There are always going to be those who take an interest in their ancestry. Some are merely interested in where they come from; others are obsessed, wanting to find out where they come from and who they “are” as a result.
Mongrels come from these, fanning the flames of ancient heritage and awakening power out of even the thinnest of blood. These individuals often exhibit strange physical changes and certainly their explorations lend them new insight and perspectives that can come across as a personality change to those closest to them.
Rangers and druids often become mongrels, though they are far from the only ones. Some sorcerers explore their bloodrights and become enamored with their heritage; others may become mongrels unwillingly, as subjects of catastrophic magical accidents or psionic experimentation. Either way, mongrels have a tendency to “cascade”; though a slow development of their birthrights is possible, most dive deep into their blood and surface as changed beings.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Role: Any, but mongrels can excel as supporting party members, adding utility to the group with their strange capabilities and knowledge.
Heritage feats are feats that represent unlocking the latent potential in your mixed blood, or even differences, deliberate mutations, or divine gifts within creatures of pure blood. These capabilities might appear over time, as the result of exposure to magic that awakens the blood (even on accident) or deliberately, as the creature trains their capabilities. Heritage feats usually require a creature to have one or more creature types or subtypes in order to gain their benefits. There are 24 different Heritage feats in the source book.
Requirements
To qualify to become mongrel, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
- Skills: Knowledge (history) 5 ranks.
- Feats: 2 or more heritage feats (see right).
- Special: Must possess two or more subtypes, may not possess the Kinslayer or Resist Kindred feats.
Class Skills
The mongrel's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Knowledge (all) and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Class Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | Awakened blood, minor transformation | — |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +0 | Awakened blood | +1 level of previous class |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Awakened blood, major transformation | — |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Awakened blood | +1 level of previous class |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Awakened blood, blood calls to blood | — |
Class Features
The following are the class features of the mongrel.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Mongrels gain no proficiency with any weapon or armor.
Class Features
At 2nd level, and again at 4th level, the mongrel advances class features just as if she had gained a level in a class she belonged to previously. She does not, however, gain any other benefit that a member of that class might have gained (such as Hit Dice, base attack bonus increases, or skill points). This essentially means that she adds those levels of mongrel to her levels of the previous class and determines her class features (such as power points, initiator level, and bonus feats) accordingly. If the mongrel had more than one class before she became a mongrel, she must choose one of them to augment with this benefit; once made, this choice cannot be changed.
Awakened Blood
The mongrel’s focus on her ancestry and experimentation with empowering her blood bears fruit; at each level she gains Mixed Blood as a bonus trait.
Minor Transformation
As the mongrel awakens the power of her blood, her body and mind experience changes, some of which may be hints of ancestry to come, while others are the results of her changing blood.
She chooses a transformation from the following list and gains its benefits (once made, this choice cannot be changed):
Alien Mind (Ex): The mongrel’s mind develops strange, insulating thought patterns; she gains a +2 racial bonus to Will saves, which increases to +4 vs. compulsion effects.
Arcane Retaliation (Su): Unstable magical energies vent from the mongrel’s injuries; whenever the mongrel is dealt lethal damage, she may deal 1d6 + her Constitution modifier force damage to a creature adjacent to her.
Armored Flesh (Ex): The mongrel’s natural armor bonus increases by +2.
Heritage: The mongrel gains a bonus heritage feat. She must meet the prerequisites for this feat.
Hypnotic Voice (Su): The mongrel may cast suggestion as a spell-like ability up to three times per day, as a sorcerer of her character level.
Keen Senses (Ex): The mongrel gains the scent special quality. At 5th level, she gains blindsight 10 ft., which improves by 5 ft. for every 5 character levels thereafter.
Savagery (Ex): The mongrel gains Feral Fighter as a bonus feat, even if she does not meet the prerequisites.
Major Transformation
At 3rd level, the mongrel’s body or mind changes in a more extreme fashion. She chooses a transformation from the following list and gains its benefits (once made, this choice cannot be changed):
Arcane Infusion (Su): The mongrel’s body is infused with the surging magical energies of her bloodline; she enjoys a +2 bonus on saving throws. Furthermore, magical power infuses her attacks; she chooses acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative energy, or sonic and adds 1d6 + Constitution modifier damage of that type to all damage rolls (once made, this choice cannot be changed).
Feral Combat (Ex): The mongrel increases the damage dealt by her natural weapons by 1 die step, then selects her choice of grab or trip. She gains the chosen special attack with her natural weapons.
Heritage: The mongrel gains a bonus heritage feat. She must meet the prerequisites for this feat.
Morphic Visage (Su): The mongrel gains significant control over her physical form. She may use alter self at will as a spell-like ability, as a sorcerer of her character level. Furthermore, she enjoys a +2 circumstance bonus to Charisma-based skill checks due to making subtle or unsubtle physical changes that make her appealing (or terrifying). Once per day, the mongrel may adopt a gory, terrifying visage—her skin peels back from their face, blood crawls out of her pores, or something similarly horrific. Enemies within 60 ft. that can see this horrifying display must succeed at a Will save (DC 10 + the mongrel’s class level + her Charisma modifier) or be sickened for 1 minute and nauseated for 2 rounds.
Mutant’s Shroud (Ex): Forced mutation alters the mongrel’s pores; as a free action she may begin or cease exuding a moist fog cloud that grants her partial concealment. While she exudes this cloud, the mongrel is immune to inhaled poisons and adds 1d6 acid damage to her melee damage rolls; the mist clings to her weapons, guided partially by her will.
Thaumavore (Su): Alterations to the mongrel’s blood and magical aura causes her to leech energy from spells cast upon her; the mongrel gains 5 temporary hit points whenever a spell is cast upon her and heals 1 point of ability damage. These temporary hit points do not stack with each other and last for up to 10 minutes. At 5th level, this improves to 10 temporary hit points whenever a spell is cast upon the mongrel.
Unnatural Reach (Ex): Through a combination of joint alteration and minor shapeshifting, the mongrel gains more reach than a creature of her size should have; her reach increases by 5 ft. Furthermore, her new form adds a +4 circumstance bonus to her CMD against the grapple maneuver, as well as to checks made to escape bonds, escape grapples, and squeeze through narrow spaces.
Blood Calls to Blood (Su)
At 5th level, the mongrel learns to use her blood sympathy for the benefit and bane of those she shares kinship with. Whenever the mongrel is the target of a power or spell with a range greater than personal, she may select a creature within 60 ft. that shares a type or subtype with her; that creature also shares (or suffers) the effects of that power or spell. The chosen creature is still entitled to power/spell resistance and a saving throw, if appropriate.
