Illumian Transcendant Base Class PEACH

[Anachronity]

I keep no secrets that my favorite playable race by far is the Illumian. One thing I always thought would be cool is if you could get more than two power sigils in a balanced or reasonable fashion. It seems like the racial block of Illumians is set up for it, but there isn't even a long chain of feats you can take or anything...

Enter the Illumian Transcendant!

The Illumian Transcendant (Transcendant for short) is one who seeks to obtain divinity by understanding and mastering the living, magical language of which she is made. This class is a more focused "jack of all trades" alternative to Bard or Factotum. While those two can sort-of kind-of do what any other class can do at any given time, the Transcendant chooses which classes she focuses on emulating and sticks with it, seeking to combine abilities from multiple different classes into one cohesive whole, greater than the sum of its parts.

I think this class is somewhere between T3 and T2, depending on how much cheese you allow in regard to "casting" spells above your maximum spell level with Heighten Spell and similar effects. I tried to prevent nonsense within the class itself, but there is a lot of hidden power in how it advances the Illumian racial traits. Among those traits are a DMM knockoff, the ability to get bonus spells from Strength, and a few other glare-worthy gems. I did not want to modify the traits of the race proper, so I tried to build a class which was balanced around them and could reasonably make use of most or all of the Illumian Power Words.

[Anachronity]

The Illumian Transcendant is one who seeks to emulate Tarmuid, The First's ascension via final utterance. They spend their lives mastering many different skills and paths, learning of the Ritual of Words Made Flesh which gave their ancestors the forms which they themselves now possess.

Adventuring: An illumian transcendant often views the world as the greatest of libraries. One cannot learn all the trades of life without experiencing them firsthand. Thus, many transcendants take up a life of adventuring as a pursuit of knowledge.

Alignment: Illumian transcendants come from all philosophies. The strong connections they often hold with their cabal means a tendancy towards law over chaos, but the Ritual of Words Made Flesh gave illumians no predilection towards good or evil, and the transcendant is no different.

Religion: Illumian transcendants share largely the same religious beliefs as others of their kind. Tarmuid, The First Illumian, however, becomes a special case for them. They seek to emulate his ascension, and thus they see him less as a god and more as a rolemodel.

Other Classes: Transcendants are often viewed in the same light as whatever walk of life they borrow most strongly from. As all transcendants are able to cast spells, those with only a passing knowledge of them believe they are no more than wizards specializing in sound or language-based effects.

Role: The illumian transcendant can be anything, but behind every choice made is a second choice forgone. Illumian transcendants may differ wildly in their capabilities depending on what specialties each has picked up along the way. Even so, they will inevitably find themselves deficient when compared to a dedicated professional, and so their greatest strength is when they combine the skills of other professions with their own unique abilities.

Abilities: An illumian transcendant uses Intelligence for spellcasting, but is otherwise not predisposed towards any particular attribute. Constitution adds valuable survivability to a transcendant, as with all other classes.

Requirements: Must be an illumian or otherwise possess the Luminous Sigils, Power Sigils, and Illumian Words racial traits of an illumian.
Class Skills
The illumian transcendant's class skills (and the key ability for each) are Concentration (Con), Decipher Script (Int), Forgery (Int), Speak Language (n/a), and Spellcraft (Int). Additionally, see the Runic Skills ability below.
Skill Points: 4+Int/level (x4 for 1st level)

The Illumian Transcendant -Spells Per Day-



Level
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Abilities
0th
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th


1st
+0
+0
+0
+2
Enhanced Power Sigils, Runic Skills, Spellcasting
3
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
+1
+0
+0
+3
Illumian Magic +1
4
1
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
+2
+1
+1
+3
Linguistimancy, Smatterings
4
2
-
-
-
-
-


4th
+3
+1
+1
+4
Extra Power Sigil
4
3
1
-
-
-
-


5th
+3
+1
+1
+4
Smatterings
4
4
2
-
-
-
-


6th
+4
+2
+2
+5
Illumian Magic +2
4
4
3
-
-
-
-


7th
+5
+2
+2
+5
Extra Power Sigil, Smatterings
4
4
3
1
-
-
-


8th
+6
+2
+2
+6

4
4
4
2
-
-
-


9th
+6
+3
+3
+6
Smatterings
4
4
4
3
-
-
-


10th
+7
+3
+3
+7
Illumian Magic +3
4
4
4
3
1
-

-


11th
+8
+3
+3
+7
Extra Power Sigil, Smatterings
4
4
4
4
2
-
-


12th
+9
+4
+4
+8

4
4
4
4
3
-

-


13th
+9
+4
+4
+8
Smatterings
4
4
4
4
3
1
-


14th
+10
+4
+4
+9
Illumian Magic +4
5
4
4
4
4
2
-


15th
+11
+5
+5
+9
Extra Power Sigil, Smatterings
5
5
4
4
4
3
-



16th
+12
+5
+5
+10

5
5
5
4
4
3
1


17th
+12
+5
+5
+10
Smatterings
5
5
5
5
4
4
2


18th
+13
+6
+6
+11
Illumian Magic +5
5
5
5
5
5
4
3


19th
+14
+6
+6
+11
Smatterings
5
5
5
5
5
5
4


20th
+15
+6
+6
+12
Words Made Flesh
5
5
5
5
5
5
5



Ability Descriptions
Enhanced Power Sigils: The transcendant gains the Enhanced Power Sigils feat as a bonus feat.

Runic Skills: There are many roads to perfection, and the path that each transcendant takes may differ wildly. At each level the transcendant treats as a class skill each skill which shares a key ability with an illumian power sigil that the transcendant possesses. When the transcendant gains a new sigil, the associated skills then become class skills. However, skill points spent to gain cross-class ranks are not recovered when new class skills are gained, just as with multiclassing.
For example, if Sialma has the "Uur" and "Hoon" power sigils on taking her third level of illumian transcendant, she would treat all skills with a key ability of Dexterity, Constitution, or Wisdom as class skills. If she were to then spend four skill points to gain two cross-class ranks in swim, she would not gain two skill points back if she chose "Aesh" as her third power sigil at transcendant level 4, but would merely treat that skill as a class skill for this and future transcendant levels.

Spellcasting: An illumian transcendant gains a unique sort of spellcasting from a specialized list of spells. The transcendant casts arcane spells, and though some spells gained are from the Cleric spell list she never requires a divine focus to cast them. A transcendant must choose and prepare her spells in advance, just as a wizard or cleric would (but see spontaneous casting below).
To prepare or cast a spell, a transcendant must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a transcendent's spell is 10 + the spell level + the transcendant's Intelligence modifier. The illumian transcendant has one more spell per day at each level than a bard of the same level (of those spell levels which a bard could cast at that level), and receives bonus spells for a high Intelligence score.
Like a cleric, the transcendant always has access to all spells she knows. A transcendant may select from all sorcerer/wizard and cleric spells of 6th-level or lower which either have the [sonic] or [language-dependant] descriptors or would interact with her glyphic resonance racial ability (that is, all spells with glyph, rune, sigil, or symbol in their name, subject to DM discretion). If the same spell appears on both the cleric and sorcerer/wizard lists at different spell levels, use the lower level of the two.
The transcendant must have 8 hours of rest to replenish her daily allotment of spells, and once she has rested she may then prepare spells just as a wizard would. However, unlike a wizard she need not consult a spellbook (she already knows all spells she is able to cast). Also unlike a wizard, she may not leave spell slots blank and prepare them later - a transcendant may only prepare spells one time before she rests again. Although she need not reference a spellbook, preparing spells still requires one hour of peaceful meditation.
Though many transcendant spells have only a vocal component, the transcendant does not otherwise gain any special ability to ignore arcane spell failure from armor.
Spontaneous Casting: An illumian transcendant has an unusual element of flexibility in her spellcasting in that she may sacrifice an unprepared spell slot (and only an unprepared one!) in order to spontaneously cast any prepared spell of a level equal to or lower than the spent slot without expending the prepared spell. Thus, spell preparation for a transcendant is a balancing act between having more flexible access to a few spells or a wider daily repertoire. Unprepared spell slots still count for the benefit of certain illumian words, such as "Naenaesh", and this ability does not qualify an illumian transcendant as a spontaneous caster for the purposes of feats, prestige classes, or the like.

Extra Power Sigil (Su): The transcendant gains an additional power sigil from those she has not taken. This increases the bonuses from her existing power sigils by +1, as normal, and gives her access to all of the Illumian Words which can be formed with the power sigils she possesses.

Smatterings: At 3rd level and every two levels after, the illumian transcendant learns a trick of the trade from some other profession. The transcendant selects a smattering from those listed below. Each type of smattering may be selected more than once for an alternate benefit. All smatterings stack with themselves where applicable, and increases to the transcendant's effective binder, initiator, manifester, or meldshaper level stack with those gained from levels in the appropriate class or from other sources (but such an increase may never raise the transcendant's effective level for any class ability higher than her total hit dice).

-Arcane: The transcendant chooses two spells from the sorcerer/wizard list, each of a spell level one lower than the highest level transcendant spells she is able to cast, and permanently adds them to her list of spells known. She prepares and casts these spells as transcendant spells, and may spontaneously cast them with unprepared spell slots the same as she can with her other transcendant spells (i.e. by preparing them in a different spell slot of the same or lower level). Additional arcane smatterings each grant two more spells known, subject to the same restrictions.

-Binding: The transcendant gains the ability to bind a single vestige at a time as a 3rd-level binder. Each additional binding smattering increases her effective binder level by 2, though this may never increase her effective binder level above her total hit dice. This smattering does not grant access to any other benefits of being a binder, such as the ability to suppress a vestige's sign or bind more than one vestige.

-Combat: The transcendant gains a bonus combat feat (i.e. a fighter bonus feat) and her Base Attack Bonus permanently increases by 1 (to a maximum of her total hit dice). Additional combat smatterings grant another combat feat and further increase the transcendant's BAB by 1, but still may not increase a character's BAB above her total hit dice.

-Divine: The transcendant gains the ability to turn undead twice per day, as a cleric of half her illumian transcendant level. Each additional divine smattering grants another two daily turning attempt and increases the transcendant's effective cleric level for turning by 1, though this may never raise her effective cleric level above her total hit dice.

-Expertise: The transcendant gains 4 skill points which must be spent immediately, as well as sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding, and uncanny dodge, as the rogue abilities. Additional expertise smatterings increase the sneak attack damage by 1d6 and grant 6 more skill points.

-Illumian: The transcendant gains two bonus feat which may be selected from any racial feat which lists "Illumian" as a requirement. Additional illumian smatterings each grant one extra bonus feat subject to the same restrictions and increase the bonuses granted by a single illumian power sigil you possess by 1. This increase may not be applied to a single sigil more than once.

-Incarnum: The transcendant gains one point of essentia and the Shape Soulmeld feat. Additional incarnum smatterings each grant a bonus feat and increase your effective meldshaper level for all soulmelds by one (to a maximum of your total hit dice). Bonus feats gained this way may be selected from any feat from chapter 3 of the Magic of Incarnum suppliment other than Incarnum Resistance. The transcendant must meet the requirements of these feats as normal.

-Psionic: The transcendant gains knowledge of and the ability to manifest a single first-level psionic power using Intelligence as her manifesting attribute. The illumian transcendant's manifester level for this power (and those later gained from further psionic smatterings) is equal to her illumian transcendant class levels. She gains power points equal to her transcendant level, plus any additional points for a high Intelligence score. Additional psionic smatterings each grant knowledge of another 1st-level psionic power and additional power points equal to the transcendant's class level. Power points gained from these smatterings increase retroactively with further transcendant levels.

-Sublime Way: The transcendant's effective initiator level increases by 1 (to a maximum of her total hit dice) and she gains knowledge of one martial maneuver as though through the Martial Study feat, though she does not gain the associated class skill. You may recover a single maneuver thus readied by casting a transcendant spell with a casting time of at least one standard action. Additional sublime way smatterings each grant a +1 increase in initiator level (still subject to the hit dice limit) and an additional maneuver known. Unlike the real Martial Study feat, the transcendant is not limited in how many times this smattering may be taken, and does not count it against the number of times Martial Study may be taken.

Illumian Magic: Beginning at 2nd level, when expending a spell slot to use an illumian word racial ability, the illumian transcendant treats the expended slot as being one level higher for the purpose of bonuses gained from expending the slot. The effective increase to the expended slot's level improves by one at every 4 levels after 2nd, and may cause the effective spell level to be higher than 9th.

Linguistimancy: At 3rd level, the transcendant gains access to all of her illumian transcendant spells known (including those gained from arcane smatterings, if any) for all of her other spellcasting classes. The transcendant adds these spells to her list of spells known for those other classes, if any.
This ability does not grant the transcendant any additional spell slots on its own. Although they are taken from the transcendant's unique list of spells known, spells prepared this way by virtue of other class levels do not count as transcendant spells for the purpose of the transcendant's spontaneous casting.

Words Made Flesh (Ex): A 20th-level illumian transcendant has become a living embodiment of language. She is forevermore treated as an outsider rather than a humanoid for the purpose of magical effects, except where doing so would be detrimental. She no longer ages visibly and does not take penalties to her ability scores for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any such penalties that she has already taken, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the transcendant still dies of old age when her time is up.
Those few transcendants who reach this level of self-awareness and mastery of language have a very strong chance of ascending to divinity upon death; their final utterance bringing them across the brink to godhood. Naturally it is up to the GM as to whether this occurs for any particular transcendant.

[Anachronity]

Reserved!!!