WINGED ONE

[The Hive Mind]

In the skies of Eredane there lies the last true freedom. Even amongst the vanishingly rare pathwalkers, tales of the winged ones are few and far between. Some trace their ancestry back to angels, demons, were-ravens or more esoteric creatures. Others were found in eggs delivered to human or fey homes. Many were just born with the stubs of wings on their backs, a visible marker of their destiny. Winged ones are graceful and often possess an avian beauty and curiosity. Some of them have feathered wings, others bat-like, while some even have folds of skin under their arms, like lemurs or eagita. Like baby birds, their first steps into the wider world are skittish and fraught with peril, but only by seeing the world under Shadow and fighting against it can the she learn to spread her wings.

1. Featherfall
2. Air Mastery
3. Bonus Feat
4. Fly (poor)
5. +1 Dex
6. Air Lordship
7. Fly +10 ft.
8. Bonus Feat
9. Fly (average)
10. +1 Cha
11. Wing Buffet
12. Fly +10 ft.
13. Bonus Feat
14. Fly (good)
15. +1 Dex
16. Improved Wing Buffet
17. Fly +10 ft.
18. Bonus Feat
19. Fly (perfect)
20. +1 Cha

Featherfall (Su): Though a 1st level winged one's pinions are rather small and as yet unformed, little more than feathery buds on her shoulders, her grace and affinity with the air helps her cope with high places and dangerous falls. The winged one is permanently protected by featherfall. She may suppress or resume this ability as a free action.

Air Mastery (Ex): The flows of wind and cloud are familiar to the winged one, and those fighting her from the sky will find her no easy prey. She gains Air Mastery as an elemental: airborne creatures and those with the Air subtype suffer -1 to attacks and damage against her.

Bonus Feat: The winged on can choose from the following bonus feats - Acrobatic, Agile, Flyby Attack, Hover, Improved Manoeuvrability, Lightning Reflexes, Multiattack (after 11th level), Skill Focus (spot), Weapon Finesse, Wingover.

Air Lordship (Ex): The winged one's bond with the winds increases. Airborne and Air subtype creatures suffer -2 to attacks and damage against the winged one, and she gains +2 to attacks against them.

Fly (Ex): The winged one's signature ability is of course her wings, and at last they have developed enough to take her weight. At 4th level, the winged one gains a fly speed equal to her base land speed (modifiers like a barbarian or wildlander's quick stride and fast movement do not apply). Her manoeuvrability starts at poor, but both it and her speed increase as she gains experience.

Wing Buffet (Ex): They say a swan can break a human's arm with its wing, but that is nothing compared to the power of the winged's pinions. She gains two natural attacks, doing lethal or nonlethal damage (d3 medium, d2 small). Because of the winged one's powerful flight muscles, she may add her Str mod x1.5 to damage, rather than x0.5 as is usual for wing attacks (or at least, a dragon's wings). These are always secondary attacks, so are made at BAB -5. However, the winged one does qualify for the Multiattack feat, which would reduce the penalty to -2.

Improved Wing Buffet (Ex): The winged one's damage with her natural weapons increases to d4 medium, d3 small.