Consorts
Racial Traits
Ability Adjustments: +2 Con, +2 Wis, -2 Str
Hit Points: 2
Size and Type: Consorts are medium oozes with the shapechanger subtype, but they do not gain the normal ooze immunities.
Compression: A consort can move through an area as small as one-quarter their space without squeezing or one-eighth their space when squeezing.
Limited Telepathy: Consorts can communicate telepathically with any creatures within 30 feet with whom they share a language. Conversing telepathically with multiple creatures simultaneously is just as difficult as listening to multiple people speak.
Sonic Susceptability: When a consort takes sonic damage, it becomes dazed for 1 round. Multiple sources of sonic damage within the same round do not increase the duration.
Change Shape: As a standard action, a consort can physically alter their form to imitate any kind of creature that they have seen before, but cannot change their default coloration. They can attempt to look like a general creature of the chosen type. The consort gains a +10 bonus to Disguise checks to appear as a creature of the type and subtype of the new form. The DC of the consort’s Disguise check is not modified as a result of altering major features or if they disguise themself as a different creature type, as long as the consort's natural coloration isn't unnatural for the new form. The consort can remain in an alternate form indefinitely (or until they take another form).
Bonding: As a full action, a consort can bond with a living aberration, animal, dragon, humanoid, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid that it is touching, optionally making an unarmed strike as part of this action. An unwilling host can prevent this bonding with a successful DC 15 Fortitude save. The bonding lasts until either consort or host is killed, the consort chooses to leave its host, or the consort is removed with a medical procedure (usually requiring a successful DC 25 Medicine check).
The two creatures become one for the purposes of being targeted by effects or attacks while bonded. The pair uses the host creature's AC, with the consort providing a +2 bonus. The consort may cast a spell with a range of personal on their host instead of on themselves. Any spell cast this way ends immediately if the two are separated. When making a saving throw, both creatures roll simultaneously, and take the worst of the two rolls.
Energy Feeder: A consort doesn't need to eat like most creatures. Instead, it needs to feed off of a host organism regularly in order to survive. A consort must bond with a creature per the Bonding ability, above, for several hours out of every 24 hour period. This can usually be done during an 8-hour rest period. If it fails to do so, it is affected by the starvation rules as though it has gone without food for the same amount of time.
Polymorphic Biology: As a full action, a consort can use any spell it knows with the polymorph descriptor as though it was an extraordinary ability, with a range of personal (inlcuding their host). This ability costs 1 Resolve Point per spell level of the spell cast in such a way. Additionally, the consort gains the Polymorph Adept feat for free once it qualifies for it.
Magic Mimic: As a standard action, a consort can consume a spell-gem containing a spell with the polymorph descriptor, destroying it. Doing so allows it to learn the spell until the end of its next turn. This ability works with Polymorphic Biology, even if the character cannot otherwise cast the spell.
The following abilities are deprecated, but are preserved here for reference.
Adapt Host: Consorts gain a modified version of the 1st-level Polymorph spell as a spell-like ability, with a few important changes: first, it has a range of personal (including a host through the Bonding ability). Third, this ability costs 1 Resolve Point. For these effects, their effective caster level is their character level.
If the consort ever gains the Polymorph spell through other means, the four forms gained from this spell count towards the maximum number of forms that can be learned through the Polymorph spell as though they have learned the spell a second time. This spell may be cast up to the highest spell level that the consort knows the Polymorph spell, but costs a number of Resolve Points equal to the spell level used.
Impede Host: Consorts gain a modified version fo the Baleful Polymorph spell as a 1st-level spell-like ability. This ability otherwise functions exactly as Adapt Host, above.