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View Full Version : Pathfinder Preview - The Archon, an Alternative Magic Knight Type



Knitifine
2017-06-19, 03:58 AM
Here's a preview of a class I've been tinkering with. If you can't make sense of the code of conduct don't worry. Enjoy while it stays up!

Quick Note: You can translate the Class Save Bonus and Saves to be: Good Fort and Will, Bad Reflex. The numbers appear off because they're part of a homebrew system and I forgot to fix them for general public use.

https://68.media.tumblr.com/ced40a011f7c4d01a03b23ebac10f7b4/tumblr_orse43uT1s1tbpjcao1_1280.png
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: An archon is proficient with all simple and martial melee weapons, and shields (except tower shields). An archon is not automatically proficient in any armor.
Essence of Pain: Archon have the ability to build up a charge of energy called Essence. They accumulate this energy by taking damage. Any time an Archon is attacked and damage by an enemy they gain 1 essence, to a maximum of 1 + 1 more for every 5 archon levels. Archons always gain essence when they are attacked and damage by an enemy, they may not choose not to gain essence. After 10 minutes spent without gaining essence an Archon loses all essence and becomes fatigued for a number of minutes equal to four times the essence lost. An Archon who is already fatigued becomes exhausted for the same amount of time, an Archon who is already exhausted becomes unconscious for the same amount of time, and an archon who is both exhausted and fatigue is reduced -1 HP (if higher) and begins dying (until healed).
Force Mantle: Archons gain a mantle of force that protects them from harm whenever they choose to forgo traditional armor. This mantle gives them a +3 bonus to their armor class, plus one additional point of armor for each essence they have. The armor created by this feature is a magical force effect with an effective caster level equal to the Archon’s character level.
Mandate: All Archons have a mandate given to them by the alien forces they serve. They may choose any mandate from the list below, or from a supplemental list approved by the DM. Certain usual mandate might be special prerequisites, and all mandates include a Code of Conduct.
Unstoppable: Starting at 2nd level, the Archon becomes truly unstoppable whenever they gain essence. For each point of essence an Archon has they gain DR 1/- and a +1 bonus to all saves against massive damage and death effects.
Essence Augmentation: Starting at 3rd level, the Archon begins to develop their own style of essence manipulation, allowing them to customize their abilities to best suit their personal challenges. At level 3 and every odd level beyond that the Archon may choose an essence augmentation from the following list.
Force Resistance: An archon with this essence augmentation gain resistance to force damage equal to their character level. Against force effects that do not deal damage (such as grasping hand), the archon adds this bonus to saving throws and CMD.
Energy Resistance: An archon with this essence augmentation gain resistance equal to twice their character level to one of the following energy types: acid, cold, electricity, fire, negative energy, or positive energy.
Force-forged Weapon: An archon with this essence augmentation gains the ability to shape their essence into a single melee weapon they are proficient with. They may change the shape of their force-forged weapon’s shape at the beginning to each day. The weapon created by this essence augmentation is a magical force effect with an effective caster level equal to the Archon’s character level. The weapon has an enhancement bonus equal to 1 per point of essence the Archon currently has while wielded by the archon, up to a +5 bonus.
Force-tempered Weapon: An archon with this augmentation can transform any amount of enhancement bonus attributed to their Force-forged weapon in the following special qualities: brilliant energy, corrosive, corrosive burst, disruptive, flaming, flaming burst, frost, icy burst, keen, shock, shocking burst, throwing, vicious, or wounding. An archon must be at least level 10 and have the force-forged weapon augmentation to select this augmentation.
Force-forged Shield: An archon with this essence augmentation gains the ability to shape their essence into a single shield they are proficient with. They may change the shape of their force-forged shield at the beginning of each day. The shield created by this essence augmentation is a force effect with an effective caster level equal to the Archon’s character level. The shield may has an enhancement bonus equal to 1 per point of essence the Archon current has while wielded by the archon, up to a +5 bonus.
Force-tempered Shield: An archon with this augmentation can transform any amount of enhancement bonus attributed to their Force-forged shield in the following special qualities: bashing, blinding, mirrored, ramming, arrow deflection, or reflecting. An archon must be at least level 10 and have the force-forged shield augmentation to select this augmentation.
Heavy Force Mantle: An archon with this augmentation improves their force mantle. This mantle gives them a +5 bonus to their armor class, plus one additional point of armor for each essence they have. However, while wearing this mantle they may only have add up to +2 points from their dexterity to their AC.
Alien Ichor: An archon with this augmentation can distill lost essence into their blood in order to produce miraculous effects. Whenever the Archon loses essence they may choose to accept bleed damage equal to the essence lost. This bleed damage lasts for 1 round, during which the archon or another creature can collect the blood within a flask as a full round action. The collect blood may then be imbibe like a potion to grant the drinker regeneration equal to the essence lost for 3 rounds.
Essence of the Giant: An archon with this augmentation gains a bonus to all combat maneuver checks against larger or larger creatures equal to the target’s special size modifier plus the amount of essence the archon has.
Essence of the Sage: An archon with this augmentation gains a number of additional class skills equal to the essence they possess. The additional class skills and the order they are obtained is determined by the archon at the start of each day. Each of the new class skills is treated as if the Archon had the maximum number of ranks in the skill for their level.
Monkey’s Essence: An archon with this augmentation gains a climb speed of 5 ft per point of essence. The archon does not gain the +8 bonus to Climb checks normally associated with having a climb speed, but instead gains a bonus to Climb checks equal to their essence.
Dolphin’s Essence: An archon with this augmentation gains a swim speed of 5 ft per point of essence. The archon does not gain the +8 bonus to Swim checks normally associated with having a swim speed, but instead gains a bonus to Swim checks equal to their essence.
Essence Drain: An archon with this augmentation gains a melee touch attack. Enemies hit by this melee touch attack take 1d6 force damage per point of essence the archon has and the archon gains 1 essence. This is a necromancy effect and a negative energy effect.
Essence of the Rogue: An archon with this augmentation gains danger sense (as the barbarian and rogue class feature) with a bonus equal to their energy.
Essence of the Trickster: An archon with this augmentation gains evasion when they possess 5 essence, and improved evasion when they possess 10 evasion.
Force-bound Tether: An archon with this augmentation can launch a force bound tether from their off hand. One creature with 30 feet of the Archon becomes tethered to the archon, unable to move away without breaking the tether (the force tether has a hardness of 10 and a number of hit points equal to 10 per point of essence the archon possesses) or using a drag maneuver against the archon.
Precognitive Dodge: An archon with this augmentation loses the force mantle class feature. Instead the Archon gains a dodge bonus to AC equal to their Intelligence modifier whenever they choose to forgo armor.
Force-forged Wall: An archon with this augmentation may create a wall of force as a supernatural ability. This wall of force has an area of one 5-foot square per caster level, a caster level equal to the Archon’s class level and an effective spell level equal to one half the Archon’s class level, but otherwise functions like the spell wall of force.
Force-forged Perfection: An archon with this augmentation has nearly real force constructs. The archon’s force effects cannot be dispelled or suppressed by dispel magic or other anti-magic effects except mage’s disjunction, which only has a 1% per caster level of effecting them.
Null-magic Mantle: An archon with this augmentation gain spell resistance equal to 11 plus 1 per archon level and point of essence the archon possesses. Spell effects that target the archon or the archon’s possessions, but normally ignore spell resistance, do not ignore this spell resistance.
Burnoff: Starting at 4th level the Archon learns how to handle the sudden loss of essence better. Each time the Archon loses all their essence they may choose to gain one of the following benefits.
Clarity: At 4th level, the Archon can choose to gain renewed clarity whenever they lose all their essence. An archon suffering from fatigue or exhaustion brought about by the loss of their essence gains a competence bonus to Knowledge, Perception and Sense Motive checks equal to the lost essence.
Healing: At 8th level, the Archon can choose to gain healing whenever they lose all their essence. When the Archon loses their essence they may immediate heal a number of hit points equal to 1d12 plus the number of essence they lost.
Alacrity: At 12th level, the Archon can choose to gain alacrity whenever they lose all their essence. When the Archon loses their essence, they may choose for reduce the amount of time they suffer fatigue or exhaustion (but not unconsciousness). The number of minutes they suffer from these conditions is reduced to the same number of rounds.
Flight: At 16th level, the Archon can choose to fly away whenever they lose all their essence. When the Archon loses their essence, they may choose to gain a fly speed equal to 10 per point of essence lost with perfect maneuverability for one round.
Prime: At 20th level, the Archon may choose to store all their essence instead of losing it. After loses all their essence the Archon may choose to regain the lost essence at any point later during the day. The Archon may only use this ability once each day.
Stalwart: At 4th level, an archon can use mental and physical resiliency to avoid certain attacks. If they make a Fortitude or Will saving throw against an attack that has a reduced effect on a successful save, they instead avoid the effect entirely. A helpless archon does not gain the benefit of the stalwart ability.
Essence Outburst: At 6th level, an archon can make a special type of full attack. Instead of making a second attack, the archon may choose to immediately lose all accumulated essence without suffering the usual drawbacks or triggering burn off. Essence lost this way deals 1d6 force damage per point of essence to all creature within 10 ft. of the Archon, though they are allowed a Fortitude Save to reduce the damage by half. The DC for this save is equal to the 10 + the Archon’s intelligence modifier + the amount of energy lost.
Whenever the archon gain an additional attack they may substitute another essence outburst, using the essence lost in the first outburst to calculate damage, and save DC. An archon cannot mix and match between additional attack and essence outbursts, they must either make only additional attacks, or only essence outbursts as part of any full attack.
Improved Stalwart: At 14th level, an archon mental and physical resiliency improves. This works like stalwart, except that while the archon still suffers no effect on a successful save, they henceforth only suffer the reduced effect on a failed save. A helpless archon does not gain the benefit of stalwart.
Essence Renewal: At 18th level, an archon may choose to spend a swift action to gain two points of essence whenever they have one or fewer points of essence.

Mandate of the Summer Sun
Mandate Skills: An Archon must have a number of skill ranks equal to their level in Heal and Knowledge (Nobility) to gain the benefits of this mandate. Additional, Archon who follow this mandate treat Heal as a class skill.
Code of Conduct: The Archon must always obey the Laws of the Summer Court. They must accept duel requests from all those of equal or lower standing, though they may honorable concede duel requests made by superiors. An Archon must always mediate for one hour when the sun is highest in the sky, as fully exposed to the Sun’s light as they legally can be. The Archon must follow all laws created by beings who have embody the summer sun and must act towards the betterment of their lord’s interest.
Summer’s Sword: An Archon who may add their fire damage to any attack they make with the Longsword. This damage is equal to their Intelligence modifier. Additionally, any time the Archon deals fire damage to a creature they gain 1 essence to a maximum of 1 essence + 1 per every 5 levels of Archon they possess.
Inner Radiance: Starting at 5th level, the Archon’s body burns with a sacred light that is harmful to undead. Any undead who strikes the Archon with a natural weapon or unarmed strike takes fire damage equal to the Archon’s essence. Undead who are grappling the archon take double this damage equal round.
Bleached Soul: Starting at 10th level, the Archon soul radiates like the sun. The Archon adds their essence as a bonus on all saving throws against negative energy and effects that target the soul.
Blinding Glare: Starting at 15th level, any creature who takes fire damage from the Archon’s Summer Sword or Inner Radiance ability becomes blinded for 1 round unless they succeed on a Will save. The Will save is equal to 10 + the Archon’s Intelligence modifier + the Archon’s energy.
Sun-forged Essence: Starting at 20th level, the Archon gain regeneration equal to the amount of essence they possess.

Knitifine
2017-06-19, 04:03 AM
Edited the formatting to be readable and added a note.
Additional Note: This is for Pathfinder, in case you missed the tags.