Druid archetype

Leshy Warden

The natural world is full of bodiless nature spirits connected to the forces of springs, glades, and individual plants. Some druids hear their call keenly and are able to effortlessly incarnate them as the miniature creatures known as leshies (Pathfinder RPG Bestiary 3 176). The leshy warden serves as these spirits’ voice, defender, and ally.

Green Empathy (Ex) level 1

Replaces Wild Empathy.

At 1st level, a leshy warden can improve the attitude of a plant creature as if using wild empathy. The typical wild plant creature has a starting attitude of indifferent. A leshy warden can also use this ability to influence an animal, but she takes a –4 penalty on the check to do so. This ability replaces wild empathy.

Leshy Familiar (Ex) level 1

Replaces Nature Bond.

At 1st level, a leshy warden forms an intimate bond with a nature spirit, incarnating the spirit as a leaf leshy (see the Unusual Familiars sidebar on page 31). She gains a leaf leshy as a familiar and treats her druid level as her effective wizard level for the purpose of this ability. If the leshy dies, the leshy warden can incarnate the same spirit again by paying the normal cost to replace a familiar. So long as the leshy lives, the leshy warden gains access to the Plant domain as if through a druid’s nature bond class feature, but she can’t choose the Decay subdomain. This ability replaces nature bond.

Leshy Tender (Ex) level 4

At 4th level, a leshy warden chooses either to grant her leaf leshy a +2 increase to Strength and Dexterity or to transform it into a gourd leshy. At 8th level, the leshy warden can either grant her current leshy a +2 increase to Strength and Dexterity or transform it into a fungus leshy. Finally, at 12th level, she can either grant her current leshy a final +2 increase to Strength and Dexterity or transform it into a seaweed leshy. If the leshy is transformed, it gains the normal ability scores of its new form—the ability score increases granted by this ability don’t carry over to its new form.

Spirit Whisperer (Su) level 13

Replaces A Thousand Faces.

At 13th level, a leshy warden’s connection to the spirits of nature becomes strong enough that she can always hear them whispering. She is treated as constantly under the effects of speak with plants. Once per day, she can spend 10 minutes in communion with the spirits to learn the answers to her questions, as commune with nature. This ability replaces a thousand faces.

The following new class archetypes modify classes that already have access to familiars, with a focus on making the familiar an essential aspect of the class’s abilities.

Leshy Caller (Ex)

A leshy warden is an expert at summoning and growing leshies. She counts as a plant creature for the purpose of growing leshies. She adds leaf leshies, gourd leshies, fungus leshies, and seaweed leshies to her list of creatures for summon nature’s ally I, II, III, and IV, respectively.

Wild Shape (Su)

A leshy warden gains this ability at 6th level, except her effective druid level for the ability is equal to her druid level – 2 for the purpose of determining the number of times per day she may use it. At 6th level, the leshy warden can assume the form of only Small or Medium plant creatures, as plant shape I. At 8th level, she can take the form of a Large plant creature, as plant shape II. At 10th level, she can take the form of a Huge plant creature, as plant shape III.