Class Feature Friday: Enhancement Subschool (Wizard Transmutation Subschool)
While transmutation can be used for a lot of things, one of it’s more subtle, but no less practical, uses, is the tendency to use it to bolster that which already exists. Admittedly, transmutation already simply alters things, but I am referring to less drastic changes.
Indeed, many of these spell may cause very little physical changes at all to their target, living or not. Anything from bolstering the physique or mind of the target, altering a metal object to be perfectly polished for use as a mirror, hardening brittle weapons, altering the physical age of a target, accelerate the effects of a poison, harden cloth into effective protection or weaponry, accelerate the flow of time for a subject, adding magical effects to weapons, grant magical adaptation to another plane of reality, and so on.
The exact limits of what spells belong in this category vary from person to person, but in general, these spells are not overt transformations, and bolster the target in some way.
The transmuters that specialize in this sort of magic are often called enhancers, and can find work almost anywhere, since they can bolster the might of armies and workers alike. However, I imagine that they are frowned upon in the world of professional athletics and sports, for obvious reasons. They can even find work in architecture, with higher-level enhancers able to permanently increase the durability of objects, including structures.
While these mages do retain the core school’s modular physical enhancement that can change from day to day, they also learn how to imbue enhancements on others with a touch, bolstering their mental or physical abilities, or else toughening their skin, hardening it against attack. As they grow in power, so too does the degree of enhancement.
At greater degrees of mastery, they can also briefly attain surges of even greater physical perfection, surging with strength, agility, or heartiness for a few seconds, just enough to use for a few brief moments before fading.
Interested in using your spells primarily for buffing? This particular school and subschool may be what you’re after. While support spells are your bread and butter, like all wizards you should diversify and plan carefully for what is coming up. Also, don’t pick your buffing spells carelessly. Consider the party’s makeup and prepare buffs that are useful to the group, and make sure to double check which spells are self-only. Speaking of self, remember how these transmuters can buff their own stats up in various ways, particularly physical stats. You can really catch a foe off guard if they underestimate what you can do just because you are a casting class.
Exactly what is it that makes a person choose to specialize in enhancement though? Some may be seeking the limits of mortal perfection, like an ascetic but with arcane magic. Others might see the potential for greatness in all things, seeking to bring it out the best in everyone. Others may be arcane craftsfolk, and see enhancement as a natural focus for their craft. The possibilities are out there.
None now know what the exact cause of the wyvaran degeneration was, whether it was biological or merely cultural, but the fact remains that their civilization collapsed. Convinced that his people lost some natural trait that led to their downfall, Ogan Firetongue is determined to breathe new life into wyvaran civilization with arcane magic, but as his obsession grows, his methods warp.
The party happens across a goblin tribe. Normally, this wouldn’t be out of the ordinary, but this batch apparently has gained access to potions that bolster them in various ways. The big mystery being that these potions were actually meant for the goblins, an experiment by a cunning bugbear wizard seeking a spell to make himself utterly unstoppable when stalking prey. If not stopped, he will eventually undergo a ritual transformation into an implacable stalker.
With a sudden ripple of unseen muscle, the party watches as the old woman they met at the tavern knocked a belligerent drunk on their ass. However, the woman is no martial artist, but a retired wizard! Learning from her will provide great insight into transmutation magic, but the biggest question is her history.
The blood of those who dance the curves of time is nectar. The screams of those who heckle the beasts dwelling in time’s angles is sweetest music.
Inspired by the “Nightmare Out of Crooked Eons” Pathfinder Monster Feat by Clinton J Boomer, and produced for anyone who, like me, read “Hound of Tindalos” and “Implacable Stalker Template” and thought “hot damn, I need to see that stat block in its entirety.”
I found this image here. Unfortunately, I can’t read the site to find attribution credit. If this is your work or you know or represent the artist, please contact me.
Tindalos Stalker CR 9
XP 6,400
Implacable Stalker Hound of Tindalos
NE Medium outsider (evil, extraplanar)
Init +9; Senses darkvision 120 ft.; Perception +18; sense fear
DEFENSE
AC 26, touch 15, flat-footed 21 (+5 Dex, +11 natural)
hp 125 (10d10+70)
Fort +13, Ref +12, Will +8
Defensive Abilities Terrifying Inevitability; DR 5/— and 10/magic; Immune mind-affecting effects, poison; Resist acid 10, cold 10, electricity 10, fire 10, sonic 10
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +15 (2d6+5), 2 claws +15 (1d8+5)
Special Attacks fear aura (DC 18), gory display, ripping gaze
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 10th; concentration +13)
Constant—air walk
At will—fog cloud, invisibility, locate creature
3/day—dimensional anchor, discern location, greater scrying (DC 20), haste, slow (DC 16)
STATISTICS
Str 21, Dex 21, Con 22, Int 16, Wis 21, Cha 16
Base Atk +10; CMB +15; CMD 30 (34 vs. trip)
Feats Blind-Fight, Combat Reflexes, DiehardB, EnduranceB, Improved Initiative, Intimidating ProwessB, Nightmare Out of Crooked Eons, ToughnessB, Vital Strike
Skills Acrobatics +18 , Intimidate +29, Knowledge (arcana) +16, Knowledge (geography) +13, Knowledge (planes) +16, Perception +18, Sense Motive +18, Stealth +24, Survival +18 (+24 tracking); Racial Modifiers +8 Intimidate, +6 Stealth, +6 Survival (tracking)
Languages Aklo
SQ angled entry, nightmare resurrection, otherworldly mind, right behind you
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Angled Entry (Su)
Hounds of Tindalos move through the dimensions in ways other creatures cannot comprehend. They may use greater teleport (self only) once per round as a swift action and plane shift (self only) 3/day as a standard action (caster level 10th). A Hound of Tindalos can use these powers anywhere, but its destination point must be adjacent to a fixed angle or corner in the physical environment, such as a wall, floor, or ceiling (as determined by the GM); temporary angles created by cloth, flesh, or Small items are not sufficient. It cannot use these abilities to enter curved architecture or open outdoor environments.
Fear Aura (Su)
Creatures that have 5 or fewer Hit Dice must succeed at a Will save (DC 18) or become frightened for 1 minute if they come within 60 feet of a Tindalos Stalker. Even if they succeed at their saves, they gain the shaken condition for as long as they remain within 60 feet of it, and for 1 round thereafter. All other creatures within this radius must succeed at a Will save or become shaken for as long as they remain within 60 feet of the implacable stalker, and for 1 round thereafter. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same implacable stalker’s aura until the creature has left the aura and reentered it. This is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Gory Display (Ex)
Whenever an implacable stalker kills a sentient living creature, as a swift action, it can revel in the kill, shredding its victim’s corpse in a gruesome display of power. If it does, it chooses one of the following benefits: gain a +4 morale bonus to Strength and Dexterity for 1 minute, regain a single use of a spell-like ability that it can normally use three or more times per day, or immediately heal 10 hit points.
Alternatively, instead of any of these benefits, the implacable stalker can cause a single creature within 60 feet to become more vulnerable to fear. Creatures affected in this way lose any immunity to fear they may have. If the creature did not possess immunity to fear, it takes a –4 penalty on saving throws to resist fear effects, and all Intimidate checks attempted against it receive a +4 circumstance bonus. These effects last for 10 minutes. Finally, if the creature is currently immune to the implacable stalker’s fear aura because it succeeded at a previous saving throw, it loses that immunity.
Nightmare Out of Crooked Eons
Each day, a Tindalos Stalker chooses any one place that it has stood. If it is dead, its chosen space is automatically moved each day to a random location that it has stood.
While a Tindalos Stalker lives, if any creature expends a mote of time – as per a Time Thief or Cityskin Warlock with the motes of time class feature, or any creature with the Chronothurge Adept feat – within 30 ft. of its chosen space, the Tindalos Stalker is treated as if it had seen that creature directly for purposes of locate creature. It may immediately plane shift to the dimension of that creature.
While a Tindalos Stalker is dead, if any creature expends a mote of time within 30 ft. of its chosen space, that creature is instead treated as if it had witnessed the Tindalos Stalker’s death for purposes of its Nightmare Resurrection.
Nightmare Resurrection (Su)
When an implacable stalker dies, it creates a psychic imprint on the mind of each intelligent creature within 60 feet that witnessed its death. Each week, such creatures are subject to a nightmare effect (DC 18; the normal modifiers for nightmare based on knowledge and connection do not apply). In this nightmare, the creature is hunted and slain by the implacable stalker (for GMs using the nightmare dreamscape rules, these nightmares always have the “being chased” nightmare feature). A creature that succeeds at three consecutive saving throws to resist the effect is freed from it. If any creature fails at three consecutive saving throws to resist the nightmare, the implacable stalker returns to life, as per true resurrection. If its corpse has been completely destroyed, it returns to life in a random location within 5 miles of the creature that failed to resist the nightmare effects. Once the implacable stalker is returned to life, the psychic imprint fades from all creatures still affected by it.
Otherworldly Mind (Ex)
Any non-outsider attempting to read the thoughts of a Hound of Tindalos or communicate with it telepathically takes 5d6 points of nonlethal damage and must make a DC 18 Will save or become confused for 2d4 rounds. This is a mind-affecting effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Right Behind You (Sp)
As a swift action, an implacable stalker can teleport to an unoccupied space, which must be adjacent to a creature the stalker is aware of that has the shaken, frightened, or panicked condition. The implacable stalker can travel a maximum distance of 480 feet with each use of this ability, and must wait 1d6 rounds between each use. Additionally, if the implacable stalker travels at least 40 feet, any shaken, frightened, or panicked creature it arrives adjacent to is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC against the implacable stalker’s attacks until the beginning of the implacable stalker’s next turn.
Ripping Gaze (Su)
5d6 slashing damage, 30 feet, Fortitude DC 18 negates. A creature that succeeds on its save is immune to that hound’s gaze for 24 hours. Damage caused by a ripping gaze can be defeated by damage reduction, but it bypasses DR/magic and slashing. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Sense Fear (Su)
An implacable stalker is able to sense the fear of nearby living creatures. This functions similarly to blindsight, with a range of 120 feet, except it only allows the implacable stalker to detect creatures that are currently experiencing any level of fear ranging from spooked to horrified. Additionally, this ability allows the implacable stalker to detect such creatures even through solid barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Terrifying Inevitability (Su)
An implacable stalker Hound of Tindalos is even more difficult to kill when in the presence of fear. As long as it is able to see or hear a creature currently experiencing any level of fear ranging from spooked to horrified, it gains fast healing 10, its damage reduction increases to 10/—, and it gains spell resistance 25.
NOTES
While Nightmare Out of Crooked Eons specifies that it may be taken in place of one of the bonus feats provided by the Implacable Stalker template, the discerning reader may have noticed that this stat block actually uses it to replace Weapon Finesse, as the Strength bonus from Implacable Stalker makes keeping Weapon Finesse rather pointless.
As a CR 9 creature with a robust set of abilities, a Tindalos Stalker could make an excellent Terminator for your E6 campaign, particularly one with a meddlesome Time Thief or Chronotheurge Adept. A pack of these beasts, on the other hand, should give pause to even a high-level crooked-doorway-twister, particularly with additional resources (like the Advanced Creature simple template, or a permanent greater magic fang) to enhance its attacks.
