Yoitsuni Servant Summoning

EXPLANATION – Yoitsuni Servant Summoning toes the line between the lines of what magic can and cannot do. Functionally, it is closer to how artifacts work than how standard theurgy works. Rather than forming a bond between a singular creature like a theurgist does with a familiar, Yoitsuni instead form bonds with ideas – more specifically, belief in those ideas. This is the main reason as to why the form of a Yoitsuni’s servant changes with their current form – it is heavily influenced by the given locale’s impact on the local spirits. As for how summoning the servant actually works, I’ll spare you a technobabble textdump and just chalk it up to “matter is energy, energy is matter, spirits are energy, and something about particle-wave duality.”

WHAT’S WITH THE EARS? – Yoitsuni can’t summon a servant without their ‘ears’ being present. These aren’t actually ears used for hearing (unless the form the Yoitsuni is in actually uses a similarly-placed structure for hearing), and are instead loaded with neurons…which serve no biologically discernable purpose (aside from maybe memory storage). This brain tissue is used to actually do the summoning, it interfaces with the collective subconscious of the summoner’s surrounding and draws out what their visual concept of the idea that is being summoned is perceived to be. Biologically, this is ‘weird’ since this kind of interaction with the collective subconscious is usually reserved for psionic creatures. Functionally, this is “non-controllable, read-only” access to the subconscious, which is probably why it actually works.

Character Level	Ability Scores (High/Average)	Skill Bonuses (High/Average/Untrained)	Customization Points (1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th)	Feats	Special
1st-2nd	14/10	+10/+5/+0	2	1	Summoning, First Servant
3rd-4th	15/10	+11/+6/+1	4	2	Recontract
5th-6th	16/11	+12/+7/+2	6/4	3	Second Servant
7th-8th	17/11	+13/+8/+3	8/6/4	4	Third Servant
9th-10th	18/12	+14/+9/+4	10/8/6	5	Servant Aspect
11th-12th	19/12	+15/+10/+5	12/10/8/6	6	Fourth Servant
13th-14th	20/13	+16/+11/+6	14/12/10/8	7	Recontract (Faster)
15th-16th	21/13	+17/+12/+7	16/14/12/10/8	8	Fifth Servant
17th-18th	22/14	+18/+13/+8	18/16/14/12/10	9	Second Summoning
19th-20th	23/14	+19/+14/+9	20/18/16/14/12	10	Recontract (Fastest)

Servants – Yoitsuni specialize in the summoning of servants, essentially spirits made manifest into a form influenced by belief in generic concepts and ideas. For full details, see the Servants section below.

Summoning – A Yoitsuni Servant Summoner can call forth one servant at a time as a full-round action, which causes the servant to appear in a square adjacent to you. This action requires verbal actions, and can only be utilized if a Yoitsuni’s ‘ears’ are currently manifested. Only one servant can be called forth at a time, but they may be summoned for an unlimited amount of time per day as long as their HP remains above 0. Dismissing a servant takes a move action. A servant who’s HP is reduced to 0 is automatically dismissed, and cannot be summoned again until the summoner rests for a normal sleep cycle (roughly 10 hours), at which point it returns with 1 HP.

Customization Points – Each servant can be customized according to the summoner’s whim using customization points. Once assigned, customization points can only be reassigned by spending 20 hours in meditation.

Feats – A servant has a number of feats available according to the table above. These can be selected from any feats that the servant meets the prerequisites for, even if the prerequisites are met via customization points. This cannot be used to gain the High-Power Magic Training, Mage Talent, Magery Training, or Skill Focus feats.

Recontract – A summoner can dismiss its contract with a servant to contract with a new servant. At level 3 this takes 60 hours of meditation. These do not have to be consecutive, but the servant being dismissed cannot be summoned during this time. At level 13 this is decreased to 40 hours, and at level 19 this is decreased to 20 hours.

Servant Aspect – At level 9, you can gain 8 customization points which can be used to apply customizations to yourself. While these customizations are active, you cannot have a servant summoned. Activating the customizations takes a standard action, and they can be dismissed as a move action. If you choose an option that ‘improves a skill by one step,’ you add +5 to your modifier for that skill while this customization is active – but this bonus does not stack with the Skill Focus feat.

Second Summoning – At level 19 you can have two servants summoned at once, or one servant and your servant aspects.

SERVANTS

HP: A servant has either 24+CON Mod HP, or half the (Summoner’s HP+Servant’s CON Score (Not modifier)), whichever is higher.
DEFENSES: Calculated normally (servants use your Heroic level, servants can wear armor if they gain the feats for it), use the Summoner’s class modifiers.
ATTACKS: A servant’s base attack bonus is equal to that of an Expert of your character level.
MOVEMENT: Unless otherwise noted, a Servant has a land speed equal to the Summoner’s.
SKILLS: As indicated, plus Magery (Average). The bonuses listed above do not include the servant’s ability score, feats, or any gear.
SIZE: Unless otherwise noted, the Servant is always the same size as the summoner.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: Servants take their appearance based on the current appearance of their summoner. For details specific to each class of servants, see below.
OPERATIONAL RANGE: A servant can operate at a base range of 20 squares from the summoner, plus an additional square per character level of the summoner.

Defensive Servant (Role: Defense of the summoner)

Healer
Interceptor
Interdictor

Scout Servant (Role: Scouting for the summoner)

Aerial
Incorporeal
Stealth

Heroic Servant (Role: Variable, but combat-focused)

Archer
Assassin
Caster
Lancer
Saber

Transport Servant (Role: Providing mobility for the summer) (Can’t be selected until level 5)

Aerial
Aquatic
Landbound

Grand Servant (Role: Battlefield domination) (Can’t be selected until level 7)

Berserker
Dragon
Wyrm

CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS

1 POINT

Aid Rite: The Servant counts as a Bonded Follower for their master when performing Rites that provides a number of Bonded Followers equal to the amount that you would provide. The servant can take [Magic] feats on its own to increase this number even further, this stacks with the bonuses that feats that you have provide. There is no need to use the Bond Follower rite, your servant is automatically bonded to you at all times, even if it is not summoned.
Aid Ritual (Prerequisite: Aid Rite): The Aid Rite customization option now expands to provide its benefit to Rituals as well.
Amphibious – This option gives the servant the ability to breathe both water and air.
Bite – This option adds a bite attack to your servant, which deals appropriate damage for the servant’s size.
Claws – This option adds 2 claw attacks to your servant, which deal appropriate damage for the servant’s size.
Climb – This option gives the servant a climb speed equal to its base speed. Selecting it an additional time adds another 4 squares to the climb speed.
Improved Damage – Choose one natural weapon your servant has when you select this option. Increase the damage dice of that attack by one step. You can select this option multiple times, but it must apply to a different attack each time.
Improved Invocation Aid (Prerequisite: Aid Ritual): The servant counts as itself another time over when determining how many Bonded Followers it effectively provides to you for the purposes of Rites and Rituals. This ability can be taken multiple times.
Improved Natural Armor – Your servant’s natural armor bonus to Reflex defense increases by 2. You can select this option once for every 5 levels you have.
Low-Light Vision – Your servant gains low-light vision.
Pounce – Your servant can make a full attack action after making a charge. This is only available to servants with four or more legs.
Pull – Choose a natural attack that your servant has. When it hits with this attack, make an opposed strength check against the target. If you succeed, you move the target one square closer to you. This option can only be added to a natural attack that has reach.
Reach – Choose a natural attack that your servant has. This attack has a reach of 1 additional square. You can take this option multiple times, increasing the reach for that attack each time or adding reach to a new attack.
Resistance – Choose an energy type from Cold, Electricity, or Fire. Your servant gains Resist 5 vs that energy type. You can take this option multiple times, increasing the resistance each time or adding a new kind of resistance.
Skilled – Each time you add this option to a servant, you increase its skill modifier with a chosen skill by one step (Untrained->Average->High). This option can be chosen multiple times.
Slam – This adds a slam attack to your servant, which deals appropriate damage for its size.
Spellcasting – For 1 Customization point, you can add a spell to the servant’s spell suite. This option can be chosen multiple times. This spell can come from any school.
Swim – Your servant gains a swim speed equal to its base speed. Each time you select this option after the first, the swim speed increases by 4 squares. This does not grant the servant the ability to breathe the substance they are swimming through.
Tail – Your servant has a long tail, which grants it a +2 bonus to checks to maintain its balance and a +2 to Fortitude and Reflex defenses relating to staying balanced. This option can be chosen multiple times.
Tail Slap – Your servant’s tail is now a weapon, dealing appropriate damage for its size (1d6 damage at Medium). Your servant must have a tail before you can choose this option. This option can be chosen multiple times, but not more times than the amount of tails the servant has.
Tentacle – Your servant possesses a tentacle, which deals 1d4 damage at Medium (and appropriate damage for different sizes). This option can be chosen more than once.
Wing Buffet – Your servant can batter foes with its wings, dealing 1d4 damage at Medium (and appropriate damage for different sizes). Your servant must have wings before you can choose this option.

2 POINTS

Ability Increase – For 2 customization points, you can increase an ability score of the servant by +2. You can select this once, plus one additional time for every 6 levels you have.
Darkvision – The servant gains the ability to see into the infrared range, allowing it to see in most dark areas.
Energy Attacks – Pick one energy type: cold, electricity, or fire. All of your servant’s natural attacks deal +1d6 damage of this energy type, or one weapon wielded by the servant deals +1d6 damage of this energy type. You must be at least level 5 to select this option.
Flight – The servant grows large wings and gains a fly speed equal to its base speed. For 2 additional customization points, the servant flies through the use of magic and has no wings. Additionally, the fly speed can be increased, adding 4 squares to the speed for every point spent to increase the speed. You must be at least level 5 to select this option.
Gore – The servant grows horns on the top of its head, which are a natural attack that deals 1d6 damage at Medium.
Immunity – The servant is immune to one of the following energy types: cold, electricity, or fire. You can take this option more than once, choosing an additional energy type each time. You must be at least level 7 to choose this option.
Improved Spirit Bind – Before you can select this option, the servant must have Spirit Bind. When you select this option, choose an additional Granted Power (following any level restrictions as normal) from the ones available to the spirit chosen for Spirit Bind – this Power is added to your servant. You can select this option twice.
Limbs – The servant gains an additional pair of limbs. These can be arms, or they can be legs (which increase the servant’s land speed by 2 squares). You can select this option multiple times.
Presence Concealment – In any condition of illumination other than bright light, the servant disappears into the shadows, giving it concealment (20% miss chance) and a +5 bonus to Stealth checks. This option can be taken again to increase the benefit to total concealment (50% miss chance) and a +10 bonus to Stealth checks. The servant can suspend or resume this ability as a free action.
Tremorsense – As long as the servant is standing on bare earth or in water, it gains tremorsense out to a range of 6 squares. This option can be taken multiple times, increasing the range by another 6 squares each time.

3 POINTS

Frightful Presence – The servant unsettles enemies, either through a terrifying appearance, menacing actions, or just a sense of it being ‘wrong.’ As part of an offensive action, the servant can activate this ability, which functions as a Persuasion check vs the Will defense of all targets within 12 squares of the servant. If the check succeeds, the target is terrified, causing it to flee from the servant at top speed for 1 minute. The target can’t take standard actions, swift actions, or full-round actions while fleeing, and the target stops fleeing and can act normally if it is wounded. As a free action or reaction, the target can spend a Hero Point (if it has not already spent one earlier in the round) to negate the effect. The effect is automatically negated if the target’s level is equal to or higher than your character level. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. You must be level 9 to choose this option.
Improved Servant – For 3 Customization points, you can improve the base class of a servant. This can only be added once per servant, and cannot affect abilities added through Hybrid Servant (therefore you cannot add it to yourself via Servant Aspect).
- Defensive Servant
  - Improved Healer – Whenever the servant uses the Treat Injury skill to heal damage, it heals an additional extra point for every point the check result exceeds the DC in addition to the normal amount of hit points it heals.
  - Improved Interceptor – The servant can now use the Parry feat to block incoming ranged attacks. This cannot be used to block autofire attacks or attacks made by weapons from a vehicle that is Colossal size or larger (unless it is a point-defense weapon or a docking gun). Using this vs a burst weapon means the attack is treated as a miss. Using this vs a splash weapon treats the primary target as missed, but the splash targets are still considered hit.
  - Improved Interdictor – The servant can now use the Halt feat on targets of any size instead of only targets up to one size larger than itself.
- Scout Servant
  - Improved Aerial – The Aerial servant now halves all range penalties to visual-based Perception checks.
  - Improved Incorporeal – All attacks against the Incorporeal servant now have a 50% miss chance..
  - Improved Stealth – The Stealth servant gains an additional +5 bonus to its Stealth check.
- Heroic Servant
  - Improved Archer – The size of the range categories for any ranged weapon (including thrown weapons) wielded by the Archer servant double. Additionally, it does an extra die of damage with any ranged weapon it wields.
  - Improved Assassin – The Assassin servant’s weapon deals an additional two dice of damage. When the Assassin attacks a target that is unaware of the Assassin’s presence or has been denied its Dexterity bonus to Reflex Defense, the target moves -1 step on the condition track.
  - Improved Caster – The Caster servant now has a 6-square wide aura that grants a +5 bonus to all Magery checks made within the area (including the Caster’s own Magery checks). Additionally, the Caster can use a full-round action to grant an additional +5 bonus to a chosen person making a Magery check inside that area.
  - Improved Lancer – The Lancer servant can now throw its weapon at standard thrown weapon ranges with no penalty. The weapon automatically returns to the Lancer on its next turn. Additionally, the Lancer servant’s defenses are now treated as 5 higher when determining the effects of any form of harmful magic.
  - Improved Saber – The Saber servant’s weapon deals an additional die of damage. Additionally, the Saber servant’s defenses are now treated as 10 higher when determining the effects of any form of harmful magic.
- Transport Servant
  - Improved Aerial – The Aerial servant is now immune to vacuum and gains a starship-scale fly speed of 1 square which is usable both in atmosphere and vacuum. This does not grant the passenger any form of immunity to vacuum.
  - Improved Aquatic – The Aquatic servant can now carry passengers in such a way that they are protected from the medium the servant is travelling through, possibly by holding them inside its mouth.
  - Improved Landbound – The Landbound servant is now completely immune to abilities that would forcibly move it (they are not, however, immune to abilities that move the surface they are currently on, because that would just be bizzare).
- Grand Servant
  - Improved Berserker – The area of effect splash radius of the Berserker’s melee attacks increases by 1 square to a 2-square splash around the primary target. Additionally, if the primary target is Medium or smaller the square that creature is in is treated as difficult terrain following the Berserker’s attack.
  - Improved Dragon – The size of the Dragon’s breath weapon increases to an 18-square cone and it can use it one additional time per encounter, but it must wait at least 5 rounds after the first use before using the breath weapon again.
  - Improved Wyrm – The radius of the Wyrm’s tremorsense doubles, as does the radius of difficult terrain creation – it now creates difficult terrain in all squares adjacent to the ones it moves through as well.
Independent Action – Your servant’s operational range increases to a base range of 1 kilometer from you, plus an additional kilometer for every 5 character levels you have. This cannot be used for Servant Aspect (because there’s no reason to use it for Servant Aspect).
Spirit Bind – Your servant has manifested abilities of a specific kind of spirit. Choose a spirit from the Spirit Binding list. Your servant gains the Sign, Automatic Power, and one Granted Power (which must be one that can be chosen at level 1) from that spirit. This cannot be used for Servant Aspect.

4 POINTS

Device – The servant gains a Device, as if using Device Magic, but it cannot gain spells this way unless the spells are chosen as Device Abilities. If the servant is one that requires a weapon or item to be contracted with, this option converts that item into a Device. This cannot be used for Servant Aspect.
Fast Healing – While summoned, the servant heals its own wounds at a rate of 1 HP per round. You must be level 11 to choose this option.
Hybrid Servant – For 4 Customization points, you can add a lesser version of a class to a servant. You cannot add a hybrid class to servant of that base class – no Hybrid Healer/Healer servants. This option can only be added once per servant.
- Defensive Servant
  - Hybrid Healer – The servant’s Treat Injury skill is improved by one step (Untrained -> Average -> High) and it gains the ability to use the Treat Injury skill to perform First Aid on its summoner a number of times per day equal to the 1 + (summoner’s character level / 10) instead of only once per day.
  - Hybrid Interceptor – The servant gains the Parry feat as a bonus feat and the ability to use the Parry feat in response to attacks made against adjacent allies.
  - Hybrid Interdictor – The servant gains the Halt feat as a bonus feat and can use its Strength modifier instead of its Charisma modifier when using Persuasion to Intimidate.
- Scout Servant
  - Hybrid Aerial – The servant gains the Wings option and has its Perception improved to High.
  - Hybrid Incorporeal – As a reaction, the servant can gain the immunity to weapons inherent to the Incorporeal servant type. This lasts until the start of the servant’s next turn, and can only be used once every 5 rounds. The servant must be aware of an attack to use this ability.
  - Hybrid Stealth – The servant gains the Presence Concealment bonus option (once), and gains Duck and Cover as a bonus feat
- Heroic Servant (Flavor-wise, you can’t add any of these (except Hybrid Caster) to Servants that can’t wield a weapon)
  - Hybrid Archer – To hybridize a servant as an Archer, you must provide it a ranged weapon and ammunition. Every time it is summoned, it appears with this ranged weapon and ammunition. The weapon and ammunition can be changed by spending 10 hours in meditation with the new weapon and ammunition. Ammunition used by the servant is consumed as normal, so you must restock it from time to time. Meditating to restock ammunition only takes 1 hour. The servant is considered proficient with this specific weapon, but not with other weapons similar to it.
  - Hybrid Assassin -The servant gains Sneak Attack (as the scoundrel talent, one instance of it at level 1 plus another time for every 5 levels the summoner has). When contracting with an Assassin-class servant, you must provide it a simple melee weapon. Every time it is summoned, it appears with this weapon, with the size of the weapon adjusted if the servant has been summoned in a different size than medium (the difference in size between the weapon and a the servant always remains the same, with a medium-sized servant being ‘normal.’). The weapon can be changed by spending 10 hours in meditation with the new weapon.
  - Hybrid Caster – The servant can take the Magery Training feat in place of normal feats. For the purposes of prerequisites, it is treated as having Elementalism, Shamanism, and Theurgy, but it gains none of the usual bonuses of those schools. In addition, it gains the Spellcasting customization ability twice.
  - Hybrid Lancer – The servant gains a weapon which is treated as a Device. This weapon does 1d8 (for a medium-sized servant) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (chosen when the servant is contracted), and gains a reach of 1 square through the bonus option granted to this servant.
  - Hybrid Saber – The servant gains a weapon which is treated as a Device. This weapon does 1d10 (for a medium-sized servant) bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (chosen when the servant is contracted).
- Transport Servant
  - Hybrid Aerial – The servant’s size is increased by one step, and they gain the Flight customization ability (with wings) with a speed one square higher than the fly speed would normally be.
  - Hybrid Aquatic – The servant’s size is increased by one step, and they gain the Swim customization ability with a speed one square higher than the swim speed would normally be.
  - Hybrid Landbound – The servant’s size is increased by one step, their Enduance skill is increased by one step (Untrained -> Average -> High), and their Climb skill is increased by one step (Untrained -> Average -> High).
- Grand Servant
  - Hybrid Berserker -The servant can wield weapons one size larger than usual. For example, a Medium-sized servant that is hybridized as a Berserker can wield a Large weapon one-handed or a Huge weapon two-handed. If the servant wields a weapon that is Huge size or larger it make Area of Effect melee attacks in a 1-square splash around the primary target. This area of effect attack is still counted as melee damage for the purposes of the Bull Rush and similar feats and abilities.
  - Hybrid Dragon – The servant’s size is increased by one step and it gains the same breath weapon feature that Dragon servants have.
  - Hybrid Wyrm – The servant’s size is increased by two steps and it gains the same difficult terrain creation feature that Wyrm servants have.
Improved Spellcasting – Add one Incantation to the servant’s spell suite.

SIZE	ABILITY MODIFIERS	REF DEFENSE MODIFIER	STEALTH SIZE MODIFIER	DAMAGE THRESHOLD MODIFIER	CARRYING CAPACITY	HEIGHT OR LENGTH
Colossal	+32 STR, +32 CON, -4 DEX	-10	-20	+50	x20	19.3 meters or more
Gargantuan	+24 STR, +24 CON, -4 DEX	-5	-15	+20	x10	9.7 to 19.2 meters
Huge	+16 STR, +16 CON, -4 DEX	-2	-10	+10	x5	4.9 to 9.6 meters
Large	+8 STR, +8 CON, -2 DEX	-1	-5	+5	x2	2.5 to 4.8 meters
Medium	None	+0	+0	–	x1	1.3 to 2.4 meters
Small	-2 STR, +2 DEX	+1	+5	–	x0.75	0.7 to 1.2 meters
Tiny	-4 STR, +4 DEX	+2	+10	–	x0.5	0.4 to 0.6 meters
Diminutive	-6 STR, +6 DEX	+5	+15	–	x0.25	0.2 to 0.3 meters
Fine	-8 STR, +8 DEX	+10	+20	–	x0.01	0.1 meters or less

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