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I'll give him a nudge if he doesn't post in a couple of days

That's cool. Take your time.

Hey, there hasn't been much activity here but I thought I would share some of the custom vestiges my DM has created for his campaign. I'm putting them here exactly as he has given them, though I personally think that this one is a bit overpowered and needs a few changes to rebalance it. What's cool about this vestige is that it was a past character from an adventure that took place hundreds of years in the past.

Van Gorp, the Lord of Flies
Vestige Level: 4
Binding DC: 23

Legend: Van Gorp was a half-toad cleric who was one of the final people to interact with Gabriel before she completed her ascension. A key component of early Ikan mythology, Van Gorp was referred to as one of the 'bearers of light' by early Gabrelians. Van Gorp worshipped Pelor himself, and was sent by the church to investigate the overwhleming hordes of undead that were amassing in the south. Through a convoluted series of events, he ended up in the city of the Sun King, the last remaining fortress on the west coast that wasn't controlled by undead.

Though he was one of the last humans to interact with Gabriel, Van Gorp did not meet a good end. It is legend that Van Gorp was cast out of Pelor's light when he became aware of an assassination plot on his life, being perpetrated by head cleric Kama of the southern Niecadan parish. When Kama successfully ascertained Pelor's position, he banished Van Gorp as his first showing of power.

Special Requirements: Van Gorp will not bind while airborne, will not bind after the consumption of spicy food and won't bind with vestiges taking on a gaseous form.

Manifestation: Flies amass from seemingly nowhere, landing on the seal. The mass of flies stick to the seal and the centre becomes a swampy mess. Eventually, a half-toad ascends from the swamp and begins to eat the flies buzzing about. Van Gorp speaks to the binder between bites and the embarrassing passing of gas.

Sign: A nauseating odour constantly escapes from the binder's every orifice and the gas settles on objects as a thin, milky paste.

Influence: Whenever faced by something startling, the binder must make a DC 14 will save or be panicked for 1 round. (Not sure how this was suppose to work. Though flavourful, it was negated by the binder becoming immune to fear effects by the time they could bind to him.)

Granted Powers: Van Gorp provides the binder with the ability to summon and control flies, shed his skin like an amphibian, read with blinding speed and speak with pests and vermin.

Flies of the Lord: The binder can cast Summon Swarm to create a cloud of bloodsucking flies. At 9th level the binder can cast Insect Plague (bloodsucking flies) instead of Summon Swarm whose bite is treated as magic weapons for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction. At 14th level, the binder can cast Creeping Doom (bloodsucking flies) once per day. Unlike the spells, the summons obey the binder's commands. The creatures touch attack will deal one point of Constitution damage in addition to their normal damage to victims that fail their Fortitude save. Creatures with natural armour bonuses greater than half the binder's level are immune as the flies' bite is too weak to break through.

Shed the Outer Layer: The binder can moult their skin as a full-round action. To do so, the binder 'cracks' their outer skin layer, provoking attacks of opportunity. The binder can moult twice plus an additional time every six levels after 8th. At 14th level, the binder can moult as a move action. At 19th level, the Binder can moult as a swift action. After moulting, the binder emerges in one of four skins of the binder's choosing.

* Fresh Skin: grants the binder a +5 bonus to their AC for the next 2d4+4 rounds and heals all poisons and diseases currently afflicting them.

* Toad Skin: changes the binder temporarily into a weretoad of small size. This grants the binder 1d8 + Con mod temporary hit points, -4 Str, -2 Dex and Con but +6 to Wisdom and +2 Int. While in toad form, the binder's base land speed is changed to 20 but the binder can breath underwater and has a swim speed of 50. The binder can exude a nauseating odour as a free action causing all within a 20 foot radius to pass a DC 23 Fort save or be sickened for 1d4+2 rounds.

* Poison Skin: makes the binder's flesh poisonous. Anyone making skin contact must pass a DC 17 Fort save or take 1d6 ability damage (of the binder's choosing at the end of the moult) and an additional 1d6 one minute later. The save DC increases to 19 at 11th level and 21 at 16th.

* Psychoactive Skin: can be chosen once the binder as reached 11th level, granting the abilities of a single psychoactive skin of the binder's choosing.

Voracious Consumption: As a full-round action, the binder can consume a swarm of flies to regain 1d8, 2d8 or 3d8 health per level of Flies of the Lord. As a move action after a moult, the binder can eat their skin to regain 2d8 health.

Insect Empathy: The binder can speak with intelligent insects or insect-like monsters at will. The binder receives a bonus to Diplomacy checks equal to half his binder level when dealing with intelligent vermin. He can also make Diplomacy checks to prevent non-intelligent vermin from attacking him but not his allies.

Perfect Reader: When attempting to gain information from a book while bound to Van Gorp, the binder can take 20 on Gather Information checks.

Van Gorp's Flying Avenger: The binder can cast Giant Vermin on one or two flies from his swarms. Once he has done this, the binder can't use this ability again for 5 rounds.

Practiced Coward: When running away due to a fear effect, a binder gets +10 situational bonus to Hide checks.

Rebalancing: Personally, I feel that Van Gorp is too low level and has way too many abilities. I would remove Poison Skin, Perfect Reader and Practiced Coward (especially since Practiced Coward is redundant). I would make Van Gorp a 5th level vestige, increase his Binding DC (26) and change Insect Empathy to make it Speak with Animals restricted solely to insects to make it less complicated. On the flavour side, I would change the influence to just make it that Van Gorp is a skittish, soft spoken and meek influence on the binder who is often easily started.

Why Consumption and Avenger?

My problems with Coward and Reader is that one is completely useless (immune to fear, so the ability never triggers) and the other is a non-standard use of a skill (Gather Information is only used for bumming around town and not with books).

I suppose with Avenger you could run into the same problem as Zceryll, except the summons are far weaker than summon monster themself.

Consumption is actually a really inconvenient ability. I only ever used it to heal outside of combat, as it chews up your turn and requires a swarm or moult skin to be within reach which rarely happens.

I'm torn on the Psychoactive Skins. On the one hand, it strikes me as being very unique but also strikes me as being very broken too. I was considering maybe having a limited number of skins that the binder could pick. However, when looking over the list of skins, there's really only three that a Binder will ever pick anyways: Iron Body, Protean and Hero. Hero is the same as Balam only less powerful. Protean gives access to polymorph, which is very strong unless the DM's houseruled polymorph (which every DM should) and is only a level 4 spell obtained at level 11. Iron Body is, in my opinion, the best one. It's a level 8 spell equivalent but is weaker than Inaccessible Mind (Mindblank) which the Binder will already have with Haures.

Makoma, the Greater
Vestige Level: 4
Binding DC: 22

Legend: Long ago a boy was born in a distant land, on the very fringe of the world. This child was unlike any other as he was almost a grown adult when he was born and being the oddity that he was, all were at a loss as what to call him. One day he gathered all the villagers around a watering hole, netorious for the giant crocodiles that swam its waters. Without hesitation he jumped into the water and slew the beast with ease, emerging form the pool annoucing his name; Makoma the Greater.

Owing to his name he decided set off into the world to find greater challenges to test his mettle. He then came upon a giant covered in dirty laboring on the mountains themselves and called out a challenge to the creature. With his hammer Nu-endo he defeated it where it then shrank to a manageble size andhe placed it in his bag Woronowu. He later came upon giant who dug the river beds, and one who planted the trees both of which he defeated and in their humility befriended Makoma.

Afterwards he came first a demon of fire and then one of the rivers, both were fromidable advesaries but with the gifts he had gained form the giants he had easily defeated they were and soundly dispatched both with ease. That night the ghost of his father visited him in his dreams and told him to seek out Sakatirina the 5 head dragon, for only when he defeated Sakatirina would he truly be "Greater". Bidding farewell to his friends and returning to them their gifts he set out to find his new opponent.

Makoma then came upon a great mountain and desided to rest after his many days of travel. Suddenly the mountain moved and bellowed fearsomely "Who are you little man?" to which he replied "Makoma the Greater". The beast laughed heartedly and with that Makoma struck him with his hammer. To his horror the blow had no effect and the beast retaliated. Fearing he had lost his fight Makoma suddenly felt great power rush through his veins and he grew to monumental size where he took on Sakatirina on equal ground. For days they fought, neither gaining the upper hand until on the 3rd day both collasped form exhasution. Later they awoke to Mulimo the great spirit who annouced that neither could best the other, nor could any other dream of challenging them so to them he proposed that due to their greatness both would join him in the spirit world. And with a flicker of light and whirl of dust all three were gone.

Special Requirements: Makoma will not answer the call of binders whose type is giant or dragon nor will he to those who have lost or turned down a challenge in the last 24 hours.

Manifestation: A rumbling starts and quickly escalates soon after ther is a loud crash. Atop a mound of dirt and stone sits a hunched but extremely tall black man dressed in simple clothing carrying a linen bag and a stone hammer, he sits back to back with a five headed hydra-esque beast, at the base of the mound stand 5 small figures the giants and demons in minature form. We addressing the binder neither Makoma or Sakatirina look at the binder and instead stare off into the distance, and both speak at the same time with a similar voice.

Sign: A simple war hammer and linen bag appear tethered to your wrist, despite being attached to what seems to be simple thread, neither can be removed.

Influence: You love the thrill of a competition in any form really, but only against those of worthy status. Makoma cause the binder to engage the strongest enemies first, espically if they are larger then he/she is, as well as never turning down a challenge of any sort.

Granted Powers: Makoma grants the binder great power especially those who are stronger and larger than themselves, he also grants use of his hammer and bag.

Mighty Stature: While bound to Makoma you gain the Powerful Build trait and the paladin class feature Aura of Courage. You are blessed with the unnatural resolve and constitution as the great warrior Makoma himself.

Nu-endo: The mighty hammer of this ancient warrior has been given to you to best your enemies. Nu-endo functions as a +1 large giant bane warhammer which cannot be disarmed and in addition you gain the use of Fell the Greatest Foe spell once every 5 rounds. At the following levels the hammer improves:
- at 11th it becomes +1 large adamantine giant bane warhammer
- at 15th it becomes +2 large adamantine giant bane warhammer
- at 18th it becomes +3 large adamantine giant bane collision warhammer.

Woronowu: The magic bag oh Makoma's offers special properties to its user in and out of combat. At first it functions as a bag of holding type 2 with an unlimited air supply, at 13th it becomes type 3 and 16th type 4. Also the binder can evoke defensive properties of the bag granting its user partial concealment (20% miss chance), which becomes total concealment (50% miss chance) at level 12, for 1 round, until the beginning of their next turn, as a swift action, usable every 5 rounds. (Items in the bag re appear in squares next to the binder when the pact ends)

Roar of the Victor: After the binder drops a foe in combat (reduced to 0 hp or less) the binder lets out a terrifying roar which affects all creatures within 30ft of the binder. All enemies are affected as per the reduce person spell, regardless of creature type, for 1 round/4 levels, simultaneously the binder recieves a morale bonus to hit and damage equal to his Cha modifier for the same duration. This is a sonic, mind-affecting/transmutation effect and cannot occur more then once every 5 rounds.

Well this is based off of many sources of a Rhodesian fairytale also i find that its missing a certain something dont know what though