Essence Devotee
Magic flows in rivers, invisible to even the most skilled mages. These rivers contain infinite power and expand in infinite directions. When a mage casts a spell they create a tiny stream of energy, a tributary of the true river and channel its power into their spells. Spells are like moulds, you fill them with magic from the stream and then harden that energy into shape with incantations and rituals.
An Essence Devotee tries to direct the torrent itself. Such a massive amount of power cannot be shaped with the same precision granted to those who dabble in the streams, all but the most resilient mould would shatter at the thought of containing all that energy. Instead they draw the energy of the river into themselves and expel it as bursts of raw energy, shaped in only the most fundimental ways.
There are many methods for drawing this energy into the body. Some devotees use interlocking arcane tattoos spreading from the back to the limbs that attune the body with the river of magic while others use complex clockwork and steam devices connected to metal wires.
There are three types of Devotees. Strikers, Artillerists and Channellers.
Strikers channel the force of magic through their bodys and use it to enhance their physical prowess. Punches and kicks that can shatter stone or blade-work so fast that they could parry all the raindrops in a storm.
Artillerists focus on projecting energy over a distance, throwing or firing blasts of raw elemental energy that can blow holes in most things.
Channellers take the flow of the river and try to bend it into the moulds of the spellcasters, the vast power they channel requires their spells to be specially hardened which means the effects of their spells are generally weaker than those of a true mage but the infinite flow of energy allows for incredible repetition that a mage would find impossible to sustain.
Level Base Attack Fort Ref Will Special
1 +* +* +* +* Essence pathway, Chain Feats (1)
2 +* +* +* +*
3 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (2)
4 +* +* +* +*
5 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (3)
6 +* +* +* +*
7 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (4)
8 +* +* +* +*
9 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (5)
10 +* +* +* +*
11 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (6)
12 +* +* +* +*
13 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (7)
14 +* +* +* +*
15 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (8)
16 +* +* +* +*
17 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (9)
18 +* +* +* +*
19 +* +* +* +* Chain Feats (10)
20 +* +* +* +*
Weapon and Armour proficiencies:
An Essence Devotee is proficient with light armour, simple weapons and shields (but not tower shields)
Essence Pathway: At level 1 an Essence devotee must choose to devote themselves to one of the three disciplines. Might, Skill or Power. This choice permanently alters the basic abilities of the class:
Might- Fighter BAB, Good Fort Save.
Skill- Cleric BAB, Good Ref save.
Power- Wizard BAB, Good Will Save.
Chain feats: Essence devotees have access to special feat chains that grant them the majority of their class features. A devote must spend the feats granted by this class on parts of the appropriate chain but can spend feats granted by levelling up or other means on any of the chains (though they still need to meet the prerequisites)
Might Feats:
Monastic devotion-
Requires: Essence Pathway.
Benefit: You gain the monk's Unarmed Strike Class feature.
Your levels in the Essence Devotee class count as monk levels for determining your unarmed damage, AC bonus and speed bonus. (note that you do not gain these class features unless you also take levels in the monk class)
Your levels in the monk class count as Essence Devotee levels for determining your maximum essence and per round essence gain.
Field of pure thoughts-
Requires: Monastic Devotion
Benefit: You gain a deflection bonus to AC depending on the amount of essence you currently have. (See the Essence bonus table)
You gain half this bonus to your Reflex and Will saves
Blade of the Infinite River-
Requires: Essence Pathway
Benefit: You gain proficiency with all Martial weapons. You also gain the choice of either the Two weapon fighting or Power Attack feats.
Armoured Might-
Requires: Blade of the infinite River
Benefit: You gain proficiency with all Medium and Heavy armour as well as Tower Shields. You also gain a deflection bonus to AC depending on the amount of essence you currently have (See the Essence bonus table)
Shattering strikes-
Requires: Blade of the Infinite River or Monastic Devotion
Benefit: Your attacks deal additional damage depending on the amount of essence you currently have (See the Essence bonus table)
Perfect attacks-
Requires: Shattering Strikes
Benefit: You gain a bonus to attack rolls depending on the amount of essence you currently have (See the Essence bonus table)
Magic
Arcane Channelling-
Requires: Essence Pathway
Benefit: You may cast spells by spending Essence points on them. You only have knowledge of 4 level 0 spells (of your choice) from the Wizard or Cleric Spell lists. Refer to the Spell costs table to see how many essence points each level of spell costs to cast. If a spells duration is not Instantaneous or Permanent you must pay the essence cost again at the start of each of your turns. Maintaining a channelled spell requires no action on your part. If you either choose not to pay for the spell or are unable to pay the effect ends immediately. This is a spell like ability.
To cast a spell you must first choose a spell that you know, then pay the appropriate essence cost from your essence pool. If you are unable to pay the cost the spell fails.
An Essence Devotee's Caster level is equal to their Essence Devotee Class level.
Mastery of 1st level spells
Requires: Arcane Channelling
Benefit: You know 4 level 1 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 1 spells.
Mastery of 2nd level spells
Requires: Mastery of 1st level spells
Benefit: You know 4 level 2 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 2 spells.
Mastery of 3rd level spells
Requires: Mastery of 2nd level spells
Benefit: You know 4 level 3 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 3 spells.
Mastery of 4th level spells
Requires: Mastery of 3rd level spells
Benefit: You know 4 level 4 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 4 spells.
Mastery of 5th level spells
Requires: Mastery of 4th level spells
Benefit: You know 4 level 5 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 5 spells.
Mastery of 6th level spells
Requires: Mastery of 5th level spells
Benefit: You know 4 level 6 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 6 spells.
Mastery of 7th level spells
Requires: Mastery of 6th level spells
Benefit: You know 4 level 7 spells.
This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you learn an additional 4 level 7 spells.
Reuse
Requires: Arcane Channelling
By using this feat an Essence Devotee may activate scrolls by spending the relevant amounts of essence (equal to if they were trying to cast it themselves). The scroll is not consumed in the process of casting a spell using this ability. Reusing a scroll uses the same action as activating the scroll normally.
An Essence Devotee counts as having every spell on their spell list for the purposes of activating spell trigger and spell completion items. If the caster level of an item activated by an Essence devotee is higher than their own caster level the caster level of the item is reduced to match.
Refuel
Requires: Reuse
Benefit: This feat allows an Essence Devotee to add charges to wands and staves. Each charge costs essence equal to the the cost for casting a spell of that level. Essence spent this way reduces your maximum essence pool by an amount equal to the cost of activating this ability.
You can release stored essence from an item as a standard action.
Empower
Requires: Refuel
Benefit: The caster level of all magic items in your possession is equal to your caster level. This may increase or decrease that item's caster level.
Consume
Requires: Refuel
Benefit: You may drain the charges of magic items in your possession to grant you extra Essence points which you can then spend to activate other magic items or cast spells using your Arcane Channelling ability. Draining a charge or a spell trigger item or destroying a spell completion item grants you additional temporary essence equal to the amount it would cost you to cast a spell of that level.
Consumed essence must be used within one round before it drains away. You must provide at least 1/4 of the essence used to cast any spell. Using this ability requires no action.
Thus a level 20 Essence Devotee could drain 2 level 8 spell slots from an item, granting 512 essence in addition to the 128 Essence in their pool. However to activate a level 9 scroll using Reuse requires 512 essence, 1/4 of which must be provided from your own pool. Casting this 9th level spell would leave the Essence Devotee with 128 temporary essence in their pool that must be spent before their next turn or it will drain away to nothing.
Spell Costs Table
Spell Level Cost
0 1
1 2
2 4
3 8
4 16
5 32
6 64
7 128
8 256
9 512
