Coot

Some cowboys become wise to the land, learning its secrets and developing an innate connection to the Ars Tonelica unlike most dedicated mages. They tend to favor mind over matter.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

A coot is proficient with bowies, lassos, double-barreled shotguns, revolvers, and with light armor. He gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat at 1st level. He also gains Diplomacy and Bluff as class skills.

This replaces the cowboy's normal proficiencies.

Insightful Strike (Ex)

At 1st level, when a coot makes an attack with one of the weapons from his coot proficiencies or an unarmed strike, he may use his Wisdom instead of Strength or Dexterity for calculating attack rolls. When he does this, he deals bonus damage with these weapons equal to 1/2 Wis mod. The damage is of the same type as the weapon's normal damage.

This ability replaces Lasso Aptitude.

Friendly Sort (Ex)

At 1st level, a coot gains a +1 insight bonus on Diplomacy and Bluff checks. This bonus increases by 4 for every 4 levels beyond 1st.

This ability replaces Wild Empathy.

Mounts (Ex)

A coot only has one mount, selected at 1st level, and does not gain a string of mounts over time as a normal cowboy.

This ability modifies Mounts.

Tricks of the Trade (Ex)

At 2nd level, a coot only learns the Coot's Counsel trick of the trade. When he uses this ability, the duration of the bonus is increased to 1 minute per cowboy level, and the amount of the bonus is +3. A coot may only use tricks of the trade a number of times per day equal to 3+Wis mod.

This ability modifies Tricks of the Trade.

Spellcasting

Beginning at 4th level, a coot gains the ability to cast a small number of divine spells, which are drawn from the ranger spell list. A coot must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To prepare or cast a spell, a coot must have a Wisdom score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a coot's spell is 10 + the spell level + the coot's Wisdom modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a coot can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given below. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Wisdom score. When the table below indicates that the coot gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Wisdom score for that spell level.

A coot must spend 1 hour per day in quiet meditation to regain his daily allotment of spells. A coot may prepare and cast any spell on the ranger spell list, provided that he can cast spells of that level, but he must choose which spells to prepare during his daily meditation.

Through 3rd level, a coot has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is equal to his coot level – 3.

Wily Strike (Ex)

At 20th level, when a coot successfully hits a creature with one of the weapons from his coot proficiencies or an unarmed strike, he may use a swift action to make it a critical hit. No confirmation is required; the attack automatically crits. This bypasses effects such as fortification that provide a percentage bonus to negate critical hits, but not effects that always work (such as a buffering cap or an ooze's immunity to critical hits). The coot can use this ability a number of times per day equal to his Wisdom modifier.

This ability replaces Lasso Mastery.