A vivisectionist studies bodies to better understand their function. A vivisectionist’s goals are not related to healing, but rather to experimentation and knowledge that most people would consider evil.
The vivisectionist is an archetype of the medic class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The vivisectionist mainly focuses on DEX for martial combat and WIS for his class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Medic Training, Medical Specialist. 2nd – Holistic Care. 4th – Healing Hands. 5th – Injections. 7th – Improved Triage. 9th – Resuscitation. 10th – Improved Injections. 11th – Quick Fix. 13th – Therapy. 14th – Improved Resuscitation. 15th – Superior Injections. 16th – Formulating Solution. 19th – Greater Resuscitation. 20th – Master Medic.
Class Skills
A vivisectionist adds Intimidate to his list of class skills.
Injections (Su)
At 1st level, a vivisectionist uses his skill to create injections. Each day, a vivisectionist can create a number of injections equal to his medic level + his Wisdom modifier. It takes 1 hour to create the injections. An injection is inert until the vivisectionist attempts to use it.
Using an injection is a standard action that requires a melee touch attack. If the attack hits, the target of an injection takes a –2 penalty on its Will saving throws for a number of minutes equal to half the vivisectionist’s medic level (minimum 1). If the vivisectionist is also using a serum with this injection, the penalty on Will saves applies to any save against the serum.
If the melee touch attack fails, the injection isn’t delivered but can still be used again—once activated, it remains potent for 1 day. An injection that hasn’t been administered becomes inert if it leaves the vivisectionist’s possession, reactivating as soon as it returns to his possession. The penalties from multiple injections don’t stack.
Injections are mind-affecting poison effects.
This ability replaces medical specialist.
Serums (Su)
At 1st level, a vivisectionist augments his ability to influence others through supplemental serums. A vivisectionist prepares his serums at the same time as his injections and he can apply them to any injection as a swift action before he makes the attack roll for the injection.
The save DCs of serums are equal to 10 + half of the medic’s level + his Wisdom modifier. A creature can be under the effect of only a single serum at a time with any further serums on the same creature replacing the old serum. Unless otherwise noted, a creature that succeeds on its saving throw against a serum is immune to that serum’s effects for 24 hours.
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Charming: The injected creature must succeed at a Will save or treat the vivisectionist favorably, as if affected by charm with a caster level equal to the vivisectionist’s medic level.
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Confusion: On a failed Will save, the injected creature is confused for 1 round per medic level the vivisectionist has. Prerequisite: A vivisectionist must be at least 6th level to learn this serum.
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Hypnosis: The injected creature must succeed at a Will save or become fascinated for 1 round per medic level the vivisectionist has.
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Paralytic: On a failed Will save, the injected creature is affected by hold with a caster level equal to the vivisectionist’s medic level. Prerequisite: A vivisectionist must be at least 8th level to learn this serum.
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Truth: A creature injected with a truth serum must succeed at a Will save or be compelled to answer the vivisectionist’s questions truthfully. The vivisectionist can ask one question per 2 medic levels (minimum 1). Answers might be brief, cryptic, or repetitive, especially if the injected creature is unfriendly, but they aren’t false. If a creature has been subjected to a truth serum within the past week, whether it succeeded at or failed its save, any new serum fails.
This ability replaces medic training.
Painful Injection (Su)
At 2nd level, the vivisectionist’s injection causes intense pain. When applying injections, the target takes piercing damage equal to half of the vivisectionist’s medic level.
This ability replaces holistic care.
Torture (Ex)
At 4th level, a vivisectionist can spend one minute to cause a helpless target an extreme amount of pain and anguish. The vivisectionist must have adequate tools on hand to use this ability, such as knives, fire, whips, and other grisly torture implements. At the end of this minute, the target takes 1 point of damage per medic level and must make a Will save with a DC of 10 + half of the medic’s level + his Wisdom modifier. The DC of this saving throw increases by +1 for each consecutive use of this ability.
If the target fails his saving throw, he must truthfully answer any one question asked by the vivisectionist that can be answered with a few words or less. If the save is successful, the target can refuse to answer the question or even give a false answer.
This ability replaces healing hands.
Injection Improvement (Su)
At 5th level and every 5 levels thereafter, a vivisectionist can select one improvement to add to his injections. The vivisectionist can’t choose the same improvement more than once. The vivisectionist doesn’t have to select the improvements when he prepares his injections at the start of the day; the choice is made as part of the swift action to activate the injection. The target can attempt a Fortitude saving throw to resist an injection with an improvement added to it. The DC is 10 + half of the medic’s level + his Wisdom modifier. On a successful save, the target still takes the penalty on its Will saving throws, but not the effects of the improvement. A vivisectionist can, as a free action, sacrifice one use of his injections to increase the DC of another injection by 2.
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Ability Decrease: The target takes a –2 penalty to one ability score of the vivisectionist’s choosing. At 10th level, the penalty becomes –4. At 15th level, the penalty becomes -6.
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Excruciating: The extra damage from painful injection increases by an amount equal to 2 points + 1 point per 3 medic levels the vivisectionist possesses.
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Fortitude Decrease: The target’s immune system weakens, imposing a –2 penalty on Fortitude saving throws. At 10th level, the penalty becomes –4. At 15th level, the penalty becomes -6.
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Natural Armor Decrease: The target’s skin becomes looser, decreasing its natural armor (if any) by 2. At 10th level, its natural armor bonus instead decreases by 4. At 15th level, its natural armor bonus instead decreases by 6.
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Reflex Decrease: The target’s body becomes stiffer, imposing a –2 penalty on the target’s Reflex saving throws. At 10th level, the penalty becomes –4. At 15th level, the penalty becomes -6.
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Slow: The target’s actions become sluggish, reducing its base movement by 10 feet and imposing a –1 penalty on attack rolls. At 10th level, the penalty on attack rolls becomes –2. At 15th level, the penalty on attack rolls becomes -3.
This ability replaces injections, improved injections, and superior injections.
Lingering Pain (Ex)
At 7th level, whenever a vivisectionist uses his torture ability on a target, that target gains a condition that lasts for a number of minutes equal to the vivisectionist’s medic level. The vivisectionist must select one of the following conditions at 7th level and every three levels thereafter. Whenever he tortures a creature, he can select the condition he wants to apply to the target.
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Fatigued: The target is fatigued.
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Shaken: The target gains the shaken condition.
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Sickened: The target gains the sickened condition.
At 12th level, he adds the following conditions to the list of those that can be selected.
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Exhausted: The target is exhausted. The vivisectionist must have selected the fatigued condition before selecting this condition.
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Frightened: The target is frightened. The vivisectionist must have selected the shaken condition before selecting this condition.
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Nauseated: The target is nauseated. The vivisectionist must have selected the fatigued condition before selecting this condition.
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Staggered: The target is staggered.
This ability replaces improved triage, resuscitation, quick fix, therapy, greater resuscitation.
Torture Touch (Su)
At 14th level, a vivisectionist gains the ability to use the torture ability in the middle of combat. Using this ability in this way is a standard action that requires a melee touch attack. If the attack hits, the target is treated as if he had been tortured for one minute, takes the normal amount of damage and must make a Will save to avoid answering a question as normal.
This also allows the vivisectionist to apply one of his conditions from lingering pain to the target, but the effects only last for 1 round per medic level (instead of the usual 1 minute per level). The vivisectionist can use this ability once per day at 14th level, plus one additional time per day for every two levels beyond 14th.
This ability replaces improved resuscitation.
Improved Injections (Su)
At 16th level, the vivisectionist can add two different improvements to an injection. The injection still requires only one save.
This ability replaces formulating solution.
Master Vivisectionist (Su)
At 20th level, the vivisectionist becomes the best at what he does. When applying injections, he ignores all damage reduction and increases the damage he deals equal to his Wisdom modifier. In addition, when the vivisectionist uses his torture ability, he increases the damage equal to his Wisdom modifier, the save DC by 2, and can apply a second condition through the use of lingering pain.
This ability replaces master medic.
