The Bardess’ Library #12 Is Out!

Here’s October’s issue of my magazine! This issue’s theme is: Bloodlines!

Tomorrow, there will be a new piece of exclusive content on my Patreon page. Enjoy it!

Tai Chi Style

A "real life" martial style (I practice it too).

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Tai Chi Style: A tai chi (“Supreme Summit Style”) practitioner endeavors to achieve balance between yin and yang energy- slowness and speed, calm and energy, stability and power. Feat Path: Tai Chi Style, Tai Chi Form, Tai Chi Energy.

Tai Chi Style (Combat, Style)

You can move slowly and precisely, concentrating on your body response to attack efficiently while maintaining your defences high.

Prerequisites: Dex 13, Int 13, Combat Expertise, Improved Unarmed Strike, ki pool.

Benefits: While using this style, if you have at least 1 point in your ki pool, you gain a +2 bonus on saving throws against slowing and paralyzing effects and on your CMD against trip. In addition, if you spend 1 ki point from your pool as a swift action, you negate all penalties to your attack rolls while using Combat Expertise.

Special: This feat counts as Quick Draw for the purpose of meeting the prerequisites for the Ready for Anything feat.

Tai Chi Form (Combat, Style)

The more your legs are rooted to the ground, the faster your arms can strike.

Prerequisites: Str 15, Dex 15, Int 15, Combat Expertise, Improved Initiative, Improved Unarmed Strike, Tai Chi Style, ki pool.

Benefits: While using Tai Chi Style, if you have at least 1 point in your ki pool, your bonus on saving throws against slowing and paralyzing effects and on your CMD against trip from Tai Chi Style increases to +4. In addition, if you spend 1 ki point from your pool as an immediate action, you negate all penalties to your attack rolls while fighting defensively. 

Tai Chi Energy (Combat, Style)

You can surprise your opponents with sudden and unexpected explosions of power.

Prerequisites: Str 17, Dex 17, Int 17, Alertness, Combat Expertise, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Ready for Anything, Tai Chi Form, Tai Chi Style, base attack bonus +6 or uncanny dodge class feature, ki pool.

Benefits: While using Tai Chi Style, if you have at least 1 point in your ki pool, you are immune to all slowing and paralyzing effects, you cannot be tripped, and you can always act as normal in the surprise round without being considered flat-footed. When your opponents are surprised, as a free action, you can spend 1 ki point from your pool to make an additional attack during the surprise round. This stacks with additional attacks gained through flurry of blows and other effects.

Psychopomp Style

A new outsider-inspired martial arts style that was missing.

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Psychopomp Style: This style emulates the psychopomp’s abilities to bring swift doom both to the living and the undead and prevent those you strike down to be raised or resurrected. Feat Path: Psychopomp Style, Psychopomp Execution, Psychopomp Judgment.

Psychopomp Style (Combat, Style)

The damage you inflict with your fists is harder to heal.

Prerequisites: Wis 13, Improved Unarmed Strike, base attack bonus +2 or monk level 1st.

Benefits: While using this style, the damage you deal with your unarmed strikes hampers any natural and magical healing granted to your target. For the next 24 hours, any natural and magical healing the target receives (including fast healing and regeneration) is reduced by 1 point. This only applies to the damage inflicted through Psychopomp Style. The entity of the healing reduction from subsequent hits on the same creature stacks, up to 1 + 1 for every four levels you have achieved beyond 1st. This is a curse effect and can be removed by remove curse.

Psychopomp Execution (Combat, Style)

The opponents you kill tend to stay dead.

Prerequisites: Wis 13, Ghostslayer, Improved Unarmed Strike, Psychopomp Style, Knowledge (religion) 1 rank, base attack bonus +6 or monk level 5th.

Benefits: While using Psychopomp Style, your unarmed attacks gain the ghost touch property. In addition, when you kill a living creature while using Psychopomp Style, it is treated as if it were killed by a death effect for the purposes of magic that can restore it to life, and it cannot be turned into an undead.

Psychopomp Judgment (Combat, Style)

Your fists pass judgment on the soul of your killed enemies.

Prerequisites: Wis 13, Ghostslayer, Improved Unarmed Strike, Psychopomp Execution, Psychopomp Style, Knowledge (religion) 1 rank, base attack bonus +10 or monk level 9th.

Benefits: While using Psychopomp Style, once per round, you can declare one of your unarmed attacks at your highest attack bonus as a judgment strike. If your judgment strike hits, the target is affected by hasten judgment, unless it succeeds at a Will saving throw.

New Ninja Master Tricks

For ninjas who dabble in the occult and martial arts.

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New Ninja Master Tricks

Qinggong Adept: The ninja can select any one ki power from the qinggong monk or unchained monk list. The ninja’s effective monk level for the purpose of selecting and using this power is equal to her ninja level -2. If the ninja has levels in monk, this ability stacks with monk levels. A ninja can select this trick multiple times. Each time, she must select a different ki power.

Vested Adept: The ninja can select any one vested power from the invested regent monk’s list. She can use her ki points as investiture points for the purpose of using this power. The ninja’s effective monk level for the purpose of selecting and using this power is equal to her ninja level -2. If the ninja has levels in monk, this ability stacks with monk levels. A ninja can select this trick multiple times. Each time, she must select a different vested power.

Ki Magus Arcana

This is to grant magi a bit more ki feats and Powers.

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New Magus Arcana

Ki Feat (Ex): The magus gains a ki feat as a bonus feat. He must meet the feat’s prerequisites. A magus can take this arcana multiple times, each time gaining a new ki feat. The magus must be at least 9th level before selecting this arcana.

Ki Power: The magus gains a single ki power of his choice from the qinggong monk or unchained monk list. The magus’ effective monk level for the purpose of selecting and using this power is equal to her magus level -2. If the magus has access to ki powers from other classes, his levels in magus don’t stack with those in other classes for the purpose of selecting and using ki powers. The magus must be at least 9th level and have the ki arcana magus arcana or the Ki Meditation feat before selecting this arcana.

A magus can take this arcana multiple times, each time gaining a new ki power.

 

Histrionic Unified Tradition

For an actor who knows well their trade. Parts of the tradition can be used separately, as usual.

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Histrionic

A consummate actor and impersonator, a Histrionic character makes his life a work of art; all the world is his stage (even if he often ends exhibiting in taverns for a drink).

Magic Type: Arcane

Casting Ability Modifier: Charisma or Intelligence

Bonus Combat Talents:

Equipment Sphere: Rogue Weapon Training

Barroom Sphere

Scoundrel Sphere

Variable: A histrionic gains either the Finesse Fighting talent from the Equipment sphere or a talent of his choice from the Barroom sphere.

Bonus Magic Talents

Alteration sphere

One among Fallen Fey sphere, Illusion sphere, Mind sphere, or an Alteration talent of his choice

Drawbacks: Skilled Casting (Perform/act), Somatic Casting, Verbal Casting; Lycanthropic (Alteration), Personal Magics (Enhancement), Personal Illusion (Illusion)

Boon: +1 spell point per odd level in casting classes.

Bonus Skill Talents:

Automatic Trade Talents: Entertainer, Virtuoso

Trade Talent Class Skills: Acrobatics, Disguise*, Escape Artist, Knowledge (history)R, Knowledge (nobility), Linguistics, Sleight of Hand.

* Increased class skill bonus in Disguise

Automatic Skill Sphere: Performance sphere (act package).

Adroit Trade Talents: False Mage, Orator

Trade Talent Class Skills:

Bluff*, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Sleight of Hand, Use Magic Device

* Increased skill bonus in Bluff; R Sense Motive in place of redundant Knowledge (history)

Adroit Bonus Skill Talent: Subterfuge sphere or the Performance sphere (A Gilded Tower) talent.

Medium Variant Multiclassing Rules

For the character who wants to be a bit of everything.

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Medium Variant Multiclassing

A character who chooses medium as his secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Spirit: At 3rd level, he can perform a séance to invite a spirit in his body as a medium of his character level and gain that spirit’s seance boon, influence penalty, and spirit bonus. He cannot select a spellcasting spirit with this ability. 

Spirit Surge: At 7th level, he gains the spirit surge ability. His equivalent medium level for this ability is 1st.

Lesser Spirit Power: At 11th level, he gains his spirit’s lesser power. He treats his character level as her effective medium level for all spirit powers.

Intermediate Spirit Power: At 15th level, he gains his spirit’s intermediate power.

Greater Spirit Power: At 19th level, he gains his spirit’s greater power.

Mesmerist Variant Multiclassing Rules

Some variant multiclassing rules were still missing!

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Mesmerist Variant Multiclassing

A character who chooses mesmerist as his secondary class gains the following secondary class features.

Hypnotic Stare: At 3rd level, he gains the hypnotic stare class feature as a mesmerist of his character level -4.

Trick: At 7th level, he selects one mesmerist trick. He can select and use this trick as a mesmerist of his character level.

Painful Stare: At 11th level, he gains the painful stare ability.

Additional Trick: At 15th level, he gains a second mesmerist trick. He can also select a masterful trick.

Bold Stare: At 19th level, he gains one bold stare effect.

Medium Trade Tradition

Since a medium can also channel a Trickster spirit, he must have a skill tradition too.

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Medium

Automatic Trade Talents: Duelist, Medium.

Trade Talent Class Skills: Bluff*, Diplomacy, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (planes), Knowledge (religion), Linguistics, Sense Motive.

Automatic Skill Sphere: Investigation sphere.

Adroit Trade Talents: Aberration Hunter, False Mage.

Trade Talent Class Skills: Heal, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Sleight of Hand, Spellcraft, Stealth, Use Magic Device.

* Increased skill bonus to Bluff checks.

Adroit Bonus Skill Talents: Study sphere or the Investigation sphere (Discern Esoterics talent).

Medium Martial Tradition

It’s not easy to make a tradition for a class that changes its powers daily, but let’s have a try.

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Medium

Mediums fight, use magic, and master skills depending on the spirits they are channeling at the moment.

Bonus Combat Talents:

Equipment Sphere: Armor Training

Barroom Sphere, Surprise

Variable: Mediums gain either Barroom Expert from the Barroom sphere or a talent of their choice from the Equipment sphere.

New Kinetic Wild Talent: Fist Tornado

For the kinetic ascetic who wants a flurry of elemental fists.

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New Kinetic Wild Talent

Fist Tornado

Element universal; Type form infusion; Level 4; Burn 2

Prerequisite kinetic fist

Associated Blasts any

Saving Throw none

As blade whirlwind, except it uses your unarmed attacks or natural weapons, and the effect lasts until the beginning of your next turn or until you use any one form infusion again, whichever comes first.

Thank you to my patrons!

 October has come. Are the horrors still there? Maybe a little shaft of light can be seen through the clouds? Maybe the monsters can be defeated if everyone fights together? Or will they rage to the bitter end before dying? Anyway, there's still so much to do. Let's do it together.

Thank you to my Supporter patrons:

-DragoDorn

-Christen Sowards

-Ecaeka Ecaicio

-Zabor

-S L Hall

Tomorrow a new piece of exclusive content will be published on my Patreon page. Please enjoy it!

New Mythic Feat: Blessed Hammer

For the dwarf priest who REALLY wants her sacred weapon to rock.

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Blessed Hammer (Mythic)

Your warhammer becomes a beacon of mythic divine power.

Prerequisites: Blessed Hammer.

Benefits: When you use your warhammer as a holy symbol, it sheds a bright light in a 30 ft. radius for a number of rounds equal to your mythic tier. All your allies within this radius gain a sacred bonus on attack and damage rolls equal to ½ your mythic tier (minimum 1) for that duration. In addition, if your warhammer has the throwing quality, you can use it to deliver divine touch spells at a distance through a ranged attack.