Animal Spirit Guides

An animal spirit guide is a nature spirit manifested physically in the form of an animal. This spirit bonds with the spirit shaman, providing guidance, protection, and aid. It is a magical beast for all effects that depend on its type. An animal spirit guide’s abilities are determined by the spirit shaman’s level and the racial traits of the spirit’s animal form. As the spirit shaman gains levels, her animal spirit guide improves as well, as noted on the Animal Spirit Guide Base Statistics table. An animal spirit guide cannot function as a familiar or an animal companion.

An animal spirit guide looks like a normal animal, but it has an exceptional quality such as unblinking eyes, pure white or black color, or a slight shimmer or glow to its body. In addition, its eyes reveal an unmistakable, otherworldly intelligence.

As a full-round action, a spirit shaman can summon her animal spirit guide from the spirit realm. This is a supernatural ability that causes the animal spirit guide to appear adjacent to the spirit shaman. A spirit shaman can use this ability once per day at 1st level, and one additional time per day for every four levels thereafter. A spirit shaman can return her animal spirit guide to the spirit realm as a swift action. If an animal spirit guide is ever lost or dies, it can be replaced after a full day through a ritual involving 24 uninterrupted hours of fasting and solitary meditation in a natural environment.

The information presented on the table is explained below.

### Class Level

This is the character’s spirit shaman level.

### HD

This is the total number of eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice the animal spirit guide possesses, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal.

### BAB

This is the animal spirit guide’s base attack bonus. Animal spirit guides do not gain additional attacks using their natural weapons for a high base attack bonus.

### Fort/Ref/Will

These are the animal spirit guide’s base saving throw bonuses. An animal spirit guide has good Fortitude and Reflex saves.

### Skills

This lists the animal’s total skill ranks. Animal spirit guides can assign skill ranks to any skill and receive bonus skill ranks for a high Intelligence as normal. An animal spirit guide cannot have more ranks in a skill than it has Hit Dice. Any skill an animal spirit guide has ranks in is considered a class skill.

### Feats

This is the total number of feats possessed by an animal spirit guide. Animal spirit guides are free to select any feat, although they cannot utilize some feats (such as Martial Weapon Proficiency).

### Natural Armor

The number noted here is an improvement to the animal spirit guide’s existing natural armor bonus.

### Special

This includes a number of abilities gained by spirit guides as they increase in power. Special abilities marked with an asterisk are available to a spirit shaman only when her animal spirit guide is conscious and within 120 feet.

***Empathic Link (Su)***: A spirit shaman has an empathic link with her animal spirit guide to a distance of 120 feet. A spirit shaman can communicate emphatically with her spirit guide, but cannot see through its eyes. Because of the link’s limited nature, only general emotions can be shared. A spirit shaman has the same connection to an item or place that her spirit guide does.

***Share Spells (Ex)***: A spirit shaman can cast a spell with a target of “you” on her animal spirit guide (as a spell with a range of touch) instead of on herself. A spirit shaman can cast spells on his animal spirit guide even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the animal spirit guide’s type (magical beast). This ability does not allow the animal spirit guide to share abilities that are not spells, even if they function like spells.

***Evasion (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 2nd level or higher and her animal spirit guide is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex save for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

***Commune with Spirits (Sp)***: If the spirit shaman is 3rd level or higher, her animal spirit guide can act as an intermediary between herself and the spirit realm a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier. The spirit shaman must enter a trance and take no other actions for 1 minute, after which she gains the benefits of an *augury* spell with 90% effectiveness. At 5th level, the spirit shaman gains the benefits of a *divination* spell with 90% effectiveness. At 9th level, the knowledge gained is equivalent to a *commune* spell. None of these spell effects require material components.

***Deliver Touch Spells (Su)***: If the spirit shaman is 4th level or higher, her animal spirit guide can deliver touch spells for her. If the spirit shaman and the animal spirit guide are in contact at the time the spirit shaman casts a touch spell, she can designate the animal spirit guide as the “toucher.” The animal spirit guide can then deliver the touch spell just as the spirit shaman would. As usual, if the spirit shaman casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

***Speak with Shaman (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 5th level or higher, her animal spirit guide and the spirit shaman can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

***Devotion (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 6th level or higher, her animal spirit guide gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

***Spell Summons (Sp)***: Her animal spirit guide acts as a direct conduit between a spirit shaman of 7th level or higher and the spirit world, granting the spirit shaman the ability to cast one additional spell per day from among those she is capable of casting. This can be any spell drawn from the full druid spell list—it does not need to be one of the spirit shaman’s spells known. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the spirit shaman, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the caster’s level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. Aspirit shaman can summon a different druid spell in this way each time she uses this ability.

***Invisibility (Sp)***: If the spirit shaman is 8th level or higher, her animal spirit guide can become invisible (as the *invisibility* spell) three times per day.

***Improved Evasion (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 10th level or higher and her animal spirit guide is subjected to an attack that allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.

***Spell Resistance (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 12th level or higher, her animal spirit guide gains spell resistance equal to the spirit shaman’s level + 5. To affect the animal spirit guide with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the animal spirit guide’s spell resistance.

***Scry on Animal Spirit Guide (Sp)***: If the spirit shaman is 14th level or higher, she can scry on her animal spirit guide (as if casting *scrying*) once per day.

***Incorporeal (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 16th level or higher, her animal spirit guide can take a standard action to become incorporeal for a number of rounds per day equal to the spirit shaman’s level. These rounds need not be consecutive. The animal spirit guide must become corporeal in order to deliver a touch spell for the spirit shaman.

***Fast Healing (Ex)***: If the spirit shaman is 18th level or higher, her animal spirit guide gains fast healing 10.

## Animal Spirit Guide Choices

Each kind of animal spirit guide has its own size, speed, attacks, ability scores, and special qualities. Each one provides a particular totem spell, which is given after the animal’s statistics. All attacks are made using the creature’s full base attack bonus unless otherwise noted. When it attacks, an animal spirit guide adds the creature’s Strength modifier to the damage roll, unless it has only one attack, in which case it adds 1-1/2 times its Strength modifier.

### Badger/Wolverine

Size Small; Speed 30 ft., burrow 10 ft., climb 10 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 claws (1d6); Ability Scores Str 10,  Dex 17, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Attacks rage  (as a barbarian, 6 rounds per day); Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *bloody claws.*

### Bat

Size Small; Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. (good); AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d3), 2 talons (1d4); Ability Scores Str 8, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8; Special Qualities blindsense 20 ft., low-light vision.

Totem Spell Granted: *echolocation*.

### Bear

Size Medium; Speed 40 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores Str 18, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *bear’s endurance*.

### Bird of Prey (Eagle/Falcon/Hawk)

Size Small; Speed 10 ft., fly 80 ft. (average); AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 talons (1d4); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision.

Totem Spell Granted: *eagle’s splendor* (eagle), *aspect of the falcon* (falcon or hawk).

### Boar

Size Medium; Speed 40 ft.; AC +6 natural armor; Attack gore (1d6); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 12, Con 15, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 8; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *rage*.

### Buffalo/Bison

Size Large; Speed 40 ft.; AC +3 natural armor, Attack gore (1d8); Ability Scores Str 19, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 11, Wis 11, Cha 8; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent, stampede, trample.

Totem Spell Granted: *bull’s strength*.

### Carp

Size Small; Speed swim 60 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4); Ability Scores Str 8, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 14; Special Qualities low-light vision.

Totem Spell Granted: *divination*.

### Condor/Vulture

Size Small; Speed 10 ft., fly 60 ft. (average); AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 talons (1d4); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 11, Wis 14, Cha 8; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *remove disease*.

### Cougar/Jaguar

Size Medium; Speed 50 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6), 2 claws (1d4); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 17, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 15, Cha 12; Special Attacks rake (1d4); Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *cat’s grace*.

### Coyote/Wolf

Size Medium; Speed 50 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d6 plus trip); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Qualities scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *bloodhound*.

### Fox

Size Small; Speed 40 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4); Ability Scores Str 13, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *fox’s cunning*.

### Horse

Size Large; Speed 50 ft.; AC +4 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 hooves\* (1d6); Ability Scores Str 16, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 12,  Wis 12, Cha 12; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent. \*secondary natural attack.

Totem Spell Granted: *communal mount*.

### Manta Ray

Size Medium; Speed swim 60 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack tail slap (1d4); Ability Scores Str 8, Dex 15, Con 11, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision, blindsense 30 ft.

Totem Spell Granted: *ride the waves*.

### Owl

Size Small; Speed 10 ft., fly 80 ft. (average); AC +1 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4), 2 talons (1d4); Ability Scores Str 10, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision.

Totem Spell Granted: *owl’s wisdom*.

### Snake

Size Small; Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC +2 natural armor; Attack bite (1d3 plus poison); Ability Scores Str 8, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 6; Special Attacks poison (Frequency 1 round (6), Effect 1 Con damage, Cure 1 save, Con-based DC); Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *neutralize poison*.

### Stag/Elk

Size Medium; Speed 50 ft.; AC +1 natural armor; Attack gore (1d6), 2 hooves (1d3); Ability Scores Str 12, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10; Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *aspect of the stag*.

### Turtle

Size Small; Speed 10 ft., swim 20 ft.; AC +6 natural armor; Attack bite (1d4); Ability Scores Str 6, Dex 13, Con 15, Int 13, Wis 12, Cha 14; Special Ability shell (withdraw into shell as swift action, +4 bonus to existing natural armor; take no actions except emerge from shell as free action); Special Qualities low-light vision, scent.

Totem Spell Granted: *protection from arrows*.