This
massive book clocks in at 184 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page editorial, 1
page ToC, 1 page KS-thanks-list, 2 pages of SRD, 1 page back cover, leaving us
with a massive 177 pages of content, so let's take a look!
Disclaimer:
I was a backer of the kickstarter for this project, but was in no other way
involved with the creation of this book.
After a
brief introduction and one pages summing up the starting gold, we dive into the
massive array of classes herein - the reason why this review took forever to
get done. So expect one epic-length monster of a review here!
The first
class would be Michael Sayre's Battle Lord, who gets d10, 4+Int skills,
proficiency with simple and martial weapons, shields and light and medium armor
as well as full BAB-progression and good
ref- and will-saves. The battle lord receives a 10-ft aura that scales up by +5
ft at 3rd level, +5 every other level thereafter. Drills can be envisioned as
such auras, only not centered on the Battle Lord himself; instead, they can
originate anywhere within line of sight and require audible or visual
components to execute; however, since the drills themselves are pretty easy to
understand, even language-barriers can be overcome with some time and training (properly
codified), thus rendering this kind-of, but not really a language-dependent
extraordinary ability. A battle lord begins play with 2 drills and adds +1 at
4th level and every 4 levels thereafter, which conversely is also when the
skill-bonuses conferred by drills, if any, scale up by +1. Initiating a drill
is a move action, switching them is a swift action - neither of which provoke
AoOs, so yes, front-line commander-style here.
Drills can
be, in their benefits, be summed up as teamwork feats that do not suck -
essentially, some of the most useful teamwork feats (like Stealth Synergy) are
granted to the targets for as long as the drill persists, while also granting
additional bonuses to skills, damage rolls or minor enhancements to movement
speed. The array of drills is expanded at 12th level, when the Battle Lord may
choose to learn greater combat drills for mass bonus-fire damage to attacks,
for example. Healing allies via fast healing up to 50% of their health, but
with a daily cap, also works rather well. It should be noted that Int governs,
if applicable, the Battle Lord's drills. At 8th and 16th level, a battle lord
may maintain up to two (or three) auras and drills at the same time, changing
all in one fell swoop, should he elect to do so.
At 3rd
level, the Battle Lord receives a Noble Aura - this can be considered a
non-combat exclusive buff that helps with investigations, social interaction,
etc., depending on which auras are chosen - interestingly, this achieves what
no other class of this type had managed to this point - render the Battle Lord
relevant in contexts that are NOT fighting. At 15th level, these auras are
expanded by an array of Imperial Auras, which can also be used in combat and
have some SPs mixed in - the wording is solid here. At 20th level, one of some
exclusive auras also doubles as a capstone. A battle lord also has a specialty,
which can be considered a bloodline-like progression of abilities that modifies
the class skill list. At 2nd level and every 4 levels thereafter, the specialty
unlocks a new part of a linear ability-progression. A total of 4 such
specialties are provided - from artillerist to mundane healing via the medic
and to the more stealthy scout, the options here are nice. The class also
sports 3 archetypes - the aquatic marine,
the sword and pistol mounted specialist cavalryman and the eldritch
chevalier, who gets a very limited selection of spells. All are okay. It should
be noted that the Battle Lord also receives Bravery, which would be
unremarkable, were it not for Michael Sayre's glorious Bravery Feats, released
by Rogue Genius Games, for which the Battle Lord coincidentally qualifies...
The second
class herein would be the Conduit, written by Mike Myler. The class gets d8,
4+Int skills per level, proficiency with simple weapons and light armor, 3/4
BAB-progression and good will-saves. The conduit can be envisioned as a magical
battery - they have a conduct pool that begins at 3 and scales up to 35 - each
point of said pool representing a spell-level the conduit can absorb. Conduits
may also absorb spell-like abilities, but they need to be the targets of said
spells and execute an immediate action, with the pool's max size and 1/2 class
level as restrictions, the latter denoting the maximum amount of points he can
expend per ability. On the nitpicky side, the latter should specify a minimum
of 1, otherwise the conduit can't absorb anything but cantrips and orisons at
first level - said spells do btw. NOT grant conduct pool points; instead, the
conduit has SR against them equal to 11+ class level. Nice catch here! A
conduit can only absorb a spell if its level does not surpass the
level-dependant cap and when she has enough conduct pool points available - no
excess point.
The conduit
may unleash said energy as a standard action as a ranged touch attack with a
range of 25 ft. that deals 2d6 points of FORCE damage, +1 per additional point
spent. The range increases by +5 feet per conduit level at 2nd level. Now, you
may have guessed it -I am NOT a fan of
force damage here; I have bashed classes in the past for warlocky blasting via
force and Interjection Games' ethermagic wisely handled that differently.
However, the conduit's blasts must be envisioned as a limited resource and
thus, be compared to spells - and indeed, in practice, this provided no issues.
Kudos. Now nothing sucks more than being stranded sans resources and thus, the
conduit receives options over the levels to inflict damage (and attribute
damage etc.) on herself to generate a limited amount of points - thankfully,
both with a daily limit and sans means to cheese the regain abilities.
At 3rd
level, the conduit may select one of several conduit powers, +1 every 3 levels
thereafter. Conduit powers provoke AoOs and are SUs with DCs, if applicable,
scaling via the 10 + 1/2 class level + cha-mod formula. The activation of these
powers tends to also be powered by conduit points and as such, vary in the
precise effects - from bonuses to skill-checks to passive abilities that allow
the conduit to deliver mystic bolts as melee touch attacks to invisibility that scales up to its
improved version, we have a significant array of choices, including duplicating
low level spells, 1 1st level spell per power taken. The pool may also be used
to generate weapons and shields with enhancement bonuses and movement can also
be powered by the resource. Higher levels net SR and potential for AoE-spell
absorption via will-save versus
spellcaster level-check. At 11th level, the conduit receives a +2 enhancement
bonus to an attribute whenever she expends points, lasting 1 hour per point
expended and scaling up to +6 at 19th level. It should be noted that this is
not bonus times points expended, as I first read the ability, but that the
per-point-caveat only extends to duration. Here, the wording could have been
slightly clearer. High level abilities also include leeching spell levels from
foes, redirecting spells and forcing rerolls and the capstone is a magic-immune
apotheosis.
The class
also sports two archetypes. The Arrhythmic conduit bleeds points over time and,
once empty, has a harder time regaining them and deals sonic damage instead of
force damage. However, the archetype receives superior action economy, allowing
for some nasty combos that allow for multiple abilities to be activated as
once, or to have them interact in fluid ways - dismiss mystical protection for
a free mystical bolt, for example. I really liked this archetype since it
actually plays pretty much different! The Cyclic channeler is brilliant - it
adds a cooldown period for abilities, but increases their potency and as a
bonus, we also get a nice alchemical item - however, the price of said item is
high - it costs 50 Gp and can be created by a conduit with a spellcaster ad
infinitum; selling it could break an economy, so DM-discretion is advised here.
The third
class featured herein would be Will McCardell and Linda Zayas-Palmer's Demiurge
had me, conceptually, grin from here to ear - it's essentially Plato's Theory
of Forms, the class. And yes, I'm aware that being excited about this pretty
much makes me a total nerd. The class receives d8, 6+Int skills per level,
proficiency with simple weapons, light armor and shields, 3/4 BAB-progression
and good will-saves. This class is complex, so bear with me as I try to explain
it to you - and no, once you get it, it's not that bad. First of all, the
demiurge chooses an enlightenment. Enlightenments can be likened to bloodlines
or mysteries in that they provide a conceptual focus as well as a linear
progression of abilities - these change the basic means of facsimile creation
and provide beyond their base abilities, new ones at 2nd, 8th and 15th level -
think of them akin to how a cavalier's order modifies challenge and the options
of the class. I will return to this concept later with examples.
Among the
"small" abilities, social and perception-focused abilities can be
found in the progression of the class. The true signature ability of the class,
though, would be the facsimile. A facsimile is a creature born from the ideals
of the world of perfect, ideal forms - despite their autonomy, much like tinker
automata, facsimiles are dependent on a demiurge's commands - he may issue a
number of commands equal to his Charisma modifier as a move action, though not
all need to be issued to the same facsimile. The creation of one facsimile (which manifests within 30 ft.)is a
full-round action that can be hastened by additional quintessence expenditure
(+0.5 total cost) to a standard action. Cost is not equal to cost, though -
establishing a basic facsimile entails a maintenance cost, which becomes
relevant upon facsimile destruction or dismissal (which can be executed as a
standard action) - an array of said points, usually half, can be regained. The
aforementioned additional cost thus is not refunded. Facsimiles have no
duration and a demiurge can have up to half his class level (min 1) in
facsimiles at a given time.
In order to
create facsimiles, a demiurge has to expend quintessence points, a minimum of 6
are required for each facsimile. A demiurge has quintessence equal to Int-mod times two plus a fixed array of bonus
points determined by the class level - this begins at +15 at 1st level and
scales up to +155 at 20th level. Quintessence regaining requires 1 hour of
contemplation and at least 4 hours of sleep - it should be noted that increases
of Int-mod do not increase the quintessence pool. If a demiurge wishes to keep
facsimiles around, he must pay the maintenance cost and deduct it from the
total of his quintessence pool.
Facsimiles
are based on one of two base forms - jack or brute. They have fixed ability
scores that are either good or poor and the same holds true for saves. Attributes
and saves scale up each level, with handy tables listing them. The different
base-forms have different base size categories and skills available that you
can assign. Their sizes can be enhanced by the expenditure of additional
quintessence. They receive default magic slam attacks and a deflection bonus
equal to the demiurge's Int-mod, but do not gain feats or magic items and they
count as having HD equal to the demiurge's class level. A facsimile is treated
as a construct for the purposes of spells and effects, but not for the purposes
of base qualities. Now as ideas, facsimiles are somewhat more ephemeral than
your average summoned creature - every time the facsimile receives damage, it
has to make a dissipation check, with d20 +1/3 demiurge class level +
facsimile's Cha-mod versus DC 10 + 1 per 2 points of damage taken, with natural
20s and 1s constituting automatic successes and failures, respectively. Some
ideals and class abilities allow a facsimile to ignore some chances of
dissipation and at 9th level and every 4 levels thereafter, the demiurge's
facsimiles receive +1 chance to ignore dissipation. Upon destruction that is
not an intended dismissal, a demiurge only receives 1/4 of a facsimile's
maintenance cost back, as opposed to 1/2 of it. And yes, facsimiles, as ideal,
do not have hit points.
Now each
facsimile has 5 ideals that are drawn from 4 categories: Locomotion,
Manipulative, Sensorial and Special. Each facsimile has one slot per category,
2 in the special category. However, each ideal's quintessence cost (or
augmentation) can be doubled so it instead can be applied to occupy another
category's slot. Facsimiles can thus be enhanced to have a massive array of
different abilities and shapes, from humanoid ones that disrupt the terrain to
those that can grant senses - want to
make a tripedal moving facsimile that can share senses and dissipate itself to heal adjacent creatures? Possible.
The vast
array of customizations here are impressive indeed, though not all
augmentations feel like they are perfectly balanced, something that especially
comes to mind when thinking about the ray ideal: This is an SP untyped ray that deals 1d4 +
Cha-mod damage, with a base cost of 2. For +4 quintessence, the facsimile
receives +1 ray attack and per 1 point of quintessence spent on this
augmentation, the damage dice increases by +1d4, to a maximum of half the
demiurge's class level. Now, if you're taking notes, you'll realize how this
can be used to make one devastating laser battery at higher levels - if you
ever wanted to make a final fantasy-summon style kill-all laser battery, well,
there you go. Do the math. Even with *only* Int 18, one would get163
quintessence. Then take minimum cost for all ideals apart from rays, for 4
points beyond the base costs, one would be left with 151 points, which would
translate to more than 30 ray attacks (37.75) à 10d4+Cha-mod damage. With Dex =
29 and full BAB, this laser battery can evaporate just about anything. This one
component of the facsimile-building system is what doesn't work and honestly, I
would have been somewhat confused, but I'm not the only one reading it this
way. I believe the ability has undergone a layout glitch or oversight, since
the rays also lack a range. My advice, at least for now, is to simply apply the
cap on the augmentation that also applies to damage dice increase - 3 rays à
10d4+Cha-mod for a total of 10 quintessence seems like the more reasonable and
probably, intended, cap - a minor rephrasing of the ideal would work here. Now
do NOT let this one hiccup in this impressive class get in the way of
appreciation of this glorious class, for that's not where things end!
The
demiurge also sports a linear sequence of abilities, from 4th level on, which
is called rhetoric. When using these abilities, one determines one facsimile
designated as an argument facsimile and one as an arguer facsimile. The
argument facsimile is considered the origin, the arguer the beneficiary. The
argument facsimile's maintenance cost must be equal to or exceed that of the
arguer. Performing the like is a full-round action and unless otherwise noted,
the facsimiles need to be adjacent to one another. Rhetorics have a duration of
1 round per 2 demiurge levels and some may cause the argument facsimile to
become disoriented, allowing them to only perform either a move action or a
standard action and may still perform swift, immediate or free actions. A
demiurge begins with 3 rhetorics and learns more as the levels progress. These
rhetorics are what renders the facsimiles EVEN MORE interesting - they allow,
for example, for the addition of the argument's locomotion ideals to the arguer
while the rhetoric persists. Other options include making the facsimiles a wall
and combining reaches of the facsimiles involved. It should be noted that the
abilities themselves also sport some nice easter-eggs in the nomenclature.
The 7th
level also nets the demiurge the option to create a thesis facsimile, a
facsimile with a limited free will and a buffing aura and yes, they may heal
allies via reclaimed quintessence.
Now to get
back to the enlightenments I mentioned in the beginning? Take Agathon - this
enlightenment has the final quintessence cost of facsimiles reduced by 1/4
class level and get a 6th slot, which costs half as much. At 2nd level, one can
have one free facsimile with only 4 slots and a significantly-reduced effective
level of class level -3, while also allowing for some on the fly modification.
Artifice demiurges can create objects, while befuddlement allows for the
creation of shadow facsimiles - in case you haven't noticed - each of the 6
enlightenments provided radically changes the way in which the class plays. The
capstone is an interesting apotheosis, at least as far as that type of capstone
goes. The bonus content covers 11 sample facsimiles. I adore the demiurge class
- it is a thing of mechanical beauty, vast options and is utterly, completely
unique. With all those pet-classes out there, it still is more unique and
interesting and while it only belongs into the hands of experienced players, it
is GLORIOUS. Any fan of classes with customization options and complex tricks
needs to take a good luck at this class - a piece of advice: Just mae a sample
character. It makes *getting* the class rather easy and seriously, I don't get
what the hassle is regarding the complexity of this class. It's not simple,
sure, but it is damn rewarding and I can't bring myself to bash it for one
ability with a wonky exploit due to a wording ambiguity. I adore this class and
playtest showed it works in awesome ways - though, as a piece of advice, much
like summoners et al., one should make sure the player can run it quickly and
doesn't hog the spotlight. Still, probably my favorite class in ages and one
that will be very hard to top!
After this
complexity beast, the medium is rather simple: At d8, 2+Int skills, proficiency
with simple weapons and light armor, good will-saves and 3/4 BAB-progression,
the class looks a bit bare-bones. As a full-round action, the medium may
channel spirits and let herself be possessed by her spirit companion as a
full-round action, the duration clocking in at 4 hours, starting at 5th level
instead for 1 hours per medium level. Interaction with being killed etc. is
covered aptly by the wording, including memories etc. A medium can channel
spirits equal to Cha-mod timer per day and the effect cannot be blocked by
regular possession-preventing magic. The medium can use a standard action to
provide minor bonuses and she may use séances to duplicate augury. At 3rd level and every 4 levels thereafter, the class
receives a revelation chosen from a limited list, interacting with their
ability to channel spirits and utilize séances - here, an alternate
nomenclature to make them deviate from the oracle's revelations would probably
have been in order. So, the spirit companion...this is the defining class
feature of the medium and shares your ability modifiers and hit points;
however, the spirit does have class levels - yes, this class can be essentially
summed up as gestalt, the character - you can essentially shift between forms
and from leadership to spellcasting and psionic powers and feats, the spirit
companion is handled pretty neatly - and the capstone allows for a true fusion
of the two. Btw.: Yes, the revelations interact with the class choices you make
for the spirit companion.
Archetype-wise,
there would be one with less powerful spirits, but who receives more spirit
companions, one that can be considered an oracle-crossover as well as one that
specializes in revelations that interact with the physical world. And yes,
there would also be one psionic medium archetype. Eric Morton's Medium is a
solid, fun class that especially will be a boon to tables with less players
that need to cover more roles. Two thumbs up!
The
Metamorph-class with d8, 4+Int skills
per level, proficiency with simple and natural attacks, but no armor, good 3/4
BAB-progression, good fort- and ref-saves and begin play with a maximum number
of 3 attacks and an evolution pool of 3 that scales up to 26 at 20th level.
Metamorphs also have a built-in natural armor bonus that increases over the
levels and ability-increases dispersed over the levels. 2nd level and every 4
levels thereafter see bonus feats. 1st level metamorphs may choose their
genesis, determining the key-ability modifier for the class and modifying the
class skill list. Now unlike some other takes on the evolution-based class
framework, a list of phenotypes, which determine ultimately the evolutions that
become available for the class - a total of 8 phenotypes are provided and a
massive table helps the player determine which evolutions are eligible for the
phenotype chosen. Only fey and undying may for example choose the basic magic
evolution, whereas only bestial, monstrous or reconstructed metamorphs may
learn the trample evolution. A metamorph has 2+class level evolution points, +1
at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter. Evolutions can be reassigned upon
gaining a level. The class also sports 3 archetypes - one that wilders amid
sorceror bloodlines/eldritch heritages, while metamorphic abominations may
wilder in racial heritages. Finally, the Transmogrifist may wilder in the
alchemist's toolbox. We also get a sample level 13 character here.
I honestly
was NOT looking forward to yet another evolution-based class - after masquerade
reveler, underterror and iron titan, I was simply burned out on them. However, Wojciech
Gruchala's metamorph ultimately may be one of the most user-friendly and easy
to balance takes on the concept - while I prefer the fluff of the masquerade
reveler still, the metamorph may be the most user-friendly take on the concept
- with the handy table and restrictions that prevent abuse as well as thanks to
the cap of maximum attack and the lack of flexible changes of the basic
evolutions chosen. All in all, a solid take on the concept I can't really
complain about.
The
Mnemonic gets d8, 6+Int skills per level, proficiency with simple weapons and
one weapon of choice, full unarmed strike progression as a monk, 3/4
BAB-progression and good ref- and will-saves. Menomincs may execute a standard
action to identify one or more feats a target creature possesses by making an
Int-check versus 10 + CR, with creatures of a CR greater than the mnemonic's HD
further increasing the DC by +3, revealing a scaling amount of feats a target
has - the better the check, the more feats are revealed. Why would he waste an
action like this beyond the tactical information? Thought Strikes. A mnemonic
may execute class level + Int-mod of those per day and they can be executed as
part of an attack action - somewhat akin to stunning fist, the targets receive
a save, which may see them impeded by escalating negative conditions. Instead,
a mnemonic may forego said detrimental conditions and execute a memory theft,
to steal a skill bonus or feat for class level rounds.
A mnemonic
still has to fulfill the prerequisites of a stolen feat to make use of it and
stolen feats only lock down feats that build on the original feat, not those
that only have it as a prerequisite. The amount of skill bonuses, feats, etc. a
mnemonic can steal at a given time is handled via a nifty table and starting at
5th level, the mnemonic may eliminate spells as well, though without being able
to cast them himself. Finally, it should be noted that mnemonics may expend
throught strike uses to retain a given stolen feat for 24 hours, though future maintenance of this
stolen knowledge progressively erodes the mnemonic's thought theft capacity
further, preventing the infinite storing of a stolen feat. now granted, this
can be cheesed simply by passing the feat from mnemonic to mnemonic, but in
that case, I'd consider it a somewhat interesting plot-point/narrative device
and, more importantly, not something that would in itself break the game - so
yeah.
Beyond this
theft component, a mnemonic of 3rd level may also copy extraordinary abilities
and combat feats he has seen in the last 24 hours, with an effective class
level decreased by -4, though, thankfully, only for 4+Int-mod rounds per day.
High levels allow for the recalling of abilities and even sharing of them,
thanks to the nice addition of telepathy-style abilities to the fray. It should
also be noted that they may imprint part of their mind into objects, making
them essentially intelligent with all the consequences - which is a kind of
awesome additional twist for the class. Essentially, this is the brainy monk we
know from Anime and WuXia who copies your moves and uses your own tricks
against you - and it is more efficient than the woefully underpowered base
class thanks to its tricks. Speaking of which - the amnesiac archetype, with
its battle trance, hearkens also back to these media and provides a pretty cool
alternative to the base concept. Hungry Minds would be evil mnemonics that may
heal themselves via thought strikes (limited resource, so kitten-proof), while
thought rippers replace the detrimental conditions of regular thought strikes
with scaling non-lethal damage. Solid and nice- overall, a fun class - designer
Mike Myler did a neat job here!
Next up
would be the momenta, pitched by Erik Ottosen and written by the Amor
Game-staff, and I am not engaging in hyperbole when I'm saying that I haven't
seen a class like this before. We all have seen the trope in literature - the
faithful, loyal companion that makes the heroes excel, the squire that does the
grunt-work - that is the momenta. The class gets 6+Int skills per level (with 2
to be freely chosen as class skills), d, proficiency with simple and martial
weapons and light armor plus shields, 1/2 BAB-progression and good will-saves
as well as prepared arcane casting via Int of up to 4th level, from their own
spell-list, with the caveat that they can ignore "somatic components of up
to 50 gold in value" while holding the book in their hands- I assume that
should be material components. Additionally, as written, the momenta incurs
spell failure chance for casting in light armor, which she probably shouldn't,
seeing how she can only cast spells outside of combat in the first place (but
only has a 6 hour required rest for spell memorization). It should be noted
that limited spellcasting in combat can be achieved via the class's talents. Momenta
of 4th level may cast cure light wounds
as an arcane spell by either spending a motivation point or by spontaneously
converting one of her spells. And these would be the momenta's central
resource: A momenta receives Cha-mod motivation points in the beginning of a
battle, +1 per ally that acts before an opponent.
Alas, this
mechanic is utterly broken. First of all, it utilizes the nonsense
per-encounter mechanic, which makes in-game no sense whatsoever. I've been VERY
vocal about that not working, so I'll spare you my usual rant regarding this
topic and just point you towards them. Tl; DR: Makes no sense since it is based
on a fluid measurement of time rather than a concrete one. Secondly, the system
can be gamed due to a lack of definition as to what constitutes an ally -
master summoner conjures a lot of creatures with good initiative, momenta
doesn't know what to do with this huge amount of points. A clearer definition
is definitely in order here. A similar complaint can be fielded about how
motivation is used - as a free action, the momenta can add 1d6 to the result of
any one of her checks or that of an ally. One, there is some ongoing
disparity which type of free action we're talking about - while some free
actions can be used out of turn, this does not apply to all free actions - so
yes, we have an issue with the base system here the class fails to address. Secondly,
shouldn't the ability have some kind of range, audible or visual component? As
written, it does not require the like, which feels odd to me. 2 Motivation
points can also be used to reroll saving throws or attack rolls as an immediate
action - no action-economy complaints here on my part.
A momenta
also can utilize motivation via so-called stimuli, essentially the talents of
the class, which are either extraordinary or spell-like abilities. These
include being able to pay for metamagic with motivation, spell recall and the
like - most importantly, though, the stimuli allow for the switching of
initiative orders and allows the momenta to let allies act out of turn - an
ability that can also be used offensively, by the way. So yes, the momenta per se
is very powerful - even before non-stimulus abilities that include tactician
and the like. However, the infinite resource of motivations also radiates into
the stimuli - with an infinite capacity for encounters (versus infernal
kittens, for example), the momenta can use infinite healing by utilizing
motivation. So yes, this frame needs a daily cap for healing and a proper,
codified time-frame instead of per-encounter.
Now all of
this sounds pretty negative and it ultimately, alas, is. However, the basic premise
of the class is awesome and while the framework looks weak, a momenta can
provide a significant power-boost to a group
-even as a cohort, the class excels pretty much. So let me emphasize
this: I absolutely adore the concept and the unique tricks the momenta has, but
I wished the Amora staff had slightly polished it more; as written, it can
easily be fixed, but without fixes, I wouldn't use it. Still - the concept is so
unique, so awesome that it is actually one of my favorite classes herein! Yeah,
who would have thought? The pdf also
provides 2 archetypes, one with less spellcasting and an option to knock out
foes a limited amount of times per day and a second one that has limited bardic
performances. Solid.
Next up
would be the Mystic, who receives d8, 4+Int skills per level and either
improved unarmed strikes or weapon focus at 1st level; proficiencies are
determined by the elemental path chosen and the class gets 3/4 BAB-progression
as well as all good saves. They also receive a ki-powered elemental strike
(class level + wis-mod) and while they have at least one point of ki, they add
wis-mod to AC. Elemental Strikes use the class level as BAB and damage scales
up over the levels from 1d6 to 2d8. Ki can also be used for skill-boosts,
adding additional attacks to full attacks. The class also receives a mystic
talent at 2nd level, +1 every even level thereafter. There would be a
higher-level option to make elemental strikes not cost ki anymore, evasions,
finesse and the like - a solid kind-of-monkish array, with 10th level expanding
the list by advanced talents. The capstone also sports choices, which is nice
to see.
Now I
mentioned elemental paths - these do not only influence class skills and
proficiencies, they also net a basic ability associated with the element.
Furthermore, each path provides a significant array of unique talents and 3rd
level and every odd level thereafter nets an elemental technique from a list
determined by the path, granting either a feat or a ki-powered spell, with DCs,
if applicable, being governed by Wis. A total of 4 elemental paths plus the
force path are provided, with each of them feeling utterly distinct.
While the
force path has a force-blast and ranged combat maneuver-option, the limited
range makes that one steer clear of my rant regarding that. The book also
sports 3 archetypes - the ancient gets a reflexive reincarnate and sooner access to elemental techniques, but pays
more for elemental strikes. Crossroads Mystics receive decreased damage dice
for elemental strikes, but gets more ki and can select elemental techniques
from all paths, but at higher costs. The final archetype, the kenjin, has more
expensive elemental strikes, but gains access to ninja tricks. Alexander Augunas' Mystic has a bit of a
flavor-issue with me - I'm utterly burned out on anything elemental-themed and
this class is essentially the elemental bender-style character...or the Jedi. I
don't like Star Wars. That being said, mechanically, the class is honestly
beautiful - I prefer it over qinggong monk and the like and it executes its
concept admirably well, with Alex's zen-like ease. At the same time, it has a
cool idea - a sidebox talks about retooling the flavor to correspond to the
alchemical humors - and the fluff I pretty much adore, which leaves me without
any valid gripes to field - making me like a class whose concepts left me with
disdain is a huge feat - congratulations!
Sasha Hall
pitched the Pauper class, which was then developed by the Amora staff. The
pauper gets d8, 4+Int skills, proficiency with simple weapons and light armor,
3/4 BAB-progression and good will-saves. Paupers are defined by their two pools
- hope and despair. Hope begins play
with a maximu of 1 and scales up to 11, with despair beginning play
with3 points, scaling up to 13. A pauper can execute a full-round action to
turn despair points into hope points. Despair is gained whenever the pauper
witnesses an act of strife or desperation, seeing an ally suffer a lethal wound
and when witnessing cruel acts. Hope is conversely gained when seeing an enemy
fall, acts of kindness etc. When one pool contains more points than the other,
the pauper benefits from a unique effect. Paupers may execute nonlethal attacks
versus allies to grant the ally a morale bonus. Pretty odd - the pauper can get
all "morale, sacred and profane" penalties of allies and draw them
upon herself. Only thing is - penalties are untyped, so the ability does not
work as intended. Fr each penalty chosen to take upon himself, the pauper gains
wis-mod temporary despair points.
The
pauper's abilities, alas, at least to me, feel somewhat unfocused - they
establish an empathic bond with a limited array of people (somewhat akin to how
Dreamscarred Press' psionic networks work). The class also allows for minor
healing as well as an aura that can either act as a buffer or a debuffer,
depending on which pool is dominant. High-level paupers may transfer abilities
from one ally to another, but thankfully with numerical and limited resources
being subject to relatively stringent limitations. Strangely, supernatural
abilities are not covered by the ability transference. All in all, the pauper
has many makings of an interesting class, but it ultimately feels odd in many
of its choices - aid another as a move/swift action for points may sound
okay...but at 11th level, that's pretty late. The class also is completely
linear - there is NO choice to be made here - not even the cavalier has such a
small array of player agenda - the abilities, all unique ones, no groups, fall
in line as a linear progression, making all paupers essentially the same.
Beyond that, the class is dependent on two resources, which, in spite of a
side-box, ultimately are highly circumstantial ad thus can only hardly be
quantified - and thus, as feared by yours truly, the result will be a lot of
arguments about hope and despair. Some tighter definitions would have imho
helped here. The pauper gets an archetype with only one pool. Overall, the
first class I really didn't like - conceptually, it feels not focused enough
and mechanically, I've seen the interaction of fluid pool done better in some
Interjection Games-releases. The class is not necessarily bad, mind you, but
it's not up to the others.
The
commander in chief of Little Red Goblin Games, Scott Gladstein, provides us
with the Survivor, who gets d12, 6+Int skills per level, simple and martial
weapon as well as light and medium armor proficiency, full BAB-progression and
good fort-saves. Survivors not only can live off the land and can provide some
of his class features with allies via the safe passage class feature, which
provides a bonus to allies, usable Con-mod + 1/2 class level times per day.
Bonus feats at 2nd level and 6th and every 4 levels thereafter are also there
Beyond uncanny dodge, evasion et al., 3rd level, 7th and every 4 thereafter
allow for DR, natural armor or elemental resistance, with each quality being
selectable more than once. 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter provides a
survival tactic, a unique, mostly defensive trick that can be considered the
talent-array of the class - many of which can also be granted to allies. Level
13 nets essentially mettle (evasion for will- and fort-saves), called stalwart
here, and at that level, this is okay.
The
survivor has been my absolute surprise here - while not particularly complex on
paper, this class works superbly in play
-straightforward, fun and ultimately, it does just what you want: A
ranger-y class sans all the mystic mumbo-jumbo, but who can make his allies so
much better and harder to kill. This class is a great example why playtests of
the complex classes herein was required - it fared much better in actual
gameplay than I expected - the survivor is exceedingly fun to play, so kudos! 4
Archetypes are provided for the class - the feralist with simple
weapon-exclusive vital strikes and modified feat/tactics-list, the seething
survivor (with full barbarian synergy), the parkour specialist thrill seeker
and the kind-of-rogueish urban survivor. A Synergist/survivor level 20
multiclass makes for a cool NPC.
Morgan
Boehringer, the mastermind of Forest Guardian Press, presents the Synergist,
who gets d8, 4+Int skills, proficiency with simple weapons, light and medium
armor and shields and gets 3/4 BAB-progression as well as good fort- and
will-saves. Synergists establish a kind of network akin to psionic networks
equal to Cha-mod allies, with her being required to be part of the so-called
"cast." The more creatures in the cast, the higher the shield bonus
granted to the synergist. Via swift actions, members of the cast can
coordinate, making firing into melee easier and teamwork feat granting is
obviously part of the deal as well. Better aid another among the cast is also
part of the scaling progression. At 1st level, synergists may create a synergy
1+Cha-mod times per day, +1 per 3 class levels. A synergist gets "+1 bonus
synergy counters" for each successful attack, save or skill check, +2 for
confirmed crits or nat 20s on non-attack-rolls. A synergist may store class
level + Cha-mod counters. Synergy counters may be bestowed upon members of the
cast, with a duration of Cha-mod+ 1/4 class level rounds. The counters can be
used to enhance skill checks, temporary hit points, concentration, CMD, AC,
etc. - this ability is glorious and fun.
At 1st
level, the synergist may select a technique from a selection of 3, with 3rd
level and every 3 levels thereafter providing an additional array of new
techniques, continuously expending the pool of options to choose from - NICE!
Now where things become even more interesting is with the gaining of passive
abilities and the collective bestowing of Lunge - a synergist can also negate
critical hits and even enhance at higher levels the action tax required by a
given action - the synergist pretty much, when played right, can radically
change the way in which a unit of adventurers works - and it is awesome. Ultimately,
the synergist can literally be the glue that holds a group together in combat
and plays surprisingly efficient and different from classes with a similar
concept - when to see something ridiculously flexible? Synergist plus Battle
Lord. Add in a Tactician and cackle with glee. The archetype for the class
falls somewhat behind the main class in coolness, with minor debuffs being just
not that interesting - especially seeing the direlock by Morgan, I would have
expected something a tad bit more special, but don't let that detract from the
coolness of the class.
The Umbra
(unfortunately named in my book - it has nothing to do with shadows...) would
be a class by Interjection Games' mastermind Bradley Crouch and as such, it is
complex: As a basic frame, it gets d8, 2+Int skills per level, proficiency in
light armor and shields and weapon proficiency according to the primary embrace
chosen. In heavier armor, planar powers suffers from arcane spell failure
chance. The umbra gets 3/4 BAB-progression and good will-saves.
So what are
those embraces? Well, they signify the
heritage of the Umbra, with the primary being the dominant one and chosen at
1st level, the secondary embrace being unlocked at 5th level. Each embrace is
assigned a pool of points - the primary embrace has primary points (PP), the
secondary embrace secondary points (SP) - collectively, both are called embrace
points (EP). Ep scale up from 2 PP to 12 and 1 SP (at 5th level) to 8. Umbra
gain resistance to the energy of the primary plane equal to their class level,
1/2 class level for the secondary embrace and each plane has an assigned skill,
which receives minor bonuses. At 6th level, the umbra may, as a swift action,
generate a temporary EP to assign to a planar power or trait, which lasts for
Cha-mod rounds, +1 point granted at 10th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
This can be used Cha-mod times per day. There is an unfortunate error in one of
the abilities, which specified that an ubiquitous power is gained at 3rd level,
+1 at 5th and then +1 at every 4 levels thereafter, when the tables puts that
at second level instead. Either that, or quickswap needs to be moved to second
level. What does quickswap do? it allows for the reassignment of planar powers
1/day, scaling up by +1/day every 4 levels thereafter, making me belief that
the first ubiquitous power ought to be gained at 2nd level.
Ubiquitous
powers can be considered the "general" talents of the class, whereas
the embraces cover the specialist tricks - the basic elemental planes and both
positive and negative energy planes are available for the umbra to choose from,
with each having assigned proficiencies. But the choice is more relevant than
that - each plane has powers and traits associated. traits require an
investiture of 1 point to use and then are static and passive. Powers, on the
other hand, allow for more customization - the more points you invest in a
given power, the longer you can activate it/the bigger its potency. Now, as you
might expect, the benefits are pretty unique - what about a weak reflexive
shield that can be dismissed to execute a smite? Yes, the benefits tend towards the unique
side of things and some abilities utilize a cooldown mechanic I pretty much
enjoy.
Now I'm an
old-school Planescape fanboy, and thus, the further tricks of the class brought
a smile to my face - yup, at 10th level, the umbra becomes a kind of embodied
demiplane-intersection of his primary
and secondary embrace. When assigning EP, an umbra can elect to convert either
PP or SP into demiplance emergence points (abbreviated DE), but her SP pool
must remain larger than the DE pool. Now the interesting part here would be
that each demiplane's powers tend to work differently - some reward stockpiling
DE-points. Some require their expenditure. Some ignore them mostly in favor of
other counters, which are gained in means pertaining to the elemental condition
in question and instead make for the resource of the demiplane: Cinders nets,
for example, 1 "sputtering charge" whenever the umbra utilizes a
power, but does not bypass the cooldown - this charge can be used as an
additional invested point in an ability for a short while or expelled as a
blast of negative energy and flame, with DE governing the damage output of the
sputtering charge-powered blast. Have I mentioned the capstone that lets you
make your own plane? Yeah.
...
..
Damn, LIC,
what are you doing here? Here I am rambling about how bored I am by elemental
classes and themes and now I have a second class with such a theme I actually
like. Damn. Kidding aside, the umbra is an interesting class with essentially a
highly customizable array of tricks that makes it surpass the one-trick pony
component inherent in most elemental-themed classes. I generally like it,
though I still don't get where the name comes from.
The
penultimate class herein would be Wayne Canepa's Warloghe, who gets d8, 4+Int
skills, custom weapon proficiency and no
armor or shield proficiencies. The class is built on a 3/4 BAB-progression good
fort- and will-save chassis and their bond with a twisted spirit provides
prepared arcane spellcasting from a custom list of up to 6th level, based on
Wis -uncommon. However, alternatively, instead of spellcasting, a warloghe may
select a binding pact with a spirit, gaining a linear, bloodline-like array of
abilities, but more on those later. 2nd level warloghes get an essence pool
equal to 4 + 1/2 class level + wis-mod, with a passive benefit and the option
to expend points to inflict negative-energy based touch attacks, with higher levels
allowing for AoE emanations and debuff conditions. At second level and every
two levels thereafter, the warloghe selects a taboo - essentially the talents
of the class, governed by Wis, with some being exclusive to certain twisted
spirits chosen. These include SPs,
upgrades to the vortex, dabbling in necromancy, familiars at -5 class levels -
quite an array. The 5th level class feature, though, would be one of my
favorites - warloghes may leave their soul behind as haunts, moving forward as
a soulless shell! Damn cool! However I really wished the pdf sported a kind of
instant-haunt-generator for warloghes that does not require handing GM-books to
players. Taboos are expanded at 10th level to include more powerful choices.
The taboos, when active, more often than not require the expenditure of essence
points, which also powers a linear array of spell-like abilities granted over
the class's level-progression.
A total of
5 twisted spirits, each with a custom spell-list and custom binding abilities,
are provided - it should be noted, though, that each of them also results in a
tainted soul, which translates to a continuous, negative effect on the warloghe
that denotes his sinister dealings - however, they also provide a unique base
benefit. The individual benefits are pretty unique and include stacking bleed
damage, placing marks of vengeance, etc. The warloghe class gets a pretty lame
capstone, but 3 archetypes: One gets binding pact and spellcasting, but no
taboos, while another can craft totem-constructs instead of getting the haunted
ability. the final one may channel spirit strikes through his weapon and not
waste points on misses, but loses the vortex AoE-control. Unremarkable, as far
as archetypes go. The warloghe is pretty much a sinister glass cannon that
feels a bit like a more damage-focused take on the witch-fluffed gish - now the
class isn't bad and its damage output is balanced by being VERY squishy (more
so than the magus) and I like the fluff, but I really think it would have benefited from significantly more spirits - those that are here are solid,
though ultimately, the class suffers from me having years upon years of Pact
Magic as a frame of reference and the latter just feels more versatile to me.
The final
class is a new iteration of an old acquaintance of mine, the Warsmith, written
by the Amora crew - at d8, 4+Int skills, proficiency with simple weapons,
hammer, picks and pilums, light armors and shields as well as 3/4
BAB-progression and good fort-saves, the warsmith is a retool of Amora Game's
tinker - can it hold up? Well, first of all, beyond the craftsman bonuses and
the significant bonuses to sundering via edifice recognition, the warsmith now
may grant bonuses to armors and weapons, even duplicating special abilities at
higher levels. At 2nd level and every even level thereafter, the warsmith
receives a talent, here called design, which allows him to modify class
features, expand crafting capabilities and even poach in alchemist/rogue
territory with bombs or rogue talents. While not particularly complex, that
ultimately is the strength of the class-
it is a straightforward craft/sunder-specialist who is really good at
what he does. Now personally, I'm not a
big fan of e.g. a prone-knocking fissure having a fixed save-DC instead of a
scaling one, but still, this remains the best iteration of the concept so far.
Since I
have already covered the class options and archetypes above, I will only glance
over the feats provided, all right? All in all, many of the feats here have a
teamwork aspect and +x uses/+ longer uses of abilities for classes are provided
alongside some interesting teamwork feats (since they don't suck for many
classes herein) - unarmed fighting for non-monks, a style that makes combat
maneuvers work sans improved-feats (and that while remaining balanced!) and
some unique tricks, like playing switcheroo with magic item abilities, overall,
this section can be considered well-crafted. In the cases where one may be
familiar with some feats from previous publications of Amora Game, they tend to
have undergone a streamlining of their wording - so yeah, while not 100%
perfect, the vast majority of this chapter proved to be a fun read! Kudos!
Okay, so
only one chapter to go - Adapt, Overcome, Survive - and it is GLORIOUS. Evocative
haunts with nice flavor text ranging from CR 1 to 9 are complemented by
environmental hazards... like exploding rats. Yes. You read it. Awesome! Two
quick templates for magically-contaminated/infused creatures can also be found
herein before we get rules for magical pollution of varying severity - think of
them as the magical equivalent of radioactivity (and yes, just as deadly) - but
with the nice added benefit of also coming with a ton of spellblights, of which
we also get a quite significant array.
The pdf
closes with a handy facsimile-sheet.
Conclusion:
Editing and
formatting are not perfect, but still pretty good - in a book of this size,
with so much crunch, it is testament to the quality of the authors and
editors/developers that almost no significant errors have crept into the
complex matrixes of the class-crunch. Layout adheres to a crisp two-column
full-color standard with a blending of stock and original artworks. the pdf
comes fully bookmarked for your convenience. The print-copy, which I urge you
to get, is well worth the price - I got mine from being a supporter of the KS
and it sports a solid frame and high quality., glossy paper. This book has seen
quite some use and it does not show. As a note for 3pps: Amora Game sent me the
best-packaged book I have to date received from any 3pp - with significant amounts
of bubble-wrap and a big package, the book has made it past the transition
across the ocean and the careless hands of the postal service without even a
dent. Kudos for gong the extra mile - a creaseless book is a definitely nice
change of pace to receive!
The Liber
Influxus Communis grew from the PFRPG-community, the community of which I
consider myself a part of and for which I ultimately write my reviews. While
Amora Game took a beating from me in the past, they never gave up and when
their KS ran, I *think* I may have been the first backer - I wanted to believe
in them. This was the reason I decided to make this my 2000th review - and I
was hoping that my hopes would not be unjustified.
Now what
Greg LaRose did was smart - he got essentially all 3pp top crunch-designers not
too involved with their own projects: Alexander Augunas, Bradley Crouch, Daron
Woodson, Eric Morton, Mike Myler, Scott Gladstein, Wayne Canepa, Will
McCardell, Wojciech Gruchala, Kevin Bond, Linda Zayas-Palmer, Michael Sayre,
Morgan Boehringer. Realize something? This is pretty much an all-stars-list and
the content of this book shows it - each designer herein has brought his/her
strengths to the table - from relatively simple to exceedingly complex, the
classes provided herein all breathe a spirit of cooperation, of being unique
and run the gamut of providing simple plug and play as well as highly complex
tinkering classes that require significant planning to get right. The classes
herein have one thing in common that transcends the differences in design: They
are not boring. I consider no single class herein bland, no single concept to
be redundant. In fact, I loved most of the classes, and I mean *loved* - when a
book makes me enjoy two classes that sport a theme I loathe, you'll know you
have something awesome at your fingertips.
Now this
book is not perfect - I wasn't blown away by all archetypes; the momenta, which
I love to death as one of my favorite classes herein, imho requires a second editing
pass/a capable DM to streamline and take the rough edges off. The Demiurge's
laser battery needs a nerf-whack. And the pauper left me singularly
unimpressed, having seen the interacting pools done more in a precise and
organic way. Heck, I even made a class with two fluid pools interacting with
one another. That aside, the pauper also feels oddly linear and as if it were
part of another book. Similarly, not all feats blew me away, but if I broke
that down for you, the review would go on for even longer. And I honestly am
not sure whether anyone will read this monstrosity as it stands.
Ultimately,
though, none of the gripes I could muster, whether they be typos or the above,
can stand before a superb appendix and no less than 13 classes I will definitely
use in my games - this is pretty much the highest density of classes I have
ever allowed a single book to contribute to any game of mine and that is a
significant achievement. Now as you all know, I'm a stickler for the more
complex classes, but even the simple ones herein have something unique going
for them, a playing experience that deviates from what other classes can offer
- and what more can you expect from a new base class? In the end, the Liber
Influxus Communis may not be a perfect book, but it is still an excellent and
inexpensive way to add a vast array of pure innovation to your game - a smörgåsbord of unique mechanics and things no other class can do. And I love it
for exactly that. This book exemplifies the work of some of the finest designers
in the field and I have, ultimately, always valued innovation and slight rough
edges higher than bland mechanical perfection - and, as such, the few
mechanical bumps that are herein could in no way stand in relation to the
awesomeness that this book brings to the table, they simply pale and fade when
seen in relation with the vast array of cool tricks the content herein makes
possible. My final verdict thus will be 5 stars + seal of approval and I
nominate this book as a candidate for my Top Ten of 2015.
You can get this awesome, massive book
here on OBS and
here on d20pfsrd.com's shop!
And if
you're still reading that, let me extend my heartfelt thank-you to you for
sticking with my ramblings and reading my 2000th review.
Finally, if you enjoyed it, please consider joining my patreon - this review (and a lot others) wouldn't exist without the support of the community.
I write them for you
and remain yours,
Endzeitgeist out.
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