[3.5 PrC] With This, I Creep on All Fours: The Skinwalker (PEACH)

Yee Naaldlooshii

http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/u...enezgani-1.jpg

He walks unseen
Lives in death
Drinks pain
Eats fear
Wears skin

Among barbarian tribes in the wildest parts of the world, shamans use rituals, magic, and knowledge of medicinal herbs to help their tribes through illness, famines, and war. Some pervert the sacred rites of their ancestors to obtain the power to take forms other than their own. These shapeshifters, called yee naaldlooshii or skinwalkers, wear the skins of creatures they have killed in order to take their forms. Eventually they learn to take the forms of powerful aberrations and even dragons, and to create patchwork skins to take the most terrible qualities from each creature.

Spirit shamans are most likely to become yee naaldlooshii, though clerics, rangers, and favored souls do occasionally take levels in the class. Druids rarely pursue the ritual perversions of the yee naaldlooshii because they have an easier and less-limited means of changing shape.

Hitdie
d8.

Requirements
To qualify to become a yee naaldlooshii, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment
Any nonlawful, non good.

Skills
Craft (Leatherwork or Taxidermy) 8 ranks, Knowledge (Nature) 5 ranks, Survival 8 ranks.

Feats
Great Fortitude, Skill Focus: Craft (Leatherwork or Taxidermy)

Spells
Abile to cast at least four different transmutation spells as divine spells, at least one of which must be of 3rd level or higher.

Special
The character must have killed a member of her family, clan, or tribe; a blood brother; or a person she has sworn to protect.

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Skinwalking (Humanoid, Animal), Mimic	-
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Favorite shape, Mind Reading, Perverse Rites	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	Skinwalking (Vermin, Monstrous Humanoid)	-
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Favorite shape, Swift change	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Skinwalking (Magical Beast)	-
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Favorite shape, Extraordinary Skinwalking	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	Skinwalking (Aberration)	-
8th	+6	+6	+2	+6	Favorite shape, Unfettered Size	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th	+6	+6	+3	+6	Skinwalking (Dragon)	-
10th	+7	+7	+3	+7	Favorite shape, Patchwork Skin	+1 level of existing spellcasting class

Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (Nature), Knowledge (Religion), Profession, Spot, Spellcraft, Survival, Swim

Class Features
All of the following are Class Features of the yee naaldlooshii prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Yee naaldlooshii are proficient with all natural attacks of any form she assumes with skinwalking.

Spells per Day/Spells Known
At each even level the yee naaldlooshii gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in whatever spellcasting class she belonged to before he added the prestige class level. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one spellcasting class before he became a yee naaldlooshii, he must decide to which class he adds each level of yee naaldlooshii for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.

Skinwalking (Su): A yee naaldlooshii can transform itself into other creatures within one size category of hers. This ability functions as the alternate form special ability, except as noted here. At 1st level, she can assume humanoid or animal form. She later gains the ability to assume the form of a vermin (3rd level), monstrous humanoid (3rd level), magical beast (5th level), aberration (7th level), and dragon (9th level). Transforming takes a standard action, as does returning to her own form. She can use this ability an unlimited number of times per day.

To use this ability, the yee naaldlooshii must wear the skin of the creature she wishes to transform into. A skin takes up the shoulder magic item slot, and cannot be further enhanced. This skin must come from a creature that the yee naaldlooshii has vanquished (she may have had help). The skin must be harvested by the yee naaldlooshii, which requires a Craft (Leatherwork or Taxidermy) check (DC 10 + creature's HD), and preserved with herbs and unguents costing 1000 per HD the creature had. If she fails the survival check, the creature's hide is ruined and the yee naaldlooshii cannot try to harvest that individual's skin again. The yee naadlooshii cannot harvest hide from a creature that does not have skin, a shell, or some other outer covering, such as a will-o'-wisp or a creature with the incorporeal subtype.

While transformed, the yee naaldlooshii looks like the individual from which her skin came, and she gains a +10 on disguise checks to impersonate that individual. She has the statistics of an average member of her new form's race.

Any gear worn or carried by the yee naaldlooshii melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional. When the yee naaldlooshii reverts to her true form, any objects previously melded into the new form reappear in the same location on her body that they previously occupied and are once again functional. Any new items worn in the assumed form fall off and land at the yee naaldlooshii's feet.

This ability counts as wildshape for the purpose of qualifying for feats, prestige classes, etc.

Mimic (Su): A yee naaldlooshii can make any sound she is familiar with, regardless of her form, including verbal components of spells. She can duplicate a specific individual's voice by making a Bluff check; a listener familiar with the voice being imitated must succeed on an opposed Sense Motive check to discern that the voice is not genuine. If she has the Skill Trick Listen to This, she can use it an unlimited number of times per encounter or per minute.

Favorite Shape (Su): At 2nd level and every two levels thereafter, the yee naaldlooshii can choose one skins she possesses to become a favorite shape. She is able to transform into a favorite shape without wearing the skin, or even if the skin is lost or destroyed. At 5th and again at 9th level she can swap a single favorite shape for a new skin she posesses.

Mind Reading (Sp): At 2nd level a yee naaldlooshii can use Detect Thoughts as a spell-like ability at will, with a caster level equal to her class level (DC 10 + class level + Wisdom modifier).

Perverse Rites (Su): Starting at 2nd level, the yee naaldlooshii gains a bonus equal to her class level to her caster level for [evil] spells and a +4 bonus on skill checks to perform [evil] incantations.

Swift Change (Ex): Starting at 4th level, the yee naaldloshii can can use her skinwalking ability as a move action, rather than a standard action.

Extraordinary Skinwalking (Ex): Starting at 6th level, a yee naaldlooshii gains the extraordinary special qualities of any form she assumes with skinwalking.

Unfettered Size (Ex): Starting at 8th level, a yee naaldlooshii can assume the form of creatures within two size categories of hers.

Patchwork Skin (Ex): At 10th level, a yee naaldlooshii gains the ability to create a patchwork skin. She starts with a normal skin, then adds pieces of other donor skins to augment its abilities. She can use a donor skin to add a single natural attack, extraordinary ability, or speed or mode of movement posessed by the donor creature, or to replace the patchwork skin's natural armor bonus or a single ability score (STR, DEX, or CON) with the corresponding value of the donor creature.

Adding a donor skin to her patchwork skin requires the yee naaldlooshii to make a Craft (Leatherwork or Taxidermy) check equal to 15 + donor skin creature's HD and to expend 2500 GP on special herbs and unguents per HD of the donor creature. This takes one full day of work per two HD of the donor creature and consumes the donor skin. While wearing the patchwork skin, the yee naaldlooshii resembles a horrific admixture of the creatures that make up her skin, and as such does not gain a bonus to disguise checks to impersonate a specific creature.

A patchwork skin can never be chosen as a favorite shape.

Oh wow & excellent. NW New Mexico native kudos here. I wasn't expecting to see Navajo on the boards. I think the flavor is pretty spot on. Maybe allow Self Sufficient instead of Skill Focus but that's small potatoes. I might even suggest upping the Skill Points to 4+int/lvl. Losing 5/10 spellcasting is hard.

There's also the Trophy Hunter feat that might go well flavor-wise with this.

Thanks! I've seen some Skinwalker PrCs, but most of them were either based off of the Dresden Files' Naagloshii or didn't have as much flavor as I wanted.

I didn't want to give higher than 5/10 casting because the closest analogue is MoMF, which doesn't have any casting. The MoMF isn't as limited in shapes as the Yee Naaldlooshii, but the YN isn't limited by HD, only by what it's killed. That means the average YN will have a skin or skins maybe 7 CR above her level.

Love the authenticism.

Nothing immediately strikes me as being wrong. You may want to add a fluff prerequisite representing the corrupted nature of their practices. I remember once hearing a legend about skinwalker initiation rites. Something about having to kill a close relative?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jeff the Green

Thanks! I've seen some Skinwalker PrCs, but most of them were either based off of the Dresden Files' Naagloshii or didn't have as much flavor as I wanted.

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Although they were not PrCs, me and Lyndworm feel hurt.

That aside, not too shabby. Only real thing that I feel is missing fluff-wise is that it ignores the other powers of skinwalkers, but well put together.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyromancer999

Although they were not PrCs, me and Lyndworm feel hurt.

That aside, not too shabby. Only real thing that I feel is missing fluff-wise is that it ignores the other powers of skinwalkers, but well put together.

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Kellus's Blue Book has one. He didn't actually name it "Skinwalker", but it follows the same concept.

Seems odd that you switch from Survival to Craft(Taxidermy) when you go from preserving skins to adding to them. I'd make them all Craft(Taxidermy), honestly.

Otherwise, I like what I see. Upping to 4+ skill points wouldn't be out there, given woodsy types like Rangers and Spirit Shamans have at least 4+.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pyromancer999

Although they were not PrCs, me and Lyndworm feel hurt.

That aside, not too shabby. Only real thing that I feel is missing fluff-wise is that it ignores the other powers of skinwalkers, but well put together.

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Thanks. Actually, I really like your and Lyndworm's versions, but like I said, I wanted a PrC. One of the parts of the Skinwalker legend that I wanted to capture was that they're already highly powerful workers of the Witchery Way (one of the branches of Navajo shamanism) who have turned their power toward evil ends, which to my mind screams prestige class.

What powers were you thinking I missed (other than mind reading, which I just added)? I mostly went off of my memory of Navajo story compilations and the Wikipedia article, so it's entirely possible I missed some key ones.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cieyrin

Seems odd that you switch from Survival to Craft(Taxidermy) when you go from preserving skins to adding to them. I'd make them all Craft(Taxidermy), honestly.

Otherwise, I like what I see. Upping to 4+ skill points wouldn't be out there, given woodsy types like Rangers and Spirit Shamans have at least 4+.

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:smallconfused: You're right. That is odd. I was originally thinking that it would be survival to properly prepare and apply the preservatives, but that's not right. I will change that.

Y'know, I like this. It's surprisingly simple, but doesn't have any dead levels. Cool beans and tip o' the hat, sir.

For the sake of documentation, edits made 3.7.2012:

• Requirement added "Special: The character must have killed a member of her family, clan, or tribe; a blood brother; or a person she has sworn to protect." (Thanks Scotchland!)
• Requirement changed from "Feat: Skill Focus: Survival" to "Feat: Skill Focus: Craft (Leatherwork or Taxidermy)"
• Skillpoints increased from 2+INT per level to 4+INT per level. (Thanks rollforeigninit and Cieyrin!)
• Class Feature changed Skinwalking now requires a Craft (Leatherwork or Taxidermy) check instead of a Survival check. (Thanks Cieyrin!)
• Class Feature added "Mind Reading (Sp): At 2nd level a yee naaldlooshii can use Detect Thoughts as a spell-like ability at will, with a caster level equal to her class level (DC 10 + class level + Wisdom modifier)."