Survivalism
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Spheres of Guile
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Operatives of the Survivalism sphere are able to use nature itself to their advantage, using parts of a slain beast to their fullest potential, or shifting earth and rock to disrupt those within it. In any case, these operatives hold great power with nature and its inhabitants.

Associated Skill: Survival.

When you gain the Survivalism sphere, you gain 5 ranks in Survival, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Survivalism sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in Survival, you may immediately retrain them.

Skill Leverage: You unlock skill leverage with Survival, in addition to either Knowledge (nature) or one of the following Craft skills: alchemy, jewelry, leather, taxidermy, or traps.

Package: When you first take the Survivalism sphere, choose one of the following packages: (dredge) or (harvest). You may take the Expanded Survivalism talent to gain an additional package.

You also acquire the Canny Survivor ability.

Canny Survivor (Ex)

When attempting to light a fire without flint and steel (or similar fire-making tools), you can find suitable materials and start the fire in only 5 minutes, and you may take 10 on the Survival check when doing so. Also, lighting a torch only takes a standard action (rather than a full-round action), or a move action by using a tindertwig.

You immediately succeed at any checks attempted to identify poisonous foods found in nature, in addition to recognizing poisonous creatures and tainted water.

If you possess the (harvest) package, whenever you harvest from a Tiny or larger creature you may produce enough food to feed a single Medium creature for a day. For every size category above Tiny the creature is, you can feed twice as many Medium creatures. This ability can be used to gain sustenance from unconventional creatures, such as oozes or undead that still possess flesh (such as zombies); but cannot be used with creatures incapable of providing sustenance (such as most constructs or fleshless undead).

Survivalism Packages

Dredge Package

You can spend 10 minutes to dredge up to an amount of 5-foot squares equal to 5 + twice the number of ranks in the associated skill you possess, applying the effects of one (ground) talent to the area. The chosen squares must be contiguous, and a square must be within your natural reach for you to dredge it. This dredged area lasts for 1 hour per rank in the associated skill you possess.

Alternatively, you may spend a full-round action to instead move up to your base speed (provoking attacks of opportunity as normal), dredging up to an amount of 5-foot squares equal to 2 + 2 per 5 ranks in the associated skill you possess, and reducing its duration to 1 round per rank in the associated skill you possess.

When you first gain this package, you gain the following (ground) option:

Disrupt Terrain (ground)

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Difficult Terrain: The dredged area becomes difficult terrain.

At 10 ranks in the associated skill, the area is treated as magical for the purposes of effects such as woodland stride.

Cleared Terrain: Any difficult terrain (or areas affected by a (ground) talent) within the dredged area is removed, as long as the difficult terrain was from a non-magical source.

At 10 ranks in the associated skill, you can spend 1 use of skill leverage to also attempt to remove difficult terrain created from magical sources. When doing so, roll 1d20 + your ranks in the associated skill, comparing the result against the effect(s) you are attempting to dredge (DC 11 + t he effects caster level), removing the difficult terrain on a success.

Harvest Package

You can spend 1 minute to harvest a single component from a Tiny or larger corpse. The component corresponds to one (harvest) talent you have. You cannot harvest a component the corpse does not have or that has already been harvested. Some talents gain benefits depending on the creature type the component was harvested from, known as the component’s ‘associated creature type’. A harvested component lasts indefinitely, but has no market value.

You can spend 30 minutes or 15 minutes with a survival kit (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Equipment) to refine a number of components you harvested equal to 1 + 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess, attempting an associated skill check against the refinement DC of each component refined this way. If you fail the refinement check, the refined component functions as if you had only 1 rank in the associated skill when determining its effects; if you succeed at the refinement check, the component uses your full ranks when determining its additional benefits, if any.

You can only have a number of components refined at one time equal to the number of (harvest) talents you possess + 1/2 your ranks in the associated skill (minimum 1); if you exceed this limit, your oldest refined component spoils 15 minutes later. A refined component grants its benefits for 24 hours before degrading into uselessness.

Some (harvest) talents have a Potency entry. You can increase the refinement DC by 10 to add the listed additional benefits.

When you first gain this package, you gain the Talisman (harvest) talent.

Talisman (harvest)

Refinement DC: 15

You harvest various innocuous pieces of a creature, which can be refined to create a talisman, helping ward off similar creatures. A talisman provides a +1 luck bonus to saving throws against attacks and abilities originating from, as well as skill checks attempted against, creatures of the component's associated creature type. If the creature is a humanoid or outsider, this instead confers its benefits to the subtype of the creature. A creature can only benefit from a single talisman at one time.

Potency: The luck bonus increases by 1 per 5 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Survivalism Talent Types

Survivalism talents can have the (ground) or (harvest) tags.

Ground Talents

Some talents are marked (ground), granting you additional ways to dredge an area to your advantage. A dredged area can only have the benefits of a single (ground) talent option applied to it at one time; applying a second (ground) talent overrides the first use.

Harvest Talents

Some talents are marked (harvest), granting you new components that you can harvest from a creature. Some (harvest) talents allow you to expend that harvested component to grant the extra effect listed in its Talisman entry to one talisman you refine. A talisman can have no more than one extra component added this way, or two if one of them has the [utility] tag.

Survivalism Talents

Aerial Dredging

You can dredge using 5-foot cubes rather than 5-foot squares, allowing you to dredge into the air; your (ground) talents affect this dredged area normally. This is usually achieved using nearby ledges, branches, or a similar heightened part of the terrain.

Complex Preparation

If you possess the (dredge) package, you can apply two (ground) talents to the dredged area when you dredge; if this is done as a full-round action (or any ability that alters the time taken to dredge as a full-round action), you become staggered for 1 round after dredging. If a talent alters the amount of squares that can be dredged, only that talent is applied to the altered area (for example, applying both a Pit and Hazardous Terrain still allows you to have the Hazardous Terrain expand out of the Pit.

If you possess the (harvest) package, you may apply the benefits of two talisman effects to a single talisman by increasing the Refinement DC by 5.

Corral

When dredging, you can designate a number of squares within the dredged area equal to your operative ability modifier. These squares and all squares adjacent to them become corralled.

A creature that enters or begins their turn in a corralled square takes a -1 penalty to AC and Reflex saves for 1 round, this penalty increases by 1 per 3 ranks in the associated skill you possess. A creature does not suffer these penalties while within the dredged area. A creature who is in a square when it is corralled may opt to move 5 feet into the dredged area as a free action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity and may be taken even when it is not their turn. You may not apply this talent to squares dredged with the Swift Dredging talent.

When used with the Aerial Dredging talent, any corralled cubes that do not touch the ground only affect flying creatures.

Efficient Preparation

If you possess the (dredge) package, when using dredge, the chosen squares no longer need to be placed contiguously, though all squares must remain within close range of each other. Additionally, you may spend 1 hour when dredging to instead allow the affected area to last for 1 day per 3 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

If you possess the (harvest) package, whenever you harvest a component from a creature, you gain an additional component of the same type (so if you harvest a creature’s hide, you gain two hide components from that creature); this does not function with components that they only have one of (such as a heart). Additionally, you can refine a component so that it occupies two component slots when determining your maximum, but the component lasts for 3 days instead of 24 hours.

Expanded Survivalism

You gain one Survivalism sphere package which you do not already possess. You also unlock skill leverage with two more skills from among the options for the sphere (in addition to the other benefits associated with gaining a new package).

Hunter’s Eye [approach] [utility]

You may adopt this approach as a swift action. When you adopt this approach, you can spend a free action to designate a creature as your mark for 24 hours. You may designate additional creatures as your mark as a swift action. You learn the parts that can be harvested from your mark, in addition to what terrain they are native to. You gain a +1 insight bonus to Survival checks to track your mark, and to harvest and refine parts from your mark, increasing by 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

You can only have a maximum number of marked creatures at one time equal to your operative ability modifier, though you may spend 1 use of skill leverage when designating a creature as your mark without counting towards this limit.

Natural Shelter [utility]

By spending 30 minutes and succeeding at a DC 20 associated skill check, you can create (or alter) an impromptu shelter to exist more comfortably in the wilderness. The shelter can house up to an amount of creatures equal to your operative modifier (minimum 1), plus an additional creature for every 5 points you exceed the DC.

Creatures within the shelter suffer no harm from being in a hot or cold environment, and can exist comfortably in conditions between -50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-45.5 and 60 degrees Celsius) without requiring Fortitude saves, and provides protection against other environmental hazards such as smoke, harsh weather, etc. Creatures retain these benefits for half the time they spent resting within the shelter, to a maximum of 4 hours (For example, if a creature spends 6 hours within the shelter, the benefits are retained for 3 hours). This shelter does not protect against environmental damage such as cold or fire damage, and collapses after suffering an amount of damage equal to twice your ranks in Survival.

Additionally, you can choose to prep up to a 20-foot radius around the shelter with brittle or audible objects. If a corporeal creature enters the prepped area (and is not aware of such preparations), they must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or have their location be revealed to anyone within 40 feet, for 1 round.

Right Where I Want You [plan]

As part of preparing this plan, you must have been able to be near the chosen area for at least 10 minutes. When you reveal this plan, you immediately dredge an area that you can see, selecting an amount of squares as if you had dredged as a full-round action, lasting for 1 round per rank in the associated skill you possess.

Survival Instinct [plan]

When you reveal this plan, you retrieve an item worth up to 100 gp per rank in the associated skill you possess, deducting the cost of the item immediately (if you cannot pay the cost of the item, you cannot retrieve the item). The retrieved item must be something to help in the wilderness, or to combat a specific creature (including their damage vulnerabilities). For example, retrieving an alchemist's fire for a swarm, silversheen or silver blanch for a werewolf, or a compass.

You can spend 1 use of skill leverage to reveal multiple items using this plan, as long as it falls within the gold piece requirement (and you can pay for it immediately).

Swift Dredging [approach]

You may adopt this approach as a standard action, choosing a (ground) talent you possess. At the end of your turn, you dredge an adjacent square. This approach must be maintained each turn as a swift action, ending the approach if you fail to maintain the approach. You may only have a number of squares dredged from this talent equal to your operative ability modifier. When you abandon this approach, either willingly or as a failure to maintain it, all currently dredged squares return to normal.

Harvest Talents

Ailment (harvest)

Refinement DC: 10 + the creature’s Hit Dice

You harvest naturally toxic components from a creature, creating a basic ailment:

Basic Ailment: Poison—ingested or injury; save Fort (Survivalism DC); onset 1 round; frequency 1/round for 1 minute; effect sickened; cure 1 save.

Alternatively, you can harvest a disease or poison from a creature that carries or can inflict such an affliction. This ailment functions identically to the harvested affliction, except that the save DC is equal to your Survivalism sphere DC.

When you refine an ailment, you create a number of doses equal to your operative ability modifier (minimum 1), which you never risk exposing yourself to. An ailment is completely inert and has no monetary value, with a DC 10 Appraise check revealing its volatile nature.

Potency: You may decrease the onset of the ailment to be immediate, and the frequency reduced to 1/round. An ailment refined this way is treated as both a disease and a poison. A basic ailment requires 2 cure saves to remove its effects.

Talisman: The ailment talisman’s wearer causes creature’s of the component’s associated creature type to halve any bonuses to saving throws against disease or poison they possess against the wearer’s abilities; immunities to such effects are instead reduced to a +4 bonus to saving throws against such effects, and do not have these bonuses halved.

Bone (harvest)

Refinement DC: 20

You refine a creature’s bones by attaching them to your armor or clothing, granting a competence bonus to Intimidate checks equal to 2 + 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess; this bonus is doubled against creature’s of the component’s associated creature type. Additionally, whenever the wearer of these bones would successfully make a creature shaken for 3 or more rounds, they can instead decide to make them frightened for 1 round.

Talisman: Any creature that sees the bone talisman’s wearer must succeed at a Will saving throw or lose their immunity to mind-affecting fear effects originating from the wearer of the talisman, instead gaining a +4 bonus to saving throws against fear and increasing the DC to demoralize them by the same amount. This is not a fear effect. If a creature succeeds its save, it becomes immune to the creator’s bone talismans for 24 hours.

Hide (harvest)

Refinement DC: 20

You refine the hide of a creature, granting a single form of damage reduction or energy resistance that the creature possessed or could feasibly provide (such as cold resistance from a polar bear, up to GM discretion). A refined hide’s damage reduction starts at 1, and its energy resistance starts at 5, increasing by +1/+5 respectively per 5 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Talisman: The hide talisman’s wearer increases the luck bonus to saving throws normally granted by a talisman by 1 + 1 per 10 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Gland (harvest)

Refinement DC: 20

You refine particularly volatile glands from a creature; generally one that possesses a breath weapon or similar ability to inflict energy damage. This refined gland functions as a splash weapon that can be used as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet, dealing 1d6 damage per 2 ranks in the associated skill you possess to the target of a direct hit, and half that damage to targets 5 feet away from the point of contact. The damage type is dependent on the creature it was harvested from (up to GM discretion), or acid if the creature did not possess a breath weapon or similar.

Potency: You may alter the refined gland in one of the following ways:

  • Increase the damage die to d8s instead of d6s.
  • Change the affected area to a 20-foot cone or 40-foot line.

Talisman: A gland talisman has 3 glands when created. Whenever the gland talisman’s wearer would be damaged by a melee attack, one of the gland’s burst, dealing the normal damage for a gland to the attacker (Reflex negates).

Heart (harvest)

Refinement DC: 20

You refine a creature's heart, usually being eaten or drained afterwards. You gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your ranks in this sphere's associated skill (minimum 1), which last for 10 minutes per rank you possess in this sphere’s associated skill. These temporary hit points replenish whenever you reduce a creature with at least half as many Hit Dice as your character level to 0 or fewer hit points.

Talisman: The heart talisman’s wearer gains increased vigor, granting a +1 alchemical bonus to Fortitude saving throws, and a +2 alchemical bonus to Strength-based ability checks and skill checks. These bonuses increase by +1/+2 respectively for every 6 ranks in this sphere’s associated skill you possess.

Lifeblood (harvest) [utility]

Refinement DC: 15

You refine the lifeblood of a creature, which functions as if it were a healer's kit with a number of uses equal to your operative modifier (minimum 1). If refined lifeblood is used to treat deadly wounds (and takes at least 10 minutes when doing so), you also restore 1d4 points of ability damage or 1 point of ability drain to a single ability score of your choice. If it is used when providing long-term care, it also grants a +4 alchemical bonus to saving throws against any temporary negative levels they would attempt from resting.

Potency: The refined lifeblood either gains twice as many uses, or when used to treat deadly wounds can affect all ability scores suffering ability damage or drain.

Talisman: The lifeblood talisman’s wearer gains increased stamina, granting a +2 alchemical bonus to Constitution checks, increases by 1 for every 3 ranks in this sphere’s associated skill you possess. Additionally, whenever the wearer is treated as if they had received long-term care whenever they have 8 hours of rest; if they already receive long-term care, they instead remove all ability damage affecting their physical ability scores.

Mucus (harvest)

Refinement DC: 15

You refine the mucus, slime, or similar fluids from a creature, creating a slick liquid that can be thrown as a ranged touch attack with an increment of 10 feet. Creatures in a 10-foot square of the point of contact suffer a -2 penalty to Acrobatics checks, Reflex saves, and to their CMD against bull rush, reposition, and trip attempts for as long as they remain within the area; this penalty increases by 1 per 5 ranks you possess in this associated skill. Additionally, all affected creatures must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or fall prone.

Potency: The affected area increases by 10 feet.

Talisman: The mucus talisman’s wearer becomes covered in a thin layer of viscous liquid, granting them a +5 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks and combat maneuver checks made to escape a grapple, and to their CMD to avoid being grappled. Additionally, whenever the wearer moves more than 10 feet in a turn or is affected by forced movement from a physical source (such as being bull rushed, but not a teleportation effect), they can move an additional 5 feet in the direction they were moving, plus 5 feet per 10 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Musk (harvest) [utility]

Refinement DC: 20

You refine a creature’s scent glands, pheromones, or some other attracting scent from the creature, which can be applied to armor or clothing, granting an alchemical bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, and Handle Animal checks attempted against creature’s of the component’s associated creature type equal to 1 + 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess, as long as the creature can smell you.

Potency: The refined musk applies its effects to all creatures that can smell it.

Talisman: The musk talisman’s wearer gains the regular benefits of refined musk, in addition to granting creatures adjacent to them a +2 alchemical bonus to saving throws against the sickened and nauseated conditions.

Stench (harvest)

Refinement DC: 15

You refine the particularly odorous parts of a creature, like specific glands or waste, creating a stink bomb that can be thrown as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 20 feet. Creatures within a 10-foot radius burst of the point of contact are sickened for 1 round per 3 ranks in the associated skill you possess (Fortitude negates).

  • Potency: Affected creatures become nauseated for 1 round on a failed save, and sickened for the remaining duration. On a successful save, the creature is still sickened for 1 round.
  • Talisman: The stench talisman’s wearer exudes a palpable, yet barely tolerable odor, granting creatures adjacent to the wearer a -2 penalty to saving throws against the sickened and nauseated conditions, and increases the penalties associated with the sickened condition by 1.

Ground Talents

Adjust Visibility (ground)

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Clangorous Terrain: Creatures within the dredged area suffer a penalty to Stealth checks equal to your ranks in the associated skill. Additionally, a creature who moves within the area immediately has their square revealed as if they had been successfully pinpointed.

Softened Terrain: Creatures within the dredged area do not apply the armor check penalty for light and medium armor on Stealth checks. Additionally, creatures with tremorsense can only sense creatures within the area at half the usual distance; if the creature within the area moves at half speed or slower, creatures with tremorsense cannot detect them at all. At 7 ranks in this sphere’s associated skill, creatures within the area do not apply the armor check for heavy armor on Stealth checks.

Alter Stability (ground)

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Destabilizing Terrain: Any creature who moves within the dredged area must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or fall prone; a creature can move at half their normal speed by succeeding an Acrobatics check against a DC equal to 15 + your ranks in the associated skill + your operative modifier. On a failed check, they must attempt the save normally when they move, although if they fail by 5 or more, they fall prone. Additionally, creatures within the area suffer a penalty to Acrobatics checks equal to 1/2 your ranks in the associated sphere.

In addition, if you possess the Aerial Dredging talent, any cubes you dredge have their Climb DCs increased by an amount equal to your operative ability modifier

Stabilizing Terrain: Creatures within the dredged area gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Acrobatics checks and to their CMD against bull rush, overrun, reposition, and trip attempts, increasing by 1 per 5 ranks in the associated skill you possess. They can also move at full speed when using Acrobatics to avoid provoking attacks of opportunity without increasing the DC to do so, and whenever such a creature stands up from prone, they can move up to half their speed after standing up from prone.

In addition, if you possess the Aerial Dredging talent, the dredged area also provides its bonus to Climb checks.

Disrupt Elevation (ground)

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Elevated Terrain: Entering the dredged area requires an additional 5 feet of movement. Creatures within the dredged area are treated as if they were on higher ground against attacks made against creatures outside of the dredged area. In addition to the +1 circumstance bonus to melee attack rolls these creatures would normally receive, this bonus also applies to ranged attack rolls. This bonus increases by 1 per 6 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Unpredictable Terrain: Creatures within the dredged area suffer a -1 penalty to attack rolls until the start of their next turn, increasing by 1 per 6 ranks in the associated skill you possess. This area is also considered slightly sloped, increasing the DC of Acrobatics checks by 2. Additionally, creatures who run or charge within the dredged area must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or end their movement 1d2 × 5 feet later; if this saving throw is failed by 5 or more, the creature also falls prone after this movement.

Hazardous Terrain (ground)

The dredged area becomes liable to injure creatures who remain there. Whenever a creature moves through or ends their turn within the dredged area, the creature must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or suffer an amount of piercing damage equal to your operative ability modifier (minimum 1), and their speed is reduced by half (minimum 5 feet). This is otherwise treated as if the creature had stepped on a caltrop for the purposes of removing these penalties, except the movement penalty lasts for 1 minute.

Manipulate Cover (ground)

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Entrenched Terrain: You entrench each square of the dredged area with a 3-foot-deep trench, granting partial cover to creatures that are within the dredged area from attacks and effects originating from outside of the dredged area.

At 5 ranks in the associated skill, you can instead create a 5-foot-deep trench, granting cover to Medium or smaller creatures instead.

Flatten Terrain: You flatten each square of the dredged area, reducing any cover for creatures of your size within the dredged area to partial cover, and treating any partial cover within the dredged area as if there were no cover. This has no effect on improved cover.

At 5 ranks in the associated skill, this also reduces improved cover to cover.

Modify Impressions (ground) [utility]

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Misleading Terrain: The DC of Survival checks attempted to follow tracks and reconstruct events and to Perception checks attempted to find an object or feature within the dredged area increases by 5 + 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Additionally, when you dredge an area this way, choose a different series of events that occurred within the area. A creature attempting to use Survival to reconstruct events within the dredged area (or a similar skill check attempting to discern what happened within the area) must succeed at a Will saving throw or come to the conclusion that the events that transpired was the event you chose, instead of the actual event.

Revealing Terrain: Any creature who enters the dredged area becomes marked with a marker of your choice, such as ink, pollen, a scent, etc. The creature must succeed at a Perception check equal to 10 + your associated skill modifier to notice the marker to notice the marker, and can spend 1 minute to remove the marker. The DC to track a marked creature decreases by 5 + 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

You can choose to have a creature become marked only if they meet a certain trigger, chosen when you dredge the area. This could be 'when a certain item is touched', 'if a creature runs', etc.

When you create this dredged area with either option, you can spend 1 use of skill leverage to double the normal amount of squares you can normally dredge.

Pit (ground)

You create a pitfall that is usually obscured using brush or other parts of the environment. When you create this dredged area, you can dredge in cubes, not squares (but only to go downwards), and you halve the normal amount of cubes you can normally dredge. The maximum depth you can reach is 10 feet, plus an additional 5 feet per 5 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Creatures who enter the dredged area must succeed at a Reflex saving throw or fall into the pit, suffering fall damage as appropriate. Creatures subjected to an effect intended to push them into the pit (such as a bull rush) do not get a saving throw to avoid falling in if they are affected by the pushing effect. The walls of this pit have a Climb DC equal to your Survivalism sphere DC.

You can spend an additional 5 minutes when you dredge using this talent to also camouflage the dredged area using the terrain around you, requiring creatures to succeed at a Perception check (DC 10 + your modifier in the associated skill) to discover it. A creature who fails to discover the camouflaged pit suffers a -4 penalty to the Reflex save to avoid falling into the pit. A creature inside the pit when the dredge ends are harmlessly ejected to the surface.

Prepare Atmosphere (ground) [utility]

When you use dredge, you can choose one of the following options to apply to the area:

Relaxing Atmosphere: Creatures within the dredged area gain a +2 morale bonus to Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Linguistics (except to find a loophole), and Perform checks. These bonuses increase by 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess. Such creatures also halve the time to orient themselves from a disorientation condition (as long as it would take longer than 1 round to do so).

Additionally, whenever a creature within the dredged area successfully bares their soul (new skill use), the target of the attitude adjustment also reveals a similar piece of information (such as a motivation).

Tense Atmosphere: Creatures within the dredged area reduce the DC required to inflict them with disorientation effects (including saving throw DCs) by 2. Additionally, creatures within the dredged area gain a +2 morale bonus to Perform checks attempted to entertain (dispirit or spook). The DC reductions and bonuses increase by 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Exceptional Talents

Cursed Effigy (harvest) (Su)

Prerequisites: Survival ranks 7, Survivalism sphere ((harvest) package).

Refinement DC: 25

You refine the curse from a creature, binding it to an object for the curse to be based within (such as a symbol, book, etc.), creating a cursed effigy. The chosen curse functions identically to the curse from the creature they were harvested from, except that the save DC is equal to your Survivalism sphere DC. You may release the refined curse upon a creature within 30 feet as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity (Will negates). A curse inflicted on a creature using this talent cannot be harvested and refined again.

Potency: You may release a refined curse to a creature within 60 feet, and the cursed effigy has two uses.

Talisman: The cursed talisman’s wearer gains a +4 luck bonus to saving throws against curses. Additionally, whenever an enemy would reduce the wearer to 0 hit points or fewer, they may spend an immediate action to release the malignant energies of the cursed talisman towards the attacker. The enemy must succeed at a Will saving throw or suffer a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, and skill checks for 1 minute. This is a curse effect.

Expansive Preparation (Su)

Prerequisites: Associated skill 5 ranks, Survivalism sphere.

If you possess the (dredge) package, you may dredge without having a square adjacent to you, and may have the area located within close range (25 feet + 5 feet per 2 ranks in the associated skill you possess). This is generally accomplished through some supernatural means, such as through conversing with the earth, calling upon the spirits of nature, magical intervention, etc.

If you possess the (harvest) package, you can spend double the amount of time refining a harvested component to have its effects function against all creature types, not just the creature type that they were harvested from.

This talent replaces ranged dredging.

Flight (harvest)

Prerequisites: Associated skill 9 ranks, Survivalism sphere ((harvest) package).

Refinement DC: 20

You refine the wings or other methods of aviation from a creature, gaining a 15-foot fly speed (clumsy) that only functions during your turn. If you are not on a surface that can support you at the end of your turn, you glide safely to the ground, at a speed of 60 feet per round, taking no falling damage. You cannot use this fly speed to hover.

At 15 ranks in the associated skill, the granted fly speed functions as a normal fly speed.

Potency: The fly speed functions for an additional round before you begin to glide to the ground. Additionally, the fly speed increases to 30 feet, with a maneuverability of average. For every 3 ranks you possess in the associated skill beyond 9 ranks, this fly speed increases by 10 feet, and the fly speed lasts for an additional round.

Talisman: The flight talisman’s wearer glides safely down instead of falling, changing the rate at which you fall to 60 feet per round, and gets a +4 alchemical bonus to Fly checks.

Limitless Preparation

Prerequisites: Associated skill 10 ranks, Survivalism sphere (Efficient Preparation).

Your preparations have a timeless quality. Whenever you use Efficient Preparation to increase the duration of a refined component or dredged area, it instead lasts indefinitely.

Intellect (harvest) (Su)

Prerequisites: Associated skill 5 ranks, Survivalism sphere ((harvest) package).

Refinement DC: 20

You magically refine a creature’s mind, taking their intellect and memories through ritual, consumption, etc., granting you an alchemical bonus to checks attempted to recall information equal to 2 + 1 per 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Potency: You also learn a specific piece of information from the creature's mind that pertains to one of its motivations; usually enough information to answer a single, specific question to the best of that creature's knowledge, in no more than 25 words. Unlike most refined components, the gained information is permanent.

Talisman: The mind talisman’s wearer gains a +2 enhancement bonus to either their Intelligence or Wisdom score. At 10 ranks in the associated skill, you can either increase the enhancement bonus to +4, or to gain the bonus to both scores when you create this talisman.

Shift Brightness (ground)

Prerequisites: Survivalism sphere ((dredge) package).

When you use dredge, you can use light sources or shade (a natural effect) or strange geometry (a supernatural effect) to create one of the following options to apply to the area. The penalty or bonuses granted by these options apply even to perceive things outside the area and increase by 1 for every 4 ranks in the associated skill you possess.

Shaded Terrain: The dredged area has its light level reduced by one step (minimum darkness). Additionally, creatures take a -2 penalty to Perception checks while within the area.

At 10 ranks in the associated skill, you can choose to instead have the dredged area light level reduced by two steps. Dim light and darkness becomes supernatural darkness.

Radiant Terrain: The dredged area has its light level increased by one step. Additionally, creatures get a +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks while within the area.

At 10 ranks in the associated skill, you can choose to instead have the dredged area light level increase by two steps. Normal light and bright light becomes equivalent to that of daylight.

Warded Terrain (ground) (Su)

Prerequisites: Survival 10 ranks, Survivalism sphere ((dredge) package, (harvest) package, Cursed Effigy (exceptional)).

You can spend 1 use of skill leverage and expend a refined curse to dredge using a mixture of salt, cold iron, or a similar mixture, you help ward off those that would harm your efforts. The amount of squares you can dredge when using this talent is halved. As part of dredging, choose an end of the alignment spectrum (good, evil, lawful, chaotic); you must choose an alignment that you possess. Creatures with the subtype of that alignment's opposite (good for evil, lawful for chaotic, etc.) cannot enter the dredged area, and attacks made by them against creatures within the dredged area must be rolled twice and take the lowest result.

Additionally, creatures within the dredged area may roll saving throws twice and take the highest result against effects originating from creatures of the opposed alignment. If the effect would be a mind-affecting effect, the target is instead immune to its effects; if the target is already under the influence of such an effect, they may attempt a new saving throw against the effect, suppressing the effect as long as they remain within the dredged area.

This does not expel a controlling life force (such as a ghost or projected spirit), but it does prevent them from controlling the target. This is a supernatural effect.

Drawbacks

Hunter

You do not gain the talisman (harvest) talent, and cannot create talismans. You gain a (harvest) talent instead.

Resourceful Laborer [alternate start]

You use Craft (taxidermy) or Profession (architect, butcher, farmer, gardener, miner, monster slayer, siege engineer, trapper, or woodcutter) as your associated skill for the Survivalism sphere, in addition to using your ranks in that skill when meeting prerequisites that require the Survivalism sphere.

Slow Dredger

You cannot dredge as a full-round action, and must spend the normal 10 minutes of work to dredge. You gain the Efficient Preparation talent instead.

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