[Base Class] The Protean Chimera

The Protean Chimera

"The old warlord wasn't taking us seriously, so to impress him to do his duty
Zatic took on her towering, multi-armed form and said
'Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.'
Warlord ponied up his troops in a hurry after that."
-Grok the Half-Orc Barbarian
There are forces in this world that are untamed and untamable. Disasters that to
uch the land and leave the inhabitants with no choice but flee or be destroyed.
The wild fire, the tornado, the earthquake, the hurricane. Forces of nature with
out pity or remorse. Forces of nature that none are foolish enough to believe th
ey could control or oppose. And at times such forces touch the heart of a mortal
and they are transformed into such an instrument of retribution.
The Protean Chimera is a hurricane in a bottle. She points herself at a problem,
uncorks the stopper, and leaves devastation in her wake. Sometimes she even man
ages to get rid of the problem in the process.
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Adventures: To a Protean Chimera adventures are a chance to prove her mettle and
hone her feral skills. She may seek power simply for her own sake, or they may
seek power to face the imbalance to the world she was destined to confront. Rega
rdless of her reasons, the Protean Chimera typifies the oldest canon of the natu
ral world. Nature is red in tooth and claw.
Characteristics: The Protean Chimera is defined by by her ability to take on hyr
bid, Chimera forms assembled from creatures in the world around her. Even in her
base state the Protean Chimera boasts thick natural armor and fearsome claws. A
Chimera early in her career fights much as a lycanthrope might. A Chimera at th
e pinnacle of her power becomes a colossal force of nature that even an adult dr
agon would be hesitant to cross.
Alignment: The Protean Chimera is often born as a counter-weight to some wrongne
ss in the state of the world. As such she gravitates away from extreme alignment
s and favors the balance of neutrality.
Religion: The Protean Chimera is rarely aware of where her powers come from nor
of the forces that drive her inexorably toward her destiny. She may have a vague
idea that fundamental aspects of existence have chosen her as a champion, but s
uch forces are aloof to mortal worship. More commonly a Protean Chimera will dev
ote herself to the ideal embodied by their calling. A Good Chimera may venerate
the concept of protection of the young while an Evil Chimera might cherish the d
estruction of the weak.
Background: The Protean Chimera's uncanny powers arise without consent or warnin
g in a mortal chosen for reasons unknown. Depending on where the Chimera lives s
he may be embraced as a harbinger of balance or as driven away as an untamed mon
ster to be feared. Regardless of upbringing a Chimera is driven toward survival
and self-sufficiency, lending herself toward skills useful in the wilds and a fe
ral, vicious fighting style.
A Chimera's experience often times leads her to familiarity with the natural wor
ld and the wild things that fill it, knowledge and familiarity that she harnesse
s to shape her Chimera Form.
Races: Because the racial strengths of many species are eclipsed by the superior
physical prowess of Chimera Forms humans are often chosen due to their innate a
daptability, a skill that is without question vital to a Chimera carrying out he
r destiny. Any race may be called, but only the most cunning and flexible surviv
e.
Other Classes: The Protean Chimera values personal strength and can often find c
ommon ground with other martial classes. The magic of casters, both arcane and d
ivine, remind the Chimera of her own, powerful and mysterious. Her relationship
with Druids is mixed, however. Some Druids view the Chimera as a destructive man
ifestation of the world where as others see her as an aberration acting outside
the established natural order.
Role: The Protean Chimera functions as an extremely durable, highly mobile front
line combatant able to present herself as a threat that is impossible to ignore
. In her base state her lack of armor allows her to move stealthfully and skillf
ully while being quite aware of her surroundings, making her an ideal scout.
Game Information
The Protean Chimera has the followings game statistics:
Abilities: Constitution aids a Chimera's durability and helps her keep herself o
ut of a berserk state, making it one of her most vital abilities. Strength and D
exterity both improve her capability to give out and avoid attacks. Finally, Int
elligence improves her Knowledge skills which are pivotal to determining what cr
eatures she is familiar with for the use of her Chimera Form and aids her in sha
king off berserk states.
Alignment: Any Neutral.
Starting Gold: 2d4 x 10
Starting Age: As Barbarian
Hit Die: 1d10
Class skills
The Protean Chimera's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb
(Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha
), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) (Int), Knowle
dge (Nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search
(Int), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Level 1: (6+Int Modifier)x4
Skill Points at each additional level: 6+Int Modifier
Table 1-1 The Protean Chimera
Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special
1st|1|2|2|0|Chimera Form 1/Day, Chimera's Armor+0, Chimera's Claws 1d6, Aspect o
f the Beast, Animal Chimera
2nd|2|3|3|0|Chimera Form 2/Day
3rd|3|3|3|1|Vermin Chimera
4th|4|4|4|1|Large Form, Chimera's Armor +1, Chimera's Claws 1d8 Magic,
5th|5|4|4|1|Two-Fold Chimera
6th|6/1|5|5|2|Chimera Form 3/Day
7th|7/2|5|5|2|Magical Chimera
8th|8/3|6|6|2|Chimera's Armor +2, Chimera's Claws 1d10 Aligned
9th|9/4|6|6|3|Evershifting Form, Huge Form
10th|10/5|7|7|3|Chimera Form 3/Day, Three-Fold Chimera
11th|11/6/1|7|7|3|Plant Chimera
12th|12/7/2|8|8|4|Extraordinary Assumption, Chimera's Armor +3, Chimera's Claws
2d6 Metallic
13th|13/8/3|8|8|4|Uncanny Anatomy
14th|14/9/4|9|9|4|Chimera Form 5/Day, Gargantuan Form
15th|15/10/5|9|9|5|Four-Fold Chimera, Aberrant Chimera
16th|16/11/6/1|10|10|5|Chimera's Armor +4, Chimera's Claws 2d8 Adamantine
17th|17/12/7/2|10|10|5|Supernatural Apotheosis
18th|18/13/8/3|11|11|6|Chimera Form 6/Day
19th|19/14/9/4|11|11|6|Draconic Chimera, Colossal Form
20th|20/15/10/5|12|12|6|True Chimera, Chimera's Armor +5, Chimera's Claws 2d10 E
pic
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Protean Chimera.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Protean Chimera is proficient with all simpl
e weapons and her natural weapons. She is not proficient with shields or armor.
Chimera Form (Su): As Wildshape except as noted here. The Protean Chimera takes
on a Chimera Form between her base form and the selected Animal, using the best
racial traits of each. She may apply her base ability scores to her new Chimera
Form as if it were her new race. If her Con Modifier increases she gain associat
ed Temporary Hit Points for the duration of Chimera Form.
While in Chimera Form she gains a Berserk Pool that starts at zero and increases
by an amount equal to the damage she takes while in Chimera Form. When she take
s damage she must make a Concentration Check (DC: Berserk Pool). If she fails th
is check she enters a berserk frenzy and attacks the nearest creature to her bli
ndly, favoring first those attacking her. She may remake the Concentration Check
at the end of each of her turns to try to regain control of herself. Each round
while she's berserk the Berserk Pool decreases by an amount equal to her Int mo
difier plus one. Alternately, she can use a full-round action to end Chimera For
m prematurely and return to her base form. Returning to her base form resets the
Berserk Pool to zero.
She may speak normally in her Chimera Form. When she use her Chimera Form her Si
ze corresponds to the largest component creature in her Chimera Form or the Size
of her base form, whichever is larger.
Armor, shields, and mundane equipment are absorbed into her form and become non-
functional until Chimera Form ends. However, all other magical equipment modifie
s to fit her new form.
To determine if she is familiar with a creature she must either observe it first
hand or succeed on a related Knowledge check (DC: 10+creature's HD) to see if s
he is aware of its existence.
Chimera's Armor (Ex): While wearing no armor and wielding no shield the Chimera
gains Natural Armor equal to her Con Modifier plus a flat amount as she gain lev
els. This flat amount begins at +1 at level 4 and increases by 1 every level the
reafter, to a maximum of +5 at level 20. This Natural Armor does not stack with
the base Natural Armor of the component creatures of her Chimera Form, use the h
igher value instead.
Chimera's Claws (Ex): The Chimera gains two 1d6 Claw Attacks in her base form. C
law Attacks are always considered her only primary natural weapons regardless of
form. At level 4 her damage improves to 1d8 and Natural Weapons are considered
Magical for the purpose of overcoming Damage Reduction.
At level 8 the damage improves to 1d10 and they count as aligned weapons based o
n her Alignment. If the Chimera is True Neutral she may choose Lawful, Chaotic,
Good, or Evil as the alignment type of her Natural Weapons. Once this choice is
made it can not be changed.
At level 12 the damage improves to 2d6 and they count as either Silver or Cold I
ron. Once this choice is made it can not be changed.
At level 16 the damage improves to 2d8 and they count as Adamantine. At level 20
the damage improves to 2d10 and they count as Epic Weapons.
Aspect of the Beast (Ex): At the beginning of each day the Chimera may choose an
aspect (a single natural weapon, an Extraordinary Attack, or a mode of movement
) of a creature she can apply to her Chimera Form and apply it to her base form.
When she enters Chimera Form this aspect is lost and she may choose a new one w
hen she returns to her base form. At level 12 she may choose an Extraordinary Qu
ality. At level 17 she may choose a Supernatural Attack or Quality.
Animal Chimera (Ex): The Chimera may incorporate Animals into her Chimera Form.
Additionally, she gains Low Light Vision in all forms.
Vermin Chimera (Ex): The Chimera may incorporate Vermin into her Chimera Form. A
dditionally, she gains Scent in all forms.
Large Form (Su): The Chimera may include Large creatures in her Chimera Form. If
she takes on a Large form she may scale up all her natural weapons to Large Siz
e.
This ability improves to include Huge Size at level 9, Gargantuan Size at level
14, and Colossal size at level 19. Additionally at level 19 she may also advance
Gargantuan creatures to Colossal size for the purpose of using this ability eve
n if the Gargantuan creature is not normally Colossal (+8 Str, +4 Con, +5 NA, -8
penalty to AC and ToHit instead of -4, Space/Reach 30').
Two-Fold Chimera (Su): The Chimera may take on a Chimera Form which is a combina
tion of her base form and two other creatures. When creating her Chimera Form sh
e takes the best features of both creatures. For example, if one creature had a
1d8 Bite and a second had a 2d6 Bite, she would gain a 2d6 Bite rather than two
separate Bite attacks.
This ability improves to three creatures at level 10, four creatures at level 15
, and five creatures at level 20.
Magical Chimera (Ex): The Chimera may incorporate Magical Beasts into her Chimer
a Form. Additionally, she gains Darkvision 60' in all forms.
Evershifting Form (Su): The Chimera may use her Chimera Form ability as a Move A
ction rather than a Standard Action. Additionally, she may shift into a new Chim
era Form during the duration of the ability. Returning to her base form still en
ds the duration prematurely. She may only gain Temporary Hit Points once per use
of Chimera Form.
Plant Chimera (Ex): The Chimera may incorporate Plants into her Chimera Form. Ad
ditionally, she gains the ability to move through difficult terrain at full spee
d and immunity to Entanglement.
Extraordinary Assumption (Su): The Chimera gains the Extraordinary Qualities of
the creatures she incorporate into her Chimera Form.
Uncanny Anatomy (Ex): The Chimera's vital organs have diffused and reorganized t
hrough her body, rendering her immune to Critical Hits and Sneak Attack damage.
Aberrant Chimera (Ex): The Chimera may incorporate Aberrations into her Chimera
Form. Additionally, she gains Blindsight 30' in all forms.
Supernatural Apotheosis (Su): The Chimera gains the Supernatural Attacks and Qua
lities of the component creatures in her Chimera Form.
Draconic Chimera (Ex): The Chimera may incorporate Dragons into her Chimera Form
. Additionally, she gains Blindsense 60' and her Darkvision improves to Darkvisi
on 120'.
True Chimera (Su): The Chimera gains the Shapechanger subtype and may shrug off
any form-altering effect as a free action. She may use her Chimera Form ability
as a free action and/or an immediate action. Returning to her base form while be
rserk still requires a full-round action and resets the berserk Concentration ch
eck DC, but it no longer ends the duration of Chimera Form.
Finally, she may take on a Chimera Form which is a combination of her base form
and five other creatures.
Feats
The following are Feats available to the Protean Chimera.
Spoiler
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Extra Chimera Form
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature.
Benefit: You gain two extra uses of Chimera Form per day.
Special: You may take this Feat multiple times, its effect stacks.
Augmented Transformation
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature.
Benefit: You may use creatures in your Chimera Form with up to 4 Hit Dice above
your level. You must still qualify for a creature of that Size and Type.
Special: You may take this Feat multiple times, its effect stacks.
Improved Aspect of the Beast
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature.
Benefit: You may choose two aspects to apply to your base form rather than one.
Superior Aspect of the Beast
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature, six or more levels in Protean Chim
era, Improved Aspect of the Beast.
Benefit: You may choose three aspects to apply to your base form rather than two
.
Perfect Aspect of the Beast
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature, twelve or more levels in Protean C
himera, Improved Aspect of the Beast, Superior Aspect of the Beast.
Benefit: You may choose four aspects to apply to your base form rather than thre
e.
Feral Resolve
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature
Benefit: When you take damage while in Chimera Form reduce the amount you add to
your Berserk Pool by 5, to a minimum of 1.
Special: You may take this Feat multiple times, its effect stacks.
Serene Frenzy
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature
Benefit: While berserk your Berserk Pool decreases by two plus twice your Int mo
difier rather than one plus your Int modifier each round. Additionally your Bers
erk Pool decreases by 1 each round while you aren't berserk.
Face Stealer
Prerequisite: The Chimera Form class feature
Benefit: You have learned to use your shifting form to allow you to mimic others
and infiltrate. Rather than its usual effect you may use your Chimera Form to t
ake on the appearance of a humanoid you have observed, granting you a +10 bonus
to Disguise to pass as that creature. When used in this way equipment is not abs
orbed into your form. Add Bluff, Disguise, and Gather Information to your Class
Skill list.
Broken Combos
These are Chimera Forms that result in potentially game-breaking (or at least ra
ther odious cheese) combos of abilities that DMs should be on the look out for i
f one of their players wish to play a Protean Chimera. For players, don't you ev
en dare considering any of these unless your DM specifically okays it after unde
rstanding what the combo will result in.
Spoiler
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Immune to Damage Sans Bludgeoning: Tendrilculos(MM) + Leechwalker(MM2) + Digeste
r(MM) available at level 13 (level 12 with Augmented Transformation)
The Tendrilculos has Regeneration 10/Acid or Bludgeoning. The Digester is immune
to Acid and the Leechwalker is immune to non-lethal damage while taking half da
mage from bludgeoning. End result? Only bludgeoning damage hurts you and it is c
ut in half. Nasty tanking combo in addition to the other fun tricks these three
monsters afford. Unless you don't mind Clerics running around with Beastland Fer
ocity/Delay Death then strongly consider banning the existence of Leechwalkers f
rom your game.