Earlier this month, we released the Book of Heroic Races: Occult Intrigue in the Wilderness. This book details new ways for your character to battle the forces of evil with archetypes and class options for the non-core book races. Some of those options are very specific to the race, like the equinox infiltrator archetype for wyrwood vigilantes. Others are themed for the race but technically can be taken by anyone like the alligator/crocodile shifter aspect for lizardfolk. Today we are looking at one that straddles the line. The eternal implement for samsaran occultists has a strong connection to past lives. If your home setting does anything with past lives, this one would be perfect for just such a setting. However, if samsarans are the only race in your game that reincarnates, then this implement is solely for them. No matter how you use it, we hope it is fun for your game.
Eternal Implements
Eternal implements allow samsaran occultists to perform magic that draws on their past lives and their racial connection to the eternal cycles of life and death.
Implements: death shroud, family heirloom, journal, medal, noble vestment, pocket watch, veil.
Resonant Powers: Each time the occultist invests mental focus into an eternal implement, the implement grants the following power. The implement’s bearer gains the benefit of this power until the occultist refreshes his focus.
Memory Echoes (Su): The implement invokes the knowledge and memories of those who have borne it in the past. The implement’s bearer gains a +1 competence bonus on all Intelligence-based skill checks and ability checks for every 2 points of mental focus invested in the implement, to a maximum bonus of 1 + 1 for every 4 occultist levels you possess.
Base Focus Power: All occultists who learn to use eternal implements gain the following focus power.
Touch of Antiquity (Sp): As a standard action, you can expend 1 point of mental focus to cause an object to age, withering as though it had endured for long stretches of time. Your touch deals 1d4 points of damage + 1d4 points for every 2 occultist levels you possess beyond 1st to an object and grants it the broken condition. Alternatively, with a successful melee touch attack, you can cause the same decay in constructs, dealing 1d6 points of damage + 1d6 points of damage for every 2 occultist levels you possess beyond 1st.
Focus Powers: In addition to gaining the base focus power, occultists who learn to use eternal implements can select from the following focus powers when choosing the powers gained from their focus powers class feature.
Ancient Prowess (Sp): As a standard action, you can impart martial techniques from a past life on yourself or a living creature you touch. Your touch grants the use of any one combat feat for 1 minute. The granted feat must not have any other feat prerequisites but can be used without meeting other requirements (such as base attack bonus or race). This ability grants the use of an additional combat feat for every 6 levels you possess (to a maximum of 4 at 18th level). These subsequent feats can have feat prerequisites if those prerequisites are also granted by the same use of this ability.
Collective Calm (Sp): As a standard action, you can spend 1 point of mental focus to draw upon the collective experiences of your past lives, giving you improved ability to perform difficult tasks under pressure. When you use this focus power, select a number of skills equal to 1 + your Intelligence modifier. For 1 minute per occultist level you possess, you can take 10 on skill checks with the chosen skills even when stress and distractions would normally prevent you from doing so. You must be at least 9th level to select this focus power.
Mantle of Antiquity (Sp): As a standard action, you can spend 1 point of mental focus to shroud yourself in an ephemeral mantle that causes your countenance to shift between images of your past lives. The shifting nature of the images makes your position hard to discern, causing attacks against you to have a 20% miss chance. Once, while the mantle is active, you can call upon the skills of your past lives to automatically succeed on any one saving throw as though you had rolled a natural 20, which instantly ends this effect. The mantle otherwise lasts for 1 minute for each occultist level you possess. You must be at least 5th level to select this focus power.
Reincarnation’s Guise (Sp): As a standard action, you can spend 1 point of mental focus to assume the form of one of your past lives, changing your appearance as per the spell disguise self (though your appearance must be either human or samsaran, as appropriate for your past lives) and gaining a +4 enhancement bonus to any one ability score for 1 minute for each occultist level you possess. You must be at least 3rd level to select this focus power.
Restore Grandeur (Sp): As a standard action, you can spend 1 point of mental focus to touch an object or creature and restore it to its former glory. If you restore grandeur to an object, your touch restores 1d4 points of damage to the object plus 1d4 points for every 2 occultist levels you possess beyond 1st. If you instead target a creature, your touch instead restores 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points for every 2 occultist levels you possess beyond 1st. Living creatures can only receive healing from this ability once per day.
Wisdom of the Ages (Sp): You can spend 1 point of mental focus to search memories from your past lives to recall legends and myths. This functions as legend lore, but the person or thing you wish to learn of must be at hand, and the casting time is always 1d4 minutes. You must be at least 11th level to select this focus power.
Occultist Spells
Occultists who select the eternal implements school gain access to the following spells.
0-Level Occultist Spells: guidance, purify food and water, stabilize
1st-Level Occultist Spells: borrow skill APG, burst of insight OA, comprehend languages, deathwatch, deja vu OA, disguise self, karmic blessing ARG, object reading OA, protection from chaos/evil, sanctify corpse UM, see alignment UC, share language APG, youthful appearance UM
2nd-Level Occultist Spells: augury, blessing of courage and life APG, hypercognition OA, make whole, share memory UM, tongues, undetectable alignment
3rd-Level Occultist Spells: gentle repose, haste, hold person, erase impressions OA, lesser age resistance UM, magic circle against chaos/evil, retrocognition OA, sands of time UM, slow, speak with dead
4th-Level Occultist Spells: age resistance UM, death ward, legend lore, reincarnate
5th-Level Occultist Spells: atonement, dispel chaos/evil, elude time APG, fabricate, greater age resistance UM, serenity UM, threefold aspect APG
6th-Level Occultist Spells: disintegrate, euphoric tranquility APG, mislead, repress memory OA, transformation
Download the Book of Heroic Races: Occult Intrigue in the Wilderness today at the JBE Shop for your Pathfinder game. You can also find it at DriveThruRPG/RPGNow, Paizo, and the Open Gaming Store.
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