Astral Animist

Rarely, an aegis will find himself in a position to gain favor with the spirits by gathering and preparing special items, or fetishes. These fetishes are imbued with blood and attuned to specific enemies – and when that enemy is confronted, the spirits assist the animist.

## Abilities

### **Astral Suit**

The animist can only form his astral suit into the astral mantle form (shown below). He is not able to select the astral skin, astral armor, or astral juggernaut forms. His astral suit otherwise functions as normal.

*Astral Mantle:* When formed into astral mantle, an astral suit resembles masterwork hide armor and is treated as such for all mechanical purposes. While the animist maintains his psionic focus, he can move at normal speed while wearing his astral mantle. Should the animist be wearing armor when forming his astral suit in this fashion, the astral suit encloses the armor and the animist gains the benefits of only his astral suit and not those of his armor, even if his armor would confer better benefits. Forming his astral suit into this form takes a move action.

The animist gains the following free customizations: power resistance, presence (shown below).

At 2nd level, the animist gains the energy resistance customization as a free customization when the astral suit is in astral mantle form.

At 10th level, the animist gains the improved armor (2) customization as a free customization.

### **Gris-Gris (Su)**

With the help of the spirits, the animist creates a small fetish bag that gains in power as he does. Beginning at first level, while the animist’s astral suit is in astral mantle form, he gains an armor bonus to AC equal to his Charisma modifier (minimum +1, to a limit of the armor bonus provided by his astral mantle) against incorporeal attacks.

At 5th level, the gris-gris can become attuned to specific types of spirits, granting various bonuses based on the spirit. Once per day, as a ritual that takes five minutes to perform, the animist may choose one of the following spirits, gaining the listed bonuses for one day or until they end it early as a free action (see below). In addition, as a free action while the animist has one or more spirits attuned to their gris-gris, they may end one of the effects to heal hit points equal to their class level. This is a supernatural effect.

* *Anger:* +2 insight bonus on damage rolls.
* *Crossroads:* +2 insight bonus on opposed skill checks.
* *Duality:* +2 insight bonus to any two skills, chosen when the animist attunes their gris-gris.
* *Haunting:* +1 insight bonus on save DCs of any aegis or animist effect the animist creates.
* *Protection:* +1 insight bonus to AC and one save, chosen when the animist attunes their gris-gris.
* *Serenity:* +1 insight bonus on attack rolls.

At 12th level, the animist may select any two of these options whenever they attune their gris-gris.

This ability replaces astral repair, master craftsman, and cannibalize suit.

### **Blood Talisman (Su)**

At 2nd level, the animist can gain further power from the blood of his enemies. He can spend a swift action to gather some of the blood of an adjacent to an enemy that has been damaged and hasn’t received magical or psionic healing. If the animist has hit that enemy with a charge attack and dealt damage this turn, he may instead gather blood as a free action. Against that enemy for the round, he gains a +1 competence bonus on Bluff, Knowledge, Perception, Sense Motive, and Survival checks, and a +1 competence bonus on weapon attack and damage rolls. At 6th level, and every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by one.

Activating this ability again, while already in use, immediately causes the previous effect to end. This ability has no effect on targets immune to bleed effects, such as constructs or the undead. Ghosts or other incorporeal undead are affected as normal (the animist leeches from their soul).

This ability replaces craftsman.