The first thing that comes to mind is the Magus Black Blade. If the game starts at 3rd level, you get an intelligent sword at that level.
Changing things to fit the character becomes homebrew at that point.
There is the Archanist Blackblade, but you are not really a melee character perse.
Ok so one of my players wants to play a intelligent sword possessing a character and there character is actually the sword, and if they are disarmed the other being must pick the weapon back up to resume command of it.
Is there a precedent for such a thing in the world?...[snip]
While I don't know if there is anything mechanical to help, there is an interesting area of lore I found during recent skimmings of the world guide.
Check out the Plain of Ten Thousand Swords, located in Numeria. To boil it down, there was a great battle that was locked in a stalemate. Traitors on both sides killed the leaders, but not before they cursed everyone to remain on the plain until the battle was over. The curse was so strong that it still effects anyone that dies there, binding their soul to the weapon they are carrying.
Fast forward to now. A hapless PC encounters the edges of this cursed place and wrests one of the blades free of the ground, the soul within quickly possessing him to roam the land again.
As for rules, you could always make a Dhampir (to reflect the half-dead, possession-like portion) Bladebound Magus. They permanently are attached to the weapon they gain at level 3, allowing them to grow with the PC and teleport back to them whenever seperated.
Just an idea!
How about a permanenced Magic Jar effect on the sword? The soul bound to it is the character. This avoids the weird wealth issues of the intelligent magic weapon thing, as it could be just a normal or mw, or as enchanted as the PC soul can afford.
It means the PC may be able to continue after their body's death, or upgrade bodies as they go, if the other PCs allow it.
In return for possible immortality, maybe restrict takeover range to touch, and maybe add a rider where if the weapon's wielder saves vs their possession then they can command the PC soul with a Geas or Dominate effect.
In addition to these theft/disarm fears, being hedged out of the body by a 'Protection vs' spell could be interesting, depending on how/who the body was obtained. They'd also have to worry about AMFs, sunders, and dispels. Would they worry and obsess about recreating their body-snatching immortality, or would they like the feeling of being normal mortal flesh again?
I like the Bladebound Magus approach and just keep the focus on the weapon. Is this a standard game with multiple players who are otherwise using published Paizo products? That could result in some difficulties, especially in situations where the party may be disarmed or another PC has to handle the sentient sword. If disarmed would the bearer have any desire to pick up the thing that has been mind controlling it and forcing it into battle for the swords own ends? How will you handle Sunder as a thing?
And these questions are why bladebound magus seems perfect haha. Pretty much immune to sunder (and if it is broken, the shards can be reforged for x money), and you can teleport the sword back to you. It even talks!
The main idea was that this is fully within the standard rules for a player character, with basic mechanics just refluffed to fit the idea. As a GM, you can obviously do whatever you want, but I would check out the Bladebound archetypes' granted intelligent item as a good judge for power curve--a template, if you will.
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I've done this, though sadly the campaign never began. I was the Pinion, a deadly black blade forged when a wizard failed horribly in his magic. His love spurned by a local librarian girl, he attempted to produce a blade which would kill the girl in her sleep while he was in public at the bar with a clean alibi. He couldn't get the magic to bind with the metal, and became so frustrated he broke his own raven familiar's neck and threw it into the pot because it was mocking him. This forged me, with the wizards hatred of librarians and libraries, and the Ravens hatred of him. I killed them both.
Fast forward a few bloody years and a few burned down libraries, and the hate is gone. I wish to be freed of the enchantments, too powerful to resist but too vague to accomplish. I will slay the god of the library in the Aether, and be free to choose my own path. I am picked up by a magus (blackblood kensai, lvl 3) and my journey begins. He cannot beat my ego score with his will save, and I command him to improve me. His craft item score is high and his will save low. He will help me to grow, a legendary blade that can lay low even a god.
I made the ego score so high that even lucifer as written couldn't save against it on a nat 20. I gave the magus improved Impaling critical, so if I encountered a being (lucifer was the ultimate target) who could beat the god of the library, I could be impaled into them and they would need to take a move action to remove me. This would subject them to my ego score, allowing me to choose my new host at will.
Pinion became very upset when people tried to talk to the magus. "Look at me when I speak to you, mortal! The boy is of no consequence. I could kill you where you stand for such impudence!"
Oh my...
Would you be offended if I stole your character concept? It would fit perfectly with a certain gaming group I'm a part of...
Don't get hit with a protection from evil(?) spell. It prevents control.
I once played an adventure as one of several intelligent items carried by a hapless adventurer. We all battled for control of the body. Interesting concept, but only for a one-shot.
/cevah