Spiritualist
The Spiritualist is a pet class, like the Summoner. They have a buddy that, instead of being some strange outsider, is a dead person. This dead person represents a certain concept, like Wrath, Pride, Greed, Hatred, or Lust (giggity). More on this later.
Class Features
The Spiritualist has 3/4ths BAB and 6-level spellcasting, along with light armor and simple weapon proficiency. However, their spell list is more focused around Necromancy, instead of Conjuration, like a Summoner.
What really makes the Spiritualist stand out is the fact that you've got a ghost buddy hanging around that wants its unfinished business finished. This ghost buddy has a number of forms- it can take up residence in your head, become ectoplasmic, or even become incorporeal, which is extremely powerful at low levels when coupled with the Phantom Fighter feat. The Phantom can also deliver touch spells on behalf of the caster without requiring initial contact. Making it a far more effective combat tactic than attempting to use a vulnerable familiar the way that other classes might.
Additionally, the Spiritualist can call upon its spirit buddy to create an ectoplasmic/incorporeal body shell around them for a short time per day, merging some of the phantom's qualities with their own, granting them things like concealment and invisibility, or an armor bonus and some extra free attacks. As a lesser extension of this, just being near the phantom the Spiritualist will also receive a solid bonus on all of its saving throws AND a shield bonus to AC.
If the Spirit is inside the Spiritualist's head (which doubles as keeping it safe and sound, but also works for in polite company when having a ghost around would cause a faux pas), it grants a the character skills focus in two skills important to the emotional focus of the Phantom. Though at later levels, the Spiritualist gets this bonus even when their spirit is outside of their head.
All in all, it's a solid class, roughly Tier 3. Nowhere near as powerful as a Wizard, but it still gets the advantage of what amounts to an extra set of actions per turn and 6-level spell casting. It also makes for great roleplaying, as all manner of story opportunities can come up when you have a ghost living in your head.
Archetypes
Released quite late in the 1e run of Pathfinder, there isn't a huge amount of support for the Spiritualist. Though several of the archetypes do provide interesting ways to play the class.
- Ectoplasmaist devotes itself to being bound to ectoplasma rather than a restless spirit, and thus develops a means to summon whips of the stuff and eventually armor.
- Fractured Mind makes this class Charisma dependent and grants it some special spells based on emotional focus.
- Geist Channelers are bound to a particular sort of phantom that has a unique focus and lack a material form, though they can form a temporary equivalent to one.
- Haunted allows the phantom to steal power from their owner to power up.
- Phantom Blade turns the phantom into a ghostly blade that makes it into a Bladebound Magus-alike.
| The Classes of Pathfinder 1st Edition | |
|---|---|
| Core Classes: | Barbarian - Bard - Cleric - Druid - Fighter - Monk Paladin - Ranger - Rogue - Sorcerer - Wizard |
| Advanced Player's Guide: |
Alchemist - Antipaladin - Cavalier Inquisitor - Oracle - Summoner - Witch |
| Advanced Class Guide: |
Arcanist - Bloodrager - Brawler - Hunter - Investigator Shaman - Skald - Slayer - Swashbuckler - Warpriest |
| Occult Adventures: |
Kineticist - Medium - Mesmerist Occultist - Psychic - Spiritualist |
| Ultimate X: | Gunslinger - Magus - Ninja - Samurai - Shifter - Vigilante |