Greetings!
Welcome to Creative Characters. This is where I indulge myself a bit and create an unusual character, based on a concept, idea, theme, feat or whatever else catches my fancy. These characters are NOT supposed to be optimized, but they ARE supposed to be INTERESTING. For the sake of reference, and consistency, all characters here are created with the Elite stat array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) and all hit points are rolled as averages (and rounded down). They are also written so that they can be used as either NPCs or PCs as the reader chooses, and are written with all special abilities typed out, to ensure a minimum amount of book-flipping throughout your game.
This is a recurring series, and you should be seeing installments of it each week. Should you wish to see a particular build or idea featured here, then please don’t hesitate to comment
Today I present to you Katchum, the summoner with an eidolon who may seem recognizable, but who’s name in no way is synonymous with Pokemon nor rhymes with “Atchoo”. I give you Katchum and Ponkathu!
Katchum the Summoner (CR 4)
XP 1,200
Male gnome summoner 5
LG Small humanoid (gnome)
Init +2; Sense low-light vision, Perception +2
DEFENSE
AC 16, touch 11, flat-footed 16 (+5 armor, +1 deflection)
hp 38 (5d8+15 (Constitution) +5 (favored class bonus))
Fort +4, Ref +3, Will +4
OFFENSE
Speed 20 ft.
Melee morningstar +2 (1d8-1)
Ranged short bow +3 (1d6-1/x3)
Gnome Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +8)
1/day—dancing lights, ghost sound (DC 14), prestidigitation, speak with animals
Summoner Spells Known (CL 5th, concentration +8)
2nd (3/day)—barkskin, bull’s strength, summon monster II
1st (4/day)—mage armor, lesser rejuvenate eidolon, summon monster I, summon minor monster
0 (at will)—acid splash, daze (DC 14), detect magic, light, mending, read magic
STATISTICS
Str 6, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 17
Base Atk +3 CMB -1; CMD 12
Feats Augment Summoning, Light Armor Proficiency, Resilient Eidolon, Simple Weapon Proficiency, Superior Summoning
Skills Knowledge (planes) +9, Spellcraft +9, Use Magic Device +11
Languages Common, Dwarf, Gnome
Combat Gear masterwork dagger, shock amulet of mighty fists +1 (i.e. amulet of mighty fists +1, that grants the shock weapon special ability), Other Gear backpack, bedroll, blanket, trail rations (7 days’ worth), 193 gp, 5 sp (these remaining coins can be spent at the GM or player’s discretion before the start of the game session).
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Cantrips
Katchum has learned a number of cantrips, or 0-level spells. These spells are cast like any other spell, but they may be cast any number of times per day. Cantrips prepared using other spell slots, due to metamagic feats, for example, consume spell slots as normal.
Eidolon
Kachum the ability to summon to his side a powerful outsider called Ponkathu. Ponkathu has formed a link with the Kachum, who, forever after, summons an aspect of the same creature. Ponkathu has the same alignment as Katchum and can speak all of his languages. Ponkathu is treated as summoned creatures, except that he is not sent back to their home plane until reduced to a number of negative hit points equal to or greater than their Constitution score. In addition, due to its tie with Katchum, Ponkathu can touch and attack creatures warded by protection from evil and similar effects that prevent contact with summoned creatures.
Katchum can summon Ponkathu in a ritual that takes 1 minute to perform. When summoned in this way, Ponkathu’s hit points are unchanged from the last time it was dismissed or banished. The only exception to this is if Ponkathu was slain, in which case it returns with half its normal hit points. Ponkathu does not heal naturally. He remains until dismissed by the summoner (a standard action). If Ponkathu is sent back to its home plane due to death, it cannot be summoned again until the following day. Ponkathu cannot be sent back to its home plane by means of dispel magic, but spells such as dismissal and banishment work normally. If Katchum is unconscious, asleep, or killed, Ponkathu is immediately banished. Ponkathu has taken a form shaped by Katchum’s desires. Ponkathu’s Hit Dice, saving throws, skills, feats, and abilities are tied to the Katchum’s summoner class level and increase as Katchum gains levels. In addition, Ponkathu receives a pool of evolution points, based on the summoner’s class level, that can be used to give the eidolon different abilities and powers. Whenever Katchum gains a level, he must decide how these points are spent, and they are set until he gains another level of summoner. (Note: due to the Resilient Eidolon feat, Ponkathu stays for 5 rounds after Katchum has been knocked unconscious, fallen asleep, or killed)
The eidolon’s physical appearance is up to the summoner, but it always appears as some sort of fantastical creature. This control is not fine enough to make the eidolon appear like a specific creature. The eidolon also bears a glowing rune that is identical to a rune that appears on the summoner’s forehead as long as the eidolon is summoned. While this rune can be hidden through mundane means, it cannot be concealed through magic that changes appearance, such as alter self or polymorph (although invisibility does conceal it as long as the spell lasts).
Life Link (Su)
Starting at 1st level, Katchum formed a close bond with his eidolon. Whenever Ponkathu takes enough damage to send it back to its home plane, Katchum can sacrifice any number of hit points. Each hit point sacrificed in this way prevents 1 point of damage done to Ponkathu. This can prevent Ponkathu from being sent back to its home plane.
In addition, Ponkathu and Katchum must remain within 100 feet of one another for the eidolon to remain at full strength. If Ponkathu is beyond 100 feet but closer than 1,000 feet, its current and maximum hit point totals are reduced by 50%. If Ponkathu is more than 1,000 feet away but closer than 10,000 feet, its current and maximum hit point totals are reduced by 75%. If Ponkathu is more than 10,000 feet away, it is immediately returned to its home plane. Current hit points lost in this way are not restored when Ponkathu gets closer to Katchum, but its maximum hit point total does return to normal.
Summon Monster III (Sp)
Katchum can cast summon monster III as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. Drawing upon this ability uses up the same power as Katchum uses to call Ponkathu. As a result, he can only use this ability when Ponkathu is not summoned. He can cast this spell as a standard action and the creatures remain for 1 minute per level (instead of 1 round per level. Katchum cannot have more than one summon monster active in this way at one time. If this ability is used again, any existing summon monster immediately ends. These summon spells are considered to be part of his spell list for the purposes of spell trigger and spell completion items. In addition, he can expend uses of this ability to fulfill the construction requirements of any magic item he creates, so long as he can use this ability to cast the required spell.
Bond Senses (Su)
Katchum can, as a standard action, share the senses of Ponkathu, hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, and touching everything Ponkathu does. He can use this ability a number of rounds per day equal to his summoner level. There is no range to this effect, but Ponkathu and Katchum must be on the same plane. Katchum can end this effect as a free action.
Shield Ally (Ex)
Whenever Katchum is within his Ponkathu’s reach, he receives a +2 shield bonus to his armor class and a +2 circumstance bonus on his saving throws. This bonus does not apply if Ponkathu is grappled, helpless, paralyzed, stunned, or unconscious.
Ponkathu, Eidolon
Effective summoner level 5
LG Medium outsider
Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +6 natural)
hp 30 (4d10+8)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +1
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft,
Melee bite +9 (1d6+4 plus 1d6 electricity), 2 claws +8 (1d4+4 plus 1d6 electricity), tail slap +3 (1d6+2 plus 1d6 electricity)
STATISTICS
Str 18, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 7, Wis 10, Cha 11
Base Atk +4; CMB +8; CMD 21
Feats Improved Initiative, Weapon Focus (bite),
Skills Acrobatics +10, Perception +7, Sense Motive +7, Stealth +10,
SQ evasion, evolutions (ability increase (Str), bite, claws (2), improved natural armor, limbs (legs)(2), pounce, tail, tail slap), link, share spells
TACTICS
During Combat Katchum prefers to send in Ponkathu (using Ponkathu’s Pounce ability), to get in close to the enemy and prevent them from getting near Katchum himself. Katchum will try to augment Ponkathu with spells like barkskin and bull’s strength, but will otherwise stand back and summon in creatures (first with his spell-like ability and then with his spells (amplified by the Augment Summoning and Superior Summoning) feats, to do his dirty work. He himself prefers to stand well clear of any combat, preferably with as many heavily armed allies between himself and the enemy as he can possibly manage. It is important to note that Ponkathu wears the amulet of mighty fists that Katchum has acquired.
HISTORY
Katchum was a young man, from a small village, who claimed to be hearing a voice in his head, proclaiming itself as Ponkathu. He followed the voice’s directions to a circle of standing stones and completed the ritual as directed by the voice, fearing that he might have doomed his town and himself. What appeared, however, was a benign creature, about the size of a man, but looking more like an over-grown hamster or mouse, than a denizen of hell. And it proclaimed itself as Ponkathu! Here to save the world! And to help Katchum become the man he always dreamed of being.
As such, they set out together, to challenge evil, overcome it, and in the process becoming the very best, like no one ever was (before).
