Hive Master (Hunter/Witch)

Nature can be grotesque and repugnant, and combined with vile witchcraft one can project their will onto a foul species indeed; insects. The hive master overpowers her enemies with a brood consisting of aggressive vermin that will defend her to the death. The kinship of these vile creatures is strong, showing loyalty as if the hive master were their monarch and following her will without question. (Original Concept by Tyrannical)

Primary Class: Hunter.

Secondary Class: Witch.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The hive master may select three witch skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal hunter class skills. The hive master gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The hive master is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light armor, medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Spellcasting: The hive master casts arcane spells drawn from the ranger and witch spell lists. Only witch spells of 6th level and lower and ranger spells are considered to be part of the hive master spell list. If a spell appears on both the ranger and witch spell lists, the hive master uses the lower of the two spell levels listed for the spell. She also adds the following spells to her spell list at the indicated spell levels: 1st –bristle, feather fall, summon nature's ally I; 2nd–amplify stench, create pit, recentering drone, scent trail, spider climb, summon nature's ally II, warp wood; 3rd–contagion, illusory poison, spiked pit, summon nature's ally IV, toxic gift; 4th–acid pit, antiplant shell, bloatbomb, caustic blood, giant vermin, repel vermin, rusting grasp, summon nature's ally V, thorn body; 5th–hungry pit, insect plague, phantasmal web, summon nature's ally VII, wall of thorns; 6th–antilife shell, creeping doom, summon nature's ally VIII. In addition to hive master automatically adds the summon nature's ally spells from her spell list to her list of spells known. These spells are added as soon as the hive master is capable of casting them. When casting summon nature ally spells, the hive master may only summon vermin, and adds the following creatures to the list of those available to summon.

Table: Summon Nature’s Ally (Alternatives)

*B1 (Bestiary), B2 (Bestiary 2), B3 (Bestiary 3), B4 (Bestiary 4)

Vermin Brood (Su): At 1st level, a hive master must choose a vermin companion instead of an animal companion. The hive master can choose from following vermin companions: ant (giant), ant (riding), bee (giant), beetle (giant), centipede (giant), cockroach (giant), crab (giant), crab (king), darkling beetle (giant), fly (giant), leech (giant), mantis (giant), scorpion (giant), scorpion (greensting), slug (giant), solifugid (giant), spider (giant), spider (scarlet), wasp (giant).

As the hive master gains levels, she can have more than one animal companion, but she must divide her effective druid level between her vermin companions to determine the abilities of each one. For example, a 4th-level hive master can have one 4th-level vermin companion, two 2nd-level vermin companions, one 3rd-level vermin companion and one 1st-level vermin companion, or four 1st-level vermin companions.

When a hive master gains a level, she must decide how to allocate the increase among her vermin companions, including whether or not to add a new 1st-level companion. Once a hive master level is allocated to a particular companion, it cannot be redistributed while that companion is in the hive master's service. She must release the companion or wait until the companion dies to allocate its levels to another companion, which she can then do the next time she refreshes her spell slots for the day. The share spells vermincompanion ability applies to only one vermin companion at a time—the hive master cannot use it to cast a spell that affects only a single target and have the spell affect all of her vermin companions.

This ability replaces animal companion.

Vermin Empathy (Ex): This is exactly like the hunter’s wild empathy ability, except that the hive master can use it only to influence vermin (not animals or magical beasts). This ability alters wild empathy.

Vermin Focus (Su): A hive master can take on the aspect of a vermin. This functions as animal focus, but allows only the following choices.

Ant: The creature gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Beetle: The creature gains a +2enhancement bonus to its natural armor bonus. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level. (A creature without natural armor has an effective natural armor bonus of +0.)

Centipede: The creature gains a +2 competence bonus on Climb checks and a +2 bonus to CMD against pull, push, reposition, and trip combat maneuvers. These bonuses increase to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Cockroach: The creature gains a +4 bonus on saves against cold dangers, disease, heat dangers, starvation, thirst, and on Constitution checks to avoid suffocation. These bonuses increase to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Crab: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on Swim checks and a +2 competence bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks. These bonuses increase to +6 and +4 respectively at 8th level, and +8 and +6 at 15th level.

Flea: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on saves against disease and Acrobatics checks to jump. These bonuses increase to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Fly: The creature gains a +2 bonus on Perception checks and on Acrobatics checks to balance or fall safely. These bonuses increase to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Leech: The creature gains a +2 competence bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks, and deals 1 point of bleed damage every time it succeeds at a grapple combat maneuver check to damage an opponent (this bleed stacks with itself). These benefits increase to a +4 bonus and 3 points of bleed at 8th level, and a +6 bonus and 5 points of bleed at 15th level. Bleed damage from this ability does not stack with itself.

Mantis: The creature gains a +2 bonus on attack of opportunity attack rolls and a +2 competence bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks. These bonuses increase to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Moth: The creature gains darkvision to a range of 60 feet. At 8th level, the range increases by 30 feet. At 15th level, the creature gains blindsense to a range of 10 feet.

Phasmid: The creature gains low-light vision and a +4 competence bonus on Stealth checks in forests or plains. This bonus increases to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Scorpion: The creature gains a +2 competence bonus on Stealth checks and grapple combat maneuver checks. These bonuses increase to +6 and +4 respectively at 8th level, and +8 and +6 at 15th level.

Spider: The creature gains a +2 competence bonus on Stealth checks, saving throws against web effects (magical or otherwise), and checks to break free of webs. This bonus increases to +4 at 8th level and +6 at 15th level.

Wasp: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus on Perception checks. This bonus increases to +6 at 8th level and +8 at 15th level.

Worm: The creature gains fast healing 1 and a 25% chance to treat any critical hit or sneak attack as a normal hit (as the fortification armor special ability). This increases to fast healing 2 and 50% at 8th level, and fast healing 3 and 75% at 15th level.

This ability replaces animal focus.

Toxin Resistance (Ex): At 2nd level, a hive master gains a +2 bonus on all saving throws against poison, and against the disease effects of vermin and vermin swarms. This bonus increases to +4 at 5th level, and then again to +6 at 8th level. At 10th level, a hive master becomes completely immune to poison and the disease effects of vermin and vermin swarms. This ability replaces track.

Compel Vermin (Su): Starting at 3rd level, a hive master can use compulsion spells or effects against vermin and are treated as having animal intelligence (an Intelligence score of 1 or 2) for the purpose of such spells. At 7th level, a hive master can use compulsion spells and effects against vermin swarms as though they had animal intelligence. This effect supersedes the normal mindless trait of vermin and vermin swarms. Vermin affected by compulsion spells can still make a Will save to negate the effect.

In addition, the hive master gains Vermin Heart as a bonus feat. This ability replaces precise companion and hunter’s tactics.

Hex: At 3rd level, the hive master gains the witch’s hex ability. She may choose a hex from those listed in the witch class description, or the new carrion critters or tunneling hex. Every three levels beyond 3rd, the hive master can choose an additional hex. The hive master uses her hive master level as her witch level for the purpose of determining the effects of her hexes. In addition, if the hive master chooses the feral speech hex, she can to speak to vermin (as speak to animals) at 1st level, and to animals at 12th level. This ability, major hex, and grand hex replace teamwork feats.

Hive Mind (Su): At 4th level, a hive master gains an empathic link with her vermin brood. This functions like an empathic link with a familiar, except the hive master can also see through a vermin companion's eyes as a swift action, maintaining this connection as long as she likes (as long as the companion is within 1 mile) and ending it as a free action. The hive master is blinded while maintaining this connection. The hive master can only see through the eyes of one vermin companion in her brood at a time, but may shift her perception to any other vermin companion as a swift action. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces improved empathetic link

Swarm Stride (Ex): At 5th level, a hive master learns to move through vermin without danger. She can safely pass through swarms of vermin and does not take swarm damage while within a vermin swarm's space. In addition, she is immune to a swarm's distraction ability. If the hive master or her vermin brood attack a swarm, they lose this protection against only that swarm. This ability replaces woodland stride.

Second Vermin Focus (Su): At 8th level, whenever a hive master uses her vermin focus ability, she selects two different animal aspects for herself instead of one, and can assign two aspects to her vermin brood instead of one. Each aspect must be applied to a different companion, unless the hive master has only one vermin companion. As with the brood’s previous aspect, the second one does not count against the minutes per day a hive master can take on an aspect.

If an individual hive master's vermin companion is dead and has applied the companion’s animal aspect to herself, that aspect does not count toward her maximum of two aspects at once. The hive master can still apply only one of her dead vermin companion’s aspects to herself, not both. This ability replaces second animal focus

Swarm Master (Su): At 8th level, as a standard action, a hive master can cause one of his vermin companions to become a swarm of his choosing. This effect functions as swarm skin, except that it transforms the chosen companion into a swarm instead of the hive master. The hive master can command this swarm as if it were one of her vermin companions. He can use this ability once per day at 10th level, plus one additional time per day every 3 levels thereafter. This ability replaces swift tracking and bonus tricks.

Create Hive (Su): At 10th level, a hive master can create a hive that provides him with cover. This functions as the web shelter spell, except the hive has a hardness of 6, and 5 hit points for every 5-foot square of web surface area. A hive master can have 2 vermin companions as part of his hive at 10th level, and an additional companion every four levels thereafter. Each vermin companion that is part of the hive grants the hive master a +2 shield bonus to AC if it is Small or larger, or a +1 shield bonus to AC if it is Tiny. This ability replaces raise animal companion.

Major Hex: At 12th level, a hive master can choose a major hex whenever she could select a hex. She may also select the new arachnophobia or vermin carapace major hex. In addition, the hive master removes animal skin from the list of major hexes she can choose, and may use the hidden home major hex in conjunction with her create hive ability.

Greater Hive Mind (Su): At 14th level, the range of the hive master's empathic link with her vermin brood increases to 10 miles. If a vermin companion from her brood is within 1 mile, the hive master can communicate with it telepathically, though only one companion at a time. This ability otherwise functions as and replaces greater empathetic link.

One with the Hive (Su): At 17th level, the hive master can use any of her vermin companions to deliver touch spells or hexes that she knows through any of the companions’ natural attacks. The vermin companion must be within range and affected by the hive master's hive mind ability in order to activate this ability. Using this ability expends the chosen spell or use of the chosen hex.

The hive master and her vermin brood can also attempt to demoralize vermin in the appropriate category to her own as a swift action, rolling 1d20 and adding the hive master's level and her Charisma modifier to determine the Intimidate check result. This ability replaces one with the wild.

Grand Hex: At 18th level, a hive master can choose a grand hex whenever she could select a hex. She may select the new drider form, vermin sovereign, or worm call grand hex. In addition, if she selects the witch’s hut grand hex, she can use it in conjunction with her create hive ability.

Hive Monarch (Su): At 20th level, the hive master and her brood are as one. Whenever the hive master uses her vermin focus ability, all of her vermin companions are targeted instead of just one. The hive master may also apply the basic effects of her vermin focus (no 8th or 15th level abilities) to any creature summoned with the summon nature's ally spell.

Additionally, each day when the hive master prepares spells, she chooses one vermin focus to be active on herself for the entire day. This focus is in addition to using her vermin focus class ability (including the additional focus ability she is able to use on herself if a vermin companion is dead). This ability replaces master hunter

Table: Hive Master