Kahuna

A Base Class for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

The term “kahuna” is often equated to “master” or “expert” but carries a very special connotation when applied to sages and spiritual advisors. Kahuna had a natural gift- an ability to communicate with the world of spirits and even the gods themselves. They could invoke powerful tapus against certain actions and their command over herbalism and spirit magics were second to none. They were often trained master to apprentice though in the Maori culture (where they were known as  Tohunga) they were trained in schools known as wananga.

Kahuna do not worship a specific deity, often honoring specific deities for specific reasons. However, most of the divine presences they invoke or rebuke are not on such a godly level. They often deal with matters of tapu, hara and pono, as well as political matters. The spirits they invoke are often local ones whose earthly presence might inhabit things like inanimate objects, animals, the weather, a local region, a particularly precious wave, etc.

There were often some of the most educated and skilled people on their island, with pools of knowledge as deep as the ocean. This helped them teach crafts to the unskilled, act as ambassadors to other islands, educate the young, and retain the history of their cultures in their minds.

**Hit Dice: D6.**

**Role:** Kahuna are divine casters, even more proficient than traditional clerics in their divine casting. They are not particularly skilled martial characters but make up for this in their abundance of skills and unique educational experiences. They have access to a wide variety of spells- both offensive and supportive. Wisdom is important to them and a high Intelligence will grant them a larger number of class skills.

**Alignment: Any**

Most kahuna are good aligned as it takes the respect of a community to truly invest one with spiritual power. The term “kahuna ʻanaʻana” is associated with black magic while “kahuna lapaʻau” is more associated with white magic and healers.

**Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp.).** In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

**Class Skills**

The kahuna’s class skills are Appraise (Int), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (all) (Int), Linguistics (Int),  Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Seafaring (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str).

**Skill Ranks per Level: 8 + Int modifier.**

**Table 1-1: The Kahuna**

## Class Features:

The following are the class features of the kahuna.

## Weapon and Armor Proficiency:

The kahuna is proficient with all simple weapons and light armor.

## Spells (Ex):

A kahuna casts divine spells drawn from the kahuna spell list (described at the end of this class). A kahuna must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time.

To learn, prepare, or cast a spell, the kahuna must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a kahuna's spell is 10 + the spell level + the kahuna's Wisdom modifier.

A kahuna can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: 1-2 Kahuna Spells Per Day. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells in the Pathfinder Core Rulebook).

A kahuna may know any number of spells. He must choose and prepare his spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour studying, praying, and making offerings to local spirits in his prayer hut. While within this sacred space, the kahuna decides which spells to prepare.

**Starting Spells:** A kahuna begins play being able to select from all 0-level kahuna spells plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The kahuna also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Wisdom modifier to add to the spells he may select from while in his prayer hut. At each new kahuna level, he gains 2 new spells of any spell level or levels that he can cast (based on his new kahuna level) for his prayer hut.

**Spells Gained at a New Level:** Kahunas perform a certain amount of divine spell research between adventures. Each time a character attains a new kahuna level, he gains two spells of his choice to the list he may select from while in his prayer hut. The two free spells must be of spell levels he can cast.

**Prayer Huts:** A prayer hut is a small shelter, normally crafted from the surrounding area, in which a kahuna may use to offer prayer and appeasement to the local spirits. This is typically small but large enough the kahuna can enter. Often while traveling it is crafted informally from large leaves, stone, and even dirt. There is often a fire inside, though this is not required- just that it obscures view so that the kahuna may commune with the local spirits in peace. Each day a kahuna must commune with these spirits for no less than 30 minutes. Crafting one typically takes minutes and may be done even in the most spartan of environments. If the GM wishes to- the spirits may actually converse of inform the kahuna of aspects of the local area, weather events, or even omems.

**Table 1-2 Kahuna Spells Per Day**

**Tapu (Sp):**

At 1st level a kahuna may cast forbid action (as described in the spell’s entry found in Ultimate Magic) as a swift action a number of times per day equal to his 3 + kahuna level + his Wisdom modifier. Unlike the spell however, this is not a language-dependent, mind-affecting, effect as it is a spiritual goad to keep a creature from doing something.

Finally, a creature may ignore the effects of the forbid action spell even if they fail the save. However, if they choose to ignore the spell’s effect after a failed save, they take a penalty on all d20 rolls equal to 1/3rd the kahuna’s level (minimum of -2) and automatically fail all critical confirmation rolls the duration of this class feature (1 round for forbid action and 1 round per level for greater forbid action).

## Master (Ex):

At 3rd level and every 5 levels thereafter the kahuna becomes a master (or kahuna) of a new craft, skill, profession, or talent that is vital to his community. He gains the skill unlock powers for that skill as appropriate for his number of ranks in that skill. The selected skill must be selected from the kahuna’s list of class skills.

**Sidebar: Skill Unlocks**

The skill unlock system and the associated signature skills were introduced in Pathfinder Unchained. If not familiar with this rule system or if you do not wish to employ it the kahuna may gain the Skill Focus feat in one of the kahuna’s class skills.

## Greater Tapu (Sp):

At 5th level a kahuna may expend 2 uses of his tapu class features to cause it to function like greater forbid action. Like the tapu class feature, this is not a language-dependent, mind-affecting, effect.

## Improved Tapu:

At 10th level, if a creature breaks a forbidden action, the creature is additionally confused (as per a confusion spell) for the same duration.

### Sidebar: What’s in a Name?

The term kahuna is a special one that says a lot about their nature and role in societies. “Kahu” means “to tend” as in an oven or to take care of something or someone. “-na” makes the word a noun so the word kahuna might best be translated to English with words like “caretaker” or “caregiver”.

## Grand Tapu (Sp):

At 15th level, a kahuna can expend 4 uses of his tapu class feature to cast greater forbid action except that it affects all enemy creatures within 10 feet per kahuna level that the kahuna can draw line of effect to.

## Kahuna Nui (Ex):

At 20th level, a kahuna is treated as if he had skill unlock for all skills. Furthermore, he is treated as if he had at least 1/2 his character level in ranks in every skill. (If not using skill unlocks, treat him as having 15 ranks in all skills instead.)

**Note:** The term Kahuna Nui means “Great Kahuna” and implies they have masters all forms of kahuna.

**Kahuna Spell List**

0th Level Spells: Bleed, Create Water, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Flare, Guidance, Jolt, Know Direction, Light, Mending, Purify Food and Drink, Resistance, Spark APG, Stabilize, Virtue

1st Level Spells: Air Bubble UC, Alarm, Alter Winds APG, Ant Haul APG, Bless Water,Burning Hands, Cause Fear, Command, Comprehend Languages, Cure Light Wounds, Curse Water, Deathwatch, Detect Animals or Plants, Diagnose Disease UM, Endure Elements, Entangle, Flare Burst APG, Forbid Action UM, Gentle Breeze ACG, Hydraulic Push APG, Inflict Light Wounds, Magic Stone, Obscuring Mist, Pass without Trace, Remove Fear, Remove Sickness UM, Sanctuary, Sleep, Stumble Gap APG, Touch of the Sea APG, Wave Shield ACG

2nd Level Spells: Augury, Barkskin, Binding Earth, Blessing of Courage and Life APG, Burning Gaze APG, Calm Emotions, Campfire Wall APG, Communal Ant Haul UC, Communal Endure Elements UC,  Cure Moderate Wounds, Darkness, Delay Disease ARG, Delay Poison, Eagle Eye APG, Elemental Speech APG, Enthrall, Feast of Ashes APG, Fire Trap, Flaming Sphere, Fog Cloud, Gentle Repose. Glide APG, Gust of Wind, Heat Metal, Inflict Moderate Wounds, Lesser Restoration, Make Whole, Masterwork Transformation UM, Pox Pustules APG, Remove Paralysis, Resist Energy, Share Language APG, Shatter, Slipstream APG, Scare, Scorching Ray, Shocking Grasp, Spider Climb, Status, Stone Call APG, Tree Shape UM, Warp Wood, Wood Shape, Zone of Truth

3rd Level Spells: Aqueous Orb, Ash Storm UM, Bestow Curse, Blindness/Deafness, Call Lightning, Cloak of Winds APG, Communal Delay Poison UC, Communal Share Language UC, Communal Spider Climb UC, Contagion, Continual Flame, Create Food and Water, Create Treasure Map APG, Cure Serious Wounds, Cup of Dust APG, Daylight, Deep Slumber, Diminish Plants, Dispel Magic, Fireball, Hide Campsite APG, Hydraulic Torrent APG, Inflict Serious Wounds, Lightning Bolt, Meld into Stone, Nature's Exile APG, Neutralize Poison, Planar Adaptation APG, Plant Growth, Poison, Protection from Energy, Quench, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Remove Disease, Sacred Bond APG, Speak with Dead, Speak with Plants, Stone Shape, Suggestion, Tongues, Water Breathing, Water Walk, Wind Wall

4th Level Spells: Air Walk, Arboreal Hammer UM, Ball Lightning APG, Blight, Command Plants, Communal Protection from Energy UC, Communal Water Walk, Confusion, Contact Other Plane, Control Water, Cure Critical Wounds, Death Ward, Detonate APG, Discern Lies, Dismissal, Divination, Fear, Flame Strike, Fire Shield, Firefall APG, Freedom of Movement, Geyser APG, Greater Flaming Sphere ACG,  Grove of Respite APG, Inflict Critical Wounds, Lesser Age Resistance UM, Lesser Geas, Life Bubble APG, Mass Daze UM, Remove Curse, Reincarnate, Ride the Waves UM, Restoration, River of Wind APG, Scrying, Spell Immunity, Thorn Body UM, True Form APG, Volcanic Storm UM

5th Level Spells: Atonement, Awaken (plants only), Baleful Polymorph, Break Enchantment, Breath of Life, Call Lightning Storm, Cleanse APG, Commune, Communal Air Walk UC, Communal Tongues UC, Commune With Nature, Control Winds, Fickle Winds UM, Greater Command, Greater Contagen, Greater Forbid Action, Hallow, Lesser Astral Projection UM, Lightning Arc UM, Major Curse, UM, Mass Cure Light Wounds, Permanency, Plane Shift, Raise Dead, Slay Living, Spell Resistance, Stoneskin, Threefold Aspect APG, Transmute Mud to Rock, Transmute Rock to Mud, Tree Stride, True Seeing, Unhallow, Wall of Fire, Wall of Stone, Wall of Thorns

6th Level Spells: Age Resistance UM, Banishment, Chain Lighting, Communal Stoneskin, Contagious Flame APG, Disintegrate, Dust Form UC, Epidemic, Find the Path, Greater Dispel Magic, Geas/Quest, Harm, Heal, Heroes' Feast, Ironwood, Mass Cure Moderate Wounds, Mass Planar Adaptation, Mass Inflict Moderate Wounds, Mass Suggestion, Move Earth, Repel Wood, Spellstaff, Teleport, Transport via Plants, Wind Walk, Word of Recall

7th Level Spells: Animate Plants, Changestaff, Control Weather, Discern Location, Fire Storm, Greater Age Resistance UM, Greater Restoration, Greater Scrying, Mass Cure Serious Wounds, Mass Inflict Serious Wounds, Rampart APG, Regenerate, Scouring Winds UM, Sunbeam, Transmute Metal to Wood, Vision, Vortex APG

8th Level Spells: Antimagic Field, Control Plants, Create Demiplane UM, Earthquake, Finger of Death, Greater Spell Immunity, Mass Cure Critical Wounds, Mass Inflict Critical Wounds, Repel Metal or Stone, Reverse Gravity, Seamantle APG, Stormbolts APG, Sunburst, Wall of Lava APG, Whirlwind

9th Level Spells: Antipathy, Astral Projection, Clashing Rocks APG, Communal Greater Spell Immunity, Cursed Earth UM, Etherealness, Foresight, Gate, Greater Create Demiplane UM, Greater Teleport, Mass Heal, Miracle, Storm of Vengeance, Sympathy, Tsunami APG, True Resurrection, Winds of Vengeance APG, World Wave APG

**Table 1-3: Kahuna Alternate Favored Class Bonuses**

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