Astral Trickster
Put an optional image of your class here!
I did not open the lock to the king's treasury to steal it, I swear that I am innocent. Actually, I passed through the wall.
As per the rule of three, there are three ways to go from one place to another on the Material Plane without ever bothering about such thing as a wall, locked door or hallway. The Astral Trickster is smart enough to know that, and so she learned of the three planes that border on the prime material ; the astral plane, the ethereal plane, and the plane of shadow. Due to the proximity of these planes, there are loopholes in reality that an Astral Trickster learns to use to channel the power of the transitive planes. These tricks allow one to move from anywhere to everywhere, and so are a great tool to any thief.
Adventures: Most of the time, Astral Tricksters want money. Their skills lead themselve so easily to stealing and grave robbing that members of this class rarely bother using them for virtuous (or nefarious) purposes, unless they can get money out of it.
Characteristics: An Astral Trickster is in many way similar to a rogue, though her abilities in this regard are somewhat diminished to compensate for her planecasting. The Astral Trickster class is also the only one of the three planecasting base classes to have spell-like abilities in addition to her planecasting.
Alignment: Due to their typical background as thieves, Astral Tricksters tend toward chaotic. They are not especially attracted toward good or evil, so chaotic neutral is the most common alignment for them. Of course, many of them still end up on the side of good or evil, and while rater uncommon, some can even be lawful (good, neutral or evil).
Religion: ???
Background: ???
Races: Curiously, this class is most common amongst gnomes and halflings. It is presumed that the gnome's natural affinity with the Plane of Shadow makes them prone to this particular kind of planecasting, while the halfling's cunning and thief skill come in handy for those that become Astral Tricksters. Perhaps unsurprisingly, humans are also likely to take this class, though less that their smaller cousins. Very few (if any) Astral Tricksters come from a non-humanoid race, and this particular form of planecasting is practically unknown outside of the material and transitive planes.
Other Classes: ???
Role: ???
Adaptation: ???
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Astral Tricksters have the following game statistics.
Abilities: Intelligence is the Astral Trickster's most important ability score, since determines the save DC of her formulas and the highest level of formula she can access. Dexterity will make her harder to hit and is used for many of her class skills. Finally, Constitution is useful for any character and can make her much more durable.
Alignment: Any
Hit Die: d6
Starting Age: Moderate.
Starting Gold: 5d4 x 10 gp (125 gp).
Class Skills
The Astral Trickster's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Disable Device (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Search (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha) and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at First Level: (6 + Int modifier) x 4
Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 6 + Int modifier
ASTRAL TRICKSTER
Level |
BAB |
Fort |
Ref |
Will |
Special |
Formulas Known |
Maximum Formula Level Known |
1st |
+0 |
+0 |
+2 |
+2 |
Planecasting, Trapfinding |
1 |
1st |
2nd |
+1 |
+0 |
+3 |
+3 |
Evasion |
1 |
1st |
3rd |
+2 |
+1 |
+3 |
+3 |
Misdirection 1/day |
2 |
1st |
4th |
+3 |
+1 |
+4 |
+4 |
Sneak attack +1d6 |
4 |
2nd |
5th |
+3 |
+1 |
+4 |
+4 |
Misdirection 2/day, Nondetection 1/day |
5 |
2nd |
6th |
+4 |
+2 |
+5 |
+5 |
Trap sense +1 |
7 |
3rd |
7th |
+5 |
+2 |
+5 |
+5 |
Nondetection 2/day |
8 |
3rd |
8th |
+6/+1 |
+2 |
+6 |
+6 |
Sneak attack +2d6 |
10 |
4th |
9th |
+6/+1 |
+3 |
+6 |
+6 |
Teleport 1/day |
11 |
4th |
10th |
+7/+2 |
+3 |
+7 |
+7 |
Trap sense +2 |
13 |
5th |
11th |
+8/+3 |
+3 |
+7 |
+7 |
Teleport 2/day |
14 |
5th |
12th |
+9/+4 |
+4 |
+8 |
+8 |
Sneak attack +3d6, Undetectable |
16 |
6th |
13th |
+9/+4 |
+4 |
+8 |
+8 |
Greater Teleport 1/day |
17 |
6th |
14th |
+10/+5 |
+4 |
+9 |
+9 |
Trap sense +3 |
19 |
7th |
15th |
+11/+6/+1 |
+5 |
+9 |
+9 |
Greater Teleport 2/day |
20 |
7th |
16th |
+12/+7/+2 |
+5 |
+10 |
+10 |
Sneak attack +4d6 |
22 |
8th |
17th |
+12/+7/+2 |
+5 |
+10 |
+10 |
Plane Shift 1/day |
23 |
8th |
18th |
+13/+8/+3 |
+6 |
+11 |
+11 |
Trap sense +4 |
25 |
9th |
19th |
+14/+9/+4 |
+6 |
+11 |
+11 |
Plane Shift 2/day |
26 |
9th |
20th |
+15/+10/+5 |
+6 |
+12 |
+12 |
Sneak attack +5d6 |
27 |
9th |
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Astral Trickster.
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Astral Trickster is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow and short sword. She is not proficient with any type of armor or shield.
Planecasting (Sp): AnAstral Trickster relies on a form of magic known as planecasting. An Astral Trickster casts spell-like abilities known as formulas, which are drawn from the Astral Trickster formula list. She can cast any formula she knowns without preparing it ahead of time, but doing so requires the spending of planar points (see below).
To learn or cast a formula, an Astral Trickster must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the effective spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against an Astral Trickster's formula is 10 + the effective spell level + the Astral Trickster's Intelligence modifier.
An Astral Trickster's selection of formulas is extremely limited. She begins play knowing one 1st-level formula of her choice. At each new Astral Trickster level (except 2nd), she gains one or more new formulas, as indicated on Table: Astral Trickster. These new formulas can be common ones chosen from the Astral Trickster formula list, formulas from the lists she can access thanks to her planeshaping feats, or formulas discovered through study. Formulas discovered by study count normally toward her maximum number of formulas ; thus, they are only gained on a level up.
An Astral Trickster can cast any formula she knows at any time, assuming she has enough planar points remaining to cast it. There are many types of planar points associated with different planes, but the Astral Trickster only needs astral points (Ast), ethereal points (Eth) and shadow points (S). Other planecasting classes may use different types of points. Spent planar points recover naturally at the rate of 1 per minute (taken individually for each type of points), though there are ways to quicken the process (for example, an Astral Trickster could take a level of Planar Mage to gain the Instant Recovery class feature, then use it to recover shadow points). The Astral Trickster can only have a given amount of points at any time, as indicated on Table: Planar Points.
PLANAR POINTS
Level |
Astral Points |
Ethereal Points |
Shadow Points |
1st |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2nd |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3rd |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4th |
2 |
2 |
2 |
5th |
3 |
3 |
3 |
6th |
3 |
3 |
3 |
7th |
4 |
4 |
4 |
8th |
4 |
4 |
4 |
9th |
5 |
5 |
5 |
10th |
5 |
5 |
5 |
11th |
6 |
6 |
6 |
12th |
6 |
6 |
6 |
13th |
7 |
7 |
7 |
14th |
7 |
7 |
7 |
15th |
8 |
8 |
8 |
16th |
8 |
8 |
8 |
17th |
9 |
9 |
9 |
18th |
9 |
9 |
9 |
19th |
10 |
10 |
10 |
20th |
10 |
10 |
10 |
Trapfinding: Astral Tricksters (like rogues) can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
Astral Tricksters can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
An Astral Trickster who beats a trap's DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level and higher, an Astral Trickster can avoid even magical and unusual attacks with great agility. If she makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if the Astral Trickster is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless Astral Trickster does not gain the benefit of evasion.
Misdirection (Sp): At 3rd level, the Astral Trickster can use Misdirection once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to her planecaster level). She can use this ability twice per day at 5th level. Unlike most of her later spell-like abilities, Misdirection can be used without spending planar points.
Sneak Attack: If an Astral Trickster of 4th level or higher can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The Astral Trickster's attack deals extra damage any time her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the Astral Trickster flanks her target.
This extra damage is 1d6 at 4th level, and it increases by 1d6 every four Astral Trickster levels thereafter. Should the Astral Trickster score a critical hit with a sneak attack, this extra damage is not multiplied.
Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.
With a sap (blackjack) or an unarmed strike, an Astral Trickster can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack, not even with the usual -4 penalty.
An Astral Trickster can sneak attack only living creatures with discernible anatomies—undead, constructs, oozes, plants, and incorporeal creatures lack vital areas to attack. Any creature that is immune to critical hits is not vulnerable to sneak attacks. The Astral Trickster must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. An Astral Trickster cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with concealment or striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are beyond reach.
Sneak attack damage gained from multiple classes stack.
Nondetection (Sp): At 5th level, the Astral Trickster can use Nondetection once per day as a spell-like ability (caster level equal to her planecaster level). She can use this ability twice per day at 7th level. Unlike most of her later spell-like abilities, Nondetection can be used without spending planar points.
Trap Sense: At 6th level, an Astral Trickster gains an intuitive sense that alerts her to danger from traps, giving her a +1 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +1 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 when the Astral Trickster reaches 10th level, to +3 when she reaches 14th level, and to +4 when she reaches 18th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.