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All Archetypes
Artifact | Class | Combat Style | Core | Faction | Multiclass | Mystical | Profession | Undead

Mystical Archetypes

These archetypes focus around a magical source for their power.

Beast GunnerDedication Feat 6

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Guns & Gears pg. 130 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in Arcana and Crafting; expert with at least one type of firearm, you own a beast gun and have slain the type of creature associated with your beast gun in a fair hunt (see above)
The art of creating the weapons most commonly referred to as “beast guns” is truly ancient, with the first iterations of the weapons created on the continent of Arcadia well over 10,000 years ago. This means that beast guns predate all other forms of firearm crafting in Arcadia, even the legendary star guns, whose secrets have been lost to the ages. The tradition of designing beast guns has persisted throughout Arcadia well into the modern era, though it has become increasingly rare as the proliferation of classic firearms and the prestige associated with star guns has allowed more people access to equivalent destructive power without the intense requirements behind crafting a beast gun. However, beast gunners remain virtually unknown outside of Arcadia.

The art of bonding to a beast gun and gaining the full magic of a beast gunner is an extended ritual with multiple steps, beginning with the hunt. A person seeking to bond to a beast gun typically does so with a brand new weapon made after they hunt down the creature themselves. This involves telling the story of the hunt, the beast, and the weapon created from the hunted creature. Finally, the weapon is carefully modified and tailored to ensure a proper bond between the beast gun and the prospective beast gunner. However, it's also possible to bond to an heirloom beast gun passed down through the generations by adding symbolic fresh components from the same kind of creature, after performing the same ritual hunt necessary to forge a new weapon with the intent of establishing a bond.

To perform the ritual the prospective beast gunner must first plan a hunt to slay the creature corresponding to the beast gun, whether they wish to bond with a brand new beast gun or establish a link to an old beast gun. Typically, these ritualized hunts can include up to five assistants plus hunting beasts like canines or birds who help corner the beast and bring it down. If the assistants are significantly more powerful than the hunted creature, or if there are so many assistants the creature never stood a chance at survival, the magic simply fails during the bonding process and the hunt and organic materials are wasted, usually much to the shame and chagrin of the hunter. The same doesn't apply if the prospective beast gunner hunts the creature alone, even if they are significantly more powerful than the creature, such that the creature never stood a chance against them in a one on one fight.

You're one of those who successfully completed the hunt and bonded with your prized weapon. Now, you seek to discover the hidden depths that others who think they know how to use beast guns can only imagine.

BeastmasterDedication Feat 2

Source Player Core 2 pg. 188
Prerequisites trained in Nature
You attract the loyalty of animals, and as your powers increase, you can command more of them, briefly inhabit their body to perceive what they perceive, and even communicate with them over vast distances.

Blessed OneDedication Feat 2

Source Player Core 2 pg. 190
Through luck or deed, heritage or heroics, you carry the blessing of a deity. This blessing manifests as the ability to heal wounds and remove harmful conditions, and exists independent of any worship. You might offer gratitude daily to the deity whose power you wield, or you might carry these blessings reluctantly, seeking to avoid responsibility or even openly acting to defy the deity's influence on you. You might wear the robes of the deity's order, or you might give little thought and even less reverence to the source of your powers. However you feel about these potent gifts, there can be no doubt that you wield a special power. Benevolent deities are most likely to empower a blessed one. However, any deity can grant such a blessing, as long as they're capable of granting a healing divine font to their clerics. This means such deities as Lamashtu might grant the blessed one's powers for their own purposes. Despite this possibility, it's quite uncommon for deities of cruelty, death, and destruction to grant the power of rejuvenation. When this does occur, the deity usually has a malicious intent behind the gift. Ultimately, you decide how you will use this gift. Will you aid the deity who granted you this power, or will you work in defiance of them?

CaptivatorDedication Feat 4

Legacy Content

Source Grand Bazaar pg. 120
Prerequisites Charisma 14; trained in Deception or Diplomacy
Others find you inherently fascinating. You have a facility with words that draws others in, and you've always found it easy to sway others to your point of view. This ability has grown to the point where you're capable of innate magic. You can bend others' wills to your own by weaving alluring enchantments and compelling illusions. Perhaps this comes from a touch of fey or draconic blood in your family's distant past, or perhaps it's the work of some special boon or curse placed upon you.

Captivators come from all areas of the world and all walks of life. A farmhand with the right gifts, sent to the market every week to hawk their latest crop, could find themself on the path to becoming a captivator. An urchin who relies on the sympathy of others just to survive may become a captivator out of necessity, and a noble, immersed in a deadly game of luxury and influence, might have trained to be a captivator since birth. Regardless of background, most captivators use their abilities to advance their station in life, make things easier for themselves, or befriend those who can help them achieve their goals.

Good captivators use their gifts and skills to bring people together. They might turn a would-be tavern brawl into a night of sharing drinks and telling stories. They might offer encouragement to those facing depression or doubt. They excel at ending conflict peacefully and efficiently, leaving everyone around them happier. When faced with violence, they use their magic to quickly subdue or enthrall enemies while minimizing harm to their companions.

Evil captivators manipulate others to achieve status, wealth, and power. They have no qualms about deceiving someone or using their magic to cause harm. Evil captivators are dangerous tricksters whose enchantments and illusions make them seem harmless, unimportant, or friendly. The slick politician, the devious con artist, the cunning courtier—these are all roles that an evil captivator can easily assume.

Cathartic MageDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 194 ^1.1
Prerequisites Charisma 14, or ability to cast spells from spell slots
Emotions are powerful, and you can tap into that power to enhance your magic for a time. You learn to harness a particular emotional state under the right conditions, but be warned: emotions are volatile and destructive if left unchecked. The experience often leaves you reeling from the unhindered emotion, requiring a rest or distraction before tapping into it again.

ChronoskimmerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Dark Archive pg. 186
The flow of time is an unstoppable force. Most are carried downstream inexorably, like a leaf floating on a river. You, however, somehow fell out of the flow of time, if only for an instant, but in doing so gained a perspective that few others have.

Now you stand on the banks of the river, watching the flow, choosing where to dive in, or even defying the current, at least for a short while, as you skim its surface and skip from moment to moment. As a chronoskimmer, time is yours to exploit.

You have the means to see the timelines of all creatures, including your own. You can use this insight to manipulate the flow of time for creatures, much like you can pluck the leaf from the river and place it elsewhere. Manipulating timelines can be dangerous, however, and the Dimension of Time isn't wont to allow these transgressions against time to stand forever. The threat always looms of time dimensionals coming to correct your actions or of you becoming removed from time forever.

Clockwork ReanimatorDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Pathfinder #180: The Smoking Gun pg. 78
Prerequisites trained in Crafting
You have unlocked the secret connections between necromancy and clockwork locomotion, giving you the unholy power to reanimate corpses. These minions shuffle forth with the mindless motions of the unliving and are little more than puppets under your control. Similarly, via careful tinkering and anatomical study, you learned how to make a powerful necromechanical ally. Finally, your technological prowess is such that you can use your innovations to force even powerful, free-willed undead to obey you.

The secret to your success is a combination of alchemy and clockwork, machines and magic, science and spellcasting. Of course, crafting the shell of a wind-up zombie is one matter—your primary focus is on the craftwork necessary to make the whole thing work together. To you, the magic involved is only a means to an end, a way to make science more efficient through necromancy and potentially a little bit of evocation for some electric power.

While some think your creations are vile, you see beauty in utility and believe animated corpses are tools that can be used for good or ill. For better or worse, when it comes to results, the science you've cobbled together fulfills the most important criterium for any new innovation: it works, plain and simple. Your reanimated clockwork corpses are stable, effective, and, more importantly, they don't rampage or crave the flesh of the living in the same way an undead would. Plus, they aren't vulnerable to positive energy, making them easier to use around good clerics and their ilk without your minions taking friendly fire. (Except Pharasmins, always so inconveniently up in arms about the whole “desecrating the bodies of the dead” thing. They can't learn the difference between the stench of undeath and the smell of progress.)

Curse MaelstromDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Dark Archive pg. 168
Prerequisites You are cursed or have previously been cursed.
Some folks are ridden with bad luck: the rations they were counting on turn out to be spoiled, the ship they were hoping to catch sinks in the harbor, or the new home they bought is destroyed by a rampaging golem. Most know that they are cursed, feeling an emptiness in their soul that weighs upon them, gnawing at their confidence and shrouding their ambitions. Sometimes, these curse maelstroms learn to control and channel their curse; you are one such unfortunate soul.

You have a powerful curse living deep within you. You might have been able to restrain your curse for the most part, but it flares up occasionally and tempts you with the power to curse your foes, should you allow it to exert itself. Why should you be the only one who has to endure a cursed life when others have so clearly earned such woe?

Living with a curse every day, you become intimately familiar with the workings of curses, getting a sense of when bad luck is about to befall those around you. You might try to avoid further bad fortune—which rarely pans out as you'd like—or you could come to terms with your lot in life and regard your curse as something akin to an old friend. Either way, fate cares little.

Misery loves company, so your curse can even be a beacon for more misfortune. You might have multiple curses all tied to you, all fighting to make your life as hellish as possible.

Dragon DiscipleDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 168 ^2.0
The rippling waves of fear, the rustling of thick scales, and the beat of immense wings signal the arrival of a great dragon. The awe-inspiring presence of these creatures makes them worthy of reverence—or even outright worship. Dragon disciples dedicate themselves to becoming like these great beasts, with each disciple striving to typify one variety of dragon. Sorcerers of draconic blood, barbarians with the dragon instinct, and many kobolds with close ties to their draconic predecessors become dragon disciples, but anyone who has encountered one of these terrifying creatures might follow this path.

As a dragon disciple, you study and learn from the example of dragons, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you admire the dragons you emulate. While most dragon disciples do indeed revere their chosen dragon, countless tales are told of dragon disciples born of great personal tragedy at the hands of boundless draconic fury. These disciples have transformed themselves into what they despise in order to gain the power to destroy their draconic tormentor and at long last earn their revenge.

Eldritch ArcherDedication Feat 6

Source Player Core 2 pg. 198
Prerequisites expert in at least one weapon from the or bow or crossbow weapon group
While many archers see their craft as an art form as much as a means of battle, a small number of archers seek to perfect their skills through magic, and you are among their number. Bolstering your athletic and martial abilities with mystical talents, you achieve rare heights with the bow or crossbow-transforming arrows or bolts into eldritch ammunition, sending projectiles zig-zagging unerringly to their targets, and manifesting arrows that can deliver spells or even instant death. The imbuing of raw magic into the point of an arrow is no easy feat. Eldritch archers are respected and feared for their prowess and make valuable members for any party of adventurers.

While having some spellcasting ability increases your flexibility and power as an eldritch archer, you might learn the secrets of these arts without being independently skilled in spellcasting, instead learning the magic of the bow for its own sake. In fact, many eldritch archers begin as archers first and spellcasters second. That is not to say that the occasional spellcaster has not picked up archery. In fact, many wizards, wise in the art of war, have studied the bow, particularly to master this art. Ultimately, what matters is a perfect combination of martial skill and magical ability; the order you go about obtaining them matters little.

Eldritch ResearcherDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Pathfinder #164: Hands of the Devil pg. 76
Prerequisites trained in Arcana and Occultism
An eager student of occult lore, you enjoy reading rare or forgotten tomes with ancient rituals and hidden secrets. You connect disparate facts to unlock deeper mysteries and uncover the truths of the universe, and you zealously hoard the knowledge your painstaking research produces. Aberrations fascinate you for many reasons, not the least of which is because their anatomy is wholly alien and yet, to the insightful, eminently sensible.

You've been particularly enlightened by the accumulated lore in Thresholds of Truth, and you know Zarmavdian was a kindred soul in occult research. With this book in hand, you feel like you stand at the doorway to unprecedented occult discoveries.

You scoff at those fools who claim you meddle in things mortals aren't meant to know—for isn't it the duty of the enlightened to gather the universe's deepest truths?

ElementalistDedication Feat 2

Source Rage of Elements pg. 58 ^2.0
Prerequisites elemental magic
You revere the elements as the building blocks of creation and the source of all life. You believe that by balancing, mixing, and rearranging these elements, magic is made. This belief has led you to eschew traditional magical theories and divisions, and you instead focus on harnessing, manipulating, and shaping the elements. There are many paths to elementalism, and many classes can become elementalists. As the most basic building blocks of matter, the elements can be shaped to your specific training and understanding. The study of elementalism expands every day.

You cast spells drawn from multiple traditions and can use the elements to alter and empower your spells, making them manifest and mixing them in unique ways. Most elementalists embrace either the philosophy of four elements common in the Inner Sea or the five-element cycle prevalent in Tian Xia. This is often a balance, but some elementalists feel a stronger connection to a singular element that they hone to great heights, utilizing the other elements to support and augment their favored.

Secrets of Magic Elementalist: This section updates and expands the elementalist class archetype originally presented on page 206 of Secrets of Magic. If you're using the version of the archetype from Secrets of Magic and are happy with it, you don't need to make any changes—that original version functions the same as using the new text and choosing Inner Sea elementalism for your elemental philosophy!

Familiar MasterDedication Feat 2

Source Player Core 2 pg. 200
From the wise owl perched on the wizard's shoulder to the crafty gremlin that serves the witch for their own reasons, the ghastly homunculus in the alchemist's lab to the clever monkey that picks the lock of the thief's cell, familiars have always served. Yours serves better than most. This is often due to an unusually strong connection or rigorous intentional training. Regardless of the method, the extraordinary qualities of your familiar are undeniable.

You and your familiar are a team in and of yourselves. In a tough situation, you know you have each other's back, and you are nigh inseparable. Some familiar masters, however, choose to keep familiars for only a short period. They will keep their ally for a time, then release them and forge a new bond. They form strong connections quickly and attract new familiars everywhere they go. This behavior is less common but is often done out of a high level of respect for the independence of both the adventurer and the familiar, or a strong connection to the ebb and flow of life and the cycle of change that touches all things. You are among these masters and can decide which practice best suits you.

Flexible SpellcasterDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Source Secrets of Magic pg. 209 ^1.1
Prerequisites flexible spell preparation
You've learned how to cast spells flexibly, blending the best elements of spontaneous and prepared spellcasting at the cost of casting fewer spells each day.

GeomancerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Source Secrets of Magic pg. 212 ^1.1
Prerequisites trained in Nature; ability to cast spells from spell slots; at least one spell with the air, cold, earth, fire, plant, or water trait
You know how to draw power from the land around you, no matter the terrain, by attuning your magic to match its mystical properties.

You might be a druid with an elemental focus (such as the flame, stone, or wave orders) or a naturalist with a touch of magic at your disposal. You could concentrate on a single type of terrain to wring every last drop of power from it or choose to wander the land to experience every type of terrain possible.

Ghost EaterDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Pathfinder #166: Despair on Danger Island pg. 79
Prerequisites trained in Occultism or Religion
The warriors of Minata frequently contend with lost spirits of the Taumatan people that haunt their shattered lands to this day. These Minatan warriors, known as ghost eaters around Bonmu, travel the countless islands of Minata and offer their skills to exorcists and priests. When working in such a partnership, ghost eater's main task is to destroy a spirit in order to give their holy comrade time to learn about the individual soul and finally put it to rest.

Golem GrafterDedication Feat 8

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Pathfinder #153: Life's Long Shadows pg. 74
Prerequisites expert in Arcana and Crafting, or an ally with expert proficiency in those skills willing to augment you
You have replaced a portion of your body with artifice of the kind used to create golems, fortifying your flesh with the unyielding might of magical constructs.

Halcyon SpeakerDedication Feat 6

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Character Guide pg. 104 ^2.0
Prerequisites Magaambyan Attendant Dedication; member of the Magaambya of conversant rank
One of Old-Mage Jatembe’s central lessons was that magic was magic, no matter what the source. Though the Magaambya seeks to hold true to Jatembe’s teachings by aiming to understand magic of all kinds, the mages of the Magaambya have found the most success with magic rooted in the material world. Halcyon speakers are powerful conversants who epitomize the Magaambyan practice of blending arcane and primal magic, seeing both traditions as flowing from the same wellspring.

Hallowed NecromancerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Book of the Dead pg. 24
Prerequisites expert in Religion; good alignment, able to cast spells using spell slots, able to cast at least one necromancy spell
It's quite common for mages of all sorts to study necromancy—the surprisingly diverse school holds the secrets of positive and negative energy, as well as life and death. Many tap into these powers with no consideration of the morality of their use. For these unscrupulous magic users, it's simply another avenue in their never-ending pursuit of power, and the abilities learned are turned to the caster's personal ends, whatever they may be.

Others choose a different path. Through spiritual study and introspection, they have come to recognize the evil intrinsic in the existence of undead, the fundamental wrongness of using the universal energy of death to create an appearance of life. To combat this evil, these casters learn to conduct positive energy and direct it to great effect against the undead they encounter. They may also engage in ongoing study to learn of the nature of life, death, and undeath, and the precise relationship between each state. These scholars and mages are commonly known as hallowed necromancers—a slightly misrepresentative name, as many of them don't use religious methods, but a frequently used shorthand regardless.

The exact origin of hallowed necromancers' abilities may vary from one to the next. Some are granted their gifts directly by a sympathetic deity such as Sarenrae or Pharasma, while others might use their knowledge of religion and the planes to learn such abilities on their own. Though rarer, it's even possible these practitioners might discover they possess an intuitive understanding and control over abilities that manifest spontaneously as their capabilities grow. Despite this variance, all share a fundamental understanding that undeath is an aberration to be quickly remedied.

Though the majority of hallowed necromancers have similar goals and are willing to work together, they tend not to form their own organizations. More often, these necromancers attach themselves to existing groups—such as the Knights of Lastwall or Voices of the Spire—and use their powers in support of those groups' causes. Otherwise, they plan and carry out their own personal vendettas against the forces of undeath, often enlisting the help of trusted friends and allies.

HarrowerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Stolen Fate Player's Guide pg. 13
Whether or not the revelations and divinations of a typical harrow card reading are trustworthy, none can deny that the strange powers wielded by the harrower are real. The harrower uses the ancient art of fortune-telling to harness destiny and augment their spellcasting abilities, infusing them with power by drawing cards from their harrow deck and letting fate decide what elements of their magic need augmentation. For many years, the traditions of the harrower were limited to regions like Varisia and Ustalav, where the Varisian people had more deeply established traditions. But recently, particularly as Varisia's importance in Avistan has grown, harrowers have begun to spread across the world of Golarion.

Horizon WalkerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 177 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in Survival
Many long for the open road, but you prefer the trackless wild. You can find safe passage through the most inhospitable terrain in the world—icecaps, deserts, and similar environs are where you're comfortable. Your talents open untrod paths for you and help guide others through the wilderness.

Living VesselDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Dark Archive pg. 140
With the dawning of a new era comes the need for a new seat of power, and what better way to show your coming master your devotion than by sacrificing your entire being for their use? You presented yourself before their altar and they answered your call, flooding your body with their power and granting you the gift of their original form. Or maybe you were abducted in the dark, on a night that the moon refused to shine, when you were taken to a profane location where a mysterious cult bound you to their master against your will. Now you have powers you didn't before and you have new features that scare (and maybe, in a small dark part of your heart, thrill) you.

You might have even become a living vessel through a strange bargain. For instance, perhaps at the brink of death, you received an offer from an entity to spare your life in exchange for inhabiting you. Or you might have offered yourself to the entity in exchange for saving a loved one, for riches, or to fulfill a lifelong dream.

Beings of any alignment can inhabit a living vessel. Evil-aligned beings, especially demons, are most likely to be interested in such an arrangement, especially if it involves forcefully taking over and changing the body and mind of a sapient being. Part of being a living vessel is learning more about your entity and finding what assuages them best and what their ultimate plans might be for your body and the world. Few vessels can fully dictate the terms of the arrangement, but the fact that you give the entity a corporeal form does give you some amount of leverage. Use it wisely.

Additional Feats: Your GM might determine that you can take a pact feat from the pactbinder archetype as an additional feat, as long as the pact is made to the entity within you. For instance, if you're hosting a fey, you could make a pact involving fey. These pact feats are at the same level as for a pactbinder.

Magaambyan AttendantDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Character Guide pg. 101 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in Arcana or Nature; member of the Magaambya of attendant rank
Magaambyans attendants have become full members of the Magaambya and begun to learn the secrets of the university. Not all Magaambyan attendants necessarily have this archetype, and this archetype doesn’t represent the abilities of all attendants; rather, the archetype represents many of those who have affiliated with a branch and are pursuing conversant rank.

Mind SmithDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Source Dark Archive pg. 204
“The mind makes it real.” Though uttered in many parts of Golarion, nowhere is this more literal than perhaps among mind smiths—those with a mysterious mental talent that allows them to manifest their mind into a physical object. Some gain this power through magical training from an ancestor or mentor, while others earn it as a gift or reward from some greater being, or by inexplicable chance. Whatever the source, you have mastered the ability to form a mental image into a corporeal figment solid enough to affect the physical world. You trained the power to aid you in battle by shaping itself into a potent weapon, bound by only the reaches of your own imagination.

Nantambu Chime-RingerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Pathfinder #170: Spoken on the Song Wind pg. 79
Prerequisites trained in Performance and Society
The Chime-Ringers serve as Nantambu's elite town guard, keeping the peace while carrying on ancient traditions of crafting chimes in metal, bamboo, or glass.

Oatia SkysageDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Pathfinder #187: The Seventh Arch pg. 82
Prerequisites trained in Occultism
The tradition of Oatia skysages stems from a small sect of dedicated stargazers on Castrovel. To better study the celestial mantle, these eccentric astronomers broke away from their Sovyrian kin and migrated to the wild continent of Ukulam, where the night skies were clear of light pollution. Though reclusive, Oatia skysages have been known to pass on their esoteric knowledge and unique worldview to similar-minded adventurers. Such adventuring skysages search for secrets and omens in the stars and can even call down stars' light to aid them in battle.

OozemorphDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source The Slithering pg. 59
You have suffered from the deadly touch of an ooze or other amorphous creature, like a gibbering mouther or a shoggoth, and have come away changed. Alternatively, you might have been exposed to some alchemical accident involving experiments with oozes, such as those performed in the city of Oenopion in Nex. Parts of your body occasionally liquefy and threaten to slough off, and only through force of will can you keep your natural form intact. Your affliction is plainly supernatural in origin and distressingly permanent.

Ostilli HostDedication Feat 2

Uncommon
Source Howl of the Wild pg. 70 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in Arcana or Nature
Ostillis are amorphous organisms that combine characteristics of both plants and animals. Typically found in subterranean environments, they can share a symbiotic arrangement with surkis. When a magic-gathering node on a surki’s body is damaged or absent, an ostilli is placed on it like a bandage, and after several weeks, the creature fully fuses with its host and becomes a makeshift node, accumulating the magical nourishment that the surki needs to survive. With training, surkis—and increasingly, members of other species—can direct these tiny symbiotes to a variety of magical feats.

PactbinderDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Dark Archive pg. 166
Prerequisites trained in Diplomacy as well as either Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion
Some people feel that the universe is a constant struggle. Good against evil, law against chaos, civilization against nature, life against death against undeath. But why fight what you can't change? You prefer to bargain.

As a pactbinder, you make deals with strange entities, otherworldly beings, and all sorts of multiversal denizens, amiable and unapproachable alike. Over the course of your many negotiations, you've learned something important: while such beings always seek a bargain tilted in their own favor, sometimes your definition of value differs enough from theirs that you can still come out ahead. In fact, sometimes, those who don't understand pacts like you do might mistake the payment for the benefit, or vice versa. Perhaps an ancient being of nightmare demanded to consume something you sought to be rid of, like a painful memory or a negative personality trait, priding itself on how it was taking something personal from you. Little did it know, you let it win on haggling your end of the deal. Of course, this practice isn't without its own risks, as who knows what you might become without that part of you.

All these things, you can and must consider in every pact. In addition to pacts, you might also pursue magical contracts. While less of a metaphysical commitment than a pact, contracts offer similar benefits you just can't resist— and you can employ your skill set as a pactbinder to manipulate the precise wording of the bargain.

Pactbound InitiateDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Monsters of Myth pg. 10
Prerequisites Erutaki or Giant language, must have earned the trust of a saumen kar who initiates you into the archetype; trained in Nature
Saumen kar can initiate a member of another ancestry into their pact, imbuing the creature with their power and their curse. Over time, this pact slowly changes the initiate internally and, sometimes, externally as well. The initiate's mind slowly fills with ancient pieces of lore and techniques that are as much part of the saumen kar as their hands and feet. As the initiate's mind adapts to this knowledge and power, their body sometimes evolves in kind—sprouting sweeping horns, gaining heightened olfactory senses, and growing additional height and muscle—becoming a hybrid between their old ancestry and saumen kar, wrapped in runic tattoos.

An unwilling creature can never be forced to become a pactbound initiate, and only those with deep bonds of mutual friendship with a saumen kar can even attempt the process. Befriending a saumen kar can be enough to begin one's initiation into the pact, though they must choose to accept the burden and can change their minds about undertaking the pact at any point until their final transition (represented by the Bound in Ice feat). Once a creature has completed the pact by accepting the full burden of a saumen kar and taking the Bound in Ice feat, all transformations are permanent. At that point, they can't retrain the Pactbound Dedication, Frostbite Runes, or Bound in Ice feats and must live out the rest of their lives as something between their old ancestry and a saumen kar. If their normal lifespan was less than 400 years, it's increased to at least 400 years. If their natural lifespan was greater than 400 years, it's instead reduced to approximately that amount of time.

Psychic DuelistDedication Feat 4

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Dark Archive pg. 203
Prerequisites trained in Occultism; you have been in a psychic duel
The mental landscape of the psychic duel rises to meet your steps and reshapes at your touch. You understand the binary mindscape links two minds, making its foundation only as strong as the wills of those involved. Two psychic castles in a siege—patch every loose brick in your walls and single out every flaw in your foe's defenses.

ReanimatorDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Source Book of the Dead pg. 34
Prerequisites able to cast animate dead with a spell slot
Most cultures revere the bodies of the deceased, laying to rest the mortal remains of their companions according to tradition formed generations before. Such customs assume a common conclusion: once the spirit that inhabited it has gone on to the Boneyard, the empty shell of a corpse has no purpose beyond its eventual return to the elements that formed it. You know differently. As the vessels that once housed immortal souls, corpses hold great power and potential, perfect construction materials for creations of unsurpassed wonder. As a reanimator, you have chosen to focus your study of the necromantic arts on the transformation of dead flesh into innumerable varieties of undead, from the lowliest shuffling corpses and brittle skeletons to abominations of ghastly splendor barely conceived of by only the most fanatical—or brilliant— mortal minds.

Red Mantis AssassinDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source World Guide pg. 71 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in sawtooth sabers; worshipper of Achaekek; lawful evil alignment; member of the Red Mantis assassins
You are a Red Mantis assassin, inducted by the mantis god and sworn to chase your prey to the end of the world and beyond.

RitualistDedication Feat 4

Uncommon
Source Player Core 2 pg. 211
Prerequisites expert in Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion
While some learn the art of ritual casting through rigorous study, other gifted individuals may find that a combination of natural talent and luck grants them surprising skill at performing rituals, whether they want that power or not. Undertaking rituals always carries an element of risk, but the potential rewards are undeniable and difficult to resist. You have learned how to perform rituals and can decide how to best use their powerful benefits.

RunelordDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 240 ^1.1
Prerequisites runelord specialization
You've learned arcane magic following the path of the runelords. You unlock secrets of a chosen school of magic while forsaking lesser schools. You learn the secrets of runic magic, the building blocks of magic. But be warned: you might succumb to sin in your pursuit of power.

You also learn to use polearms, the signature weapons of the runelords, and can acquire the secrets of the mighty, ancient magic items called aeon stones, embedding them into your skin.

RunescarredDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source World Guide pg. 119 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in Arcana
The rune magic of Thassilon and its descendant nations has left its mark on your very flesh. As a runescarred, you have an unusually close connection to this ancient magic, which has become a newly emerging field of study for small pockets of interested scholars in both Varisia and New Thassilon.

Scions of DomoraDedication Feat 4

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Pathfinder #188: They Watched the Stars pg. 82
Prerequisites Familiar Master Dedication; you have befriended a spirit guide and it bonded with you using its Bond with Mortal ability.
Centuries ago, Domora Hume founded a lakeside city that would become one of the largest in western Sarkoris. When the city was attacked by raiders, Hume conjured a guardian from the lake to drive back the attackers. In the process, he also become the region's first god caller in generations.

Hume's summoned savior was an ancient spirit guide from the Plane of Water named Dyzad. With Dyzad's guidance, Domorans summoned more such spirit guides, all of which the citizens worshipped as gods long after his passing. This tradition of god calling—and the worship of Sarkorian gods—came to define the city of Domora.

In the ensuing years, countless pilgrims, Sarkorian or otherwise, came to Domora to learn of god calling. Many hoped to summon a god to bring back to their own people, while others petitioned the deities as a means of spiritual growth. Today, the Domoran god calling tradition is all but extinguished—wiped out during the Worldwound incursion. Nonetheless, worthy individuals who brave Domora's ruins might unbury a small fragment of this tradition. Although they aren't true god callers—they lack the ability to bond with greater spirit guides or unlock the highest levels of their power—such “scions” still forge unique relationships with lesser spirit guides. Scions of Domora provide physical and spiritual anchors for their spirit guide companions, while the spirit guide returns the favor by sharing a portion of its supernatural powers.

Scroll TricksterDedication Feat 2

Source Player Core 2 pg. 213
Prerequisites trained in Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion
Magic has been written down in myriad forms for a very long time. From the classic rolled parchment to strings tied with a hundred intricate knots, from baked clay tablets covered with incisions to bound collections of bamboo slips, magic is everywhere. You just need to know how to read it. You have studied the art of reading magical scrolls of various kinds. The language of magic is yours to use and manipulate, however unstable and archaic such writing tends to be.

ShadowcasterDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 226 ^1.1
Prerequisites ability to cast spells
The world is full of shadows, but each living creature possesses a form of inner light to ward against that ever-present darkness… all except shadowcasters. By trading away that piece of their spirit, shadowcasters have removed a limiter, allowing them to gain magical power rooted in the darkness; however, this trade also exposes them to otherworldly whispers from the realms of shadow.

ShadowdancerDedication Feat 8

Legacy Content

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 192 ^2.0
Prerequisites expert in Performance and master in Stealth
Shadow has always been the cousin of fear. Within the darkness, monsters dwell, plans are hatched, and enemies strike with fang and dagger and dark magic. But some embrace the shadow, gain power from it, and dance within its shifting dark.

A true shadowdancer is a creature who flits on the edge of light and darkness. Moving amid the inky blackness, shadowdancers are spies, assassins, infiltrators, and emissaries. Some shadowdancers use their relationship with the dark for good, while others embrace the primordial night, its terror, and its betrayal.

Regardless of the reason why someone embraces the shadows, the shadows embrace that person in turn, gradually transforming them into something inky, nebulous, and mysterious.

Sixth PillarDedication Feat 10

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Pathfinder #167: Ready? Fight! pg. 77
Prerequisites Dexterity 14; expert in Acrobatics; ability to cast spells
The Sixth Pillar follows a tradition that blends martial arts with magic. Traditionally, this is a way to better focus and harness innate or bloodline magic, but it can be used by anyone who can cast spells.

SleepwalkerDedication Feat 4

Legacy Content

Source Dark Archive pg. 206
Prerequisites expert in Occultism
Many think of mental realms and mindscapes as rare and elaborate constructions, forgetting that everyone creates their own mental realm when they sleep, one where even the strangest occurrences seem perfectly normal. Anything is possible inside these dreamscapes, but few sapient creatures have the will and insight to take control and truly explore their unconscious mind.

Sleepwalkers dedicate themselves to unlocking the secrets of the sleeping mind, taking control of their dreams and walking through the slumbering vistas of others. Some are nefarious manipulators, whispering to the slumbering for personal gain. Others use their powers for good, seeking evildoers and those who corrupt dreams to nightmares. As their power grows, a sleepwalker's appearance gradually becomes slightly indistinct, as though they were blurred around the edges, and those who encounter them find it difficult to recall exact details about their appearance.

SoulforgerDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 236 ^1.1
Prerequisites Wisdom 14, or ability to cast divine spells
Your devotion to a cause unifies your soul with an armament tethered to the very essence of your spirit.

Spell TricksterDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Source Grand Bazaar pg. 122
Prerequisites Able to cast spells; trained in Arcana, Nature, Occultism, or Religion
Just as Golarion's merchants scour busy marketplaces for newfound goods, scholars of magic congregate in teahouses, debate at symposia, and haunt the back rooms of esoteric shops to swap secrets of their trade. In such meetings, a different kind of magic may strike: the spark of innovation! The mixing of magical techniques produces fascinating and unpredictable results. As one of these innovators, sometimes called a spell trickster, you have a knack for pioneering magical techniques and discovering new effects from spells most novice spellcasters take for granted. Whether your unique abilities are the result of weeks of experimentation or a secret passed to you by a traveling practitioner, you delight in surprising others with your tricks.

SpellshotDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Guns & Gears pg. 140 ^2.0
Prerequisites way of the spellshot
Spellshots aren't ordinary gunslingers. They come from a tradition of ancient secrets and principles, which they temper with modern innovation and perspective. Spellshots combine magical power into the art of gunplay to create a distinct and mystical way known only to spellshots, enigmatic and unavailable to other gunslingers in the world at large. The first to identify themselves as spellshots tied their magical traditions to the history of the Star Code and the Crowned Regents in Arcadia. Ancient, reclusive crafters known as the Crowned Regents created star guns, the legendary magical firearms that shot white-hot blasts of energy. Wielders of star guns became bound together by the Star Code—a set of cultural expectations that defined how one should behave while using these powerful weapons. You can find more information about star guns, the Crowned Regents, and the Star Code in Guns & Gears.

Most spellshots continue to come from Arcadia, as the stories describing the relevant skills and training to become one have been passed down over the generations. Many gunslingers who grow up in this region hear of these tales early in their lives, and they develop the techniques to channel magical energy through their firearms in imitation of the Regents' arcane methods. While Arcadia is home to the vast majority of the world's spellshots, the techniques have slowly spread to other regions. However, spellshots remain particularly rare in the Inner Sea region due to the unique history of guns there and their connection to the Grand Duchy of Alkenstar, which exists in a magic-dead region of the Mana Wastes.

Talisman DabblerDedication Feat 2

Source Player Core 2 pg. 217
The classic idea of magic is that of a hoary wizard, poring over a crumbling book of spells as years pass. But magic is so much more than that—it's thought, will, and action, and with the right talismans, you can make even the cut of a sword a deeply magical act. This all hinges on the small magical talismans you affix to your gear. You know how to make and use the perfect talisman for any job. The utility of talismans seems endless. They can help swords to swing harder, shields to block better, grant a burst of speed in a desperate situation, and even save one from a lethal fall. This all excites you, but no more than exploring just how far you can push your talent. What are the true limits of these baubles? You've heard rumors and tales of great dabblers like yourself mastering the art of creating and affixing fantastical magical memorabilia. Some say that these great sages have found a way to affix multiple talismans to a single object, circumventing the most fundamental limitation of the art. Whether you were formally trained or picked up the skill as a hobby, your talent is undeniable, and the usefulness of talismans is apparent. Take advantage of every ounce of magic you can manipulate and master these mystical trinkets.

Time MageDedication Feat 6

Legacy Content

Uncommon
Source Dark Archive pg. 184
Prerequisites You have a spellcasting class feature.
Magic leaves its brand on those who practice it. The veteran pyromancer bears the scorch marks of lessons learned. The archdruid grows to resemble plants or animals in their domain or grove. The professional reanimator can never quite cover up the stench of their grim work.

The mark left by the practice of time magic is less obvious but no less indelible. With other disciplines, the marks of experience accumulate as magic is learned, creating an equilibrium of sorts between the exercise of power and the necessary consequences. Time magic suffers no such limitations of cause and effect. Distortions and anachronistic thoughts echo back throughout a time mage's entire life, providing a nonlinear perspective that others can find distracting or even alien. The threat of creating a paradox is ever looming. Many a reckless time mage has inadvertently erased themselves from existence, glimpsed a future they now have no choice but to enact, or attracted the attentions of temporal creatures, such as iriis or siktemporas.

For these reasons, most mages merely dabble in time magic, learning a spell or two here and there. Despite the dangers, a brave few embrace the discipline, for it offers the allure of changing what was and controlling what will be.

Wellspring MageDedication Feat 2

Legacy Content

Rare
Source Secrets of Magic pg. 248 ^1.1
Prerequisites wellspring magic
The source of your magic buckles against your control, always pressing to be released.

WerecreatureDedication Feat 2

Rare
Source Howl of the Wild pg. 76 ^2.0
You’re a werecreature, a humanoid doomed by an ancient primal curse to transform into an animal or an animalhumanoid hybrid under the light of the full moon. You might be a “true werecreature,” born to werecreature parents; you might have found yourself afflicted with the primal curse after surviving the bite of another werecreature; or you might have been transformed into a werecreature by powerful magic, perhaps even willingly. Although humanoids with the ability to transform into animals aren’t universally feared, they’re looked on with terror in many places because of a confusion with werecreatures or other threats. With the curse both spreading infectiously and robbing the afflicted control of their actions, those suspected of being werecreatures can rarely live in peace.

While many werecreatures have little control over their own transformations, formal training or an exceptionally strong will has enabled you to exert a degree of mastery over the beast that rages within you, allowing you not only to assume your bestial shape at will but also retain your own mind while doing so. In many cases, this results in being able to prevent spreading the curse as well. This mastery is more common in societies that embrace or accept werecreatures, such as Ulfen countries in northern Avistan and communities of beastkin, wherever they can be found.

Wild MimicDedication Feat 2

Source Howl of the Wild pg. 80 ^2.0
Prerequisites trained in Nature
Wild beasts of all kinds can be found outside of the cities and villages of Golarion, and many possess remarkable abilities that help them survive, even thrive. From the capacity to fight through deadly wounds to the production of painful electric jolts, the multitude of the world’s beasts presents a staggering array of diversity in form. Through rigorous training of your body, the meticulous study of treatises on wildlife, or by spending a large portion of your life among them, you have learned to adopt the martial techniques of many beasts. Some of these are a matter of simple mimicry, while others are impressive displays of primal magic.

The style of wild mimicry is believed to have been created long ago in the Realm of the Mammoth Lords. Hunters took on the aspects of local prehistoric beasts to better stalk and kill them for survival. In this constant struggle against nature, quick adaptation is key. In more recent decades, whether through convergent development or by adherents showcasing their techniques as they travel, wild mimicry has been found all across Golarion, from the Valashmai Jungle in Tian Xia to the coasts of Droon in southern Garund to anywhere large numbers of beasts can be encountered.

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Classic Feel

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Book of the Dead

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Lavender

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Archives of Nethys

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