Medium

The techniques used by most mediums to become vessels for the spirits of legend can be altered to allow other mediums to call spirits through dance and tales, or to call spirits from objects, the land, or even themselves.

Kami Medium (archetype)

Some mediums channel the power of nature spirits called kami rather than the spirits of legend. See more information on kami here.

Kami Channeler (Su): A kami medium channels the kami at locations different from where a normal medium channels his spirits. The kami medium channels the dosojin (which acts as the trickster) at crossroads and other major roadway milestones; the fukujin (which acts as the marshal) at ornamental shrubs and bonsai trees; the kaminari (which acts as the champion) in the midst of storms; the suijin (which acts as the hierophant) at pure lakes, ponds, springs, and wells; and the zuishin (which acts as the guardian) at significant gates, doorways, and torii. The kami medium does not have access to the archmage legend. This ability alters spirit.

Natural Taboo (Ex): A kami medium gains the taboo ability at 1st level. Regardless of which kami he channels, each day he must accept the hierophant taboo to strongly revere nature and avoid metal armor. The kami medium gains two free uses of spirit surge from accepting this taboo, as normal. This ability alters taboo.

Ofuda (Su): A kami medium uses ofudas—psychically charged prayer scrolls—to focus his spells. Each of his spells gains an ofuda as an additional inexpensive material component, and the ofuda replaces the divine focus for spells the kami medium gains via the divine surge spirit power. Unless the spell involves a touch attack or ranged touch attack, the kami medium doesn't need to attempt an attack roll to place an ofuda on an unwilling target; the ofuda simply appears on affected targets. For instantaneous spells, the ofuda is consumed during the casting, but for spells with any other duration, the ofuda remains on the target or targets throughout the duration and then disintegrates when the duration expires. A kami medium's spells can't be dispelled by dispel magic or greater dispel magic, but removing or destroying the ofuda ends the duration immediately. An ofuda must be displayed prominently and can't be hidden (though a creature bearing an ofuda can hide normally). A successful steal or grapple combat maneuver check to remove an item is sufficient to remove an ofuda from an unwilling target, and a standard action automatically removes it from a willing target. An ofuda counts as an object made of paper with 5 hit points per medium level. The target of the spell can't see, harm, or remove the ofuda attached to her, though her allies can do so. If the spell is harmless, the target can see her ofuda.

This ability alters the medium's spellcasting.

Shikigami (Ex): At 3rd level, a kami medium learns to fold an origami animal to serve as a temporary ward for a minor shikigami. Initially, the merged minor shikigami can't leave the paper body and acts in all ways as an ordinary animal familiar of the origami animal's type, although it still appears to be made of paper. At 5th level, it gains the abilities of a shikigami improved familiar, even if the kami medium doesn't meet the prerequisites for having a shikigami as a familiar. The shikigami treats the kami medium as its ward. Additionally, it gains the ability to use change shape to change between its full shikigami form and its origami form at will (as beast shape II).

This ability replaces haunt channeler, location channel, and connection channel.

Ask the Kami (Su): At 13th level, a kami medium can ask the local kami for information, as commune with nature. While he can do so any number of times per day, he can ask questions of the kami in any particular area only once per day. Afterward, he must move to a non-overlapping area to use this ability again. This ability replaces ask the spirits.

Ward (Su): At 14th level, a kami medium can declare an area or object that's an appropriate place to contact his channeled kami as his ward. This grants the kami medium the ward and merge with ward abilities of the kami subtype. For large areas such as lakes or storms, a kami medium's ward encompasses a radius of up to 5 feet per medium level. This ability replaces astral journey.

Reanimated Medium (Archetype)

Sometimes a departed soul destined for legend gains a second chance at life by possessing his own revived body.

Channel Self (Su): A reanimated medium is essentially a bodiless spirit using influence to possess his own spiritless body. "The reanimated medium" refers to this spirit. Unlike a normal medium, a reanimated medium becomes more powerful the more influence it has over its body. Each day, the reanimated medium can perform a seance at a location as normal to focus on one of his potential future legends. He channels that legendary potential as strongly as possible into his body. The spirit gains 3 points of influence over his body, to a maximum of 6 points. Since he is his own possessing spirit, he doesn't lose control at 5 or more points of influence, though he still suffers the legend's influence penalty as normal at 3 or more points of influence. All effects and abilities that normally increase or decrease influence (such as spirit surge and spirit powers) have the opposite effect on a reanimated medium (for instance, propitiation increases influence by 1 point and spirit surge reduces influence by 1 point); this does not apply to the new abilities from the reanimated medium archetype. A reanimated medium can't choose to channel a weaker spirit to avoid losing influence from using spirit surge. The body of a reanimated medium who reaches 0 points of influence enters a deathlike coma and is helpless for 24 hours, after which the reanimated medium reverts to 1 point of influence if the body is still alive, but can't perform a seance for another 24 hours.

A character who selects the reanimated medium archetype after 1st level can do so only after dying; at the GM's discretion, a dead character of another class with an intact body who has earned enough experience points to level up can take a level in medium and gain the reanimated medium archetype, and a dead medium might be able to gain this archetype. In any case, being revived from gaining the reanimated medium archetype does not impart any negative levels or other ill effects.

This ability alters spirit.

Nothing Is Taboo (Ex): A reanimated medium doesn't gain the taboo class feature.

Ease Passage (Su): At 3rd level, as long as a reanimated medium's body is intact, it's easy for him to return to it. He takes only 1 negative level instead of 2 from raise dead. This ability replaces haunt channeler.

Lingering Spirit (Su): At 5th level, a reanimated medium's spirit lingers for up to 1 round after death before departing if the medium spends 1 point of influence. If the reanimated medium died of hit point damage, healing works on his body during the intervening round and can bring him back to life. Once the spirit departs, the breath of life spell continues to work for 1 additional round, even though the reanimated medium has been dead for more than 1 round. This ability replaces location channel.

Spirit Warding (Su): At 7th level, the reanimated medium can ward himself from other spirits and the grave's call. He gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against possession, death effects, and negative energy. This stacks with the bonus to resist possession that mediums gain from having high influence. At 18th level, he becomes immune to possession, death effects, and negative energy. This ability replaces connection channel and spacious soul.

Living Legend (Su): At 20th level, the reanimated medium reaches the legendary potential from which he borrowed so long ago and becomes a living embodiment of his legend. Any ally in the reanimated medium's presence can perform a seance to channel the reanimated medium (the seance takes 1 hour and is subject to the other rules for a medium's seance). Each ally can do this only once per day. At the end of the seance, the reanimated medium can choose to reduce his influence by 1 point. If the reanimated medium does so, some of his spirit seeps into that ally, which can then spend that 1 point of influence to use any of the reanimated medium's abilities that decrease influence. This ability replaces astral beacon.

Relic Channeler (Archetype)

A relic channeler carries relics of legend around with her. She need not rely on locating the specific spirits that she seeks, but the relics limit the number of unique spirits she can channel.

Relics (Su): A relic channeler begins with one relic for each of the six spirit legends. Each relic corresponds to a specific spirit, and could be any type of psychically resonant item—from a runestone with a symbol related to that spirit to a bone remnant from a legendary hero. Once a relic channeler selects a choice for taboos and spirit powers (such as archmage arcana and legendary champion), those choices remain in effect every time she channels that legend; unlike normal mediums, she can't select a different option each time. A relic channeler can't choose to channel a weaker spirit to reduce her influence from spirit surge. She doesn't need to find an appropriate location to channel her spirits, since she can simply use her relics. If she loses one of her relics, she is incapable of channeling that legend until she recovers the relic. If the relic is destroyed, the relic channeler can use her strong bond with the spirit of that relic to forge a new relic for that spirit from her own essence. The process takes 1 week of intense seances and 500 gp per medium level she possesses. This ability alters spirit.

Powerful Bond (Su): Because of habitually channeling the same spirits and possessing physical links to the spirits' former lives and legends, a relic channeler possesses a strong bond with her spirits. She receives the benefit of the Alertness feat whenever she is suffering a spirit's influence penalty. She chooses two spells of each level with the archmage arcana and divine surge spirit powers instead of one, two exotic weapon proficiencies with champion's prowess instead of one, three combat feats with legendary champion instead of two, and three skills with trickster's edge instead of two. This ability alters spirit.

Object Reading (Su): At 3rd level, a relic channeler gains the occultist's object reading ability, substituting her medium level for her occultist level for this ability. This ability replaces haunt channeler.

Apport Relic (Su): At 5th level, a relic channeler can call one of her relics to her once per day as though she had cast apport object* on it and was mentally completing the spell. Furthermore, if the relic channeler gains the apport object spell, she can use it to receive her relics without casting it on them in advance in the same way. The range at which the relic channeler can apport her relics (both with this ability and the spell) increases by an additional 5 feet for every 2 levels she possesses beyond 5th. This ability replaces location channel.

Connection Specialty (Sp): At 7th level, a relic channeler gains connection channel and can use that ability as a normal medium, despite not possessing location channel. She requires familiarity to use this ability, even if she is in an appropriate location. This ability alters connection channel.

Spirit Dancer (Archetype)

A spirit dancer enacts an exuberant dance to the spirits, accepting many roles in the shifting dance and changing dance partners quickly.

Spirit Dance (Su): Each day during his seance, a spirit dancer makes all his spirit power choices as if he were channeling one spirit of each of the six legends. He can't choose to channel a weaker spirit to reduce his influence from spirit surge. He does not always possess the seance boon, spirit bonus, spirit powers, or spirit surge ability from any of these six spirits.

Instead, he can enter a spirit dance as a free action to gain the aforementioned abilities from one of the six spirits he prepared during his seance for the duration of his spirit dance. He can spirit dance for a total number of rounds per day equal to his Charisma modifier + double his medium level; these rounds don't need to be consecutive. After his spirit dance ends, the spirit dancer takes a –2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 minute and can't enter a spirit dance again during that time. He also can't enter a spirit dance while shaken, frightened, or panicked. He combines all influence incurred during spirit dances into a single pool. At 3 points of influence or higher, he takes a –2 penalty on initiative checks even when he's not in a spirit dance, and at 5 points of influence or higher, his current spirit takes control as it would for a normal medium (this control is not limited by rounds of spirit dance). A spirit dancer can accept 1 point of influence to recover 4 rounds of spirit dance, up to his normal daily maximum.

A spirit dancer continues to track daily uses of abilities from each of his spirits even while he is not in a spirit dance. A spirit dancer with the supreme spirit power ability can use only one once-per-day ability from the supreme spirit power each day; he can't use any other spirit's once-per-day supreme spirit power until after his next seance.

This ability alters spirit and replaces spirit bonus and spirit surge.

Nothing Is Taboo (Ex): A spirit dancer doesn't gain the taboo class feature.

Spirit Aura (Su): At 2nd level, a spirit dancer's weaving forms create an aura that grants his current seance boon to all allies within 30 feet. When he grants a seance boon that requires a decision, each ally makes the appropriate decision the first time that ally receives that spirit's aura each day. That decision remains in effect if the ally is affected by that spirit's aura again later that day. This ability replaces shared seance.

Spirit Troika (Su): At 15th level, a spirit dancer learns to dance with two partners. When using spirit dance, he can choose to spend 3 rounds of spirit dance each round to gain access to the abilities of any two of the six spirits he prepared during his seance for 1 round. This ability replaces trance of three.

Attacca (Su): At 18th level, a spirit dancer learns how to shift rapidly into the next movement of his dance. He no longer takes a penalty after his spirit dance ends and can enter another spirit dance immediately.

This ability replaces spacious soul.

Dance of Infinite Forms (Su): At 20th level, a spirit dancer has perfected his dance. He can now use each of his supreme spirit powers' once-per-day abilities one time each day, instead of just one ability. He can use his spirit troika by spending 2 rounds of spirit dance instead of 3. Finally, he can enter a spirit dance with all six of his prepared spirits at once by spending 4 rounds of spirit dance each round.

This ability replaces astral beacon.

Storyteller (Archetype)

While all mediums connect to legendary spirits, storyteller mediums take their obsession with legends to the extreme, suffusing their lives with epic tales at the cost of some of their spiritual power.

Diminished Spirits (Ex): A storyteller does not receive his spirit's seance boon. He can't choose to channel a weaker spirit to reduce his influence from spirit surge. Because of his obsession with legends, he begins with 2 points of influence after a seance rather than 1.

This ability alters spirit.

Knowledge of Tales (Ex): A storyteller gains a +1 bonus on all Knowledge skill checks with Knowledge skills in which he's trained. This bonus increases by 1 for every 4 medium levels that he possesses.

This ability replaces spirit bonus.

Versatile Surge (Su): A storyteller's spirit surge can be used after the storyteller fails any ability check, skill check, or saving throw.

This ability alters spirit surge.

Storyteller's Performance (Su): At 2nd level, a storyteller gains the ability to recall snippets of tales that are relevant to the current situation. This ability is similar in all respects to bardic performance as used by a bard of the storyteller's medium level (including interactions with feats, spells, and other abilities), and uses Perform (act), Perform (comedy), or Perform (oratory) as the storyteller's performance skill. However, a storyteller gains only the following types of bardic performance: inspire courage (2nd level), inspire competence (3rd level), inspire greatness (9th level), and inspire heroics (15th level).

This ability replaces shared seance, taboo, haunt channeler, propitiation, and trance of three.

Learn the Story (Sp): At 7th level, a storyteller becomes a master at learning a place's tales. He can perform for a full minute, spending 10 rounds of storyteller's performance, to gain the effects of retrocognition*. At 10th level, he can spend 1d4 × 10 minutes and 10 rounds of storyteller's performance to gain the effects of legend lore. The subject must be at hand for the legend lore to function. At 19th level, the storyteller can spend a standard action and 1 round of storyteller's performance to gain the effects of vision on any subject. This ability replaces connection channel and spirit mastery.

Living Story (Sp): At 20th level, a storyteller gains the ability to sweep others away into a story of his own making. He must perform for 1 full round, telling a tale to set the snare for his living story and spending 1 round of his storyteller's performance. At the end of that round, he can affect up to 30 Hit Dice of listeners within range with microcosm*. Unlike with a normal microcosm, this is also a sonic and language-dependent ability, and a creature with 16 or more Hit Dice that succeeds at its save is immune to the storyteller's living story ability for 24 hours.

This ability replaces astral beacon.