Prestige Classes

BONDED SUMMONER

He who learns to leash the furies of the Elemental Planes is known as a bonded summoner. The mightiest manifestation of those planes, in their various potencies, is the elemental. And the bonded summoner knows elementals. He has studied their ways, means, origins, and formation. He instinctively knows an elemental’s strengths and develops an unbreakable bond with a powerful elemental companion. As this bond deepens over time, the bonded summoner’s kinship with the elemental forces he controls deepens, blurring the line between summoner and summoned. Eventually, this journey of discovery leads to his own ability to take on the form of that which he could formerly only summon. The knowledge required to learn the secrets of the Outer Planes is arcane in nature, and thus this prestige class is filled mostly with sorcerers and wizards—though anyone else who meets the requirements may choose to take the journey of a bonded summoner. NPC bonded summoners are usually loners, though they may organize with specialists or fellow bonded summoners of their element if threatened. Other NPC bonded summoners are content to join their abilities with companies of adventurers to explore all the avenues of elementals. Because a bonded summoner brings with him a powerful ally, most groups are happy to form such an alliance.

Hit Die: d4.

Requirements

To qualify to become a bonded summoner, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Skills: Knowledge (the planes) 8 ranks, Speak Language (Aquan, Auran, Ignan, or Terran).

Spells: Able to cast 2nd-level arcane spells.

Special: Must have a familiar.

Class Skills

The bonded summoner's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (Int), Profession (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Bonded Summoner

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the bonded summoner prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Bonded summoners gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Spells per Day: At every even-numbered level gained in the bonded summoner class, the character gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain all the benefits a character of that class would have gained (metamagic or item creation feats, and so on), except for an increased effective level of spellcasting. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a bonded summoner, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining spells per day.

Elemental Companion (Ex): At 1st level, a bonded summoner picks his element of study: air, earth, fire, or water. This choice cannot be changed. The bonded summoner calls a Medium elemental of the type chosen, which replaces his familiar. The elemental gets abilities according to the information in the accompanying sidebar.

At 3rd level, his elemental companion grows to Large. At 5th level, it grows to Huge. At 7th level, the companion becomes a greater elemental, and at 9th level it becomes an elder elemental.

If the elemental companion dies, the bonded summoner takes damage equal to the elemental’s Hit Dice. The bonded summoner also takes 1d4 points of damage to each ability score. A new elemental of the same kind as the old one may be summoned 24 hours later. A bonded summoner may dismiss his elemental at any time without taking this damage, but he must still wait 24 hours before summoning another elemental.

Resistance to Energy (Ex): A bonded summoner gains resistance 5 against the energy type associated with his element of study.

Element	Energy
Air	Electricity
Earth	Acid
Fire	Fire
Water	Cold

At 3rd level, this resistance improves to 10. At 5th level, it improves to 15. At 7th level, it improves to 20. At 9th level, the character gains immunity to the energy type in question.

Immunities (Ex): Over time, a bonded summoner slowly turns into an elemental, gaining an elemental’s immunities along the way.

At 3rd level, he becomes immune to sleep effects.

At 5th level, he becomes immune to poison.

At 7th level, he becomes immune to paralysis and stunning.

At 10th level, he is no longer subject to critical hits.

Cannot Be Flanked (Ex): At 9th level, a bonded summoner has become so much like an elemental that he loses the normal human orientation toward “front” and “back.” Like an elemental, he can’t be flanked.

Elemental Form (Su): At 10th level, a bonded summoner gains the ability to turn himself into an elemental and back again once per day. This elemental is an elder elemental of the bonded summoner’s element of study. This ability functions like the polymorph spell, except as noted here. The effect lasts for 10 hours, or until the bonded summoner changes back. Changing form (to elemental or back) is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Elemental Type: At 10th level, a bonded summoner’s type changes to elemental, and he gains the subtype of the appropriate element. He loses any other elemental subtypes he may have.

Bonded Summoner’s Elemental Companion

A bonded summoner has an elemental companion that starts at Medium size and grows larger as the bonded summoner’s level increases.

Elemental Companion Basics: Use the statistics for an elemental of the appropriate size as found in the Monster Manual, but make the following changes:

Arcane Level: The bonded summoner’s total of levels in the bonded summoner class and other arcane spellcasting classes.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su): A companion can deliver touch spells for the bonded summoner. If the bonded summoner and the companion are in contact at the time the bonded summoner casts a touch spell, he can designate his companion as the “toucher.” The companion can then deliver the touch spell just as the bonded summoner could. As usual, if the bonded summoner casts another touch spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

Devotion (Ex): An elemental companion’s devotion to the bonded summoner is so complete that it gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Empathic Link (Su): The bonded summoner has an empathic link with his elemental companion out to a distance of 1 mile. The bonded summoner cannot see through the companion’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Note that even intelligent elementals see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible.

Because of this empathic link, the bonded summoner has the same connection to an item or place that his companion does, just as a master and his familiar (see the Familiars sidebar, page 52 of the Player’s Handbook).

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, an elemental companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Share Spells: At the bonded summoner’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his elemental companion. The companion must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the companion if the creature moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the companion again even if it returns to the bonded summoner before the duration expires. Additionally, the bonded summoner may cast a spell with a target of “You” on his companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A bonded summoner and his companion can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect elementals.

Spell Resistance (Ex): If the bonded summoner’s arcane spellcaster level is 9th or higher, an elemental companion gains spell resistance equal to the bonded summoner’s arcane spellcaster level + 5.

Improved Speed (Ex): All of the elemental companion’s speed figures increase by 10 feet.