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Spirit Binders (Tome of Magic variants) - updated TWICE 12/25
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<blockquote data-quote="Nifft" data-source="post: 2814229" data-attributes="member: 6562"><p><strong>Flavor text and Feats</strong></p><p></p><p>Spirits are both like and unlike Vestiges. Like Vestiges, they are willing to bind with mortals who know the proper rituals. Unlike Vestiges, they are a part of the world -- they are not so starved for experience that they trade their power without regard for morality. Thus, spirits require certain Taboos be obeyed. Taboos are intended to be a balancing factor -- they are not mere flavor text, though they are also intended to be flavorful.</p><p></p><p>Three kinds of spirits are detailed here: animal, fey and elemental. Animal spirits focus on physical ability, fey spirits focus on magic and trickery, and elemental spirits provide a host of powerful abilities.</p><p></p><p>Binding a spirit is far less arduous than binding a vestige. There is no Binding check required, and you automatically make a "good" pact, if the spirit allows you to make a pact at all. (Spirits whose taboos you have violated may require a gift or quest to atone for your transgression before they allow you to bind yourself to them.)</p><p></p><p>Binding yourself to a spirit takes a full-round action, which provokes an attack of opportunity. You may dismiss a bound spirit as a full-round action (which also provokes an attack of opportunity). Binding is (Su), while dismissing is (Ex).</p><p></p><p>The powers granted by Vestiges are always Supernatural (Su), because they are so alien to the world. Spirits grant some Supernatural (Su) powers and some Spell-Like Abilities (Sp).</p><p></p><p>Animal spirits do not require any specific effective binder level (EBL). Fey and Elemental spirits might. If so, this is specified in their description.</p><p></p><p>Some spirits have descriptors. You may never bind two spirits with conflicting descriptors. Conflicting descriptors are:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Fire vs. Cold or Water</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Air vs. Earth</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Good vs. Evil</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Law vs. Chaos</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Light vs. Shadow or Darkness</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Healing or Life vs. Death</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Spirit Binding and Taboos</strong>: Spirits respond to many different styles of ritual summoning. Animal spirits respond to a summoner who speaks in a loud, clear voice and brandishes an appropriate fetish bag (see below) or a burnt offering. Fey spirits typically require a demonstration of skill, though they may waive this if you have sufficiently impressed them in the past. (If your skill check, before rolling, is more than double the skill rank required, a demonstration is typically waived.) Elemental spirits require that you be adjacent to a large quantity of the element in question, and that you speak their elemental language in a loud, clear voice.</p><p></p><p>If you become unqualified for a spirit to which you are bound -- for example, if you were already bound to Pahoehoe when you fail your save vs. an enemy's <em>ego whip</em>, and the ability damage reduces your Charisma below 15 -- the spirit unbinds itself, leaving you without its benefits, as though you had dismissed it. You may re-bind the spirit later (if you have any daily bindings left, and if you recover such that you qualify to bind to the spirit).</p><p></p><p>If you break a spirit's Taboo, that spirit unbinds itself, leaving you without its benefits. It leaves behind a nasty curse (as <em>bestow curse</em>, but with no save or SR). You can remove the curse normally, but the vengeful spirit will re-bestow its curse on you each time you bind to a different spirit. You may not re-bind that particular spirit until it has been appeased by a sacrifice, quest, or other means of atonement. Each offended spirit will only bestow one curse at a time, but if you have violated the taboos of different spirits, you will suffer one curse from each until you have atoned in the eyes of each spirit separately.</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Visionquest: After depriving yourself of food for one week, you enact a solitary ritual that lasts 24 hours. You expend 100 xp per character level to appease one spirit.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Wild Hunt: You must track down and slay in single combat an enemy of the spirit of a CR equal to your character level. (The spirit typically releases you from its curse for the duration of the combat.)</li> </ul><p></p><p><u>Fetish Bags</u>: This collection of bones, feathers, dried leather and preserved parts is required to bind animal spirits. Treat it as a spell component pouch, except that one can be constructed (free of cost in a natural setting) over the course of a week with seven consecutive Kn(Nature) checks DC 16 or Survival checks DC 18, or over the course of a day with eight consecutive Kn(Nature) checks DC 22 or Survival checks DC 25.</p><p></p><p></p><p><strong>Multi-Classing, Affinity Overlap and EBL</strong>: Characters with the Spirit Binding class ability may multi-class normally. If a character has two (or more) classes which grant the same type of Affinity, the EBL granted by these classes stacks (e.g. Vodun Berserker and Spirit Walker both grant Animal Spirit Affinity, so a VB 6 / SW 2 would count as having EBL 8).</p><p></p><p>Note that Primal Fury derives solely from Vodun Berserker level (VBL) and not Effective Binder Level (EBL).</p><p></p><p><u>Lesser Affinity</u> also stacks, but each class level that grants Lesser Affinity only counts for 1/2 EBL. For example, a Spirit Walker 6 / Shaman 6 would haven an EBL of 12 when binding Animal Spirits, but an EBL of 9 when binding Fey Spirits, and an EBL of only 6 when binding Elemental Sprits (since a level 6 Spirit Walker does not yet have Lesser Affinity (Elemental)).</p><p></p><p>A Spirit Walker 10 / Shaman 10 would have an EBL of 20 with respect to Animal Spirits, and an EBL of 15 with respect to Fey and Elemental Spirits.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Some feats apply to various kinds of Spirit Binders, as noted below:</p><p></p><p><strong>Extra Binding</strong></p><p>Prereq: Ability to bind a spirit at least 2/day</p><p>Benefit: You can bind spirits +2/day. The number of spirits you may bind to yourself at once does not increase.</p><p>Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.</p><p></p><p><strong>Extra Primal Fury</strong></p><p>Prereq: Primal Fury class ability usable at least 2/day</p><p>Benefit: You gain an additional daily use of Primal Fury, and each use of your Primal Fury lasts an extra two rounds.</p><p>Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.</p><p></p><p><strong>Favored Spirit</strong></p><p>Prereq: Affinity for at least one class of spirits</p><p>Benefit: Choose one Spirit to whom you can bind, and for which you have Affinity (not merely Lesser Affinity). Your level is treated as one higher for all abilities that this sprit grants, including those granted by Primal Fury.</p><p>Special: You may choose this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time, choose a different spirit.</p><p></p><p><strong>Favored Spirit Focus</strong></p><p>Prereq: Favored Spirit</p><p>Benefit: Choose one Spirit for whom you have the Favored Spirit feat. The save DC for any supernatural or spell-like ability granted by this Spirit increases by +1.</p><p>Special: You may choose this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time, choose a different spirit for whom you have the Favored Spirit feat.</p><p></p><p><strong>Practiced Spirit Binder</strong></p><p>Prereq: Ability to bind a Spirit</p><p>Benefit: Your EBL is considered to be 2 higher for the purpose of determining what Spirits you can bind yourself to. (This has no effect on Animal Spirits.)</p><p></p><p><strong>Rapid Binding</strong></p><p>Prereq: Ability to bind a Spirit</p><p>Benefit: You can bind a Spirit as a standard action (instead of a full-round action), and you can dismiss a spirit as a move action.</p><p>Special: You may take this feat twice. The second time you take it, your binding speed increases such that it only takes you a move action to bind a spirit, and you can dismiss a spirit as a swift action.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nifft, post: 2814229, member: 6562"] [b]Flavor text and Feats[/b] Spirits are both like and unlike Vestiges. Like Vestiges, they are willing to bind with mortals who know the proper rituals. Unlike Vestiges, they are a part of the world -- they are not so starved for experience that they trade their power without regard for morality. Thus, spirits require certain Taboos be obeyed. Taboos are intended to be a balancing factor -- they are not mere flavor text, though they are also intended to be flavorful. Three kinds of spirits are detailed here: animal, fey and elemental. Animal spirits focus on physical ability, fey spirits focus on magic and trickery, and elemental spirits provide a host of powerful abilities. Binding a spirit is far less arduous than binding a vestige. There is no Binding check required, and you automatically make a "good" pact, if the spirit allows you to make a pact at all. (Spirits whose taboos you have violated may require a gift or quest to atone for your transgression before they allow you to bind yourself to them.) Binding yourself to a spirit takes a full-round action, which provokes an attack of opportunity. You may dismiss a bound spirit as a full-round action (which also provokes an attack of opportunity). Binding is (Su), while dismissing is (Ex). The powers granted by Vestiges are always Supernatural (Su), because they are so alien to the world. Spirits grant some Supernatural (Su) powers and some Spell-Like Abilities (Sp). Animal spirits do not require any specific effective binder level (EBL). Fey and Elemental spirits might. If so, this is specified in their description. Some spirits have descriptors. You may never bind two spirits with conflicting descriptors. Conflicting descriptors are: [list] [*] Fire vs. Cold or Water [*] Air vs. Earth [*] Good vs. Evil [*] Law vs. Chaos [*] Light vs. Shadow or Darkness [*] Healing or Life vs. Death [/list] [b]Spirit Binding and Taboos[/b]: Spirits respond to many different styles of ritual summoning. Animal spirits respond to a summoner who speaks in a loud, clear voice and brandishes an appropriate fetish bag (see below) or a burnt offering. Fey spirits typically require a demonstration of skill, though they may waive this if you have sufficiently impressed them in the past. (If your skill check, before rolling, is more than double the skill rank required, a demonstration is typically waived.) Elemental spirits require that you be adjacent to a large quantity of the element in question, and that you speak their elemental language in a loud, clear voice. If you become unqualified for a spirit to which you are bound -- for example, if you were already bound to Pahoehoe when you fail your save vs. an enemy's [i]ego whip[/i], and the ability damage reduces your Charisma below 15 -- the spirit unbinds itself, leaving you without its benefits, as though you had dismissed it. You may re-bind the spirit later (if you have any daily bindings left, and if you recover such that you qualify to bind to the spirit). If you break a spirit's Taboo, that spirit unbinds itself, leaving you without its benefits. It leaves behind a nasty curse (as [i]bestow curse[/i], but with no save or SR). You can remove the curse normally, but the vengeful spirit will re-bestow its curse on you each time you bind to a different spirit. You may not re-bind that particular spirit until it has been appeased by a sacrifice, quest, or other means of atonement. Each offended spirit will only bestow one curse at a time, but if you have violated the taboos of different spirits, you will suffer one curse from each until you have atoned in the eyes of each spirit separately. [list] [*] Visionquest: After depriving yourself of food for one week, you enact a solitary ritual that lasts 24 hours. You expend 100 xp per character level to appease one spirit. [*] Wild Hunt: You must track down and slay in single combat an enemy of the spirit of a CR equal to your character level. (The spirit typically releases you from its curse for the duration of the combat.) [/list] [u]Fetish Bags[/u]: This collection of bones, feathers, dried leather and preserved parts is required to bind animal spirits. Treat it as a spell component pouch, except that one can be constructed (free of cost in a natural setting) over the course of a week with seven consecutive Kn(Nature) checks DC 16 or Survival checks DC 18, or over the course of a day with eight consecutive Kn(Nature) checks DC 22 or Survival checks DC 25. [b]Multi-Classing, Affinity Overlap and EBL[/b]: Characters with the Spirit Binding class ability may multi-class normally. If a character has two (or more) classes which grant the same type of Affinity, the EBL granted by these classes stacks (e.g. Vodun Berserker and Spirit Walker both grant Animal Spirit Affinity, so a VB 6 / SW 2 would count as having EBL 8). Note that Primal Fury derives solely from Vodun Berserker level (VBL) and not Effective Binder Level (EBL). [u]Lesser Affinity[/u] also stacks, but each class level that grants Lesser Affinity only counts for 1/2 EBL. For example, a Spirit Walker 6 / Shaman 6 would haven an EBL of 12 when binding Animal Spirits, but an EBL of 9 when binding Fey Spirits, and an EBL of only 6 when binding Elemental Sprits (since a level 6 Spirit Walker does not yet have Lesser Affinity (Elemental)). A Spirit Walker 10 / Shaman 10 would have an EBL of 20 with respect to Animal Spirits, and an EBL of 15 with respect to Fey and Elemental Spirits. Some feats apply to various kinds of Spirit Binders, as noted below: [b]Extra Binding[/b] Prereq: Ability to bind a spirit at least 2/day Benefit: You can bind spirits +2/day. The number of spirits you may bind to yourself at once does not increase. Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Its effects stack. [b]Extra Primal Fury[/b] Prereq: Primal Fury class ability usable at least 2/day Benefit: You gain an additional daily use of Primal Fury, and each use of your Primal Fury lasts an extra two rounds. Special: You may take this feat multiple times. Its effects stack. [b]Favored Spirit[/b] Prereq: Affinity for at least one class of spirits Benefit: Choose one Spirit to whom you can bind, and for which you have Affinity (not merely Lesser Affinity). Your level is treated as one higher for all abilities that this sprit grants, including those granted by Primal Fury. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time, choose a different spirit. [b]Favored Spirit Focus[/b] Prereq: Favored Spirit Benefit: Choose one Spirit for whom you have the Favored Spirit feat. The save DC for any supernatural or spell-like ability granted by this Spirit increases by +1. Special: You may choose this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time, choose a different spirit for whom you have the Favored Spirit feat. [b]Practiced Spirit Binder[/b] Prereq: Ability to bind a Spirit Benefit: Your EBL is considered to be 2 higher for the purpose of determining what Spirits you can bind yourself to. (This has no effect on Animal Spirits.) [b]Rapid Binding[/b] Prereq: Ability to bind a Spirit Benefit: You can bind a Spirit as a standard action (instead of a full-round action), and you can dismiss a spirit as a move action. Special: You may take this feat twice. The second time you take it, your binding speed increases such that it only takes you a move action to bind a spirit, and you can dismiss a spirit as a swift action. [/QUOTE]
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