Bumps in the night, creaking stairways, and shadowy dungeons are the haunts of a Spirit Walker. Touched in their life by the spirit of a dead being, they thirst after knowledge of the unknown, honing their talents to search out these spirits.
A Spirit Walker can be a simple man looking for answers, or a zealous traveler hunting down evil spooks, using the very power they despise to fight.

Hit Die: d8

Requirements:
To qualify to become a Spirit Walker, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:
Race: Any besides half-orc.
Alignment: Any non-lawful.
Base Attack Bonus: +5.
Skills: Knowledge (planes) 3 ranks, Knowledge (history) 4 ranks, Listen 3 ranks, Hide 2 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks.
Feats: Iron Will, Negotiator, Stealthy.
Special: Must have come in contact with supernatural spirits (ghosts, wights, etc.) at least once.

Class Skills:
Hide (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silent (Dex), Spot (Wis), Diplomacy (Int), Knowledge, all (Int)

Skills points per Level: 4 + Int modifier

Class Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1	+1	+0	+2	+2	Speak with spirits, Phantom touch 1d4
2	+2	+0	+3	+3
3	+3	+1	+3	+3	Fear of the unknown, Phantom touch 1d6
4	+4	+1	+4	+4	True vision
5	+5	+1	+4	+4
6	+6	+2	+5	+5	Subtle travel, Phantom touch 2d6
7	+7	+2	+5	+5
8	+8	+2	+6	+6	Spirit walk
9	+9	+3	+6	+6
10	+10	+3	+7	+7	Master of spirits, Phantom touch 2d10

Class Features:

All that follows are features of the Spirit Walker prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The Spirit Walker gains no weapon or armor proficiencies.

Speak with Spirits (Su): At level 1, such is the Spirit Walker's knowledge of the mysteries of the spirits that he may freely communicate with them, although they must contact him first. If spirits are about, this ability also grants a +2 to Gather Information checks.

Phantom Touch (Su): At level 1, the Spirit Walker's ability is such that he may channel the life from his foes. Phantom Touch requires a melee touch to bare or non-metal covered skin to complete the action. It deals 1d4 damage at level 1, 1d6 at level 3, 2d6 at level 6, and finally 2d10 at level 10.

Fear of the Unknown (Su): At level 3, the Spirit Walker may take the form of a spirit, inspiring fear in a 10 foot radius to all who fail their Will throws (DC is 10 + half Spirit Walker level + Cha modifier). As this is an illusion-like ability, any abilities to see through illusions may be used against this ability.

True Vision (Su): When reaching level 4, Spirit Walkers realize the true potential of their sight. When in any area which is inhabited by spirits or souls of the dead, the Spirit Walker will feel a slight tingle on their left palm. When in any area that is inhabited by malicious souls, the Spirit Walker will feel a slight tingle on their right palm. The Spirit Walker will not automatically know what the tingle means, though deduction or the proper teacher will reveal it. The Spirit Walker is also able to see any spirits that would normally cross their vision.

Subtle Travel (Su): When a Spirit Walker's power grows to level 6, he may place his body halfway into the Positive or Negative Energy Plane for 1d10 rounds. This projection reduces all chances to hit by -2, and increases Reflex saves by 4. When in this state, the Spirit Walker increases move rate by 10 feet, and any creature must make a Spot check (DC 10) to see anything besides a thin mist. This form takes 3 rounds of unbroken concentration to undertake. While engaging in Subtle Travel, a Spirit Walker has a 5% cumulative chance per round to have 1d6 Constitution points drained into the plane which he connects to. Drained points may be recovered as per usual.

Spirit Walk (Su): When a Spirit Walker reaches level 8, he gains perhaps the most useful of all the Spirit Walker abilities. The Spirit Walker, upon being reaching 0 hit points, may choose (once per day) to have his spirit give a cry for help. This cry fuses any nearby spirits into his to create a semi-corporeal form similar to that of a ghoul. There is only a 25% chance (adjusted for area) for spirits to be nearby and willing to help. The Spirit Walker, while in this form, retains half of his or her hit points, but in all other ways conforms to the statistics of the ghoul. The new ghoul form may not administer First Aid or any other form of assistance to the Spirit Walker's body, and the character will feel great pain whenever they are within five feet of the body. The pain is such that foes receive +2 to hit the ghoul, and the character is -2 to hit. The ghoul form lasts for only 2 rounds/level of the Spirit Walker after 5.

Master of Spirits (Su): When the Spirit Walker reaches level 10, he gains the ability to summon 1-4 ghosts to him. The gate that summons these ghosts has only a 30% chance to open, and the Spirit Walker may only do it once per week. The Spirit Walker may engage the ghosts to fight for him for two days or the extent of one adventure (which may in no event last more than one week), ask them questions, or request that they assist him in travel to one of the Outer Planes. The level, base creature, and background and knowledge of the ghosts is determined by the game master. As a rule of thumb, the maximum encounter level for the ghosts should be two levels lower than the Spirit Walker's character level (in analogy to the maximum level of the cohort received through the Leadership feat).
If the Spirit Walker requests the ghosts to fight for him, they will exact a price equal to 4,000 gold pieces or 4,000 experience points. They will fight at their full capacity until banished or slain, upon which they will return to the Negative Energy Plane.
If the Spirit Walker asks them questions, he may ask them one question for free. The Spirit Walker may ask a number of additional questions equal to his Intelligence or Wisdom modifier (whichever is higher) at a cost. The spirits will demand 500 gold's worth in tribute per question, or 500 experience points per question.
The final possible request is perhaps the most useful and dangerous of the Spirit Walker abilities. The Spirit Walker may request that the spirits assist him in travel to any of the Outer Planes. This travel is wrought with danger, and the Spirit Walker may only bring three people with him in his journey. The journey to the Plane requires one week (of the character's reckoning), and the party will be subject to an encounter with Ethereal, Astral, or Planar creatures at least once every other day. The reason for this is commonly believed to be the mass focus of energy that the ghosts must channel to bring the characters to the Outer Planes. In addition, the ghosts will enact a toll of their choosing. Depending on the dedication of the Spirit Walker to the immaterial world, it could be as little as a 2,000 experience point gift or as large as a geas quest of the ghosts' choosing.

[Editor's Notes: (1) The Subtle Travel ability could allow the character to pass walls and other material objects, either those that have at least some cracks to slip through (similar to the Gaseous Form spell) or truly solid objects. (2) The original submission listed the Spirit Walk's duration as 2 rounds/level of the Spirit Walker after 15. This may have been a typo or may have referred to the total character level; it's currently changed to 2 rounds/level (in the prestige class) above 5. In addition, game masters may want to consider dropping the 25% chance of this ability functioning. It is a high level ability that is not used often (in most campaigns) - failure can be rather disappointing. Alternatively, one could make the duration chance-dependant.]

Licensing:
Public domain.

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