Vessel

Class Description:

Ancestral Vessels are living conduits for the spirits of those who came before. Through intense ritual, bloodline bonds, or sheer force of will, they open themselves as channels for ancestral echoes, embodying the strengths and talents of their lineage. These manifestations aren’t illusions, they reshape the Vessel’s mind and body for a short time, allowing them to fight like warriors, cast like mages, or endure like champions. Yet, this power is fickle: no Vessel can sustain one ancestor’s form for long, and shifting between them taxes body and spirit.

Role: The Ancestral Vessel is a versatile support and switch-hitter. Unlike traditional spellcasters or warriors, they do not commit to one role permanently. Instead, they call upon ancestral legacies in battle, adapting moment by moment to the needs of the fight. In one round, they might channel the martial prowess of a long-dead warlord, and in the next, shift into the wisdom of an elder sage. Their flexibility allows them to cover gaps in a party’s composition, but their borrowed nature means they will never fully match a specialist’s mastery.

Class Info:

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d8

Starting Wealth: 3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp.) 

Class Skills: Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Linguistics (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of an Ancestral Vessel. 

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

• An Ancestral Vessel is proficient with all simple weapons, plus light and medium armor and shields (except tower shields). They may cast Ancestral Vessel spells while wearing light or medium armor and shields without incurring arcane spell failure.

• When channeling a specific Ancestral Vessel, they may gain additional weapon or armor proficiencies appropriate to that ancestor’s legacy (for example, a warrior ancestor might grant proficiency with martial weapons, while a knightly ancestor could grant heavy armor proficiency). These proficiencies are active only while the Vessel is embodied.