Eberron Prestige Class : Weretouched Master
Weretouched masters are shifters who learn to enhance their shifting ability to accentuate the power of their lycanthrope heritage. They quickly learn not just to alter their humanoid form but to actually take on animal forms as their ancestors did. Over time, they grow to master both animal and hybrid forms of all the once-common lycanthropes. Along with their growing mastery of their physical form, weretouched masters become increasingly wild in spirit, less comfortable in human society. Most weretouched masters begin their careers as rangers or barbarians and seek to enhance their combat ability through mastery of animal forms. Few are druids, because druids learn to assume more animal forms more quickly than weretouched masters and have little to gain from this class.
The Eldeen Reaches are home to the greatest number of NPC weretouched masters. The more advanced masters enjoy the rugged wilderness and stay far from human civilization.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Weretouched Master, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Race: Shifter
- Skills: Knowledge (nature) 5 ranks, Survival 8 ranks
- Feats: Any shifter feat.
- Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Class Skills
The weretouched master's class skills are Balance, Climb, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Spot, Survival, and Swim.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.
Class Features
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Weretouched masters gain no proficiency with any weapons, armor, or shields.
Weretouched I (Su): At 1st level, a weretouched master chooses one animal type that represents his lycanthrope heritage: bear, boar, rat, tiger, wolf, or wolverine. When shifting, his appearance changes to strongly resemble a hybrid lycanthrope of the chosen type: His facial features become more bestial, fur sprouts on his body, and he grows a short tail. In addition, he gains one of the following extra benefits each time he shifts, depending on his lycanthrope ancestor.
Bear or Tiger: While shifting, the weretouched master gains a +2 bonus to Strength and manifests claws that can be used as natural weapons. These claws deal 1d4 points of damage, plus an additional +1 for every four character levels he has, on a successful attack. If he already has the razorclaw shifter trait or the Improved Natural Attack feat, his claw damage increases by one die size.
Boar or Wolverine: While shifting, the weretouched master gains a +2 bonus to Constitution and manifests tusks (for boars) or fangs (for wolverines) that can be used as a natural weapon, dealing 1d6 points of damage, plus an additional + 1 for every four character levels he has, on a successful gore or bite attack. If he already has the longtooth shifter trait or the Improved Natural Attack feat, his bite or gore damage increases by one die size.
Rat or Wolf: While shifting, the weretouched master gains a +2 bonus to Dexterity and manifests fangs that can be used as a natural weapon, dealing 1d6 points of damage (plus an additional +1 for every four character levels he has) with a successful bite attack. If he already has the longtooth shifter trait or the Improved Natural Attack feat, his bite damage increases by one die size.
Wild Empathy (Ex): Like a druid or a ranger, a weretouched master gains the ability to use body language, vocalizations, and demeanor to improve the attitude of an animal. This ability functions like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person. The weretouched master rolls a d20 and adds his weretouched master level and his Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result. If he has druid or ranger levels, he adds his weretouched master level to those levels to determine his total modifier. If the animal is of the same kind as the weretouched master's lycanthrope ancestor, he gains a +4 bonus on this check.
To use wild empathy, the weretouched master and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of each other under normal conditions. Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes 1 minute. As with influencing people, it might take more or less time.
A weretouched master can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2, but he takes a -4 penalty on the check.
Bonus Shifter Feat: At 2nd level and again at 4th level, a weretouched master gains a bonus shifter feat. (All of these are new feats described in Eberron Chapter 3.) These bonus feats must be selected from the following list, and the weretouched master must meet the prerequisites of a feat to select it. Beasthide Elite, Cliffwalk Elite, Extra Shifter Trait, Great Bite, Great Rend, Greater Shifter Defense, Healing Factor, Longstride Elite, Shifter Defense, Shifter Ferocity, Shifter Multiattack.
Weretouched II (Su): At 3rd level, a weretouched master gains the scent ability. In addition, he manifests a special benefit derived from his lycanthrope ancestor when he is shifting.
Bear - Improved Grab: To use this ability, the weretouched master must hit with a claw attack. He can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Boar - Fierce Will: The weretouched master gains a +4 bonus on Will saves.
Rat - Climb Speed: The weretouched master manifests a climb speed of 20 feet. In addition, he can use his Dexterity modifier instead of his Strength modifier for Climb checks. If he already has the cliffwalk shifter trait, his climb speed increases by 10 feet.
Tiger - Pounce: If the weretouched master charges a foe, he can make a full attack.
Wolf - Trip: If the weretouched master hits with a bite attack, he can attempt to trip the opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails, the opponent cannot react to trip the weretouched master.
Wolverine - Rage: If the weretouched master takes damage, he flies into a berserk rage on his next turn, biting madly until either he or his opponent is dead, or until his shifting ends. He gains +2 to Strength, +2 to Constitution, and +2 to Armor Class while raging. He cannot end his rage voluntarily, but unlike a barbarian, he is not winded after his rage ends.
Frightful Shifting (Ex): At 4th level, a weretouched master gains an unsettling presence when he uses his shifting ability or his alternate form ability. When he attacks or charges, opponents within 30 feet who witness his attack may become shaken for 5d6 rounds. This ability affects only opponents with fewer Hit Dice or levels than the weretouched master's character level. An opponent can resist the effect with a successful Will save (DC 10 + weretouched master's class level + his Cha modifier). An opponent who succeeds on the saving throw is immune to that weretouched master's frightful shifting for 24 hours. Frightful shifting is a mind-affecting fear effect.
Alternate Form (Su): At 5th level, a weretouched master can assume the animal form or hybrid form related to his lycanthrope heritage (the same animal selected at 1st level). Instead of using his normal shifting ability, he can shift into animal form as though using the polymorph spell on himself, though his gear is not affected, he does not regain hit points for changing form, and only the specific animal form indicated for the lycanthrope heritage can be assumed.
The weretouched master does not assume the ability scores of the animal, but instead adds the animal's ability adjustments (see the following table) to his own ability scores. A weretouched master can also assume a bipedal hybrid form with prehensile hands and animalistic features. In hybrid form, he can use weapons and armor. A slain weretouched master reverts to his humanoid form, although he remains dead. Separated body parts retain their animal form, however.
| Animal | Ability Adjustments (Animal or Hybrid Form) |
| Bear | Str +16, Dex +2, Con +8 |
| Boar | Str +4, Con +6 |
| Rat | Dex +6, Con +2 |
| Tiger | Str +12, Dex +4, Con +6 |
| Wolf | Str +2, Dex +4, Con +4 |
| Wolverine | Str +4, Dex +4, Con +8 |
| Weretouched Master | Hit Die: d8 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CL | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special |
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +2 | +0 | Weretouched I |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +3 | +0 | Wild empathy, bonus shifter feat |
| 3rd | +2 | +3 | +3 | +1 | Weretouched II |
| 4th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Frightful shifting, bonus shifter feat |
| 5th | +3 | +4 | +4 | +1 | Alternate form |
Source: Eberron Campaign Setting