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View Full Version : My Anima Stands Ready! [3.5 Psionic PrC based on Sins of a Solar Empire]



Lix Lorn
2013-03-04, 05:57 PM
Wielder of the Drone Anima
‘Our Anima stands ready.’

Background: Outside the martial traditions of the Advent tribes, few practice the art of the Drone Anima. The use of Psicrystals as weapons is rare, and they are generally used as spies rather than bodyguards.
Races: Any race capable of Psionics can become a Wielder, but very few outside the Advent tribes ever do so.
Other Classes: To those that don’t understand the specifics of Psicrystals, a Wielder will seem no stranger than any other Psionic, but those that do understand often find them very strange.
Role: A Wielder’s main advantage is that their drones can serve as a tank wall, while they retain some ability to blast from behind.
Wielders in the World: By far the majority of Wielders are found among the Advent, but some proponents of the art exist outside, generally in military or other roles with conflict.
Inspiration: Pretty blatantly based on Sins of a Solar Empire.

Prerequisites
Powers: Capable of manifesting at least one third level power, and Mindlink.
Special: Must possess a Psicrystal.

Hit Die: d4
Class Skills-The Wielders’ class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (All) (Int), Profession (Wis), Psicraft (Int), and Sense Motive (Wis). In a sci-fi setting, any skill related to piloting is a class skill.
Skill Points at 1st level: (4+ Int Modifier) x4
Skill Points per Level: 4+ Int Modifier




Level
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Special
Manifesting Progression


1st

+0

+0

+0

+2
Combat Drone, Wielding the Anima
-


2nd

+1

+0

+0

+3
Drone Talent
+1 level of existing class


3rd

+1

+1

+1

+3
Sympathy through Unity
+1 level of existing class


4th

+2

+1

+1

+4
Drone Talent
+1 level of existing class


5th

+2

+1

+1

+4
Drone Duo
+1 level of existing class


6th

+3

+2

+2

+5
Drone Talent
-


7th

+3

+2

+2

+5
The Unity Beckons
+1 level of existing class


8th

+4

+2

+2

+6
Drone Talent
+1 level of existing class


9th

+4

+3

+3

+6
The Unity Beckons
+1 level of existing class


10th

+5

+3

+3

+7
Drone Talent, Drone Wing
+1 level of existing class



Weapon and Armour Proficiency: A Wielder gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.

Combat Drone, Drone Duo, Drone Wing (Ex): The most important part of being a Wielder is the possession of the battle-ready psicrystals they call Drones. For abilities related to Drones and Psicrystals, a Wielder treats this class as increasing his manifester level at each level.

A Wielder’s Psicrystal is reconfigured on his first level of the PrC to use the following rules.
Drone
A Drone is identical to a psicrystal, except where stated otherwise.

A Drone is considered a small construct, with all the benefits and penalties implied. However, it uses the HD of a magical beast, ten sided, with full BAB, and a good fortitude and reflex save. It begins with a single hit die, and gains one more on each odd manifester level.
It always uses the better base saving throws between it and its master.
Its base Strength and Dexterity scores are both 13.
It has a flight speed of 20ft (clumsy), although its maneuverability increases by one rank per five manifesting levels. (To Poor at ML 5, Average at 10, Good at 15, and Perfect at ML 20).
It also increases in speed by 10ft at each of these levels. (To 60ft at ML 20)
It has a single attack, usually a slashing melee attack dealing 1d4+Str damage.



Manifester Level
HD
Natural Armor Bonus
Str/Dex Bonus
Int Bonus
Special


1-2
1
+0
+0
+0
Alertness, Personality, Share Powers, Sighted, Telepathic Link


3-4
2
+1
+1
+1
Deliver Touch Powers


5-6
3
+3
+1
+2
Telepathic Speech


7-8
4
+4
+2
+3
Rapid Attack


9-10
5
+5
+2
+4
Evasion


11-12
6
+7
+3
+5
Power Resistance


13-14
7
+8
+3
+6
Sight Link


15-16
8
+9
+4
+7
Improved Rapid Attack


17-18
9
+11
+4
+8
Improved Evasion


19-20
10
+12
+5
+9




HD: The number of Magical Beast hit dice the Drone has. These determine its hit dice, base saves, feats, skill points, and ability increases from levels.

Natural Armor, Str, Dex, Int Bonus: These numbers are added to the relevant statistic as an untyped bonus stacking with all others.

Alertness, Personality, Share Powers, Sighted, Telepathic Link, Deliver Touch Powers, Telepathic Speech, Power Resistance, Sight Link: These powers work identically to the Psicrystal abilities.

Rapid Attack: Whether by additional weapons or simply extreme speed, the Drone can attack twice in a full attack. They may make a second attack at a -4 penalty. At ML 15, they may make a third attack at -8.

Evasion: As the Rogue ability.

At fifth level, a Wielder gains a second Drone. At tenth level, he gains a third. They function identically to his first, but generally have different personalities.

Wielding the Anima (Su): To direct his drones in combat, a Wielder must concentrate on the psionic link that joins them to him. This requires a standard action, and he must be within 50ft+5ft/class level. While doing this, any bonuses to AC, ability scores, attack rolls or damage rolls also apply to those made by his Drones. As a final benefit, if it is higher, he may treat their base attack bonus as being equal to his manifester level.

Generally, even if he isn’t Wielding them, Drones will do as he desires, but they lose the benefits of this ability.

It is totally legitimate to buy a Necklace of Natural Attacks (My Drones). It will apply to all attacks they make.

Drone Talents: At each second level, a Wielder may choose a Drone talent to improve their drones. Unless specified otherwise, she may not choose a single talent twice.
Agile Extensions
This talent simply provides Drones with a +2 dodge bonus to AC while being actively Wielded.

Benevolent Eye
Requires: Manifester level 13
With this talent, your Sight Link ability with your Drones is effectively permanent. You may switch between viewpoints as a swift or move action. If the link is dispelled, you must recreate it as normal. You may do so as many times a day as you like.

Blade Fixtures
Choose a weapon that you own. Your drones gain a nonmagical copy of it. While being actively Wielded, any magical abilities it possesses are also applied to these copies.

Defense Fields
While being Wielded, your drones have Resist equal to your manifesting ability modifier.
Resist applies equally to all forms of damage, and is penetrated by effects that negate either energy resistance or damage reduction.

Energy Blast
While being actively Wielded, Drones have the ability to project searing bolts of energy. These may deal either 1d8 damage of a physical type, 1d6 of a standard energy type, or 1d3 force damage. This damage is increased by one die for each additional HD the Drone possesses. This attack is a ranged attack, using dexterity, and deals bonus damage equal to the Wielder’s manifesting ability modifier. It is used as a standard action.

Hand of Thoughts
This talent grants your Drones the ability to lift and manipulate objects with their mind. This has a range of 15ft, and grants manipulation equal to that of a pair of humanoid hands.

Penetrating Strikes
While being actively Wielded, your drones’ attacks penetrate all forms of damage and energy resistance. This penetration ignore a number of points of resistance equal to the Wielder’s manifesting ability modifier.
This ability may be taken a second time.
When taken a second time, they double the amount of resistance they may ignore. In addition, they may treat Immunity as Resistance 30, and then reduce it by their manifesting ability modifier.

Rapid Flight
Your drones gain a +30ft increase in flight speed while being actively Wielded.
This talent may be taken more than once. Its effects stack.
At 21st character level and beyond, this talent instead doubles movement speed, stacking mathematically.

Reinforced Structure
This talent grants Drones an additional two hitpoints per HD.

Unity’s Voice
This talent allows you to make diplomacy checks through your drones, albeit at a -5 penalty. You must be actively Wielding them to use this ability.

Yawning Void
Multiply the distance your drones can be controlled at by ten. When Wielding at such range, you must have sight of the drones.

At 21st character level and beyond, this talent may be taken more than once. It stacks mathematically.

Sympathy Through Unity: A Wielder of the Anima is accustomed to telepathic sharing of thoughts, and finds it easy to communicate and befriend psionic beings. Starting at 3rd level, she gains a +2 bonus to diplomacy checks against Psionic beings.

The Unity Beckons (Ps): Many Anima Wielders belong to the traditions of the Advent, who have an affinity with mind affecting powers. At 7th level, a Wielder adds Psionic Charm to her powers known. At 9th level, she adds Psionic Dominate. In both cases, if she already knows the power, she may choose another power from the psion/wilder or telepath lists that she may learn.

Prestige Destiny
A Prestige Destiny is an alternate class feature given to a base class to replace some feature with that of a prestige class. Its intention is to solve the problem that a character may be created based on a PrC, and then require five levels of uselessness before they reach it.
Anima Drone
Replaces: First level of Psion, Wilder, full manifesting classes
Requires: Psicrystal
Lost: Will save. The openness of mind required to fully interface with these more powerful psicrystal gives the character a -3 penalty to will saves.
Gained: Following ability:
Combat Drone: The budding Wielder’s Psicrystal is ready for combat, exactly as described for a Wielder of the Anima. However, he treats his manifester level as half of what it is, rounding up.
End: If they ever take the first level of Wielder of the Anima, she achieves this destiny. Her Psicrystal uses her full manifester level, as described in the class ability, and no longer suffers a -3 penalty to will saves.

Race
Advent
A small tribe of humans, the Advent favour psionic ability above all else. They have a communal society, and form a hive mind that they refer to as the Unity. While almost all Advent feel at home with this, they can seem aggressive, totalitarian, and controlling to those born outside of the Unity.
Abilities: +2 Int, -2 Str, -2 Con. The Advent are focussed upon the mind above all.
Size: Medium
Type: Humanoid (Psionic)
Movement Rate: 30ft land
Power Familiarity: An Advent who takes a level in a manifesting class receives Mindlink as a bonus power known. Manifesting Mindlink on a willing Advent costs 0pp.
The Unity: An Advent can draw on the overwhelming knowledge of the Unity. She may do this once per day, gaining a bonus equal to her Intelligence modifier on any one roll.
Favoured Class: Bard, Psion, Elocater
LA: +0

TheTeaMustFlow
2013-03-04, 06:22 PM
Shiny. Your next task is the TEC Nuclear Weapons Expert :smallbiggrin:

Seriously, I think some kind of RPG setting based on Sins would contain comparable amounts of win to a properly employed Novalith battery. Good work, that man.

Lix Lorn
2013-03-04, 07:43 PM
I think nuclear weapons are outside of most d&d games. :smalltongue:

TheTeaMustFlow
2013-03-07, 04:07 PM
Then you, sir, have been playing the wrong D&D games. The presence of nukes is a clear indicator of taste and sophistication, along with high-caliber explosive rounds, kill sats, and thermite, as any true gentleman would know. I bid you good day.

Lix Lorn
2013-03-07, 04:58 PM
I stand corrected. :smallbiggrin: