Patreon Drop: Akashic Core Week 4 — Humans, Monks, Rangers

Hey there patrons! Today I have for you another drop from the Akashic Core Project, this time for Humans, Monks, and Rangers!

Mystblade (Ranger Archetype)

Mystical defenders of the natural world, mystblades wield akashic weaponry and channel esoteric powers to ward off threats and vanquish foes that threaten the world.

Mystblade Veilweaving (Su): A mystblade has learned to harness akashic powers to form their mystblade, and as they grow in power they further expand on their ability to shape veils. The mysterial uses their Wisdom as their veilweaving modifier, and has a veilweaving level equal to their class level. The DCs of the mystblade’s veils are equal to 10 + the number of points of essence invested in the veil + the mystblade’s veilweaving modifier. 

At 4th level, the mystblade’s ability to shape veils expands. They learn to shape veils drawn from the stormbound veil list; they gain the ability to shape 1 veil at 4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, and 19th level. They do not gain the ability to shape Storm veils, and they do not treat those veils as belonging to their veil list.

This replaces the ranger’s favored enemy and spells class features.

Mystblade’s Arsenal (Su): At 1st level, the mystblade learns to conjure the veil that is their namesake; when they shape their veils for the day they choose a single Enhanced (weapon) veil from the soulforge veil list and shape it as their mystblade. This special veil can be shaped alongside other veils in the same chakra slot. The mystblade cannot share the effects of their mystblade veil using the Shared Veil feat, their mystblade’s bond class feature, or similar abilities. They also can never grant their mystblade veil the Title descriptor.

At 2nd level, the mystblade’s namesake veil becomes further entwined with the essence of their soul, allowing the mystblade to automatically bind it to its chakra slot should the mystblade be powerful enough to do so. They treat their mystblade as bound to the chakra slot it is shaped in if they class level meets that chakra bind’s level prerequisite, as per the following:

• Hand or Feet: 2nd level

• Head or Wrists: 6th level

• Shoulders or Headband: 10th level

• Neck or Belt: 14th level

• Chest or Body: 18th level

At 6th level, when they mystblade shapes their veils for the day they choose a second such veil to act as a mystblade; this second veil is placed in reserve, as per the transcendent’s twice-folded veils class feature. Unlike a transcendent, the mystblade can change their mystblade’s loadout as part of reinvesting their essence as a swift action. If they already have the ability to fold veils, their mystblade’s loadout is folded separately from their other loadouts.

Essence Pool: At 1st level, the mystblade gains access to a pool of essence which can be invested into their essence receptacles to increase their power. The mystblade gains 1 point of essence at each class level.

Mystblade’s Fighting Style: At 2nd level, the mystblade has further learned to mold their ability to wield their mystblade through the application of fighting styles drawn from the Akashic Record. They gain the benefits of one kheshig fighting style of their choice. At 6th level, they gain the benefits of two fighting styles instead. At 10th level, they also gain the improved benefits of one of those fighting styles. At 14th level, they gain the improved benefits of both fighting styles. Whenever the mystblade rests and reshapes their veils, they can choose to replace either of these chosen fighting styles with a new fighting style.

This replaces the ranger’s combat style feats.

Flexible Arsenal: At 2nd level, whenever the mystblade reshape their mystblade veil, they can choose to remove any enhancements and special materials applied to that veil and apply it to the Enhanced (weapon) veil they shape in its place. Any invalid weapon special abilities or materials for the newly shaped veil are suppressed while applied to it in this way. When the mystblade gains their reserve mystblade veil at 6th level, each is still treated as a separate veil for the purposes of this ability; switching their mystblade loadout does not count as reshaping the veil for the purposes of this ability.

Resilient Blade: At 2nd level, the mystblade’s mystblade veil is only weakened in an area of antimagic, or if sundered or dispelled, rather than being completely suppressed. The mystblade can still utilize and conjure weapons produced by the veil during the duration of its suppression, but they lose any supernatural properties granted by the veil. In an area of an antimagic field, or when suppressed by mage’s disjunction, they also lose any magic enhancements applied to the veil for the duration of those effects.

At 6th level, the mystblade can change their mystblade loadout even while their mustblade is affected as per above; instantaneous and ongoing effects only apply to the mystblade they placed in reserve, and the durations of those effects continue to expire while the mystblade is in reserve. If the effect that suppressed the mystblade is ongoing and affects everything in an area, such as with antimagic field, swapping the mystblade loadout causes both blades to continue to be affected by it as normal.

Improved Essence Capacity: Through their continued dedication to the defense of the natural world, the mystblade has further improved their ability to utilize their essence. At 3rd level, 9th level, and 15th level, the maximum essence capacity of the mystblade’s veils and essence receptacles increases by +1.

Mystblade’s Bond: At 4th level, the mystblade forms a bond of akashic energy with their hunting companions. This bond can take one of two forms; a bond to their companions, or a bond to an animal. Once the form of this bond is chosen, it cannot be changed.

• Companion Bond (Su): As a move action, the mystblade can share the benefits of one of their shaped veils to all of their allies within 30 feet of them for 1 minute. The mystblade’s allies must be able to see and hear the mystblade to gain the benefits of this veil. The mystblade can only have one veil shared in this way at a time; using this ability again ends the previous use early. This shared veil does not count against their ally’s chakra slots, uses the mystblade’s statistics when determining its effects (but not attacks made using the veil or weapons it produces), and is treated as invested with the same amount of essence as the mystblade’s veil. Any daily uses or of this shared veil are shared between the original veil and all shared copies. If any ally sharing such a veil moves more than 30 feet away from the mystblade, the effects of the shared veil immediately end at the end of that turn. If the original veil is suppressed or unshaped, this effect immediately ends. The shared copies are considered the original veil for the purposes of suppressing or sundering; it uses your statistics when determining its defenses, and if one is sundered or suppressed, so too is the original veil. Creatures who have a veil shared with them in this way cannot choose to voluntarily suppress that veil. If the shared veil has the Enhanced descriptor and multiple creatures use it to produce the same item during the same round, its enhancements are reduced as per an Enhanced veil that produces multiple weapons. If a shared veil produces an aura or produces or has an ongoing effect that effects as area, all instances of that effect are considered a single effect for the purposes of stacking.

• Animal Bond: The mystblade forms a close bond with an animal companion with the veil trained animal companion archetype. This ability otherwise functions as per the druid animal companion ability, except the mystblade’s effective druid level is equal to their ranger level -3.

This replaces the ranger’s hunter’s bond class feature.

Chakra Binds: At 5th level, the mystblade begins to learn how to bind their veils to their chakra slots, unlocking new and potent abilities. At 5th level, they unlock the ability to bind veils to their Hands and Feet slots. At 6th level, and every two levels thereafter, they gain the ability to bind veils to slots in the following order: Wrists, Head, Shoulders, Headband, Belt, Neck, Chest, Body.

Master Mystblade: At 20th level, the mystblade’s mystblade veil cannot be sundered, or involuntarily suppressed or unshaped by any effect. If any effect would do so, the mystblade chooses whether that effect applies to their mystblade veil, and if they choose to allow the effect to suppress their veil they can choose to end that suppression as normal for a veil they voluntarily suppressed.

The effects of their mystblade’s bond also improve, as per the following:

• Companion Bond: This ability no longer has a maximum duration, and the effects of the shared veil no longer end if the companion ends a turn more than 30 feet away from the mystblade. 

• Animal Bond: The effects of the veil shared with the animal companion using the Shared Veil feat no longer end if the animal companion ends a turn more than 30 feet away from the mystblade.

This replaces the ranger’s master hunter class feature.

Veil Trained (Animal Companion Archetype)

These animal companions are well adapted to the use and benefits of akashic forces.

Akashic Feats: In addition to the standard animal companion feats, a veil trained animal companion may select feats from the following list, treating their master’s effective druid level as their character level and veilweaving level when determining prerequisites: Akashic Charge, Chakra-Enhanced Fortitude, Essence of Movement, Essence of the Immortal, Extra Essence, Focused Critical, Weaver’s Reflexes, Will of the Daeva. 

Essential Instincts: Veil trained animal companions instinctively know how to reinvest their essence as a swift action, and can be commanded to do so with a Handle Animal check as though it were a trained trick.

Share Veil: The veil trained animal companion grants their master Shared Veil as a bonus feat. The animal companion’s master must always choose the veil trained animal companion when sharing a veil using that feat unless they have gained the feat from another source.

This replaces either the animal companion’s share spells or light armor proficiency class features, depending on which the companion normally starts with.

Shared Veil (Akashic)

You can share one of your veils with a companion which you have formed a special bond with.

Prerequisites: Ability to shape veils, an animal companion, eidolon, or familiar that isn’t produced by a veil

Benefits: When you shape your veils for the day, you choose a single veil you have shaped and share the veil’s benefits with one creature you used to meet the prerequisites for this feat. This shared veil does not count against that creature’s chakra slots, uses your statistics when determining its effects (but not attacks made using the veil or weapons it produces), and is treated as invested with the same amount of essence as your veil. Any daily uses of this shared veil are shared between the original veil and all shared copies. If the creature who you shared this veil with ends a turn more than 30 feet away from you, they lose the benefits of that veil until they return to within 30 feet of you. If the original veil is suppressed or unshaped, so too is the shared veil. If you reshape the shared veil outside of your daily preparations, you share the benefits of the newly reshaped veil. The copy of this veil shared with the creature is considered the original veil for the purposes of suppressing or sundering; it uses your statistics when determining its defenses, and if one is sundered or suppressed, so too is the original veil. The creature you choose to share a copy of this veil with cannot choose to voluntarily suppress that veil. If the shared veil has the Enhanced descriptor and you and the chosen creature use it to produce the same item during the same round, its enhancements are reduced as per an Enhanced veil that produces multiple weapons. If a shared veil produces an aura or produces or has an ongoing effect that effects as area, all instances of that effect are considered a single effect for the purposes of stacking.

If you have multiple bonded creatures that qualify for this feat’s prerequisites, you choose only one of them to share the chosen veil with as part of choosing that veil.

If the creature you choose is of animal intelligence, it instinctively knows how to use the shared veil, and can be commanded to do so with a Handle animal check as though it were a trained trick.

Special: Other permanent subservient creatures that aren’t produced by a veil can be used to meet the prerequisites for this feat, at your GMs discretion. Cohorts and followers granted by the Leadership feat, or similar abilities, never count for this feat’s prerequisites.

Mysterial [Retold] (Monk Archetype)

Hidden in ancient monasteries, orders of mysterials practice ancient techniques that teach them to master ki and essence, unlocking the body’s chakras and becoming something more than mortal.

Mysterial Veilweaving (Su): A mysterial learns to shape the magical power known as akasha into powerful veils, which are drawn from the guru veil list. They know and can shape any veil from the list. The mysterial uses their Wisdom as their veilweaving modifier, and has a veilweaving level equal to their class level. The DCs of the mysterial’s veils are equal to 10 + the number of points of essence invested in the veil + the mysterial’s veilweaving modifier. 

At 1st level, the mysterial gains the ability to shape a limited number of veils each day. They can shape 1 veil at 1st level, and gain the ability to shape 1 additional veil at 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th level.

This replaces the monk’s stunning fist and quivering palm class features. If the mysterial would gain the Stunning Fist feat, or a similar feat that grants additional uses per day for a monk, they do not gain those additional uses of the feat each day.

Lesser Unarmed Strike: The mysterial’s unarmed strike only increases in damage at 1st level; it does not further increase as they gain class levels.

This modifies the monk’s unarmed strike class feature.

Veiled Flurry (Su): The mysterial can use their flurry of blows class feature with any manufactured weapon they wield that is produced by a veil they have shaped from the guru veil list. When using flurry of blows in this way, any additional attacks they make must still be made with an unarmed strike or monk special weapon (as well as with any extra attacks granted by spending ki points, if they have the ability to do so). If they shape a veil that produces a monk special weapon, they can use flurry of blows with that weapon as normal. 

For example; if the mysterial shapes the Loyal Paladin’s Spear of Light veil, they could use flurry of blows with the shortspear produced by that veil. If they did so at 1st level, they would make one attack with the veil’s shortspear at a -2 penalty, and then one attack with their unarmed strike or another monk special weapon they are wielding at a -2 penalty.

This modifies the monk’s flurry of blows class feature, but not for the purposes of archetype compatibility. 

Essence Pool: At 1st level, the mysterial gains access to a pool of essence which can be invested into their essence receptacles to increase their power. The mysterial gains 1 point of essence at 1st level, and every 2 levels thereafter.

Expanded Bonus Feats: A mysterial can select akashic feats using their monk bonus feats. When selecting an akashic feat in this way they must meet the feat’s prerequisites, rather than ignoring them as normal for a monk bonus feat.

This modifies the monk’s bonus feats class feature, but not for the purposes of archetype compatibility.

Bind Unlocking: Beginning at 2nd level, whenever the mysterial would gain a monk bonus feat they can choose to forgo gaining that feat to instead permanently unlock a chakra bind of their choice, gaining the ability to bind veils to the chosen chakra slot. Each chakra slot has a class level prerequisite the mysterial must meet to unlock it using this ability, as per the following:

• Hand or Feet: 2nd level

• Head or Wrists: 6th level

• Shoulders or Headband: 10th level

• Neck or Belt: 14th level

• Chest or Body: 18th level

Improved Essence Capacity: Through intense meditation and training, the mysterial has further honed their ability to utilize their essence. At 3rd level, 9th level, and 15th level, the maximum essence capacity of the mysterial’s veils and essence receptacles increases by +1.

Mystic Contemplation: At 4th level, the mysterial has learned to utilize their ki to further empower their veils and essence receptacles. As part of reinvesting their essence as a swift action, the mysterial may spend 1 ki point to treat one of their veils or essence receptacles as if it were invested with 1 additional point of essence for 1 minute. This effective increase bypasses the mysterial’s normal maximum essence capacity, and does not stack with akashic catalysts or similar effects. The mysterial can have multiple veils or essence receptacles affected by this ability simultaneously, but the effects do not stack when used on the same veil or essence receptacle multiple times.

At 10th level, they can instead choose to spend 2 ki points to treat the veil or essence receptacle as invested with 2 additional points of essence for 1 minute.

At 16th level, they can instead choose to spend 3 ki points to treat the veil or essence receptacle as invested with 3 additional points of essence for 1 minute.

This replaces the monk’s ability to make ki strikes using their ki pool class feature; they can still spend ki points to make an additional attack as part of a flurry of blows.

Unchained Mysterial (Unchained Monk Archetype)

An unchained monk can select the mysterial archetype; if they do so it functions as normal for that archetype save for the following modification: 

Mystic Contemplation: An unchained mysterial gains this ability at 3rd level.

Feats

Adaptive Soulskill (Akashic, Human)

Humans are incredibly adaptable, easily molding their minds to skills they desire to learn. A connection to the Akashic Record only heightens this adaptability.

Prerequisites: Human, skilled racial trait, essence pool or akashic subtype

Benefits: As part of your daily preparations choose a single skill; you treat that skill as a class skill. This feat can be invested with essence; for each point invested you gain a +1 insight bonus to the chosen skill. This is a supernatural effect.

You gain 1 point of essence.

Adaptive Paragon (Akashic, Human)

Your ability to draw upon the Akashic Record to enhance your skills is that of a paragon.

Prerequisites: Adaptive Soulskill, level 11

Benefits: You are treated as having a number of skill ranks in the skill you chose with your Adaptive Soulskill equal to your character level; this temporarily replaces any actual ranks you have in the skill for as long as that skill benefits from Adaptive Soulskill.

You gain 1 point of essence.

Energetic Essence (Akashic, Human)

The souls of humans are bright and energetic, short lives lived to their fullest. Your’s is more energetic than most, attuning itself to a single type of energy.

Prerequisites: Human, essence pool or akashic subtype

Benefits: As part of your daily preparations, choose a single energy type from the following list: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. You gain resistance 1 to damage of the chosen type. This resistance stacks with other resistances to that damage type you possess. This feat can be invested with essence; for each point invested this resistance increases by 1.

You gain 1 point of essence.

Flexible Soulbinding (Akashic, Human)

You have learned a method of flexibly unlocking a single chakra which you can change each day.

Prerequisites: Human, ability to shape veils, character level 3

Benefits: Each day as part of shaping your veils, you gain the ability to bind veils to a single chakra slot of your choice. You retain the ability to bind veils to this chakra until you use this feat again to change the chosen bind. The chakra slots you can choose from are determined by your character level. At 3rd level, you can choose to unlock the Hands or Feet slots. At 6th level, and every 3 levels thereafter, you gain the ability to choose to unlock chakra slots in the following order: Head, Wrists, Shoulders, Neck, or Belt.