Astral Bombardier (Summoner/Alchemist)

On other planes, nature and magic combine to produce bizarre creatures with incomprehensible self-destructive capabilities. Astral bombardiers are innovators who weaponize these creatures, calling them to the Material Plane and enhancing them with yet deadlier explosive capabilities. Rather than utilizing an eidolon primarily as a companion or bodyguard, the astral bombardier employs his eidolon as a walking bomb. Using a mixture of alchemy and the summoning arts, the astral bombardier gradually improves upon his formulae, brewing more potent extracts and making his eidolon's explosions more and more deadly. (Original Concept by Flak)

Primary Class: Summoner.

Secondary Class: Alchemist.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The astral bombardier may select three alchemist skills to add to his class skills in addition to the normal summoner class skills. The astral bombardier gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The astral bombardier is proficient with all simple weapons, and with light armor, but not with shields.

Brew Potion: At 1st level, astral bombardiers receive Brew Potion as a bonus feat. An astral bombardier can brew potions of any formulae he knows (up to 3rd level), using his astral bombardier level as his caster level. The spell must be one that can be made into a potion. The astral bombardier does not need to meet the prerequisites for this feat. This ability replaces cantrips.

Exploding Eidolon (Su): At 1st level, the astral bombardier infuses his eidolon with volatile arcane substances. When the astral bombardier's eidolon would be sent back to its home plane due to death, it departs with a humongous alchemical explosion. All creatures within 10 feet of the eidolon take fire damage equal to 1d6 + the astral bombardier's Intelligence modifier. Affected creatures take only half damage on a successful Reflex save (DC = 10 + 1/2 the astral bombardier's level + the astral bombardier's Intelligence modifier). The damage from this ability increases by 1d6 points at every odd-numbered astral bombardier level. If the astral bombardier's eidolon is Small, reduce the blast radius to 5 feet; if the eidolon is Large, increase the radius to 15 feet; if the eidolon is Huge, increase the radius to 20 feet.

An astral bombardier's eidolon rejuvenates quickly on its home plane. Once per day per astral bombardier level, he can summon his eidolon even if it died that day. This ability replaces summon monster and gate.

Extracts: At 1st level, an astral bombardier gains the alchemist’s extracts ability, and adds the following spells at the indicated spell levels to his formulae list: 1st level–summon monster I; 2nd level–summon monster II; 3rd level–summon monster III; 4th level–summon monster IV; 5th level–summon monster V; 6th level–summon monster VI. When he prepares these extracts, he prepares a tiny, preserved specimen in a bottle as the preservationist alchemist archetype’s bottled ally ability. The astral bombardier otherwise learns, prepares, and uses extracts as an alchemist equal to his level. He gains bonus extracts per day if he has a high Intelligence score.

Fragile Eidolon: Thin-skinned and rigged to blow, the astral bombardier's eidolon is more frail than most. The eidolon’s Hit Dice changes to d6, its base attack bonus is equal to 1/2 its Hit Dice, and it is restricted from choosing the fast healing and spell resistance evolutions.

Infusion (Su): The astral bombardier counts as possessing the infusion discovery for the purposes of applying extracts to his eidolon. This ability replaces the eidolon's share spells ability.

Remote Detonation (Su): As a standard action, the astral bombardier can detonate his eidolon, causing it to instantly die and return to its home plane, which triggers the exploding eidolon ability. The astral bombardier can use this ability any time, as long as his eidolon is less than 1,000 feet away. If the eidolon is ever further away, it automatically explodes. At 8th level, the astral bombardier can detonate his eidolon as a swift action. At 12th level, the astral bombardier can detonate his eidolon as an immediate action. This ability replaces life link.

Discovery (Su): At 2nd level, and again every four levels thereafter, the astral bombardier may learn an alchemist discovery that would normally apply to an alchemist's bombs. This discovery instead applies to the astral bombardier's exploding eidolon, adding effects to the explosion, changing the damage type, or reducing or increasing the damage dice. The shape and size of the blast cannot be changed by a discovery. Furthermore, there is no direct target for the exploding eidolon ability, so many of these discoveries only have partial effect. (For example, if a 9th level astral bombardier applies the force bombs discovery to his exploding eidolon, it deals 5d4 force damage instead of 5d6 fire damage, but none of the affected creatures are knocked prone.)

Each time the astral bombardier's eidolon explodes, he chooses which discoveries to apply to the blast as an immediate action. Multiple discoveries marked with an asterisk (*) do not stack, and only one such discovery can be applied to an individual eidolon explosion. The astral bombardier must meet any prerequisites for these discoveries, treating his astral bombardier level as his alchemist level for this purpose. This ability replaces bond senses, maker's call, aspect, life bond, and greater aspect.

Explosion Anticipation (Ex): At 4th level the astral bombardier gains evasion, but only against his own eidolon's explosions. This ability replaces shield ally.

Whirlwind Eruption (Ex): At 8th level, when the astral bombardier's eidolon explodes, it erupts in a burst of claws, fangs, and other natural weapons. As the eidolon dies, it can immediately make one attack against each creature in the blast area, up to the number of natural attacks it possesses. Each affected creature may only be targeted by one of the eidolon's natural attacks, and each of the eidolon's natural attacks may only target one affected creature. Treat these attacks as melee attacks against an adjacent creature. Any evolutions that increase the damage of an eidolon's attack (such as Energy Attacks or Improved Damage) apply to that attack. Evolutions that add effects to the eidolon's attack (such as Grab or Poison) do not apply. A successful Reflex save against the explosion also halves the extra damage from this ability. Whirlwind eruption replaces transposition.

Fast Summoning: At 9th level, the astral bombardier can summon his eidolon as a full round action. At 16th level, the astral bombardier can summon his eidolon as a standard action. This ability replaces the eidolon's Multiattack ability and merge forms.

Improved Explosion Anticipation (Ex): At 12th level, the astral bombardier gains improved evasion, but only against his own eidolon's explosions. In addition, his evasion now applies to all attacks evasion would normally forefend. This ability replaces greater shield ally.

Alchemical Eidolon (Su): At 20th level, the astral bombardier's eidolon resembles a living alchemical golem, overflowing with reactants and toxins. The eidolon becomes immune to poison. Whenever a creature strikes the eidolon with a non-reach melee weapon, a spurt of volatile fluids hits that creature, dealing 1d6 points of acid, cold, electricity, or fire damage (determine randomly). Whenever the eidolon strikes a foe, the attack has an additional random effect, chosen from the options below. The attack can…

• deal 1d6 points of acid, cold, electricity or fire damage (determine randomly)

• cause the target to become sickened (Fortitude DC 20 + eidolon's Constitution modifier) for 1d4 rounds

• cause the target to become entangled (Reflex DC 20 + eidolon's Constitution modifier) for 1d4 rounds

These extra effects apply to attacks made as part of the whirlwind eruption ability. This ability replaces twin eidolon.

Table: Astral Bombardier