Anointed HeritorI learned the way of the sword by listening to stories. I practice the way of the sword by being part of stories. The anointed heritors follow a path of tradition and oral history that stretches back to ancestral heroes from the dawn of time, shrouded in mystery. Little of what knowledge remains is true; most has become twisted in rumor and myth, and everything that is left is subject to interpretation by the anointed heritors.
No one knows what kind of entities the heroes actually are. They might be lesser deities from times past, who are attracted to heritors as a means to hold on to some of their former power even after most of their followers have passed into memory. They might be myths that have gained power due to generations of hopeful believers, or perhaps they are just stories which inspire the anointed heritors, who release their latent talents by tapping into a collective, primal unconscious. Whatever they are, it is impossible to tell, as the few existing written documents date from several hundred years after the theoretical time of the heroes, and oral tradition focuses in their practices rather than their origin.
Adventures: Anointed heritors spend most of their time adventuring in order to come closer to their patron hero. By adventuring, they also expand the area of influence of the ancestral heroes in the world. Some truly dedicated heritors acquire such a reputation for glory that, when they die, they ascend to join the ranks of the ancestral heroes themselves.
Characteristics: The most important aspect of anointed heritors are the heroes that they channel. Through these spirit-resonances, the heritors gain access to a wide variety skills and abilities, as well as the guidance of the ancestral heroes, helping the anointed heritor in moments of need.
Alignment: Characters of any alignment can become anointed heritors, as there are heroes of several alignments and mentalities.
Religion: Religion is not normally an important part of anointed heritor's life, though the devout sometimes see the ancestral heroes as ancient quasi-deities and pay them some reverence. Those who choose to follow the path of a deity normally revere warrior deities, especially those with portfolios that include fate or strategy.
Background: Most anointed heritors begin their career studying the deeds of the heroes of yore, attempting to unravel the mysteries of their chosen hero's life. Soon they begin training to emulate their hero's fighting style, and in short order become experts, learning to draw upon the true essence of the ancestral hero (and becoming indistinguishable to a certain degree from their patron hero). By continuing the legend of their chosen hero, they empower both themselves and the hero's memory. Once an anointed heritor has mastered the ability to channel the essence of their patron hero, they begin to learn new paths by following in the steps of other heroes. Eventually, the heritor learns to combine the styles of multiple ancestral heroes to form their own unique legend.
Races: Every race has heroes; therefore, characters of any race can become anointed heritors. Races with a strong oral history tradition tend to have more anointed heritors, as their ancestral heroes are better known.
Other Classes: Anointed heritors work well with companions of other classes and races. One might be awed at the stealth of rogues and their ability to finish enemies with a single strike, or perhaps drawn to the heroic ideals of a paladin; another might admire the ability of spellcasters to alter reality.
Role: Anointed heritors are generalists, able to assume different party roles dependent on their ancestral heroes. Their abilities are mostly mundane; they can fall in the middle ground between skillfull characters such as rogues or rangers and more martial characters such as fighters or paladins. Choosing one hero over another might make the anointed heritor strive for a particular role; as he progresses in his career as an anointed heritor, he is able to fill more roles. Regardless of their particular strengths and weaknesses, anointed heritors as a whole tend to have strong personalities and be good spokesmen.
Adaptation: By design, the ancestral heroes have been left relatively undefined. Every anointed heritor can have a different view of the ancestral heroes, one that fits their backstory and personality. Some anointed heritors may start following an ancestral hero because it was a great figure in the history of their nation, or perhaps due to some resonance of personality. Depending on the campaign, the heroes might be renamed, or new heroes might be added with the collaboration of the DM.
In certain campaign settings, the ancestral heroes might not be as benevolent or as distant as the anointed heritor might believe. Instead, they could be mysterious entities, remnants of once living beings trapped beyond life and death. In those cases the "heroes" actively seek to be channeled by the anointed heritor, for they receive sustenance through the offerings and can once more experience a reasonable facsimile of life.
In other cases, perhaps the anointed heritors are literal descendants of the heroes, rather than descendants in spirit. Just as sorcerers might draw their power from the blood of dragons in their veins, the anointed heritor inherits the heroic bloodlines of his past. Or, in a more malicious setting, an anointed heritor might trap the souls of heroes of the past and use them to channel his nefarious powers.
GAME RULE INFORMATIONAnointed Heritor's have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Charisma determines most of their abilities potency and uses. Most anointed heritors are martial characters, strength, dexterity and constitution become important depending on their fighting style.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8
Starting Age: As bard
Starting Gold: As sorcerer
Class SkillsThe Anointed Heritor's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are...
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Gather information (Cha), Knowledge (history) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (Nobility and royalty) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (oratory) (Cha), Search (Int), Spot (Wis) plus any skill that the anointed heritor receives from its known heroes, if you purchased ranks in the associated skills of a hero that you still don't know how to channel as cross-class skill, you immediately gain additional ranks in that skill as if it had always been a class skill for you once you learn to channel the hero.
Skill Points at First Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save* | Ref Save* | Will Save | Special | Heroes | Offerings | Boons |
|
1. | +1 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Patron Hero, Anointed Guidance | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2. | +2 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Anointment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
3. | +3 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Ancestral channeling (one hero) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
4. | +4 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Favor of the Patron, Offerings | 2 | 2 | 0 |
5. | +5 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Ancestral skills | 3 | 2 | 0 |
6. | +6 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Anointment, Boons (one) | 4 | 3 | 1 |
7. | +7 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Anointed recovery (move action) | 5 | 3 | 1 |
8. | +8 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Ancestral feat (one) | 6 | 4 | 1 |
9. | +9 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Ancestral tactics 1/day | 7 | 5 | 1 |
10. | +10 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Ancestral channeling (two heroes), Anointment | 8 | 5 | 1 |
11. | +11 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Anointed guidance (initiative) | 9 | 6 | 1 |
12. | +12 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Boon mastery, Boons (two) | 10 | 7 | 2 |
13. | +13 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Anointed recovery (swift action) | 11 | 8 | 2 |
14. | +14 | +4 | +4 | +9 | Anointment | 12 | 9 | 2 |
15. | +15 | +5 | +5 | +9 | Ancestral channeling (three heroes), Anointed recovery (full round) | 13 | 10 | 2 |
16. | +16 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Ancestral feat (two) | 14 | 11 | 2 |
17. | +17 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Anointed guidance (three skills) | 15 | 12 | 2 |
18. | +18 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Ancestral tactics 2/day, Anointment, Boons (three) | 16 | 13 | 3 |
19. | +19 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Anointed recovery (superior) | 17 | 14 | 3 |
20. | +20 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Ancestral channeling (four heroes), Ancestral exaltment | 18 | 16 | 3 |
*See the patron hero ability below.
Class FeaturesAll of the following are class features of the Anointed Heritor.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: An annointed heritor is proficient with all simple weapons and martial weapons plus the associated weapon of its patron hero. Anointed heritors are proficient with light armor and shields (except tower shields).
Patron Hero (Ex): Through study and dedication you learn a bit of the ancestral heroes. Your study focus on one hero, perhaps it was the most interesting as a child or you have a blood connection to the chosen hero. You learn to emulate the general of its basic fighting stile and skills. At 1st level choose an ancestral hero from the lists of ancestral heroes available to the Anointed Heritor, even if you cannot fully channel it you gain its associated skill as class skill, its associated weapon proficiency and the associated good save progression (fortitude or reflex), regardless of any hero that you might channel you keep the weapon proficiency and the save progression. In addition if you are not channeling any hero you gain the first ability of your patron hero. If somehow your ancestral channeling gets suppressed you gain the benefit of this class ability.
Anointed Guidance (Ex): You have learned several facts of the lives of heroes before you, you know where they succeed and where they failed, it is harder for you to miss something for you count with the experience of heroes of ages past. Starting at 1st level at the beginning of every encounter you gain one guidance point per class level to a maximum equal to your Charisma bonus or half your anointed heritor level whichever is higher. While you have guidance points you gain a +2 bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks. At 11th level you gain a +2 bonus to initiative checks. At 17th level while you have guidance points you gain a +2 bonus to three skills of your choosing, in which you have to have at least one rank, you can take 10 with those skills, even under conditions where taking 10 would normally be impossible (some skills, like use magic device, specifically disallow you to take 10, you cannot use this ability to take 10 with those skills). In addition if those skills are selected through your ancestral skill class feature you can take 10 with them, unless it would normally be impossible.
Anointment (Ex): Some heroes focused on precise strikes of the sword, some others were able to parry hits that would have severed their heads. Maybe they had a special technique or perhaps they were just gifted, regardless you have a special knack for following those heroic movements and using them at he right time. At second level you gain two anointed abilities selected from the list below every four levels thereafter you can choose an additional ability.
- Anointed Attack (Ex): Before making an attack roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Attack does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
- Anointed might (Ex): Before making a damage roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed might does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
- Anointed Protection (Ex): Before determining the exit of an enemy's attack roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus to AC to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Protection does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides a insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
- Anointed inspiration (Ex): Before making an skill check you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed inspiration does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
- Anointed Reach (Ex): Before making an attack roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain 5 feet reach. Anointed Reach does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). This ability doesn't stack with itself.
Special:You must have 6 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Ardor (Ex): Before making a roll to confirm a critical hit you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Ardor does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
Special:You must have 6 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Technique (Ex): Before making an opposed bull rush, disarm, feint, grapple, overrun, sunder or trip check you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Technique does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
Special:You must have 6 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Grace (Ex): Before making a save roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Grace does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself. This ability doesn't stack with divine grace nor with any similar ability that doesn't stack with divine grace.
Special:You must have 6 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Opportunist (Ex): Before making an attack of opportunity you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the attack roll and damage roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Opportunist does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
Special:You must have anointed attack and anointed might before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Reduction (Ex): Before determining the damage caused by an enemy's damage roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus to Damage Reduction equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed Reduction does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides a insight bonus, it does not stack with itself.
Special:You must have anointed defense before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed initiative (Ex): Before making an initiative roll you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an insight bonus on the roll equal to your Charisma modifier. Anointed initiative does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Because this ability provides an insight bonus, it does not stack with itself. You can use this ability while being flat footed.
Special:You must have 10 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Channeling (Ex): You can spend 1 guidance point to make your channeled heroes' abilities count as extraordinary rather than supernatural, thus they cannot be dispelled and they work even in an antimagic field, until the end of the current round. Anointed channeling does not require an action, but you can only use it once per round (provided that you have guidance points to spend). You can use this ability while being flat footed.
Special:You must have 10 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Resistance (Ex): Before making a save roll you can spend 1 guidance point to on a successful save not take damage from spells or effects that normally do half damage on a successful save. Anointed Resistance does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). This ability doesn't stack with evasion nor mettle.
Special:You must have anointed grace before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed Intervention (Su): Before using an ability granted by an ancestral hero you can spend 1 guidance point to to use it without incurring its normal waiting time. Anointed hero does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend), but most ancestral's heroes abilities do require actions.
Special:You must have 18 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed hero (Su): Before using an ability granted by an ancestral hero you can spend 1 guidance point to gain an offering point. Anointed hero does not require an action, and you can use it as often as you wish during your turn or others' turns (provided that you have guidance points to spend). Offering points acquired in this manner lasts until the start of your next turn. Investing offering points can be done as part of an action (if the action takes an immediate or swift action) or as a swift action otherwise.
Special:You must have 18 levels in the anointed heritor class before selecting this anointment.
- Anointed heritage: You might gain any [heritor] feat as a bonus feat. An anointed heritor must still meet all prerequisites for a bonus feat, including ability score and base attack bonus minimums.
Special:If you select this anointment at level 2 you can select 1st level only [heritor] feats. You cannot select this anointment more than three times.
Ancestral Channeling (Su): Anointed heritors strive to achieve perfection, soon they can not only do some simple heroic deeds but in the same manner of the ancestral heroes did before them they can realize feats of true power. This draw them closer to the heroes, and most anointed heritors believe that they are in fact channeling their souls into reality. At third level you can only channel your patron hero, but you can learn new heroes at every odd level. Once you are channeling a hero you gain its associated skill as class skill and its abilities. You can make offerings and boons with the heroes that you channel as described below. At 10th level you can channel two heroes at once, at level 15th you can channel three heroes at once and at level 20th you can channel four heroes at once. Ancestral heroes are bound to your soul and they cannot be targeted or expelled by any means except by using the ancestral repentance class ability, described below, nor can they be suppressed except by an
antimagic field or similar effect.
To channel a hero you must perform a private ritual every morning, this is similar to a wizard preparing spells and you can do so only once per day after a good night's rest. You must anoint yourself with clean water and oils while meditating for an hour to be able to channel heroes.
- All powers granted by heroes are supernatural in origin, even if they replicate spells, powers or abilities that are not normally considered magical.
- Supernatural abilities are magical and thus suppressed in an antimagic field.
- Supernatural abilities cannot be dispelled.
- Unless they deal damage supernatural abilities affect incorporeal creatures normally. A supernatural ability has a 50% chance not to affect an incorporeal target if the source of the ability is corporeal.
- Using a supernatural ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity unless otherwise noted.
- Using a supernatural ability is a standard action unless otherwise noted.
- Some of the supernatural abilities granted by heroes provide constant benefits once activated. If the duration of a particular effect is not stated or implied by the ability description assume it constant. In case those abilities get suppressed they can be resumed as a free action.
- Supernatural abilities don't have somatic or verbal components, but certain requirements might apply to the use of individual granted abilities.
- Supernatural abilities are neither arcane nor divine. Thus no spell failure applies to the use of hero-granted abilities by an armored anointed heritor, even when those abilities mimic spells.
- An anointed heritor shows no outward sign when using a granted ability, unless the ability description specifies that he must concentrate, or the use of the ability would be obvious based on its description (such as becoming a werewolf)
- When subjected to a supernatural ability that requires a saving throw but has no obvious effect, the target feels a hostile force or tingle but does not necessarily know the source or the nature of the attack.
- Effects created by the anointed heritor's supernatural abilities end when the anointed heritor uses again the ability that caused them (there cannot be two identical effects at once being caused by a single anointed heritor), if the anointed heritor switches his offering points from (or to) the ability that caused the effect, the anointed heritor stops channeling the hero that granted them, or if the anointed heritor dies while channeling.
- The difficulty class for a saving throw against a hero's granted abilities is 10 + 1/2 anointed heritor level + anointed heritor's Cha modifier.
- Abilities that duplicate feats grant the benefit of the feat even if the anointed heritor doesn't qualify for the feat. Abilities granted by heroes that duplicate feats cannot be used for meeting prerequisites.
Favor of the patron (Su): Even if the anointed heritor will gain knowledge of other heroes its patron will always have a bigger hold on its soul. While channeling the patron hero, you can invest one more offering point in your patron's heroes abilities.
Offerings (Su): At some points annointed heroes receive a whisper of inspiration from their heroes, in those moments they are able to do feats as if they had been doing those for they whole life, through offerings from the ancestral heroes anointed heritors can reach their true potential. You gain access to a small reserve of offerings, which can be invested into individual abilities granted by your channeled ancestral heroes to increase their power. Your offerings reserve's size is shown on the table above, your offering capacity is shown on the table below. As a swift action, you can reallocate your offerings investments in any ability granted by the ancestral heroes that you are channeling every round.
Ancestral Skills (Ex): As distinctive as heroes combat capabilities their heroic deeds of skill are not far behind, soon the anointed heritors learn to tap into the memories and deeds of their forebearers to emulate them. Whenever you start channeling a hero, or more, you can designate a number of class skills (gained from levels in the anointed heritor class) or the associated skills from any hero that you are channeling equal to your charisma bonus (if any). For the duration of the channeling you can make skill checks using your anointed heritor level in place of the number of ranks you have in that skill (even if the number is 0). You can make "trained only" checks but you can't take 10 using ancestral skills (you need to use your actual ranks to take 10).
Boons (Su): Some of the abilities available to the ancestral heroes are not something that most people could dream off but the anointed heritor can reach to the heroes and access to some of their knowledge. You can get a boon from any hero that you are channeling. Unlike offerings boons are almost permanent and last for as long as you channel the ancestral hero. At 12th level and again at 18th level you gain an additional boon.
Anointed recovery (Su): As the ancestral heroes inhabit your body you become harder to stop and prone to realize heroic deeds more often. You can expend a move action to recover one guidance point. You can expend as many move actions as you have, earning an equal number of guidance points. At 13th level you can choose to expend a swift action to recover one guidance point. At 15th level you can expend a full round action to recover half your guidance points (rounded up). At 19th level you recover two guidance points per expended move action (or swift action).
Ancestral feat (Ex): Your soul infused with the essence of heroes before you is able to emulate abilities not normally accessible through the ancestral heroes abilities. You gain a bonus feat. The ancestral heroes are known for their heroic deeds, you cannot choose a feat with the following descriptors [divine], [item creation], [metamagic], [metapsionic], [psionic item creation feats] or [wild]. You must meet the prerequisites for this feat. Additionally if you choose any [heritor] feat you can use the effective ranks granted by your ancestral skills ability as if they were true ranks (only for the purpose of meeting prerequisites). Whenever you start channeling a new hero you can choose to change your bonus feat to any other feat for which you meet the prerequisites. At 16th level you gain a second bonus feat that you can also choose to change whenever you change your channeled heroes.
Ancestral tactics (Su): Your mastery of the ancestral heroes allows you to switch and channel different heroes if it would fit the situation. You can change your ancestral heroes, ancestral skills and ancestral feats picking new choices. Using ancestral repentance takes 10 minutes and provokes attacks of opportunity. You can use this ability 1/day at 9th level and 2/day at 18th level.
Boon Mastery (Su): The knowledge of yours heroes abilities, allows you to forsake some skills to excel on others. As a full round action you can stop benefiting from one of your channeled hero's abilities, if you do so you gain a Boon that you have to invest immediately in another of that hero's abilities. This ability lasts until you choose to stop it, expending a swift action.
Ancestral exaltment (Su): At the end of the journey the hero cannot only inspire itself but inspire those around himself to become heroes. With a enormous effort of will you can briefly enlighten one creature with one of the heroes that you are currently channeling so the target benefits from its effects. At 20th level as a full round action you can choose one of your ancestral heroes, you are still considered to be channeling said hero, and the effects of its abilities on you don't end when you use
ancestral exaltment but you cannot use them until the end of this ability. One target, that you designate and is not further than 30 feet away, gets the benefits of channeling the hero. The target gets a WILL safe if unwilling (DC 10+1/2 anointed heritor level + CHA bonus) but otherwise can use the heroes abilities as normal during its next turn. The effects of this class ability last until the start of your next turn, and no abilities initiated by a hero while being channeled during the ancestral exaltment can last further, for example, if the hero shared is Nightthirster the creature that receives its abilities can use
black candle but the darkness effect would last until the start of your next turn.
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Offering points capacity: Every character who is able to channel heroes can invest offerings in their abilities, provided they have offering points. The offering point capacity of the heroes is based on HD.
Offerings capacityHD |
Offerings capacity1-5 |1
6-11 |2
12-17|3
18-20|4