Librim Eternia: Tome of Epic Prestige (Completed)

[Realms of Chaos]

Living Dominion

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Of the many threats to civilization at large, few pose as large of a risk as enchantment magic. With but a single spell, any sufficiently trained mage can make any guildhead, general, or king into a trusting ally or completely dominate its thoughts. With the right compulsion, an enchanter can claim whatever position of power he or she desires. In most societies where magic is more prevalent, fortunately, this threat can be detected and protected against. Though it would often prove impractical or impossible to guard every member of a society, guarding the leaders that enchanters would target is a far more feasible task. If prevented from controlling powerful targets, the damage that most enchanters do is severely limited. Unfortunately, living dominions aren’t normal enchanters. Though preferring powerful targets just like any enchanter, the true power of a living dominion can be felt in the branching network of enchanted servants that he or she gains, allowing the dominion to protect himself from harm and death and to sense the world and cast spell spells from afar. Though nominally a single being, the most powerful living dominions are legion, existing more in the collective minds of his or her mental network than within the bounds of his or her own skull.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a , a character must meet all of the following criteria
Alignment: Any nongood
Skills: Any two of the following skills 23 ranks: Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Sense Motive
Spells: The ability to cast any 6 spells of the enchantment school, at least one of which must be 6th level or higher.


Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcane), Knowledge (local), Knowledge (religion), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Living Dominion
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Realm of Influence, True Thrall (1)|--

2nd|

+1

|Calming Aura (1 save)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+2

|Share Harm (1 creature)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Imprint Consciousness (5 creatures)|--

6th|

+3

|True Thrall (2)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Calming Aura (2 saves)|--

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Share Harm (2 creatures)|--

10th|

+5

|Imprint Consciousness (10 creatures)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the living dominion.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a living dominion can still develop and cast epic spells using the animate, compel, conceal, contact, delude, dispel, reveal, and/or transport seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. The living dominion may use his or her ranks in Knowledge (local) in place of ranks in other knowledge skills for the purpose of determining epic spells per day.

Realm of Influence (Su): A living dominion builds a center of power around him or herself, a web of enchantments that allows those converted to convert others in turn. Creatures under the effects of one or more of the living dominion’s charm or compulsion spells or effects provide him or her with constant sensory input using their senses while within a 1-mile/level radius of him or herself. Furthermore, he or she may communicate with such creatures telepathically and can cast any enchantment spell as though occupying the space of such a target while they are within this range.

True Thrall (Su): With 1 hour of work, a living dominion can seek to turn a willing or restrained creature into a permanent thrall. If the creature fails a Will save (DC 20 + Class Level + Cha modifier), the target’s attitude towards the living dominion is permanently changed to fanatic and that creature gains both a sensory link and a telepathic link with the living dominion that extends any distance (even between planes). In addition, the extreme mental interference put in place renders the target immune to mind-affecting effects except for those used by the living dominion.

At 1st level, a living dominion can only possess one true thrall at a time. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a living dominion can possess an additional thrall at a time. If a living dominion obtains a true thrall that would place him or her over the limit, a previously controlled thrall of his or her choice is immediately free. This is a piercing mind-affecting compulsion effect.

Calming Aura (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a living dominion halts hostilities in the surrounding area with the greatest of ease. Within a 60-foot radius of the living dominion, enemies must make a Will save (DC 20 + Class Level + Cha modifier) or be affected as if by a calm emotions effect for 1 round. After succeeding on at least one such saving throw, a creature can’t be affected by this ability again for 24 hours. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the target must succeed on this saving throw one additional time before it gains immunity to this ability for 24 hours. The living dominion may suppress or reactivate this ability as a swift action. This is a piercing mind-affecting effect.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even living dominion level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a living dominion, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a living dominion can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Aura of Ignorance*, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Displaced Mind*, Dominating Aura*, Epic Leadership, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Will, Fast Imprint*, Great Intelligence, Great Charisma, Halfway Gone*, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Spell Capacity, Influence the Network*, Legendary Commander, Master of Enchantment*, Of Two Minds*, Polygot, Share Afflictions*, Skinwalker Liege*, Sleeper Agents*, Strengthen Spell*, Superior Thralls*, Suppress Anger*, Unwilling Informants*

New Feats

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Influence the Network[Epic]
By concentrating, you can steer those within your realm of influence.
Prerequisites: Realm of Influence
Benefits: For as long as you concentrate, you can generate a single sympathy and/or a single antipathy effect within the range of your realm of influence. For this purpose, your caster level equals your highest caster level and the save DC equals 20 + your highest mental ability score.
Special: This feat may be selected multiple times. Each time it is selected, double the number of sympathy and/or antipathy effects you can create with this effect.

Of Two Minds [Epic]
You can choose to simply ride around in a body without trying to take it over.
Prerequisites: Imprint Consciousness (5 creatures)
Benefits: Whenever you use your imprint consciousness class feature to take up residence in the mind of a new creature, you may delay your attempts to actively take over the target. While riding around with a target, you observe the world through its senses and can only take purely mental actions. For each day that you ride in a target’s mind observing what they do, you gain a stacking +2 bonus to disguise checks made to pass off as that target (maximum +10) when you take over their body. As a standard action, you can force the creature to make its first opposed will save and begin fully imprinting your consciousness but you can’t back down once this process has begun.

Unwilling Informants [Epic]
You can glean some basic information off of the surface thoughts of those in your realm of influence.
Prerequisites: Realm of Influence
Benefits: So long as there are at least 10 sentient creatures within the range of your realm of influence (whether or not they are affected by your realm of influence), you may make a gather information check as a standard action without interacting with anyone.

Sleeper Agents [Epic]
Your thralls are hard to pick out of a crowd.
Prerequisites: True Thrall (1)
Benefits: The magic aura created by your true thrall class feature can’t be detected by non-epic spells and abilities and the sense motive skill fails to detect that their minds have been tampered with. Lastly, targets of your true thrall class feature don’t remember time spent under your control while in an antimagic field or similar effect.

Suppress Anger [Epic]
Even those who break through your calming aura may find their desire to fight you diminished.
Prerequisites: Calming Aura (1 save)
Benefits: Whenever a creature fails a saving throw against your calming aura class feature, it takes a stacking -2 penalty to all attack rolls made against you for 24 hours.

Aura of Ignorance [Epic]
Your calming aura traps others in blissful ignorance to the world around them.
Prerequisites: Calming Aura (2 saves)
Benefits: Violent actions taken against creatures who have failed a saving throw against your caming aura don’t end the effect prematurely.

Dominating Aura [Epic]
Those who are beguiled by your calming aura may fall under your full influence instead.
Prerequisites: Calming Aura (3 saves)
Benefits: Whenever a creature fails a save against your calming aura class feature, it must make an additional will save against the same DC. If it fails, that creature is instead under your control (as dominate monster) for 1 round. If it succeeds, it is affected normally and the success does not count towards the amount needed to gain immunity against the aura. This is a piercing mind-affecting compulsion effect.

Share Afflictions [Epic]
You can pass most of your woes onto others.
Prerequisites: Share Harm (1 creature)
Benefits: You may use your share harm class feature to pass along ability damage, ability drain, and/or negative levels as you would otherwise acquire them. Each point of ability damage and/or drain grants a +4 bonus to the target’s will save and each negative level passes on a +10 bonus.

Halfway Gone [Epic]
You exist more in your network of enchantments than you do in your own body.
Prerequisites: Share Harm (2 creatures)
Benefits: So long as at least 5 creatures are affected by your realm of influence class feature, you are immune to the following conditions: fatigued, exhausted, sickened, nauseated, stunned, and staggered. You also gain immunity to all effects that rely on creating or manipulating pain.

Superior Thralls [Epic]
Your thralls are more susceptible to your other abilities.
Prerequisites: True Thrall (2)
Benefits: Your true thralls are immune to your calming aura and never occrisk breaking free when damaged through your share harm class feature. Furthermore, all of them are treated as though you had targeted them with your Imprint Consciousness class feature (these thralls don’t count towards your maximum limit with that ability).

Displaced Mind [Epic]
So long as others remain within your area of influence, you are incredibly difficult to control.
Prerequisites: Imprint Consciousness (10 creatures)
Benefits: Whenever you would be targetted by or fall within the area of a divination or mind-afecting effect, you may redirect it to another creature you have imprinted your consciousness on within your realm of influence. If redirecting a mind-affecting effect, that target makes any saving throws in place of you and is affected in your place. If redirecting a divination effect, information is discovered as if the target had been targetted or was within the area instead of you.

Fast Imprint [Epic]
You can take over a creature’s body in a matter of hours.
Prerequisites: Imprint Consciousness (15 creatures)
Benefits: When using your imprint consciousness class feature, you and the target make opposed saving throws every hour instead of every day.

Skinwalker Liege [Epic]
You can override a creature’s consciousness at any time instead of only after death.
Prerequisites: Imprint Consciousness (20 creatures)
Benefits: With 10 minutes of work, you may activate any of your imprinted consciousnesses as if you had died. If you were previously occupying your own body, it falls comatose while you fight for control over the new one (it still requires food, drink, and air to survive). If you were previously occupying someone else’s body, the body’s previous consciousness reasserts itself (although the target still possesses your imprinted consciousness) and possesses no memory of its time spent under your control. So long as your body exists and lives, you may return to it at any time as a full-round action.

Strengthen Spell [Epic, Metamagic]
You can affect more powerful creatures with your magic.
Benefits: A spell with this metamagic feat applied to it treats all creatures as if they had two fewer hit dice for all purposes (this does not affect the saving throws of creatures), down to a minimum of 1 HD. A strengthened spell occupies a spell slot one higher than its normal spell level.
Special: Unlike most metamagic effects, a single spell can be strengthened multiple time. Increases to the spell level accrued in this way stack with themselves.

Master of Enchantment[Epic]
You can make others act exactly as you would want them to with your impressive powers.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Enchantment spell
Benefits: You can affect mindless creatures with your mind-affecting enchantment spells, though only basic concepts can be conveyed and such targets gain a +10 bonus to their saving throw. A creature who succeeds on a saving throw against one of your enchantment spells is unaware that they were ever targeted. Once per encounter, you can force a single creature to follow your instructions for 1 round as is dominated unless it succeeds on a Will Save (DC 10 + caster level + Intelligence modifier).

Share Harm (Su): Though a living dominion continues to live in one body, it can be difficult at times to rob him or her of that form without first taking away the living dominion’s entire network of enchanted creatures. Starting at 4th level, whenever a living dominion would take damage, he or she may direct any amount of that damage to a creature affected by his or her Realm of Influence class feature (regeneration, energy resistance or immunity, and damage reduction don’t apply against this redirected damge). Any target dealt damage in this way may make a Will save (DC 20 + Class level + Cha modifier) with a bonus equal to the amount of damage redirected. If successful, that creature breaks free from all enchantment effects cast by the living dominion. Damage in excess of what is needed to kill a creature is still suffered by the living dominion. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the living dominion may redirect damage to an additional creature each time he or she takes damage (at 14th level, for example, the living dominion can split all damage he or she takes between him or herself and up to three affected creatures).This ability only affects hit point damage.

Imprint Consciousness: Starting at 5th level, a living dominion learns how to imprint his or her mind on others, placing a seed that grows into a copy of your consciousness when you die. Whenever a creature of the same race (and sub-race, if applicable) as the living dominion fails its saving throw against an enchantment effect that the living dominion uses, he or she may choose to imprint his or her consciousness on that target (if the spell targets multiple applicable creatures that fail their saving throw, you may only choose one). Whenever the living dominion is slain, he or she may select one creature that he or she has imprinted his or her consciousness onto. The living dominion immediately makes an opposed Will save against the target and make an additional such save every 24 hours later. Whenever the living dominion succeeds, the target is overcome by his or her consciousness for 24 hours, functioning as if he or she had merely polymorphed into the target’s form. Whenever the living dominion fails, the target retains control for the next 24 hours. If the living dominion succeeds on three consecutive saving throws in this way, he or she permanently controls the body. Before this point, the imprinted consciousness can be removed only by a wish or miracle effect. If the living dominion is removed in this way or if the target dies while the fight for dominance continues, the living dominion may activate a new consciousness as though dying once more. At 5th level, the living dominion may only imprint his or her consciousness on up to 5 creatures at a time. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the living dominion can imprint his or her consciousness onto up to an additional 5 creatures at a time. A creature who already has a consciousness imprinted onto them in this way is immune to further attempts while the former consciousness remains.

Notes and Explanation:

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In creating an epic enchantment class, I decided to take a less than obvious choice of direction. My first instinct, of course, was to end up giving this class an effectively unlimited supply of minions. In the end, however, I decided that I wanted the godking class to remain the king (pun intended) of controlling vast numbers of living beings. Instead, I set this class up with an entire network of control with a few permanent slaves but with almost everything still relying on your enchantments. As an extra “fun fact”, the actual class is based off a character from a story I was writing, a supposed “god” who was in reality a long-dead enchanter living in the minds of others.

[Realms of Chaos]

Lord of Nine Blades

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Although Reshar was the first to master the nine martial disciplines, he was neither the last nor the strongest. After studying martial disciplines for a lifetime, a rare few initiators experience an epiphany regarding the many disciplines. For some, the desire to truly master all nine disciplines finally pays off as the initiator realizes how to fit them together. For other more focused individuals, the knowledge of new disciplines comes almost unbidden as they figure out how best to shore up their own weaknesses. These enlightened warriors, known as lords of nine blades, have perfected the art of combat and always seem to have another technique that they’ve been meaning to practice

Hit Die: d10

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a lord of nine blades, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Martial Lore 23 ranks
Maneuvers: Nine or more.

Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Martial Lore, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spot, Swim, Tumble
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Lord of Nine Blades
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+0

|Master of Nine, Improved Strike 1/encounter

2nd|

+1

|Masterful Counter 1/round

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+2

|Superb Boost 1/encounter

5th|

+2

|Perfect Stance 1/round

6th|

+3

|Improved Strike 2/encounter

7th|

+3

|Masterful Counter 2/round

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+4

|Superb Boost 2/encounter

10th|

+5

|Perfect Stance 2/round[/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the lord of nine blades.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a lord of nine blades can still develop and cast epic spells using any four seeds of his or her choice. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. A lord of nine blades may use his or her ranks in martial lore in place of ranks in knowledge skills to gain epic spell slots and in place of ranks in spellcraft when making the spellcraft check to cast such a spell. A lord of nine blades can cast an epic spell and make a full attack as a full-round action. If the attack is successful, the epic spell slot isn’t expended. If the lord of nine blades doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Master of Nine: A lord of nine blades is a master of many forms of combat. When he or she gains his or hor first level in this class, if the lord of nine blades possesses maneuvers from fewer than 9 disciplines, he or she chooses a number of disciplines in which he or she knows no maneuvers to make up this difference. For each chosen discipline, the lord of nine blades learns three maneuvers and two stances of his or her choice. If the lord of nine blades already possessed maneuvers from nine or more disciplines, however, he or she instead learns two maneuvers and/or stances in each these disciplines. Either way, the lord of nine blades increases the number of maneuvers he can have readied by 9.

Improved Strike: A lord of nine blades can unleash even the greatest and most complex of strikes with the greatest of ease. Once per encounter, the lord of nine blades can use any strike in place of a normal attack without expending that strike for the encounter. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per encounter.

Masterful Counter: The lord of nine blades can counter most assaults that come in their direction. Starting at 2nd level, once per round, the lord of nine blades may initiate a counter without spending any action and without expending that counter for the encounter. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per round.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a lord of nine blades can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Armor Skin, Blinding Speed, Damage Reduction, Devastating Critical, Dire Charge, Discipline Synchronization*, Distant Shot, Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Epic Weapon Specialization, Extra Maneuver*, Great Charisma, Great Constutition, Great Dexterity, Great Intelligence, Great Strength, Great Wisdom, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Whirlwind Attack, Instant Recovery*, Multiweapon Rend, Overwhelming Critical, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, Spellcaster Harrior, Superior Initiative, Two-Weapon Rend

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Extra Maneuver [Epic]
You know a vast number of martial maneuvers.
Prerequisites: Master of Nine
Benefits: You learn another maneuver that you meet all prerequisites for.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Instant Recovery [Epic]
You can recover your lost maneuvers in the blink of an eye.
Prerequisites: Master of Nine
Benefits: Once per encounter, you may recover all expended maneuvers as an immediate action.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Discipline Synchronization [Epic]
You can synchronize yourself to any discipline that you possess maneuvers from.
Prerequisites: Master of Nine
Benefits: As a swift action, you may synchronize yourself with any one martial discipline from which you know at least one maneuver. While synchronized in this way, you add twice your lord of nine blades level to all skill checks made with that discipline’s skill and to all damage rolls made using one of that discipline’s chosen weapons. This effect lasts until you fall unconscious or synchronize with another discipline as a swift action.

Superb Boost: Starting at 4th level, the lord of nine blades has gained fine control over the last of his or her true maneuvers. Once per encounter, the lord of nine blades can use a boost without spending any action and without expending that boost for the encounter.

Perfect Stance: Starting at 5th level, a lord of nine blades always seems to be in the perfect stance to deal with any problems that should come up. Once per round, the lord of nine blades can switch which stance he or she is in without spending any action. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per round.

Notes and Explanation:

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Though hardly the worst class that I have created, this is definitely the “safest”. Though I’m pretty comfortable with the mechanics of the ToB and was commited to the idea of creating an Epic PrC for martial initiators, I was pretty much terrified the entire time I was writing this and I kept noticing how anemic the fluff of the ToB really is. Having seen somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 homebrewed disciplines and 20 homebrewed initiator classes on these boards, I really didn’t want to make any discipline-based class features or feats that would open the floodgates to hundreds more. At the same time, although it seemed obvious that this class would be better than the other martial PrCs in this project due to sheer versatility, I didn’t want it to lord in that superiority too much (hence why this class doesn’t get full epic spellcasting and extra epic spells like every other alternate magic PrC). Though I didn’t take too many risks with this class, I doubt that it’s horrible or even bad. Just… safe.

If anyone has additional feat ideas for this guy, feel free to suggest them.

[Realms of Chaos]

Magitech Savant

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Even in their wildest dreams, the masterpieces of the most gifted artisans could never hope to outperform an average magical craftsmen. Once one travels past a certain point, the only way to get a better product is by applying magical principles. The study of alchemy, practiced only by those more familiar with magic, is among the best known of these schools. Another branch of pseudo-magical study, however, exists for the powerful and inquisitive. Blending the cutting edge of technology and the magical formulae that bind spells together, the science of magitech is being formed even now by its few practitioners. Binding their own essence to a few select tools, these geniuses of technology make outstanding leaps and bounds. Though traditional casters look down upon them for their extreme focus, few can bring themselves to deny that these magitech savants are potent.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a magitech savant, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
Skills: Craft (blacksmith) 23 ranks
Feats: Craft Magic Arms and Armor
Spells: Ability to cast 5th-level spells
NOTE: see Commentary below.

Class Skills: Appraise, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (architecture and engineering), Profession, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Magitech Savant
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+0

|Magitech Nanites, Magitech Armor (1 spell)

2nd|

+1

|Magitech Cannon 1/encounter

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+2

|Augment Armor I

5th|

+2

|Augment Cannon I

6th|

+3

|Magitech Armor (2 spells)

7th|

+3

|Magitech Cannon 2/encounter

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+4

|Augment Armor II

10th|

+5

|Augment Cannon II[/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the magitech savant.

Magitech Nanites: Among the most important of a magitech savant’s tools are his or her smallest weapons, fine constructs living within his or her own body. At 1st level, the magitech savant may select two of the following forms of nanites, each of which grant a set benefit and allow the magitech savant to effectively develop epic spells of a different seed. This selection can’t be changed later on. When developing epic spells using only one of these seeds and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved but the maximum range of such spells when first cast may not exceed 500 feet. Any effects that would stop dust or similar particles from reaching a creature prevent the savant from targeting that creature with an epic spell used in this way unless the range is touch. Any wind stronger than severe wind stops the use of any of these spells unless the spell has a range of touch or personal or is used to target the magitech savant.

If the magitech savant dies and is later returned to life, the nanites remain so long as the body was at least mostly intact. If the savant’s body is destroyed, he or she is reincarnated, or he or she otherwise finds him or herself in another body, the magitech savant must replace these nanites by spending 10,000 gp in materials and spending 24 hours rebuilding them. Other creatures occupying a magitech savant’s body for any reason gains no benefit from these nanites.

Nanites

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Reactive Endoskeleton
Description: These nanites remain relatively stationary within the body, converting local materials into microfibers stronger than tempered steel. They react to the thoughts of the magitech savant, allowing the network of fibers to move the savant at a moment’s notice like a second skeletal system. When programmed as an epic “spell”, the nanites extend their fibers out of the savant to connect to the target before quickly self-replicating and forming a nearly invisible exoskeleton around the target and “animating” it. By secreting small amounts of acid and filling resulting cracks when no longer needed, even immobile objects such as trees can be made to bend and act almost alive. Over time, animated objects gain dull grey spots that spread along their surface as more and more of their mass becomes made up of these nanites.
Benefits: The magitech savant can take an extra move action each round.
Epic Seed: Animate

Necrotech Implants
Description Unlike most nanites, necrotech nanites actively assault living flesh within the magitech savant, forming large cyst-like conglomerations and storing information on biological components. This network of self-replicating cysts protects the target against attacks that attack its life force directly but become uncomfortable and outwardly visible if not drained from the savant’s blood every now and then. When programmed as an epic “spell”, the nanites are released in a thin mist harmless to living creatures that repair physical damage to a corpse before rebuilding its brain from scratch and pumping life of sorts into the creature once more. Undead that would normally be created by these nanites are instead treated as constructs.
Benefits: The magitech savant is immune to death effects and energy drain.
Epic Seed: Animate Dead

Neural Redundancy Network
Description: These nanites circulate solely through the brain of the magitech savant, copying neural signals and spacing out to form an identical neural network. Whenever the nanites observe a drastic change in the pattern, is increases the strength of its signal to force the organic system back to its previous configuration. When programmed as an epic “spell”, these nanites are launched from the skin and do almost the opposite to the target; copying their neural network, altering themselves in accordance with their programming, and forcing the target’s mind to conform with the new neural pattern.
Benefits: the magitech savant is immune to mind-affecting effects.
Epic Seed: Compel

Latent Fabricators
Description: These nanites circulate harmlessly through the magitech savant, doing almost nothing except collecting the energy to self replicate and eject once needed. When programmed as an epic “spell”, these nanites pour out from the savant and begin building copies of themselves using anything available (even heavier atmospheric elements) to form the desired object. Unless the “spell” is permanent, the item loses integrity at the end of the duration and collapses into its component nanites. Unlike other nanites, the primary function of these fabricators can be used to a certain extent without formally programming them.
Benefits: The magictech savant can create any mundane object up to 20 pounds in weight as a standard action. This object lasts for 24 hours.
Epic Seed: Conjure

Cerebral Relay
Description: Cerebral relays are comprised of two unique types of nanite (though they only count as one selection), one of which circulates through the magitech savant’s body and the other of which resides solely within his or her brain. The ones in the brain interpret the electrical charges of neurons into signals picked up by the somatic nanites. Unlike most other nanites, the somatic nanites are continually shed from the savant’s body and work their way into nearby creatures where they work their way into the brain and recive and respond to messages from their counterparts in the savant’s brain. When programmed into an epic “spell”, these links are reinforced, allowing them to continue longer and across longer distances.
Benefits: The magitech savant can communicate telepathically with other creatures within 500 feet.
Epic Seed: Contact

Colloidal Projectors
Description: These nanites are embedded throughout the skin of a target, absorbing energy from adjacent cells and storing it in one of fefw different ways. When programmed as an epic “spell”, they are launched into the air where they suspend themselves and project heat, light, sound, or scents as necessary (even providing tactile simulations with their own forms if needed). Alternately, they can be used to project without leaving the skin, creating a rough illusion over the magitech savant.
Benefits: The magitech savant can use disguise self at will (Caster Level 20 + class level, Save DC 20 + Class level + Int modifier), except that the illusion possesses audio, olfactory, gustatory, thermal, and tactile info.
Epic Seed: Delude

Somatic Calculators
Description: These nanites circulate throughout the body of a magitech savant, harnessing energy and acting as an extension of his or her brain. When programmed as an epic “spell”, they perform specific calculations within the body so complex and precise that they can nearly predict the future or reach answers otherwise outside of the savant’s reach. Even when left idle, they constantly perform predictory calculations a few seconds in advance, preventing the magitech savant from being surprised.
Benefits: The magitech savant is never surprised and always acts during surprise rounds.
Epic Seed: Foresee

Micro-Chirurgeon
Description: These nanites, among the most popular variety in existence, function by repairing or dismantling living tissues and doing the reverse to undead tissues. These nanites continually flow through the body of the magitech savant, slowly making repares as they do so. When programmed as an epic “spell”, some are kicked into overdrive for a few moments before deactivating without further harm.
Benefits: The magitech savant gains fast healing 10
Epic Seed: Heal

Reanimator
Description: These nanites, for the most part, seem to do nothing at all. They float freely through the magitech savant’s body, silently examinging the various tissues and fluids they come into contact with on their travels. When the magitech savant dies, however, these nanites leap into action, helping to perfectly preserve the savant’s body and aiding to ease any attempt to revive the savant from the dead into the same body. When programmed as an epic “spell”, they function similarly to a necrotech implants, although they leave the mind intact and help the body just long enough for it to start supporting itself once more. When used to awaken a creature or object, it alters the target to grant them a working neural network or expand such an existing network.
Benefits: The magitech savant is continually affected by gentle repose when slain, and spells used to return him or her to life do not cause loss in level and require no material components.
Epic Seed: Life

Sensory Enhancers
Description: These nanites are stored in small caches in the brain and within the eyes, physically adjusting his or her visual abilities. When programmed as an epic “spell”, they refine the way in which the savant interprets visual information to near perfection. If using the nanites to scry on a location in this way, the 500 foot limit still applies applies to the spell.
Benefits: The magitech savant is immune to blindness, takes a -1 penalty to spot checks for every 50 feet of distance instead of every 10 feet, and can see through solid objects as though wearing a ring of x-ray vision except that it can be used for any duration without negative impact.
Epic Seed: Reveal

Simulacra Matrix
Description: These nanites flow harmlessly through the magitech savan’ts body, using the body only to keep it energized. With one hour of work, a magitech savant can secrete these nanites and weave them together into a rough double of his or her form as each nanite converts matter from the environment into both more nanites and into a matrix of web-like strands connecting the nanites together. When programmed as an epic “spell”, the nanites rush themselves into the pre-decided shape. Creatures created by such a “spell” are not truly summoned from anywhere and are all constructs in place of their normal types.
Benefits: The magitech savant gains a simulacrum of him or herself by spending one hour of work making it. If the simulacrum is destroyed, it can be replaced with another hour of work 24 hours later. The magitech savant can restore all lost hit points to his or her simulacrum with 10 minutes of work.
Epic Seed: Summon

Form Destabizer
Description: These nanites are constantly at work in the body of a magitech savant, making sure that his or her vitals are save from attack by increasing their elasticity. When programmed as an epic “spell”, the nanites begin the daunting task of reshaping the target. Sampling the enzymes of the target body body (or similar substances) and using them to build synthetic enzymes, these nanites can reduce the resistance of most bodily tissues to change. By travelling to the skin and back, nanites can dissolve and carry back materials from immediately outside of the body to create additional mass where needed. If there is not enough such materials to fuel a desired transformation, the epic “spell” fails.
Benefits: The magitech savant gains immunity to critical hits, stunning, and any effect that would alter his or her physical form against his or her will.
Epic Seed: Transform

Magitech Armor (Su): Starting at 1st level, a magitech savant may alter a single suit of armor with which he or she possesses proficiency and enhance it with magitech elements, allowing him or her to use it as the base for incredible magitech defenses. In effect, the savant can research and cast epic spells of the Armor, Fortify, and/or Ward seeds so long as he or she is within reach of the armor. Any epic spell using these seeds (and only these seeds) requires only half the normal cost in gold pieces and experience points to produce. Any armor bonus resulting from spells using the armor seed stack with the normal armor bonus of the magitech armor.

Most impressively, a magitech savant may store epic spells of the armor, fortify, and/or ward seeds within their armor permanently so long as no other seeds are included in the spells. Only epic spells with a range of personal or that target the magitech savant and that possess a duration other than instantaneous can be placed in the armor in this way. The magitech savant only gains the benefit of these spells when in physical contact with the altered armor. A magitech savant can store a single epic spell at a time at 1st level and one additional spell every 5 levels afterwards. Any additional epic spells stored beyond this limit take the place of a previous effect.

No creature other than the magitech savant that altered a suit of armor (even other magitech savants) gain any special benefits from using his or her magitech armor. At any given time, a magitech savant can only keep a single suit of magitech armor up and running. If it is destroyed or lost, a new suit can be altered by spending 24 hours and 10,000 gp of materials creating it.

Magitech Cannon (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a magitech savant may develop a special weapon using magitech. Though it’s overall appearance may vary from savant to savant, it functions as an antimatter rifle (DMG, p147) with unlimited ammunition whose attacks are treated as touch attacks. For every iterative attack the magitech savant would normally have due to base attack bonus, the cannon deals an additional +8d8 damage with each attack. The magitech cannon can be enchanted just like any other weapon. Furthermore, the savant can effectively research and cast epic spells of the Destroy, Energy, and/or Slay seeds so long as he or she is within reach of the cannon. Any epic spell using these seeds (and only these seeds) requires only half the normal cost in gold pieces and experience points to produce.

Finally, the magitech savant can use his or her magitech cannon to use these destructive “spells” far more than usual by delivering them with attacks. As a full-round action, a magitech savant can use his or her magitech cannon to attack a creature and attempt to use an epic spell using the destroy, energy, and/or slay seeds (and no other seeds) so long as the spell selects a single target and the target of the attack is selected as the target of the spell. That epic spell doesn’t count as one of the savant’s epic spells for that day. This ability can be used once per encounter at 2nd level and one additional time per encounter every 5 levels afterwards.

No creature other than the magitech savant that crafted it (even other magitech savants) can successfully shoot or gain any benefit from his or her magitech cannon. At any given time, a magitech savant can only keep a single magitech cannon up and running. If it is destroyed, a new cannon can be crafted by spending 24 hours and 10,000 gp of materials creating it.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Additional Magic Item Space, Agony Shot*, Arcane Emulator*, Audio Dampener*, Augmented Alchemy, Bracer Greaves*, Craft Epic Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Epic Rod, Craft Epic Staff, Craft Epic Wondrous Item, Dimensional Shot*, Efficient Item Creation, Forge Epic Ring, Great Intelligence, Jaunt Transmitters*, Magitech Backup*, Magitech Blade*, Magitech Blast*, Magitech Booster*, Magitech Forcefield*, Magitech Gadgetry*, Magitech Plating*, Mechanize Creature*, Mystic Scope*, Nanite Distribution*, Pattern Shunt*, Piercing Cannon*, Portal Generator*, Scribe Epic Scroll, Stealth Extensions*, Superior Inititative, Torturous Feedback*

New Feats

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Piercing Cannon [Epic]
Your cannon can pierce through magical barriers with ease.
Prerequisites: Augment Cannon (Nullifier [2])
Benefits: Your magitech cannon easily pierces through all non-epic magical barriers that abstruct movement (such as wall of force, prismatic sphere, or antilife shell) or that deal damage to those who pass through (such as blade barrier, forebiddance, wall of fire). Each shot with the magitech cannon creates a 5 x 5 foot hole in the barrier that lasts for the rest of the spell’s duration. This effect has no effects on spell effects active on creatures (you cannot, for example, punch a hole in a foe’s mage armor).

Mystic Scope [Epic]
Looking through the scope of your magitech cannon, you can see magical auras.
Prerequisites: Augment Cannon (Nullifier [1])
Benefits: You create a special scope for your magitech cannon. When looking through it, you can see the world as if benefitting from a greater arcane sight effect (Caster Level = magitech savant level + 20).

Agony Shot [Epic]
You can launch special ammunition from your cannon, letting you prolong the misery of your foe.
Prerequisites: Augment Cannon (Pain Magnifier [2])
Benefits: whenever you make a painful shot, you may choose to utilize specially prepared ammunition in place of the normal antimagic burst before making the attack roll. If the attack hits, the damage is halved but the ammunition is lodged deep within the target’s body. At any time within the next week, you may press a button on your magitech cannon as a standard action to set off one such ammunition off within the target, dealing the same amount of damage (or half with a DC 20 + magitech savant level + Int modifier Fortitude save) and affecting them as if they were hit with another pain shot. Each piece of ammunition can be activated up to four times in this way. A piece of ammunition can be withdrawn from the target’s body with a successful surgery, requiring 1 hours of work and a DC 20 + magitech savant level + Int modifier heal check. If the heal check fails, the target is slain instead.

Torturous Feedback [Epic]
Your magitech cannon can let loose waves of energy that inflict pain in those nearby.
Prerequisites: Augment Cannon (Pain Magnifier [1])
Benefits: As a swift action, you can press a small switch on your magitech cannon, letting out a horrendous noise created through reverberations in the barrel that inflicts pain in others. Creatures within 10 feet of you take a -4 penalty to attack rolls and Skill checks for 1 round and can’t make attacks of opportunity during this time. You are immune to the effect of your own cannon’s torturous feedback, as are all creatures who are either deaf or are immune to sonic damage.

Dimensional Shot [Epic]
You can open up temporary planar portals with your magitech cannon.
Prerequisites: Augment Cannon (Dimensional Disrupter [1])
Benefits: With 10 minutes of work, you can configure your magitech cannon and build up enough energy within it to blow open a portal to another plane of existence of your choice within 30 feet. The portal remains for 30 minutes before closing once more and you possess no control over where it opens.

Pattern Shunt [Epic]
Rather than sending foes back to their native plane, you can capture them within your cannon.
Prerequisites: Augment Cannon (Dimensional Disrupter [2])
Benefits: Whenever you would send a creature back to its own plane using your dimensional disrupter, you may instead reduce that creature to its essence and store it within the magitech cannon itself. You may release any creature from this cannon into an adjacent square as a standard action but they can otherwise only be freed by destroying the cannon altogether.

Audio Dampener [Epic]
Your magitech armor eliminates all sound that you would otherwise make.
Prerequisites: Augment Armor (Chameleon Projector [2])
Benefits: Your armor is capable of dampening sound around you, acting as a silence effect that extends 5 feet out from you. You may suppresss or reactivate this ability as a standard action.

Stealth Extensions [Epic]
You create pliable extensions of your armor to cover yourself completely and increase your stealth
Prerequisites: Augment Armor (Chameleon Projector [1])
Benefits: So long as you wear your magitech armor, you can make hide checks even without cover or concealment or while being observed. Furthermore, all attacks against you gain a 20% miss chance.

Portal Generator [Epic]
The apertures around your body release enough energy to leave portals behind you when you teleport.
Prerequisites: Augment Armor (Mini-Portal Generator [1])
Benefits: Whenever you use your mini-portal generators to teleport, you can choose to leave two portals behind. These portals last for 1 minute and allow two way travel. You may select the orientation of the two portals as desired so long as they are within range of each other.

Jaunt Transmitters [Epic]
Small transmitters installed into your armor greatly increase the distance across which you can teleport.
Prerequisites: Augment Armor (Mini-Portal Generator [2])
Benefits: By spending 1 hour gathering energy within your magitech armor, you can use your mini-portal generators to travel up to 1 mile/magitech savant level. You control the precise point at which you arrive as.

Magitech Plating [Epic]
You have plated your armor to help you better resist magical assaults.
Prerequisites: Augment Armor (Magipulse Reflector [1])
Benefits: You gain Spell Resistance 35 + magitech savant level while wearing your magitech armor.

Arcane Emulator [Epic]
Your armor absorbs latent energy given off by spellcasting and replicate this energy in turn.
Prerequisites: Augment Armor (Magipulse Reflector [2])
Benefits: Whenever you are targeted by a non-epic spell or spell-like ability, you can have various filters installed throughout your armor take in a bit of the energy (even if you reflect it with your magipulse reflector or otherwise resist it). After your armor analyzes the energy in the spell, you can use a small magitech generator to imitate this energy, driving all traces of it from the armor and imitating the spell at Caster Level 20. The Save DC, if any, equals 10 + spell level + Int modifier. You do not imitate any metamagic effects on the spell and may make new decisions for it. You must use the energy within 5 rounds of obtaining it or else it is lost. Using the energy takes up time actions as if casting the spell.

Magitech Gadgetry [Epic]
You can use an assemblage of gadgets to accomplish almost anything you would wish
Prerequisites: Magitech Nanites
Benefits: You may develop and cast epic spells using seeds that your other magitech savant class features don’t grant you access to. At any given time, you may know one epic spell with one or more of these seeds and learning a new one replaces the old. Each casting of such a spell requires special materials worth one tenth of the gold piece cost to develop the spell (this cost does not lower the spellcraft DC).

Bracer Greaves [Epic]
Your magitech armor protects you from great falls.
Prerequisites: Magitech Armor (1 spell)
Benefits: You take no damage from falls and gain a bonus to jump checks equal to your magitech savant class level x 5.

Magitech Boosters [Epic]
Your magitech armor allows you to fly for limited durations.
Prerequisites: Bracer Greaves
Benefits: You gain a fly speed equal to twice your land speed with average maneuverability. You may fly for up to 100 rounds before you run out of energy and fall. You regain one round of use each round that you don’t spend in flight.

Magitech Blade [Epic]
You can create a specialized weapon to let you use your magitech in melee.
Prerequisites: Magitech Cannon 1/encounter
Benefits: With 24 hours of work and 10,000 gp of materials, you can create a special hilt with a blade of antimatter, allowing you to fight in close quarters. This is treated as a one-handed weapon and deals half damage but it allows you to make full attacks. You may not make lighter ones even if you possess magitech backup. This weapon gains all of your cannon augmentations and functions only for you.

Magitech Backup[Epic]
You can create a second, smaller cannon for when rate of fire is vital.
Prerequisites: Magitech Cannon 1/encounter
Benefits: With 24 hours of work and 10,000 gp of materials, you can create a special, smaller magitech cannon. This cannon is treated as a one-handed weapon and deals half damage but allows you to make full attacks. This weapon gains all of your cannon augmentations and functions only for you.

Nanite Distribution [Epic]
With time and resources, you can spread your nanites into others.
Prerequisites: Magitech Nanites
Benefits: With 24 hours and 100,000 gp of materials, you can spread one of the two types of nanites you possess into another willing or restrained creature. That creature gains the benefit of the nanites but can’t use them to gain epic spells (even if they are also magitech savants).

Mechanize Creature [Epic]
You can transform living creatures into constructs using your mastery of magitech.
Prerequisites: Magitech Armor (4 spells)
Benefits: With 24 hours and 100,000 gp of materials per HD of the target, you can transform a willing or restrained creature into a construct with the living subtype. The construct retains its mental ability scores (if any).

Magitech Blast [Epic]
You can blast large numbers of foes with your magitech cannon.
Prerequisites: Magitech Cannon 1/encounter
Benefits: Once per encounter you may use your magitech cannon to attack all creatures within a 60-foot line or 30-foot cone with a single attack roll.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Magitech Forcefield [Epic]
You can entirely halt damage that would otherwise harm you.
Prerequisites: Magitech Armor (1 spell)
Benefits: Once per encounter, if wearing your magitech armor, you can negate all hit point damage that you would take from any one source. If that source would deal damage on subsequent rounds (such as a wall of fire), only damage dealt this round is prevented.

Augment Armor: As a magitech savant develops his or her magitech arsenal, he or she modifies and augments his or her existing equipment. At 4th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a magitech savant may select one of the following benefits for his or her magitech armor. A single benefit can be selected multiple times if desired. Much as the armor itself, these augmentations provide no benefit to anyone other than the magitech savant who created the armor.

Chamoflauge Projector: Armor augmented in this way absorbs light from every direction and displays the image on the opposite side of the savant, helping to camouflage the wearer and allowing him or her to become invisible for 1 round as a swift action once per encounter per time this ability has been selected. Furthermore, the savant can develop and cast epic spells with the conceal seed. When developing spells using this seed and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved. At any given time, you may only know a number of epic spells using this seed up to the number of times you have selected this option (unless you possess access to it from another source). If you would develop a spell that would put you beyond this limit, you forget another epic spell with this seed to make room.

Magipulse Reflector: Armor augmented in this way reacts violently to the presence of magic, reflecting the offending effect back at its source. This armor allows the savant to reflect one non-epic spell as spell turning per encounter per time this ability has been selected. Furthermore, the savant can develop and cast epic spells with the reflect seed. When developing spells using this seed and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved. At any given time, you may only know a number of epic spells using this seed up to the number of times you have selected this option (unless you possess access to it from another source). If you would develop a spell that would put you beyond this limit, you forget another epic spell with this seed to make room.

Mini-Portal Generator: Armor augmented in this way possesses several small apertures spaced throughout it, each of which can generate enough energy to punch holes through space. Once per encounter per time this ability has been selected, the magitech savant may teleport up to his or her speed as a move action. Furthermore, the savant can develop and cast epic spells with the transport seed. When developing spells using this seed and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved. At any given time, you may only know a number of epic spells using this seed up to the number of times you have selected this option (unless you possess access to it from another source). If you would develop a spell that would put you beyond this limit, you forget another epic spell with this seed to make room.

Augment Cannon: As a magitech savant develops his or her magitech arsenal, he creates special additions for his or her magitech cannon. At 5th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a magitech savant may select one of the following benefits for his or her magitech cannon. A single benefit can be selected multiple times if desired. Much as the cannon itself, these augmentations provide no benefit to anyone other than the magitech savant who created the cannon.

Dimensional Disruptor: A magitech cannon augmented in this way absorbs energy from the current plane of existence, modifying the blast in accordance with that energy and forcing targets without this form of energy out of the plane. Once per encounter per time this ability has been selected, the magitech savant can declare an attack with the magitech cannon to be a disruptive shot before making the attack roll. A creature with the extraplanar subtype damaged by a disruptive shot must make a Will save (DC 20 + magitech savant level + Int modifier) or be sent back to its home plane. Furthermore, the savant can develop and cast epic spells with the banish seed. When developing spells using this seed and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved. At any given time, you may only know a number of epic spells using this seed up to the number of times you have selected this option (unless you possess access to it from another source). If you would develop a spell that would put you beyond this limit, you forget another epic spell with this seed to make room.

Nullifier: A magitech cannon augmented in this way possesses the ability to send out a second, invisible beam along with the first. Though this second beam ignores most matter, the pulse disrupts waves of magic. Once per encounter per time this ability has been selected, the magitech savant can declare an attack with the cannon to be a nullifying shot before rolling the attack roll. A creature damaged by a nullifying shot has all activate spell effects and magic items on its person subjected to a dispel attempts. This functions much like greater dispel magic with a caster level equal to the savant’s class level +20 except that there is no maximum bonus to the dispel roll. Furthermore, the savant can develop and cast epic spells with the dispel seed. When developing spells using this seed and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved. At any given time, you may only know a number of epic spells using this seed up to the number of times you have selected this option (unless you possess access to it from another source). If you would develop a spell that would put you beyond this limit, you forget another epic spell with this seed to make room.

Pain Amplifier: A magitech cannon augmented in this way has its beam modified to avoid destroying nervous tissue when desired, continually activating pain receptors instead of simply destroying them. Once per encounter per time this ability has been selected, the magitech savant can declare an attack with the cannon to be a painful shot before rolling the attack roll. A creature damaged by a painful shot gains a 50% chance of missing its next round due to the pain and takes a -2 penalty to all attack rolls, skills checks, and saving throws for each time this ability was selected for 1 round. Furthermore, the savant can develop and cast epic spells with the afflict seed. When developing spells using this seed and no others, the cost in gold pieces and experience points is halved. At any given time, you may only know a number of epic spells using this seed up to the number of times you have selected this option (unless you possess access to it from another source). If you would develop a spell that would put you beyond this limit, you forget another epic spell with this seed to make room.

Notes and Explanation:

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First, I want to apologize if you guys were expecting an epic continuation to one of the few “magitech” baseclasses I’ve seen on the homebrew forum. I’m honestly not too familiar with them and I’m trying to avoid creating homebrew specifically for homebrew.

Next, I apologize if you are one of those people who really like technology in your d20 but hate it when the mechanics used just add up to spellcasting. As I explain in the last real post of this project, I am doing this exact same thing for every possible “magic” system. See the spoiler in that last post for the full reason but it basically boils down to this. The mechanics of epic spellcasting allows you to build whatever effect you want. Making separate epic mechanics for each magic system either means giving limited options and making that system weak or basically remaking the wheel. This was the simpler way.

Lastly, I want to briefly discuss the prerequisites and the difficult part about this class. While I can easily imagine this class seeing use in games and I imagine steampunk games liking it particularly well, I forced myself to stick to the SRD when making prerequisites. Though I can see a wide variety of games where this would fit in, I don’t know what relevant craft skill to set as prerequisites, what feats (if any) would be appropriate, and what other prerequisites may be necessary. In all honesty, it would honestly differ based on what campaign setting or set of steampunk rules you were using. My prerequisites and flavor text are more of a placeholder than anything else so please alter them to fit your campaign.

[Realms of Chaos]

Master of Shadows

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All of existence possessed a shadow. The world is cast into deep relief upon the plane of shadows and those of a magical bent can harness shadows to great effect or tap into the shadow of magic itself. Harnessed through arcane and alien formulae most casters never even consider, magic drawn from shadows is one of the more versatile forms of magic and its practitioners possess a far greater understanding of magic as a whole. In the hands of a true master, shadows can be made just as fearsome as the beings to cast them.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Master of Shadows, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
Skills: Knowledge (Arcana) 23 ranks
Spells/Mysteries: Ability to cast seven spells of the shadow subschool or mysteries including at least one of 5th level.
Special: Must have visited the plane of shadow.

Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowledge (the Planes), Move Silently, Profession, Spellcraft.
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Master of Shadows
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells/Mysteries

1st|

+0

|Warp Arcana 1/encounter, Well of Shadows|+1 level of existing mystery-using spellcasting class

2nd|

+1

|World of Darkness 4/round|+1 level of existing mystery-using class or existing arcane spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing mystery-using spellcasting class

4th|

+2

|Shadow Duplication 1/encounter|+1 level of existing mystery-using class or existing arcane spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Ubiquity of Shadow/Twilight Master I|+1 level of existing mystery-using class

6th|

+3

|Warped Arcana 1/encounter|+1 level of existing mystery-using class or existing arcane spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|World of Darkness 8/round|+1 level of existing mystery-using class

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing mystery-using class or existing arcane spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Shadow Duplication 2/encounter|+1 level of existing mystery-using class

10th|

+5

|Ubiquity of Shadow/Twilight Master II|+1 level of existing mystery-using class or existing arcane spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the master of shadows.

Epic Spellcasting: If a master of shadows can cast 6th level mysteries, he or she gains epic spellcasting as a bonus feat even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites. Otherwise, the master of shadows may select four epic seeds of his or her choice and can develop and cast epic spells using those seeds even without the epic spellcaster feat. For the purpose of developing epic spells with those chosen seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved.

Mysteries/Spellcasting: At each odd master of shadows level, the character gains new mysteries and an increase in caster level as if he or she had also attained a level in a mystery-using class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If the character did not possess levels in such a class, this advancement is not gained. At each even master of shadows level, the character gains new mysteries or spells and an increase in caster level (and mysteries or spells known, if applicable) as if you had also attained a level in either a mystery-using class or an arcane spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If the master of shadows possessed mor than one applicable class before becoming a master of shadows, he or she must decide to which class to add each even level for this purpose.

Well of Shadows (Su): You are surrounded by a miasma of thick supernatural shadows that you can use to power your mysteries and shadow spells. You possess ten levels of shadow. Whenever you would cast a mystery or a spell of the shadow subschool, you may spend a number of levels of shadow equal to its spell level. If you do so, you do not expend the spell slot, prepared spell, or daily usage of that spell or mystery by casting it. You regain lost levels of shadow at a rate of one per round. In addition, whenever you witness the casting of a spell without the shadow descriptor, you regain levels of shadow equal to the spell’s level (up to the normal maximum). Furthermore, you gain a 5% miss chance against all attacks and a +1 bonus to hide checks for each level of shadow you possess.

Warp Arcana (Su): Shadow magic often carries certain morphic properties, useful both on the offensive and on the defensive. If you prepare spells, you may sacrifice a prepared spell of the shadow subschool to spontaneously cast another of at least two spell levels lower. If you spontaneously cast spells, you may cast any spell of the shadow subschool not on your list of spells knonw by using a spell slot of at least two spell levels higher. If you cast mysteries, you may sacrifice a daily use of a mystery to spontaneously cast another one of at least two spell levels lower, even if you don’t know it. Whatever the case, this class feature also allows you to treat mysteries and spells of the shadow subschool as any other spell or mystery of the same spell level for the purpose of counterspelling. This ability can be used once per encounter (whether offensively or defensively) at 1st level and can be used an additional time per encounter at 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

World of Darkness (Su): Effective use of shadow magic often requires unorthodox tactics and an almost alien mindset. Starting at 2nd level, a master of shadow can subtly reshape the the world to match the visions in his or her mind. Each round, a master of shadow may gain four of the benefits below (each benefit can be selected multiple times and stack with themselves):

• Target creature within 100 feet takes a -5 penalty to a Listen or Spot check.
• Target creature within 100 feet gains a +5 bonus to a Hide or Move Silently check.
• Target creature within 100 feet suffers from a 5% miss chance on an attack roll, doubled if it and/or the target are in areas of shadowy illumination and darkness.
• Target creature within 100 feet with no more than half of its maximum hit points suffers a -1 penalty to a saving throw, doubled in areas of shadowy illumination and darkness.
• Target creature within 100 feet has the final destination of any movement made (even a 5-foot step or involuntary movement such as a bull rush) altered by 5 feet in any direction that can support that creature. The target’s path doesn’t change but the target doesn’t end up where they should.
• You may extend the maximum range of these abilities by 5 feet for the next 10 rounds.

At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a master of shadow can select an additional four benefits each round.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Bonus Mystery*, Cancel Arcana*, Destructive Mystery*, Domain of Shadows*, Efficient Metashadow*, Epic Stealth*, Extended Shadows*, Extraordinary Mystery*, Great Charisma, Great Intelligence, Greater Line of Shadow*, Improved Quicken Mystery*, Instant Duplication*, Into the Darkness*, Opportunistic Mystery*, Pall of Twilight*, Piercing Mystery*, Retain Arcana*, Shadow Double*, Stealth of Shadows*, Superior Spellcaster*, True Duplication*, Warped Shadows*

New Feats

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Stealth of Shadows [Epic]
Your well of shadows allows you to conceal yourself well
Prerequisites: Well of Shadow
Benefits: You possess hide in plain sight so long as you possess at least four levels of shadow and you gain a bonus to move silently checks equal to the number of levels of shadow remaining.

Into the Darkness [Epic]
Your deep shadows allow you to escape notice and retreat into shadows entirely.
Prerequisites: Stealth of Shadows
Benefits: So long as you possess all ten levels of shadow, you possess the benefits of improved invisibility and can use shadow walk as a full-round action (caster level equals Master of Shadows level + 20).

Pall of Twilight [Epic]
You gain an aura that enhances shadow magic and weakens other forms of magic.
Prerequisites: World of Darkness 4/round
Benefits: You gain an aura of shadowy illumination out to 30 feet that overcomes all but epic spells and effects of the light or darkness descriptors (which suppress this ability). Within this aura, any spells of the shadow subschool or mysteries cast gain a +2 bonus to their caster levels and to their Save DCs, if any. Other spells cast within range take a -2 penalty to their caster levels (minimum 1) and to their Save DCs. You may suppress or activate this aura as a swift action.

Cancel Arcana [Epic]
You are adept at the art of counterspelling others.
Prerequisites: Warped Arcana 1/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you use warped arcane to counterspell, you need not have readied an action to do so. Furthermore, you may counterspell spell-like abilities and mysteries cast as supernatural abilities.

Extended Shadows [Epic]
You can manipulate the world around you from a greater distance.
Prerequisites: World of Darkness 8/round
Benefit: Double the range over which you can use your world of darkness benefits (increases to this range from the class feature are also doubled in this way).

Retain Arcana [Epic]
You can use the echoes of the magic you have warped into new forms.
Prerequisites: Warped Arcana 2/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you use your warp arcane class feature to cast a mystery or spell of the shadow subschool, you retain the sacrificed spell slot, prepared spell, or daily use until the end of your next round. If you utilize it within this round, however, the spell or mystery is only 50% real (shadow normally not fully real are only half as effective as normal). Any creature targeted by such a spell or mystery, who enters the area of such a spell or mystery, or who interacts with the spell effect of such a spell or mystery must make a Will save against that spell’s save DC or see through the illusion, taking only half damage from the effect or possessing a 50% chance of ignoring it altogether if it doesn’t deal hit point damage. Objects and creatures created, summoned, animated, or called in this way always possess half as many hit points as normal.

Instant Duplication [Epic]
You can imitate a spell right as you witness it being cast
Prerequisites: Shadow Duplication 2/encounter
Benefits: By spending a second use of shadow duplication, you may cast the spell right as you copy it without spending any action to do so.

Warped Shadows [Epic]
You gain extra uses of mysteries you claim through your warped arcane.
Prerequisites: Warped Arcana 3/encounter, ability to cast master mysteries
Benefits: Whenever you use warped arcane to imitate a mystery from an initiate path, you gain a second use of that mystery you can use any time within the next 10 rounds. Whenever you use warped arcane to imitate a mystery from an apprentice path, you gain two such additional uses.

Shadow Double [Epic]
You gain a shadowy duplicate with more substance behind it.
Prerequisites: Ubiquity of Shadow II
Benefits: You gain a simulacrum of yourself formed from raw shadowstuff instead of ice and snow. If this simulacrum is slain, you may form a new one as a standard action 24 hours later.

True Duplication [Epic]
You can duplicate even the strongest of magics
Prerequisites: Shadow Duplication 3/encounter
Benefits: You can use shadow duplication on epic spells. To do so, you must spend two uses of the ability and make a spellcraft check against the spell’s DC. If you succeed, the spell is imitated. Otherwise, the uses are spent without any effect. An additional Spellcraft check against the DC must be made to actually cast the spell as normal.

Domain of Shadows [Epic]
The world around you is submerged in shadows
Prerequisites: World of Darkness 20/round
Benefits: You are surrounded at all times by either a shadow landscape (Spell Compendium p. 184) effect if you cast 5th-level spells or by a black labyrinth effect (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a) if you cast 5th-level mysteries. Both effects possess a caster level equal to your master of shadows level + 20, are centered on and move with you, and can be suppressed or reactivated as a swift action. If you qualify for both effects, you only benefit from one at a time and can switch back and forth as a swift action. If benefiting from a shadow landscape effect, you do not gain shadow guardians as is normal for the spell.

Superior Spellcaster [Epic]
Your spells are more powerful than those of others
Prerequisites: Caster level 30th
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to your caster level.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Epic Stealth [Epic]
You can escape notice even from the most extraordinary senses.
Prerequisites: Hide 30 ranks, Move Silently 30 ranks
Benefits: You are never detected through blindsight, blindsense, scent or tremorsense

Bonus Mystery [Epic]
You have unlocked additional shadow magic.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast mysteries from master paths.
Benefit: You learn an extra mystery. You must still learn paths in order if your class requires you to do so.

Efficient Metashadow [Epic]
You can utilize metashadow feats using less time.
Prerequisites: Any twelve metashadow feats
Benefit: Whenever you apply one or more metashadow feats that would extend casting time to a full-round action to any mystery, it is instead cast as a standard action. The quicken mystery metashadow feat may not be applied to such as mystery.

Extraordinary Mystery [Epic]
You can turn your mysteries into completely mundane effects.
Benefit: select one mystery you can use as a supernatural ability. You gain an extra daily use of that mystery and can cast it as an extraordinary ability, meaning that it can be cast even in antimagic zones or dead magic zones. It can still affect incorporeal creatures like a supernatural ability.

Destructive Mystery [Epic, Metashadow]
You can force your damage to damage those who might otherwise ignore it.
Benefit: Once per day, you can apply the effect of the destructive mystery feat to any mystery you cast. A destructive mystery converts all elemental and nonlethal damage normally deal into untyped lethal damage.
Casting a destructive mystery is a full-round action.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times.

Greater Line of Shadow [Epic]
You can cast mysteries without line of sight or line of effect to the target.
Prerequisites: Line of Shadow
Benefit: You may use line of shadow one additional time per day. In addition, you may use it after any amount of time has past since you last had line of sight or line of effect, so long as the target is in or adjacent to the last square in which you saw them. The target no longer gets a bonus on their save if you delay the casting of the mystery.

Improved Quicken Mystery [Epic]
You can utilize several mysteries in quick succession.
Prerequisites: Quicken Mystery
Benefit: When you cast a quickened mystery, it is cast as a free action instead of as a swift action, but you may only cast a number of quickened mysteries each round equal to your charisma modifier.

Opportunistic Mystery [Epic]
You can use any opening to cast another mystery
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Spellcraft 25 ranks
Benefit: Whenever you could make an attack of opportunity, you may instead cast a mystery. No metashadow feats may be applied to this mystery.

Piercing Mystery [Epic, Metashadow]
You can force a mystery to pierce through your enemy’s defenses.
Benefit: Once per day, you can apply the effect of the piercing mystery feat to any mystery you cast. A piercing mystery ignores its target’s Spell Resistance, if any would apply.
Casting a piercing mystery is a full-round action.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times.

Shadow Duplication (Su): Starting at 4th level, a master of shadows can use shadows to capture and imitate almost any spell effect. Once per encounter, when a master of shadows witnesses a non-epic spell or mystery being cast, he or she can capture that casting. Before the end of the encounter, the master of shadows may cast the very same spell or mystery using his or her own caster level and ability scores to determine DCs. If you copy a mystery in this way, it is treated as being the same type of ability (spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability) that it was when first cast. Metamagic and metashadow effects are not copied in this way. This ability can be used one additional time per encounter at 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Ubiquity of Shadow (Su)/ Twilight Master (Su): How exactly a master of shadows perfects his or her art largely depends on whether he or she casts spells or mysteries. If the master of shadows does both, he or she must select one option upon first reaching 5th level and may not change this decision.

Ubiquity of Shadow: If the master of shadows casts spells of at least 5th level, he or she gains a permanent projected image at 5th level that he or she can suppress or reactivate as a swift action. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, he or she gains an additional projected image in this way. Controlling projected images created by this ability requires no action and the master of shadows can cast one spell of the shadow subschool with a casting time of one standard action or less through each image each round without spending an action to do so.

Twilight Master: If the master of shadows casts mysteries of at least 5th level, he or she gains the ability to cast an additional epic spell each day, plus one additional such spell at 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Notes and Explanation:

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Well, I suppose that there are two things in particular that I suppose I should address with this class:

1. The general wonkiness: This class is kind of weird in that it is supposed to serve two very different purposes. It is trying to be a general casting class (to which I tend to give stronger casting) for shadowcasters but it is also a specialist casting class (to which I give weaker casting) for arcane casters who simply like the shadow subschool. This is why the spellcasting progression is weird and why there are two “capstone” abilities. While this certainly ended up looking odd, I hope that it still looks all right.

2. The epic casting: Those of you out there who remember my descent of shadows project might remember that I did come up with mechanics for epic shadowcasting. Though I did borrow some epic feats from that project, this class uses normal epic spellcasting mechanics. Truth be told, I never really liked the epic mechanics I came up with and epic spellcasting is already there so why not?

[Realms of Chaos]

The Mastermind

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Not all roads to power are equally visible. For every mountain-shattering spellcaster and army-slaying warrior, there is someone of equal power who prefers to operate behind the scenes. Among these hidden beings are masterminds, subtle casters that work though illusions and charmed intermediaries while always remaining one step ahead. Even when personally engaging in a matter of interest, masterminds are gifted enough at bending the truth that their presence may never be properly noticed. From the shadows, powerful masterminds can control entire civilizations or enact other plans with such subtlety that not even dragons would pick up on them. Though not all masterminds are evil and some even work in the name of the greater good, even allies are often lead to keep an eye on a mastermind’s activities just in case its next plot goes awry.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a mastermind, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: 23 ranks in any two of the following: bluff, diplomacy disguise, intimidate
Feats: Greater Spell Focus (illusion or enchantment), Greater Spell Penetration (illusion or enchantment)
Spells: The ability to spontaneously cast arcane spells up to 6th level.

Class Skills: Appraise, Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Tumble, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier

Mastermind
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Layered Truth I, Puppet Master|--

2nd|

+1

|Never There 1/encounter|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+2

|Mastermind’s Ward (personal)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Countermeasures 1/round|--

6th|

+3

|Layered Truth II|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Never There 2/encounter|--

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Mastermind’s Ward (Personal + 1 target)|--

10th|

+5

|Countermeasures 2/round|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Mastermind.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a mastermind can still develop and cast epic spells using the compel, conceal, contact, delude, foresee, reveal, slay, and/or transform seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved.

The Puppet Master: A mastermind’s techniques are insidious works of genius, nearly impossible to detect or to resist. The spells that a mastermind casts can’t be detected by effects that normally detect magic such as detect magic or arcane sight unless he or she wishes it.

As a full-round action, a mastermind can cast an illusion, divination, or mind-affecting enchantment spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less as a puppet master spell. Casting a puppet master spell never requires verbal or somatic components. Puppet master spells are piercing abilities. Furthermore, puppet master illusions aren't pierced by true seeing and similar effects, wards on areas that prevent divination (like mage's private sanctum) don't stop puppet master divinations, and sense motive checks can't detect the influence of puppet master enchantments (when applicable). After casting a number of puppet master spells equal to the mastermind’s class level, he or she can’t do so again until he or she meditates for 1 hour.

Layered Truth (Ex): A mastermind is a master of deception, leading others from the truth into even deeper deceptions. Whenever a creature succeeds on a sense motive check to pierce through the bluff check of a mastermind, a spot check to pierce through the disguise check of a mastermind, a forgery check to pierce through the forgery check of a mastermind, or a Will save to disbelieve an illusion of a mastermind by 10 points or fewer, the mastermind can have the target interpret a false “truth” behind the situation of the mastermind’s choice. A creature may recognize a forgery as having been written by another creature, for example, or perceive another illusion hiding behind the first. The mastermind can only falsify a single false “truth” for each illusion or skill check.

Each time this ability is used against a creature or that a creature simply fails on such a skill check or saving throw against the mastermind, that target falls deeper into the mind games of a mastermind and takes a stacking -2 penalty to such checks and saves against the mastermind and his or her spells for 24 hours. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the amount by which a creature may have succeeded on their check or save while still being affected increases by +10.

Never There (Sp): It is difficult to ever tell whether a mastermind is actually present or not, often acting through illusions or disguised intermediaries. Starting at 2nd level, whenever a mastermind would be dealt damage, they may choose to have never been there in the first place, appearing up to 100 feet away in a square possessing cover or concealment as it is revealed that an intermediary or illusion (depending on circumstances) was attacked (dispersing the illusion or killing the intermediary). If there are no squares within 100 feet in which a mastermind could hide, this ability can’t be used. This ability can be used once per encounter at 2nd level and one additional time per encounter at 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even mastermind level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a mastermind, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a mastermind can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Additional Magic Item Space, Always Prepared*, Assess Defenses*, Combat Puppetry*, Diabolic Plot*, Epic Leadership, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Stealth*, Epic Will, Extended Lifespan, False Positive*, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Spell Capacity, Improved Metamagic, Instant Response*, Legendary Commander, Master of Divination*, Master of Enchantment*, Master of Illusion*, Perfect Health, Play Along*, Polygot, Spell Knowledge, Spell Stowaway, Spontaneous Spell, Sting of Betrayal*, Superior Initiative, Think Ahead*, Thrall*, True Deception*, True Thrall*, Web of Deception*, What They Don’t Know*

New Feats

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False Positive [Epic]
Your ward allows you to provide false information to magical queries.
Prerequisites: Mastermind’s Ward (personal)
Benefits: Whenever a creature affected by your mastermind’s ward would have a divination effect detect their alignment, thoughts, or some similar aspect regarding its thoughts, philosophy, allegiances, and/or memories, that creature automatically learns what information is detected by that divination effect and may supply false information.

Play Along [Epic]
Your ward allows you to play at being manipulated by another.
Prerequisites: Mastermind’s Ward (personal)
Benefits: Whenever a creature affected by your mastermind’s ward would otherwise be subjected to a mind-affecting effect, that creature automatically learns its effects and can choose to play along. While playing along, the creature gains a magical aura (if appropriate) as though affected, is detected as dominated through the sense motive skill if appropriate, and extra effects from the spell (such as the sensory link formed through dominate person) function as though the spell were successful. If a creature would be slain or rendered sleeping or comatose through the spell, they fall prone and only a successful Heal check opposed by the creature’s bluff skill reveals them to be conscious. As a free action, the creature can stop playing along all together.

What They Don’t Know [Epic]
You can obscure the mundane and magical senses of others.
Prerequisites: Puppet Master
Benefits: You can use screen as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to your mastermind level + 20 (Save DC 20 + Mastermind level + Int modifier). After using this ability once, you must spend one hour in contemplation to recharge this ability before you can use it again.
spoiler: You may select this ability multiple times. Each time you take this ability beyond the first, double the number of times you can use this ability between recharges.

Sting of Betrayal[Epic]
You have a knack for inserting your weapon into the back of your supposed allies.
Prerequisites: Layered Truth III
Benefits: Whenever you attack a creature that is friendly, helpful, or fanatic towards you or who is subjected to one of your charm or compulsion effects, your attack automatically hits and is treated as a successful critical hit (if the target is immune to critical hits, the attack simply hits).

Combat Puppetry [Epic]
Even in the midst of combat, you can get others to act exactly as you wish.
Prerequisites: Layered Truth III
Benefits: You may spend a move action, standard action, or full round action to force an adjacent ally to take a single action of equal length of your choice during its next round with you making all decisions necessary for that action. Instructions that either can’t be carried out or that would directly bring harm to the target (including walking off of a cliff or into magma or through a wall of fire but not including attacking a foe, provoking attacks of opportunity, or walking in front of a raging dragon) are ignored. This effect allows no saving throw

Web of Deception [Epic]
Others quickly fall into your web of lies if they stay around you for too long.
Prerequisites: Layered Truth II
Benefits: Any creature who is affected by your layered truth class feature for three consecutive checks falls into your web of lies and is considered charmed by you (as charm person, no save). This effect lasts until the target makes an appropriate check but isn’t affected by your layered truth class feature, until he or she receives definite evidence that at least one false truth you provided is false, or until the creature spends 24 hours away from you.

True Deception [Epic]
You can lie as well as anyone could ever hope to.
Prerequisites: Layered Truth I
Benefits: When others use the sense motive skill to get a hunch about you, the DC is equal to your bluff check bonus (if any) + 10. Furthermore, you are immune to any non-epic effect that would force you to tell the truth or that can detect lies other than the sense motive skill.

Thrall [Epic]
You can extend the effects of a compulsion spell indefinitely.
Prerequisites: Layered Truth IV
Benefits: Whenever a creature fails its saving throw against a compulsion spell or effect that you use, you can make that creature a thrall. Doing so extends the maximum duration of the compulsion spell or effect indefinitely (though any conditions that would normally end it prematurely, such as completing a suggestion, still function). You may only have one thrall at a time and creating a new one frees any previous thrall, ending the spell effect if it’s duration would have normally expired.

True Thrall [Epic]
Your magic trains others to follow your commands long after the magic itself has gone.
Prerequisites: Thrall, Layered Truth V
Benefits: If your thrall remains under the effect of its compulsion effect for at least 24 hours, it reprograms the brain of its target. Even if the spell or effect is dispelled or suppressed, the target continues to act as though under its effects. Similarly, protection from evil and similar effects don’t prevent new orders from being given (if applicable). This effect can only be removed with a carefully worded wish or miracle after the compulsion effect has been dispelled. When ordered to take actions against the target’s nature, they continue using the Save DC for the ended compulsion effect. Choosing a second thrall still frees any prior thrall, even if the actual compulsion on the first thrall isn’t active.

Always Prepared [Epic]
You always seem to possess just what you need.
Prerequisites: Never There 1/encounter or Prepare for Everything (1 action)
Benefits: At any time, you may spend up to 10,000 gp in coins, gems, or similar valuables in order to retroactively possess any item at least two size categories smaller than you that weighs nor more than the valuables spent on it (50 coins = 1 pound). You may not spend valuables gained since the last time you had an opportunity to freely purchase items in this way.

Assess Defenses [Epic]
You can identify a creature’s defenses just by looking at it.
Prerequisites: Never There 3/encounter
Benefits: As a swift action, you can identify all defenses a creature within your line of sight possesses. You learn what immunities, resistances, damage reduction, regeneration, fast healing, and spell (or power) resistance the target possesses. At the same time, you learn of any special vulnerabilities the target possesses.

Think Ahead [Epic]
You work to keep your past self aware of what is about to occur, letting them react faster.
Prerequisites: Confer with Future (1 week) or Countermeasures 1/round
Benefits: You can ready a move or standard action as a swift action.

Instant Response [Epic]
You are quick to act where others might be caught by surprise
Prerequisites: Superior Initiative, Dex or Wis 25
Benefits: You always act during surprise rounds and may take a full-round of actions during such rounds.

Diabolic Plot [Epic]
When you take the time to plan ahead, success is almost guaranteed.
Prerequisites: Envoy of the End or Puppet Master
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may choose to embark upon a diabolical plot. You may select a number of attack rolls, saving throws, and/or skill checks up to your Intelligence modifier. When selecting a saving throw, you must specifically designate what save will be made and specifically what that save will be made against (getting as specific as what caster will cast what specific spell if you select a spell or what specific trap in what specific location will provoke the saving throw). If selecting a skill check, you must specify exactly what skill will be used to accomplish exactly what end (and against which specific creature, if applicable). If selecting an attack roll, you must specify who the attack roll will be against and what specific weapon or spell will be used for the attack.
At any time within the next 24 hours, when you would make one of your specified rolls, you may instead treat the dice result as a 20 and add an additional +2 bonus for each other specified roll you have already used. You may use each specified roll only once in this manner (though you can choose a single roll more than once) and this feat does not allow you to automatically succeed on attack rolls or saving throws. You may only use this feat once per day.

Epic Stealth [Epic]
You can escape notice even from the most extraordinary senses.
Prerequisites: Hide 30 ranks, Move Silently 30 ranks
Benefits: You are never detected through blindsight, blindsense, scent or tremorsense

Master of Divination [Epic]
You can act exactly as you need to in order to succeed at almost any task.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Divination spell
Benefits: All emanations that your divination spells create are doubled in size and you are aware when there is information that your divination spells is unable to detect, though you don’t automatically learn what knowledge you are kept from. Once per encounter, you can add your caster level as a bonus to an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. Using this feat requires no action.

Master of Enchantment[Epic]
You can make others act exactly as you would want them to with your impressive powers.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Enchantment spell
Benefits: You can affect mindless creatures with your mind-affecting enchantment spells, though only basic concepts can be conveyed and such targets gain a +10 bonus to their saving throw. A creature who succeeds on a saving throw against one of your enchantment spells is unaware that they were ever targeted. Once per encounter, you can force a single creature to follow your instructions for 1 round as is dominated unless it succeeds on a Will Save (DC 10 + caster level + Intelligence modifier).

Master of Illusion[Epic]
You can fool the senses of others with incredibly ease.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Illusion spell
Benefits: You can affect mindless creatures with your mind-affecting illusion spells. Touching an illusion you have that allows for saving throws to disbelieve does not allow the target to automatically disbelieve as such illusions now create imagined tactile sensations. Once per encounter, you can turn yourself or a creature within 100 feet of yourself invisible for 1 round. While invisible, the target can’t be seen through see invisibility or true seeing, is unaffected by glitterdust, faerie fire, and invisibility purge, and can’t be detected by scent, blindsight, blindsense, or tremorsense.

Mastermind’s Ward (Su): Starting at 4th level, a mastermind can defend him or herself against divination and mind-affecting effects. Divination spells and effects do not detect the mastermind, can’t be used to scry on the mastermind (and don’t see the mastermind when scrying on his or her surroundings), and can’t be used to learn about the mastermind. Even magic used by deities and epic spells using the Foresee and/or Reveal seeds can’t be used in this way. Similarly, the mastermind can’t be affected by mind-affecting effects (including epic spells using the compel seed). At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be shared with an additional creature (willing or otherwise) through a 1 hour ritual. New targets can replace old ones by repeating this ritual.

Countermeasures (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a mastermind is prepared to deal with almost any situation that they might come across. Once per round, a mastermind may cast a non-epic spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less at any time. The mastermind can use this ability twice per round at 10th level and one additional time per round every 5 levels afterwards. The total spell level of all spells cast in this way in a single round may not exceed the mastermind’s class level.

Notes and Explanation:

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And I decided to make one more bard-compatible class (though it goes with the beguiler just as well if not better) for a more sneaky approach.

I’ll admit that never there can seem a bit cheesy (and not powerful cheesy) if overused with body doubles always taking the fall (“did I say I had a twin? I clearly meant to say triplets!”) but it shouldn’t cause too much distress in a game if played straight.

[Realms of Chaos]

Mythic Commander

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In the open battlefields, any number of factors can make the difference between defeat and victory. Anything from the accuracy and speed of information to the weather to the training, morale, well-being, and number of troops on either side can tip the battle in one side’s favor. With the right commander in charge, however, even the greatest of disadvantages can be overcome. Having honed their mastery of warfare over dozens of battlefields, Mythic Commanders can inspire their allies to fight back and win against outrageous odds. In the capable hands of such a commander, even a few dozen soldiers could hope to take down an entire army with minimal casualties.

Hit Die: d10

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a mythic commander, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
Base Attack Bonus: +15
Skills: Diplomacy 23 ranks or Intimidate 23 ranks, Knowledge (history) 10 ranks
Feats: Leadership, Any three bonus fighter fights
Special: Must have led a force of at least 100 soldiers to a decisive military victory.

Class Skills: Bluff, Craft, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (History), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Sense Motive, Spot, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Mythic Commander
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+1

|Loyal Legions, Protect the Legions 1/round

2nd|

+2

|Commander’s Aura (100 ft)

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+4

|Mobilization 1/encounter

5th|

+5

|Loyal Lieutenant (1)

6th|

+6

|Protect the Legions 2/round

7th|

+7

|Commander’s Aura (200 ft)

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+9

|Mobilization 2/encounter

10th|

+10

|Loyal Lieutenant (2) [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Mythic Commander

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a mythic commander can still develop and cast epic spells using any four seeds of his or her choice. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved and you only add +5 to the spellcraft DC (instead of +10) for each additional target you add. If the mythic commander doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Loyal Legions (Ex): A mythic commander is capable of leading vast quantities of troops. The voice of a mythic commander can be heard clearly by allies up to 100 feet/class level away regardless of whether other noice is present. Allies within this range gain immunity to fear. Furthermore, allies in range with HD up to your class level automatically succeed on all attack rolls against foes with up to two more HD than they possess and all attacks made against these allies by such foes automatically fail. If two mythic commanders lead forces against each other, neither side automatically hits or automatically misses the other.

Protect the Legion (Ex): Starting at 1st level, a mythic commander can protect his or her own forces against untraditional forms of attack. Once per round, when one or more allies would be forced to make a saving throw, the mythic commander may lend any or all affected foes a bonus to their saving throw equal to the commander’s Charisma bonus and if one or more targets succeed on this save, all of them do so. This ability can be used an additional time per round at 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Commander’s Aura (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a mythic commander radiates an aura of competence out to 100 feet. The nature of this aura is chosen from those listed below and the commander can switch between auras as a swift action.

Aura of Desparate Measures: If an ally possesses more than one hit point and would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points from a single source, it is instead reduced to 1 hit point and remains conscious.
Aura of Shattering Ranks: If an ally hits an enemy with half as many hit dice or fewer and deals lethal damage, that creature is instantly slain.
Aura of Ideal Formation: All allies within range may take a second move action each round.

At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the range of this aura extends by 100 feet.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a mythic commander can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Aura of Harsh Journeys*, Cavalry Charge*, Command Loyalty*, Commander’s Ward*, Concentrated Result*, Element of Surprise*, Epic Leadership, Epic Mounted Combat*, Epic Prowess, Epic Reputation, Epic Will, Force Route*, Great Strength, Great Dexterity, Great Intelligence, Great Charisma, Last Stand*, Legendary Commander, Legendary Rider, Legion’s Shield, Perfect Morale*, Superior Initiative, Superior Lieutenants*

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Aura of Harsh Journeys [Epic]
You gain an additional commander’s aura that helps allies travel long distances.
Prerequisites: Commander’s Aura (100 feet)
Benefits: You gain a new Commanders’ aura. While active, it grants all allies within range immunity against nonlethal damage from force marches, halves all other nonlethal damage from sources other than combat, and grants immunity against fatigue.

Commander’s Ward [Epic]
Those that you protect may escape unscathed from attacks that would otherwise still harm them
Prerequisites: Protect the Legion 1/round
Benefits: Any creature protected by your protect the legion class feature gains either evasion or mettle against the attack, depending on what saving throws are needed.

Command Loyalty [Epic]
Only the strongest of magic can make your forces turn against you
Prerequisites: Loyal Legions
Benefits: Creatures affected by your loyal legions class feature automatically succeed on all saves against charm and compulsion effects.

Element of Surprise [Epic]
Your troops can take advantage of surprise to take out enemies far stronger than themselves.
Prerequisites: Commanders’ Aura (200 ft)
Benefits: While your aura of shattering ranks is active, your allies treat flat-footed foes as possessing two fewer HD (to a minimum of 1 HD) for the purpose of both that aura and your loyal legions class feature.
Special: You may select this feat a number of times up to the range of your commanders’ aura divided by 100. Its effects stack with itself.

Cavalry Charge [Epic]
Your troops can use mounts to gain even greater mobility in combat.
Prerequisites: Commander’s Aura (200 ft)
Benefits: Mounts that your allies ride benefit from your loyal legions and commanders’ aura class features so long as they possess an appropriate amount of HD. Furthermore, while your aura of ideal formation is active, all allied mounts within range gain a +20 foot bonus to their speed.
Special: You may select this feat a number of times up to the range of your commanders’ aura divided by 100. Its effects stack with itself.

Last Stand [Epic]
Your troops can continue fighting beyond what would normally slay them.
Prerequisites: Commander’s Aura (200 ft)
Benefits: While your aura ofdesperate measures is active, allies within range aren’t disabled at 0 hit points, continue acting normally at negative hit points, and only die at -20 hit points (unless they could otherwise survive with fewer hit points).
Special: You may select this feat a number of times up to the range of your commanders’ aura divided by 100. Each time you select it, decrease the hit point total at which point affected creatures die by an additional 10 hit points.

Concentrated Assault [Epic]
You can concentrate your forces on taking out a limited number of specific enemies.
Prerequisites: Mobilization 2/encounter
Benefits: As a swift action, you can choose a single creature and call out for your allies to take it down. Until you declare a new target or the current target falls, all allies who can hear and understand you gain a +5 morale bonus to attack and damage rolls against the creature. Furthermore, allies moving toward the target don’t provoke attacks of opportunity for their movement and allies making range attacks against the target gain the benefits of the far shot and precise shot feats if they do not already possess them (even if they don’t meet the prerequisites).

Force Rout [Epic]
If your forces possess the upper hand in combat, enemies are quick to take note.
Prerequisites: Mobilization 2/round
Benefits: Every five consecutive rounds that you and your allies have suffered no casualties but your enemies have, all enemies capable of witnessing the frontlines must make a Will save (DC 20 + Mythic Commander level + Cha modifier). If a creature fails this saving throw, he or she is frightened.

Legion’s Shield [Epic]
With a few quick shouted instructions, you can protect your allies from harm.
Prerequisites: Protect the Legion 3/round
Benefits: You may use your protect the legion class feature whenever one or more creatures affected by your loyal legion class feature would take hit point damage. All creatures who would be damaged and who can hear and understand you reduce this damage by 5 points per point of Charisma bonus you possess (minimum 1)

Superior Lieutenants [Epic]
Your lieutenants gain additional skill at leading your troops on the battlefield
Prerequisites: Loyal Lieutenant (3)
Benefits: All of your loyal lieutenants gain the ability to use your protect the legion class feature 1/round and your mobilization class feature 1/encounter, though they can only extend the benefits of these class features to allies within 100 feet. These uses don’t count towards your maximums.

Perfect Morale [Epic]
Under the command of such a brilliant leader, troops feel capable of anything.
Prerequisites: Mobilization 4/encounter
Benefits: Each of your allies affected by your loyal legion class feature may choose to take 20 on an attack roll or saving throw once per encounter. These rolls automatically succeed as normal and taking 20 on an attack roll threatens a critical hit.

Epic Mounted Combat[Epic]
Any mount you utilize is pushed to the limits of its abilities.
Prerequisites: Mounted Combat, Base Attack Bonus +20
Benefits: While mounted, your mount may use any of your physical ability scores if they are superior to their own, may make use of any of your feats that it meets all prerequisites for, and can make any or all of its natural attacks without forcing you to make additional ride checks.

Mobilization (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a mythic commander can help spur on others to victory. Once per encounter, as a free action, a mythic commander may select any number of allies with a total sum of HDs no higher than 80 + (Class level x 4). The mythic commander may not select him or herself in this way. All selected creatures may immediately take a full round of actions. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, you may use this ability an addition time per encounter.

Loyal Lieutenant (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a mythic commander may select a single creature to become a lieutenant for his or her forces. That creature emanates the mythic commander’s loyal legions class feature out to 100 feet and radiates whichever one of your commander’s aura it was last affected by out to a range of 50 feet. If a creature selected as a loyal lieutenant possesses fewer than half as many Hit Dice as the commander, it gains temporary racial Hit Dice sufficient to make up the difference. These Hit Dice don’t grant feats or skill points. Lastly, loyal lieutenants are immune to fear, charm, and compulsion effects. If a lieutenant displeases the commander or is slain, the commander may declare a new creature to take the previous ones place with 10 minutes of talking to the new candidate. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a mythic commander can select an additional loyal lieutenant.

Notes and Explanation:

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Though I kind of like this class, I’ll admit that it is weird as hell. In some ways, it’s a more practical version of the godking as it comes with expectation of leading more battles. I’m pretty happy with how loyal legions turned out as it allows for mass combat (always a tricky and nebulous thing) to be streamlined if the soldiers of the two sides would otherwise be closely matched. I’m aware that a king or similar power would be better off hiring an epic blaster to wipe out an enemy army than hiring a mythic commander but that’s always going to be a problem when comparing mundane to casters and I couldn’t think of any way to overcome that without giving your army the ability to completely curbstomp an entire enemy army in 1 round, something I honestly don’t want (If you’re leading an army to battle in a campaign, I’m guessing that you probably want more than a one-round slaughter of anything you face).

[Realms of Chaos]

Omnimind

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The strength of the mind, though incredibly vast, is left almost entirely untapped by most of the population. While some utilize a fraction of this power through the outlet of psionics, they remain woefully unaware of their true potential. Only once or twice in each generation does a being manage to break through the limitations of their own mind, accessing the vast stores of power held within the collective unconsciousness of all living beings. These beings, referred to as omniminds, possess mental powers guided by the entirety of all thoughts.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become an Omnimind , a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Knowledge (Psionics) 23 ranks, Psicraft 23 ranks
Powers: Ability to manifest 5th-level powers.
Feats: Any four psionic feats

Class Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Knowledge (Psionics), Profession, Psicraft, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Use Psionic Device Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Omnimind
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Powers Known

1st|

+0

|Mental Prowess, Flowing Augmentation 4|+1 level of existing manifesting class

2nd|

+1

|Mind Over Matter (halve)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing manifesting class

4th|

+2

|Collective Conscioussness 1/encounter|+1 level of existing manifesting class

5th|

+2

|Psionic Master (1)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

6th|

+3

|Flowing Augmentation 8|+1 level of existing manifesting class

7th|

+3

|Mind Over Matter (third)|+1 level of existing manifesting class

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing manifesting class

9th|

+4

|Collective Conscioussness 2/encounter|+1 level of existing manifesting class

10th|

+5

|Psionic Master (2)|+1 level of existing manifesting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Omnimind.

Epic Spellcasting: An omnimind gains epic manifestation as a bonus feat, even if he or she doesn't meet the prerequisites for it.

Powers Known: At each omnimind level , he or she gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if he or she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class he or she belonged to before he or she added the prestige class level. The omnimind does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, psicrystal special abilities, and so on). If a character had more than one manifesting class before he or she became an omnimind, he or she must decide to which class he or she adds the new level of omnimind for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.

Mental Prowess (Su): Omniminds are masters of mentalism, possessing psychic talent that dwarves others. He or she may regain his or her psionic focus once per round as a free action and is immune to mind affecting effects while he or she possesses psionic focus. In addition, the omnimind gains telepathy out to 50 feet/class level and can detect and pinpoint all non-mindless creatures within this range. Lastly, the omnimind need not possess a line of sight or line of effect with a creature detected in this way so long as it remains in range of the power.

Flowing Augmentation (Su): Drawing upon the collective consciousness of all beings for psychic energy, omniminds can save their own supply of psychic power for when it truly matters. Whenever an omnimind manifests a power, he or she may spend the power points of a willing ally within 100 feet rather than spending his or her own. Furthermore, whenever he or she manifests a power, he or she gains 4 temporary power points that can only be used to augment that power and are immediately lost if not used for this purpose. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the number of temporary power points increases by +4.

Mind over Matter (Su): While many omniminds may appear frail at first glance, they can absorb great deals of harm through nothing more than raw will power. Starting at 2nd level, whenever an omnimind would take hit point damage, he or she may choose to divide the amount of damage by 2 and subtract it from his or her remaining power points instead of hit points. If the omnimind doesn’t possess enough power points to negate the damage in this way, this ability can’t be used. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, increase the amount by which the damage is first divided by + 1.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, an omnimind can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Aggressive Psychokinesis*, Assume Mantle*, Astral Master*, Discern Intentions*, Discern Thoughts*, Epic Expanded Knowledge, Epic Psionic Focus, Epic Will, Exceed Limitations*, Extended Lifespan, Extra Augments*, Great Charisma, Great Intelligence, Great Wisdom, Improved Body Fuel*, Improved Combat Manifestation*, Improved Manifestation, Improved Metapsionics, Improved Mind Over Body*, Improved Wild Surge*, Intensify Power*, Overrule Power*, Pierce Mind*, Power Knowledge, Psicrystal Power, Quick Psychoportation*, Reactive Psychometabolism*, Subtle Telepathy*, Superior Cognizance*, True Clairsentience*, Web of Metacreativity*

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Superior Cognizance [Epic, Psionic]
You consider problems from every possible angle.
Prerequisites: Mental Prowess
Benefits: By expending your psionic focus, you can take 20 on any Intelligence-, Wisdom-, or Charisma-based skill check.

Improved Combat Manifestation [Epic, Psionic]
You have not difficulty manifesting powers in the midst of combat
Prerequisites: Combat Manifestation
Benefits: You never provoke attacks of opportunity for manifesting powers.

Improved Wild Surge [Epic, Psionic]
Your mind can withstand more than others would suspect
Prerequisites: Wild Surge +5
Benefits: Whenever you use your wild surge class feature on a power, increase the manifester level bonus by +1 (this does not increase the odds of psychic innervations) and you gain a further +1 bonus on power penetration checks made using that power.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Exceed Limitations [Epic, Psionic]
You can press your mind beyond its limits at the cost of your body.
Benefits: You may spend power points on powers as if your manifester level were 2 higher.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Discern Intentions [Epic, Psionic]
You can get a basic idea of what creatures around you mean you ill will.
Prerequisites: Mental Prowess
Benefits: You treat all creatures within the area of your mental prowess class feature as if they were in the area of a detect hostile intent effect.

Discern Thoughts [Epic, Psionic]
You can dive deep into the thoughts of those nearby.
Prerequisites: Discern Intentions
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may submit any single creature within the area of your mental prowess class feature to a probe mind effect with a manifester level equal to your omnimind level + 20 and a Save DC of 20 + Omnimind level + your highest mental ability score modifier. A creature who succeeds on its saving throw against this effect can’t be affected by this feat again for the next 24 hours.

Intensify Power [Metapsionic]
You can draw out incredible strength from your powers.
Prerequisties: Empower Power, Maximize Power, Psicraft 30 ranks, ability to manifest 9th level powers
Benefits: To use this feat, you must expend your psionic focus. All variable, numeric effects of an intensified power are maximized, then doubled. An intensified power deals twice maximum damage, cures twice the maximum number of hit points, affects twice the maximum number of targets, and so forth, as appropriate. Saving throws and opposed rolls are not affected, nor are powers without random variables. Augmented powers can be intensified; a maximized augmented power deals twice the maximum damage (or cures twice the maximum hit points, and so on) of the augmented power. You can’t combine the effects of this feat with any other feat that affects the variable, numeric effects of a spell. Using this feat increases the power point cost of the power by 7. The power’s total cost cannot exceed your manifester level.

Improved Body Fuel [Epic, Psionic]
You can extract more psionic power ouf of your body.
Prerequisites: Body Fuel
Benefits: You regain 10 power points per point of ability burn you suffer to each physical ability score with your body fuel feat.

Astral Master [Epic, Psionic]
You can personalize your astral constructs to a greater degree
Prerequisites: The ability to cast the astral construct power
Benefits: Whenever you manifest astral construct, you may choose an additional ability from any menu and apply it to that construct with no additional cost.
[b]Special:{/b] This feat can be taken multiple times. Its effects stack.

Improved Mind over Matter [Epic, Psionic]
You can prevent many afflictions that would befall you through raw will.
Prerequisites: Mind Over Matter (Halve)
Benefits: You may prevent any or all ability damage, ability drain, and/or negative levels you would acquire at a cost of two power points per point of ability damage, four power points per point of ability drain, and eight power points per negative level to be preventing.

Pierce Mind [Epic, Psionic]
You can exert your mental focus to crush the defenses around a target’s mind.
Prerequisites: Mental Prowess, Psicraft 30 ranks
Benefits: By expending your psionic focus, you may have a single power you manifest, ignore both immunities against mind-affecting effects and power resistance.

Overrule Power [Epic, Psionic]
You can commandeer an enemy’s power with your superior mind
Prerequisites: Mind Over Matter (Third)
Benefits: You may ready an action to commandeer the next power you witness another creature manifest. When that creature next attempts to manifest that power, you make an opposed psicraft check against it. If you are successful, you may choose to either cancel that power (all power points and XP spent on it are still lost) or to make all decisions for it as if you were the manifester (although it still emanates from the original manifester’s square).

Web of Metacreativity [Epic, Psionic]
The objects and creature you create emanate the same psychic aura as yourself.
Prerequisites: ability to manifest five or more powers of the metacreativity discipline.
Benefits: You may manifest powers as if occupied the same square as any object or creature you create with metacreativity powers. If the duration of such a power is instantaneous or permanent, you may only manifest powers in this way within 5 rounds of first manifesting the power to create that object or creatures.

Reactive Psychometabolism [Epic, Psionic]
Your body is quite capable of responding to physical harm when required.
Prerequisites: ability to manifest five or more powers of the psychometabolism discipline.
Benefits: Whenever an enemy successfully attacks you and deals hit point damage, you may manifest a power of the psychometabolism discipline as an immediate action.

Quick Psychoportation [Epic, Psionic]
Utilizing psychoportation is as easy for you as moving through space.
Prerequisites: ability to manifest five or more powers of the psychoportation discipline.
Benefits: You may manifest a single power of the psychoportation discipline as part of any other move action.

Aggressive Psychokinesis [Epic, Psionic]
You attack with your psychokinesis with the greatest of ease.
Prerequisites: ability to manifest five or more powers of the psychokinesis discipline
Benefits: In place of any attack you would otherwise make, you may manifest a single power of the psychokinesis discipline.

Subtle Telepathy [Epic, Psionic]
You can sneak a telepathic power onto another power that you cast.
Prerequisites: ability to manifest five or more powers of the telepathy discipline.
Benefits: Whenever you manifest a target of a discipline other than telepathy that targets a single creature, you may simultaneously manifest a power of the telepathy discipline with a single target, targeting the exact same creature.

True Clairsentience [Epic, Psionic]
You think far more efficiently than most creatures in existence.
Prerequisites: ability to manifest five or more powers of the clairsentience discipline.
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may manifest any number of powers of the clairsentience discipline.

Assume Mantle [Epic, Psionic]
You possess access to a wider array of mantles.
Prerequisites: Access to at least 2 mantles.
Benefits: You gain access to an additional mantle. If you would normally be restricted in which mantles you could select (such as a divine mind), you may ignore such restrictions.

Extra Augments [Epic, Psionic]
You are more skilled at augmenting your psionic sneak attacks.
Prerequisites: Lurk Augments (3 at once)
Benefit: You may use an additional lurk augment with each swift action. You may use lurk augments an additional number of times per day equal to your intelligence modifier.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Collective Consciousness (Su): Tapping in the the universal consciousness that all thinking beings possess, an omnimind can target a vast number of creatures with a single psionic power. Starting at 4th level, once per encounter, an omnimind may expend his or her psionic focus to manifest a power with a single target and a range other than personal while targeting any number of creatures within range. If that power possesses an XP cost, it is paid for each target. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per encounter.

Psionic Master (Ex): Starting at 5th level, an omnimind can manipulate far greater magics than most other manifesters. An omnimind can cast an additional epic spell each day, plus one additional such spell at 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Notes and Explanation:

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There’s nothing much to note here, though I’ll admit that the fluff is a bit flat. Psionics is the the largest submagic system so I figured that I’d be best off with a rather broad class. I’m not seeing too much trouble here but I’m sure that you’ll let me know if I’m wrong.

[Realms of Chaos]

Peerless Marksman

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While most warriors measure their skill by their ability to fight head to head with strong opponents, others measure their skill by controlling the battlefield without ever coming within an enemy’s reach. The most skilled among these ranged combatants are known as peerless marksmen. Possessed of keen senses and unmatched speed and accuracy, peerless marksmen can quickly disable singular foes or hold off larger forces with minimal difficulty. The strongest of peerless marksman can even fight off spellcasters and dragons if required, at least for a short while. Though glory and renown may be piled on those who fight in close quarters, the skill of peerless marksmen demands its own respect.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a peerless marksman, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Base Attack Bonus: +15
Skills: Spot 23 ranks.
Feats: Point-Blank Shot and any four feats using it as a prerequisite.

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (geography), Listen, Move Silently, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Rope
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier

Peerless Marksman
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+1

|Master Marksman, Trick Shot 5/round

2nd|

+2

|Flawless Sight I

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+4

|Suppressing Fire (-1)

5th|

+5

|Perfect Shot 1/encounter

6th|

+6

|Trick Shot 10/round

7th|

+7

|Flawless Sight II

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+9

|Suppressing Fire (-2)

10th|

+10

|Perfect Shot 2/encounter[/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Peerless Marksman

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a peerless marksman can still develop and cast epic spells using the armor, destroy, dispel, energy, fortify, and/or reveal seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. A peerless marksman may use his or her base attack bonus in place of his or her ranks in knowledge skills to determine epic spell slots per day and in place of his or her ranks in spellcraft when making a spellcraft check to cast an epic spell. As a full-round action, a peerless marksman can make a full-attack and cast an epic spell. If the attack is successful, the epic spell slot isn’t expended. If the peerless marksman can’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Master Marksman (Ex): A peerless marksman possesses unrivaled skill with ranged weaponry. He or she gains the distant shot epic feat, even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites. In addition, the peerless marksman doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunities when making ranged attacks. The peerless marksman can make attacks of opportunity when using ranged weaponry, threatening the area within one normal range increment with that weapon. Lastly, the peerless marksman adds twice his or her class level to the number of attacks of opportunity he or she can make each round and to damage rolls when making a ranged attack roll.

Trick Shot (Ex): A peerless marksman can perform remarkable feats using ranged weaponry. Each round, a peerless marksman can perform up to 5 trick shots. With a trick shot, a peerless marksman can alter a ranged attack to bull rush, trip, or disarm a creature or sunder an item that the target wears in addition to damaging the creature if the attack succeeds, provoking no attacks of opportunity and making Dexterity checks with an additional bonus equal to twice his or her class level in place of Strength checks. Alternately, the peerless marksman can use a trick shot to make a single ranged attack outside of his or her action in initiative. Multiple trick shots can be used on a single attack roll to provide additional benefit. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a peerless marksman may make an additional 5 trick shots each round.

Flawless Sight (Su): To become successful at attacking enemies, a peerless marksman is forced to hone his or her sight until the marksman can see everything as it is. Starting at 2nd level, the peerless marksman gains blindsense out to 200 feet, tremorsense out to 100 feet, and true seeing out to 50 feet. These distances are doubled at 7th level, tripled at 12th level, and so forth.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a peerless marksman can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Bane of Enemies, Blinding Speed, Bottomless Quiver*, Create Opening*, Death of enemies, Eagle-eyed Hunter*, Eagle-eyed Stalker*, Epic Avoidance*, Epic Prowess, Epic Reflexes, Epic Speed, Fall Back*, Find the Gap*, Godslayer*, Great Dexterity, Great Wisdom, Halt Advance*, Hobble Opponent*, Improved Arrow of Death, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Favored Enemy, Improved Manyshot, In the Shade*, Instant Reload, Instant Response*, Legendary Sniper*, Penetrating Shot*, Press the Advantage*, See the Glimmer*, Spell Arrow*, Stagger Opponent*, Sudden Shot*, Swarm of Arrows, Uncanny Accuracy

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Hobble Opponent [Epic]
With enough attacks, you can stop an enemy in its tracks.
Prerequisites: Trick Shot 5/round
Benefits: You gain a new use for your trick shot class feature. By spending a trick shot, you may negate all damage that an attack would deal. If the attack hits, the target’s speed for all forms of movement is reduced by 5 feet (to a minimum of 0 feet) for 1 round. This effect stacks with itself.

Penetrating Shot [Epic]
Your attacks strike at the vulnerabilities of your foes and display these weaknesses to others.
Prerequisites: Trick Shot 10/round
Benefits: You gain a new use for your trick shot class feature. By spending a trick shot, you can choose to make an attack a penetrating shot. If the attack hits, the target’s damage reduction is lowered by 5 for that attack and all other attacks made against it for 1 round. During this time, the target’s regeneration and fast healing (if any) are reduced by an equal amount. This effect stacks with itself and none of these values may be reduced below 0 in this way.

Find the Gap [Epic]
Your attacks have a knack for finding the weakest point in an opponent’s armor.
Prerequisites: Trick Shot 15/round
Benefits: You gain a new use for your trick shot class feature. By spending a trick shot as you make a ranged attack roll, that attack is treated as a touch attack.

In the Shade [Epic] ]
You can single-handedly release volleys of shots that are impossible to dodge.
Prerequisites: Trick Shot 25/round
Benefits: You gain a new use for your trick shot class feature. By spending a trick shot as you make a ranged attack roll with a manufactured weapon, you may make the attack against a square instead of against a creature, treating the attack much as a grenade-like weapon. If the square the shot lands in is unoccupied, it is treated as difficult terrain for 1 round. If the square the shot lands in is occupied, the target must make a Reflex save (DC = your attack roll) to resist being hit by your attack. For each adjacent square to the target that has been hit in this way within the past round, that target takes a -2 penalty to its saving throw. If at least eight adjacent squares have been hit in this way within the past round, the target instead automatically fails its saving throw.

Stagger Opponent [Epic]
You can knock the fight out of an opponents by keeping it on the defensive.
Prerequisites: Trick Shot 20/round
Benefits: You gain a new use for your trick shot class feature. By spending a trick shot as you make a ranged attack roll against an opponent, you can make it a staggering shot. If the attack is successful, the target must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + peerless marksman level + 1 per previous such saving throw made in the past round) or become staggered for 1 round.

Instant Response [Epic]
You are quick to act where others might be caught by surprise
Prerequisites: Superior Initiative, Dex or Wis 25
Benefits: You always act during surprise rounds and may take a full-round of actions during such rounds.

Epic Avoidance [Epic]
You are skilled at dodging attacks.
Prerequisites: Dex 25
Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. You lose this bonus whenever you would lose your Dexterity bonus.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Godslayer [Epic]
You can face even the divine with some chance of success.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +35 or ability to cast 12th level spells
Benefits: Deities attacking you never take 20 on their attack rolls. Against your spells and abilities, deities never take 20 on their saving throws. Against you, Deities lose their divine bonus to AC and Saving Throws. Lastly, you aren’t detected by the remote sensing abilities or portfolio sense of deities and salient divine abilities that create areas or that designate targets don’t affect you.

Legendary Sniper [Epic]
You can launch attacks from hiding far better than others can.
Prerequisites: Master Marksman, Hide 24 ranks
Benefits: You take no penalty to hide checks when sniping.
Furthermore, you are not restricted to making only one attack while sniping.

Press the Advantage [Epic]
You can use the smallest of openings to release an entire volley of attacks.
Prerequisites: Improved Combat Reflexes, Perfect Shot 2/encounter
Benefits: You may make a number of attacks of opportunity up to one plus your dexterity modifier for a given opportunity.
Normal: You are restricted to one attack of opportunity for a given opportunity.

Create Opening [Epic]
The suppressing fire you lay down creates openings for your allies to move about freely.
Prerequisites: Suppressing Fire (-1)
Benefits: Any creature successfully hit by one of your ranged attacks can’t make attacks of opportunity for 1 round.

Halt Advance [Epic]
You can stop your enemies from approaching you in combat.
Prerequisites: Suppressing Fire (-2)
Benefits: Any creature successfully hit by one of your ranged attacks treats all squares within a cone originating from you and reaching as far as that opponent as difficult terrain for 1 round.

Fall Back [Epic]
After making an accurate shot, you can easily fall back to prevent a counterattack.
Prerequisites: Perfect Shot 1/encounter
Benefits: After using your perfect shot class feature or scoring a critical hit with a ranged attack during your action, you may immediately spend the rest of your action making a withdraw action. Doing so ends any series of attacks you were in the middle of performing.

See the Glimmer [Epic]
Among the greatest of archers, it often falls to you to strike at invisible foes far in the distance.
Prerequisites: Flawless Sight I
Benefits: You can see through any form of invisibility within your range of sight.

Spell Arrow [Epic]
You can enchant your ranged attacks with spells.
Prerequisites: Master Marksman, Ability to cast 1st level spells
Benefits: You may cast a spell that either possesses a range of touch or that requires a ranged touch attack whenever you make a ranged attack with a manufactured weapon. You add the spell level of the chosen spell as a bonus to the attack roll and damage roll and the spell is successfully delivered if the attack is successful. Only spells with a casting time up to one standard action can be cast in this way.

Bottomless Quiver [Epic]
Your magic ensures that you never run out of ammunition
Prerequisites: Spell Arrow
Benefits: So long as you possess at least one spell slot or spell prepared, you can make masterwork ammunition as you attack. You always create just the right amount to attack with and can thus make full attacks or use the manyshot feat. This ammunition lasts until the attack is completed.

Eagle-eyed Stalker [Epic]
You have mastered the art of attacking on the move
Prerequisites: Skirmish +4d6/+4, Master Marksman
Benefits: Your scout level and peerless marksman level stack for the purposes of your skirmish class feature.

Sudden Shot [Epic]
Your attacks come and go in the blink of an eye.
Prerequisites: Trick Shot 20/round
Benefits: You gain a new use for your trick shot class feature. Whenever you make a ranged attack, you can spend a trick shot to make the attack a sudden shot. No actions of any sort, whether readied actions or immediate actions, can be taken in response to a sudden shot. Similarly, contingent spell effects fail to activate in response to a sudden shot.

Eagle-eyed Hunter [Epic]
You have continued learning how to hunt specific prey.
Prerequisites: Four favored enemies, Master Marksman
Benefits: Your ranger level and peerless marksman level stack for the purposes of your favored enemy class feature.

Suppressing Fire (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a peerless marksman knows how to inflict lasting pain with his or her attacks, distracting and weakening the enemy with every shot. For each successful ranged attack that a peerless marksman makes against a creature, that creature takes a stacking -1 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 round. This penalty increases by -1 at 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Perfect Shot (Ex): Starting at 5th level, when making a ranged attack, a peerless marksman can declare it to be a perfect shot. A perfect shot ignores cover, concealment, miss chances gained through magical sources, damage reduction, and regeneration. The attack can’t be deflected, snatched, or reflected using feats, spells, and abilities that normally allow for this. The attack automatically hits its target, threatens a critical hit, and imposes twice the normal penalty for the marksman’s suppressing fire class feature. This ability can be used once per encounter at 5th level and one additional time per encounter at 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Notes and Explanation:

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Because archers are universally viewed as awful, I decided to see how far I could push them within their given role. I think that I’ve given archers a pretty good chance at contributing to combat. For the record, master marksman is meant to grant AoO within 1 normal range increment of the weapon (not at infinite range as the distant shot feat may lead you to believe). As one last note to those nitpickers and tippyverse supporters out there, the initial claim that this class can fight off spellcasters for a while is assuming a non-optimized caster.

[Realms of Chaos]

Primeval Force

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The entirety of the natural world, from the meekest of prey to the grandest of predators, remains entirely interconnected. Ancient magics woven through countless leylines, intertwined with the life force flowing through all living things, create what most people think of as nature. Though many people have been known to siphon and redirect small amounts of this energy to protect the natural world, a rare few have become channels for this ancient magic, becoming leylines in their own right. These living leylines, known collectively as primeval forces, possess incredible power over nature. Though most think of themselves as mere stewards of nature rather than acting as domineers, the difference is often difficult to see when such great powers are being manipulated. Whether we like it or not, primeval forces freely walk the multiverse, firmly entrenched in the natural world.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a , a character must meet all of the following criteria
Alignment: Any neutral
Skills: Knowledge (nature) 23 ranks
Class Features: Animal Companion, Wild Shape 3/day

Class Skills: Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (nature), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Speak Language, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, Use Rope
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier


Primeval Force
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Steward of Nature, Roiling Skinshift 1/encounter|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

2nd|

+1

|Primordial Resilience 10|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

4th|

+2

|Primeval Influence (1 mile)|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Master of the Primeval (1)|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

6th|

+3

|Roiling Skinshift 2/encounter|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Primordial Resilience 20|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Primeval Influence (10 miles)|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class

10th|

+5

|Master of the Primeval (2)|+1 level of existing divine spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Primeval Force.

Epic Spellcasting: A primeval force gains epic spellcasting as a bonus feat, even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites. If the primeval force doesn't cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Animal Companion: At 1st level and every 3 levels afterwards, a primeval force’s animal companion (if any) gains +2 bonus Hit Dice, its natural armor increases by 2, its Strength and Dexterity modifiers increase by 1, and it learns one additional bonus trick.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each primeval force level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a divine spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one divine spellcasting class before becoming a primeval force, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Steward of Nature (Ex): Beyond a single animal companion, a primeval force exercises control over the very forces of nature. A primeval force can talk to any and all animals, magical beasts, plants, vermin, and elementals regardless of their intelligence scores and such creatures can only attack the primeval force if they succeed on a Will save (DC 20 + class level + Wis mod). Any time such a creature within 1 mile of the primeval force is harmed by a creature not from this list, a primeval force learns of this altercation and the direction and distance to it.

Most Impressively, a primeval force can replace his or her animal companion with any such creature from this list with HD up to his or her Class level + 20 by spending a full-round action to establish the bond (allowing a DC 20 + Class level + Wis mod Will save to resist) while severing the previous bond. The effective druid level of the primeval force equals 20 + class level – base HD of the animal companion.

Wild Shape: A primeval force gains another daily use of wild shape at 2nd level and every 4 levels afterwards.

Roiling Skinshifter (Su): A primeval force is filled with ancient knowledge of thousands of forms and knows how to always assume just the form that he or she requires. The primeval force need not be familiar with a type of creature to assume its form through wild shape. Once per encounter, a primeval force can assume a new form using wild shape as an immediate action. This shift doesn’t use one of his or her daily uses and only lasts for 1 round before the primeval force returns to his or her previous form. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an addition time each encounter.

Primordial Resilience (Su): Just as life has continued unhalted from times primordial, so too does a primeval force of 2nd level continue living regardless of circumstances. The primeval force gains fast healing 10. As a standard action, a primeval force can lend out some or all of this fast healing to a touched creature, stacking with any fast healing the target already possesses and lasting for 24 hours or until the primeval force calls back the energy as a standard action. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the value of this fast healing increases by +10.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a primeval force can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Armor Skin, Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Colossal Wild Shape, Damage Reduction, Diminutive Wild Shape, Divine Spell Knowledge*, Dragon Wild Shape, Draw Essence*, Embrace the Form*, Energy Resistance, Enhance Spell, Enhanced Form*, Extended Life Span, Fine Wild Shape, Gargantuan Wild Shape, Godslayer*, Great Wisdom, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Elemental Wild Shape, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Spell Capacity, Intensify Spell, Inviolable Form*, Legendary Climber, Legendary Leaper, Legendary Rider, Legendary Trainer, Legendary Wrestler, Magical Beast Wild Shape, Master of Nature*, Menagerie Shape*, Multispell, Nature’s Gift, Polygot, Quick Restoration*, Retain Enhancements*, Revitalization*, Spell Opportunity, Spell Stowaway, Spontaneous Spell, Superior Spellcaster*, Tenacious Magic, Tarrasque Carapace*, Universal Tongue*, Vermin Wild Shape

New Feats

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Draw Essence [Epic]
You can draw upon the essence of the wilderness to help you cast an epic spell.
Prerequisites: Steward of Nature
Benefits: You may draw essence from any number of friendly, helpful, or fanatic animals, elementals, magical beasts, and plant creatures within your line of sight as a standard action. For each creature you draw essence from, you add half of its HD (minimum +0) to the next spellcraft check you make to cast an epic spell within the next 10 minutes. All creatures you draw essence from become exhausted and you may not draw essence from fatigued, exhausted, or unconscious creatures.

Enhanced Form [Epic]
The forms you assume using wild shape are greater than normal animals of their kind.
Prerequisites: Steward of Nature
Benefits: While using the wild shape class feature to become a small or smaller creature, you gain a +2 bonus to your dexterity score. While using the wild shape class feature to become a large or larger creature, you gain a +2 bonus to your constitution score.
Special: This feat may be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Revitalization [Epic]
You are exceedingly difficult to truly damage.
Prerequisites: Primordial Resilience 30
Benefits: You gain regeneration equal to your fast healing. Whenever you lend some of your healing to another, they gain an equal amount of regeneration as well. All forms of energy damage and critical hits overcome this regeneration.

Inviolable Form [Epic]
Your form is impossible to alter by force
Prerequisites: Roiling Skinshifter 2/encounter or Shrug Off 2/round or Infinite Adaptation (15 immunities)
Benefits: You aren’t affected by any effect that would forcefully alter your form (such as baleful polymorph, flesh to stone, or disintegrate) unless you allow it to affect you.

Menagerie Shape [Epic]
You can use wild shape to take the form of multiple creatures at once.
Prerequisites: Roiling Skinshifter 5/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you use wild shape, you may take the form of any number of creatures with a total summed HD no higher than twice your character level. All of these creatures share a single hp total and any effect that successfully harms one of these creatures affects them all (if the effect would affect more than one of these creatures, it doesn’t stack with itself). When you use your roiling skinshifter ability, you may change the form of any number of these creatures. When you end your wild shape, you appear in a square occupied by any of these creatures of your choice. If you would be unable to occupy any such space (such as if you split into 50 bats and all are trapped in tiny cages), you are instantly slain as your body tries to retake its original form.

Embrace the Form [Epic]
You become one with the forms you embrace
Prerequisites: Roiling Skinshifter 4/encounter
Benefits: You gain all extraordinary and supernatural abilities of creatures you transform into using your wild shape class feature.

Retain Enhancements [Epic]
Much of the equipment you use remains useful even while transformed.
Prerequisites: Roiling Skinshifter 3/day
Benefits: All equipment on your person occupying an item slot remains functional while you use your wild shape class feature.

Master of Nature [Epic]
You can bend nature to your will and drive off those that nature abhors.
Prerequisites: Steward of Nature
Benefits: A number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier + 3, you may attempt to rebuke or control animals, elementals, magical beasts, and/or plant creatures with an effective cleric level equal to your primeval force level + 20. Alternately, you may spend a use of this ability to turn or destroy aberrations, constructs, oozes, and/or undead.

Universal Tongue [Epic]
You have been placed in touch with the entire natural world
Prerequisites: Polygot, Primeval Influence (1 mile)
Benefits: You can communicate with all living things, though mindless creatures and creatures of animal intelligence are limited to basic concepts. You can also use speak with plants and stone tell at will as spell-like abilities with a caster level equal to your primeval force level + 20.

Quick Restoration [Epic]
Minor conditions inflicted upon you are quickly removed.
Prerequisites: Primordial Resilience 20
Benefits: Any creature healed by your primordial resilience class feature is instantly healed of the following conditions: shaken, fatigued, sickened, dazzled, confused, blinded, and/or deafened.

Nature’s Gift [Epic]
You can lend your magic to large numbers of natural creatures around you.
Prerequisites: Primeval Influence (10 miles)
Benefits: Whenever you cast a spell described as harmless in its saving throw description that targets more than one creature, don’t count any animals, elementals, magical beasts, and/or plant creatures you target in this way towards the number of targets selected.

Tarrasque Carapace [Epic, Wild]
You can manifest the carapace of the dreaded tarrasque to protect you from both attacks and magic.
Prerequisites: Wild Shape 10/day
Benefits: By paying four uses of your wild shape class feature, you can take on the great defenses of the tarrasque. You gain a +30 bonus to your natural armor, Damage Reduction 15/epic, and all lines, rays, cones, and magic missiles harmlessly deflect off of you, possessing a 30% chance of rebounding against the caster.

Superior Spellcaster [Epic]
Your spells are more powerful than those of others
Prerequisites: Caster level 30th
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to your caster level.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Divine Spell Knowledge [Epic]
Your access to spells is larger than that of most divine casters.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast spells of the maximum normal spell level of a divine spellcasting class.
Benefits: You learn two new divine spells of any level up to the maximum level you can cast. This feat does not grant any additional spell slots.
special: You can select this feat multiple times.

Godslayer [Epic]
You can face even the divine with some chance of success.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +35 or ability to cast 12th level spells
Benefits: Deities attacking you never take 20 on their attack rolls. Against your spells and abilities, deities never take 20 on their saving throws. Against you, Deities lose their divine bonus to AC and Saving Throws. Lastly, you aren’t detected by the remote sensing abilities or portfolio sense of deities and salient divine abilities that create areas or that designate targets don’t affect you.

Legendary Trainer [Epic]
Animals aren’t quite as responsive with anyone as they are with you.
Prerequisites: Handle Animal 25 ranks
Benefit: When you use the handle animal skill, the number of tricks that you can teach an animal doesn’t count against the maximum number of tricks it can learn.

Primeval Influence (Su): Starting at 4th level, a primeval force gains full control over the forces of nature in the surrounding area. As a swift action, a primeval force can make one of the following changes, which occurs over the next 1d10 rounds.
-Create, destroy, and move clouds to provide shade and sun over the top of the area as the primeval force sees fit (sunlight is only provided during the day, as normal).
-Alter the temperature within two temperature bands of the normal temperature.
-Alter the direction of the wind and alter its speed within two degrees of its normal speed.
-Alter the directions of water currents in range and alter their speeds by up to 50%.
-Affect any or all plants within range as if through plant growth or diminish plants
-Alter the weather as per the control weather spell, except that effects are not limited by season.
-Create an earthquake throughout the entire area as if through an earthquake spell (the earthquake occurs at the end of the 1d10 rounds, though it is preceded by low rumbling and shaking).

This ability functions over an area up to 1-mile in radius, centered on the primeval force when he or she uses this ability. These abilities last for 1d10 x 10 minutes (except for those who are instantaneous in nature), even if the primeval force moves during this time. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the maximum area of this ability is multiplied by x 10.

Master of the Primeval: The very powers of the natural world grant the primeval force far greater powers than they would otherwise possess. At 5th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a primeval force gains the ability to cast an additional epic spell each day

Notes and Explanation:

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Of the full casters I designed, this is ironically among the weakest as it revolves more around flavor and less around spamming the biggest epic spells that you could ever think of. Even so, it remains functional and pretty powerful as well. Though a druid could technically have become a high proselytizer from the EDH, it seemed pretty clear that the class’ flavor was intended for clerics and this class is far more druid friendly (though the prerequisites purposefully don’t mention spellcasting so a wild shape ranger can get in as well).

[Realms of Chaos]

Protean Avatar

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When most beings think of chaos, they think of a destructive force. While law stands for harmony and fairness for many, chaos is seen as a force that stands against harmony and often against common sense itself. Those who look deeper into the conflict between law and chaos, however, realize that this is only one side of the story. For some, law represents stagnation and oppression while chaos represents adaptation, spontaneity, and freedom. A few beings of more eclectic interests, after gaining sufficient power, can tap into the more positive elements of chaos. Known as protean avatars, these beings warp themselves and their environments to best meet their needs and they travel.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a protean avatar, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Alignment: Any Chaotic
Skills/Spells: Any eight skills 23 ranks

Class Skills: All skills are class skills for a protean avatar.
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier

Protean Avatar
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Effortless Reshaping (1), Morphic Mind|--

2nd|

+1

|Infinite Adaptation (5 immunities)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+2

|Warp World 1/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Omnicopence 1/encounter|--

6th|

+3

|Effortless Reshaping (2)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Infinite Adaptation (10 immunities)|--

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Warp World 2/round|--

10th|

+5

|Omnicopence 2/encounter|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Protean Avatar

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a protean avatar can still develop and cast epic spells using the animate, destroy, dispel, energy, reflect, summon, transform, and/or transport seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. A protean avatar casting an epic spell with these seeds (and only these seeds) need not make a Spellcraft Check if the DC is equal or lower than 20 + (Class Level x 2). Unless a protean avatar has sufficient ranks in a skill to gain more slots per day, he or she gains a number of epic spell slots per day equal to his or her effective character level / 20. If the protean avatar doesn't cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Effortless Reshaping (Sp): Just as a protean avatar can reshape him or herself, so too can the protean avatar reshape the world around him or herself. As a standard action, the protean avatar can use polymorph any object as a spell-like ability (Save DC = 20 + class level + Wis mod) with a caster level equal to his or her class level + 20. This ability can only affect a single target at a time at 1st level and up to one additional target every 5 class levels afterwards. Using this on another target beyond this maximum frees a previous target. This ability is a piercing effect.

Morphic Mind (Su): Representing the best aspects of chaos, a protean avatar is almost always adapt and respond to difficulties as they come up. As a swift action, the protean avatar can retrain any number of ranks from other skills into a single new skill, within normal limitations. Alternately, the protean avatar can retrain a single feat into another feat for which he or she meets all prerequisites. These switches follow all normal rules for retraining and can’t be used to stop the protean avatar from meeting the prerequisites for this class. After making a number of switches equal to twice his or her class level, a protean avatar can’t use this ability again until he or she spends one hour re-centering him or herself, setting his or her feats and skills as they originally were. A protean avatar who gains a level is automatically re-centered in this way.

Infinite Adaptation (Su): A protean avatar of at least 2nd level can adapt to almost any harmful situation that he or she runs up against, gaining immunity to further harm. After suffering from an attack, spell, or effect, a protean avatar can choose to gain immunity to it. These immunities are incredibly narrow, however. If gaining immunity to a physical attack, the protean avatar must be hit at least once (though he or she need not be damaged) and the protean avatar thereafter gains immunity to that form of weaponry (whether manufactured like daggers or natural like claws) when used by that attacker, taking neither damage nor secondary effects of the attack like poison. If adapting to a spell or effect, the protean avatar must have been hit by that effect (if requiring an attack roll) or have failed its save (if there is one) but thereafter gains immunity to that spell or effect when used by the same creature. A protean avatar can maintain up to 5 immunities in this way at a time at 2nd level and can maintain an additional 5 immunities every 5 levels afterwards. Any immunities gained beyond this limit take the place of previous immunities.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even protean avatar level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a protean avatar, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a protean avatar can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Energy Resistance, Enhanced Form*, Epic Skill Focus, Extended Life Span, Fluid Movement*, Free Mind*, Great Charisma, Great Intelligence, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Improvised Tactics*, Inviolable Form*, Lethal Warp*, Master of Transmutation*, Reactive Energy Resistance*, Scramble Magic*, Share Enhancements*, Spontaneous Spell, Superior Initiative, Unbarred Movement*, Unstabilized World*, Writhing World*.

New Feats

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[b] [Epic]Unbarred Movement [Epic]
Nothing can hope to hold you still.
Prerequisites: Infinite Adaptation (15 immunities)
Benefits: You are continually affected as if by a freedom of movement effect.

Free Mind [Epic]
Your mind can wriggle free from any form of manipulation.
Prerequisites: Infinite Adaptation (10 immunities)
Benefits: Even if you fail a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, its duration is reduced to 1 round if otherwise longer.

Improvised Tactics [Epic]
You can come up with any number of small tricks when in trouble.
Prerequisites: Morphic Mind
Benefits: Once per encounter, you may make use of any single skill trick (complete scoundrel) regardless of whether you meet its prerequisites.

Share Enhancements [Epic]
You can enhance the bodies of others through physical contact.
Prerequisites: Enhance Form
Benefits: You can grant a touched target any number of your +1 enhancement bonuses to ability scores with 10 minutes of concentration. You can change how they are distributed in the target by touching the target and concentrating for 10 minutes and you may concentrate for 10 minutes to reclaim these bonuses regardless of distance between you and the target. You may share these bonuses with any number of creatures at the same time.

Enhance Form [Epic]
You can transmute your own form for greater benefits.
Prerequisites: Effortless Reshaping (2)
Benefits: You gain a total of 4 +1 enhancement bonuses that you can apply to your ability scores however you see fit. With 10 minutes of concentration, you can change how these bonuses are applied. These bonuses stack with each other but not with other enhancement bonuses.
Special: You can select this feat multiple times, gaining an additional 4 +1 enhancement bonuses each time.

Fluid Movement [Epic]
Your movement isn’t as well defined as most other creatures
Prerequisites: Effortless Reshaping (1)
Benefits: Whenever you move, you can choose to grant yourself the benefits of the gaseous form spell with a fly speed equal to your land speed until the end of the movement. From an outsider’s perspective, your form seems to flow from one place to the next.

Reactive Energy Resistance [Epic]
You can adapt your energy resistance over the course of battle to best face your foes.
Prerequisites: Energy Resistance, Infinite Adaptation (5 immunities)
Benefits: Whenever you are dealt energy damage, you may switch any energy resistance you have against another form of energy to the form of energy damage you were just dealt. This new energy resistance doesn’t stack with any other energy resistance you previously possessed against that energy.

Master of Transmutation [Epic]
You twist the forms of others in magnificent ways.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Transmutation spell.
Benefits: You gain the supernatural abilities of any creature you transform into using transmutation spells. Any bonuses to ability scores granted by your transmutation spells are doubled. Once per encounter, you may grant yourself a burrow speed, fly speed (with perfect maneuverability), or swim speed equal to your land speed or double your land speed until the end of the encounter.

Inviolable Form [Epic]
Your form is impossible to alter by force
Prerequisites: Roiling Skinshifter 2/encounter or Shrug Off 2/round or Infinite Adaptation (15 immunities)
Benefits: You aren’t affected by any effect that would forcefully alter your form (such as baleful polymorph, flesh to stone, or disintegrate) unless you allow it to affect you.

Writhing World [Epic]
As you reshape the world around you, you can carry a creature into a new place.
Prerequisites: Warp World 1/round
Benefits: Whenever you use your warp world class feature, you may move a single other creature anywhere within the area so long as the resulting shift in the landscape could support it. If this movement would take a creature out of range of an attack or area effect, that creature possesses a 50% chance of ignoring that attack or effect. Moving directly downwards does not inflict falling damage and an unwilling creature can ignore this movement with a successful Reflex Save (DC 20 + Protean Avatar level + Cha modifier).

Unstabilize World [Epic]
Reshaping the world around you unstabilizes the planar connections to that area, preventing escape.
Prerequisites: Warp World 2/round
Benefits: Whenever you use your warp world class feature, the area within 100 feet of you is treated as if affected by a dimensional lock effect for 1 round. You are not affected by this effect.

Scramble Magic [Epic]
Reshaping the world momentarily disrupts magic flowing through it with chaotic consequences.
Prerequisties: Warp World 3/round
Benefits: Whenever you use your warp world class feature, the area within 100 feet of you is treated as if possessing the wild magic trait (DMG p149) except that there is no level check permitted to overcome the effects. You are not affected by this effect.

Lethal Warp [Epic]
You can warp the world around you aggressively, harming all that you choose.
Prerequisites: Warp World 4/round
Benefits: You can use your warp world class feature to harm creatures in a wide variety of ways. Each time you use your warp world class feature, you may select any number of creatures within 20 feet of the landscape (including vertical elements such as cliffs or bluffs). For each creature, you may select one of the following four effects:
Landscape Slam: Nearby trees, water, or earth is animated to momentarily come to life and slam into the creature. You make an attack roll with a bonus equal to your protean avatar class level and the attack deals 5d6 damage if successful.
Earthen Crush: the surrounding landscape wraps around the target and begins crushing them. Make an attack roll with a bonus equal to your protean avatar class level and if successful, the target is considered grappled by the landscape. The landscape uses your grapple modifier with a bonus equal to your protean avatar class level.
Instant Cliff: You may form a fall directly below a creature. If that creature fails a Reflex save (DC 20 + Protean Avatar level + Cha modifier) and can’t fly, it falls and takes normal damage.
Harmful Pool: You may transmute the ground below a target into acid, magma, or similar mundane materials. If the target fails a Reflex save (DC 20 + Protean Avatar level + Cha modifier) and can’t fly, it falls in and takes appropriate damage.

Warp World (Su): Starting at 4th level, a protean avatar can forcibly alter the environment to best meet his or her needs. Once per round, a protean avatar can warp the world within 100 feet of him or herself as he or she seems fit. Existing elements of the landscape can be moved and reshaped however the protean avatar sees fit and any number of unattended items and/or substances can be replaced with an equal amount of substance of equal or lesser value. Attended items can’t be affected in this way and this shift can’t be used to harm, move, or even knock over creatures. If total cover is granted to a creature in this way in response to an attack against that creature, that attack treats the target as possessing improved cover. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the protean avatar can reshape the world one additional time per day.

Omnicopence (Su): Starting at 5th level, a protean avatar can imitate others to gain an edge in combat. Once per encounter, a protean avatar can spend a swift action to gain a class feature belonging to another class. Any ability from a base class or non-epic prestige class other than spellcasting or similar abilities (including psionics and soulbinding) can be selected in this way. The protean avatar is treated as possessing all nonepic levels of the class that has the chosen class feature for the purpose of determining its power if it scales but other abilities that increase its power (such as a barbarian’s tireless rage class feature) are not gained. This insight is fleeting, lasting for only 1 round (though any class features with durations started during that round such as a barbarian’s rage or knight’s challenge started last their full duration). At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a protean avatar can use this ability one additional time per encounter.

Notes and Explanation:

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And finally, a class to show the best parts of being chaotic. Though it wasn’t intended to act as a factotum PrC, I’ll admit that it works decently well as one. Not too much to say here at all for once.

[Realms of Chaos]

Scion of Sorrow

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Many in the world assume that power brings only happiness, assuming that those of exceptional strength and riches can reverse or mitigate any woes that would trouble them. Though often the case, this is not always true. Some beings of exceptional power, after having brought themselves to ruin, are simply shattered under the weight of their broken hearts and dreams. Transformed and empowered by this bottomless sense of loss and longing, scions of sorrow are beings of true and irreversible finality, capable of wreaking havoc or bettering the world in ways that no one can ever reverse. Fortunately for many in the multiverse, scions of sorrow are exceptionally rare. Beyond the scarcity of such tragedy needed to fuel the transition, the first act of most scions is one of irreversible self-destruction.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Scion of Sorrow, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
ECL: 20 or higher
Special: Must have accidentally brought great tragedy to oneself in a way that the character has yet to fix or reverse.

Class Skills: Any ten of the Scion of Sorrow’s choice
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Scion of Sorrow
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+1

|Entity of Loss, What’s Done is Done|--

2nd|

+2

|Futility 1/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+4

|Blade of Broken Dreams 1/encounter|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+5

|Unending Existence I|--

6th|

+6

|What’s Done is Done|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+7

|Futility 2/round|--

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+9

|Blade of Broken Dreams 2/encounter|--

10th|

+10

|Unending Existence II|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Scion of Sorrow.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a scion of sorrow can still develop and cast epic spells using any four seeds of his or her choice seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. If the scion of sorrow doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even scion of sorrow level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a scion of sorrow, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Entity of Loss (Ex): Whatever troubles torment a scion of sorrow’s past, the feelings of sorrow and regret they evoke change the scion on a fundamental level. A scion of sorrow no longer possesses a soul and is immune to spells and effects that would alter, move, trap the scion’s soul or that would allow a creature possess the scion’s body. The scion of sorrow can only be restored from the dead through a wish or miracle effect. A scion of sorrow ceases to age and is immune to lethal damage from dehydration or starvation (though these effects can still knock the scion unconscious).

What’s Done is Done (Su): The greatest power (or curse) that a Scion of Sorrow possesses is the ability to irrevocably alter the world. A Scion of Sorrow may choose a render any event he or she is directly responsible for irrevocable as that event concludes (thus, the scion may choose the make the fall of a kingdom irrevocable as his or her forces finally make it fall or may make the death of a king irrevocable as the king dies [so long as the scion of sorrow is responsible for the death]). That event is entirely irrevocable through mundane and magical means. Not even epic magic, artifacts, or the work of gods can undo what has been wrought and attempts to change the past fail. If the event that a scion of sorrow wishes to make irrevocable is not as the scion suspects (such as if he or she wishes to make a king’s death irrevocable but only slays a body double), the scion learns that things are not as they seem and may choose not to use this ability.

At 1st level, the tragedy that the scion of sorrow has brought upon him or herself to allow access into this class is rendered irrevocable in this way and the scion of sorrow may render an additional event irrevocable at any time. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a scion of sorrow may render two additional events irrevocable. Once an event has been declared irrevocable, that use of this class feature is forever loss. Uses of this ability not used by the time it is gained again carry over.

Futility (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a scion of sorrow can foil just about any action that an enemy can undertake. Once per round, a scion of sorrow can grant a creature a 50% miss chance with a single attack roll, a 50% failure chance with a single spell, or a penalty equal to twice his or her class level to a single skill check. Only enemies within 30 feet of the scion of sorrow can be targeted in this way and he or she gains an additional use per round at 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Beyond Prediction*, Burden of Life*, Claim Calamity, Claim Woes*, Crush Will*, Damage Reduction, Epic Prowess, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Will, Fast Healing, Glimpse of Solace*, Great Charisma, Great Constitution, Great Strength, Great Wisdom, Improved Spell Capacity, Numbed to Affliction*, Refuge of Dreams, Share the Pain*, Tortured Psyche*, Wield the Shattered Blade*

New Feats

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Share the Pain [Epic]
You can let others know the pain that they inflict upon you.
Prerequisites: Futility 2/round
Benefits: Whenever a creature successfully damages you with an attack, spell, or ability, you may spend a use of your futility class feature to deal an equal amount of nonlethal damage to that creature, or half that much if the creature succeeds on a Fortitude save (Save DC = 20 + Scion of Sorrow class level + Cha modifier).

Numbed to Affliction [Epic]
Your unending life has exposed you to enough hardship that little phases you any more.
Prerequisites: Unending Existence I
Benefits: So long as you possess fast healing with your unending existence class feature, you are protected by an endure elements effect and are immune to ability damage and drain as well as negative levels.

Burden of Life [Epic]
Life is more of a curse than a blessing for you, a curse quite hard to remove.
Prerequisites: Numbed to Affliction, Unending Existence II
Benefits: So long as you possess fast healing with your unending existence class feature, you are immune to death effects. Furthermore, whenever you fail a Constitution check to hold your breath, you merely fall unconscious until oxygen becomes available.

Crush Will [Epic]
You can crush the will of an enemy to continue fighting.
Prerequisites: Blade of Broken Dreams 1/encounter
Benefits: Whenever a sentient creature fails its saving throw against your blade of broken dreams class feature, that creature must make an additional Will save (DC 20 + Scion of Sorrow class level + Cha modifier) or lose the will to continue the fight for the rest of the encounter or until an aggressive action is next taken against him or her. Whenever a creature affected by your futility class feature misses you with an attack roll, fails to cast a spell against you, or fails on a skill check made against you, they must make this same saving throw or be affected for 1d4 rounds. This is a penetrating mind-affecting effect.

Tortured Psyche [Epic]
Woe to those who try to pry their way into your thoughts
Prerequisites: Futility 1/round
Benefits: Whenever a creature attempts to read your thoughts or target you with a mind-affecting ability, you can spend a use of your futility class feature to force that creature to make a Will save (DC 20 + Scion of Sorrow class level + Cha modifier) or become tortured with grief for 1d4 rounds (treat as dazed). A creature who fails its saving throw fails to read or influence your mind with whatever spell or ability it was using. This is a penetrating mind-affecting effect.

Claim Woes [Epic]
You can claim the pains and woes of others for yourself, bringing your targets solace.
Prerequisites: Entity of Loss
Benefits: By touching a creature as a standard action, you gain transfer any number of hit points from yourself to that creature. Furthermore, you may transfer any spell or ability with a single target that functions by creating or manipulating pain (DM’s Discretion) from the touched target to yourself. If the spell or ability allows a saving throw, you are allowed to make one against the same DC as if you were being newly targeted although the remaining duration is not reset.

Glimpse of Solace [Epic]
When you use your power to forever alter the world, you catch a glimpse of what can never be.
Prerequisites: What’s Done is Done, Unending Existence IV
Benefits: Whenever you use your what’s done is done class feature, you may choose to briefly glimpse the world that could never be. For each creature of at least 1 HD whose life was ended or irrevocably changed (whether for good or ill) by your use of the class feature, you vanish from existence for 1 round, occupying a fleeting glimpse of a world in which your great tragedy never occurred. Nothing done in this other world leaves any lasting effects on you or the real world. When you return to the real-world, your short-lived joy spills out as power far greater than the sorrows you harness. In effect, you may cast an epic spell with a spellcraft DC of up to 1% of the number of rounds you spent in the other world (up to a maximum of your scion of sorrow class level x 10).

Refuge of Dreams [Epic]
Sleep is your last refuge from the dark realities of the world.
Prerequisites: What’s Done is Done, The ability to sleep
Benefits: So long as you have obtained at least 8 hours of sleep within the past 24 hours, you are immune to all fear effects and may roll 2d20 for each will save you make and take the better result. After receiving at least 2 hours of sleep, if you are awakened before receiving a full 8 hours, you add your Charisma bonus as a morale bonus to all attack and damage rolls against any creatures responsible for your awakening for the next 10 minutes. Lastly, you are immune to any effect that manipulates dreams or that specifically target sleeping creatures.

Claim Calamity [Epic]
You can prevent events of great destruction at the cost of great personal sorrow.
Prerequisites: What’s Done is Done, Unending Existence III
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may halt any single natural distaster (whether an erupting volcano, storm, tidal wave, earthquake, wildfire, or so forth) within a 1 mile/scion of sorrow level radius of yourself. If the event takes place over a larger area, the area within a 1 mile/scion of sorrow level radius is unaffected by the entirety of the disaster (even if you subsequently leave that area). This ability functions against non-epic spells and abilities used to cause such a disaster and has a 50% chance of functioning against epic spells and abilities used to cause such a disaster. If multiple applicable disasters are within range, you halt one of them that you are aware of of your choice. After using this ability, the next great tragedy that occurs in your life is rendered irrevocable as if by your what’s done is done class feature. Until this occurs, you may not use this feat again.

Beyond Prediction [Epic]
None could hope to predict your actions.
Prerequisites: Futility 3/round
Benefits: Effects that attempt to predict the future (including the portfolio sense of deities and the know death salient divine ability) can never predict your future and fail to take your presence and actions into account when predicting the future. You gain Spell Resistance 30 + Scion of Sorrow level against all other divination effects.

Wield the Shattered Blade [Epic]
Prerequisites: Blade of Broken Dreams 2/encounter
Benefits: Whenever one of your weapons is either destroyed and/or permanently disenchanted by an enemy in combat, you may choose to make that weapon your shattered blade (replacing any previously chosen shattered blade). As a swift action, you can call forth a ghostly copy of your shattered blade, intact if the original was destroyed and enchanted if the original lost its power. If you lose contact with this weapon, it vanishes at the end of that action. The weapon can damage incorporeal and ethereal creatures as a force effect and it can’t be damaged, dispelled, or disjointed (although it is suppressed in an antimagic field or dead magic zone). For every 5 scion of sorrow levels you possess, you gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls against creatures who have damaged you in the past (no matter how long ago). No matter how many times you call upon this weapon, abilities with limited uses only recharge at their normal rate.

Blade of Broken Dreams (Su): Starting at 4th level, a scion of sorrow can forever part a creature from its ambitions, severing it from its dreams with raw might. Once per encounter, a scion may make a declare a single attack to be made with his or her blade of broken dreams (the blade is metaphorical in nature and the attack may be made with any sort of weaponry or even with a spell). Whatever weapon or spell makes the attack has its physical form altered to match the nature of its target’s greatest desire. If the attack hits, the target must make a Will save (DC 20 + Class level + Cha modifier). If the target succeeds, it is merely nauseated for 1 round in addition to all normal damage and effects. If the target fails, however, the target is nauseated for 1d4 rounds and is doomed never to achieve its greatest desire (at the time of the attack) for as long as the scion of sorrow lives. Desires involving basic biological needs (such as the desire of a devastation vermin to eat) and specific desires to kill the scion of sorrow aren’t affected in this way. Similarly, any hit point damage the attack deals can’t be healed for as long as the scion lives if the target fails its Will save. This ability can be used an additional time per encounter at 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Unending Existence (Su): Just as the emotions that fuel a scion’s powers allow him or her to leave permanent marks on the world, so too do these powers transform the Scion into a permanent feature of the world. Starting at 5th level, a scion of sorrow can no longer be slain through hit point damage. No matter how his or her body is mangled (even if the body is destroyed or reduced to dust), the scion of sorrow continues living and regrows body parts (including heads or entire bodies if necessary) as if he or she possessed regeneration. While at or under -10 hit points, the scion falls unconscious even if he or she possesses diehard or a similar feat, ability, or spell effect and can be slain with a miracle or wish effect. The scion of power can’t be affected by spells and abilities of the healing subschool while in this state unless the spell would normally restore the dead to life (in which case they function normally on the scion even though he or she wasn’t truly dead), and the scion gains fast healing 10 while in this state. After this fast healing has restored at least 20 hit points/class level, you lose this fast healing (although you continue heal naturally) until you spend 2 hours in self-reflection. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the value of this fast healing increases by an additional 10 points and the maximum amount you can heal before needing to recharge this class feature increases by 20 hit points/class level.


Notes and Explanation:

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. This is a class specifically designed to let epic characters angst. I understand if I’ve lose some credibility for this but I ask that you let me explain myself before you shake your heads in disgust (or fall to the floor laughing).

At epic levels, the way things are currently written, tragedy is pretty much impossible unless you don’t have casters in your party. With epic spellcasting, you can literally have whatever you want so long as your can achieve a higher spellcraft modifier than anyone who doesn’t want you to have it. Nothing really carries lasting consequences and the idea of epic tragedy is a bit of an oxymoron.

Some people out there enjoy tragedies and tragic characters. Though the brooding and angsty beautiful twenty-somethings enjoying ridiculous superpowers has becomes something of a staple (and in-joke) when talking about these characters, some people can actually take a tragic character and play it straight. This class was made for them. If you are a DM, be careful who you show this PrC to.

Also, I just wanted to talk about about what’s done is done quickly. On a theoretical level, this is one of the weakest abilities ever. Limited uses that don’t recharge except through leveling and nothing immediately happens when you finally DO decide to use it. In an actual campaign, however, this is one of the strongest abilities out there and DMs should take care when it’s in the picture. If a scion of sorrow kills a recurring villain, you have to be ready to simply retire that villain: if you cheat around that ability (Ex: now he’s undead), you are cheating that character out of his or her class feature. Some people will probably think that this ability just shouldn’t exist at all but I think that it makes sense for this class so long as the DM doesn’t forget about it.

[Realms of Chaos]

Soulweaver

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All souls in existence share a special bond. Existing beyond the normal flow of time, all souls that have ever existed and that ever will exist intermingle just beyond the tangible world to form the flow of incarnum. Though this form of magic is often viewed by other casters with a sense of condescending exoticism, those who have mastered this form of magic prove themselves to be more than capable. Uniting themselves with the flow of incarnum, beings called soulweavers maximize the power of their soulmelds and gain incredible versatility. The strongest can become beings of pure incarnum and lend their soulmelds to vast armies of allies. Through the endless ranks of nameless souls flowing through them, a soulweaver achieves true power.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a soulweaver, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
Essentia: 10
Soulmelds: 5 per day
Chakra Binds: greater chakras (throat, waist)

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Soulweaver
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+0

|Conduit of Souls, Invigorate Soulmeld 1/encounter

2nd|

+1

|Reweave Essentia 1/round

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+2

|Azure Ascension I

5th|

+2

|Master of Incarnum (1)

6th|

+3

|Invigorate Soulmeld 2/encounter

7th|

+3

|Reweave Essentia 2/round

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+4

|Azure Ascension II

10th|

+5

|Master of Incarnum (2)[/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Soulweaver.

Epic Spellcasting: A soulweaver gains epic spellcasting as a bonus feat even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites. A soulweaver may invest essential into this ability. Soulweavers gaina bonus to their spellcraft checks made to cast epic spells equal to the number of points of essentia invested in this way.

Conduit of Souls: As a master of incarnum, a soulweaver channels far more essentia than most mortals could ever imagine. He or she gains bonus essentia equal to twice his or her class level and the essentia capacity for all of his or her incarnum feats, class features, magic items, and soulmelds increase by his or her class level.

Invigorate Soulmeld: When a soulweaver finds him or herself in trouble, he or she can flood a soulmeld with energy, creating an soulmeld akin to an epic item. Once per encounter, a soulweaver can invigorate a single active soulmeld for the next 5 rounds as a free action. All numerical bonuses provided by an invigorated soulmeld are multiplied by five, as is all damage dealt by the soulmeld or dealt through natural attacks that it permits. Any creature animated or created by an energized soulmeld gains 10 additional hit points and a +2 bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws for each point of essentia invested in the soulmeld. Any effect an invigorated soulmeld possesses that would unshape the soulmeld no longer does so. Finally, an invigorated soulmeld grants the soulweaver benefits as if it were bound to every applicable Chakra, though it does not interfere with magic items or with other soulmelds already bound to such Chakras. This ability can be used once per encounter at 1st level and one additional time per encounter at 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Reweave Essentia: Starting at 2nd level, the essentia of a soulweaver seems almost alive, moving from soulmeld to soulmeld without any conscious thought. Once per round, a soulweaver can redistribute his or her essentia as a free action, even if it is not the soulweaver’s action or if the soulweaver is unconscious or otherwise not in control of his or her actions. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per round.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a soulweaver can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Attune Soulmeld*, Bonus Soulmeld, Damage Reduction, Energy Resistance, Epic Essentia, Epic Fortitude, Extended Invigoration*, Extended Lifespan, Extra Chakra Bind, Fast Healing, Find By Soul*, Fuse Soulmelds*, Great Charisma, Great Constitution, Infuse the Soulless*, Infused Essentia*, Midnight Mastery*, Necrocarnum Puppetry*, Open Heart Chakra, Open Soul Chakra, Perfect Health, Rapid Meldshaping, Rebind Soulmeld Restore Soul*, Shift Bind*, Soul Guard*, Soul Sense*, Summon by Soul*, Superior Necrocarnum Puppetry*, Tenacious Soulmelds*, True Invigoration*, True Necrocarnate*

New Feats

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Soul Sense [Epic]
You are sensitive to the presence of other souls in your proximity
Prerequisites: Conduit of Souls
Benefits: You gain blindsight out to a range of 100 feet for the purpose of detecting living creatures.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time that you select it beyond the first, the range of the blindsight is doubled.

Fuse Soulmelds [Epic]
You can assign more than one soulmeld to a single chakra
Benefits: You may assign and/or bind two different soulmelds to a single chakra, combining their appearance. Essentia must be invested into each of the soulmeld separately as normal.
Special: This feat may be selected multiple times, allowing an additional soulmeld to be assigned to a single chakra each time this feat is selected.

Shift Bind [Epic]
You can shift where you possess a soulmeld bound.
Prerequisites: Invigorate Soulmeld 2/encounter
Benefits: Whenever your invigorate soulmeld class feature ends, you may choose for the targeted soulmeld, if previously bound to a chakra, to now be bound to a new chakra you possess access to. This ability can’t bind the soulmeld to a chakra already occupied by another soulmeld (unless you possess the fuse soulmelds feat) or magic item (unless you possess the split chakra feat).

Infused Essentia [Epic]
Your essentia is infused with your will, allowing it to act when you can not.
Prerequisites: Reweave Essentia 1/round
Benefits: You may use your reweave essential class feature even while dazed, dying, unconscious, mind-controlled, or similarly unable to take normal actions.

Tenacious Soulmelds [Epic]
It is almost impossible to rob you of your soulmelds
Benefits: Whenever a soulmeld bound to one of your chakras becomes unshaped, it returns 1d4 rounds later bound the the same Chakra. That chakra counts as being occupied by the soulmeld even while it is gone.

Midnight Mastery [Epic, Incarnum]
You can empower all of your incarnum feats simultaneously
Prerequisites: Four or more incarnum feats.
Benefits: Once per day, you may invest essentia into this feat. All other incarnum feats you possess are treated as possessing additional invested essentia equal to the the amount of essential invested in this feat (up to the normal maximum). Once the amount of essentia has been chosen, it cann not be changed and remains invested for 24 hours.

You gain one point of essential for each incarnum feat you possess.

Infuse the Soulless [Epic]
You can infuse creatures with life and a soul while channeling incarnum through yourself.
Prerequisites: Azure Ascension I
Benefits: When you activate your azure ascension class feature, you may select any number of nonliving creatures within range of the ability. All such creatures temporarily gain life and souls. As a result, they count as living creatures for all purposes and lose all racial immunities gained from the undead or construct types. All mindless creatures affected in this way gain an intelligence score of 2 but don’t gain any feats or skills as they are unaccustomed to this intellect. All of these effects last for the duraction of your azure ascension class feature.

Extend Invigoration [Epic]
You can increase the power of your soulmelds for longer durations.
Prerequisites: Invigorate Soulmeld 1/encounter
Benefits: Your invigorate soulmeld class feature lasts for 5 additional rounds.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Restore Soul [Epic]
You can fight against abilities that affect the souls of others.
Prerequisites: Azure Ascension II
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may force any beings possessing a creature out of a touched creature’s body. If the possessing entity possesses at least 20 HD, you must make an opposed Constitution check against the creature to push it out.

With one minute of meditation, you may restore any number of negative levels that the target is suffering from (though actual level loss can’t be reversed) and you can free the target from any number of effects that a remove curse spell could remove.

Finally, with 10 minutes of meditation, you may restore a creature’s damaged soul or recover a creature’s stolen soul. So long as there has ever been any chance of a destroyed soul being restored through wish or similar spells or abilities (such as the 50% chance of recovering souls eaten by a bargest), that creature’s soul is restored. If a non-epic spell or effect has stolen a creature’s soul, it is instantly freed. You must either possess access to the creature’s body or be able to unambiguously name the creature to be helped in order to use this abiloity.

True Invigoration [Epic]
You can perpetually empower a single soulmeld
Prerequisites: Invigorate Soulmeld 3/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you shape your soulmelds for the day, you may select a single soulmeld. That soulmeld benefits continually as if targeted by your invigorate soulmeld class feature.

Soul Guard [Epic]
Harming and displacing your soul is anything but simple
Prerequisites: Reweave Essentia 2/round
Benefits: Whenever you are targeted by an effect that would possess you, grant you negative levels, curse you, displace your soul, or destroy your soul, you may spend one of your uses of reweave essentia for the round to negate the effect if you are still alive (or if the ability targets you as you die).

True Necrocarnate [Epic]
You can control a greater amount of zombies animated through incarnum.
Prerequisites: Ability to bind soulmelds to crown chakra, access to the necrocarnum circlet
Benefits: For each soulmeld with the necrocarnum descriptor you have shaped, you can animate and control an additional necrocarnum zombie using your necrocarnum circlet. Furthermore, all unintelligent undead react to you as if you were another undead so long as you possess at least one such soulmeld shaped and you gain a +2 bonus to Charisma checks made against sentient undead for each such soulmeld shaped.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Each time it is selected after the first, you may animate and control an additional number of necrocarnum zombie for each soulmeld with the necrocarnum descriptor you have shaped.

Necrocarnum Puppetry [Epic]
Using the power of necrocarnum, you can keep yourself for another creature acting beyond death.
Prerequisites: True Necrocarnate
Benefits: Whenever you or an ally within 50 feet would otherwise die, you may delay their deaths using necrocarnum as an immediate action. The target ignores death and may act normally while dying for 1 round per soulmeld with the necrocarnum descriptor you have bound (minimum 1 round). At the end of this time, the target falls dead regardless of any healing effects he or she may have received during this time. After using this ability, you may not use it again until 1d4 rounds after the previous target has died.

Superior Necrocarnum Puppetry [Epic]
You can use your necrocarnum to control a creature that would otherwise die.
Prerequisites: Necrocarnum Puppetry
Benefits: You may use your necrocarnum puppetry on an enemy, taking control of its body for as long as it remains aactive in this way. This functions much as dominate monster (no save) except that immunity against mind-affecting effects doesn’t protect the creature as his or her body is being controlled directly.

Attune Soulmeld [Epic]
You can ensure that a particular creature’s soul is incorporated into any soulmeld you shape.
Prerequisites: Conduit of Souls
Benefits: For each soulmeld you shape, you may name a single creature. You double any bonus to attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, AC, or to skill checks granted by that soulmeld against the chosen creature. Furthermore, you can sense the presence of that specific creatures so long as it is within 100 feet of yourself. At your option when shaping the soulmeld, you may also have the creature feel your presence within this range, unnerving the target and rendering them shaken (no save). Lastly, you can communicate telepathically with that creature.

Find by Soul [Epic]
You can find creatures and recognize creatures whose soul you have attuned to.
Prerequisites: Attune Soulmeld
Benefits: You know the direction towards any creature you are attuned to so long as you are within one mile of that creature. Furthermore, as you recognize the soul of a creature, you can recognize any creature you possess an attuned soulmeld for regardless of attempts to disguise that creature through illusions and transformative effects

Summon By Soul [Epic]
You can summon almost any creature through its soul.
Prerequisites: Azure Ascension III
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may select a shaped soulmeld you possess and a type of creature with HD less than or equal to your own and attempt to summon it. You may either attempt to summon a specific individual or summon a random creature of a chosen race and subrace. If you select a specific target who is willing, he or she is summoned automatically and instantaneously. Otherwise, the target is only summoned if he or she fails a Will save (DC 20 + Clas level + Con modifier) and the summoning acts as a summon monster effect with a duration of 5 rounds. Regardless of what occurs, you lose all benefits from the chosen soulmeld for 5 rounds. The total summed HD of all creatures you summon in this way each day may not exceed your character level.

Azure Ascension (Su): Starting at 4th level, a soulweaver can burn off excess essential to become a being of pure incarnum. As a swift action, the soulweaver can expend one point of essentia to enter this state for 1 round. While a being of incarnum, the soulweaver gains a fly speed equal to twice his or her base speed with perfect maneuverability. Furthermore, nonliving material (including force effects) pass through the soulweaver with no risk of harm (this does not cause the soulweaver to lose his or her equipment) and all weapons the soulweaver wields gain the brilliant energy property.

Finally, the soulweaver lends all living allies within 50 feet the benefits of all of his or her soulmelds and 5 points of essentia that last for as long as the soulweaver remains in this state. These soulmelds must occupy the same chakra as they do for the soulweaver but can’t be bound to that chakra even if the target can otherwise bind soulmelds to it. If a target already possesses a soulmeld occupying the same chakra as a soulmeld that would be granted in this way, he or she may choose to temporarily replace his or her chakra with the new one. A target with essentia may invest his or her own essenta into these soulmelds and may invest the temporary essentia however he or she sees fit. The effects of the invigorate soulmeld class feature don’t carry over to other targets in this way.

All essentia expended to use this ability is lost until the soulweaver spends two hours meditating and mingling with the stream of incarnum to regain them. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability lasts for an additional round, grants an additional 5 points of essentia to targets, and grants soulmelds and essentia to targets 50 feet further away.

Master of Incarnum (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a soulweaver can manipulate far greater magics than most other practitioners of incarnum. A soulweaver can cast an additional epic spell each day, plus one additional such spell at 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Notes and Explanation:

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I’ll admit right off of the bat that incarnum has never exactly been my cup of tea but I think that I managed to hit most of the right notes here (even if the most flavorful stuff ended up buried in the bonus feats section). If I got any of the mechanics wrong or used a wrong term somewhere (I wouldn’t be surprised if the word “essential” appears instead of “essentia” a lot as my computer does that automatically), please let me know and I’ll fix things right back up.

[Realms of Chaos]

Spellblade Elite

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Rather than pursuing a single path to power, there are those in existence who try to master many different techniques. One of the more popular combinations is a balance of martial and magical teachings, made famous in part by the infamous githyanki wizard-warriors known as gish. Such a being can rely on his or her blade both to reserve spells for later and to protect him or herself when no more magic remains. In all but the most extreme cases, those who train in martial and magical means end up as masters of neither art. For a rare few, however, both paths can be mastered in a sense. Spellblade Elites, masters of both mundane and magical combat. Capable of seamlessly blending the two forms of combat together, few can hope to match their pace on the battlefield.

Hit Die: d10

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a spellblade elite, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
Base Attack Bonus: +15
Caster Level: 10th or higher
Feats: Combat Casting
Skills: Spellcraft 23 ranks

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Ride, Spellcraft, Swim
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Spellblade Elite
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+1

|Master of Two Arts, Spellblade Response 1/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

2nd|

+2

|Pierce Defenses (1 creature)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

4th|

+4

|Spellblade Barrage 1/encounter|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+5

|Dweomered Onslaught (1 spell)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

6th|

+6

|Spellblade Response 2/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+7

|Pierce Defenses (2 creatures)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+9

|Spellblade Barrage 2/encounter|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

10th|

+10

|Dweomered Onslaught (2 spells)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the spellblade elite.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a spellblade elite can still develop and cast epic spells using any four seeds of his or her choice. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. A legendary dreadnaught can cast an epic spell and make a full attack as a full-round action. If the attack is successful, the epic spell slot isn't expended.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each spellblade elite level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a spellblade elite, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Master of Two Arts: Well-trained both in mundane and in magical combat, spellblade elites are well-equipped to fight in either manner. Spellblade elites gain improved combat casting as a bonus feat (even if they do not meet the prerequisites) and creatures within their threatened area can’t defensively cast spells. Spellblade elites gain a bonus to saving throws against spells, spell-like abilities, and supernatural abilities equal to the highest level of non-epic spell they care capable of casting. Furthermore, spellblade elites gain Spell Resistance equal to their AC.

Spellblade Response (Ex): Whether engaged in martial or magical combat, a spellblade elite can respond to his or her weaknesses. Once per round, when a creature makes a weapon attack against the spellblade elite and misses, the spellblade elite may immediately make an attack roll against the creature if it is within range (this attack is not an attack of opportunity and can thus be made using ranged weaponry). Alternately, when the spellblade elite succeeds on a saving throw against a spell, the spellblade elite can instantly cast a spell with a casting time up to one standard action and that possesses a single target that targets the offending caster (the caster must be within range of the spell and be a legal target for the spell). At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a spellblade elite can use this ability an additional time per round.

Pierce Defenses (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a spellblade elite can use his or her own magic to overcome the magical defenses on his or her targets. Whenever a spellblade elite casts a spell with a single target and the target either fails its saving throw or is dealt damage by this spell, a spellblade elite can choose to pierce that creature’s defenses. Against weapon attacks the spellblade elite makes, a target with pierced defenses loses all miss chances, AC bonuses, damage reduction, and/or regeneration gained through magical or supernatural means. This benefit only affects a single creature at a time at 2nd level and choosing a new target ends the effects on the first. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a spellblade elite can use this ability on an additional foe at once.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a spellblade elite can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Armor Skin, Await Opening*, Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spelll, Blended Combat*, Blinding Speed, Build Power*, Combat Archery, Dimensional Jaunt*, Dire Charge, Disarming Jaunt*, Divine Spell Knowledge*, Distant Shot, Enhance Weaponry*, Epic Avoidance*, Epic Endurance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Prowess, Epic Reflexes, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Epic Weapon Specialization, Epic Will, Familiar Spell, Fast Healing, Great Charisma, Great Constitution, Great Dexterity, Great Intelligence, Great Strength, Great Wisdom, Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Manyshot, improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Improved Spell Resistance, Improved Whirlwind Attack, Penetrate Damage Reduction, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, Piercing Blow, Recover Arcana*, Shatter Defenses*, Shatter Offense*, Spell Knowledge, Spell Opportunity, Spell Stowaway, Spellblade Blaster*, Spellblade Invigorator*, Spellcasting Harrier, Superior Initiative, Swarm of Arrows, Two-Weapon Rend, Uncanny Accuracy

New Feats

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Build Power [Epic]
You can refrain from spellcasting temporarily to increase your power.
Prerequisites: Master of Two Arts
Benefits: As a swift action, you can build up a bit of power. After doing so, the next spell you cast within the next 5 rounds gains a stacking +1 bonus to its caster level if it targets a single creature.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times , increasing the size of the bonus by +1 each time.

Await Opening [Epic]
You can refrain from attacking temporarily to seek the perfect moment to wade into combat.
Prerequisites: Master of Two Arts
Benefits: As a swift action, you can observe your surroundings. After doing so, all attacks you make with weapons until the end of the encounter gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls. This bonus stacks with itself up to 5 times or until you next attack.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times, increasing the size of the bonus by +1 each time.

Blended Combat [Epic]
You can cast spells and attack almost interchangeably
Prerequisites: Master of Two Arts
Benefits: When you make a full-attack, you may replace any number of weapon attacks with an equal number of spells requiring attack rolls. These attack rolls are made with the usual penalties for iterative attacks. If you don’t make and hit with at least one weapon attack in such a full-attack, you lose the benefit of this feat until the end of the encounter.

Disarming Jaunt [Epic]
You knock foes off-balance with your counters, forcing them to attack in new ways.
Prerequisites: spellblade response 1/round
Benefits: Whenever you use your spellblade response to successfully attack a creature who made a weapon attack against you, you may make a free disarm attempt without provoking attacks of opportunity. Whenever you use your spellblade response to launch a spell at a spellcaster who targeted you with a spell, you can attempt to counterspell the next spell that target makes within the round as though you had prepared an action to do so.

Enhance Weaponry [Epic]
You can bolster your weaponry with your arcane might.
Prerequisites: Spellblade Barrage 1/encounter
Benefits: All weapon attacks you make are treated as touch attacks. Whenever you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, you may cast a non-epic spell targeting the same creature as the attack. If that target was slain by the attack, you can instead cast a non-epic spell targeting yourself or cast such a spell with a range of personal.

Dimensional Jaunt [Epic]
Prerequisites: Spellblade Response 2/round
Benefits: Whenever you use your spellblade response against a creature you possess a line of sight with, you may teleport into any any other square that possesses a line of sight with the target before making your counter. If you move to a square normally incapable of supporting you (such as moving up to join a flying target), you are magically supported until the end of your next action. This is a teleportation effect.

Piercing Blow [Epic]
Your physical attacks can rob a creature of his or her magical defenses.
Prerequisites: Pierce Defenses (2 creatures)
Benefits: Each time you successfully damage a target with a weapon attack, its spell resistance and energy resistances are all reduced by 5 until the end of the encounter (this effect stacks with itself). If the target possesses spell immunity (like a golem ) or energy immunities, these are each reduced to spell resistance or energy resistance equal to the target’s Hit Dice x 5.

Spellblade Blaster [Epic]
You can rain large areas of fiery destruction rather than targeting specific foes.
Prerequisites: Spellblade Barrage 2/encounter
Benefits: Whenever one of your spellblade class features would allow you to cast a spell targeting a single creature, you may instead cast a spell that creates an area so long as that creature is within the area. All other restrictions still apply.

Spellblade Invigorator [Epic]
You can empower yourself rather than taking magical vengeance on foes.
Prerequisites: Spellbladge Barrage 2/encounter
Benefits: Whenever one of your spellblade class features would allow you to cast a spell targeting a single creature, you may instead cast a spell with a range of personal. All other restrictions still apply.

Shatter Offense [Epic]
By striking at a target, you can keep them from launching an effective counterattack.
Prerequisites: Pierce Defenses (3 creatures)
Benefits: Each time that you damage a creature with a weapon attack or a creature fails a saving throw against one of your spells, that creature takes a stacking -4 penalty to attack rolls and spell penetration rolls against you for 1 round.

Shatter Defenses [Epic]
You can rob an opponent of all defenses they possess
Prerequisites: Pierce Defenses (4 creatures)
Benefits: When you use your pierce defenses class feature on a creature, all other creatures pierce through that target’s defenses. Furthermore, you ignore any spell resistance, spell turning, spell immunity, or globe of invulnerability effect that targets may be affected by.

Recover Arcana [Epic]
You can use your spells from battle to battle
Prerequisites: Spellblade Barrage 4/encounter
Benefits: Each time you make a successful weapon attack in an encounter, you gain one arcana point. Every time you score a critical hit and/or reduce a target to 0 or fewer hit points with such an attack, you gain an additional arcana point. At the end of each encounter, you lose all arcana points regain prepared spells or spell slots expended in that encounter with a summed spell level no higher than the number of arcana points spent in this way.

Epic Avoidance [Epic]
You are skilled at dodging attacks.
Prerequisites: Dex 25
Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. You lose this bonus whenever you would lose your Dexterity bonus.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Divine Spell Knowledge [Epic]
Your access to spells is larger than that of most divine casters.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast spells of the maximum normal spell level of a divine spellcasting class.
Benefits: You learn two new divine spells of any level up to the maximum level you can cast. This feat does not grant any additional spell slots.
special: You can select this feat multiple times.

Spellblade Barrage: Starting at 4th level, a spellblade elite can launch large barrages of spells against those they have engaged in combat. As a standard action, a spellblade elite may select any creature he or she has damaged with at least one weapon attack within the past round. For each such successful weapon attack made against that foe within that time, the spellblade elite may cast a spell with a casting time up to one standard action and that possesses a single target, targeting that creature with each spell. That target must be within range of all spells cast in this way and must be a legal target for all of them. This ability can be used once per encounter at 4th level and one additional time per encounter every 5 levels afterwards.

Dweomered Onslaught: Starting at 5th level, a spellblade elite can release untold energy with each strike of his or her blade. Whenever the spellblade elite makes an attack roll against a creature with at least half as many hit dice as him or herself and casts an epic spell as a full-round action, the spellblade elite may choose an additional applicable epic spell that he or she knows. The attack roll takes a -2 penalty but if it hits, the spellblade elite may attempt to cast the second epic spell as well, taking a -5 penalty to the spellcraft check. Whether this check succeeds or fails, the second epic spell slot isn’t wasted in this way. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a spellblade elite may choose to add an additional epic spell each time this ability is used. Each epic spell beyond the first increases the attack penalty by -2 and increases the spellcraft penalty for that specific spell by -5 (attempting to slip in two spells, for example, gives a -4 attack penalty, a -5 penalty to spellcraft for the first spell, and a -10 penalty to spellcraft for the second spell). No single epic spell can be added more than once in this way.

Notes and Explanation:

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Though I’ve made more than a couple of gish-y classes in this project, I felt in the end that a straightforward gish was also necessary. As with the other “basic spellcasters”, this one has a bit more raw spellcasting power than the other similar classes. Not much to say about this one, to be honest. In case you guys are wondering, though, a bit of google research suggests that the word “gish” used to describe fighter/casters can be traced back to the githyanki. I’m not just making that up.

[Realms of Chaos]

Temporal Wanderer

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Most individuals live their entire lives with only the dimmest notion that other planes of existence are out there, never straying too far from their homes. More powerful beings, such as adventurers, are known to travel across these planes with great regularity. Even with the commonality of planar travel available, however, there remains one form of travel that few even consider. Temporal Wanderers are those who have received some small taste of temporal energies, knocking them free from their normal temporal alignment. Granted awareness of the past, of the future, and of alternate timelines, Temporal Wanderers act in ways that often befuddle those around them but that tend to work out for the best. Whatever their goals and ambitions may be, Temporal Wanderers are always one step ahead.

Hit Die: d10

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Temporal Wanderer, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Effective Character Level: 20 or more
Special: You must have interacted with the time stream in some meaningful and unusual way, such as the following:
Must have travelled through time using methods other than planar travel.
Must have encountered a creature closely related to the timestream (such as a phane).
Must have visited the temporal energy plane at least once.

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Knowledge (history), Knowledge (the planes), Spellcraft, Use Magic Device. Upon taking your first level of temporal wanderer, you may add up to four additional class skills of your choice to this list. This decision can’t be changed later.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Temporal Wanderer
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Confer with Future (1 week), Eternal Wanderer|--

2nd|

+1

|Delay the Inevitable 1/encounter|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+2

|Stretch Time I|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Browse Timelines (2 timelines)|--

6th|

+3

|Confer with Future (2 weeks)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Delay the Inevitable 2/encounter|--

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Stretch Time II|--

10th|

+5

|Browse Timelines (3 timelines)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Temporal Wanderer.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a temporal wanderer can still develop and cast epic spells using the banish, destroy, dispel, foresee, heal, reveal, transport, and/or summon seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. A temporal wanderer casting an epic spell with these seeds (and only these seeds) need not make a Spellcraft Check if the DC is equal or lower than 20 + (Class Level x 2). Unless a temporal wanderer has sufficient ranks in a skill to gain more slots per day, a temporal wanderer gains a number of epic spell slots per day equal to his or her effective character level / 20. If the temporal wanderer doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Eternal Wanderer (Su): A temporal wanderer is aware of all timelines branching out from his or her present, future, and past. As a result, the temporal wanderer gains an insight bonus to all skill checks, saving throws, and attack rolls equal to half of his or her class level + 1. A temporal wanderer never ages, is never caught flat-footed, and always acts first in initiative (if multiple temporal wanderers are in the same encounter, they still roll initiative amongst themselves to decide their order), even acting first on surprise rounds.

More impressively, a temporal wanderer possesses a limited ability to travel through the past, present, and future. At the end of any round, a temporal wanderer may choose to travel into the past, restarting the round (only the temporal wanderer and his or her allies are aware of what has occurred). Alternatively, a temporal wanderer may choose to follow their normal action with an additional set of actions taken as if using a timestop effect. Finally, a temporal wanderer may choose at any time to leap 1 round into the future and reappear in the same space (or nearest empty space) at the conclusion of this round (if this jump is taken in response to an attack, targeted effect, or area effect, the temporal wanderer escapes that effect [though an area effect with an ongoing duration may still affect him or her]). Once one of these three abilities has been used, none can be used again for 1d4+1 rounds.

Confer with the Future (Su): Starting at 1st level, a temporal wanderer can turn to his future selves for guidance, looking forward along the varying timelines that branch out once a specific decision has been made. As a swift action, the temporal wanderer can learn whether taking a specific action will have good results, bad results, good and bad results, or neither good nor bad results. Though the future selves the temporal wanderer turns to for advice have no reason to lie to him, even the smallest of decisions made afterwards may change how things unfold and there is only a 90% chance that the temporal wanderer will hear from the timeline he is destined to take past that point (otherwise the temporal wanderer receives an answer at random). A temporal wanderer may not check the results of taking a single action more than once. A temporal wanderer can reach himself up to one week into the future at 1st level and one additional week further at 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards

Delay the Inevitable (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a temporal wanderer can delay harm and death if necessary. As an immediate action, the temporal wanderer can prevent all damage that either him or herself or an ally who the temporal wanderer can see within 30 feet would take for the next 5 rounds. Any effects that would target the affected creature are likewise delayed during this time, though attack rolls and saving throws are made immediately as normal. At the end of these 5 rounds, all damage and effects that have been delayed immediately catch up with the affected creature. While delaying damage and effects using this ability, such damage and effects can be healed in advance as appropriate. This ability can be used once per encounter at 2nd level and once more per encounter at 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even temporal wanderer level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a temporal wanderer, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a temporal wanderer can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Advantageous Divergence*, Blinding Speed, Change the Past*, Damage Reduction, Epic Prowess, Epic Skill Focus, Eye to the Past*, Fast Healing, Freeze Foes*, Frequent Delays*, Improved Spell Capacity, Indefinite Delay*, Into the Future*, Know Vulnerabilities*, Spell Stowaway, Spring of Youth*, Superior Initiative, Think Ahead*, Time Heals All*, Wild Card*.

New Feats

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Change the Past [Epic]
You can embark on the most difficult of travels, a travel backwards through time.
Prerequisites: Browse Timelines (5 timelines)
Benefits: With one hour of concentration, you and up to eight other willing creatures within 100 feet can travel back in time by any duration. You do not change your physical location, however, and if this travel would deposit one or more of you into a solid object, you instead appear in the nearest space capable of holding you. Your actions in the past alter the future appropriately with one major exception. You and those you bring back with you are detached from the timeline by this ability. Any actions that those travelling back in time would result in one or more of you not being born, being slain early, or that would prevent this ability from being used in the first place fail to affect your current conditions. Sadly, this ability comes with a price. Changing the past requires the temporal wanderer to unravel the future they called home. As a result, this travel only works one way (unless you possess the Into the Future feat).
Note: Barring epic spells that destroy the multiverse, Change the Past and Into the Future are the most disruptive abilities that you could allow in your campaign. These feats require DM permission to utilize and their implications should be considered carefully before allowing them.

Into the Future [Epic]
You can embark on a journey through time into the future
Prerequisites: Browse Timelines (4 timelines)
Benefits: With one hour of concentration, you and up to eight other willing creatures within 100 feet can travel forward in time by any duration. You do not change your physical location, however, and if this travel would deposit one or more of you into a solid object, you instead appear in the nearest space capable of holding you. This travel works in only one directly, however (unless you possess the Change the Past feat).
Note: Barring epic spells that destroy the multiverse, Change the Past and Into the Future are the most disruptive abilities that you could allow in your campaign. These feats require DM permission to utilize and their implications should be considered carefully before allowing them.

Wild Card [Epic]
Those who peer into the future never take you into account.
Prerequisites: Browse Timelines (3 timelines)
Benefits: Spells and abilities that look into the future (including the portfolio sense of deities) never take you or your actions into account.

Advantageous Divergence [Epic]
You take advantage of divergences in the timelines of others.
Prerequisites: Browse Timelines (2 timelines)
Benefits: As a swift action, you may select a creature. During that creature’s next action, it takes two separate sets of actions that may not be identical. At the end of the action, a temporal wanderer selects one set of actions taken and the others never occur as the alternate timeline is abandoned. The temporal wanderer is aware of what happens in each of the separate timelines but all others (including the target) are only aware of what occurs in the main timeline.

Eye to the Past [Epic]
You can see what has happened in the past of an area.
Prerequisites: eternal wanderer
Benefits: You may use hindsight as a spell-like ability with a caster level equal to your temporal wanderer level + 20. After using this ability once, you must spend 1 hour in concentration to recharge this ability before you can use it again.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it after the first, double the number of times you can use this feat between recharges.

Indefinite Delay [Epic]
You can delay an affliction indefinitely
Prerequisites: Delay the Inevitable 1/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you use your delay the inevitable class feature, you may choose to instead use an indefinite delay. Damage and/or effects put on an indefinite delay don’t take effect for 5 rounds or until you use this ability again, whichever comes last.

Time Heals All [Epic]
Given enough time, any affliction is wiped away by time.
Prerequisites: Indefinite Delay
Benefits: If damage and/or an effect if put on an indefinite delay and remains so for 24 hours, the target is freed from whatever you delaying and no longer risks facing it later.

Frequent Delays [Epic]
You can delay harm to yourself and others with great frequency
Prerequisites: Delay the Inevitable 3/encounter
Benefits: Your uses of delay the inevitable are now measured per round instead of per encounter. For the purpose of meeting prerequisites, however, these usages are still measured per encounter.

Freeze Foes [Epic]
You can freeze foes in temporal stasis.
Prerequisites: Delay the Inevitable 3/encounter
Benefits: By making a successful melee attack or melee touch attack against a creature as a standard action, you can subject it to a temporal stasis effect with a caster level equal to your temporal wanderer class level + 20. After using this ability once, you must concentrate for 1 hour to recharge this ability before you can use it again.
special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it after the first, double the number of times you can use this feat between recharges.

Know Vulnerabilities [Epic]
You are sure to inform your past self on what forms of a attack prove effective against your foes.
Prerequisites: Confer with Future (2 weeks)
Benefits: You are automatically aware of all damage reduction, energy resistance, spell resistance, and immunities that your opponents possess. If your enemies possess any special vulnerabilities, you also learn this information.

Think Ahead [Epic]
You work to keep your past self aware of what is about to occur, letting them react faster.
Prerequisites: Confer with Future (1 week) or Countermeasures 1/round
Benefits: You can ready a move or standard action as a swift action.

Spring of Youth [Epic]
You can pass on your timelessness to others through touch.
Prerequisites: Eternal Wanderer
Benefits: As a standard action, you can touch a willing creature and reduce its age by 1 month.

Stretch Time (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a temporal wanderer seems to perceive time as travelling at a slower rate, allowing them to get more done in less time. A temporal wanderer gains an extra move action each round plus an additional extra move action at 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards. Any number of move actions gained in this way can be sacrificed to instead gain half as many extra standard actions that round (rounded down).

Browse Timelines (Su): Starting at 5nd level, a temporal wanderer can often select the best of multiple destinies. At the start of the temporal wanderer’s action, the wanderer may choose to take two sets of actions. Rather than occurring in a row, however, these actions occur separately and simultaneously. At the end of the action, a temporal wanderer selects one set of actions taken and the others never occur as the alternate timeline is abandoned. The temporal wanderer is aware of what happens in each of the separate timelines but all others are only aware of what occurs in the main timeline. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a temporal wanderer can choose to take up to one additional set of actions.

Notes and Explanation:

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Though I stick by my statement that the godking was the (philosophically) weakest of the classes I created, this was most definitely the hardest to create out of all of them.

Though I felt that a time-based epic PrC was needed (matters of time travel are a common direction for epic games to turn, after all), there aren’t any specific classes that would naturally progress into such a class. While there are some spells and powers relating to time, I couldn’t even pin these abilities to a single specialization with much luck.

Instead, I tried to do something totally unlike any other prestige class (epic or otherwise), making a class that literally anyone has the potential to enter. Rather than acting as the result of long-spun character development planning, this class was designed to be a spur-of-the-moment decision. Rather than being a huge goal in and of itself, I wanted this class to serve as an organic extension of certain campaign themes, powerful enough so that people might consider it as an option but not so strong that players feel particularly deprived if time travel isn’t a theme in a campaign. It’s a pretty hard tightrope to walk and would appreciate suggestions if anyone has them.

I also feel that I should explain the one pseudo-restriction that I DID put in, a flavor restriction. As people have seen with examples like the Rainbow Servant, this can go one of four ways:

1. The game starts as high epic and a player simply puts the prerequisite into their background, making it a total non-issue.
2. The game reaches epic levels and the player eventually encounters time travel, making this class accessible afterwards.
3. The game reaches epic levels and the player never encounters time travel, making this class entirely inaccessible.
4. The game reaches epic levels and would never naturally encounter time travel so the player goes entirely off of the rails and leads the players on a tangent to encounter time travel.

Naturally, situations 3 and 4 are a problem for game play, made worse by the knowledge that there likely wouldn’t have been a problem if they were in scenario 1. In most cases, however, the problems that would emerge seem rooted more in poor communication (either the player not making it clear that he’d like to take this class or the DM not making it clear that the class just doesn’t fit the campaign) than anything else. I felt as though I needed some form of time-related prerequisite and couldn’t think of anything else that would keep the sub-goal of letting anyone join intact. Again, any advice to help make things easier (perhaps require venerable age instead?) would be appreciated.

[Realms of Chaos]

Unmage

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When dealing with meddlesome or dangerous mages, many believe that the only solution is to bring in another, allied mage. In this respect, many are sorely mistaken. A few gifted individuals, known as unmages, have gained the ability to counter, unravel, and simply ignore magic in their environments. Some unmages oppose magic in all of its forms and unravel “unnatural” influences wherever they are found. On the opposite end of the spectra, some unmages are abjurers who have simply perfected the art of cancelling magic around them. Whether an unmage reserves their abilities for self-protection or actively fights others who use magic, the current location of unmages on a given plane is invaluable information both for those who would abuse magic and for those who would stop them.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become an Unmage, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) OR Use Magic Device 23 ranks
Feat: Combat Reflexes OR Improved Counterspell
Spellcasting: Must possess no non-epic spellcasting ability above 4th level spells OR be able to cast 9th level abjuration spells, including mage’s disjunction.

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Open Lock, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device, Use Rope

Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier

Unmage
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+1

|Momentary Suppression (1), Unravel Dweomers

2nd|

+2

|True Counterspell 1/encounter

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+4

|Spell Immunity 1/round

5th|

+5

|Instant Reversion (1 spell)

6th|

+6

|Momentary Suppression (2)

7th|

+7

|True Counterspell 2/encounter

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+9

|Spell Immunity 2/round

10th|

+10

|Instant Reversion (2 spells) [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Unmage.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, an unmage can still develop and cast epic spells using the banish, dispel, reflect, and/or reveal seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. An unmage may use his or her ranks in use magic device to determine his or her epic spell slots per day. Furthermore, he or she may use his or her ranks in either use magic device or knowledge (arcana) in place of his or her ranks in spellcraft when making a spellcraft check to cast an epic spell. If the Unmage doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Unravel Dweomers (Su): As a swift action, an unmage may unravel magic around them, functioning as a mage’s disjunction spell with a caster level equal to his or her class level + 20 with a few adjustments. The radius of the burst is limited to 10 feet/class level, the unmage may exempt any number of magic items or spell effects that he or she is aware of, and epic spells, antimagic fields, and minor artifacts are subjected to this effect with 100% accuracy (though artifacts are permitted a saving throw). The Save DC of this ability is 20 + Class level + the unmage’s Cha modifier. Although this ability is supernatural in nature, it can be utilized freely within an antimagic field.

Momentary Suppression (Su): As a standard action, an unmage can temporarily suppress the effects of a single spell effect or magic item. Primarily used for disabling magic items without ruining them and for bypassing wards without alerting others, this functions much as the unmage’s unravel dweomer effect except that it only targets one spell effect or magic item and that the magic is only lost for 5 rounds or until the unmage uses this ability again or reinstates the magic as a move action. At 6th level at every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can last for an additional 5 rounds and can target an additional magic item or spell effect at a given time.

True Counterspell (Su): Once per round, as a free action, an unmage can interfere with another creature they possess a line of effect with as they attempt to cast a spell or spell-like ability. The unmage makes an opposed spellcraft check against the caster and if the unmage succeeds, the casting is foiled and the spell or spell slot is expended as normal. For every 5 points by which the unmage succeeds on this check, the caster may not cast spells or spell-like abilities for 1 round afterwards. This ability can be used once per encounter at 2nd level and an additional time per encounter every 5 levels afterwards.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, an unmage can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Anchoring Aura*, Antimagic Burst*, Armor Skin, Blinding Speed, Conceal Mind*, Countermage*, Counterspike*, Damage Reduction, Dimensional Aura*, Dismiss Outsiders*, Energy Resistance, Epic Avoidance*, Epic Fortitude, Epic Reflex, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Speed, Epic Toughness, Epic Will, Expanded Aura*, Extended Life Span, Forced Deanimation*, Guarded Abjuration*, Ignore Hindrance*, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Spell Capacity, Inescapable Aura*, Legendary Climber, Legendary Leaper, Legendary Wrestler, Mageslayer Juggernaut*, Master of Abjuration*, Mystic Feedback*, Perfect Health, Pressure Casters*, Reveal Deceptions*, Seeping Suppression*, Share Immunity*, Spell Stowaway, Spellcasting Harrier, Spellkill Ascetic*, Spellkill Magebreaker*, Superior Counterspell*, Withstand Death*.

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Superior Counterspell [Epic]
You can counterspell an opponent with unparalleled ease.
Prerequisites: Improved Counterspell
Benefits: You need not ready an action in order to counter an opponent’s spell.

Mystic Feedback [Epic]
Your attacks are more dangerous to spellcasters as your turn their magic against them.
Prerequisites: Unravel Dweomers
Benefits: Whenever you successully attack a spellcaster, that spellcaster loses one spell slot (or one random prepared spell) of the highest spell level still available to him or her and takes 1d6 additional points of damage per spell level of the lost spell/spell slot.

Inescapable Aura [Epic]
You exude an aura that makes it difficult for others to escape from you through magical means.
Prerequisites: Momentary Suppression (1)
Benefits: Within 30 feet of you, spells and spell-like abilities that grant alternate forms of movement or that increase existing forms of movement can’t be utilized. You may suppress or reactivate this aura as a free action.

Anchoring Aura [Epic]
You exude an aura that stops teleportation effects cold in their tracks.
Prerequisites: Momentary Suppression (2), Inescapable Aura
Benefits: Within 20 feet of you, spells and spell-like abilities of the teleportation subschool fail to function. You may suppress or reactivate this aura as a free action.

Dimensional Aura [Epic]
You exude an aura that prevents others from escaping the plane at all.
Prerequisites: Momentary Suppression (3), Anchoring Aura
Benefits: Within 10 feet of you, spells and spell-like abilities that involve extradimensional travel (such as shadow walk, etherealness, and blink) fail to function. You may suppress or reactive this aura as a free action.

Expanded Aura [Epic]
Your auras affect more people at once.
Prerequisites: Inescapable Aura
Benefits: The range of your inescapable aura is doubled. If you possess the anchoring aura and/or dimensional aura feats, their range is also doubled.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Ignore Hindrance [Epic]
You ignore magic that attempts to restrict your movement.
Prerequisites: Spell Immunity 1/round
Benefits: You gain the benefits of a freedom of movement effect except that it only protects against magical effects.

Withstand Death [Epic]
Magical death effects slide off of you without any problem.
Prerequisites: Spell Immunity 2/round
Benefits: You gain the benefits of a death ward effect except that it only protects against magical effects.

Reveal Deceptions [Epic]
You can easily see through magic designed to fool your senses.
Prerequisites: Spell Immunity 3/round
Benefits: You gain the benefits of a true seeing effect.

Conceal Mind [Epic]
Your mind is hidden from all wishing to detect or manipulate it magically.
Prerequisites: Spell Immunity 4/round
Benefits: You gain the benefits of a mind blank effect.

Mageslayer Juggernaut [Epic]
It is hard to injure you directly through the use of magic
Prerequisites: Spell Immunity 2/round
Benefits: Whenever you would take damage from any magical source, halve that damage before applying damage reduction, energy resistance, and similar abilities

Counterspike [Epic]
You can harm a creature simply by countering its spells.
Prerequisites: True Counterspell 1/encounter, Mystic Feedback
Benefits: You benefit from your mystic feedback spell whenever you successfully counter a target’s spell with your true counterspell class feature.

Share Immunity [Epic]
You can share your defense against magic with allies.
Prerequisites: Spell Immunity 1/round
Benefits:You may spend a use of your spell immunity class feature for the round to grant a willing creature within 100 feet the benefits of that class feature against a single spell effect.

Pressure Casters [Epic]
Your very presence causes enemy spellcasters to slip up and make careless mistakes.
Prerequisites: True Counterspell 3/encounter
Benefits: Any enemy spellcaster that is aware of your presence can’t cast spells defensively, can’t use free, swift, or immediate actions for spellcasting, and can’t take 10 on spellcraft checks when casting epic spells.

Antimagic Burst [Epic]
You can release bursts of antimagic to protect against magical effects.
Prerequisites: True Counterspell 4/encounter
Benefits: By expending two uses of your True Counterspell class feature, you may create an anti-magic field centered around yourself for 1 round. For each additional use spent beyond the first two, the radius of the effect increases by 20 feet and the duration increases by 1 round. You may dismiss this effect early as a swift action and this anti-magic field doesn’t suppress unmage class features.

Countermage [Epic]
Your training as a spellcaster and as an unmage has taught you how to fight other spellcasters.
Prerequisites: Unravel Dweomers, the ability to cast 9th-level spells
Benefits: Select one spellcasting class you possess levels in. You add your unmage level as a bonus to your caster level when casting spells gained by virtue of levels in that class. Furthermore, you gain a bonus spell slot of each spell level that you possess access to in the chosen class. These spell slots can only be used for counterspelling.

Spellkill Ascetic [epic]
You have mastered the art of ending spells while travelling to their origin.
Prerequisites: Unravel Dweomers, Quavering Palm
Benefits: Your unmage class level stacks with your monk level for the purposes of your AC bonus, fast movement, and diamond soul class features.

Spellkill Magebreaker [epic]
You have turned the art of stealing magic from foes into a science.
Prerequisites: True Counterspell 1/encounter, Steal Spell (9th level)
Benefits: Your unmage class level stacks with your spellthief level for the purposes of your sneak attack class feature. Whenever you counter a spell with your true counterspell class feature, you can steal it as if you had used your steal spell class feature.

Master of Abjuration [Epic]
You possess masterful energies that act to ward and protect.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Abjuration spell
Benefits: The value of any armor class bonus, saving throw bonus, or energy resistance that your spells grant is doubled. The value of any damage reduction or spell resistance your spells grant is increased by +5. Lastly, once per encounter, you may negate all damage that one attack or spell would deal to yourself or to a creature within 30 feet.

Epic Avoidance [Epic]
You are skilled at dodging attacks.
Prerequisites: Dex 25
Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. You lose this bonus whenever you would lose your Dexterity bonus.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Guarded Abjuration [Epic]
Your protective spells are almost impossible to remove.
Prerequisites: Unravel Dweomers, Ability to Cast 9th-level Spells
Benefits: Spells you cast of the abjuration school that target you or have a range of personal can’t be dispelled and are immune to mage’s disjunction

Dismiss Outsiders [Epic]
You can send extraplanar creatures back to their home planes.
Prerequisites: True Counterspell 2/encounter.
Benefits: If you make a successful melee touch attack against an extraplanar creature, you can send it back to its home plane (no save). After you use this ability once, you can’t use it again until you have spend an hour resting to recharge it.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, double the number of times you can use it before you need to recharge it.

Forced Deanimation [Epic]
You can remove the unnatural animating spark from constructs and the undead.
Prerequisites: True Counterspell 2/encounter
Special: If you make a successful melee touch attack against a construct or undead creature, you can force it to make a Fortitude Save (DC 20 + Class Level) or instantly lose its animating spark, effectively becoming destroyed while its body remains intact. After you use this ability once, you can’t use it again until you have spend an hour resting to recharge it.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it, double the number of times you can use it before you need to recharge it.

Seeping Suppression [Epic]
Weaker magic is all but impossible around you.
Prerequisite: Unravel Dweomers
Benefit: The area within a 100 foot radius of yourself is treated as an antimagic field for all spells up to 3rd level.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times, doubling the range of its effects each time.

Spell Immunity (Su): It is rare that spells can ever even faze an unmage. Starting at 4th level, the first time each round that an unmage is targeted by a spell or finds himself in the area of a spell, that spell treats the unmage as not being there. Damaging spells fail to damage them, divination spells fail to detect them, and even area effects made to contain an unmage like forcecage can be seen and walked though by the unmage as if it weren’t even there. This ability extends to the next spell that the unmage is targeted with each round at 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards. An unmage can lower or resume this protection as a free action.

Instant Reversion (Su): Even when a spell seems to occur instantaneously, an unmage can reverse the effects. As a standard action, an unmage of at least 5th level can reverse the effects of a single instantaneous spell or spell-like ability that he or she has witnessed within the last round. Creatures who have teleported return to their positions, creatures who have been healed or damaged return to their prior state (coming back to life or dying once more if necessary). Effects created vanish back into nothingness and knowledge learned through such effects is instantly and irrevocably forgotten. Other occurrences that occurred due to such a spell effect (such as an attack made after teleporting or falling prone due to dying) are likewise instantaneously reversed. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can target an additional instantaneous effect with a single use.

Notes and Explanation:

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Classes that specialize at ending magic are often viewed in a mixed way (even putting aside their level of specialization). Immunity to magic blocks beneficial spells, area dispel effects hit your allies as well, and disabling the equipment of an enemy dips into your own WBL. This class was designed as a means to be an effective anti-mage while minimizing the impact of these traditional problems.

The only part of this class that I’m not too happy with are the prerequisites. They were originally far worse with non-SRD feats required and prerequisites set up so that monks and spellthieves (the two iconic “anti-mage” classes) couldn’t get access but they still seem a bit weird. If someone can help me hammer the prerequisites out, I would be very appreciative.

[Realms of Chaos]

Unmatched Dervish

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While legendary dreadnaughts may represent the pinnacle of stationary combat, unmatched dervishes make no attempt to best them at their own game. While still combatants of mythic proportions, unmatched dervishes approach combat in very different ways. Rather than ignoring attacks, unmatched dervishes aim to dodge them entirely. Rather than focusing on a few strong blows, unmatched dervishes unleash rapid volleys of attacks. While a legendary dreadnaught may be better at fighting others in pitched combat, the strongest of these dervishes can engage entire armies single-handedly and hope to emerge victorious. Whether fighting on their own or as part of a greater force, an unmatched dervish is often nearly impossible to stop.

Hit Die: d10

Prerequisites: To qualify to become an Unmatched Dervish , a character must meet all of the following criteria
Base Attack Bonus: +15
Skills: Tumble 23 ranks
Feats: Great Cleave and any three of the following: Improved Critical, Spring Attack, Mounted Combat, Combat Reflexes, Improved Trip, Improved Feint, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Escape Artist, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Move Silently, Ride, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device, Use Rope
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Unmatched Dervish
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+1

|Evasive Repositioning x1, Peerless Mobility, Unarmored Mastery

2nd|

+2

|Whirlwind Dervish 1/round

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+4

|Engage the Army 10 feet

5th|

+5

|Blink of the Eye (1/2)

6th|

+6

|Evasive Repositioning x2

7th|

+7

|Whirlwind Dervish 2/round

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+9

|Engage the Army 20 feet

10th|

+10

|Blind of the Eye (2/4) [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Unmatched Dervish

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, an unmatched dervish can still develop and cast epic spells using the destroy, dispel, energy, fortify, slay, and/or transport seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. An unmatched dervish can use his or her base attack bonus in place of his or her ranks in knowledge skills to determine epic spell slots per day and in place of spellcraft ranks when making a spellcraft check to cast such a spell. As a full-round action, an unmatched dervish can make a full-attack and cast an epic spell. If the attack hits, the epic spell slot is not expended. If the unmatched dervish doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Unarmored Mastery (Ex): An unmatched dervish requires full freedom of movement in order to benefit from many of his or her abilities. As such, an unmatched dervish wearing any armor, using a shield, or carrying more than a light load loses the benefits of all class features below. While conscious and mobile, however, the unmatched dervish gains a dodge bonus to his or her AC equal to his or her Dexterity bonus plus his or her class level.

Peerless Mobility (Ex): An unmatched dervish moves better than most others would imagine possible. The unmatched dervish gains a bonus to his or her speed equal to +20 feet per class level and his movement provokes no attacks of opportunity. So skilled is the unmatched dervish at moving about that they can spend a standard action to move up to their speed without needed to make jump checks, climb checks, swim checks, or balance checks (if the unmatched dervish ends this movement in mid-air or in an environment that would need one or more of these skill checks, they are affected as normal), though they are still limited to paths that make sense (preventing the dervish from suddenly changing direction in mid-air and from performing other such acts). If this movement is taken as a full-round action the unmatched dervish may move up to twice their speed in this way and make a full attack, spreading the attacks along his or her movement as he or she wishes (an unmatched dervish with monk levels may use a flurry of blows while moving in this way).

Evasive Repositioning (Ex): An unmatched dervish can move at speeds that boggle the mind. Over the course of each encounter, an unmatched dervish can move a total distance equal to their land speed at any time. This movement may be split into several smaller increments if desired. If this movement is made in response to an attack or area spell or effect, the unmatched dervish remains utterly untouched if this movement takes his or her out of the attacker’s reach (if a melee attack), out of the attacker’s range or path of attack (if a ranged attack) or beyond the area of the effect. The total distance that can be travelled each encounter is doubled at 6th level, tripled at 11th level, and so forth.

Whirlwind Dervish (Ex): Starting at 2nd level An unmatched dervish is masterful at taking every opportunity to attack, even in cases that others would consider risky. Whenever the unmatched dervish would normally provoke an attack of opportunity for his or her movement, he or she may choose to provoke one as normal in spite of the peerless mobility class feature or any similar abilities the unmatched dervish may possess. In return, the unmatched dervish may first make a single attack against the attacker if able to do so. If this attack hits, the target takes a penalty to its attack roll equal to the amount of damage it suffers (if any). This ability can be used once per round at 2nd level and one additional time per round at 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, an unmatched dervish can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Blinding Speed, Deadly Volley*, Dervish’s Mount*, Devastating Critical, Dive for Safety*, Epic Avoidance*, Epic Dodge, Epic Mounted Combat*, Epic Prowess, Epic Reflexes, Epic Speed, Godslayer*, Great Dexterity, Great Intelligence, Improved Combat Reflexes, Improved Sneak Attack, Improved Stunning Fist, Infinite Deflection, Instant Response*, Intercept Movement*, Know no Bounds*, Legendary Climber, Legendary Leaper, Legendary Rider, Lingering Damage, Living Blur*, Mass Feint*, Overwhelming Critical, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting, Quicksilver Ascetic*, Quicksilver Stalker*, Reflect Arrows, Ride the Air*, Roll With It*, Superior Initiative, Two-Weapon Cleave*, Two-Weapon Rend, Wear Out Opponent*, Weightless Step*, Whirlwind Distraction*.

New Feats

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Instant Response [Epic]
You are quick to act where others might be caught by surprise
Prerequisites: Superior Initiative, Dex or Wis 25
Benefits: You always act during surprise rounds and may take a full-round of actions during such rounds.

Epic Avoidance [Epic]
You are skilled at dodging attacks.
Prerequisites: Dex 25
Benefit: You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC. You lose this bonus whenever you would lose your Dexterity bonus.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Roll With It [Epic]
You roll with the force of blows to escape further attacks.
Prerequisites: Evasive Repositioning x1
Benefits: Whenever you are successfully attacked, you may move up to 10 feet away from your attacker in any direction immediately afterwards unless prevented from doing so (such as if the attack starts a grapple with the improved grab ability).

Mass Feint [Epic]
You can feint multiple targets as you move, rendering them vulnerable to attack
Prerequisites: Improved Feint, Peerless Mobility
Benefits: When you feint, you may make the attempt against any number of creatures that you have threatened at any point since the start of your round. Furthermore, targets who you feint lose their Dexterity bonus against the next attack your or an ally make against it within the next round.

Epic Mounted Combat[Epic]
Any mount you utilize is pushed to the limits of its abilities.
Prerequisites: Legendary Rider, Base Attack Bonus +20
Benefits: While mounted, your mount may use any of your physical ability scores if they are superior to their own, may make use of any of your feats that it meets all prerequisites for, and can make any or all of its natural attacks without forcing you to make additional ride checks.

Know No Bounds [Epic]
Your movement is nearly impossible to restrict
Prerequisites: Evasive Repositioning x 3
Benefits: You are affected at all times by a freedom of movement effect.

Weightless Step [Epic]
You can move past surfaces that wouldn’t normally support your weight.
Prerequisites: Evasive Repositioning x1
Benefits: You can walk across water and other surfaces that would fail to support your weight. Unless you end your movement on a solid surface, however, you fall through as normal.

Ride the Air [Epic]
You can ride the faintest of heat waves and changes in air pressure to control your movement through otherwise empty air.
Prerequisites: Evasive Repositioning x4
Benefits: During your action, you gain a fly speed equal to your land speed with perfect maneuverability. If you don’t end your action in a square that can support your weight, you fall as normal.

Dive For Safety [Epic]
You can drag others to safety at a moment’s notice.
Prerequisites: Evasive Repositioning x2
Benefits: You can share the benefit of your evasive repositioning class feature with any single willing adjacent creature up to one size category larger than yourself (including creatures you pass by while already using your evasive repositioning class feature). You and the target must move in the same direction and each square you move another target costs twice as much movement from your evasive repositioning class feature.

Living Blur [Epic]
You move so fast that it is difficult to keep track of you.
Prerequisites: Evasive Repositioning x4
Benefits: On any round in which you move at least half of your full land speed, you gain a 50% miss chance against all attacks.

Godslayer [Epic]
You can face even the divine with some chance of success.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +35 or ability to cast 12th level spells
Benefits: Deities attacking you never take 20 on their attack rolls. Against your spells and abilities, deities never take 20 on their saving throws. Against you, Deities lose their divine bonus to AC and Saving Throws. Lastly, you aren’t detected by the remote sensing abilities or portfolio sense of deities and salient divine abilities that create areas or that designate targets don’t affect you.

Dervish’s Mount [Epic]
Your mount serves as an extension of yourself, moving in unparalleled ways.
Prerequisites: Epic Mounted Combat, Evasive Repositioning x2
Benefits: Any mount you utilize of up to one size category larger than yourself gains the benefit of your Unarmored Mastery and Peerless Mobility class features and can be moved effortlessly through your evasive repositioning and engage the army class features. Lastly, whenever a creature attacks your mount, you may first make an attack against them. If the attack hits, subtract all damage that you deal from the target’s attack roll.

Deadly Volley [Epic]
Your onslaught of powerful attacks makes those that come afterwards more deadly
Prerequisites: Blink of the Eye (2/4)
Benefits: For each successful attack that you make against a creature, your threat range on all further attacks you make against that creature for 1 round increases by 1. This ability stacks with itself.

Intercept Movement [Epic]
You can halt a target’s movement with that of your mount.
Prerequisites: Dervish’s Mount, Evasive Repositioning x3
Benefits: When a creature attempts to move, you may use your evasive repositioning class feature to cross or block that creature’s intended path. If you are on a mount, the target can’t proceed on their movement past where you have crossed its path unless it succeeds on a Reflex save (DC 20 + Unmatched Dervish level + Dexterity modifier) to dive past you. You may use this ability to block a single movement more than once if necessary.

Two-Weapon Cleave [Epic]
You are a blur of swinging weapons out on the battlefield
Prerequisites: Great Cleave, Perfect Two-Weapon Fighting
Benefits: Whenever you make use of the great cleave feat, you are granted one cleave attack with each of your two weapons.

Whirlwind Distraction[Epic]
The attacks you make as you break off from foes distract them from more immediate threats.
Prerequisites: Whirlwind Dervish 2/round
Benefits: You subtract all damage you deal with your Whirlwind Dervish class feature from both the target’s attack of opportunity and from their AC against the next attack a creature other than you makes against that target within the next round.

Wear Out Opponent [Epic]
Even your failed attacks may wear out your opponents
Prerequisites: Blind of the Eye (4/8)
Benefits: Whenever you miss with a melee attack roll against a creature within your threatened area, that target takes nonlethal damage as if you had struck. For each point by which you missed your attack roll (minimum 0), subtract one point from your damage roll.

Quicksilver Stalker [Epic]
You have continued to advance your skill at skirmishing
Prerequisites: Peerless Mobility, Skirmish (+4d6/+4)
Benefits: Your unmatched dervish class levels stack with your scout levels for the purpose of your skirmish class feature.

Quicksilver Ascetic [Epic]
You have continued to hone your skill at mobility.
Prerequisites: Peerless Mobility, Fast Movement +40 ft.
Benefits: The bonuses to speed and AC that you receive from your peerless mobility and unarmored mastery class feature are doubled.

Engage the Army (Ex): At 4th level, an unmatched dervish learns how to engage foes en masse, slaying vast armies in almost no time at all. Between cleave attacks, an unmatched dervish may move up to 20 feet as a free action. This distance doesn’t count towards the dervish’s movement for the round but every 10 feet moved in this way imposes a -1 penalty on all attack rolls the unmatched dervish makes until the start of his or her next turn. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the maximum distance that can be moved between attacks increases by +20 feet.

Blink of the Eye (Ex): Starting at 5th level, an unmatched dervish can attack with peerless speed. When not moving, an unmatched dervish can take an attack action as a move action and make a full attack as a standard action. Furthermore, at 5th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the unmatched dervish gains an extra attack at his or her full base attack bonus when making an attack action and an additional extra attack at his or her second-highest base attack bonus when making a full-attack.

Notes and Explanation:

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In the unmatched dervish, we receive a melee class that fits the opposite end of the spectrum from the legendary dreadnaught. Instead of punishing attacks and withstanding damage, you get tons of attacks and avoid damage. Monks were one of the few classes in the PHB that didn’t really have any options among the original Epic PrCs (along with Druids and Bards) so this was a class designed for monks, scouts, swashbucklers, and less armored barbarians.

I feel that I should make a note regarding unarmored mastery, seeing as it’s the only class that gains this type of ability. The reason that it exists is that it doesn’t seem right for a dervish to be rushing around at full speed wearing a breastplate. Weak as it may be, that is the one huge reason why I’m saying no armor. If mithral didn’t exist, I’d say that light armor was allowed as I don’t see any problem with padded armor or even chain shirts. As it does exist, however, any armor = breastplate. While you could certainly argue that overcoming the limitations of armor to become mobile is an awesome idea, this class is meant to represent the pinnacle of mundane mobility that mundane characters can achieve. This is probably partially me being finicky but it just doesn’t seem right that the most mobile (non-caster) class in the world should be running around armored.

[Realms of Chaos]

Unreal

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What is reality? That is a question that has baffled scholars since the dawn of time. Built with laws and woven with magic that contradict these laws at every turn, the nature of reality is often inscrutable. Even the more common philosophical answers are stifled by the existence of illusions. Are illusions real, one might ask. Though certainly not what they appear to be, it remains unclear whether they exist at all. Formed from common perceptions locked in space, one must wonder whether it persists when none are around to observe it. The greatest practitioners of illusion often claim that these illusions persist. Whether we can take their claim seriously, however, is another matter. After all, these same practitioners cast the rest of existence into doubt. These practitioners, known as the unreal, blur the line between the real and imagined.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become an unreal , a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Knowledge (the planes) 23 ranks
Spells: The ability to cast any 6 illusion spells as spells or spell-like abilities, including at last one of 6th level or higher.

Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Disguise, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

The Unreal
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Actualize I, All An Illusion|--

2nd|

+1

|Disbelieve Harm 1/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+2

|Fictionalize I|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Sensory Control (1 set of perceptions)|--

6th|

+3

|Actualize II|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Disbelieve Harm 2/round|--

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Fictionalize II|--

10th|

+5

|Sensory Control (2 sets of perceptions)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the unreal.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, an unreal can still develop and cast epic spells using the animate, compel, conceal, contact, delude, dispel, reveal, and/or transport seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved

All An Illusion (Su): From the perspective of the unreal, everything else is one giant illusion. As a standard action, the unreal may select an object or creature of up to gargantuan size and attempt a Will save (DC 20 + 1 per previous attemnpt) to disbelieve it. If successful, both that object and the unreal treat each other as though they were incorporeal for 1 minute. Furthermore, the unreal can see through the object like a foiled illusion and the target, if a creature, can see through the unreal. By spending one hour in self-reflection or study, the Save DC is reset to 20.

Actualize (Su): When the unreal weave illusions, they can sometimes be carried over into the physical world. Whenever an unreal casts an figment spell or spell-like ability that allows a will save to disbelieve, the unreal can choose to actualize the illusion. An actualized illusion gains physical presence for the effects duration, receiving an appropriate tactile component and exerting the proper amount of weight as well as gaining damage reduction, hardness, and/or natural armor as appropriate for the nature of the illusion. Furthermore, an actualized illusion allows for no saving throw to disbelieve. Even so, an actualized illusion is incapable of dealing damage. If the illusion of a creature is created in this way, it loses all special attacks and special qualities of the base creature and possesses no mental ability scores (and thus possesses no ranks or feats) but otherwise possesses the stats of the creature. The figment otherwise functions as normal (an actualized major image can be controlled with concentration, an actualized programmed image still follows its script, etc.)

At 1st level, the undreal may possess a single actualized illusion at a time. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, an additional illusion can be actualized. Attempting to actualize an illusion beyond this limit results in one previously actualized illusion of the unreal’s choice becoming illusory. Illusory spaces and passages created in this way can’t be accessed.

Disbelieve Harm (Su): Starting at 2nd level, once per round, when the unreal would take damage, he or she may make a Will save (DC = damage dealt). If successful, the damage is completely negated. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per round.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even unreal level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an unreal, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Awaken Fiction*, Delayed Actualization*, Disbelieve Spells*, Disbelieve Weaponry*, Epic Will, Extended Control*, Extended Lifespan, Great Charisa, Great Intelligence, Great Wisdom, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Spell Capacity, Infallible Illusion*, Lethal Illusion*, Master of Illusion*, Partial Illusion*, Pierce Illusion*, Reverse-Illusion*, Strengthen Spell, Sudden Actualization*, Tenacious Magic

New Feats

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Partial Illusion [Epic]
Even if an object seems too large to dismiss entirely, you can view part of it as an illusion.
Prerequisites: All An Illusion
Benefits: when using your all an illusion class feature, you may designate a 15-foot cube of a larger object or creature instead ofselecting a gargantuan or smaller target.

Disbelieve Weaponry [Epic]
Much of what assails you doesn’t truly exist at all.
Prerequisites: Disbelieve Harm 1/round
Benefits: When you use your disbelieve harm class feature to successfully negate all damage from a manufactured weapon, that weapon becomes a mere figment that floats in mid-air for 1 minute. The save DC for others to disbelieve the figment equals 10 + Unreal class level + Int modifier.

Disbelieve Spells [Epic]
Much of the magic that others weave is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
Prerequisites: Disbelieve Harm 2/round
Benefits: When you use your disbelieve harm class feature to successfully negate all hit point damage that a spell would deal you, that spell becomes a mere figment for its normal duration. The save DC for others to disbelieve the figment equals 10 + Unreal class level + Int modifier.

Delayed Actualization [Epic]
You can provide substance to your illusions after casting them.
Prerequisites: Actualize I
Benefits: You need not make the decision to actualize an illusion when casting it. As a standard action, you may actualize any appropriate illusion already in effect.

Sudden Actualization [Epic]
What was once an illusion may suddenly gain a sense of reality behind it.
Prerequisites: Delayed Actualization
Benefits: You may use your delayed actualization feat as an immediate action instead of as a standard action.

Awaken Fiction[Epic]
You may allow those that you transform into illusions to remain sentient and move about.
Prerequisites: Fictionalize I
Benefits: When you fictionalize a creature, you may choose to allow it to awaken it. An illusion awakened in this way gains your mental ability scores and personality and controls its own movement through the environment. It may perform no other action apart from movement and and the production of mundane sounds, however.

Pierce Illusions [Epic]
Having mastered the art of illusion, you know how to recognize them at a glance.
Prerequisites: Disbelieve Harm 3/round
Benefits: You automatically recognize all illusions that you perceive and automatically succeed on all saving throws against them.

Extended Control [Epic]
You control the perceptions of others within a larger range.
Prerequisites: Sensory Control (2 sets of perceptions)
Benefits: The range of your sensory control class feature is increased by 50 feet.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Reverse-Illusion [Epic]
You have found away to mask reality as an illusion.
Prerequisites: Fictionalize II
Benefits: When you fictionalize a creature, you may choose to simply mask that creature as an illusion rather than transform it into a full illusion (such a creature still counts towards the limit of your fictionalize class feature). Anyone who interacts with such a creature perceives that creature as a mere illusion as though they had succeeded on a Will save against a figment unless they succeed on a Will save (DC 20 + Unreal level + Int modifier). Anyone harmed by an affected creature automatically succeeds on this saving throw.

Lethal Illusion [Epic]
The process of disbelieving your illusions is harmful for most minds
Prerequisites: Sensory Control (3 sets of perceptions)
Benefits: Whenever a creature would disbelieve or pierce through one of your illusions through mundane or magical means, it must make a will save (DC 20 + Unreal level + Int modifier) or fall dead. For each successful saving throw that a creature makes against this effect, it gains a stacking +1 bonus on further saving throws against this effect for the next 24 hours. This is a mind-affecting phantasm effect.

Infallible Illusion [Epic]
Your illusions can’t be pierced through most means.
Prerequisites: Sensory Control (4 sets of perceptions)
Benefits:Creatures vulnerable to mind-affecting effects can’t disbelieve your illusions through will saves (even when presented with irrefutable proof) and can’t pierce through your illusions without the aid of epic spells, effects, or items. Even if the illusion isn’t actualized and lacks physical substance, the mind of a creature fills in all resulting logic gaps.

Strengthen Spell [Epic, Metamagic]
You can affect more powerful creatures with your magic.
Benefits: A spell with this metamagic feat applied to it treats all creatures as if they had two fewer hit dice for all purposes (this does affect the saving throws of creatures). A strengthened spell occupies a spell slot one higher than its normal spell level.
Special: Unlike most metamagic effects, a single spell can be strengthened multiple time. Increases to the spell level accrued in this way stack with themselves.

Master of Illusion[Epic]
You can fool the senses of others with incredibly ease.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Illusion spell
Benefits: You can affect mindless creatures with your mind-affecting illusion spells. Touching an illusion you have that allows for saving throws to disbelieve does not allow the target to automatically disbelieve as such illusions now create imagined tactile sensations along with an illusory sense of weight. Once per encounter, you can turn yourself or a creature within 100 feet of yourself invisible for 1 round. While invisible, the target can’t be seen through see invisibility or true seeing, is unaffected by glitterdust, faerie fire, and invisibility purge, and can’t be detected by scent, blindsight, blindsense, or tremorsense.

Fictionalize (Su): Just as the unreal can force illusions into reality, so too can he or she consign reality into illusion. Starting at 4th level, as a full-round action, an unreal can force a single creature to make a Will save (DC 20 + Class Level + Int modifier) or become a mere illusion (as permanent image). At 4th level, the unreal can only fictionalize one creature at a time. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the unreal may fictionalize another creature at once. Fictionalizing another creature beyond this limit frees a previously fictionalized creature. Likewise, dispelling or dismissing these illusions results in the real creature returning into existence.

Sensory Control (Su): At the peak of his or her power, the unreal can directly control what others perceive in the world around them. Starting at 5th level, so long as the unreal concentrates, he or she can create a separate set of visual, audio, olfactory, and thermal information that takes the place of a target’s normal perceptions for any number of target creatures. The area in which the unreal can control senses is limited to 50 feet but creatures within this area can have their perceptions of more distant objects or creatures altered. The unreal is free to add, remove, or alter features of the environment as he or she sees fit. Any creature who interacts with the environment or who notes discrepencies within it is permitted a Will save (DC 20 + Class Level + Int modifier) to disbelieve this illusion. Once the illusion has been disbelieved, creatures are immune to this ability from that unreal for the next 24 hours. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the unreal may create an additional set of perceptions to subject any number of targets to when using this ability. One creature may receive any or all sets of perceptions depending on the whims of the unreal. This effect is a phantasm and can be pierced with a true seeing effect but can’t be affected by the unreal’s actualize class feature.

Notes and Explanation:

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This was one of those lucky cases where the class almost seemed to write itself as I went along and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. With that said, something tells me that some of these abilities have the potential to be abused (though I can’t come up with any examples as to how). If anyone could give me a better idea of how this class may be (mis/ab)used, please let me know so that I’ll have some idea of what’s needed to fix it (if I tried to fix it right now, I’d just be hacking blindly at it).

[Realms of Chaos]

Veneficus Optima

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Even among the most prodigious of sorcerers and skilled of archmages, there are yet names spoken of in whispers of fear and awe. Known as veneficus optima, some arcane casters have unlocked unparalleled insights into the nature of magic itself. Weaving even epic spells with mind-bogging ease, even a single veneficus optima holds the potential to disrupt activity in entire regions or even entire worlds.

Hit Die: d4

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Veneficus Optima, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 23 ranks, Spellcraft 23 ranks
Feats: Any two metamagic feats.
Spells: The ability to cast 9th-level arcane spells

Class Skills: Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Veneficus Optima
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Multispell (1), True Arcanist|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

2nd|

+1

|Efficient Researcher x1|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

4th|

+2

|Practiced Metamagic (4 levels)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Master of the Arcane (1)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

6th|

+3

|Multispell (2)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Efficient Researcher x2|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Practiced Metamagic (8 levels)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class

10th|

+5

|Master of the Arcane (2)|+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Veneficus Optima.

Epic Spellcasting: A veneficus optima gains epic spellcasting as a bonus feat even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each veneficus optima level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a veneficus optima, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

True Arcanist: A veneficus When a veneficus optima cast a non-epic spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less, he or she can cast it as a supernatural ability instead of as a spell. After doing so a number of times equal to the veneficus optima’s class level, he or she can’t do so again until he or she meditates for 1 hour.

Multispell: Once per round, a veneficus optima can cast a non-epic arcane spell with a casting time of 1 standard action or less as a free action. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used one additional time per round.

Efficient Researcher (Ex): A veneficus optima can develop epic spells in ways that others could only dream of, regularly making intuitive leaps that a normal mage would take days to figure out. Starting at 2nd level, when developing an epic spell, the process takes 1 day less (to a minimum of 1 day), 2,000 fewer experience points (to a minimum of 360 xp), and 50,000 fewer gold pieces (to a minimum of 9,000 gp). These bonuses are doubled at 7th level, tripled at 12th level, and so forth.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a Veneficus Optima can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Automatic Quicken Spell, Automatic Silent Spell, Automatic Still Spell, Enhance Spell, Epic Spell Focus, Epic Spell Penetration, Epic Spellbook*, Epic Will, Extended Life Span, Familiar Spell, Godslayer*, Great Charisma, Great Intelligence, Ignore Material Components, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Heighten Spell, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Improved Spell Resistance, Intensify Spell, Master of Abjuration*, Master of Conjuration*, Master of Divination*, Master of Enchantment*, Master of Evocation*, Master of Illusion*, Master of Necromancy*, Master of Transmutation*, Multispell, Permanent Emanation, Selective Spell*, Spell Knowledge, Spell Opportunity, Spell Stowaway, Spontaneous Spell, Spontaneous Spell Knowledge*, Superior Counterspell*, Superior Spellcaster*, Tenacious Magic

New Feats

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Godslayer [Epic]
You can face even the divine with some chance of success.
Prerequisites: Base Attack Bonus +35 or ability to cast 12th level spells
Benefits: Deities attacking you never take 20 on their attack rolls. Against your spells and abilities, deities never take 20 on their saving throws. Against you, Deities lose their divine bonus to AC and Saving Throws. Lastly, you aren’t detected by the remote sensing abilities or portfolio sense of deities and salient divine abilities that create areas or that designate targets don’t affect you.

Master of Abjuration [Epic]
You possess masterful energies that act to ward and protect.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Abjuration spell
Benefits: The value of any armor class bonus, saving throw bonus, or energy resistance that your spells grant is doubled. The value of any damage reduction or spell resistance your spells grant is increased by +5. Lastly, once per encounter, you may negate all damage that one attack or spell would deal to yourself or to a creature within 30 feet.

Master of Conjuration [Epic]
Your possess energies that allow you to summon and move creatures about.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Conjuration spell
Benefits: All conjuration spells with a casting time of 1 round have their casting times reduced to 1 standard action. Summoned and called monsters need not be brought forth into environments capable of supporting them. Once per encounter, you can teleport one creature within 100 feet of yourself into any other square within 100 feet of yourself. A successful Will save (DC 10 + caster level + Intelligence modifier) negates this movement.

Master of Divination [Epic]
You can act exactly as you need to in order to succeed at almost any task.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Divination spell
Benefits: All emanations that your divination spells create are doubled in size and you are aware when there is information that your divination spells is unable to detect, though you don’t automatically learn what knowledge you are kept from. Once per encounter, you can add your caster level as a bonus to an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. Using this feat requires no action.

Master of Enchantment[Epic]
You can make others act exactly as you would want them to with your impressive powers.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Enchantment spell
Benefits: You can affect mindless creatures with your mind-affecting enchantment spells, though only basic concepts can be conveyed and such targets gain a +10 bonus to their saving throw. A creature who succeeds on a saving throw against one of your enchantment spells is unaware that they were ever targeted. Once per encounter, you can force a single creature to follow your instructions for 1 round as is dominated unless it succeeds on a Will Save (DC 10 + caster level + Intelligence modifier).

Master of Evocation[Epic]
You blast targets into dust with your control over the fundamental energies of existence.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Evocation spell
Benefits: All evocation spells you cast ignore spell resistance and energy resistance and deal half damage even against creatures immune to the relevant form of energy. Once per encounter, you can choose a form of energy and deal 1d6 damage/caster level of that form of energy to a target within 100 feet, or half of that if they succeed on a Reflex Save (DC 10 + caster level + Intelligence modifier).

Master of Illusion[Epic]
You can fool the senses of others with incredibly ease.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Illusion spell
Benefits: You can affect mindless creatures with your mind-affecting illusion spells. Touching an illusion you have that allows for saving throws to disbelieve does not allow the target to automatically disbelieve as such illusions now create imagined tactile sensations. Once per encounter, you can turn yourself or a creature within 100 feet of yourself invisible for 1 round. While invisible, the target can’t be seen through see invisibility or true seeing, is unaffected by glitterdust, faerie fire, and invisibility purge, and can’t be detected by scent, blindsight, blindsense, or tremorsense.

Master of Necromancy [Epic]
You gain mastery over the forces of death.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Necromancy spell
Benefits: All undead you create with necromancy spells are automatically under your control (counting towards your normal maximum) and your necromancy spells bypass any immunities granted by the undead type or by death ward effects. Once per encounter, you can reanimate any number of dead creatures within 100 feet of yourself as skeletons or zombies (depending on the state of the bodies) with a total HD of up to your caster level. These undead only lasts until the end of the encounter before falling apart.

Master of Transmutation [Epic]
You twist the forms of others in magnificent ways.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Transmutation spell.
Benefits: You gain the supernatural abilities of any creature you transform into using transmutation spells. Any bonuses to ability scores granted by your transmutation spells are doubled. Once per encounter, you may grant yourself a burrow speed, fly speed (with perfect maneuverability), or swim speed equal to your land speed or double your land speed until the end of the encounter.

Epic Spellbook [Epic]
Even your spellbook has become an artifact of legend.
Prerequisites: Must prepare spells from a spellbook, True Arcanist
Benefits: Select one spellbook you possess. That spellbook is treated as a minor artifact for all purposes and you may call it to your empty hand (ignoring all non-epic effects that would prevent teleportation) as a standard action. The chosen spellbook possesses infinite pages and produces its own ink as it is pressed upon with a dry quill, requiring no cost for scribing spells.

Spontaneous Spell Knowledge [Epic]
You possess erratic and ever-shifting access to magic.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast 9th-level spells spontaneously, True Arcanist
Benefits: Select an arcane spell from any spell list. You add that spell to your list of spells known. As a swift action, you may expend a spell slot to replace the chosen spell with another of that spell slot’s spell level or lower.

Superior Spellcaster [Epic]
Your spells are more powerful than those of others
Prerequisites: Caster level 30th
Benefits: You gain a +2 bonus to your caster level.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Superior Counterspell [Epic]
You can counterspell an opponent with unparalleled ease.
Prerequisites: Improved Counterspell
Benefits: You need not ready an action in order to counter an opponent’s spell.

Selective Spell [Epic, Metamagic]
You can prevent your spells from harming your allies.
Benefits: This feat can only be applied to spells that create areas. When casting a spell modified by this metamagic effect, you may select any number of targets within its area. Only the chosen creatures are affected by the spell. A selective spell uses up a spell slot three levels higher than the spell’s actual level.

Practiced Metamagic (Ex): Starting at 4th level, a veneficus optima can add metamagic to arcane spells with great efficiency. Whenever casting a non-epic arcane spell, the veneficus optima may add any number of metamagic effects who in total would raise the spell’s level by up to +4 without increasing its spell level or casting time. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the veneficus optima can add another four levels of metamagic effects to each spell they cast.

Master of the Arcane (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a veneficus optima can manipulate far greater magics than most other arcane casters. A veneficus optima can cast an additional epic spell each day, plus one additional such spell at 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Notes and Explanation:

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Well, what do we have here (other than blatant butchering of dead languages)?

From start to finish, this class was intended the quintessential arcane caster class, fit for prepared and spontaneous casters alike and just as powerful as you would imagine it being. While the high proselytizer gets off simply gigantic spells by being around crowds, this guy gets smaller benefits that don’t rely on any particular circumstance.

As one last note here, I really don’t know if I love or despise the generic flavor of the class. On the one hand, this class is pretty much perfect for wizards/sorcerers/wu jen/warmages/beguilers/dread necromancers and trying to add too much flavor would risk ruining this neutral arrangement. On the other hand, this class has pretty much no fluff or class-specific feats. If you think this class could use some more fluff/feats, feel free to make suggestions.

[Realms of Chaos]

Venerated Sage

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Knowledge is power. Though there are many ways to obtain knowledge, everyone from the lowest of farmhands to the greatest of archmages is forced to bow before this simple truism. Sentient beings of any great power, in the process of gaining that strength, almost inevitably garner a rich store of information from his or her travels. Those who make it a point to study, however, go far further than this. Utilizing vast archives of knowledge and delving deeper with divination over the course of a lifetime, certain sages make it a point to learn as much as possible. These repositories of knowledge, frequently refered to as venerated sage, are revered (and sometimes feared) for their knowledge wherever they travel.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a venerated sage , a character must meet all of the following criteria
Age Category: Old or older
Skills: Knowledge (Any four) 23 ranks
Spells: Must be capable of casting at least six divinations spells, at least one of which must be sixth level or higher.

Class Skills: All skills are class skills for a venerated sage.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Venerated Sage
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+0

|Combat Evaluation +8, Master of Knowledge|--

2nd|

+1

|Prepare for Anything (1 action)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+2

|Uncanny Senses 50 ft.|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+2

|Harmful Truths 1/round|--

6th|

+3

|Combat Evaluation +12|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+3

|Prepare for Anything (2 actions)|--

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+4

|Uncanny Senses 100 ft.|--

10th|

+5

|Harmful Truths 2/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the venerated sage.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a venerated sage can still develop and cast epic spells using the banish, compel, contact, dispel, foresee, reveal, transport, and/or ward seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved.

Master of Knowledge (Ex): All venerated sages are known for the vast supply of knowledge that they have acquired. These sages may make Knowledge checks untrained and gains a bonus to all knowledge checks equal to his or her class level x 5. Furthermore, a venerated sage remembers his or her entire life in perfect detail and is immune to all spells and effects that would remove, alter, or allow access to his or her thoughts or memories. Lastly, your extensive knowledge of the world aids with your divination spells and effects. All divination spells you cast that rely on or benefit from knowledge of, nearness to, and/or a connection with a specific target (such as discern location, legend lore, and scrying) grant you the maximum possible results for any target (a legend lore spell, for example, will always reveal full legends). Any non-epic divination spell with a casting time over 1 minute has its casting time reduced to 1 minute.

Combat Evaluation (Ex): While venerated sages are known for collecting vast quantities of knowledge, they are more than capable of applying this knowledge on the battlefield. As a move action, a venerated sage can review all that he or she knows about a single creature he or she can see or hear before coming up with the most appropriate response. Until the end of the encounter or until this ability is used again, the venerated sage gains a +8 insight bonus to attack rolls against the target, to AC against the target’s attacks, to saving throws against spells and abilities of the target, and to opposed rolls against the target until the end of the encounter. Against other creatures of the target’s race (and sub-race, if applicable), these bonuses are halved. If the venerated sage chooses to use this ability as a full-round action, he or she can announce his or her conclusions aloud and any ally who can hear and understand him or her gains half of these benefits for the same duration (the sage still gains full benefits). At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the bonus granted (before halving) increases by +4.

Bonus Spells Known: A venerated sage knows much of the ways of magic, learning spells much faster than many others. At each odd level, a venerated sage may add any single spell from any class list to his or her spellbook, list of spells known, or spell list. These spells, if recorded to scrolls or spellbooks (or prayerbooks), can't be copied into other spellbooks or prayerbooks.

Prepare for Everything (Ex): Starting at 2th level, venerated sages always seem prepared for almost any possibility. As a swift action, a venerated sage may ready a single move or standard action. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the venerated sage may ready an additional action as part of his or her swift action. No matter how many actions a venerated sage readies in a single round, he or she may only actually take one.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even venerated sage level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a venerated sage, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a venerated sage can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Adaptable Preparations*, Always Prepared*, Analyze Item*, Educated Dungeoneer*, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus, Extended Lifespan, Gifted Cartographer*, Great Charisma, Great Intelligence, Great Wisdom, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Metamagic, Improved Spell Capacity, Maddening Truth*, Master of Divination*, Masterful Architect*, Opportune Action*, Planar Scholar*, Polygot, Quick Analysis, Royal Recorder*, Soothsayer*, Spontaneous Spell, Studious Archaeologist*, True Certainty*, Uncanny Foresight*, Universal Truths*, Urbanite*, Widened Senses*

New Feats

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True Certainty [Epic]
You always know which option to take.
Prerequisites: Prepare for Everything (5 actions)
Benefits: Whenever you attempt to make a choice or solve a riddle or problem that possesses one or more objectively correct answers or solutions and one or more objectively wrong answers or solutions, you instinctively know whether each solution or answer you come up with is correct, incorrect, or neither. This feat doesn’t point out correct options that you have yet to consider.

Opportune Action [Epic]
You always act at just the right moment.
Prerequisites: Prepare for Everything (4 actions)
Benefits: You need not roll initiative. Instead, you may take your action each round at any time, even in the middle of another creature’s action. If you don’t take your action by the end of a round, you act last in that round. If more than one creature with this feat doesn’t act by the end of a round, they roll initiative amongst themselves to dictate the order they act in that round.

Adaptable Preparations [Epic]
Prerequisites: Prepare for Everything (3 actions)
Benefits: Whenever you ready actions, you need not specify under what conditions you will use those actions. Instead, you may simply use a readied action at any time.

Uncanny Foresight [Epic]
You are impossible to truly surprise.
Prerequisites: Prepare for Everything (2 actions)
Benefits: You gain the benefits of a foresight effect at all times.

Always Prepared [Epic]
You always seem to possess just what you need.
Prerequisites: Never There 1/encounter or Prepare for Everything (1 action)
Benefits: At any time, you may spend up to 10,000 gp in coins, gems, or similar valuables in order to retroactively possess any item at least two size categories smaller than you that weighs nor more than the valuables spent on it (50 coins = 1 pound). You may not spend valuables gained since the last time you had an opportunity to freely purchase items in this way.

Analyze Item [Epic]
You can recognize most magic items by sight.
Prerequisite: Master of Knowledge
Benefits: You automatically recognize identify any magic item that you observe as if it were subjected to an identify effect.

Soothsayer [Epic]
Your senses sometimes extend into the future.
Prerequisites: Uncanny Senses 50 ft.
Benefits: As a standard action, you may use augury as a spell-like ability (Caster Level 20). After using this ability, you lose the benefits of your uncanny senses class feature for 30 minutes.

Maddening Truth [Epic]
The truths of the world that you reveal to others can threaten their sanity.
Prerequisites: Harmful Truths 2/round
Benefits: Any creature you knock unconscious using your harmful truths class feature is driven permanently insane (as an insanity with a caster level of 20). This effect allows no saving throw.

Widened Senses [Epic]
You can harness more of your unearthly senses at a given time.
Prerequisties: Uncanny Senses 100 ft.
Benefits: At any time, you may possess two senses provided by your uncanny senses class feature.

Universal Truths [Epic]
The truths of the world that you reveal are often of importance to more than one opponent.
Prerequisites: Harmful Truths 1/round
Benefits: With each use of your harmful truths class feature, you may target one additional creature.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Quick Analysis [Epic]
You can analyze the battle around you quite quickly.
Prerequisites: Combat Evaluation +8
Benefits: You may grant yourself the benefits of your combat evalutation class feature as a move action or share them with others as a standard action.

Educated Dungeoneer [Epic]
With your encyclopedic knowledge of dungeons, you can predict a good deal about them with a glance.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge
Benefits: After seeing the interior of a dungeon (whether man-made or naturally occurring) or even hearing a detailed description of its interior, you can identify every type of creature (aberration, animal, humanoid [elf], etc.) that resides within that dungeon. Furthermore, you automatically recognize all traps (whether mechanical or mundane) by sight, requiring no search check. This gives you no special ability to disarm traps, however.

Masterful Architect [Epic]
You know exactly how buildings and other structures fit together and how others would build them.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge
Benefits: After seeing the interior of a building or even hearing a detailed description of its interior, you learn the entirety of its layout, including sealed-off spaces and secret rooms and corridors. Furthermore, may take 20 on all ability checks and skill checks made to break, manipulate, or maneuver around architectural features.

Gifted Cartographer [Epic]
You know the landscape like the back of your hand.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (geography) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge.
Benefits: You always recognize the geography around you, knowing all roads and paths within a mile of yourself as well as where they go. Even when there are no such paths within range, you always know exactly where you are and never risk getting lost. You and any creatures travelling with you through non-urban environments double your overland speed.

Royal Recorder [Epic]
You have studied royalty long enough to learn about power structures and the art of supplication.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge
Benefits: You can tell approximately how many other creatures any creature commands simply by looking at the way they behave. If you have seen both one creature and another that he or she is either subservient to or that is subservient to him or her, you realize this connection (you need not see both creatures at the same time to do so). Furthermore, you may take 20 on any skill check made to interact with royalty or similar community leaders.

Studious Archaeologist [Epic]
You frequently put your extensive knowledge of history to the test.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (History) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge
Benefits: You can identify the age of any object or place that you see or have heard a detailed description of. You can also tell how any object was utilized, what race crafted it, and when it was last used. You are fluent with all ancient dialects of any languages you speak. Furthermore, you halve the time required to repair a magical object and double your progress when using the craft skill to repair mundane objects.

Planar Scholar [Epic]
You possess extensive knowledge regarding planes and planar connections.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (The Planes) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge
Benefits: If you can see or possess a detailed description of a magical portal, you know what plane of existence it leads to and learn of any special qualities it possesses. You can recognize what plane of existence a creature comes from by sight. Furthermore, whenever you witness a creature travel to another plane of existence, you learn which plane of existence was accessed (after travelling through the astral plane if the astral plane wasn’t the end destination).

Urbanite [Epic]
You are exceedingly knowledgeable regarding local matters.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (Local) 23 ranks, Master of Knowledge
Benefits: If you can see or possess a detailed description of a settlement, you know exactly where all services, features, and districts are located in relation to each other. Furthermore, you may communicate basic messages with sentient creatures who don’t share a language with yourself.

Master of Divination [Epic]
You can act exactly as you need to in order to succeed at almost any task.
Prerequisites: Ability to cast at least 2 7th-, 2 8th-, and 1 9th-level Divination spell
Benefits: All emanations that your divination spells create are doubled in size and you are aware when there is information that your divination spells is unable to detect, though you don’t automatically learn what knowledge you are kept from. Once per encounter, you can add your caster level as a bonus to an attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. Using this feat requires no action.

Uncanny Senses (Su): Starting at 4th level, a venerated sage learns how to peer out into the world and see things as they truly are. Listen and Spot checks aren’t penalized for distance within the first 50 feet and the venerated sage gains a special sensory capability within a 50-foot radius. As a move action, he or she can switch which sense is active:

• The venerated sage benefits from a true seeing effect
• The venerated sage automatically sees through all manner of mundane darknesss, fog, smoke, and disguises.
• The venerated sage functions as though possessing any senses he or she has been robbed of or denied.
• The venerated sage detects life force and its strength (as deathwatch).
• The venerated sage detects the presence and location of one named substance within range.
• The venerated sage perceives the world as though a named substance does not exist (gaze attacks may not be delivered if the venerated sage lacks a line of effect with the target).
• The venerated sage detects all lies (even through omission) spoken within range (as discern lies).
• The venerated sage pierces through invisibility and can see ethereal creatures (as true seeing).
• The venerated sage perceives all magic in the surrounding world (as arcane sight).

At 9th level and every 5 level afterwards, the venerated sage’s senses extend an additional 50 feet before being penalized for distance and the range of these special senses likewise extends 50 feet.

Harmful Truths (Su): Starting at 5th level, a venerated sage can rebuke and harm others with the darkest and most personal or traumatizing of secrets. Once per round, a venerated sage can target a creature who can both hear and understand him or her with one of these truths and force that creatur e to make a saving throw (DC 20 + Class level + Int modifier). If the target hasn’t be targeted by this ability in the past 24 hours, it takes 10d6 nonlethal damage and is dazed for 1 round if it fails the save and halves this damage and is merely staggered for 1 round if it succeeds. Otherwise, the target takes 5d6 nonlethal damage and is staggered for 1 round if it fails the save and halves this damage and negates the staggered condition if it succeeds. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per round. No creature can be targeted more than once per round and this ability can be used at any time without expending any action.

Notes and Explanation:

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Much like the divination school as a whole, it seemed a bit inevitable that this class would end up as the weakest of the school-focused PrCs. I’m sure that sticking this class right next to the veneficus optima isn’t doing it any favors, either. Even so, I am still pretty happy about the way things turned out (and if anyone out there has any ideas of how I could empower this class a bit, don’t hestitate to make recommendations. With that said, a few notes:

1. Master of Knowledge makes mysteries far more difficult to run in an epic campaign as if overcomes many of the limitations purposefully placed on divinations. I am aware of this and it was mostly intended considering that immunity to divinations is more than possible at epic levels.
2. While uncanny senses never provides the full benefits of a true seeing spell, I am still very happy with the amount of versatility I managed to cram in there.
3. In case it wasn’t obvious, the point of harmful truths is to control and suppress one or more enemies in the short term. The nonlethal damage was added mostly as an after though as the notion of overwhelming weak minds entirely was beyond my power to resist.

[Realms of Chaos]

Voice of the World

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There are few sources of magical power quite as fascinating or frustrating as truenames. The concept, in its basest form, sounds most incredible and wondrous. Foregoing the years of research and practice that most other casters require, one must simply learn a new language to gain influence over all of creation. When one tries to use truenames, however, the true difficulty reveals itself. As one grows more powerful and practices their art, they learn that the truenames of more powerful foes are far more exacting than they had ever suspected and even the truenames of themselves and their allies become harder and harder to say as the universe takes note of them. As such, most truenamers of note either lord over far weaker creatures or obsessively seek every possible edge they can get so that they can speak more powerful truenames. The strongest and most cunning of these obsessive truenamers, known as voices of the world, have found extensive techniques for overcoming the restrictions of the multiverse. Though perhaps not as strong as the strongest of casters, these voices still manage to live up to the expectations that most truenamers possess when they start training.

Hit Die: d6

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Voice of the World, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Truespeak 23 ranks
Utterances: Any five

Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Forgery, Gather Information, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, Speak Language, Truespeak, Use Magic Device.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Voice of the World
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+0

|Free Verse, Practiced Speaker +4

2nd|

+1

|Master Personal Truename (1 creature)

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat

4th|

+2

|Endless Vocabulary (2 switches/recharge)

5th|

+2

|Master of Truenames (1)

6th|

+3

|Practiced Speaker +6

7th|

+3

|Master Personal Truename (2 creatures)

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat

9th|

+4

|Endless Vocabulary (4 switches/recharge)

10th|

+5

|Master of Truenames (2)[/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the Voice of the World.

Epic Spellcasting: A voice of the world gains epic spellcasting as a bonus feat even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites. Furthermore, the voice of the world can use his or her ranks in truespeak in place of his or her ranks in knowledge skills for the purpose of determining epic spells per day and in place of his or her ranks in spellcraft when attempting to cast an epic spell. Voices of the World use their Intelligence scores to determine the save DCs of epic spells

Free Verse: A voice of the world is gifted by the cosmos in his or her ability to truespeak with minimal interference from the multiverse. While in free verse, a voice of the world can speak and understand all languages, can use utterances as move actions, and need not make truespeak checks in order to use utterances. Each time he or she uses an utterance, however, he or she risks the loss of these boons. Whenever a voice of the world uses an utterance, he or she must make a Truespeak check with a DC of 10 + 1 per previous attempt. If he or she fails this check, he or she looses the benefit of this class feature for 24 hours, after which time the DC is reset. Utterances used while in free verse are ignored by the law of resistance.

Practiced Speaker: Although the multiverse tries to make it difficult for utterances to be used frequently, a voice of the world can reverse this process in the short term. Starting at 1st level, each time that a voice of the world attempts to use an utterance (whether or not he or she succeeds on the truespeak check), he or she gains a +4 bonus on truespeak checks made to use that specific utterance until the end of the encounter. This bonus increases by +2 at 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Master Personal Truename: With enough time and practice, a voice of the world can perfect his or her pronunciation of specific truenames. At 2nd level, a voice of the world may select a single creature whose personal truename he or she knows. When targeting that creature with an utterance from the lexicon of the evolving mind, the voice of the world need not make a truespeak check. With 1 week of practice, he or she may replace one such name with another. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the voice of the world may maintain such mastery with an additional personal true name at a time.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a Voice of the World can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Echoing Utterance*, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Will, Exploit Personal Truenames*, Extended Lifespan, Great Intelligence, Guard Personal Truename*, Improved Truespeak*, Invoke by Name*, Layered Recitation*, Master of Language*, Mirrored Utterance*, Multispeak*, Recitation of the Deathless State*, Recitation of the Fluid State*, Recitation of the Martial State*, See Truenames*, Shattered Sequence*, Wordsense*

New Feats

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Improved Truespeak [Epic]
You are practiced in the art of pronouncing truenames.
Prerequisites: Free Verse
Benefits: You gain a +5 bonus to truespeak checks.
Special: You may select this feat muitiple times. Its effects stack.

Shattered Sequence [Epic]
You can ignore the law of sequence.
Prerequisites: Practiced Speaker +4
Benefits: You need not follow the law of sequence with your utterances.

Echoing Utterance [Epic]
Your utterances can be made to echo through the fabric of existence.
Prerequisites: Truespeak 25 ranks
Benefits: If the utterance is successful, you can cause it’s effects to automatically repeat on the same target or area at the start of the next round without need for an additional truespeak check. If the utterance has an ongoing duration, it instead repeats on the round after the first effect ends. If the original target or area is no longer applicable, the echo is wasted. An echoing utterance possesses a truespeak DC 25 higher than normal.

Guard Personal Truename [Epic]
You can protect your personal truename so that none may use it against you.
Prerequisites: Practiced Speaker +6
Benefits: Creatures with fewer ranks in truespeak than you can’t speak your personal truename or target you directly with utterances.

Master of Language [Epic]
Others could never hope to overcome you through language, whether mundane or magical.
Prerequisites: Practiced Speaker +8
Benefits: You ignore the affects of language-dependend effects and whenever you are specifically targetted by one, you may reflect it back upon its user (if the user is an applicable target) as if through a spell turning effect. Furthermore, you automatically recognize lies as if through a discern lies effect and are never affected by the intimidate skill.

Recitation of the Fluid State [Epic]
This recitation allows you to free yourself from most impediments
Prerequisites: Truespeak 30 ranks, ability to speak utterances, must know your personal truename
Benefits: You grant yourself the benefit of a freedom of movement effect for 1 round.

Recitation of the Deathless State [Epic]
This recitation allows your body to deny death.
Prerequisites: Truespeak 35 ranks, ability to speak utterances, must know your personal truename
Benefits: You may act naturally at 0 and fewer hit points and do not die at -10 or fewer hit points until the end of your next round when you successfully use this recitation.

Recitation of the Martial State [Epic]
This recitation allows you to enter the front lines of battle.
Prerequisites: Truespeak 30 ranks, ability to speak utterances, must know your personal truename
Benefits: When you successfully use this recitation, your base attack bonus is increased to your ranks in truespeak -3 (unless already higher) and you gain proficiency with all weaponry until the end of your next round. If you make a full attack within this time, the duration is extended by one additional round.

Exploit Personal Truename [Epic]
When you use a creature’s personal truename, it becomes difficult for them to resist your utterances.
Prerequisites: Master Personal Truename (2 creatures)
Benefits: Whenever you target a creature whose personal truename you know with an utterance, increase the save DC (if any) by +2.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. It’s effects stack.

See Truenames [Epic]
You can identify a creature’s personal truename just by looking at it.
Prerequisites: Master Personal Truename (3 creatures)
Benefits: You automatically learn the personal truenames of any creature within your line of sight that possesses equal or fewer HD than you possess ranks in truespeak. For each additional HD above that limit, there is a 5% chance that you fail to learn a creature’s truename.

Layered Recitation [Epic]
You can subject yourself to more than one recitation as part of the same action
Prerequisites: Truespeak 25 ranks, two or more recitation feats
Benefits: You may attempt to use two or more recitation feats as part of the same action. For each recitation added beyond the first, the Truespeak DC increases by 5.

Wordsense [Epic]
You can detect the presence of spoken words in your environment.
Prerequisites: Truespeak 25 ranks
Benefits: You can detect all spoken words within 500 feet of yourself regardless of interposing barriers and your (in)ability to hear these words. This ability allows you to hear the words spoken and pinpoint the speakers in space. This ability does not detect telepathic or nonverbal communication.

Mirrored Utterance [Epic]
You make the most of your utterances from the lexicon of the evolving mind.
Prerequisites: Practiced Speaker +10
Benefits: Whenever you use an utterance from the lexicon of the evolving mind, you may choose to utter both its normal effects and its reversed effects simultaneously. These two effects need not target the same creature and a single truespeak check is made for both effects (if the truespeak check fails to affect one creature, the other is still affected).

Invoke by Name [Epic]
You have learned how to summon forth a creature from afar or from the death through its truename.
Prerequisites: Master Personal Truename (5 creatures)
Benefits: As a standard action, you may make a Truespeak check using a creature’s personal DC as if targeting them with an utterance. If that creature is alive, it is summoned anywhere within 100 feet of your choice that can support it and it fights under your control for 5 rounds (as dominate monster) before returning from whence it came (this functions as a [summoning] effect). If the creature is dead and had died within the past 5 rounds, it instantly returns to life as if revived by a wish spell. Each time beyond the first that this ability is used on a specific creature, the truespeak DC increases by 5.

Multispeak [Epic]
You possess the gift of speaking in tongues, invoking multiple utterances simultaneously.
Prerequisites: Quicken Utterance
Benefits: You may use an additional quickened utterance each round.
Special: This feat can be selected multiple times. Its effects stack.

Endless Vocabulary: Though a voice of the world can’t maintain a constant grasp on the exacting pronunciations of all truenames, all voices of the world eventually become at least familiar with most true names at some point or another. Starting at 4th level, by spending a full-round action to reclaim his or her pronunciation of a truename, a voice of the world can replace one utterance with another from the same lexicon. After using this ability twice, the voice of the world can’t do so again until he or she spends 1 hour practicing the nigh infinite conjugations of truenames to recharge this ability. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a voice of the world may make up to two additional switches before needing to recharge this ability.

Master of Truenames (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a voice of the world can manipulate far greater magics than most other truenamers. A voice of the world can cast an additional epic spell each day, plus one additional such spell at 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Notes and Explanation:

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In my quest to make an epic prc for most alternate forms of magic, it was inevitable that I’d eventually run across truenaming eventually. Aside from the slightly tongue-in-cheek introduction, however, I decided to take this endeavor pretty seriously and I’m actually pretty surprised with what I ended up with. Namely, it doesn’t suck nearly as much as I expected it to. While I still pity the truenamer that plays up until epic levels, taking his or her first level in voice of the world should make everything much easier from there on out. While I’m aware of the many many many truenamer fixes out there (I’m a personal fan of Kellus’ work), I decided to make this thing run off of the RAW rules due to my general policy of not making homebrew-dependent homebrew.

[Amechra]

Holy. ****ing. Hell.

This is going to be intense; you don't do anything as a half-measure, do you?

[Realms of Chaos]

Voidkeeper

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A promise holds power. This is the cornerstone from which all of soul binding emerges. In exchange for a view of the world, a binder receives wondrous power from creatures beyond the reach of the multiverse. The bargain is equal, all parties are satisfied, and the process is simple. So long as a being possesses the memory to retain rituals and seals and the force of personality to force vestiges to answer his or her call, anyone can become a binder. Despite the ease of becoming a binder, however, true mastery of the art is only ever accomplished. Voidcallers, after working for years with vestiges, have learned how to bring them even closer to the multiverse. Armed with the ability to offer unparalleled pacts to the desperate beings from beyond, Voidcallers alone can claim any degress of subservience from the vestiges he or she binds.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a voidcaller, a character must meet all of the following criteria:
Soul Binding: Capable of binding 6th level vestiges
Feats: Ignore Binding Requirements, Improved Binder
Skills: Knowledge (The Planes or History) 23 ranks

Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (history), Knowledge (religion), Knowledge (the planes), Profession, Sense Motive
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int Modifier

Voidcaller
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special

1st|

+0

|Lord of the Lost, Bind Creature (1 pact), Soul Binding +1

2nd|

+1

|Bound to Flesh I, Soul Binding +2

3rd|

+1

|Bonus Feat, Soul Binding +3

4th|

+2

|Summon Vestige 1/encounter, Soul Binding +4

5th|

+2

|Bind the Void (1 pact), Soul Binding +5

6th|

+3

|Bind Creature (2 pacts), Soul Binding +6

7th|

+3

|Bound to Flesh II, Soul Binding +7

8th|

+4

|Bonus Feat, Soul Binding +8

9th|

+4

|Summon Vestige 2/encounter, Soul Binding +9

10th|

+5

|Bind the Void (2 pacts), Sould Binding +10 [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the voidcaller.

Epic Spellcasting: A voidcaller gains epic spellcasting as a bonus feat even if he or she doesn’t meet its prerequisites. The voidcaller may use his or her binder bonus in place of his or her ranks in knowledge skills to determine epic spells per day and may make a binder check in place of a spellcraft check to cast epic spells. Voidcallers use their Charisma scores to determine the save DCs of epic spells.

Soul Binding Bonus: At each voidkeeper level, his or her soul binding ability improves as if he or she had also gained a level in the binder class. The voidkeeper’s class level and binder levels stack for the purpose of determining his or her bonus on binding checks, the effectiveness of his oer her vestige-granted abilities, his or her ability to bind higher-level vestiges, and the numer of vestiges he or she can bind. The voidkeeper does not, however, gain any other benefit a binder would have gained.

Lord of the Lost (Su): Although vestiges jump at any chance to rejoin the multiverse, they are only truly subservient to voidkeepers, beings capable of giving them far more complete experiences of the world. A voidkeeper never suffers from physical signs or from the influence of vestiges. Whenever the voidkeeper makes a good pact with a vestige, he or she may use one of its activated abilities without spending any action once per encounter. Lastly, you may alter the duration of any pact you form from the base of 24 hours as you form the pact. Although vestiges personally enjoy longer pacts and feel cheated by shorter pacts, they are incapable to telling how the pact is being altered and thus impose a -1 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks that the voidcaller makes per hour by which the pact is altered for the first 1d4 hours of the pact.

Bind Creature (Su): Among the most frightening of abilities that voidkeepers possess is the power to consign others to the void and bind them for strength. Doing so requires that the voidkeeper spend one minute creating a customized seal around a living creature or the intact remains of a dead creature that had died within the past hour. At the end of this time, the voidkeeper must speak the creature’s name, grant it a title, and consign it to the void as a full-round action. The creature may make a Will save (DC 20 + Class Level + Cha modifier) to resist this effect. If this save succeeds, that creature is saved and can’t be targetted again for 24 hours. If it fails, the target’s body and soul vanish and the voidkeeper binds its essence for the next 24 hours. That creature’s granted abilities include all extraordinary senses and modes of movement, a +4 bonus to its highest ability score, and the ability to use each of its racial supernatural abilities. Activated abilities gained in this way can only be used once every 5 rounds. A creature turned into a vestige can never be bound again after its pact with the voidcaller ends and can’t be revived from the dead except by a deity or by a caster with a caster level at least 10 higher than the voidcaller’s binder level. At 1st level, a voidkeeper can only possess one such pact at a time. At 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the voidkeeper may possess one additional such pact. Pacts formed in this way do not count towards the maximum number of pacts with vestiges you can possess.

Bound to Flesh (Su): The vestiges that a voidcaller binds are granted an unrivalled experience of the multiverse. As these beings are bound to the soul of the voidcaller, however, they viciously work to keep that soul anchored within the voidcaller’s body. Starting at 2nd level, so long as a voidcaller is bound to a vestige, he or she acts normally at 0 and fewer hp and does not die at -10 or fewer hp. Whenever the voidcaller is at -10 or fewer hp and takes damage, however, he or she must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + 1 per previous success or failure within the past 24 hours) or else have the remaining duration of a single pact of the voidcaller’s choice reduced by 1 hour plus 1 additional hour for every 5 points by which his or she fails the save, ending if the remaining duration equal or less than that amount. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a voidcaller gains a +5 bonus to these Fortitude saves. Furthermore, the voidcaller is immune to all effects that would displace, capture, or destroy his or her soul while bound to at least one vestige.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Anchored Essence*, Back To Life*, Consign to the Void, Contingent Pact*, Damage Reduction, Dexterous Fortitude, Dexterous Will, Dominate Vestige*, Energy Resistance, Extended Lifespan, Fast Healing, Gateway to Nowhere*, Grant Pact Magic*, Hide Beyond*, Living Vestige*, Lore of the Lost*, Pact Substitution*, Perfect Health, Pulled Back*, Quick Pact*, Spy From Beyond*, Sublte Pact*, Through the Beyond*.

New Feats

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Pact Substitution [Epic]
When in a tough bind, you can replace one bound vestige with another
Prerequisites: Lord of the Lost
Benefits: You may create a pact even when you possess your maximum number of pacts, replacing one of your previously bound vestiges with another of a lower level.

Subtle Pact [Epic]
Others can rarely tell that you are even forming a pact.
Prerequisites: Lord of the Lost
Benefits: Rather than going through the entire soul binding process, you may simply meditate for one minute to make a pact, never actually drawing the pact or calling forth the manifestation of the desired vestige.
Special: This feat doesn’t effect pacts you make using voidcaller class features.

Pulled Back [Epic]
The vestiges you bind are loathe to let you die without a fight.
Prerequisites: Bound to Flesh I
Benefits: So long as you are bound to at least one vestige, whenever you would be targeted by a death effect, negate that effect and make a fortitude save as per your bound to flesh class feature.

Hide Beyond [Epic]
You can hide yourself within the space between spaces that vestiges occupy.
Prerequisites: Lord of the Lost
Benefits: Although vestiges only bind to you to experience the multiverse, they are willing to harbor you in their domain when needed. As a full-round action, you may vanish from your square into the space beyond spaces if you are bound to at least one vestige. While in this space, you effectively do not exist and can’t be targetted by any spells or effects. The space functions like a rod of paradise except that you can only bring yourself and that time spent in this space doesn’t count towards the maximum duration of your pacts (other durations pass by as normal). When you leave the void, you return into the same square you occupied before you left (or into the nearest open square if it is occupied).

Spy From Beyond[Epic]
You can continue viewing the world even in your own absence.
Prerequisites: Hide Beyond
Benefits: While using your hide beyond feat, you can continue observing the world as if you still occupied the square that you will exit out into. Furthermore, you gain blindsight out to 30 feet (or the range of your preexisting blindsight increases by 30 feet) while observing the world in this way.

Through the Beyond [Epic]
You can use the space between spaces to travel far distances.
Prerequisites: Hide Beyond
Benefits: While using your hide beyond feat, you can spend a full-round action to move the square that you will exit back into by up to one mile in any direction.
Special: If you possess the spy from beyond feet, you do not see the intervening distance that your entrance back into the world travels to reach its destination.

Quick Pact [Epic]
You can draw the power of vestiges in but a moment.
Prerequisites: Subtle Pact
Benefits: When using your subtle pact feat, you may choose to make a pact as a full-round action.
Special: This feat doesn’t effect pacts you make using voidcaller class features.

Grant Pact Magic[Epic]
You can make pacts on the behalf of others, granting them strength.
Prerequisites: Summon Vestige 1/encounter
Benefits: As a full-round action, you can touch the soul of a willing creature touched, effectively granting the bind vestige feat to that creature for 24 hours with the exception that the pactsworn corruptor must be the one to call forth the vestige to be bound. Any number of targets may bind to a vestige summoned in this way when it is summoned and you may choose to bind to it simultaneously.
Special: This feat can be selected up to 5 times, granting additional benefits each time. If it is taken a second time, all targets gain the benefit of the suppress sign class feature as if a 2nd level binder. If this feat is selected a third time, all targets gain the benefits of the Practiced Binder feat as well. If this ability is taken a 4th time, all targets are granted the benefits of a single pact augmentation ability of their choice for 24 hours. If it is taken a 5th and final time, all targets gain the benefits of the Improved Bind Vestige feat for 24 hours.

Anchored Essence [Epic]
You can perfectly meld the soul of a vestige with your own, making it difficult to suppress.
Prerequisites: Bound to Flesh III
Benefits: The granted abilities of vestiges you bind aren’t suppressed in an anti-magic zone or within a dead magic zone. Furthermore, no form of magic reveals the presence of vestiges bound to you.

Back to Life [Epic]
You can bring a recent vestige back from the space between spaces as a minion
Prerequisites: Summon Vestige 2/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you use your summon vestige class feature to summon a vestige gained through your bind creature class feature, that creature is summoned back in their entirety, functioning exactly as that creature (though under your control) for the duration of the ability.

Lore of the Lost [Epic]
You can learn much from those you bind to your soul.
Prerequisties: Lord of the Lost, Bind Creature (1 pact)
Benefits: As a full-round action, you may attempt to gain information from one vestige. If that vestige was gained through your bind creature class feature, you learn what the target believes to be the truthful answer to a single question posed to it. Otherwise, this ability imitates a legend lore effect and you must listen to the rambling of the chosen vestige for the full normal casting time of the spell in that situation to learn the desired information..

Gateway to Nowhere [Epic]
You can send large numbers of foes to the void at once.
Prerequisites: Consign to the Void
Benefits: When you use your consign to the void feat, you may affect creatures at any range so long as they are within your line of sight and may choose a number of creatures up to the number of remaining pacts you possess with your bind creature class feature.

Consign to the Void [Epic]
You can bind a creature to the void with incredible speed.
Prerequisites: Bind Creature (2 pacts)
Benefits: Once per encounter, if you don’t possess the maximum number of pacts available to you through your bind creatures class feature, you may attempt to bind a creature within 10 feet to the void as a full-round action. The target must make a Will save (DC 20 + voidcaller level + Cha modifier) or be affected as if by your bind creature class feature, vanishing and leaving its seal burnt somewhere into the world around it.

Dominate Vestige [Epic]
You can force a vestige you have bound to stop aiding another creature.
Prerequisites: Summon Vestige 2/encounter
Benefits: As a standard action, you may select a creature with which you possess a line of sight and select a single vestige you possess a pact with. If the chosen creature also possesses a pact with the chosen vestige, it loses all benefits of that pact until the end of the encounter.

Contingent Pact [Epic]
You can set certain pacts to come into effect under set situations
Prerequisites: Bound to Flesh IV
Benefits: You may form a special pact with a vestige, neither gaining benefits right away nor counting towards your maximum number of pacts. When you form this pact, you go through the entire pact-making process and place the vestige’s seal somewhere on your body and select a single condition under which the pact activates, as if choosing the condition for a contingency effect. When that condition comes to pass, the pact activates, replacing another active pact if you possess the maximum number available to you. You can only possess one contingent pact at a time and making a new one replaces the old one. A contingent pact lasts until it is either triggered or replaced in this way.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you do so, you may possess an additional contingent pact at a given time.
Special: This feat doesn’t effect pacts you make using voidcaller class features.

Living Vestige [Epic]
Though you may not reside in the void, others can still bind your soul, for a price.
Prerequisites: Bind Creature (5 pacts)
Benefits: Though you don’t leave the multiverse, you become an 8th-level vestige with your own seal and a binding DC of 10 + your binder bonus. At the DM’s discretion, you may decide your own manifestation, influence, and physical sign. When bound, your granted abilities are identical to those you’d grant others if you were targeted with your own bind creature class feature and you additionally grant that creature the ability to bind an additional vestige of 2nd level or lower. You automatically learn whenever you are being bound. As a standard action, you may either see the world through the senses of a creature who has bound you for 1 round or you can give such a creature a mental order functioning much as suggestion effect (Save DC 20 + voidcaller level + Cha modifier) .

Summon Vestige (Su): Starting at 4th level, a voidcaller can call vestiges back from the void for short periods of time. Although not quite restored to their former selves, it is the closest that any could hope to get. Once per encounter, as a standard action, a voidcaller may summon a vestige into any open square within 100 feet. A summoned vestige appears as its own manifestation, remaining mostly illusory in nature and lasting for 5 rounds. A summoned vestige possesses the mental ability scores and senses of the voidcaller, acts in initiative directly after him or her, and gains a fly speed of 30 feet (perfect maneuverability). As a standard action, a vestige may activate any of its supernatural granted abilities as a binder of the voidcaller’s binder level. Summoned vestiges aren’t under the voidcaller’s control but understand everything he or she says and possess an attitude of friendly towards the voidcaller.

Bind The Void (Su): Starting at 5th level, a voidcaller can use his or her expertise to reach past the vestiges around him or her and bind directly to the ineffable neverwhen they inhabit. These fragments of the void, when carefully brought into existence, react in ways that resemble the greatest of magics. A voidcaller can spend ten minutes performing a ritual similar in nature to that used to bind vestiges, save that actual seal is far more complex. At the end of this ritual, the voidcaller may make a binder check to effectively bind and epic spell effect, the DC of which equals twice the spellcraft DC of the spell. If the voidcaller extends the duration of this pact, the DC is doubled for every 24 hour period beyond the first (round up) in place of the normal penalties given by the lord of the lost class feature. The maximum final DC of this pact is limited to 5 x class level and no mitigating factors can be utilize, though the voidcaller need not have researched that epic spell ahead of time.. If the voidcaller succeeds on the check, they are granted that spell effect for the duration of the pact. If the voidcaller fails on the check, however, the pact is still formed but grants no benefits for its full duration.

If the pact is successful, the precise benefits depend on the epic spell effect. If the spell possesses a duration other than instantaneous and targets a single creature, the voidcaller can use it every 5 rounds as a full-round action, although only one such effect can be active at a time and using it again ends the previous effect. Otherwise, the ability can be used once per hour as a full-round action. Any spell effects with a duration other than instantaneous end at the end of this pact (even if “permanent”). All spell effects imitated in this way function as supernatural abilities when beneficial to the voidcaster.

At 5th level, only a single pact can be made in this way at a given time. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, an additional simultaneous pact can be made. Pacts formed in this way do not count towards the maximum number of pacts with vestiges you can possess.

Notes and Explanation:

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Behold the class that almost wasn’t, a project so frustrating that I nearly ragequit on five different occasions. The problem with making any epic-level binder class is simple. Unlike many classes and magic systems in 3.5, both the binder and soul binding in general have epic progressions. The problem is that these classes were found not in any rulebook but appeared in Dragon, a magazine that many groups don’t even allow at their kitchen tables due to a history of poor balance. Adding to the problem is that the particular issue was was of the few hosted on Wizards rather than Paizo and that it has since been deleted from the site, meaning that there is no legal way to acquire info on Epic binders if you don’t already possess it on your computer. Making this class, I had to choose whether I wanted to embrace the dragon options and alienate everyone who didn’t have them or ignore those options and inadvertently overpower anyone who does have that issue of Dragon. In the end, I went with the second option although I don’t think that things are too horribly bad. To be safe though, leave the list of bonus feats untouched even if you do possess Dragon #363.

[Realms of Chaos]

Warden of Faerie

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The world as we know it, at least for some, is a game of epic proportions. Though the fey may show themselves on the material plane, we see only a small percentage of all fey in existence. Beyond the world, beyond all worlds we are aware off, rests the realm of faerie. In this realm, the very forces of nature, represented by beings of nearly deific power, play a game of subtlety and savagery as they manipulate events on the material plane. Among the most dangerous of tools at the disposal of these beings are those mortals who have proved themselves or have entertained the fey enough to earn their favor. Known as wardens of faerie, these beings are forever linked to the natural world. Though some wardens end up stronger than their sponsors, these sponsors would be quick to point out that even this imbalance is a source of amusement.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Warden of Faerie, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Base Attack Bonus: +15
Skills: Knowledge (Geography) 23 ranks, Knowledge (Nature) 23 ranks
Special: Must have made peaceful contact with fey in the past.

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Disguise, Escape Artist, Forgery, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Arcana), Knowedge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, Tumble, Use Magic Device
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier

Warden of Faerie
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+1

|Fey Guile 1/encounter, Walk The In Between|--

2nd|

+2

|Warden’s Defense 1/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+4

|Unseen Mischief (10 spirits)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+5

|Ephemeral Presence I|--

6th|

+6

|Fey Guile 2/encounter|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+7

|Warden’s Defense 2/round|--

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+9

|Unseen Mischief (100 spirits)|--

10th|

+10

|Ephemeral Presence II|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the warden of faerie.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a warden of faerie can still develop and cast epic spells using the banish, compel, conceal, delude, dispel, heal, reveal, transform, and/or transport seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved.

Walk The In Between: All wardens of faerie possess the ability to pass seamlessly into a space between most planes of existence and the realm of faerie. As a full-round action, a warden may enter or leave this space. While walking the in between, a warden is invisible (as superior invisibility) to all creatures not already aware of his or her presence and all all creatures whose presence he or she is unaware of are likewise hidden from the warden’s own perception. As a warden and creatures around him or herself are made aware of each other through indirect means, they become visible to one another as appropriate. Furthermore, the warden can clearly see magic in this space, functioning as though affected by a greater arcane sight effect.

Fey Guile (Su): A master of beguiling foes, a warden of faerie can use fae magic to manipulate a foe, either robbing them of their will to continue combat or simply leading them astray. As a standard action, you may force a target to make a Will save (DC 20 + Warden of Faerie level + Cha modifier). If the target fails, he or she is transfixed in place as though fascinated for the next 10 minutes or until next attacked. At any point, a warden of faerie may halve the remaining duration for a target in order to have the target spend the remainder of the duration fulfilling a suggestion. Alternately, a warden may end the effect as a standard action to spirit away an affected foe. If the target fails another Will save against the same DC, it disappears into the realm of faerie and is never heard from again. After taking an attack or full attack action and successfully hitting a foe, you may use this ability against that foe as a swift action within the next round. You may use this ability once per encounter at 1st level and one additional time per encounter every 5 levels afterwards.

Warden’s Defense (Su): Charged with protecting the natural world by the fae, wardens of faerie have mastered the art of harming those who have left the natural world behind. Starting at 2nd level, a warden of faerie may negate all damage that would otherwise be dealt by an attack using a manufactured weapon once per round. At 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can be used an additional time per round.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even warden of faerie level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a warden of faerie, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a warden of faerie can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Beguiling Blade*, Combat Archery, Deafening Song, Distant Shot, Enhanced Spirits*, Epic Endurance, Epic Prowess, Epic Reputation, Epic Skill Focus, Epic Speed, Epic Toughness, Epic Weapon Focus, Extended Ephemera*, Fast Healing, Fey Mischief*, Gossamer Chains*, Hindering Song, Improved Combat Casting, Improved Manyshot, Improved Spell Capacity, Inspire Excellence, Lasting Inspiration, Layline Network*, Legendary Climber, Legendary Rider, Legendary Tracker, Music of the Gods, Perfect Health, Ranged Inspiration, Rapid Inspiration, Reactive Countersong, Reweave Memories*, Shun the Unnatural*, Sight From Beyond*, Spellgift Spirits*, Spontaneous Spell, Storm of Throws, Swarm of Arrows, Through Faerie*, Two-Weapon Rend, Uncanny Accuracy, Wyldwise Hunter*, Wyldwise Troubador*

New Feats

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Wyldwise Hunter [Epic]
You have continued to hone your skill as a hunter even while acting as a warden for the fey.
Prerequisites: Four favored enemies, Animal Companion, Walk the in Between
Benefits: Your ranger level and warden of faerie level stack for the purposes of your favored enemy and animal companion class features.

Wyldwise Troubador [Epic]
Your knack for mischief is reflected in the fey you watch over, giving you a good amount of practice.
Prerequisites: Inspire Greatness, Walk the in Between
Benefits: Your bard level and warden of faerie level stack for the purposes of your bardic knowledge and bardic music class features.

Shun the Unnatural [Epic]
Those whose presence upsets the fey find themselves unable to harm you.
Prerequisites: Warden’s Defense 1/round
Benefits: You may use your warden’s defense class feature against the natural attacks and unarmed strikes of aberrations, constructs, and undead.

Reweave Memories [Epic]
You can attempt to revise the memories of those you have beguiled.
Prerequisites: Fey Guile 2/encounter
Benefits: As a full-round action, you can end the effect of your fey guile class feature on a target to revise its memory of the time it spent under your influence (as modify memory with no saving throw or spell resistance).

Beguiling Blade [Epic]
You are most effective at leading a foe astray after attacking from ambush.
Prerequisites: Fey Guile 1/encounter
Benefits: Whenever you successfully attack a flat-footed foe, you may instantly use your beguiling blade class feature after the attack. This use does not count towards your limit of usages per encounter.

Through Faerie [Epic]
You can pass short distances through the realm of Faerie itself.
Prerequisites: Walk the in Between
Benefits: As a full-roun daction, you may teleport a distance up to your land speed.

Spellgift Spirits [Epic]
The minor spirits that you summon can channel lesser spells.
Prerequisites: Unseen Mischief (10 spirits)
Benefits: You may cast 0- and 1st-level spells through the spirits you create with your unseen mischief class feature. You may only cast through one spirit with each casting and you are the one to provide all components for the spell.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it after the first, you may cast spells up to one spell level higher through spirits.

Extended Ephemera [Epic]
You can conceal your presence for much longer than normal.
Prerequisites: Ephemeral Presence I
Benefits: Each use of your ephemeral presence class feature lasts an additional minute.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Its effects stack.

Enhanced Spirits [Epic]
The minor spirits that you call upon are the most canny of their kin.
Prerequisites: Unseen Mischief (100 spirits)
Benefits: The spirits you call upon with your unseen mischief class feature are invisible, though they still vanish if they or their actions would be detected through some means. Furthermore, the spirits gain your Dexterity Score and Strength Score and can make skill checks using your ranks in Strength- and Dexterity-based checks as well as craft, disable device, forgery, and use magic device (The spirits are treated as possessing Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores of 10).

Sight From Beyond [Epic]
You can gain some idea of where creatures lie even while walking the in between.
Prerequisites: Walk the In Between, Listen 35 ranks, Spot 35 ranks
Benefits: While walking the in between, you can see creatures that you were not previously aware of without difficulty.

Gossamer Chains [Epic]
Becoming consciously aware of your presence requires a great amount of mental extertion.
Prerequisites: Ephemeral Presence II
Benefits: Whenever a target of your ephemeral presence class feature witnesses you taking a threatening action, that creature must make a Will Save (DC 20 + Warden of Faerie level + Cha modifier -1 per previous save) to break free from the effect. If the threatening action was directed at that target, he or she gains a +4 bonus to the saving throw.

Fey Mischief [Epic]
You may call forth the fey to assist you in place of nameless nature spirits.
Prerequisites: Unseen Mischief (1,000 spirits)
Benefits: In place of 10 spirits, you can summon a single fey with 1 HD using your unseen mischief class feature. You may summon fey of higher HD but for each additional HD, multiply the number of spirits that the fey replaced by x 10. If you possess the enhanced spirits and/or spellgift spirits feat, the benefits are gained by the summoned fey as well. Fey summoned in this way last even if observed but vanish the moment they are dealt even one point of damage. In all other ways, this ability functions like the unseen mischief class feature.

Leyline Network [Epic]
You are perfectly connected to the axes of nature, keeping you informed as to your surroundings
Prerequisites: Unseen Mischief (10,000 spirits)
Benefits: You are constantly aware of all information in your general area that a commune with nature effect would be able to provide you (Caster Level equals Warden of Faerie level + 20).

Unseen Mischief (Su): Even the most minor of fey and nature spirits bow before the might of a warden of faerie, granting him or her a network of unseen hands to perform work in his or her absence. Starting at 4th level, a warden of faerie may call upon up to ten minor spirits as a standard action, functioning like unseen servants with a few exceptions. First of all, the unseen servants can be created over any distance (even across planes of existence) as spirits in the desired place are merely roused to action. Secondly, the warden controls the servants telepathically and possesses a sensory link with each one. Lastly, each spirit lasts until slain, until dismissed as another standard action, until new spirits are summoned in this way, or until it would be perceived (whether through direct senses or magic) by a being other than the warden. At 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards, the maximum number of spirits that the warden can upon at once is increased by x 10.

Ephemeral Presence (Su): Even when while not walking the in between, others tend to pay less mind to a warden of faerie. Starting at 5th level, a warden of faerie can spend a move action to hide his or her presence from a single creature. Though that creature can observe the warden of faerie with his or her normal senses and will later remember the warden, the creature fails to react to the warden’s presence and is treated as flat-footed by the warden. This ability lasts on a target until that target witnesses the warden performing a threatening act, one minute has passed, or until the warden uses this ability again (whichever comes first). After a creature has been affected by this ability, it can’t be affected again until the warden spends 1 hour reestablishing connections to the surrounding leylines. At 10th level and every 5 levels afterwards, this ability can target an additional creature with each use and can affect creatures an additional time between recharges.

Notes and Explanation:

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While I’m pretty happy with how this class turned out, I’m a bit disappointed that it doesn’t really add too much to the design space of this project. Apart from incorporating the fey, this class allows for more subtle gish builds as well as giving another option for more natural warriors.

[Realms of Chaos]

Wilderness Incarnate

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For as long as sentient creatures have existed, they have fought to control their environments. Reshaping it through magic and technology alike, civilizations extend from the environments as testament to the victory of sentience over nature. For some individuals, however, the goal to be achieved is quite different. Far from trying to transform their environment, they seek to master it as it exists. This goal is often realized only late in life, when a creature reaches the very peak of their power. After exploring their chosen environment for ages and committing to memory all life to be found within it, something clicks quite suddenly into place. From that point on, those former wardens of the environment become incarnations of the world itself. Though each wilderness incarnate is only devoted to one element of the natural world, they remain a force to be reckoned with.

Hit Die: d8

Prerequisites: To qualify to become a Wilderness Incarnate, a character must meet all of the following criteria
Skills: Knowledge (geography) 23 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 23 ranks
Special: Must have spent at least one year continually in this environment (entering structures within such an environment still counts).

Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Heal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (Geography), Knowledge (Nature), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Survival, Swim, and Tumble.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier

Wilderness Incarnate
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Special|Spells

1st|

+1

|Chosen Environment, Incarnate’s Domain 50 ft|--

2nd|

+2

|Wilderness Defense 1/round|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|

+3

|Bonus Feat|--

4th|

+4

|Wilderness Guardian I|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|

+5

|Bring Forth Calamity (5 rounds)|--

6th|

+6

|Incarnate’s Domain 100 ft|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|

+7

|Wilderness Defense 2/round|--

8th|

+8

|Bonus Feat|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|

+9

|Wilderness Guardian II|--

10th|

+10

|Bring Forth Calamity (10 rounds)|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Class Features: The following are class features of the wilderness incarnate.

Epic Spellcasting: Even without the Epic Spellcaster feat, a wilderness incarnate can still develop and cast epic spells using the conjure, energy, heal, life, transform, transport, summon and/or ward seeds. For the purpose of developing epic spells with these seeds (and only these seeds), costs in gold pieces and experience points are halved. A wilderness incarnate may use his or her ranks in Knowledge (geography) in place of his or her ranks in spellcraft when attempting to cast such a spell. If a wilderness incarnate doesn’t cast spells, he or she uses his or her highest ability score modifier to determine epic spell save DCs.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each even wilderness incarnate level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he or she had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he or she belonged before adding the prestige class level. If already an epic spellcaster, the character gains only the benefit noted under the Spells entry for that epic class. He or she does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a wilderness incarnate, the player must decide to which class to add the new level for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Chosen Environment (Su): Every wilderness incarnate represents but one environment found on the material planes. At 1st level, a Wilderness Incarnate chooses from one of the seven options below, determining the benefits of the rests of his or her class features in the process. This decision can not later be changed.
Tangle Incarnate: A tangle incarnate represents the jungles and forests of the world, leaving no tracks in such environment, ignoring undergrowth with his or her movement, and gaining immunity to all forms of poison.
Spire Incarnate: A spire incarnate represents the hills and mountains of the world, leaving no tracks in such an environment, ignoring movement restrictions on moving uphill, and gaining immunity to altitude sickness and fatigue (but not exhaustion).
Mire Incarnate: A mire incarnate represents the swamps and bogs of the world, leaving no tracks in such an environment, walking atop stagnant water as if through water walk, and gaining immunity to mundane and supernatural disease.
Cavern Incarnate: A cavern incarnate represents the deep spaces of the world, whether natural or man-made, leaving no tracks in such an environment, ignoring movment restrictions on moving across rubble, and gaining blindsight out to 100 feet.
Wasteland Incarnate: A wasteland Incarnate represents the warm and temperate deserts of the world and spaces suffering from intensive heat (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit), leaving no tracks in such an environment, gaining immunity to heat stroke, sunburn, and the effects of hot weather, ignoring movement restrictions on moving across sand, and no longer needing to drink.
Frostfell Incarnate: A frostfell incarnate represents the tundras of the world and spaces suffering from intensive cold (under 0 degrees Fahrenheit), leaving no tracks in such an environment, gaining immunity to hypothermia, frostbite, and the effects of cold weather, ignoring movement restrictions for moving across snow, moving across ice with no chance of slipping or breaking through accidentally, and no longer needing to drink.
Savannah Incarnate: A savannah incarnate represents the natural fields and grasslands of the world, leaving no tracks in such an environment, losing all scent in such an environment, and gainin hide in plain sight in such an environment, and automatically succeeding on all Constitution checks made to continue a forced march or run.
Aqueous Incarnate: An aqueous incarnate represents the oceans, lakes, and similar bodies of water in the world, acting as if under freedom of movement and water breathing effects while fully submerged in water.

Incarnate’s Domain (Su): Starting at 1st level, a wilderness incarnate carries around an aura that imitates the the effect of his or her chosen terrain. This aura extends out to 50 feet at 1st level and this range is multiplied by x10 at 6th level and every 5 levels afterwards. The wilderness incarnate may suppress or reactivate this aura as a swift action. Similarly, the wilderness incarnate may shrink or enlarge the range of this aura (within its normal limits)as a swift action. The effects of this aura depend on the type of terrain the wilderness incarnate is attuned to but none of these auras alter manmade structures or objects, merely altering the natural terrain around it. If the auras of two or more wilderness incarnates overlaps, each wilderness incarnate must make opposed class level checks. The aura of those with higher results suppress the aura of all those with lower results for the next 24 hours.
Tangle Domain: Trees, grasses, bushes and more raise up out of a newly fertilized ground, vanishing the moment that these plants leave range. The wilderness incarnate possesses no say in the actual layout of the forest but it restricts the range of vision as a dense forest would, the entire floor is made up of light undergrowth, and survival checks made to forage for food within range gain a +20 bonus. This overgrowth covers even bodies of water (or portions of larger ones that enter this area) and never risk sinking in such a body of water. Any manmade structure within range takes 1d10 damage/class level the first time it enters this aura every 24 hour period.
Spire Domain: The ground grows bumpy and jagged at places as the world transforms into a hilly and nearly mountainous environment. Even if no overall change in elevation is desired, the area is filled with long, gentle hills and short mountainous outgrowths. The wilderness incarnate may choose to increase or decrease the elevation of an area smaller than their domain (centered on themselves) once per round as a swift action but cannot create slopes greater than 45 degrees in this way. This terrain restricts the range of vision as rugged hills would. Furthermore, all creatures are treated as being 10,000 feet higher for the purposes of altitude sickness and all squares have their slopes increased by one degree with natural flat surfaces becoming gentle slopes, gentle slopes becoming steep slopes, and steep slopes becoming sheer cliffs that must be climbed. This terrain covers even bodies of water (or portions of larger ones that enter this area) with a stone shell 5 feet thick and never risks sinking in such a body of water. Manmade structures within range are not adversely affected by this domain unless wheeled or otherwise inclined to travel downhill. When a square leaves the range of this aura, it returns to its normal elevation, doing no harm to anything or anyone atop of it.
Mire Incarnate: The ground becomes covered in a few feet of stagnant water (salt or freshwater at the incarnate’s option) that refuses to leak from the area as a few swamp- and marsh-dwelling plants raise up to join the flora of the environment. This area restricts the range of vision as a swamp would, is covered in shallow bog, and requires other creatures not native to marshes to make a Fortitude save every day (DC 20 + Class level + Wis modifier) or take 1d4 points of both Strength and Dexterity damage (creatures with immunity against disease are immune to this effect). Lakes and smaller bodies of water are undisturbed by this aura but the surface of larger bodies of water such as oceans is replaced with a thick layer of mud five feet thick extending to the outer extend of the incarnate’s aura (which is itself covered with a few feet of stagnant water as normal). Manmade structures within range suffer normally from flooding and may sleep a bit into the mud, remaining sunk even after the structure as left the area.
Cavern Domain: The area is covered with a thick ceiling of unworked stone (1 foot/class level) 50 feet up that floats unsupported above the ground, plunging the area below it into darkness as the ground is converted into stonework itself. This area is filled with magical darkness that normal darkvision and mundane light sources can’t pierce. Furthermore, the entire floor is covered in light rubble. Lakes and smaller bodies of water are undisturbed by this aura but the surface of larger bodies of water such as oceans is replaced with a thick layer of stone (5 feet thick) extending to the outer extend of the incarnate’s aura. Manmade structures within range are unaffected as the “ceiling” to the cavern bends and climbs over the top of even the tallest structure.
Wasteland Domain: The area has its temperature increased by two categories (DMG pg 303-304). If the temperature. If it is increased to at least severe heat, all natural sources water within range are reduced to half of their normal levels as water evaporates and all mundane plants within range not suited for living in deserts die (these effects are not reversed when the incarnate leaves) and the ground in the area is covered in sand like a desert. This area restricts the limit of sight as a desert with sand dunes would and is covered in sand. Manmade structures may be partially buried in the newly created sand (which moves along with the incarnate as if carried by a sandstorm) but otherwise are unaffected.
Frostfell Domain: The area has its temperature decreased by two categories (DMG pg 303-304). If the temperature. If it is decreased to at least severe cold, all natural sources water within range freeze and snow starts falling across the area at all times, restricting vision (and motion if it piles up) as normal. Manmade structures may be partially or entirely buried in snow but otherwise are remain unaffected.
Savannah Domain: Tall wild grasses grow up from the fertile ground as the ground grows fertile and the ground flattens out in the area of this aura. This area restricts the limit of sight to 1d6 x 5 feet without the aid of elevation due to the grasses. Furthermore, all Survival checks made to find food in the area gain a +10 bonus and the temperature in the area moves one category (DMG pg 303-304) less extreme (unless already temperate). Lakes and smaller bodies of water are undisturbed by this aura but the surface of larger bodies of water such as oceans is replaced with a thick layer of earth (5 feet thick) extending to the outer extend of the incarnate’s aura. Manmade structures are unaffected by this aura.
Aqueous Domain: The ground within the area of this aura is covered in 1,000 feet of water (either fresh or salty, depending on incarnate's wishes) which magically fails to spill from the area. This area restricts the limit of sight to 2d6 x 100 feet above water and to 4d8 x 10 feet underwater. Creatures and Manmade structures may take damage from moisture and pressure but the movement of this area does not risk moving or disturbing the location of objects.

Wilderness Defense (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a wilderness incarnate can call upon his or her environment to protect him or herself in combat. Once per round, plus one additional time per round at 7th level and every 5 levels afterwards, a wilderness incarnate may use the ability specific to his or her chosen environment. This ability may be used even outside of the chosen environment, however.
Arboreal Barrier: A tangle incarnate may cause a tree between 5 and 15 feet wide and between 10 and 100 feet tall to raise up from the ground anywhere within your line of sight. This tree grants cover if used in response to an attack and all adjacent squares are filled with light undergrowth (or heavy undergrowth if already filled with light undergrowth). If the tree is raised up under a creature, that creature must make a Reflex save (DC 20 + Class level + Wisdom modifier) or be raised harmlessly to the top of the tree and end its movement immediately (if applicable). This effect is permanent.
Shaking Slopes: A spire incarnate can have the earth shift and stir beneath a creature’s feet, possibly trapping it within a fissure. One target that the wilderness incarnate possesses a line of sight with has his or her speed halved for 1 round, can’t run or charge, and gains a 50% miss chance with all ranged attacks as the target can’t aim. Unless that target succeeds on a Reflex save (DC 20 + Class level + Wisdom modifier), he or she is also knocked prone. If this saving throw is failed by at least 5 points, the target is instead trapped within a fissure in the ground, immobilizing the target until he or she frees him or herself as a full-round action. This has no effect on creatures not standing on the ground
Marshy Mist: A mire incarnate can create a foul and slightly poisonous mist raise up from the ground when needed. The incarnate creates a cloud of mist 10 feet in diameter anywhere within his or her line of sight. This fog obscures sight as mundane fog (true seeing fails to pierce through it) and functions as a stinking cloud effect (Fortitude DC 20 + Class level + Wisdom modifier). The mist lasts for 5 rounds before fading away on its own but can be blown away faster by winds as a fog cloud.
Cavernous Echoes: A cavern incarnate can use echoes to create the illusion of creatures for those not relying on sight. You may choose any creature with which you possess a line of effect and whose location you are aware of and move their apparent location by up to 100 feet for the purposes of tremorsense, blindsense, blindsight, and listen checks. Alternately, the incarnate can fabricate the echo of a roughly humanoid shape or shapeless mass anywhere within 100 feet of him or herself. These fabricated or distorted echoes only last for 2 rounds.
Wasteland Wind: A wasteland incarnate can call upon strong winds to blow creatures away. The incarnate creates a windstorm-force wind in a 50-foot line anywhere within his or her line of sight, extinguishing flames, disrupting ranged attacks, and affecting creatures as normal. Furthermore, each creature in this line must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + Class level + Wisdom modifier) or be blinded for 1 round. This gust of wind is instantaneous in duration.
Frostfell Barrage: A frostfell incarnate can prevent creatures from concentrating by focusing a barrage of precipitation on the target. The incarnate chooses a target within his or her line of sight. That creatures and all creatures in adjacent squares require Concentration checks (DC 30 + Class level + Wisdom modifier) in order to cast spells or take other actions requiring concentration. This barrage lasts for one round, during which time creatures in affected squares take twice the normal penalties for being in snow. All affected squares are filled with heavy snow (DMG, p94).
Predator’s Ploy: a savannah incarnate can synchronize him or herself with the hunting techniques of those who live in the tall grasses, allowing him or herself along with his or her allies to appear and vanish without a trace. A savannah incarnate may select a creature with which he or she possesses a line of sight and who he or she knows the location of. If that creature does not possess cover or concealment from one or more enemies, it may immediately move up to its speed so long as it ends this movement in a square where it would possess cover or concealment from all enemies. If such a creature already possesses cover or concealment from all of its enemies, it may instead teleport up to 100 feet into another square where it would possess such cover or concealment.
Standing Wave/Strong Current: An aqueous incarnate possesses two different defenses depending on whether he or she is in or out of water. If out of the water, the incarnate selects one creature within his or her line of sight and conjures forth a standing wave of water that moves it up to 60 feet in any direction upon the surface that this wave travels or until it hits an obstacle like another creature, whichever comes first. This movement can be halved with a Successful Reflex save (DC 20 + Class Level + Wis modifier). If within a body of water, the incarnate instead creates a line up to 15 feet wide and up to 60 feet wide so long as it remains entirely within one body of water. All creatures in this area are pushed 1d6 x 10 feet in one direction down the line of the incarnate’s choice or until it hits an obstacle like another creature, whichever comes first. This movement can be halved with a Successful Swim check (DC 30 + Class level + Wis modifier)

Bonus Feats: At 3rd level and every 5 levels afterwards, a wilderness incarnate can select a single bonus feat from the following list: Armor Skin, Cavernous Weaponry*, Cragtop Weaponry*, Damage Reduction, Disruptive Echoes*, Drowning Surge*, Energy Resistance, Epic Endurance, Epic Fortitude, Epic Reflexes, Epic Speed, Epic Toughness, Extended Lifespan, Fast Healing, Flatland Weaponry*, Frostfell Weaponry*, Frostfell Hailstorm*, Hellwind Scourge*, Killing Mist*, Oceanic Weaponry*, Perfect Health, Predator’s Ambush*, Timberfall Offense*, Trembling Earth*, Wasteland Weaponry*, Wetland Weaponry*, Woodland Weaponry*

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Killing Mist [Epic]
You can cause localized earthquakes in your surroundings.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (marshy mist) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your marshy mist, you may use particularly virulent poison in the mist, imitating a stationary cloudkill (Save DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier) occupying the same space as the marshy mist for its full duration. This ability is penetrating but you are unaffected by it.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your marshy mist. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and any Constitution damage dealt by the cloudkill effect gains a +1 bonus (before halving on a successful save, if applicable).

Disruptive Echoes [Epic]
The vibrations you create wreak havoc on the senses of others.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (Cavernous Echoes) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your cavernous echoes, you may simultaneously choose one target who you possess a line of effect with and whose location you are aware of. That target must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier) or lose all nonvisual senses for 1 round and become nauseated for the same duration.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your cavernous echoes. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and your target takes a stacking 4d6 points of sonic damage if it fails its Fortitude save.

Hellwind Scourge [Epic]
The winds you call forth burn like the hottest of fires.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (wasteland wind) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your wasteland wind, you may choose to deal 4d6 fire damage to all creatures in the area and 4d6 damage from flames so hot that they ignore fire resistance and immunity to fire.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your wasteland wind. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and the amount of fire damage and untyped damage you deal are both increased by +1d6.

Frostfell Hailstorm [Epic]
The hail that you create bludgeons targets and renders them numb
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (frostfell barrage) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your frostfell barrage, you may deal 4d6 bludgeoning damage and 1d6 Dexterity damage to all creatures in affected squares. With a successful Fortitude save (DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier), the bludgeoning damage is halves and the Dexterity damage is negated. All all damage dealt to the DC of concentration checks your frostfell barrage ability requires targets to make. You are unaffected by this ability.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your frostfell barrage. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round, you deal an additional +1d6 bludgeoning damage with this ability, and any Dexterity damage dealt gains a +1 bonus.

Predator’s Ambush [Epic]
You allow your allies to move and attack in the blink of an eye.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (predator’s ploy) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your predator’s ploy, you may allow your target to make a single attack at his or her highest attack bonus at the end of the move action or teleportation.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your predator’s ploy. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and the target deals an additional +2d6 damage with the attack if it was made against a flat-footed foe.

Drowning Surge [Epic]
The water you manipulate attempts to drown your target.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (standing wave/strong current) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your standing wave or strong current, you may partially drown an affected creature, forcing it to make a Constitution check with a -4 penalty to avoid drowning (DC calculated as normal). The penalty to Constitution checks made to avoid drowning remains but each standard action spend coughing up water reduces the penalty by 2. So long as any penalty remains, the target is fatigued (no save). Creatures that don’t breathe are immune to this effect.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your shaking slopes. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and the initial penalty increases by -2.

Trembling Earth [Epic]
You can cause localized earthquakes in your surroundings.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (shaking slopes) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your shaking slopes, you may simultaneously start an earthquake within a 40-foot radius of the target. The Reflex save DCs are increased by your Wilderness Incarnate level. You are unaffected by this ability even if you are in range.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your shaking slopes. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and the radius of the effect increases by 20 feet.

Timberfall Offense [Epic]
You can collapse the natural barriers that you create, harming those in its path.
Prerequisites: Wilderness Defense (arboreal barrier) 2/round
Benefits: Once per round, when you use your arboreal barrier, you may instantly cause the barrier to collapse in the direction of your choice. All creatures occupying the arc that the barrier falls through must make a Reflex save (DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier) or take 10d6 bludgeoning damage. All creatures caught on top of the tree instead take appropriate falling damage.
Special: You may take this feat multiple times, up to a maximum number of times equal to the number of times per round that you can use your arboreal barrier. Each time this feat is selected beyond the first, you may use this ability an additional time per round and all of the damage dealt by this feat increases by +2d6.

Woodland Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the woodlands you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (tangle incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Sharding weaponry: sharp shards of wood erupt from your weapon whenever you score a hit, inflicting a stacking -1 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 round. Whenever you score a critical hit, the penalty instead lasts until the shards are removed with a full-round action and a successful Heal check (DC 30 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier).
Entangling weaponry: Strong vines and roots wrap around your weaponry, allowing your weapon to aid you in your attempts to grapple others. You add your wilderness incarnate level to grapple checks and may start a grapple without provoking attacks of opportunity whenever you make a successful attack. Finally, you may utilize any form of weaponry while grappling other than siege weaponry.
Poisoned weaponry: Select one form of injury poison with a cost up to 25,000 gp per dose. Each successful weapon attack you make spreads that poison to the target. This poison is treated as a penetrating ability and you possess no risk of poisoning yourself with it. Increase the save DC by your wilderness incarnate level.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Cragtop Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the mountains you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (spire incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Metallic weaponry: Your weaponry is filled with veins of every form of metal imagineable while you wield it. You ignore any damage reduction overcome by weapons made of specific materials and ignore hardness of up to 20 with your weapon attacks.
Weighty weaponry: Your weaponry acts far heavier than it is, capable of delivering tremendous blows. Your weapon deals damage as if two size categories larger and whenever you make a successful weapon attack, you may make a bulrush check against the target without provoking attacks of opportunity and without spending any additional action.
Sturdy weaponry: Your weaponry inherits the incredible stability and durability of the mountains, becoming indestructible. So long as you live, weaponry you hold is immune to damage from any source and is immune to effects that would destroy or rust it. You can’t be disarmed.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Wetland Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the wetlands you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (mire incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Sickening weaponry: Your weaponry exudes liquid filth, coating itself in disease. Select one form of disease that the contagion spell can inflict upon a target. Each successful weapon attack you make spreads that disease to the target. This disease is treated as a penetrating ability and you possess no risk of infectinging yourself with it. The incubation period is lowered to 1 minute and the save DC is increased by your wilderness incarnate level. Attempting to remove such a disease magically requires a DC 20 + Wilderness incarnate + Wis modifier caster level check.
Mooring weaponry: Your weaponry gets stuck within your target, continually harming them. When you make a successful attack, you may choose to lodge the weapon in the target, preventing you from making further attacks using that weaponry, but dealing the target weapon damage as if succeffully attacked once per round while it remains. The weapon is kept in place by a thick tar-like substance, requiring a Strength check (DC 20 + 1/2 Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier) to remove as a full-round action. You may remove such weaponry from the wound without a Strength check and may choose not to lodge weaponry in a target when you make a successful attack.
Destabilizing weaponry: Your weaponry can disrupt the form of your target, quickly reducing them into a pile of ooze. Whenever you score a critical hit with a weapon attack, the target is affected as if by a Chaos Beast’s corporeal instability (DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier, MM p.33). If a target’s Wisdom score is reduced to 0, it is reduced to a lifeless mass of ooze.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Cavernous Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the woodlands you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (cavern incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Invisible weaponry: Your weaponry is impossible to see, allowing you to take your enemies by surprise with it. Enemies who can’t see through invisibility and who haven’t been hit by any of your weapon attacks in the current encounter are treated as flat-footed against your attack.
Rubble-spraying weaponry: Each swipe or stab of your weapon releases a shower of rubble that can distract foes. You can make a feint attempt as a free action before any attack or full-attack action and if the bluff check passes the target’s AC, they take 4d4 points of bludgeoning damage.
Echoing Weaponry: Each swipe of your weapon releases echoes that create the audio impression of dangers surrounding the target. Whenever you make a successful weapon attack, the target takes 2d6 points of sonic damage and is treated as flanked for 1 round. Whenever you make a successful critical hit with a weapon attack, the target takes 4d6 points of sonic damage and is treated as flanked until the end of the encounter. Deaf creatures are immune to this effect.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Oceanic Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the waters you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (aquatic incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Fluid weapon: Your weapon ripples and reshapes itself as if made out of water, allowing for strikes that would otherwise seem impossible. Your reach with melee weapon attacks increases by +10 feet.
Flowing weaponry: Your weapon flows around most barriers, penetrating most forms of armor to hit what rests below. All weapon attacks you make are treated as touch attacks.
Drowning weaponry: Your weaponry is as cruel and capricious as the sea, drowning all that it hits. Each successful weapon attack you make against a creature takes away its ability to breathe (even if it normally breathes water) for 1 round. Multiple hits extend the duration for 1 round per hit and targets of this ability are unable to hold their breaths, though creatures who need not breath are unaffected.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Wasteland Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the wastelands you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (wasteland incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Cauterizing weaponry: Your weaponry burns with such heat that every wound inflicted with it is instantly cauterized and scarred. Any damage you deal with a weapon attack can’t be healed naturally, even through fast healing or regeneration. Magical healing still functions, however.
Storming weaponry: With each attack of your weaponry, you may choose to have the weapon explode into a small dust storm of wrath, each particle carrying the force of the original attack and striking creatures around the target before reforming. With each weapon attack, you may choose to make the attack against all enemies within 5 feet of your target instead of just against your target.
Dessicating weaponry: With each attack of your weaponry, you may choose to sap the strength of your target. Each successful weapon attack you make against a creature imposes a stacking -2 penalty to Strength (minimum 1). This penalty is reduced by -2 each round spent imbibing potable fluids or spend at least half-submerges in such a fluid.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Frostfell Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the frigid lands you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (frostfell incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Glaring Weaponry: Your weapon reflects even the dimmest of light, focusing it in a manner that could blind your targets. Whenever you make a weapon attack against creature, that creature must make a Fortitude Save (DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier) or be blinded for 1 round. This ability does not function in darkness.
Storming Weaponry: At your command, your weaponry can break into a localized storm of tiny frozen flakes much like hailstones. Whenever you make a weapon attack, you may choose to automatically hit with your attack, although the opponent may make a Reflex save (DC 20 + Wilderness Incarnate level + Wis modifier) to halve the damage and negate any additional effects from the attack.
Freezing Weaponry: Even if your targets are immune to damage from the cold, you can slowly freeze your targets in place. Whenever you make a successful weapon attack against a corporeal creature, it takes a -2 penalty to its Dexterity for 5 rounds (minimum 0). If its dexterity is reduced to 0 in this way, it freezes in place, paralyzed, until the Dexterity recovers.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Flatland Weaponry [Epic]
Your weaponry is enhanced by the plains you call upon for power.
Prerequisites: Chosen Environment (savannah incarnate)
Benefits: Upon taking this feat, you may select from among three options:
Pouncing weaponry: emulating the prowess of wild cats and similar beasts, your weaponry can unleash a series of blows even at the end of a charge, granting you the pounce ability.
Ambushing weaponry: You may draw your weaponry as a free action even if you lack the quick draw feat. During a surprise round, you may make a trip, bull rush, overrun, disarm, sunder, or grapple attempt against any creature you successfully hit as a free action. This attempt provokes no attacks of opportunity and adds your wilderness incarnate level to all rolls you make to initiate the maneuver.
Windswept weaponry: Like the frequent storms that blow across the plains, the blows of your weaponry can be carried on even the lightest of breezes. You may make weapon attacks against any creature you possess a line of sight with who doesn’t possess cover or concealment, regardless of the distance between you two. This ability does not increase your threatened area, however.
Special: You may select this feat up to three times, selecting a different option each time.

Wilderness Guardians (Su): Starting at 4th level, a wilderness incarnate can create personal guardians out of the very landscape that he or she represents. To form such a guardian, the incarnate must spend 24 hours of work in his or her chosen landscape (or within his or her active incarnate’s domain class feature). The wilderness incarnate selects one creature native to his or her chosen landscape with equal or fewer HD than him or herself and creates a copy of it from the natural elements of the environment. The copy is a mindless construct with no spell-like abilities or supernatural means of attack but otherwise functions normally. Creatures native to all environments may not be made into guardians in this way. A wilderness incarnate may only possess one wilderness guardian at 4th level and one additional guardian at 9th level and every 5 levels afterwards.

Bring Forth Calamity (Su): Starting at 5th level, once per encounter, a wilderness incarnate may spend a standard action to bring forth a calamity specific to the form of landscape he or she represents. This calamity remains so long as the wilderness incarnate spends a swift action to maintain it each round, up to a maximum of 5 rounds at 5th level and an additional 5 rounds every 5 levels afterwards.
Verdant Surge: A tangle incarnate can create and enlarge plants within a 100 ft./class level radius centered on him or herself. All squares on the ground are filled with heavy undergrowth and the plants attempt to grapple all other creature within 100 feet of the ground each round, using an attack bonus equal to his or her class level + 20 and gaining a bonus to grapple checks equal to +40 + his or her class level. Each round that a creature remains pinned by these plants, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 20 + class level + Wis modifier), instantly dying with a failed save.
Volcanic Flow: A spire incarnate can make magma leak up from the very ground within a 100 ft./level radius centered on him or herself The magma raises one foot higher each round that it remains. So hot is this magma that it ignores fire resistance and deals half damage to creatures with immunity to fire. All attack rolls madeagainst creatures within 10 feet of the magma gain a 50% miss chance as the air seems to ripple around them. The spire incarnate is immune to the damage he or she would otherwise take from this magma.
Deadly Miasma: A mire incarnate can release a thick mist that displaces all air in the area and that corrodes and calcifies lungs. Creatures other than the incarnate within 100 feet/class level must hold their breaths if they breathe and must succeed on a Fortitude Save (DC 20 + Class level + Wis modifier) each round that they remain within range or take a -5 penalty to all Constitution checks for 1 hour. This effect permeates both air and water.
Ruinous Collapse: A cavern incarnate can cause a seemingly constant stream of boulders, stalactites, and other bits of stone to rain down from above. Each round, all other creatures within 100 feet/class level of the incarnate take 10d6 damage from collapsing rubble and are buried as if in a cave-in. A successful Reflex save (DC 20 + Class level + Wis modifier) halves the damage and negates the burying. Furthermore, the ground is covered in heavy rubble and the area within 10 feet of the ground is covered in clouds of debris that function as fog.
Center of the Sun: A wasteland incarnate can call forth the full heat of the greatest wastelands across the multiverse down on others. All darkness within a 100 feet/class level radius of the incarnate, whether natural or magical, is replaced with brilliant light unless it comes from an epic source, an artifact, or the magic of a deity. This light is treated as daylight for all purposes but all creatures who can see this light (even if they aren’t within range) must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 20 + Class Level + Wisdom modifier) or become blinded for 1 round by the intensity of the light. All corporeal creatures without immunity to fire must make an additional Fortitutde save against the same DC or take a stacking -1 penalty to all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks for 24 hours as their skin boils in the heat of the area. Lastly, any creature who takes a full round action within the area is fatigued immediately afterwards (or is exhausted if already fatigued).
Winter Night: A frostfell incarnate can call upon those regions that rarely see the light of day to bring forth the true wrath of the frostfell. All light within a 100 feet/class level radius of the incarnate, whether natural or magical, is snuffed out unless it comes from an epic source, an artifact, or the magic of a deity. Severe winds howl through the area, causing all listen checks made in the area to fail. Lastly, hailstones the size of human fists fly through the area, inflicting 1d6 bludgeoning damage/class level (Half with a DC 20 + Class Level + Wisdom modifier Reflex save) to each creature within range each round. The incarnate ignores all of these effects.
Perfect Storm: A savannah incarnate can create a storm of unrivalled proportions. This ability functions much as a storm of vengeance spell centered on the incarnate that functions within a 100 ft/class level radius of him or herself except that all effects (thunder, acid, lightning, hail, rain and winds) persist every single round this ability continues. Furthermore, a tornado rests in the center of this storm at all times with the incarnate in its eye. The incarnate is not subjected to the effects of this ability. All save DCs for this ability equal 20 + Class Level + Wisdom modifier.
Savage Deluge: An aquatic incarnate can call forth great floods from out of nowhere or stir up great bodies of water. Any open squares within 100 feet/class level of the incarnate that are filled with air become filled with water and all water within that range rages and roils at random. Creatures other than the incarnate caught in the area require Swim checks (DC 30 + Class Level + Wis modifier) to move meaningfully. If a creature does not make such a successful check during his or her action, it is instead batted 1d4 x 5 feet in a random direction and takes 5d6 points of nonlethal damage. The waters created in this way are frothing and hard to see through, limiting range of sight to 1d6 x 5 feet.

Notes and Explanation:

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Some of you out there may be wondering what sort of weirdo would want control over a single form of landscape. Truth be told, this class was designed for use in specific types of campaigns. If a campaign is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland or in a dune-like world, being the lord of the desert seems like a pretty big goal to aspire to. If you are in an aquatic campaign, rulling the ocean becomes totally awesome. Though capable of functioning in more varied worlds, this class was designed for campaigns focused on one type of environment).

Also, I’d like to apologize for the relative dearth of feats for each individual archetype here. The simple truth is that producing feats for this thing nearly made me give up this project altogether and at over ten pages in length, this thing is already my longest class.

[Realms of Chaos]

Explanations and Arguments

But Nobody Plays at Epic Levels…

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This just plain isn’t true. I’ve heard about epic and even high epic campaigns multiple times on this forum and recruitment for epic games in the looking for players board isn’t too rare. A closer to true statement may be that nobody REACHES epic levels. The vast majority of the times, games either start at epic levels, start at high levels but are essentially one-shots, or start at low levels and end or die out before reaching epic levels. Even so, saying that nobody plays at epic levels just isn’t true.

Didn’t You Forget to Revise the Union Sentinel? (Warning: Contains Vitriol)

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No, I didn’t “forget”. I personally hate that class (and the entire concept of Union for that matter) and saw no point in creating a revision for an epic PrC specifically intended for NPCs. The entire concept behind union that epic level characters suddenly discover entire communities where they are still the “small fish in a big pond” kind of annoys me and the existence of an EPIC LEVEL PRESTIGE CLASS intended for average workers of that community’s police force frankly makes me nerdrage. Between the extreme flavor ties to union and the questionable class design, I decided to ditch the class altogether. If one of your characters wants to be an epic lawman, the flawless enforcer was created as a replacement.

Why BAB Continues Into Epic Levels (and Why Saving Throws are Untouched)

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I can understand perfectly well why saving throws were regularized at epic levels. If the gap between good and bad saves continued growing to 20 points or higher, it would be impossible to throw a DC at the group that would challenge those with high saves without (more-or-less) automatically punishing those with bad saves.

With BAB, however, things are a little bit different. For one thing, everyone starts advancing at the slowest rate possible (unlike saving throws, which advance at the highest rate possible) while enemy ACs continue climbing. For another thing, while epic casting classes gain more caster levels, nothing sets an epic martial class apart other than a higher HD (and hp often means little at high levels). Third, while you could argue that a growing gap would prevent the lower attackers from hitting AC as some point, you have to keep in mind that when low-BAB classes attack, they typically target touch AC (which is far lower) or saving throws. For these reasons, I decided to include both good and bad advancements for BAB. As medium-BAB classes typically rely on hitting normal AC as well, however, they are upped to full BAB to prevent that gap from growing harmfully large.

Epic Spells for Everyone: An Explanation

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One of the things that many people may notice about these classes is that every single one of them (even the straightforward martial classes) gain access to epic spells. One may wonder why this is. I can produce both a crunchy and a fluffy answer to this conundrum.

fluff: At high epic levels, your Truespeak DC raises too high for any reasonable truenamer to pronounce as the multiverse takes greater interest in you and many DMs that I’ve met consider giving out divine ranks through merit alone. Granting epic spells in this way is an extension of “ascending through raw might”. Rather than representing arcane formulas or prayers, these epic spells can represent one’s influence over the multiverse gained through sheer willpower or practice. As more martial classes gain the ability to deliver these “spells” through attacks and use BAB in place of spellcraft ranks (allowing them to shatter magic or sunder continents with attacks without creating a new “magic system” specifically for them), I’m not seeing where many complaints would come from.

Crunch: People often say that spellcasting > everything else. When they say it, they are more or less serious. To that, I would like to make an amendment. Epic spellcasting > everything else. When you have an epic spellcaster on the team, someone who could destroy or remake planes of existence or summon forth fiendish or celestial armies with enough time and resources, you really aren’t worth carrying around and splitting loot with unless you can do the same to at least some extent. While the full casting PrCs get wider access to epic spells, therefore, it seemed only right to grant some degree of access to everyone.

Alternate Magic Systems?

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One request I’d otherwise expect to get within one page of responses is a class that deals with an alternate magic system such as incarnum, shadow magic, psionics, and so forth. There is a bit of a reason why I didn’t do this.

Namely, I don’t think that those particular systems need individual epic advancements for their abilities. When I look at epic spellcasting, I feel that I’m instead looking at epic magic in general. In the various seeds, we get all of the fundamental building blocks to the universe and can rearrange them for any effect you can think of. If I created epic advancement for incarnum or psionics, it would involve a lot of effort and would result in a re-flavored but redundant system letting you get at those same fundamental building blocks of existence in other ways (otherwise, the ability would end up weak in the long run like the epic vestiges produced late in Dragon’s run). In other words, whether you achieve epic power through your mind or through truenames, the system would need to be functionally similar to epic spellcasting or risk becoming broken (if better) or ultimately useless (if worse). As most of the difference would be in fluff, it seems far easier to call epic spellcasting epic magic for most purposes.

With that said, I suppose that I could technically make epic classes for these alternate systems (even if not epic progressions for their magic). I don’t have any real idea how to do so, however.

4 Easy Steps to More Balanced Epic Spells:

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Working through these prestige classes, I had a lot of time to think over epic mechanics like epic spellcasting and how such concepts break. Though I don’t have a miracle cure for epic spells still being able to do everything, I did come up with 4 simple steps that seem to eliminate the worst of epic spellcasting cheese without reworking the entire system.

Step 1: For the purpose of epic spell development (and no other purpose), mitigating factors add to the spellcraft DC instead of subtracting from it.

Step 2: For the purpose of epic spell development (and no other purpose), multiply any ad hoc additions to the spellcraft DCs by x 10.

Step 3: Mitigating factors can’t reduce the spellcraft DC below one half of its normal total.

Step 4: Epic spells can never be inscribed on stone tablets (that factor no longer exists).

The reasoning: Step 1 eliminates the timeless problem of large rituals with thousands of casters allowing a spellcaster to get any spell effect of any power for no cost. As lowered spellcraft DCs increases the array of spell effects possible, doing so should increase the price rather than lowering it.

Step 2 actively discourages players from using epic seeds in ways that they weren’t meant to be used and though epic spellcasting still allows for anything, it makes staying strictly to the effects of seeds preferable to straying from the path.

Between steps 1 and 2, the actual cost invested in epic spells actually becomes notable even to epic level characters. Just learning eclipse, for example, suddenly costs around 2,000,000 gp, which is a sizeable chunk of your money throughout lower epic levels (except to those mages who choose to become “economancers”).

Step 3 goes even further than steps 1 and 2 and makes it so that gaining more powerful spell effects (at least to some extent) relies on becoming more powerful rather than on roping more casters into your next gigantic ritual. Stopping storylines that involve stopping apocalyptic rituals before it’s too late (rituals that could just as easily hinge upon artifacts as they could with epic spells) seems like a small price to pay to stop this sort of insane abuse.

Step 4 stops casters from brainwashing other epic casters into developing spells for them that they could learn for free, which seems to be the last big obvious way to avoid paying for your own spell. Having a brainwashed servant with epic spells is useful, mind, but it’s still not yours.

Dealing with Divinations (New Feat):

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One of the biggest challenges in making an epic level campaign is keeping a bit of mystery in there. If the group is competent and has access to divination spells, hiding things becomes pretty hard. If you fight back and use things like mind blank and mage’s private sanctum, however, you risk making someone’s area of specialization worthless. To deal with this, I present another new feat.

Cryptic Essence [Epic]
Divinations have a hard time getting a good look at you.
Benefit: Divination spells and effects used on you only reveal vague and cryptic information. Attempts to use contact other planes or commune and ask about you may result in riddles and prophecies instead of direct answers. Discern Location may reveal only the town that you are in and Scrying may only show a faint and blurry image of you. Even trying to read your thoughts with mind probe or detect thoughts may only succeed in getting the a whirlind stream of consciousness from you.

While this feat restricts the use of divination to some extent, a diviner may still be able to find out partial information from his or her divinations and work around it (and learn far more from non-epic associates who aren’t protected in this way).

Withstanding the Rocket Tag (New Feat):

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Perhaps the most famous aspect of epic level combat is the notion of rocket tag. Wizards sling out insta-gib after insta-gib while martial characters ubercharge or toss small moons at their targets. The fact that pretty much everything kills in one hit means that battles become very lethal and often quite short unless the DM inflates the scope of battles while underpowering the enemies to compensate. To help with that trend, I present another new feat.

Withstand Blow [Epic]
You are hard to get rid of.
Benefits: You gain immunity to death from massive damage.
Once per encounter, if you possess at least half of your maximum hit point total, you may negate any single source of damage or effect that would kill you, incapacitate you, or move you against your will. Instead, you gain 2 negative levels that last until the end of the encounter. These negative levels ignore immunities, can’t be healed until the end of the encounter, and don’t grant benefits to the undead.
Special: You may select this feat multiple times. Each time you select it beyond the first, you can use it one additional time per encounter.

If you (as a DM) feel that the battles at epic level seem to fly by a bit too quickly, feel free to have enemies load up on this. If you want enemies to engage in rocket tag themselves, you might grant the above feat to every epic character. If you want to go more extreme, you can grant it every 2, 3, 4, or 5 levels above 20 as a bonus feat.

But it doesn’t seem Epic: A Rant:

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Looking through these Epic PrCs, I imagine that a common sentiment among a large number of people will be that either certain abilities or entire classes don’t seem epic in any way. The point of this rant-slash-argument is to hopefully point out the reasons why this may be the case.

Problem 1: A Wizard can Do It: The biggest problem making Epic PrCs (and I’m guessing Epic Destinies) is that a wizard or other optimized tier 1 caster can already do pretty much anything by level 20. In fact, the concept that just about anything you would want to do by level 20 can be done seems firmly cemented into the mindset of D&D and many of its players. With that in mind, how would an Epic PrC be able to advance? The three methods that Wizards ran across when making the epic level handbook are A) give them more of the same, B) give them high-level abilities from other areas so that Epic PrCs are faster than multi-classing, and C) (at least in theory) allow players to defeat enemies of higher and higher Challenge Ratings. In case you can’t see the problem with this, it goes a little something like this…

Problem 2: Nothing New Can Ever Exist: Because of the way that Epic PrCs are expected to climb, it is almost impossible to give one of them abilities that don’t increase previous class features, rip apart bigger foes, or amount to high-level SLAs. If you try to give someone a unique ability, the mindset that everything should be available by level 20 kicks in and someone else ends up making a PrC or Feat or Spell that does the same thing, robbing from the epic-ness of the ability. I honestly don’t think that I’m exaggerating too much here. Even if you come up with extreme examples like a spell to create a new universe, someone out there will think that it would be better off as a 9th level spell with heavy XP costs and expensive material components so that their non-epic BBEG can use it. Though I found a small exception to this rule in abilities that mess with epic spells and 9th level spells, there aren’t any other exclusively high-level/epic mechanics to mess with. Even the most basic of arguments for an epic ability being epic doesn’t work due to the very medium of homebrew.

Problem 3: Canon, Homebrew, and Circular Logic: At a first glance, the process to making unique class features exclusively epic seems incredibly simple. If you create an ability that an Epic PrC has access to but that can’t be accomplished through other means, than the ability would tautologically be defined as an epic ability. If the original Epic PrCs actually had unique abilities, I think (but of course can’t know) that people would more or less accept those abilities as epic abilities as that’s how they appear in canon.

What I’m producing, however, is homebrew rather than canon. I have no more say over what should or shouldn’t be considered epic than you do and your non-epic feats and spells doing the same things as my epic PrCs are equally valid (possible issues of power creep aside). I can’t say that something is epic because nobody else has it as you can give it to everyone else with equal force. To protect what epic-ness these classes do possess, therefore, I feel compelled to make a request that I’ve never seen anyone on these boards make before (and I’m well aware of its limited effectualness)...

Please do not use the PrCs and feats provided above as a direct jump-off point for your own non-epic homebrew. While I can't hope to enforce this and don't wish to stifle your creativity, I can still ask you as one homebrewer to another (for my reasons, read the rant above).

[Noxsis]

cant wait for the master of shadows. (i love shadow magic) but some of the other sound good to.

[Craft (Cheese)]

I've gotta say, you're not even finished posting all of this up yet and I'm already extremely impressed. *Love* the legendary dreadnought rework, and I'm quite eagerly awaiting to see how you mechanically implement the Abyssal Warlord and Godking classes (and normally I could care less about non-casters!).

[Dante & Vergil]

I think my head exploded from all the awesome that just happened here! It happened so fast that my obliterated mind hasn't registered it yet!
Also, the reserved posts you have here, have you already finished the content they're holding places for, and just wanted to get the placeholders up quickly, or have you yet to do them?

[Merchant]

This is not just metaphorically epic but it is literal as well.

Awesome work. I was missing your homebrew so much that I found myself reading your older stuff including your awesome Xenotheurge.

Which brings me to a question. Your Herald of the Space Spheres is themed around the Far Realms as far as I could tell. Will it be a Epic Prestige which most classes can enter depending on PrCing, feats, and skills, or might it be essential for it to hail from your Xenotheurgy? I'm sure either will be great but since you created Epic Truenamer and Shadow magic I thought you might include your own master piece- magic system as well.

I'll have to check again but was there a Pact Magic epic PrC? I remember a soul weaver but I'm not sure if it was more for a Spirit Shaman or not. If you are doing Pact then I just want to point out Xefas(?) homebrew where he/she takes feats that combine Vestiges for more versatility and just awesome Vestige-ness.

i have to say that I'm also looking for the GodKing. I just see him being the person who has every other Epic Prc by his side, ruling over them all.

Quoting Riley from National Treasure : Realms of Chaos 'Can I marry your brain?'

[The Tygre]

It... It's so beautiful.

I don't have words.

Should have sent a poet.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHH