Anton der Braas, Shade

A new Spheres conversion (thanks to Diamond Recreational Studios) of a character from my novel, this time using the rules from Legends of the Spheres.

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Anton der Braas, the Wolf

Human unchained rogue 1 (Shade)

N Medium humanoid (human)

Init +3; Senses Perception +5

Defense

AC 15, touch 13, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +3 Dex)

hp 10 (1d8+2)

Fort +2, Ref +5, Will +1

Offense

Speed 30 ft.

Melee shortsword +3 (1d6+2, 19-20) or dagger +3 (1d4+2, 19-20) or two-handed shortsword/dagger +1/+1

Ranged dagger +3 (1d4+2, 19-20)

Special Attacks sneak attack +1d6

Guile

Skill Leverage 1 (Disguise, Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device); Trade Tradition Arcane Trickster; OAM Int (+3)

Spellhacking Sphere - Skills Use Magic Device 1 rank; Talents Blast Tuning, Splinter Magic; Utility Talents none; Drawbacks Personal Hacking

- control mishap (magical resonance: detect and study magic creatures, item, or places)

- hack magic (blast tuning: convert a magical area effect into a line, cone, burst, or emanation; splinter magic: divide a magical effect among more targets)

Subterfuge Sphere - Skills Sleight of Hand 1 rank; Talents none; Utility Talents Effortless Theft; Drawbacks Deft

 - baffling revelation (outwit any creature fooled by your disguise)

- confident subtlety (approach) (reduce penalties on Sleight of Hand by 6)

- effortless theft (utility) (stow up, lift, or hide objects on your person)

Vocation Sphere - Utility Talents Cutpurse, Experimenter, Gambler, Mage Hunter

- cutpurse (utility) (Acrobatics, Escape Artist. Sleight of Hand, Stealth; +2 on Sleight of Hand checks against opponents in reach of allies)

- experimenter (utility) (Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge/engineering, Use Magic Device; use Int or Cha for Intimidate checks)

- gambler (utility) (Appraise, Bluff, Diplomacy [in place of redundant Sleight of Hand], Sense Motive; use Cha for Appraise checks)

- mage hunter (utility) (Disable Device, Disguise, Knowledge/arcana, Spellcraft; disable magic traps with Disable Device)

Magic

Caster Level 1; MSB +1, MSD 12, Concentration +4
Tradition Prestidigitation (Drawbacks: Somatic Casting, Verbal Casting; Boons: Easy Focus); CAM Int
Spell Points 4

Illusion Sphere - DC 13; Duration Concentration, 1 min/level; Range Close (25 ft); Talents Suppression; Drawbacks Personal Illusion

- Illusion (illusionary disguise)

- Trick (minor figments, minor glamers)

- Glamer (suppression)

Telekinesis Sphere- DC 13; Duration Concentration; Range Close (25 ft); Talents Telekinetic Tools; Utility Talents Finesse; Drawback Passive Telekinesis

- Catch

- Hostile Lift

- Sustained Force

- Finesse

- Telekinetic Tools

Martial

Tradition Arcane Trickster (Equipment: Rogue Weapon Training; Scoundrel sphere; Scout sphere; Athletics sphere, Fly package); PAM Int

Athletics Sphere - DC 13, Talents none, Drawbacks none

- coordinated movement (whenever you take the withdraw action, you regain your martial focus)

- fly package (fly better and resist better in flight)

Equipment Sphere - DC 13, Talents Rogue Weapon Training

- rogue weapon training (discipline) (proficiency with blade boot, butterfly knife, garrote, hand crossbow, kukri, rapier, sap, short sword, shortbow, starknife, switchblade knife, sword cane, war razor, and whip. +2 competence bonus to Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a weapon on your person)

Scoundrel sphere - DC 13, Talents none, Drawbacks none
- swift hands (use your Dexterity with dirty trick or steal maneuvers and use your ranks in Sleight of Hand as your base attack bonus for dirty trick or steal maneuvers; apply any enhancement bonuses to your unarmed strikes to dirty trick and steal combat maneuvers)
- marked target (batter a creature as a swift action and inflict a -1 penalty on Perception checks for 1 round; apply trick talents to steal or dirty trick combat maneuvers or Sleight of Hand checks)

Scout sphere - DC 13, Talents none, Drawbacks none
- scout (swift action, identify creature's weaknesses)

Statistics

Str 15, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 17, Wis 13, Cha 15

Base Atk +0; CMB +0; CMD 13

Traits Ambitious, Reckless

Feats Acrobatic*, Two-Weapon Fighting, Weapon Finesse*

Skills Acrobatics +10, Bluff +6, Diplomacy +6/+10, Disable Device +7, Escape Artist +7, Fly +9, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (arcana, engineering) +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Perception +5, Perform (string) +6, Sense Motive +5, Sleight of Hand +8/+10, Stealth +7, Use Magic Device +6

Languages Common, Dwarven, Elven, Halfling

SQ finesse training

Gear dagger (2 gp), dull gray ioun stone (hacking instrument, 25 gp), leather armor (10 gp), 2 doses of liquid life (40 gp), rogue’s kit (50 gp), shortsword (10 gp), 3 gp

Special Abilities

Athletics Sphere When you gain the Athletics sphere, you gain one of the following packages with its included abilities. You may take the Expanded Training talent to gain additional packages.

Each package has an associated movement mode and an associated skill. Some abilities require you to be using an associated movement mode to function. When you gain a package, you gain 5 ranks in its associated skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Athletics sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the associated skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.

If you possess both the (leap) and (run) packages, you gain a competence bonus on Acrobatics checks equal to half your base attack bonus instead of retraining the ranks a second time.

In addition, you gain the following ability:

Athletics: Coordinated Movement Whenever you take the withdraw action, you regain your martial focus.

Athletics: Fly Package You do not need to make a Fly check to remain flying when moving less than half your speed on your turn and count as being one size larger when determining the effects of wind on you while flying. This does not give you the ability to fly; it simply augments your movement abilities if you possess a means of flight. You may gain ranks in the Fly skill even if you do not possess a means of flight. Associated Movement Mode: Flying. Associated Skill: Fly.

Equipment: Rogue Weapon Training (discipline) You gain proficiency with the blade boot, butterfly knife, garrote, hand crossbow, kukri, rapier, sap, short sword, shortbow, starknife, switchblade knife, sword cane, war razor, and whip. Additionally, you gain a +2 competence bonus to Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a weapon on your person. At +10 base attack bonus, this competence bonus increases to +4.

Finesse Training (Ex) At 1st level, a rogue gains Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat. In addition, starting at 3rd level, she can select any one type of weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse (such as rapiers or daggers). Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed. Whenever she makes a successful melee attack with the selected weapon, she adds her Dexterity modifier instead of her Strength modifier to the damage roll. If any effect would prevent the rogue from adding her Strength modifier to the damage roll, she does not add her Dexterity modifier. The rogue can select a second weapon at 11th level and a third at 19th level.

Illusion Sphere You may craft images and impressions of things that are not there.

Illusion sphere abilities have a range of close, and unless stated otherwise, creatures who interact with an Illusion sphere ability may attempt a Will save to disbelieve.

All Illusion sphere effects are either a figment or a glamer.

Figment: Illusions or tricks cast on an area are called figments and are transparent when disbelieved. You may choose to believe or disbelieve your own figments at will, even switching between the two once per round as a non-action, but not both at once. Figments are not subject to spell resistance. A figment may shed as much normal light as a torch and may cast a shadow.

A figment may be created anywhere within your maximum illusion range without the need of line of sight nor line of effect, but requires line of sight to be moved, directed, or have its appearance altered after creation (all of which are done as either a standard action or as part of the action used to maintain via concentration). Figments can be moved at a speed of 20 feet + 5 feet per 5 caster levels per round and must remain within your maximum illusion range.

Glamer: Illusions or tricks cast on a creature or object are called glamers, and change the way the creature or object looks, smells, tastes, or otherwise interacts with the senses of others. The recipient of a glamer can see through the glamer and ignore its effects (for example, an invisible creature can still see itself, and while you could use Illusionary Disguise and Illusionary Touch x2 to make a glamer of someone on fire, that fire would not damage the wearer of the glamer itself). Unwilling targets may attempt a Will save to resist a glamer being placed upon them, and glamers are subject to spell resistance.

Glamers remain on the creature or object they are placed upon regardless of how quickly the target moves or distance between them and the caster. A target can be the subject of multiple glamers at once, but not the same type of glamer multiple times; for example, if a target is wearing an Illusionary Disguise and becomes subject to another Illusionary Disguise, the caster of the second Illusionary Disguise must succeed at a magic skill check against the first glamer to replace it with their own.

Illusion: Illusion As a standard action, you may spend a spell point to create an illusion within close range. This illusion may be a figment or a glamer, and has a duration of concentration, to a maximum of 1 minute per caster level. By default, these illusions are visual only. You cannot move further away from the illusion than your illusion range while maintaining it through concentration, and the illusion is limited in size according to Table: Illusion Maximum Size.

Table: Illusion Maximum Size

Caster Level	Illusion Maximum Size	Maximum Size in Cubes
1st	Medium	5-ft. cube
3rd	Large	10-ft.cube
5th	Huge	15-ft. cube
8th	Gargantuan	20-ft. cube
11th	Colossal	30-ft. cube
15th	Colossal+	45-ft. cube
20th	Colossal++	70-ft. cube
25th	Colossal+++	100-ft. cube
30th	Colossal++++	150-ft. cube
40th	Colossal+++++	225-ft. cube
50th	Colossal++++++	340-ft. cube
60th	Colossal+++++++	500-ft. cube

Figments: You may create an illusion that is a figment of anything you may clearly imagine, which behaves according to your desires.

Glamers: You may create an illusion that is a glamer. The maximum size of creature you may apply this glamer to is determined by your illusion maximum size.

When you gain this base sphere, you gain the following type of glamer:

Illusion: Illusionary Disguise You may create a glamer that makes a creature or object appear as something else. This allows you to attempt a Disguise check as part of casting the glamer, even without a disguise kit. This disguise is magical for the purposes of detecting magic or for spells and effects that allow a target to see through magical effects and illusions, and interacting with it allows for a Will save to disbelieve.

You may disguise a target as something larger than itself (up to your maximum illusion size) but can only make something appear to be one size smaller than it actually is.

Personal Illusion Your illusions are directly connected to your body. You can only apply glamers to yourself, and the range of your figments and tricks that target an area is reduced to 0 feet; you may only target squares that you currently occupy and must spend an immediate action any time your location changes to direct all figments and tricks you are currently maintaining to move with you.

To use tricks that target unwilling creatures or objects you must first make a successful melee touch attack. The duration of tricks targeting creatures or objects immediately ends the round you are no longer maintaining physical contact with the target.

Incompatible: Glamered Brew

Illusion: Suppression (glamer) As an illusion, you may create glamers that suppress and eliminate sensation rather than creating their own. Suppressions cannot be negated or disbelieved through a Will save. You may suppress any sense that you can affect when creating illusions, but each such Suppression is considered a separate glamer.

Note: If you suppress every sense required to fool a complex or exotic sense, that sense cannot automatically detect that creature.

Invisibility: When suppressing vision, you allow the target to attempt Stealth checks to hide even while being observed. This does not grant the invisible condition, but counts as invisibility for effects that interact with it (such as spells that negate it), and therefore does not stack with the invisibility spell or other, similar effects. The target also gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks per caster level (maximum 20). Objects cannot attempt Stealth checks, but become difficult to see, requiring a Perception check to find with a DC equal to 10 + their size bonus + your caster level. If you are undetected by a creature, you gain total concealment against it, as well as a +2 bonus to attack rolls against it, and you may ignore its Dexterity bonus to AC.

Silence: When suppressing sound, you cause the creature to become muffled. The target loses its armor check penalty to Stealth and reduces the penalty associated with sniping by 1 per caster level (minimum 0). However, the target also suffers a 5% chance of arcane spell failure per caster level (maximum 100%) when using magic that requires verbal components or is language-based.

Touchless: When suppressing touch, it becomes difficult to detect the target by feel. If the target touches or makes a melee attack against a creature from Stealth, that creature must succeed at a Perception check to even feel that they have been touched or attacked (DC 10 + 1 per caster level, -1 per point of damage dealt). The target also gains a +1 circumstance bonus per caster level (maximum +20) to Sleight of Hand checks made to pick pockets.

Odorless: When suppressing taste and smell, the affected target inflicts other creatures attempting to track it or discover it through smell (such as with the scent special ability) a penalty to their Perception or Survival checks equal to -1 per caster level (maximum 20). This also applies to checks made to detect poison or identify the target via smell or taste. Additionally, if the target attempts to use smell to affect other targets (such as making them sickened or nauseated through the stench ability), targets gain a +1 bonus per caster level (maximum 20) to their saving throws.

Suppressing magical auras is described in the Manipulate Aura talent, and is assumed to be used on all magical auras (including the aura from the Suppression itself) affecting the glamered creature.

You may spend an additional spell point to create a figment that suppresses sensations just like the glamer. All targets inside the figment gain the above benefits and penalties, as if they were under the effects of the glamer. You may choose if this applies only to creatures or to all creatures and objects. Unlike other figments, a Suppression figment cannot move once placed, and has no sensory expression other than the noticeable blurring of sensation inside its area.

Scoundrel Sphere Masters of subtlety and guile, practitioners of the Scoundrel sphere know how to best manipulate opponents into dropping their guard before taking them for everything they have. When you gain the Scoundrel sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Sleight of Hand skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Scoundrel sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the Sleight of Hand skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.

All practitioners of the Scoundrel sphere gain the following abilities:

Scoundrel: Swift Hands You may use your Dexterity in place of your Strength when attempting a dirty trick or steal maneuver and may use your ranks in the Sleight of Hand skill in place of your base attack bonus when determining your combat maneuver bonus to perform a dirty trick or steal maneuver. In addition, you may apply any enhancement bonuses to your unarmed strikes to your dirty trick and steal combat maneuvers.

Scoundrel: Marked Target You may make a melee touch attack against a creature as a swift action; if this attack is successful, the creature is battered and takes a -1 penalty on Perception checks for 1 round. For every 4 ranks in Sleight of Hand you possess, this penalty is increased by 1.

Whenever you perform a steal or dirty trick combat maneuver, or make a Sleight of Hand check to take an object from a target unnoticed, you may apply one (trick) talent to it. (Trick) talents cannot be applied to maneuvers performed as a free action.

Scout Sphere Training in the Scout sphere teaches you how to hide from danger, identify potential threats and hazards, track opponents through almost any environment, and identify a creature’s key weaknesses. When you gain the Scout sphere, you gain 5 ranks in the Stealth skill, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Scout sphere (maximum ranks equal to your total Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in the Stealth skill you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining talents, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature.

All practitioners of the Scout sphere gain the following ability:

Scout: Scout As a swift action, you may identify a creature’s weaknesses (DC 10 + creature’s CR) as described under the Knowledge skill, but may substitute a Perception check for the appropriate Knowledge check at a -5 penalty. This only reveals the target’s weaknesses, or lack thereof, (such as damage reduction types and vulnerabilities), and does not reveal any additional information about the target. Once you have succeeded at a scout attempt or Knowledge check against a target, any talents or effects that require you to scout a target may be used against the target for the next 24 hours; after this period you must successfully use the scout ability against the target again to continue benefiting from related effects.

Sneak Attack If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage.
The rogue’s attack deals extra damage anytime her target would be denied a Dexterity bonus to AC (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), or when the rogue flanks her target. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increases by 1d6 every 2 rogue levels thereafter. Ranged attacks can count as sneak attacks only if the target is within 30 feet. This additional damage is precision damage and is not multiplied on a critical hit.
With a weapon that deals nonlethal damage (such as a sap, unarmed strike, or whip), a rogue can make a sneak attack that deals nonlethal damage instead of lethal damage. She cannot use a weapon that deals lethal damage to deal nonlethal damage in a sneak attack—not even with the usual –4 penalty.
The rogue must be able to see the target well enough to pick out a vital spot and must be able to reach such a spot. A rogue cannot sneak attack while striking a creature with total concealment.

Somatic Casting You must gesture to cast spells—a process that requires you to have at least 1 hand unoccupied. When using magic, you cannot wear armor heavier than light without incurring a chance of arcane spell failure.

You may select this drawback twice. If taken a second time, you cannot wear any armor or use a shield without incurring a chance of arcane spell failure.

Spellhacking Sphere Operatives of the Spellhacking sphere are skilled at getting spells and magic items to do what they want, even far beyond their normal limits.

Associated Skill: Use Magic Device.

Rule Note: Dispel Checks

Some Spellhacking effects require you to succeed at a dispel check. A dispel check for the Spellhacking sphere adds only your ranks in the associated skill to the d20 roll (no other modifiers). You automatically fail this dispel check when you roll a 1 on the die.

Rule Note: Your Hacking Instrument

Using your hack magic ability requires repurposing a magic item, a spell focus, or similar tool. You must either hold the item in hand or wear it properly. Common choices for low-level operatives are dull gray ioun stones (which count as worn for the purpose of talents while orbiting), holy symbols, and spell component pouches. As with the Use Magic Device skill, your hacking methods can vary significantly depending on what magical effect you are hacking. You might need to experiment with magic words, cross magical runes, or handle an item in a bizarre manner.

You gain the following benefits when you gain the Spellhacking sphere.

When you gain the Spellhacking sphere, you gain 5 ranks in Use Magic Device, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Spellhacking sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in Use Magic Device, you may immediately retrain them.

Skill Leverage: When you gain the Spellhacking sphere, you unlock skill leverage with the Spellcraft and Use Magic Device skills.

Bonus Talent: You gain one ordinary (hack) talent of your choice when you gain the Spellhacking sphere. It cannot be an exceptional talent.

You also acquire the Control Mishap and Hack Magic abilities.

Spellhacking: Control Mishap (Su) When you fail to activate a magic item or lose a spell by failing a concentration check, you can opt to control the unleashed magic as a swift or immediate action. You must attempt an associated skill check against DC 15 + effect’s caster level. If the effect would otherwise produce a mishap (such as if you failed a Use Magic Device check to activate an item blindly by 10), a successful check allows you to replace it with a (mishap) talent you know.

If a (hack) talent is also a (mishap), applying it as a mishap does not require hacking magic and it does not count against the limit of (hack) talents that can be applied to the effect.

You can also intentionally coax a (mishap) talent’s effect out of any magic item as a standard action with a successful associated skill check against DC 15 + item’s caster level. If you fail this check by 5 or more, you produce an uncontrolled mishap (GM’s choice, usually 2d6 bludgeoning damage to you or changing the target). Coaxing a mishap intentionally does not expend charges or uses from an item.

When you gain the Spellhacking sphere, you gain the Magical Resonance mishap.

Spellhacking: Magical Resonance (mishap) The mishap causes magical vibrations to feedback between the source and the magic auras of all creatures, objects, and magical effects within 15 feet. The mishap sheds dim light in its area. You and any creature who spends a move action to study the area by sight are automatically aware of the presence or absence of magic in objects and creatures within the area and the strength of the strongest aura. The area moves with the source of the mishap and lasts for 1 minute per rank in the associated skill you possess. All but the simplest magic traps do not react to this effect.

As a standard action, you can touch or visually study an item, place, or creature to learn whether it is magical and the strength of its magic aura (if any). Once you know an aura’s strength, you can spend a standard action concentrating on that aura to attempt a Spellcraft check to identify its school of magic. Knowing an aura’s school allows a Knowledge check to identify a spell or special magical effect (a free action). If you are already aware of its aura, you can attempt to identify the properties of a magic item you can examine using Spellcraft as a standard action. Magical areas, multiple types of magic, or strong local magical emanations may distort or conceal weaker auras. If you possess at least 5 ranks in the associated skill, you can learn a target’s aura strength as a move action. With at least 10 ranks, you can identify an aura’s school of magic as a free action. With at least 15 ranks, you can identify a magic item’s properties as a move action.

Aura Strength: An aura’s power depends on a spell’s functioning spell level or an item’s caster level; see Table: Resonance Aura Power. If an aura falls into multiple categories, the mishap indicates the strongest one.

Table: Resonance Aura Power

	Aura Power
Spell or Object	Faint	Moderate	Strong	Overwhelming
Functioning spell (spell level)	3rd or lower	4th-6th	7th-9th	10th+ (deity-level)
Magic item (caster level)	5th or lower	6th-11th	12th-20th	21st+ (artifact)

Lingering Aura: A magical aura lingers after a spell ends or a magic item is destroyed. If you examine such a location, you sense an aura strength of dim (even weaker than a faint aura). How long the dim aura lingers depends on its original power:

Original Strength	Duration of Lingering Aura
Faint	1d6 rounds
Moderate	1d6 minutes
Strong	1d6 x 10 minutes
Overwhelming	1d6 days

Spellhacking: Hack Magic (Su) As a standard action, you modify a magic item or ongoing magical effect by either applying a single (hack) talent to it or removing one from it. You must touch a hacking instrument (described above) as part of hacking magic. You can always hack an effect or item within your natural reach; in addition, you can hack an effect if you are within its range (so you could hack a medium-range spell cast at 9th level while you are within 190 feet of the effect) as long as you can sense its source, target, area, or effect. When calculating range to an area effect, use its point of origin (not its edge).

You must succeed at a dispel check to hack magic unless the effect was produced by a creature willing for you to alter it or an item held by a willing creature. The DC is 11 + caster level and automatically fails if you roll a 1 on the die. You automatically fail to hack a curse or cursed item if the curse’s DC is greater than 11 + the number ranks in the associated skill you possess. Once you attempt to hack an effect (successfully or not), you automatically fail further attempts to either add or remove that talent (whichever you already attempted to do) on that effect for 24 hours. You produce a mishap if your dispel check automatically fails or fails by 10 or more; the targeted effect remains unaltered. The mishap deals 2d6 bludgeoning damage to you (unless you successfully use control mishap).

If you readied an action to hack an effect from a specific source, you can alter that effect as it begins. The caster (if any) is aware of the effects of the (hack) talent, and may choose the spell’s effects (but not stop casting it) with this in mind. You learn what the caster chose and apply the (hack talent) a split second before the magic takes effect.

The magic begins with the changes already in place. For example, if you apply the Reposition Magic talent to an area effect, the caster chooses where to place the area knowing that you can move it, then you choose a distance and direction to move the area (it takes effect at the destination you chose).

A (hack) talent that does not produce an obvious change can only be noticed with a successful Spellcraft check against DC 11 + your associated skill modifier. Creatures get to roll this check to notice the hack whenever they spend at least a move action examining the item or effect and the first time they attempt to command or activate the effect after you hack it.

The alteration from hack magic ends after 1 hour per rank in the associated skill you possess. To remove your (hack) talent by hacking magic, an opponent must succeed at a dispel check against DC 11 + your associated skill ranks; if they possess the (hack) talent they want to remove, it is automatically removed and they may add a (hack) talent to the effect as part of the same action. The caster of a magical effect can undo your alteration as a standard action if they are within the effect’s range and succeed at a caster level check against the same DC.

Personal Hacking You may only use hack magic on effects that you cast, and cannot use hack magic on effects cast by a creature in range, even if they are willing. You gain a (hack) talent.

Spellhacking: Blast Tuning (hack)

Target: A magical area effect in a line, cone, burst, or emanation

You can convert a burst, emanation, or line into a cone; or convert a cone into a line or burst. The resulting dimensions depend on the original dimensions. A line becomes a cone with length one-third the length of the line. A burst or emanation becomes a cone with length equal to twice the burst’s radius; if the new cone emanates from a creature, the creature can choose a new direction for the cone as a free action once per turn. A cone becomes either a line with triple the cone’s length or a burst centered on the caster with a radius equal to half the cone’s length. (You must first use the Prepared Hacking feat in order to alter an effect as you cast it.)

Spellhacking: Splinter Magic (hack)

Target: A magical effect with at least one target, a duration of at least 5 rounds, and a range greater than personal

You fracture a targeted magical effect, splitting it to include an additional valid target for the effect. The new target must be within the effect’s range from you and the effect or both must be within your reach. You can ignore the effect’s own limits on distance between multiple targets (such as mass charm person). The target gets any saving throw allowed, negating the effect on a success. You make any attack roll required. If the effect allows spell resistance, you make the check, using the number of ranks in the associated skill you possess in place of your caster level. If the effect has a concentration duration, you must concentrate to maintain the splinter. You cannot use Splinter Magic on the splinter effect produced by this talent.

If the effect normally allows only 1 target, the splinter magic is less effective due to how its magic must be split to affect the new target. This has the following effects: new target gets a +2 bonus on its saving throw and to its spell resistance against the splinter effect, and the duration of the splinter effect on the new target (if not instantaneous, concentration, or permanent) is one-fifth the remaining duration on the target you are copying it from (at minimum lasting until the end of your next turn). You cannot splinter a single-target effect that is permanent except with the Retarget Magic exceptional talent.

Subterfuge Sphere Operatives of the Subterfuge sphere train to avoid scrutiny and act unsuspected. They are unobtrusive when they need to be, moving with crowds and moving so subtly that their actions are unnoticed even when they are plainly seen. Even when noticed, Subterfuge masters can seem like they belong almost anywhere, drawing no attention even under an enemy’s nose.

Associated Skill: Disguise.

You gain the following benefits when you gain the Subterfuge sphere.

When you gain the Subterfuge sphere, you gain 5 ranks in Disguise, plus 5 ranks per additional talent spent in the Subterfuge sphere (maximum ranks equal to your Hit Dice). If you already have ranks in Disguise, you may immediately retrain them.

Skill Leverage: When you gain the Subterfuge sphere, you unlock skill leverage with the Disguise and Sleight of Hand skills.

You also acquire the Baffling Revelation, Confident Subtlety, and Fast Disguise abilities.

Subterfuge: Baffling Revelation (Ex) You can outwit any creature as long as they are fooled by your current disguise, you possess an item they believed they possessed, or you know a secret they consider important and well-kept. To outwit them using this ability, you must brandish the item they thought they had, you must reveal the secret, or you must reveal yourself to not be who you appear to be. Revealing a secret or your disguised nature can be verbal or visual, as appropriate. Creatures must generally be within 30 feet for you to outwit them verbally, but they can be up to 60 feet away if you reveal your ruse visually. Anyone who discovers you are disguised this way does not necessarily discover who you are. Once an item or secret is used to outwit a creature, that item or secret cannot be used by anyone to outwit that creature again.

Subterfuge: Confident Subtlety [approach] (Ex) Adopting this approach is a swift action. While you maintain this approach, you reduce the penalty to Sleight of Hand checks for attempting to take an action subtly without taking longer by 6 (reducing it to -4).

Deft [alternate start] [utility start] You use Sleight of Hand (instead of Disguise) as the associated skill for this sphere. You lose the fast disguise ability and cannot gain (disguise) talents; you gain the Effortless Theft talent instead.

Subterfuge: Effortless Theft [utility] You can stow up to two held objects, each with a different hand, as a swift action. You can attempt one Sleight of Hand check either to lift an object or hide an object on your person as part of a move, standard, or full-round action to move, or as part of a standard or longer action to attempt a Bluff, Diplomacy, or Intimidate check.

Telekinesis Sphere You can lift and move objects through magic.

Telekinesis: Telekinesis As a standard action, you can use telekinesis to lift one willing creature or unattended object within close range and move it up to 20 feet + 5 feet per 5 caster levels (its telekinesis speed). The creature or object levitates as long as you concentrate, have line of effect, and the object remains within close range. The objects and creatures you may lift are restricted by size; the largest creature or object you can lift is given in the chart below. This assumes the creature or object is made from a dense material, such as flesh creatures or stone objects.

Creatures or objects made of lighter materials, mostly open space, or reduced to ½ weight with the Lighten talent of the Enhancement sphere count as being one size category smaller, while weightless creatures or objects count as being 2 size categories smaller for this purpose.

Table: Object Size

Caster Level	Object Size	Sample Object	Average Weight (lbs.)
1st	Diminutive	Dagger	1 lbs.
3rd	Tiny	Candelabra	5 lbs.
5th	Small	Heavy shield	25 lbs.
8th	Medium	Adult human	125 lbs.
11th	Large	Statue	625 lbs.
15th	Huge	Wagon	3,125 lbs.
20th	Gargantuan	Catapult	8 tons
25th	Colossal	Sailing Ship	39 tons
30th	Colossal+	Tavern	195 tons
40th	Colossal++	Galleon	977 tons
50th	Colossal+++	Temple	4,883 tons
60th	Colossal++++	Cathedral	24,414 tons

Your telekinesis is simple and cannot perform dexterous actions (tying a knot, opening a book, turning a key, etc.). Any object you control with telekinesis has a touch AC of 10 + your casting ability modifier + any size modifier, and a CMD of 10 + your caster level + your casting ability modifier + the object’s size modifier. If ever a Strength check is required (such as a creature trying to battle you for control of an item), you may use your casting ability modifier as your Strength modifier for that purpose. If another target attempts to use telekinesis on something you are already affecting with telekinesis, they must overcome your MSD first, or the attempt fails.

The following special rules apply to certain activities you may perform with telekinesis:

Telekinesis: Catch If using telekinesis on a projectile or thrown object within your size limit (often as a readied action), you may stop the attack from dealing damage. The originator of the attack (the creature who threw the projectile, etc.) is allowed a Will save to negate this ability. After Catching an object, you may move it as normal for your telekinesis.

Telekinesis: Hostile Lift You may spend a spell point to lift an unwilling creature with telekinesis. The target is allowed a Will save to negate this effect, plus an additional Will save each round the effect is maintained. Telekinesis used in this way is subject to spell resistance.

If a Hostile Lift is sustained with Sustained Force, it only lasts until the target succeeds at its save. A creature may suffer falling damage if they successfully save while floating high in the air.

Telekinesis: Sustained Force As a free action, you can spend a spell point to no longer need to concentrate to maintain lifting a particular object for up to 1 minute per caster level. You may give a Sustained Force simple orders (float in the air, go north, follow a target) that it obeys to the best of its ability, to a maximum of your telekinesis range. Changing a Sustained Force’s orders is a move action.

You cannot sustain combat-related uses of telekinesis (combat maneuvers, Bludgeons, etc.), nor complicated tasks (make a wagon load itself with stones and move them to another location, etc.). You may dismiss a Sustained Force as a standard action.

Passive Telekinesis You possess the ability to maneuver your telekinesis in delicate ways, but find direct force difficult. You cannot use your telekinesis to perform a Bludgeon attack. You must select Telekinetic Tools as the bonus talent gained from this drawback.

Incompatible: Flight, Gravity, Orbit

Telekinesis: Finesse [utility] You may use telekinesis to perform fine manipulations, such as turning a key in a lock, unrolling a scroll, or tying a knot. You may attempt appropriate skill checks (such as Craft, Disable Device, Profession, or Performance checks that involve objects or instruments, but not Sleight of Hand or other checks involving attended objects unless you possess the Steal talent) at a distance, as well as Heal checks to perform first aid. When performing a skill at a distance you may use your casting ability modifier in place of the normal ability modifier, but you also suffer a -5 penalty to the skill check and cannot take 10. You may also use Sustained Force to maintain complicated, non-combat procedures such as making knives prepare dinner, make a lute play itself, or making a shovel dig a ditch.

Telekinesis: Telekinetic Tools You may use your telekinesis to mimic simple tools, such as shovels, hammers, or scissors by using your telekinesis as if manipulating an item of the appropriate size.

If you possess the Finesse talent, you may mimic tools associated with any of the listed skills, allowing you to Perform without an instrument or pick a lock without thieves’ tools. In addition, if you possess the Telekinetic Maneuver talent, when grappling a target you may choose to use the tie up grapple action to restrain them with telekinetic force instead of a rope.

A creature successfully tied up this way is bound and helpless, and must follow the tie up rules to escape their bonds. This restraining force lasts until broken by a successful combat maneuver, until they receive help from an outside force as a full-round action, or until you dismiss it. A target cannot attempt a Will save to negate the effects of these bonds, or a Strength check to break them.

Verbal Casting You must speak in a loud, clear voice to cast spells. Using magic alerts all nearby hearing creatures to your presence and location, effectively breaking stealth. You cannot cast in an area of magical silence, or in any other situation where you are unable to speak clearly.

Vocation: Cutpurse (trade) [utility] You gain Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth as class skills. If you have at least one ally within reach of your opponent, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on Sleight of Hand checks against them.

Vocation: Experimenter (trade) [utility] You gain Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (engineering), and Use Magic Device as class skills. You may use the better of your Intelligence or Charisma modifier for Intimidate checks.

Vocation; Gambler (trade) [utility] You gain Appraise, Bluff, Sense Motive, and Sleight of Hand as class skills. You can use your Charisma modifier in place of your Intelligence modifier for Appraise checks.

Vocation: Mage Hunter (trade) [utility] You gain Disable Device, Disguise, Knowledge (arcana), and Spellcraft as class skills. You can disable magical traps using Disable Device as if you had the trapfinding class feature.

Build

Anton is built with a 4d6 roll, discard lower system and 140 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is +⅙ of a new rogue talent. If using a lower point buy, you can lower Strength and Wisdom. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Intelligence and Dexterity. Intelligence is your casting statistic and affects the save DCs of all your magic talents and your spell pool; in addition, it also determines your prowess with your martial and guile talents. Dexterity makes you a great finesse warrior, increases your initiative, and bolsters AC. Charisma is important too for diplomatic relationships and to intimidate your enemies in combat.

How to Play Anton

Anton is sarcastic, flamboyant, roguish, and has a heart of gold- though he won’t ever admit it. Prone to rocambolesque deeds and boasts, he prides himself to be able to steal any jewel and conquer any heart. He pretends to only be interested in himself and loot, but is fiercely loyal to the ones he loves. Dirty tricks are his specialty and he doesn’t mind using a little magic in order to confuse his opponents. Stealing to the nasty and giving to the nice is his motto, and he always follows “the honored rogue’s code” he himself has written. Luck seems always to assist the scoundrel, maybe because he constantly defies her.

Future Abilities

Magic Talents Decoy, Destruction sphere, Greater Speed, Mage Feint

Martial Talents Expanded Training* (climb, leap), Fencing sphere, Pirate Training, Verbal Feint, Whip Fiend; Utility Isolating Repartee, Mighty Conditioning, Read Foe

Skill Talents Bluster sphere*, Extra Faction Package, Faction sphere* (Retainer package), Cheat Death; Utility Authoritative, Clever Charlatan, Criminal Contacts, Impressive Brag, Innate Spellhacking, Intimidating Reputation

Rogue Talents Arcane Infiltration, Chance Feats x2 (Defy Fate, Surge of Fortune), Cunning, Focused Infiltration, Hedgewitch Secret x2 (Combat Talent, Familiar), Hidden Space

Feats Dervish Dance, Extra Skill Talent, Greater Two-Weapon Fighting, Improved Dirty Trick, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Slashing Grace, Two-Weapon Grace, Weapon Focus (cutlass), Weapon Focus (whip)

Skills Acrobatics, Bluff, Diplomacy, Escape Artist, Intimidate, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth are the most useful skills for Anton. Appraise, Fly, and Use Magic Device are useful too as the character develops and begins to use magic items and magic talents more regularly.

Select Panache as your professional method at 2nd level and The Crack and Shatter as your shade machination at 3rd level. Athletics, Bluster, Illusion, and Subterfuge are the best choices for shade’s edge, or Acrobatics, Fly, Intimidate, and Stealth for skill unlocks. Acquire a Pilferer weasel familiar with one of your hedgewitch secrets.