Monster tamers are dwarven trainers who bond with a monster, rather than enslave it They learn from it, eventually even gaining the ability to become a monster themselves As they master their abilities, monster tamers continue to strengthen the bond with their monster while also creating new bonds over time The end result is a trainer whose monsters are not her tools, but her allies Role: A monster tamer bravely wades into battle next to their monster, allowing it to make crucial decisions and backing it up When not focusing on their companion, tamers offer support in the form of spells and guard their allies from harm by transforming into powerful monsters themselves Note: The monster tamer is a hybrid of the druid and the monster trainer from Mystical: Kingdom of Monsters by Northwinter Press Alignment: Any Hit Die: d8 Starting Wealth: 3d6 x 10 gp (average 105 gp) Class Skills The monster tamer’s class skills are Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha) Fly (Dex), Handle Animal (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str) Skill Ranks per Level: + Int modifier Class Features All of the following are class features of the monster tamer 60 Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Monster tamers are proficient with the following weapons: club, dagger, dart, quarterstaff, scimitar, scythe, sickle, shortspear, sling, and spear They are also proficient with all natural attacks (claw, bite, and so forth) of any form they assume with monster form (see below) Spells: A monster tamer casts divine spells, which are drawn from the druid spell list A monster tamer must choose and prepare her spells in advance To prepare or cast a spell, the tamer must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a monster tamer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the tamer’s Wisdom modifier Like other spellcasters, a monster tamer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Tamer In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Wisdom score A monster tamer must spend hour each day in a trancelike meditation on the mysteries of nature to regain her daily allotment of spells A monster tamer may prepare and cast any spell on the druid spell list, provided that she can cast spells of that level, but she must choose which spells to prepare during her daily meditation Orisons: Monster tamers can prepare a number of orisons, or 0-level spells, each day, as noted on Table: Monster tamer under “Spells per Day.” These spells are cast like any other spell, but they are not expended when cast and may be used again Companion Monster (Ex): At 1st level, a monster tamer gains a companion monster she has either befriended herself or been given by another trainer, such as a monster researcher or breeder The monster tamer’s companion travels with her and acts as the tamer’s ally during combat It can move around the field of battle during its tamer’s initiative, taking actions and working with its tamer to defeat their enemies A monster tamer may begin play with any of the animals listed under the druid’s animal choices for animal companions, or with any one monster of CR 1/2 or less Regardless of the monster’s type or Intelligence, the tamer still handles it as a free action, or pushes it as a move action Monsters with an Intelligence of or lower must still learn tricks, which the monster tamer teaches them with the Handle Animal skill Unlike normal creatures of its kind, a companion monster’s Hit Dice, abilities, skills, and feats advance as the monster tamer advances in level If a character receives an animal companion or the monster training class feature from more than one source, her effective levels stack for the purposes of determining the statistics and abilities of the companion If a monster tamer releases her companion from service, she may gain a new one by performing a ceremony requiring 24 uninterrupted hours of prayer in the environment where the new companion typically lives This ceremony can also replace a companion monster that has perished Spontaneous Casting: In addition to acting as her comrade in arms, a monster tamer’s companion monster grants her access to one of its trainer spells per spell level The tamer can “lose” any prepared spell in order to cast one of these tamer spells of the same level or lower Eschew Materials: A monster tamer gains Eschew Materials as a bonus feat at 1st level Tamer’s Gift (Ex): At 2nd level, when a monster tamer and her companion monster are within mile of each other, the monster grants the tamer a special ability This functions as the arcane familiar special ability For any monster not listed under that ability, find a similar creature and gain its bonus instead (a lightning cat companion, for example, may give its tamer a +3 bonus on Stealth checks) Wild Empathy (Ex): At 2nd level, a monster tamer can improve the attitude of an animal This ability functions just like a Diplomacy check made to improve the attitude of a person The tamer rolls 1d20 and adds her tamer level and her Charisma modifier to determine the wild empathy check result The typical domestic animal has a starting attitude of indifferent, while wild animals are usually unfriendly To use wild empathy, the tamer and the animal must be able to study each other, which means that they must be within 30 feet of one another under normal conditions Generally, influencing an animal in this way takes minute but, as with influencing people, it might take more or less time A monster tamer can also use this ability to influence a magical beast with an Intelligence score of or 2, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check