Spirit Meister (3.5e Class)

Author: Elohim (talk) Date Created: 10-17-2014 Status: Complete (Revised 2019) Editing: Features, discuss first. Formating/spelling/formulae go ahead.

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Spirit Meister

Spirit meisters are warriors that sought out a pact with a being from outside the mortal world. Unlike the lapdog warlock, a spirit meister is the master in his bond. They are a class of athletic weapon masters, focusing on speed, agility and skill to win their battles. They can handle most weapons with ease, but rely on their echo companion in battles.

A spirit meister forms a pact with an elemental echo, forever after bound to it. As the spirit meister grows in power the bond he has with his echo infuses him with small measures of elemental power, making him an often surprising opponent. An elemental echo is the fading essence of elemental beings that died while bound in magical service to a summoner. The magical bonds that held them in life fade slowly, keeping the tiniest echo of the once mighty elemental servant. These echoes instinctively strive to remain in existence and so when contacted by the reaching of a spirit meister they will bond to him, ensuring their continued place in the planes, and once again in comforting service. An elemental echo's existence is dependent on its connection with its spirit meister, and so it is fanatically loyal. An elemental echo is bound into the meister's very lifeforce and therefore ceases to be if its meister is dead, but will be reconstituted if the meister is returned to life.

Making a Spirit Meister

Spirit Meisters are paragons of speed and physical adeptness.

Abilities: Dexterity and Constitution are the main abilities for the spirit meister.

Races: Commonly elf, half-elf or human, but open to any race that does not receive a negative adjustment to dexterity.

Alignment: Any

Starting Age: Moderate

Table: The Spirit Meister

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+2	+2	+0	Water Dance, Summon Echo
2nd	+1	+3	+3	+0	Feather's Grace
3rd	+2	+3	+3	+1	Evasion
4th	+3	+4	+4	+1	Gale's Blessing
5th	+3	+4	+4	+1	Zephyr Armor, Bonus Feat
6th	+4	+5	+5	+2	Earth's Purity
7th	+5	+5	+5	+2	Elemental Bulwark
8th	+6/+1	+6	+6	+2	Uncanny Dodge
9th	+6/+1	+6	+6	+3	Improved Evasion
10th	+7/+2	+7	+7	+3	Zephyr Armor, Lightning's Path, Bonus Feat
11th	+8/+3	+7	+7	+3	Earth's Purity
12th	+9/+4	+8	+8	+4	Feather's Grace (improved), Gale's Blessing
13th	+9/+4	+8	+8	+4	Roll of the Currents
14th	+10/+5	+9	+9	+4	Inferno's Blast
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+9	+5	Zephyr Armor, Bonus Feat
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+10	+5	Earth's Purity, Uncanny Dodge, Improved
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+10	+5	Respite of the Elements
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+11	+6	Blizzard's Bite, Gale's Blessing
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+11	+6	Flame's Freedom
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+12	+6	Zephyr Armor, Roll of the Currents, Elemental Bulwark, Lightning's Path, Bonus Feat
Class Skills (Skill Points 4 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Spirit Meister.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Spirit Meister's are proficient in the use of Simple and Marital Weapons; as well as Light Armor. They are not proficient with Shield's of any kind.

Bonus Feat: The spirit meister gains a bonus combat feat for which he qualifies. Spirit meister levels count as fighter levels for requisites.

Water Dance (Ex): Your sublime grace in combat outshines the brutishness of others.
You use your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier for attack and damage rolls, as well as for Climb, Jump, and Swim checks.

Summon Echo (Ex): The fragments of what once was gather again to serve you.
You summon forth your elemental echo, giving it the form of a single weapon with which you have proficiency. The weapon has abilities based on your level of spirit meister as per below. The summoning takes one hour, a destroyed echo is not truly eliminated and may be summoned again.

Feather's Grace (Ex): Gravity holds no sway over the spirit meister.
At 2nd level the earth itself lessens its pull upon you, allowing you to take no damage from a fall of your class level multiplied by 10 or less, always landing on your feet. Falls of greater distances are reduced in damage as if you had fallen 10 X class level less feet.

At 12th level, you may fall any distance safely.

Evasion (Ex): You are a master of being somewhere else.
At 3rd level and higher, a spirit meister can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If he makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the spirit meister is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless meister does not gain the benefit of evasion.

Gale's Blessing (Ex): The raging gale lends unto you its grace.
At 4th, 12th and 18th levels you gain a +1 to your Dexterity score. This is in addition to any increases due to level advancement.

Zephyr Armor (Ex): The armor of a meister is as the breath of a lover.
At 5th level and beyond you suffer no maximum Dexterity, armor check, spell failure or speed penalties in light armor. At 10th, and again at 15th and 20th levels, you instinctively turn and angle yourself to deflect physical attacks, granting a +1 increase to AC in light armor.

Lightning's Path (Ex): A swiftly as the storm's bolt do you move.
At 10th level, you gain +10 feet to your speed; you gain an additional 10 feet to your speed at 20th level.

Earth's Purity (Ex): The essence of the earth stretches forth to turn aside the blows against you.
You gain + 1DR/- at 6th, 11th, 16th, 20th levels. This damage reduction does not stack with damage reduction granted by magic items or nonpermanent magical effects, but it does stack with any damage reduction granted by permanent magical effects, class features, or the damage reduction feat.

Additionally, at 6th level you gain light fortification, at 11th level this improves to moderate fortification and finally to heavy fortification at 16th level.

Elemental Bulwark (Ex): Bygone echos protect you from the ravages of elemental fury.
You gain resistance to fire, cold, acid and electricity equal to your class level as a spirit meister. This ability does not stack with non-permanent energy resistance granted by magic items or magical effects. At 20th level your resistance improves to immunity for one specific energy; once chosen this is permanent and may not be changed.

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Your enemy's attacks move with the slowness of the glacier in your eyes.
Starting at 8th level, a spirit meister can react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized. If the meister already has uncanny dodge from another class, he instead gains a bonus feat.

At 16th level the meister gains improved uncanny dodge and can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the meister by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the meister has spirit meister levels. If the meister already has improved uncanny dodge from another class, he instead gains a bonus feat.

Improved Evasion (Ex): You sometimes seem to be nowhere at all.
This ability, gained at 9th level, works like evasion, except that while the spirit meister still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, he henceforth takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless meister does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.

Roll of the Currents (Ex): Just as the currents of the sea and wind roll and flow, so can you too flow from here to there.
The spirit meister gains both swim and fly (average) speeds equal to his speed. At 20th level he gains the ability to earth glide at a speed of 20, the ability to breathe water and his fly maneuverability improves to good.

Inferno's Blast (Su): Like ash from a volcano, you can send your enemies to fall upon the ground.
Beginning at 14th level, when making a full attack against a single opponent in which you successfully hit with both your first attack and at least one iterative attack, you knock your opponent into the air. A successful inferno blast takes place immediately after the last iterative attack is resolved. The target takes damage as normal from your attacks, additional fall damage and is knocked prone. If the target has not yet acted in the current round it may stand at its initiative and act in the following round, otherwise it will remain prone until its action in the following round. This ability may be suppressed at will.

The height your opponent reaches is based on their Size Modifier. All opponents are knocked prone by this attack regardless of Size. However, flying opponents are moved back by the distance indicated and do not fall, but are dazed for one round. Creatures smaller than small size fly an additional 10 feet and suffer +1d6 damage per additional size category. Creatures bigger than large size are not affected by this ability.

Table: Inferno's Blast

Size	Height	Damage	Special
Small-	30 feet	3d6	Proned
Medium	20 feet	2d6	Proned
Large	10 feet	1d6	Proned

Respite of the Elements (Ex): The elemental spirits welcome you as a brother.
You automatically adapt to, and can breath and move in, the natural planar environment on all elemental planes, suffering no damage simply from being there. This functions for para-elemental and quasi-elemental planes as well.

All true elementals react more positively towards the spirit meister. Their attitude shifts to the next more favorable reaction (hostile to unfriendly, unfriendly to indifferent, indifferent to friendly, or friendly to helpful). Creatures involved in combat, however, continue to fight back normally.

Blizzard's Bite (Ex): Your critical attacks can stop your enemies just as the blizzard stops the traveler.
Starting at 18th level, whenever you gain a critical hit, your opponent must make a Fort save or be entangled for one round, critical failure on the save instead results in it being stunned for one round.

Flame's Freedom (Ex): Just as the flame will consume and spread where it will, you also may not be restrained.
At 19th level you are permanently under the influence of Freedom of Movement.

Furthermore the meister now gains certain movement capabilities. He may, 3/day, step into an amount, medium size or larger, of his echo's element and teleport. Also, 1/day, he may plane shift to the elemental plane of his chosen echo; he may shift from that plane to the material plane at will.

Echo Abilities: The spirit meister's echo weapon gains in Strength and Intelligence as its meister gains in levels. Upon the first summons of his echo a meister must choose a base element, once chosen this may never change. An echo has a +1 enhancement bonus to attack and damage for every four levels of its meister (rounded up), +1 at 1st level and +5 at 20th level.

All echoes are intelligent items; their Intelligence is always equal to 9 plus their meister's class level (maximum 20); Wisdom and Charisma are equal to 3 plus 1/2 the meister's level. It is possible for the echo to have abilities higher than the meister. The echo does not receive additional powers for being an intelligent weapon, it is limited to the general and elemental powers on the following table. Its

Echoes communicate with their meister via telepathically with their meister. An echo knows the common tongue, and its appropriate elemental language, such as Ignan for a fire echo, and may speak. The echo always shares its meister's alignment, and is always loyal and obedient no matter how powerful it might become, although its personality is otherwise not specified (DM's pick).

At 1st level the echo weapon gains the flaming, shock, frost or corrosive ability (corrosive does acid damage as the other enhancements) according to the elemental echo bound to the meister. At 10th level the weapon improves to the burst form of its enhancement, this improves again to the blast form at 20th level.

At 3rd level, and every 3 levels thereafter. the meister may choose another weapon form for the echo from among those with which he has proficiency. Changing from one form to another is a free action.

The echo weapon has immunity to its base element, increased hardness equal to the meister's class level, and functions perfectly in all planes, as well as anti-magic and dead magic areas.

Campaign Information

Playing a Spirit Meister

Religion: Spirit meisters revere the raw elements themselves. They show a certain awe for the rulers of the elemental planes, but cannot be said to truly worship them.

Other Classes: They respect others who focus upon the primal elements, but disdain those worshipping fiends or deities, unless they are deities of the elements. The get along well with fighters, although their approach to battle is usually a bit different.

Combat: Melee Combatant. Speedily damaging others while not being hit is your specialty. To maximize your combat power it is recommended you gain feats that favor movement and avoidance.

Advancement: Multi-classing can add breadth to your progression, particularly those that add stealth or burst damage options.

Spirit Meisters in the World

“

I am the instument which strikes thrice in blinking of the eye, the powers primal guide my steps.

”

Daily Life: Spirit meisters follow no strict daily schedule, other than showing respect for the primal power of the elements in all they do. Many seek adventure in which to glorify the elements; these can be great journeys, epic battles, monetary investments, or religious socializing.

Organizations: The spirit meister may be part of any worldly organization or adventuring group. Otherwise, meisters who meet will have a respect for each other, even if circumstances mean that one must kill the other.

NPC Reactions: Regarded simply as agile warriors by the commonfolk, those with more knowledge are careful not to disrespect the elements around a meister.

Spirit Meister Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (local) can research the spirit meisters to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (local)

DC	Result
5	They are very gifted fighters and very rare to any region.
10	They are somehow bound to their weapon. They are reverent towards the primal elements.
15	Their weapons are in truth elemental spirits that have taken special forms to serve them.
20	The history and specifics of a particular spirit meister.

Spirit Meisters in the Game

Warrior's of diverse race and background; they can be found all over the world in very small numbers.

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