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By drawing their seals and speaking words of power, the binder summons strange entities, bargains with them, and binds them to his service.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Profi ciency: As a binder, you gain profi ciency with all simple weapons and with light armor, but not with shields.

Soul Binding (Su): Through special methods known only to binders, you can contact a vestige and make a pact with it. At 1st level, you can make a pact with one vestige at a time. At higher levels, you can form and maintain pacts with multiple vestiges simultaneously, as shown on Table 1—1. You must complete the summoning and binding process with each separately, so each has its normal chance to infl uence you. You bear the physical sign of binding for each one. Your effective binder level, or EBL (your binder class level plus any soul binding bonuses you receive from prestige classes or other sources), determines the maximum level of vestige you can summon, as well as all other functions related to binding vestiges. This value equates to your binder class level, as given on Table 1—1, for this purpose. If the vestige you are trying to contact is of a higher level than your indicated maximum, you cannot summon it.

To contact a vestige, you must draw its unique seal visibly on a surface (generally the ground), making the image at least 5 feet across. Drawing a seal requires the ability to mark a surface and 1 minute of concentration, and the act provokes attacks of opportunity. A seal not used within 1 minute of its drawing loses all potency, and you must draw a new one to contact the vestige. A vestige might also have other requirements for contact, as noted in its entry (see The Vestiges, page 16).

Once the seal is drawn, you must perform a ritual requiring a full-round action to summon the corresponding vestige. During this time, you must touch the seal and call out to the vestige using both its name and its title. The ritual fails if you cannot be heard (for example, if you are within the area of a silence spell). Otherwise, a manifestation of the vestige appears in the seal's space as soon as you fi nish the ritual. This image is not the actual vestige; it is merely a figment an illusion that cannot harm or be harmed by any creature. Creatures that interact with the image or study it carefully automatically recognize it as illusory. The summoned image ignores everyone but you. If you fail to address it within 1 round, it disappears. The vestige speaks in whatever language you used to call it.

To make a pact with your summoned vestige, you must make a binding check (1d20 + your effective binder level + your Cha modifi er). This process requires 1 minute, but you can choose to make a rushed binding check as a full-round action at a —10 penalty. The DC for this check is provided in the description of each vestige (see pages 16—49). You must make your perilous pact alone; others cannot aid you in any way.

Whether the binding check succeeds or fails, you gain the powers granted by the vestige for 24 hours. During that time, you cannot rid yourself of the vestige unless you possess the Expel Vestige feat. Success or failure does, however, determine other aspects of the pact. If you fail the binding check, the vestige influences your personality and your actions, and you are said to have made a poor pact. (Specifically, the vestige's presence changes your general demeanor, and it can force you to perform or refrain from certain actions.) If your binding check is successful, the vestige has no control over your actions and does not influence your personality. In this case, you are said to have made a good pact.

While under the infl uence of a vestige, you must adhere to its requirements to the best of your ability. If you are conscious and free-willed, and you encounter a situation in which you cannot or will not refrain from a prohibited action or perform a required one, you take a —1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, and checks until that vestige leaves you. If you are infl uenced by more than one vestige, you must act according to all their infl uences. If you fail to fulfi ll the requirements of more than one vestige or disobey a single vestige more than once, the penalties stack.

As long as you are bound to a vestige, you manifest a specifi c physical sign of its presence, as given in its entry. This sign is real, not an illusory or shapechanging effect, and someone using true seeing perceives it just as it is. You can hide a sign by mundane or magical means without penalty, or you can prevent it from appearing at all if you have the suppress sign ability.

Vestiges are bound to your soul by the pact. They cannot be targeted or expelled by any means except the Expel Vestige feat, nor can they be suppressed except by an antimagic fi eld or similar effect.

The Diffi culty Class for a saving throw against any supernatural power granted by a vestige is 10 + 1/2 your effective binder level + your Cha modifi er.

Suppress Sign (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, when you make a good pact, you can choose not to exhibit the physical sign that normally accompanies a pact with a vestige. You can suppress or reveal the sign at will as a swift action. With a poor pact, you gain the powers of the vestige, but you cannot suppress its sign. You show it for the duration of the pact and are infl uenced by it as normal.

Bonus Feats: At 4th level, and again at 11th and 18th level, you gain a bonus feat of your choice from the following list: Armor Profi ciency (medium), Armor Profi ciency (heavy), Diligent, Investigator, Martial Weapon Profi ciency, Negotiator, Persuasive, Shield Profi ciency, and the feats presented in this chapter. Feats not described in this book can be found in the Player's Handbook. These feats are in addition to those normally gained for attaining higher levels, but you must still meet any prerequisites for the bonus feats you choose.

Pact Augmentation (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can draw additional power from the vestiges you bind. As long as you are bound to at least one vestige, you can choose one ability from the following list. Each time you rebind a vestige, you also reselect your pact augmentation ability.

As you attain higher levels, you can make additional selections from the list. You gain one additional ability at 5th, 10th, 16th, and 20th level (to a maximum of five selections at 20th level). You can choose a single ability multiple times, and their effects stack. For instance, at 16th level you could choose bonus hit points twice and damage reduction twice, gaining +10 hit points and damage reduction 2/—.

Pact Augmentation Abilities
+5 hit points
Energy resistance 5 (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic)
+1 insight bonus on saving throws
Damage reduction 1/—
+1 insight bonus to Armor Class
+1 insight bonus on attack rolls
+1 insight bonus on damage rolls
+2 insight bonus on initiative checks

Soul Guardian (Su): Beginning at 6th level, you have immunity to fear effects as long as you are bound to a vestige. As you attain higher binder levels, the vestige guards its time with you even more jealously, granting you protection from additional effects that would harm your soul and life energy for as long as the pact lasts.

At 9th level, you gain the slippery mind ability, which allows you to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel you. If you fail your saving throw against an enchantment spell or effect, you can attempt it again 1 round later at the same DC. You get only this one extra chance to succeed on your saving throw.

At 13th level, you gain immunity to energy drain and negative levels.

When you attain 19th level, your bound vestiges completely protect your mind, granting you immunity to all mind-affecting spells and abilities.

Advancement

Level	BAB	Fort	Ref	Will	Special	Level
1st	+0	+2	+0	+2	Soul binding (1 vestige)	1st
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+3	Pact augmentation (1 ability), suppress sign	1st
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+3	—	2nd
4th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Bonus feat	2nd
5th	+3	+4	+1	+4	Pact augmentation (2 abilities)	3rd
6th	+4	+5	+2	+5	Soul guardian (immune to fear)	3rd
7th	+5	+5	+2	+5	—	4th
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	Soul binding (2 vestiges)	4th
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Soul guardian (slippery mind)	4th
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Pact augmentation (3 abilities)	5th
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Bonus feat	5th
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	—	6th
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Soul guardian (immune to energy drain and negative levels)	6th
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9	Soul binding (3 vestiges)	6th
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9	—	7th
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Pact augmentation (4 abilities)	7th
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	—	8th
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Bonus feat	8th
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Soul guardian (mind blank)	8th
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Pact augmentation (5 abilities), soul binding (4 vestiges)	8th