Origamist
(Arcanist Archetype)
The fine art of paper sculpture is an ancient and honored
Asian tradition, and those who weave and tinker with the
forces of magic are well-practiced at infusing magical
energies into the delicate structures they carefully construct.
Paper Familiar (Ex): An origamist must select familiar
as his arcanist exploit at 1st level, but rather than a living
creature he crafts his familiar out of intricately folded paper.
It has the shape of an animal or vermin typical for a familiar,
but its type changes to construct. As a construct, it gains 60-
foot darkvision and construct immunities, it loses any special
abilities the animal or vermin has other than movement
speed, and it doesn’t provide the usual familiar benefit (for
instance, a paper toad doesn’t provide 3 bonus hit points).
With a supply of paper on hand, an origamist can spend 8
hours to restore his familiar to full health at no cost, unless
the familiar is destroyed, in which case he must follow the
usual rules for replacing his familiar. An origamist can never
gain an improved familiar or a bonded object. This alters the
arcane exploit normally gained at 1st level.
Paper Preparation (Ex): An origamist can substitute a
folded paper sculpture for the material component of any
spell he prepares that requires a material component with
a cost of 1 gp or less.
Folded Scroll (Su): At 5th level, an origamist gains the
consume magic items exploitACG, though he may use it only
to consume scrolls or other magic items made from paper.
In addition, when he prepares spells, he also may spend 1
minute folding a scroll into an origami sculpture that allows
him to treat the spell on the scroll as one of his prepared
spells for that day. The spell must be on the sorcerer/
wizard spell list and must be of a level the origamist can
cast, though he need not learn the spell or inscribe it into
his spellbook. If this origami is lost or destroyed, he can
no longer cast that spell using his spell slots. This origami
component crumbles to dust the next time the origamist
prepares spells or after 24 hours, whichever comes first.
An arcanist can fold one or more scrolls into the form of a
costly material component whose value is equal to the price
of all scrolls used for this purpose. This takes 1 minute per
scroll and requires him to expend a number of points from
his arcane pool equal to 1/2 of the total spell levels of all
scrolls he is folding together (minimum 1).
The spell contained on the scroll(s) does not matter, and
it need not even be a spell the origamist can cast. If the
spell contained on a scroll is on the sorcerer/wizard list and
is of the same school as the spell for which it is serving
as a focus component, its price is doubled for the purpose
of serving in place of a focus component. A scroll used as
a focus component is not destroyed or otherwise harmed
(unless the normal focus component of the spell would be);
however, unfolding scrolls folded into focus components
requires the same amount of time and the same expenditure
from his arcane pool as folding them together in the first
place.
This replaces the arcanist exploit normally gained at
5th level.
Paper Making (Sp): At 9th level, an origamist can use
shadow conjuration as a spell-like ability, though on close
inspection the creatures and objects he creates are obviously
made of intricately folded paper, granting creatures a +2
bonus on saving throws to perceive the illusion. These
creatures and objects otherwise function as described for the
shadow conjuration spell. For every 2 arcanist levels beyond
9th, the origamist can duplicate conjuration (creation) and
conjuration (summoning) spells of 1 level higher, up to a
maximum of 8th-level spell effects at 19th level (though
they are still only 20% real, and objects he creates always
have a hardness of 0). The origamist can use this ability
once per day for every 4 arcanist levels he has.
An origamist adds unfortunate origami to his list of spells
known automatically at 10th level and paper vessel at 12th
level. He does not need to select them as spells learned
when he gains a level or otherwise research or acquire them.
This ability replaces the arcanist exploit gained at 9th
level.
Paper Self (Su): At 13th level, an origamist can transform
himself into a flexible and perfectly flat paper facsimile
of himself with height and width but no depth, shunting
his third dimension into an extradimensional space that
moves with him. He can enter or leave this form as a swift
or move action and can maintain this form for a number
of rounds per day equal to his arcanist level. These rounds
need not be consecutive.
While in paper form, the origamist gains concealment and
attacks against him have a 20% miss chance. In addition, as
an immediate action he can turn sideways in response to an
attack, granting himself total concealment and a 50% miss
chance on that attack; even if the attack hits, he takes only
half damage. The origamist takes normal damage from area
effects and takes 50% more damage than normal from fire
effects. A creature flanking an origamist in paper form deals
double damage to him with slashing weapons.
As a swift or move action, the origamist can furl himself,
shunting his second dimension into the extradimensional
space as well, leaving only a virtually invisible single line
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denoting his location. See invisibility does not help locate
you, but true seeing allows creatures to see you and effects
like faerie fire and glitterdust reveal your presence as a
sinuous line. Your own senses function normally and you
can move normally in this form and can pass through any
gap small enough to admit a single thread, and can slip
through impediments as if using freedom of movement. You
are immune to virtually all forms of attack in this shunted
form, though your senses can be affected by illusions,
gaze weapons, the blinding beauty of a nymph or horrific
appearance of a hag, and similar effects, and you can be
blinded, dazzled, or deafened normally. You must still
breathe in this form, and inhaled poisons and similar
effects can affect you. You can hold your breath and avert
your eyes as normal.
You can cast spells or use items or abilities that affect
only you in this form, but you cannot cast spells that affect
an area, affect other creatures, or create an object or effect
outside your body. You can return to your two-dimensional
flat paper state as a swift or move action.
A dimensional anchor, dimensional lock, forbiddance or
similar effect that blocks planar travel does not block your
movement, but it does prevent you from shifting your
dimensionality from flat to line or vice versa, or from
dismissing the effect, though you return to your normal
form when you run out of rounds per day even if you are
subject to such an effect.
This ability replaces the arcanist exploit gained at 13th level.