Mud Buddy (Ranger Poultice)

Level: Ranger 1

School: Conjuration

Casting

Casting Time: Standard Action, or the first attack of a Full Attack Action

Components: V, S, M (a handful of mud)

Effect

Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./two lvls)

Target or Area: One shapeless, mindless servant of mud

Duration: Until the end of your next full night's rest

Saving Throw: No saving throw granted
 Save DC: -

Spell Resistance: No

Description

This poultice is made with mandrake root, creeper vines, and other unquiet herbs and btanivcals. The plaster is mixed into a generous portion of muddy earth, which the holder tosses forth with a wet 'splat', and then forms into a Small minion which obeys the holder's commands.

As a move action, the holder can direct their buddy to move up to 30 feet in any direction, using its Walk speed of 30. It must be able to Walk to reach where you tell it to go, or it suffers all normal consequences for its movement (falling in pits, provoking attacks of opportunity, etc). It must remain within the range of the poultice's magical effect. Unless you order your Buddy to do something special (see below) it acts as an Unseen Servant (Sorcerer/Wizard Spell), although it is unfortunately very visible, and very dirty. This poultice effect lasts until you begin a full rest, or it may be expended early to perform various actions described below (whichever of these occurs first).

• Grabbing Buddy: Upon using this poultice, you may instantaneously attempt a Disarm or Steal combat maneuver against a single target within range, without having to spend a move action to place your buddy in the target's space (you throw the handful of mixed mud on them as part of activating the plaster). Make a Maneuver Offense roll against the target's Maneuver Defense This combat maneuver attempt does not provoke an attack of opportunity from its target (but mixing the poultice might). If you are successful, your buddy tosses the target object to you, and if you have enough hands free, you can catch it. Otherwise, the object lands in your square as if you dropped it. Once the maneuver is complete (whether it succeeds or fails), your buddy slumps into a pile of wet mud.

• Careful Buddy: Upon using this poultice, you may instantaneously attempt to pick a lock (using Disable Device), or pick a pocket (using Sleight of Hand), against a lock or creature within range, without having to spend a move action to move your buddy in the target's space (you throw the handful of mud into the lock or on your target as part of mixing the mud). This poultice effect lasts as long as you need to accomplish the task, requiring your full concentration for that duration. Once you resolve the skill check, the poultice effect ends and your buddy collapses into a pile of inert mud. If you are successful on your Sleight of Hand pickpocket check, your buddy tosses the target object to you as it collapses. The target gains a +5 bonus on its Perception check to figure out that the pickpocket attempt originated from you (oops). Once the skill check is complete, your buddy slumps into a pile of oozing mud, which is very obvious, but may not be traceable to you, the nearby ranger with dirty hands. Maybe.

• Attack Mud: If you tell your Mud Buddy to pick up a suitable object (a rock, a sturdy stick, a dagger, etc) while using a move action, you may make a ranged touch attack as a standard action against a creature. If you successfully hit, you inflict (Circle 2 damage): 1d6 points of damage per character level (max 6d6 at character level 6) with a damage type appropriate to the object your Buddy is attacking with (rocks do bludgeoning (physical), a knife or sharp rock will do slashing (physical), a vial of acid will do acid (element energy) damage, an alchemical fire flask does fire (element energy) damage, etc.) Once you make such an attack successfully, your Buddy is disrupted and slumps into a pile of sticky mud.

When the poultice effect ends, the mud buddy reverts to a patch of wet earth.