Freelancers of Power [Spheres of Power Project]

[Der_DWSage]

This is for those that are working on the freelance project for Spheres of Power, details found here. This post is an index, as it's quite likely some people will be posting before all the spheres are claimed and fleshed out.

Spheres

Sphere	Claimed?	Author	Deadline
Alteration	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
Conjuration	Yes	Keledrath	Unknown
Creation	Yes	Spikeof2010	Unknown
Dark	Yes	GalvinStarlight	February 1
Death	Yes	Unknown	Unknown
Destruction	Yes	Stack	March 1
Divination	No
Enhancement	Maybe	Amechra	January 25
Fate	No
Illusion	No
Life	Yes	Der_DWSage	October 19
Light	Maybe	Palanan	Unknown
Mind	Yes	Afgncaap5
Nature	Yes	Mehangel	January 1
Protection	No
Telekinesis	Yes	AmberVael	December 1
Time	Yes	Kira_The_5th	January 4
War	No
Warp	No
Weather	Yes	Adam1949	Late January

[AmberVael]

Hmm, I might have placed this in the 3.5 forum. Its not exactly homebrew since there will be official publication, and that's where all the DSP threads are.

I'm planning on tackling Telekinesis and all its associated shenanigans, and Adam and I are tentatively considering trying to wrap it up around December 1st.

[Der_DWSage]

Life Sphere - Not even out of Brainstorming phase just yet.

Status

Introduction
Something something I'm working with Life here, which means all kinds of shenanigans based around restoring HP and making sure other people can't. Also helping with the fact that Mundanes tend to soak up more damage than anyone else.

Archetypes

1. Armorist
2. Summoning Healer -Replaces Summon Weapon with Summon Potion.
3. Arcanist
4. -Give up 3 Exploits for life-manipulating techniques
5. White Mage Adaptation
6. Alchemist
7. Miracle Worker -Give up infusions for enhanced healing?
8. Barbarian
9. Lifebreaker -Give up Trap Sense, DR for Temporary HP and life-stealing attacks
10. Druid
11. Lifebringer -Give up natural bond for spontaneous access to the Life Sphere.
12. Eliciter
13. New Emotion -Robust, which makes all healing they receive Empowered.
14. Fey Adept
15. Mockery of Life -Remove Darkvision for a talent, Alter Create Reality, give up Shadow Weather and Shadow Creation for Temporary HP and minor healing.
16. Fighter
17. Robust Fighter -Give up Armor and Weapon training, become a D12 HD and gain limited self-healing abilities.
18. Mageknight
19. New Mystic Combats -Steal Healing Spells cast on an opponent, Empower/Maximize incoming healing spells, force SR on opponents in regards to healing.
20. Monk
21. Soul Adept -Alter stunning fist to become akin to Paladin Mercies, add Life talents with Ki pool.
22. Paladin
23. Paladin of Restoration-¾ caster with Life talents, alters auras, Divine Bond.
24. Unstoppable Paladin -Alter Smite Evil to grant Fast Healing, resistance to status effects.
25. Ranger
26. Natural Healer -Replace Companions with enhanced techniques for Heal, skill unlocks for Heal, and faster healing from rest.
27. Shifter
28. Flesh Healer -Alter Shapeshift, lower duration of shapeshift, add Fast Heal while Shapeshifted.
29. Summoner
30. Angel Summoner -Summons companions that gain Healing talents. This replaces most even-level class features.
31. Thaumaturge
32. Life Pact -Can use Forbidden Lore without
33. Witch/Shaman
34. New Hexes -One to force SR against healing spells, one to remove Fast Heal/Regeneration, one to make the next healing spell on the target Empowered.

Feats

1. Easier To Heal
   Requirements:None.
   A number of times per day equal to your Constitution modifier, when receiving healing from any source, you may regain an additional amount of HP to your level. This may be used in conjunction with Receptive Body and Receptive Soul.
2. Receptive Body
   Requirements:Base Fortitude save +4, Easier to Heal.
   You recover more from healing spells. A number of times per day equal to your constitution modifier, when receiving healing from a magical source, you may treat the healing as though it were Empowered. This does not improve healing that was already empowered. This may be used in conjunction with Easier to Heal and Receptive Soul.
3. Receptive Soul
   Requirements:Receptive Healing.
   A number of times per day equal to your Constitution Modifier, when receiving healing from a magical source, you may treat the healing as though it were Maximized. This may be used in conjunction with Easier to Heal and Receptive Body.
4. Powerful Healing
   Requirements:One Life Talent, Empower Spell.
   When you use a Life talent on an ally, all rolled 1s and 2s are treated as 3s. This does not include the use of Life Talents from magic items such as Wands or Potions.
5. Twist Channeling
   Requirements:Versatile Channeler, Selective Channeler
   Whenever a Channel Energy effect is used within 30 feet of you, you may use one of your own uses of Channel Energy and attempt a MSB check against the source as an immediate action. If you succeed, you decide which targets are affected by the Channel Energy.

Rituals
Magic Items
Templates/Monsters
Alternate Rules
Organizations

[Der_DWSage]

Hmm, I might have placed this in the 3.5 forum. Its not exactly homebrew since there will be official publication, and that's where all the DSP threads are.

I'm planning on tackling Telekinesis and all its associated shenanigans, and Adam and I are tentatively considering trying to wrap it up around December 1st.

While true, it's kind of in an odd spot-Homebrew that's being cleaned up for publication. Besides, I was planning on putting a link to this topic in the Freelancers one, and vice versa, so hopefully that'll result in increased visibility.

[Vhaidara]

I'm going back and for the between doing Occult Adventures and the Conjuration book.
Occult would be a nice thing to have, but I'm not sure there's enough material for a full book. Then again, I'm terrible at word count. Are these supposed to be closer to the original book or to the Expanded Options? If it's the Expanded Options, I might be able to pull together something like Expanded Options 2, with some more of the same (FCB, Occult Archetypes, some new stuff for mainline spheres classes)

If we're going longer, Conjuration takes the cake, but one of the main features I was looking at was a Summoning Sphere, which stack beat me to. And what he has honestly looks a lot like one of the two main ways I was going to end up doing it. But some of the other ideas I have
Armorist archetype that places [form] talents on his equipment, and gets the benefits of the talent himself when using it
Symbiat archetype that pulls some inspiration from the Occult Spiritualist: Their companion lives in their mind, providing some benefits while not summoned. But, the distinction is that when it is summoned, the Symbiat takes up residence in the mind of the companion. You only ever have one body on the board, but you can tag-team.
Companion Archetypes, similar to how there are familiar archetypes in first party
Twin Soul Thaumaturge, which would be a PoW crossover. Thaumaturge archetype that gives both the character and the companion access to martial maneuvers. Because seriously, how do we not have an official archetype from SOMEONE for that.

[stack]

I've got some material for destruction, haven't heard from Adam though.

[Adam1949]

As mentioned in the other thread, I'd be happy to help out! Alteration, Nature, and/or Weather would be fantastic to give a shot, and in addition I've thought of both a DSP/SoP crossover as well as converting the Monk into Spheres (similar to Quiggong Monk, but more Sphere-y).

[Mehangel]

I also think that this thread might be more appropriate in the 3.5 forum for similar reasons.

Anyways, I claimed working on the Nature Sphere with deadline of January 1st, 2016.

[stack]

I also have an archetype for the hedgewitch for war that I would share with anyone working on war.

[spikeof2010]

I'd like to do some stuff with Creation Sphere

[Afgncaap5]

I don't know if anyone else's already requested it, but when I PMed my request I mentioned Mind as a possible first choice. Of course, if someone else has already sent that request in, I'll likely have to do something else.

[AmberVael]

So I've been lining up my ideas, and an important question occurred to me: What kind of material do you think people are most interested in, in terms of these books? New talents? Prestige classes and archetypes? Rituals, incantations, and spellcrafting? Feats? Magic items?

I figure most of you are big enough fans that your own opinions on the subject are quite relevant. My own thoughts immediately went towards talents.

[Vhaidara]

I'm going to focus on Talents, archetypes, feats, and advice

Talents, obviously, are new spells, effectively

Archetypes are how you customize a character now. Feats likewise.

Advice is a bit of a special case, since I'm looking to do Conjuration: I have a section planned for building iconic monsters as companions

Prestige classes are generally pretty obsolete in PF from what I've seen, and I'm not sad to see them go. Never was a huge fan. PoW:E has some good ones, but it takes some real inspiration to convince me something shouldn't be an archetype or base class.

Rituals, incants, and spellcrafting are all pretty much independent systems.

[Adam1949]

As a consumer, my favorite sort of releases include things like new basic options (in this case Talents and Advanced Talents), Feats, Archetypes, and possibly Prestige Classes if they fit. Advice is useful, but it's not strictly necessary; after all, what the designer aims for and what the player does with said creations oftentimes doesn't match up, and even advice from a "hey, these three separate options combo REALLY WELL together" leads to either stagnation or being ignored. Still, advice is handy.

I've talked with Adam Meyers and hopefully will get a Sphere to work on; here's hoping!

[stack]

Okay, I'm claiming destruction, date isnt fixed yet but I'm thinking March. Should have a solid start on talents up for review in the next week or so, archetypes and all that will take longer.

[Kira_the_5th]

Kira_the_5th, reporting in as the Time author with a final deadline of January 4th, 2016.

I'm still primarily in Brainstorming now, but my final goal is to have, ideally, at least one archetype for each of the Spheres classes, as well as a few archetypes I've already worked out for existing classes (namely Bard and Inquisitor right now, with a Gunslinger archetype on the "maybe" list). In addition, I'd like a few more Talents, a few magic items, a new monster somewhat based on the old 3.0 Quarut (i.e. an Inevitable that hunts down people who abuse time travel). Lastly, if word count and time permits, I'd like to have a bit of discussion on how to incorporate time travel as a major or minor part of your campaign.

New Talents:
Time Distortion Field: Slow time around you, create difficult terrain for any who enter

Inertial Dampening: Suppress a negative effect for concentration (or CL rounds for SP)

Temporal Flux: I don’t know what this does yet, but I want to name something this.

Double Time: The caster pulls a copy of themselves from the future, who fights alongside the caster for a limited time. When the time expires, the future self pulls the present self (now the future self) into the time vortex that summoned them initially. The caster is removed from time for an equal number of rounds to the rounds they kept their future self around before returning to the present stunned for an equal number of rounds due to the stress of such a blatant assault on causality.

At least three more beyond this.

Archetypes:

Spoiler

Show

Armorist:
Eternal Vaultkeeper*. Summons legendary weapons from history, imbued with the power of their legends.
Futurist (Maybe). A magical gunslinger who uses time to advance the tech level of their firearms.

Elementalist:
Insert Elementalist archetype here.

Elicitor:
Insert Elicitor archetype here.

Fey Adept
[Insert Name*]. Master of time distortions and alternate time flows (think Rip Van Winkle; a night’s rest in the fey realm equating to 20 years on the material. Those sorts of distortions.)

Hedgewitch
Insert Hedgewitch archetype here. Perhaps a "Self Taught" Discipline, in the sense that your magic was taught to you by your future self.

Incantor
Time Lord. Less Doctor Who, more Ultima, the Time Lord is a powerful spellcaster who watches over the flow of time.

Mageknight
Swiftsword*. An adaptation of the old Quickblade PrC from 3.5. The Swiftsword masters fighting while under the influence of haste and other, similar effects.

Shifter
Insert Shifter archetype here.

Soul Weaver
Heroic Medium. A Soul Weaver who draws forth the souls of ancient heroes, borrowing their strength or sharing it with others.

Symbiat
Insert Symbiat archetype here.

Thaumaturge
Insert Thaumatruge archetype here.

Bard
Tempoist. Master of manipulating the battlefield via “tempo,” granting time-based buffs to allies or debuffs to enemies.

Gunslinger
Futurist (Maybe). A magical gunslinger who uses time to advance the tech level of their firearms. Gunslingers normally aren’t a “sphere class,” but I’m going to work out which is easier; getting the Armorist to use guns, or the Gunslinger to use spheres.

Inquisitor
Timewarden. An inquisitor dedicated to hunting down those who would risk endangering the space-time continuum with excessive time travel. Basically a Time Cop.

*I'm looking for/into better names for these.

Monsters:
Quarut*, Inevitable
Strange, non-Euclidean Inevitables that keep watch over the flow of time, these guardians of the time stream strike out at those who meddle in the affairs of the past and future. Quarut concern themselves only with particularly egregious disruptions of time, typically letting those who used time travel in self preservation be left to the Marut's jurisdiction. Quaruts concern themselves with much greater troubles, such as those who would look to rewrite history, assassinate historical dictators, or change the fate of a plane.

Quaruts have a strange relationship with Hounds of Tindalos. Many Quaruts see the creatures as no more than looters and vermin; scavengers who take advantage of a chaotic situation to feed their own desires. Occasionally, however, a Quarut will attempt to tame the beasts, using them as scouts and trackers to hunt down its prey. After all, where the Hounds of Tindalos go, time distortions follow, like rats out of a sinking ship.

Again, I'm looking for a better name. I'd rather these things be their own creation, and I'm just using Quarut as a placeholder since it's the closest thing that fits.
Quarut Statblock WIP

Spoiler

Show

Quarut, Inevitable (CR 17)
102,400 XP
LN Large Outsider (extraplanar, inevitable, lawful)
Init +7, Senses darkvision 60 ft, Perception +10
Defense
AC , touch , flat-footed (calc)
hp 256 (18d10+144); regeneration 10 (chaotic)
Fort +22, Ref +15, Will +20
Defensive Abilities constructed, temporal anchor; DR 15/chaotic; SR 20
Offense
Speed 30 ft
Melee +2 magical (maybe axiomatic?) flail +30/+25/+20/+15 (damage calc) or slam +28 (damage calc)
Special attacks temporal disruption,
Space 10 ft; Reach 10 ft
Spell-Like Abilities
To Be Added

Statistics
Str 30, Dex 16, Con 26, Int 14, Wis 22, Cha 16
Base Atk +18; CMB +28; CMD 32
Feats
Skills
Languages truespeech
SQ
Gear
Special Abilities
Temporal Anchor (Su): The Quarut is immune to all magical attempts to tamper with time, including but not limited to spells such as slow or time stop, as well as talents from the Time sphere.

[Adam1949]

I have successfully obtained the Weather Sphere. Check back here for more updates until the due date of Late January!

ARCHETYPES OF POWER (Note: All archetypes that modify a spellcasting Paizo class assume that you do not have the Spherecasting version of the class, but they ARE stackable on-top of each other).

Spherecasting Archetypes
Elementalist (Tempest Eye), Fey Adept (Herald of Gaia), Hedge Witch (Unnamed), Symbiat (Unnamed)

Paizo Archetypes
Barbarian (Sturmundrang), Druid (Stormwarden), Fighter (Forecaster), Skald (Windwaker), Kineticist (Maelstrom)

[stack]

I don't know that having an archetype for every class for every sphere is necessarily desirable. While some combinations work and good ideas should of course be followed through with, we ought be careful not to force archetypes just to check off a box. Not saying people are doing that, just a caution as I started down that line of thinking myself at first. There are a ton of Paizo archetypes for Paizo classes that no one ever touches, we don't want to mimic that.

[Vhaidara]

Yeah, my current plans are for Armorist and Symbiat, with ideas bouncing around for Thaumaturge/Elementalist/Hedgewitch (haven't decided which class the idea works best for) and a really odd one I need to work out for Fey Adept.

[stack]

I have a solid idea for a shifter archetype, a vague concept for the thaumaturge, and a general notion that will probably land on the elementalist. A destruction handbook can hardly ignore the elementalist, obviously.

[spikeof2010]

Yep yup. Is it okay if I claim Creation? I've got a few ideas including more materials, archetypes for the Armorist and other things. Would "Cross-Sphere" things be a good idea?

[stack]

Yep yup. Is it okay if I claim Creation? I've got a few ideas including more materials, archetypes for the Armorist and other things. Would "Cross-Sphere" things be a good idea?

Ask Adam. Post in the other thread (phone so no link) or shoot him a pm.

[Adam1949]

Ask Adam. Post in the other thread (phone so no link) or shoot him a pm.

It should be specified: Ask Adam Meyers, not me.

[stack]

Thread link

Der_DWSage - can you update the table showing me as having destruction with a March 1 date? Thanks.

At a sample new talent, for your reading pleasure:

Clinging Blast
You may spend an additional spell point to have all damage from the destructive blast be treated as continuous for the purposes of any concentration checks made by the target prior to the beginning of the your next turn.
(Design note - basically stealing a magus arcana here, but really, having your skin on fire should be distracting, right? Should be a nice way to slow down casters as those concentration checks can be get nasty.)

I won't be posting a doc until I have it better filled out. Too many ideas I need to write down and re-read and check before showing them to the world.

edit - a template idea as well, though it needs a few more talents to be finished to round out the table:

Spoiler: Destructive Elemental

Show

“Destructive Elemental” is an acquired template that can be applied to any air, earth, fire, or water elemental (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A destructive elemental creature uses all the base creature's statistics and special abilities, except as noted here.

Challenge Rating: Same as base creature +1.

Casting: The destructive elemental gains a caster level equal to its hit dice and the destruction sphere as a bonus sphere and one blast type talent according to its element, as well as a spell pool equal to its CL plus its Charisma modifier. The destructive elemental may not use the default destructive blast and may only choose blast types according to its type, listed below, but may select other talents normally. The destructive elemental gains one talent every odd HD beyond the first.

Elemental Type Available Blast Types
Air Air Blast, Electric Blast, Thunder Blast
Earth Acid Blast, Crystal Blast, Stone Blast
Fire Fire Blast,
Water Cold Blast

[Amechra]

It's not "official", but I have claimed Enhancement, with a January 25 deadline.

[Adam1949]

It occurred to me that, as the person in charge of Weather, a lot of cool effects that would fit are also connected to other Spheres, such as Destruction and Nature. I feel as though it could be beneficial if everyone involved helped each other with some concepts and ideas. How's this sound to everyone as an option? I'm not sure if it'd be a talent, or a feat, or a trait, or what, but here it is the general idea would be:

"You can now apply X talents with Y ability. You must have both spheres and use it at the weakest CL of either."

This would be extended to various specific talents or abilities. For instance:

"Aqua Vitae: Whenever you use a Nature (Water) or Weather (Precipitation) Talent, you may also spend an extra spell point to include the effect of the Life Sphere's Invigorate or Cure abilities (paying the cost for those abilities as well). You must be able to use the Life Sphere and at least one of the Nature or Weather Spheres."

What does everyone think? It could open up some major doors with creating things.

[Vhaidara]

Sounds like Spellcrafting, to be honest.

[stack]

Adding spheres together wholesale does cross into spellcrafting, though if done in certain ways it could work. Have to be careful though, as things can get really powerful.

I am adding an admixture talent to destruction for on-the-fly combining blast types, but that is very narrow.

[Adam1949]

It's just that I've been talking with some friends who are suggesting things like "Bull Rush wind-sword" or "stunning fist at-range with actual lightning", but those feel very close to Destruction and Nature; they're not quite Spellcrafting, but they aren't exactly single-Sphered either, you know?

[Mehangel]

It occurred to me that, as the person in charge of Weather, a lot of cool effects that would fit are also connected to other Spheres, such as Destruction and Nature. I feel as though it could be beneficial if everyone involved helped each other with some concepts and ideas. How's this sound to everyone as an option? I'm not sure if it'd be a talent, or a feat, or a trait, or what, but here it is the general idea would be:

"You can now apply X talents with Y ability. You must have both spheres and use it at the weakest CL of either."

This would be extended to various specific talents or abilities. For instance:

"Aqua Vitae: Whenever you use a Nature (Water) or Weather (Precipitation) Talent, you may also spend an extra spell point to include the effect of the Life Sphere's Invigorate or Cure abilities (paying the cost for those abilities as well). You must be able to use the Life Sphere and at least one of the Nature or Weather Spheres."

What does everyone think? It could open up some major doors with creating things.

As someone working on the Nature Sphere, I have written up a couple of feats that work like that.. here are two examples of the feats:

Alloy Creation
By combining both the sphere of creation and geomancy of metal, you have learned to combine and use them interchangeably.
Prerequisite: Creation Sphere, Metal Geomancing.
Benefit: You may spend an additional spell point when using the Creation Sphere’s alter ability (including creation talents marked as (alter) which grant new ways to use the ability). If you do, you may alter any type of metal that you may use the recover ore geomancing ability, even if you do not have the Creation Sphere’s expanded materials talent.

Alloy Enhancement
By combining both the sphere of enhancement and geomancy of metal, you have learned to magically affect the metal as you work with it.
Prerequisite: Enhancement Sphere, Metal Geomancing.
Benefit: Whenever you use a metal geomancing ability, which requires earth or metal (such as caltrops or recover ore) you may choose to enhance the metal (using the enhancement sphere). Using this feat costs additional spell points equal to 1 + any spell point costs that the enhance ability requires.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDIT: As a side note, below is one of the archetypes that I will be including in the Nature handbook (and yes it is made to be compatible with the Symbiotic Knight archetype from Spheres of Power Expanded.

Warden (Armorist archetype)

Not all armorists are knights clad in shining steel plate armor, some infact are remote sentinels watching over the forest priest’s groves with brute force and primal instinct. Because of their training, they have learned to tap into nature so to better protect and serve the druids who have trained them.

Class Skills: The warden gains Knowledge (Nature) and Survival as class skills instead of Knowledge (Engineering) and Knowledge (Nobility).

Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier

Armor Proficiency: Wardens are proficient with light and medium armor but are prohibited from wearing metal armor; thus, they may wear only padded, leather, or hide armor. A warden may also wear wooden armor that has been altered by sphere abilities (such as change materials) or spells (such as ironwood) so that it functions as though it were steel. Wardens are proficient with shields (except tower shields) but must use only wooden ones. A warden who wears prohibited armor or uses a prohibited shield must make an arcane spell failure check to use their sphere abilities (although its sphere casting is not usually considered arcane in nature). This alters Weapon and Armor Proficiency.

Nature’s Blade: A warden gains the nature sphere as a bonus sphere at 1st level and treats his class level as his caster level for this sphere. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from
other classes. This replaces Armor Training and Quick Summons.

Deadly Guardian (Ex): At 20th level, all bound weapons of the warden automatically confirm all critical threats and have their damage multiplier increased by 1 (×2 becomes ×3, for example). In addition, he cannot be disarmed while wielding a bound weapon. This replaces Infinite Arsenal

New Arsenal Tricks:

Additional Binding: You may bind an additional piece of equipment. This arsenal trick may be taken multiple times. Each time it increases the number of bound pieces of equipment by one.

Animal Companion: (Requires Armorist level 4) You gain an animal companion as if you were a druid of your character level –3. If you already have an animal companion or else later gain an animal companion through another source (such as the Animal domain, divine bond, hunter's bond, mount, or nature bond class features), the effective druid level granted by this arsenal trick stacks with that granted by other sources.

Armor Training: (Requires Armorist level 3) Your armor check penalty is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0) and increases the maximum Dexterity bonus allowed by her armor by 1. This arsenal trick may be taken multiple times, its effects stack with itself and the Armor Training class feature.

Duelist: All bound and summoned melee weapons gain the agile special quality. You may take this arsenal trick two times. Upon picking this arsenal trick a second time you add dueling (+4) added to the list of special qualities you may add to all your bound and summoned weapons.