Talent Trees

Shadow Theory expands each basic class's set of talent trees, opening up new talents for the heroes to take. These talent trees do not replace the basic ones; all of the original talent trees are also available in Shadow Theory, as well as any other talents your GM has created or found in other sourcebooks.

Strong Hero

Improvised Combat Talent Tree
Strong heroes have a natural knack for combat, and can turn just about anything into a weapon when pressed.

Improvised Aptitude
The strong hero suffers only a -2 penalty when wielding an improvised weapon.

Improved Improvised Aptitude
The strong hero suffers no penalty when wielding an improvised weapon.
Prerequisite: Improvised aptitude

Advanced Improvised Aptitude
The damage die of all improvised weapons wielded by the strong hero increase by 1 step, such as from 1d6 to 1d8. This stacks with other effects that increase the damage of improvised weapons.
Prerequisite: Improvised aptitude, improved improvised aptitude

Close Quarters Talent Tree
Strong heroes are capable of standing toe-to-toe with many of the monsters on their own terms: close-quarters.

Defensive Wrestling
When grappling with an enemy larger than you, your opponent's size bonus to grapple checks is reduced by half.

Ground and Pound
When you use the Damage Opponent option in a grapple to deal damage as an unarmed strike, you may instead choose to do lethal damage.
Prerequisite: Defensive wrestling

Power Wrestler
When you strike an opponent who you are grappling with an unarmed strike or light weapon, you deal additional damage equal to half your Strength modifier as if using a two-handed weapon.
Prerequisites: Defensive wrestling, ground and pound

Fast Hero

Avoidance Talent Tree
The fast hero's special skills allow them to hide and avoid confrontation with enemies.

Expert Hiding
If the character gains a circumstance bonus to Hide checks from cover or concealment, she gains an additional +2 per step. Three-quarters cover grants a +7 circumstance bonus instead of +5, for instance, while nine-tenths grants a +14 circumstance bonus instead of +10.

On the Move
Penalties to Hide and Move Silently checks caused by moving greater than half your speed are cut in half (round down). You suffer only a -2 penalty for moving at full speed, and only a -10 when running.

Just the Wind
The fast hero knows just where to throw rocks or small debris to cover their movement. When creating a diversion as part of a Hide check, the character may make a ranged attack roll instead of a Bluff check, and she suffers only a -5 penalty to her Hide check when using a diversion instead of a -10.
Prerequisite: On the move

Marksman Talent Tree
Bullets are in limited supply, and the fast hero knows how to make each one count.

Marksmanship
The fast hero deals an additional point of damage when making ranged attacks with firearms.

Improved Marksmanship
The fast hero deals an additional point of damage when making ranged attacks with firearms. This stacks with marksmanship, for a total of +2 damage.
Prerequisite: Marksmanship

Advanced Marksmanship
The fast hero deals an additional point of damage when making ranged attacks with firearms. This stacks with marksmanship and improved marksmanship, for a total of +3 damage.
Prerequisites: Marksmanship, improved marksmanship

Tough Hero
The tough hero's talent Remain Conscious does not work with the Vitality and Wound system and does not exist in Shadow Theory. Players interested in taking it should be redirected to the Braveheart talent tree.

Defender of Mankind Talent Tree
Tough heroes are able to handle abuse that others simply can't, and this drives some to be very protective of others.

Distracting Defender
Whenever you successfully deal damage to another creature in melee, that creature loses the ability to take attacks of opportunity against anyone but you for one round.

Fettering Defender
Whenever you successfully deal damage to another creature in melee, that creature suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls that are not directed at you for one round.
Prerequisite: Distracting defender

Harrowing Defender
In melee, you deal an additional 1d6 points of damage against creatures that have made an attack roll last round that did not target you. If the creature attacks you, whether successfully or not, it is immune to this ability for 1 round, even if it also attacks others.
Prerequisites: Distracting defender, fettering defender

Braveheart Talent Tree
The tough hero is a survivor at heart, capable of fighting against the odds long after other people would have fallen.

Defensive Rage
As a free action, the tough hero may enter a defensive rage that makes him very difficult to kill. While in this state, the tough hero gains a +6 bonus to Constitution, a +2 bonus to Will saves, and suffers a -2 penalty to Defense. This increase to Constitution grants the tough hero 3 Vitality points per level, as well as 6 Wound points, but these go away at the end of the rage and are not lost first the way temporary hit points are. He may not use any Charisma, Dexterity, or Intelligence based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or Concentration. He can use any feat he has except for Combat Expertise and psionic feats. The rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the tough hero's new Constitution modifier, but can be ended prematurely as a free action. Once the rage ends, even if it was ended intentionally, the tough hero is fatigued (-2 penalty to Strength and Dexterity, and cannot run or charge) for the rest of the encounter.

This talent can be used once per day.

This talent can be taken multiple times. Each time grants an additional usage per day. If taken three or more times, the character is no longer fatigued at the end of his rage (but still may not rage again for the rest of the encounter).
Prerequisite: One talent from the Unbreakable talent tree

Wounded Animal
When dealt a blow that reduces him to 0 Wound points, the tough hero may spend an action point to enter an animalistic frenzy, fighting tooth and nail to save his own life. This frenzy grants a +4 bonus to Strength and a +2 bonus to Constitution, a +2 bonus on Will saves, but inflicts a -2 penalty to Defense. Additionally, the tough hero recovers half his Wound points. This increase to Constitution grants the tough hero 1 Vitality point per level, as well as 2 Wound points, but these go away at the end of the rage and are not lost first the way temporary hit points are. He may not use any Charisma, Dexterity, or Intelligence based skills (except for Balance, Escape Artist, Intimidate, and Ride), the Concentration skill, or any abilities that require patience or Concentration. He can use any feat he has except for Combat Expertise and psionic feats. The rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the tough hero's new Constitution modifier, but can be ended prematurely as a free action. Once the rage ends, even if it was ended intentionally, the tough hero is exhausted (-6 penalty to Strength and Dexterity, and cannot run or charge) for the rest of the encounter.

This talent can only be used once a day, regardless of the number of action points the character possesses.

Prerequisite: Defensive rage, second wind

Smart Hero

Scavenger Talent Tree
The smart hero is excellent at finding and managing their own resources.

Vulture
You gain a +5 bonus on Search checks made specifically to scavenge for items and resources.

Conservative Crafter
Whenever you craft an item from parts, you use up one less part (minimum 1 part used).

Favorite Find
Select one of the following: Ammunition, food, batteries, electrical parts, mechanical parts, chemical parts. Whenever you successfully scavenge at least one unit of your chosen favorite, you gain an additional unit.

Dark Knowledge Talent Tree
Some smart heroes have a knack for understanding deranged minds and find it easier to understand their rantings.

Dark Insight
When attempting to decipher a forbidden tome, you gain a +2 bonus to your Decipher Script check.
Prerequisite: Linguist

Dread Insight
When attempting to decipher a forbidden tome, you may add your ranks in forbidden lore to your check.
Prerequisites: Dark insight, linguist

Read Between the Lines
Whenever you complete a forbidden tome from which you can extract a whisper, lexicon, or scroll, you may extract an additional whisper, lexicon, or scroll as if the tome contained one more. You cannot choose which whisper, lexicon, or scroll it contains, and you can only extract something of a type the tome already contained (a tome that contains no whispers still contains no whispers, for instance, but a tome that contained one whisper now contains two).
Prerequisites: Linguist, dark insight, dread insight

Dedicated Hero

Psychology Talent Tree
Dedicated heroes use their intuitive understanding of others to better help those suffering severe trauma.

Psychoanalysis
You gain a +2 bonus to Psychotherapy checks.

Breakthrough Therapy
Whenever you use Psychotherapy to recover another character's Sanity, you restore an additional point.
Prerequisite: Psychoanalysis

Revolutionary Therapy
Whenever you use Psychotherapy to recover another character's Sanity, you restore an additional point. This stacks with breakthrough therapy, for a total of two additional points restored.
Prerequisites: Psychoanalysis, breakthrough therapy

Charismatic Hero

Psion Talent Tree
Charismatic heroes have a knack for breadth of psychic powers that few others can match.

Sense of Agency
You may add your Charismatic level to your Psychic Focus checks.
Prerequisite: Sixth sense feat

Id Defense
Whenever you suffer Sanity damage from a successful use of a psionic feat, you suffer one less point of Sanity damage (minimum 1).
Prerequisites: Sixth sense feat, sense of agency

Ego Defense
Whenever you suffer Sanity damage from the use of a psionic feat, whether successful or not, you suffer one less point of Sanity damage (minimum 1 on a successful check, 0 on a failure). This stacks with id defense, for a total reduction of 2 on a succesful check (minimum 1 Sanity damage), or 1 on a failure (minimum 0 Sanity damage).
Prerequisites: Sixth sense feat, sense of agency, id defense