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Wrote a quick archetype for a player in an upcoming game. He loves it, but I'd like some feedback on it if anyone's available. Druids are sort of hard to design for. : /
Although most druids are focused on the present condition of the natural world, those with wider minds study nature’s past in order to predict its future course. Having long since realized that nature grows and adapts to the changes spiraling around it, these druids constantly strive to progress the natural world into something greater than it already is.
Class Skills: Add Knowledge (history) to the evolutionist’s list of class skills.
Intellectual Equals (Ex): An evolutionist considers all properly evolved animals intellectual equals to humanoids, and as a result intelligent animals do not abandon an evolutionist who awakens them. An evolutionist can possess animal companions with Intelligence scores that exceed typical animal intelligence (Int 3 or higher). These companions cannot receive class levels as long as they remain in the evolutionist’s service and progress as typical animal companions would.
Spontaneous Evolution (Su): An evolutionist’s greatest power is the ability to inspire change in the natural world. At 1st level, an evolutionist gains an evolution pool with a number of points equal to ½ the evolutionist’s level + the evolutionist’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). This pool refreshes once per day when the evolutionist prepares druid spells. When preparing spells for the day, an evolutionist can spend these points in order to inspire evolution in other creatures, specifically the evolutionist’s animal companion, familiar, or plant companion. Each point spent in this manner grants the companion or familiar one 1-point evolution from the list of evolutions available to a summoner’s eidolon for 8 hours or until the next time the evolutionist prepares spells. The companion or familiar is treated as though it possessed the form evolution that is most appropriate for its type when selecting evolutions. For example, a shark would possess the aquatic form while a lion would possess the quadruped form. A companion or familiar can possess a maximum number of evolutions at once equal to ½ its Hit Dice (minimum 1).
At 10th level, an evolutionist can spend 2 evolution points from the evolution pool to select a 2-point evolution from the list of evolutions available to a summoner’s eidolon. At 15th level, an evolutionist can spend 3 points to select a 3-point evolution from the list of evolutions available to a summoner’s eidolon. This ability replaces nature sense and spontaneous casting.
Evolve Spellcasting (Su): At 2nd level, an evolutionist can alter a spell using the evolution pool. An evolutionist can use this ability to spontaneously apply the benefits of a metamagic feat to a prepared druid spell without increasing its level. Using this ability costs a number of points from the evolution pool equal to the metamagic feat’s level increase and the evolutionist cannot use this ability to modify a spell with a metamagic feat that the evolutionist could not normally prepare. This ability replaces woodland stride and trackless step.
Wild Shape (Su): An evolutionist cannot transform into plants or elementals using the wild shape ability. This ability otherwise functions as the standard druid’s wild shape class feature.
Wild Evolution (Su): At 4th level, an evolutionist can assume a hybrid form by spending 1 point from the evolution pool when using wild shape. This transformation functions similarly to assuming a lycanthropic hybrid form, except the evolutionist may use this ability to transform into a hybrid of humanoid and any animal that the evolutionist could transform into using wild shape. When transformed into a hybrid, the evolutionist’s size becomes one step closer to the animal’s size, gains a +2 natural armor bonus, and any of the animal’s natural attacks or special attacks that wild shape would normally bestow upon the evolutionist. Unlike wild shape, the evolutionist does not lose the ability to speak while in hybrid form, but the evolutionist cannot speak with other creatures of the hybrid animal’s kind while transformed. Because the evolutionist’s body remains humanoid in shape, equipment does not merge into the evolutionist’s body as though the evolutionist had transformed into a monstrous humanoid. At 20th level, assuming hybrid form no longer costs evolution points. (Although it still requires a standard action.) This ability replaces resist nature’s lure.
Timeless Evolutions (Ex): At 10th level, an evolutionist adds permanency and all spells in the necromancy (aging) subschool to the druid spell list as spells of the same level as their sorcerer/wizard counterparts. This ability replaces venom immunity.
Without playing or seeing the archetype played I cannot comment on its balance. However it looks sound and sounds very creative. The only thing I can nitpick is the Evolve Spellcasting feature. I would trade it out for the ability to spend points from the evolution pool to evolve and augment summoned creatures. It seems more fitting with the class, IMO.
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Without playing or seeing the archetype played I cannot comment on its balance. However it looks sound and sounds very creative. The only thing I can nitpick is the Evolve Spellcasting feature. I would trade it out for the ability to spend points from the evolution pool to evolve and augment summoned creatures. It seems more fitting with the class, IMO.
That DOES sound a lot cooler!
Totally stolen.