Patreon Drop: Ascendant Warriors

This weeks drop features three more archetypes for the Promethean and Transcendent!

Armsmaster Ascendent (Transcendent Archetype)

Masters of the Akashic Armory, these warriors draw blades and armor of lore and story into the world through their own belief and ascendance beyond the limits of mortal warriors.

Reduced Veilweaving: The armsmaster ascendent shapes 1 fewer veil at 1st level and 2nd level.

This modifies the transcendent’s veilweaving class feature.

Akashic Armory (Su): At 1st level, the armsmaster ascendent learns to access and weave veils drawn from the weapons, armor, and shields of lore stored within the infinite armories of the Akashic Record. The armsmaster ascendent gains a special veil slot known as their armory slot; in this slot, they can only shape veils with the Enhanced (armor), Enhanced (shield), or Enhanced (weapon) descriptor and shapes those veils as per the transcendent’s  veilweaving class feature. Veils shaped in armor slots do not count against their maximum number of veils shaped using their veilweaving class feature, and can be shaped alongside other veils in their chakra slots (including other armory veils). 

At 2nd level, the armsmaster ascendent gains a second armory slot.

Folded Armory (Su): The armsmaster ascendent’s twice-folded veils ability only applies to their armory slots, not all of their transcendent veil slots. If the armsmaster ascendent gains the ability to fold their other veils through different means, their loadouts for their armory slots are folded independently from their other loadouts.

This modifies the transcendent’s twice-folded veils class feature.

Armored Ascendency (Su): At 1st level, While the armsmaster ascendent is wearing armor produced by one of their armory veils (or is otherwise treated as armored by one of them), they add their veilweaving modifier (minimum 1) to their Dexterity modifier when determining their Dexterity bonus to AC, their touch AC, and their CMD. Their total Dexterity bonus to AC and touch AC are still affected by their armor’s maximum Dexterity bonus.

While the armsmaster ascendent is unarmored, they add their veilweaving modifier (minimum 1) to their AC, touch AC and their CMD.

The bonuses to AC, touch AC, and CMD granted by their veilweaving modifier apply even when the armsmaster ascendent is flat-footed or unconscious.

At 4th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the armsmaster ascendent gains an additional +1 bonus to AC and CMD while unarmored. 

At 8th level, and again at 16th level, they gain an additional +1 bonus to AC and CMD while armored.

This replaces the transcendent’s untouchable class feature.

Warrior’s Regimen (Su): At 1st level, the armsmaster ascendent can meditate on the power of their soul to mend, clean, and repair their body and equipment, allowing their soul to return them to a pristine state. By meditating for 10 minutes, the armsmaster ascendent recovers 1 hit point, repairs 1 point of damage to all equipment they are wearing or carrying, and cleans themselves and that equipment as if affected by the prestidigitation spell. Meditating for any abilities related to their akashic powers (such as meditating to shape their veils for the day, to restore burned essence, to bind a shaped veil, or as part of one of their veil's abilities) counts as meditating for this feature as well.

At 7th level, the time required to meditate on this effect is reduced to 1 minute, and the amount of healing and repaired hit points are increased by 1. At 13th level, it is reduced to 1 round, and the healing and repaired hit points are increased by an additional 1. At 19th level, they recover and repair a number of points equal to their veilweaving modifier (minimum 4) instead.

Flowing Arsenal (Su): Whenever the armsmaster ascendent uses their transcendental flow, they may choose to fold their armory veils rather than moving up to their speed as part of using the ability. 

Beginning at 8th level, they may choose to do so between any of the attacks they make as part of using their transcendental flow.

This modifies the transcendent’s transcendental flow class feature.

Infinite Armory (Su): At 5th level, the armsmaster ascendent’s ability to fold their armory grows even more potent. When they shape their armory veils each day, they shape an additional loadout of reserve veils. When they fold their veils, they choose which of their loadouts is their primary loadout, and treat the others as reserve loadouts.

At 9th level, and again at 13th and 17th level, they shape one additional loadout in this way each day.

Armory At Hand (Su): At 11th level, the armsmaster ascendent can fold their armory veils as a free action, even outside of their turn. Once the armsmaster ascendent uses this ability they cannot use it again for 1 minute. During this minute, the armsmaster ascendent can choose to take 2 points of essence burn as a swift action, or as part of reinvesting their essence, to remove this limit. Even if they choose to remove this limit, the armsmaster ascendent may only ever use this ability once per round.

This replaces the transcendent’s trice-folded veils class feature.

Eldritch Warrior (Promethean Archetype)

These specialized warriors utilize eldritch and esoteric knowledge to amplify their martial skills.

Proficiencies: Eldritch warriors are proficient with simple weapons, as well as light armor and bucklers. In addition, if this is this character's first level in any class, they may select a martial tradition of their choice.

This modifies the promethean's armor and weapon proficiencies.

Casting: The eldritch warrior may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. The eldritch warrior is considered a Mid-Caster. (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and may select a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)

This replaces the promethean's veilweaving and chakra binds class features.

Spell Pool: The eldritch warrior gains a small reservoir of energy they can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to their level + their casting ability modifier (minimum: 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.

Reduced Essence: The eldritch warrior gains 1 fewer point of essence at each class level.

This modifies the promethean's essence pool. This ability does not conflict with other archetypes that reduce the promethean's essence pool as long as the total reduction doesn't cause the promethean to gain a negative amount of essence at any given level.

Eldritch Training: Eldritch warriors use their casting ability modifier as their practitioner modifier, and in place of their Intelligence and their veilweaving modifier for their promethean class features. 

Blended Training: At 1st level and each level thereafter, the eldritch warrior gains a combat or magic talent every time they gain a level. 

Eldritch Strikes: The eldritch warrior has learned to utilize their unique anatomy and eldritch knowledge to deliver their attacks. Whenever the eldritch warrior performs a special attack action or uses a Strike magic sphere ability, they can choose to utilize one of their promethean special abilities granted by one of their obsessions or forbidden knowledge that affects an enemy and is used as a standard action in place of the normal attack made as part of the special attack action or Strike (natural attacks, or other special abilities that can be used in place of a weapon attack, are not affected by this ability and can be used as attacks with those abilities as normal). 

If it is a melee special attack action or Strike, they make a melee attack using their natural reach, delivering the effects of their special attack or Strike and the effects of their promethean ability on a successful hit.

If it is a ranged special attack action or Strike, they can only use it using ranged promethean abilities, use the range of that ability to determine the strike’s range, and make a ranged attack against a target within that range, delivering the effects of their strike and the effects of their promethean ability on a successful hit.

If the special attack or Strike would affect multiple creatures, all of those creatures are affected normally by the special attack or spell but only one creature that is successfully affected is also affected by the promethean special ability (determined after the results of which creatures are affected by the special attack or Strike).

The effects of the promethean ability used as part of the ability are determined as if it were delivered using a non-standard action for all purposes, sometimes reducing the effects of the ability as described in that ability’s description (for example; the fleshsculptor promethean’s sculpting touch would deal reduced damage). If the ability would normally affect multiple creatures, it only affects the target of the strike (or one target of the strike, if the strike affects multiple targets). Any bonus weapon damage dealt by the special attack action or Strike deals the type of damage appropriate to that dealt by their promethean special ability, or deals bludgeoning damage if the promethean special ability does not normally deal damage.

Special attack actions and Strikes made in this way are considered to be a natural attack for the purposes of the eldritch warrior’s class features, special abilities, and magic items; they benefit from an amulet of mighty fists, the Essence-Honed Flesh feat, and so on.

Forbidden Capacity: At 3rd level, and again at 9th and 15th level, the eldritch warrior increases the essence capacity of their pieces of forbidden knowledge by 1. This increase does not stack with the improved essence capacity class feature, the Capacity Increase talent, or other similar abilities. 

This replaces the promethean’s improved essence capacity class feature, but not for the purposes of archetype compatibility for archetypes that also gain the forbidden capacity class feature.

Forbidden Ascensionist (Transcendent Archetype)

These transcendents achieve their transcension from their mortal form through the study and application of knowledge to forbidden minds. Esoteric alchemy, eldritch rituals, and ancient pacts are their domain and purview.

Applied Ascension: The forbidden ascensionist uses their Intelligence as their veilweaving modifier.

This modifies the transcendent’s veilweaving class feature, but not for the purposes of archetype compatibility. If multiple archetypes would replace their veilweaving modifier with a different ability score, they choose at 1st level which veilweaving ability score they use from among their archetypes. This cannot be changed once chosen.

Esoteric Skills: The forbidden ascensionist only gains a number of skill ranks at each class level equal to 4 + their Intelligence modifier, and treats all Knowledge skills as class skills.

This modifies the transcendent’s skill ranks and class skills.

Forbidden Knowledge: The forbidden ascensionist’s study of the eldritch and forbidden as part of transcending their form reveals to them deep and troubling secrets which they can exploit, providing them access to abilities often viewed and strange and terrifying to those who do not understand them. At 1st level, 2nd level, and every four levels thereafter, the forbidden ascensionist learns a piece of promethean forbidden knowledge. The forbidden ascensionist uses their transcendent level as their effective promethean level when determining the abilities of their forbidden knowledge gained in this way (this stacks with other promethean levels they possess, to a maximum of their character level). 

If one of their pieces of forbidden knowledge would affect one of their shaped veils, such as Shaper of the Flesh, the forbidden ascensionist may affect each of their loadouts individually with it. In the above example; they would affect one veil in each of their loadouts for every point bound to Shaper of the Flesh.

This replaces the transcendent’s akashic treasures class feature.

Essence of the Mind: At 1st level, the forbidden ascensionist gains a pool of mental focus that they can use to empower and activate the effects of their forbidden knowledge. This pool contains 1 point of mental essence. This mental essence can be invested into, bound to, and burned by forbidden knowledge, but otherwise doesn't count as essence for any other purpose. At 3rd level, and every two levels thereafter, the forbidden ascensionist gains 1 additional point of mental essence (for a total of 10 mental essence at 19th level). 

OGL

15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE

Open Game License v 1.0 © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

System Reference Document. © 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors: Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

Patreon Drop: Ascendant Warriors © 2025 Studio M—, Authors Hal Kennette.

Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook, © 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.