CREDITS - Neocities

Transcription

CREDITSDESIGNERSSENIOR ART DIRECTOR D&DBRUCE R. CORDELL, CHRISTOPHER LINDSAYSTACY LONGSTREETDEVELOPMENT TEAMART DIRECTORSSTEPHEN SCHUBERT, CHRIS THOMASSON,GWENDOLYN F.M. KESTRELMARI KOLKOWSKY, KARIN JAOJJESCOVER ARTISTEDITORSRAVEN MIMURAMICHELLE LYONS, RAY VALLESEINTERIOR ARTISTSEDITING MANAGERWAYNE ENGLAND, DAVID GRIFFITH,TON HODGSON, RALPH HORSLEY, WARREN MAHY,WILLIAM O'CONNOR, TED PENDERGRAFT,RICHARD SARDINHA, RON SPENCERKIM MOHANDESIGN MANAGERCHRISTOPHER PERKINSCARTOGRAPHERKYLE HUNTERDEVELOPMENT MANAGERJESSE DECKERGRAPHIC DESIGNERDEE BARNETTDIRECTOR OF RPG R&DBILL SLAVICSEKGRAPHIC PRODUCTION SPECIALISTERIN DORRIESPRODUCTION MANAGERSJOSH FISCHER, RANDALL CREWSIMAGE TECHNICIANSVEN BOLENSome information in this book, is taken from or derived from Races of Eberron by Jesse Decker, Matthew Sernett, Gwendolyn F.M.Kestrel, and Keith Baker, Races of Destiny by David Noonan, Eric Cagle, and Aaron Rosenberg; Races of the Wild by Skip Williams;Frostburn by Wolfgang Baur, James Jacobs, and George Strayton; Races of Stone by David Noonan, Jesse Decker, and MichelleLyons; Sandstorm by Bruce R. Cordell, Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, and JD Wiker; “Mind Lords of Talaron” Dragon #281 by StephenKenson; Expanded Psionics Previews in Dragon Issues #314, #316, #317, #318, #319 by Bruce R. Cordell; Mind’s Eye (variousarticles) by Mark A. Jindra and Scott BrociusBased on the original DUNGEONS & DRAGONS* rules created by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONSgame designed by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, Richard Baker, and Peter Adkison.This product uses updated material from the v.3.5 revision.This WIZARDS OF THE COAST” game product contains no Open Game Content. No portion of this work may be reproduced in anyform without written permission. To learn more about, the Open Gaming License and the d20 System License, please visit www.wizards.com/d20.WotC code: 620-95367720-001-ENISBN10: 0-7869-3911-7First Printing: April 2006ISBN-13: 987-0-7869-3911-4

ContentsIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4What You Need to Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4New Psionic Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Chapter 1: Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5Ardent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Divine Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Lurk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Chapter 3: Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Psi-like Abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Psionic Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48Dazzling Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Deep Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Dire Flail Mind Blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Dire Stun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Don Mantle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Dromite Barrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Dromite Ray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Duergar Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Duergar Invisibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Dwarven Urgrosh Mind Blade . . . . . 49Ectopic Form. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Elan Repletion, Enhanced. . . . . . . . . . 52Elan Resilience, Enhanced . . . . . . . . . 52Elan Resistance, Enhanced . . . . . . . . . 52Elan Retainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Elemental Envoy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Energize Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Enervation Endurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Enhanced Beneficence. . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Envoy Cognizance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Euphoric Reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Extra Aura. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Focused Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Focused Shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Focused Skill User. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Gestalt Anchor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githyanki Charm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githyanki Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githyanki Dismissal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githyanki Ectoform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githzerai Burst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githzerai Feedback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githzerai Knock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54Githzerai Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Half-Giant Stomp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Half-Giant Thunderer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Instinctive Consummator . . . . . . . . . . 55Invest Armor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Lurk Augment. Extra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55TABLE OFCONTENTSChapter 2: Prestige Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17Anarchic Initiate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Ebon Saint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Ectopic Adept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Flayerspawn Psychic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Illumine Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33Soulbow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Storm Disciple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Zerth Cenobite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Lurk Augment, Ranged . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Chapter 4: Powers, Mantles, and Items . .65Lurk Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65Lurk Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Mantles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66Maenad Fury . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Psion/Wilder Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Maenad Scream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Psion Discipline Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75Maenad Deaiening Scream . . . . . . . . . 55Psychic Warrior Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76Mantle Focus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Powers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Mental Juggernaut. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Psionic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Mind Cleave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105Mind Empowerment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Psicrowns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107Mind Strike, Focused . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Crystal Masks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108Mind Strike, Swift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Psychoactive Skins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Orc Double Axe Mind Blade . . . . . . . 57Stacked Psionatrices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Postpone Enervation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Psionic Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Practiced Manifester . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Other Universal Items . . . . . . . . . . . . 114Privileged Energy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Psionic Locations as Treasure. . . . . . 116Psymbiot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Skin of the Construct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Chapter 5: Constructs and Creatures . . . 119Stygian Archon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Astral Construct. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Synad Multitask. Enhanced . . . . . . . . 58Basic Astral Constructs. . . . . . . . . . . . 120Tap Mantle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Agile Loper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Thri-Kreen Carapace. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Alabaster Aerial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122Thri-Kreen Claw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Amber Tunneler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123Thri-Kreen Displacement . . . . . . . . . . 58Anathemic Carapace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Thri-Kreen Poison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Astral Aquan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Two-Bladed Mind Blade. . . . . . . . . . . . 58Ebony Stinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Volatile Escalation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Emerald Gyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127Volatile Leech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Iridescent Serpent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Xeph Burst, Extra. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Ectoplasmic Swarm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129Xeph Celerity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Elemental Stewards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130General Feats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Arctine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Dorje Mastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Emberling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Dual Dorje . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Geodite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131Hostile Mind, Improved . . . . . . . . . . . 59Tempestan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Psionic Mastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Larval Flayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133Host Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Shadow Eft. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Aggressive Mind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Sibyllic Guardian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135Antagonist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Spectral Savant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136Defensive Shell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60The Transformation Ritual . . . . . . . . 138Host Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Pacifist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Chapter 6: Character Options. . . . . . . . . . .139Psionic Races. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139Spiritual Force. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60New Psionic Race: Synad. . . . . . . . . . 139Strength of Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60The Six Hidden Houses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Telepathic Affinity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60House Adon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141Illithid Heritage Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61House Celare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Illithid Blast. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61House Cogitare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Illithid Compulsion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61House Incendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Illithid Enthusiast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61House Novar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Illithid Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61House Vaymin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143Illithid Grapple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Psionic Racial Classes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Illithid Heritage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Duergar Racial Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Illithid Legacy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Githyanki Racial Class . . . . . . . . . . . . 146Illithid Legacy. Greater . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Githzerai Racial Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147Illithid Skin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Half-Giant Racial Class. . . . . . . . . . . . 148Metapsionic Feats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Thri-Kreen Racial Class . . . . . . . . . . . 149Knockdown Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Psionic Guilds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Linked Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Diamond Knights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Metapower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63The Lodge Luminous . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152Paraelemental Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Variant Psion: The Erudite . . . . . . . . . . . . 153Phrenic Leech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63Epic Psionic Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156Stygian Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64Daily Power Points for Psionic NPCs . . 157Transdimensional Power . . . . . . . . . . . 643

IntroductionINTRODUCTIONThe mindstorm moved in from the infinite reaches of the Astral,threatening the integrity of the Interface.Cursing his bad luck, Ialdabode finally closed the portal."I won't abandon you, Mitra," the psion promised, wincing andrubbing his forehead. He'd allowed the portal to stay open a littletoo long—the disruption had almost manifest from the realm ofthe mind into the realm of the material. Ialdabode's head achedas if he'd been kicked by a steer.And what of Mitra? She was his closest friend, and the onlyother psionic individual who knew of the recent perturbationsin the Crystal Mind's global cognizance. She was set adrift in theAstral Plane because Ialdabode hadn't foreseen the arrival of thestorm front."It is suspicious, after all." he murmured, then swore again.Merely entertaining the idea of a conspiracy was enough for hisheightened intuition to deduce the truth—the mindstorm's arrivalat just the wrong moment was no accident. It had been sent againsthim and Mitra deliberately to foil their investigation.The psion shivered when he considered the power requiredto generate a mindstorm of such ferocity on demand. Who hadthat skill?With a sinking feeling, the answer dropped into his consciousness like the first cold drop of winter rain.The Flayer Sovereignty was operative once more.Many D&D games eventually include psionics. Althoughyou may not realize it, pitting your characters against anillithid introduces psionics to your game, with its terriblemind blast. Other games go farther down the psionics path,and in those games Expanded Psionics Handbook has a place atthe table equal to that of the Player's Handbook.Whether your game is more akin to the former or the latter,this book, Complete Psionic, will expand your understandingof psionics rules.WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAYComplete Psionic makes use of the information in the threeD&D core rulebooks—Player's Handbook (PH), Dungeon Master'sGuide (DMG), and Monster Manual (MM)—as well as ExpandedPsionics Handbook (EPH). It doesn't directly reference anyother books (aside from a single mention of Fiend Folio), butit draws on the accumulated heritage of D&D supplementspublished since 2000. Although possession of any or all ofthese supplements will enhance your enjoyment of this book,they are not strictly necessary.NEW PSIONIC CLASSESUp to now, there were four standard psionic classes: Thepsion, the psychic warrior, the soulknife, and the wilder.In addition to the classes described in Expanded PsionicsHandbook, this book introduces the following new standardpsionic classes: the ardent, the divine mind, and the Lurk. Inaddition, a variant psion, called the erudite, is presented asan option.The ardent calls on the power of cosmic forces, drawingon "mantles," or groups of powers that are derived fromthose universal principles. Physically a bit stronger thana traditional psion, an ardent is limited by the number ofmantles he can adopt.The divine mind is a devout warrior whose psionic abilities allow him to channel his god's beneficence into psionicpowers, as well as auras that help his comrades.The lurk is a mentally empowered killer who focuses ondispatching his enemies from the shadows.The erudite is a psionic sage whose knowledge of powersis potentially unlimited, although his ability to call on thatknowledge is limited to a particular subset each day. SWIFT AND IMMEDIATE ACTIONS4The Miniatures Handbook introduced the concept of a new actiontype: the swift action. Likewise, Expanded Psionics Handbookintroduced another new action type: the immediate action.Some of the class features, powers, and feats described inComplete Psionic use these concepts. A description of how theywork follows.Swift Actions: A swift action consumes a very small amountof time, but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energythan a free action. You can perform one swift action per turnwithout affecting your ability to perform other actions. In thatregard, a swift action is like a free action. However, you can perform only a single swift action per turn, regardless of what otheractions you take.You can take a swift action any time you would normally beallowed to take a free action. Since swift actions usually involvemagic or psionics, or the activation of magic or psionic items,many characters (especially those who don’t use magic or psionics) will never have an opportunity to take a swift action.Casting a quickened spell or manifesting a quickened power isa swift action. In addition, casting any spell or manifesting anypower with a casting time or manifesting time of 1 swift actionis a swift action. Casting a spell or manifesting a power with acasting or manifesting time of 1 swift action does not provokeattacks of opportunity.Immediate Actions: Much like a swift action, an immediateaction consumes a very small amount of time, but represents alarger expenditure of effort and energy than a free action. Unlikea swift action, an immediate action can be performed at anytime—even if it’s not your turn.Using an immediate action on your turn is the same as usinga swift action, and counts as your swift action for that turn. Youcannot use another immediate action or a swift action until afteryour next turn if you have used an immediate action when it isnot currently your turn (effectively, using an immediate actionbefore your turn is equivalent to using your swift action for thecoming turn). You also cannot use an immediate action if youare currently flat-footed.Under these rules, casting a feather fall spell is an immediateaction (not a free action, as stated in the spell description in thePlayer’s Handbook).Magic Items and Potions: Activating a spell completion item,activating a spell trigger item, or drinking a potion is a standardaction, even if the spell from which the scroll, potion, or item ismade can be cast as a swift action.

CLASSESCHAPTER ONEll intelligent beings possess self-awareness, the coreof sentience. What many do not realize, however,is that this nascent consciousness is a form ofpsychic energy. Different people value varyingaspects of this energy, whether Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom, for their applications in certain professionsin the world, but it is the sum of these and other unnamedfacets of consciousness that contributes to psionic potential.Those who decide to build on this holistic potential are calledpsionic characters.Psionic characters learn to tap into the energy of theirconsciousness. Psionic character classes embrace the energyof the mind's output directly, using force of will to alterreality in small and large ways. The thoughts and dreams ofnormal creatures churn impotently, but a psionic character'smental desires manifest themselves for all to see, marvel at,and perhaps fear.Unlike the standard character classes found in the Player'sHandbook, all classes presented here are based on psionicpower usage to some degree. While the psion, psychic warrior, soulknife, and wilder offer a tremendous amount ofversatility and configurability, they're not the only psionicclasses the game could feature. This chapter presents threenew character classes for psionic characters: the ardent, thedivine mind, and the lurk. Unlike prestige classes, newcharacter classes are designed for use from a character'sfirst class level.Ardent: A psionic manifester who upholds his chosenphilosophies.Divine Mind: A psionic holy warrior who adopts themantles of a chosen deify and becomes a champion ofhis faith.Lurk: A mentally empowered killer who focuses ondispatching his enemies from the shadows.STARTING GEAREach class description concludes with a starting packageyou can use when creating a 1st-level character of thatclass. Alternatively, you can roll randomly using thefollowing table to determine the character's gold, thenbuy equipment item by item.TABLE 1–1: RANDOM STARTING GOLDClassArdentDivine mindLurkAmount (average)5d4 10 (125 gp)6d4 10 (150 gp)5d4 10 (125 gp)ARDENTNo two places in the multiverse are exactly alike.Creatures teem across a multitude of terrains, forming infinitely diverse ecologies. Despite the amazingvariety displayed, however, some elements—or, assome call them, philosophies—persist. These fundamental concepts about the way things function havea basic truth to them that transcends any physical,emotional, or ideological boundary.5

CLASSESCHAPTER 1Some enlightened individuals have found that byacknowledging these concepts, they can tap a reserve ofgreat power. These ideas, they believe, are the only constantsthroughout the multiverse; as such, they hold the potentialto empower anyone who tries to understand them. Throughthe strength of their minds, these individuals can masterthese constants, and the great power they offer. They areknown as ardents.The philosophies ardents pursue include aspects suchas life, death, annihilation, and fate, among others. Eachardent chooses a philosophy that seems the most powerfulto her, personally, based on her experience and mental andemotional leanings. As a result, an ardent develops a uniqueunderstanding of her philosophy and approach to the pursuitof power.An ardent gravitates toward a set of philosophical conceptssuitable to her heritage, upbringing, and life experiences.Many mistake an ardent for a cleric or paladin, because sheis often as enthusiastic about her personal philosophies asany divine missionary could be. Unlike a divine spellcasterwho gains her power through a deity, an ardent directly tapsthe concepts the deity represents, bypassing any connectionto a conscious higher power.An ardent's pursuit of these cosmic philosophies gives heraccess to psionic power in a unique way: through psionicmantles. Each mantle is tied to one of the universal true concepts that an ardent so admires, and is represented by a specificlist of psionic powers and abilities. An ardent gains access tonew mantles as she gains levels, representing her growingawareness of the interconnected nature of core truths and agrowing understanding of how the multiverse works.All ardents focus on two mantles, known as their primarymantles. These concepts are those that an ardent findsmost appealing or that possess the most potential powerin her eyes. All other mantles are considered secondaryTABLE 1–2: THE 13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th6BaseAttackBonus 0 1 2 3 3 4 5 6/ 1 6/ 1 7/ 2 8/ 3 9/ 4 9/ 4 10/ 5 11/ 6/ 1 12/ 7/ 2 12/ 7/ 2 13/ 8/ 3 14/ 9/ 4 15/ 10/ 5mantles—philosophies certainly powerful and worthy ofstudy, but not considered as central to the universe as thecharacter's primary philosophies. Mantles are describedmore fully on page 66 in Chapter 4.MAKING AN ARDENTThe ardent's role in most groups is as a primary manifester,but she can contribute in other ways depending on themantles she has selected. She might be able to provide healingto the party, for example, or augment her melee capabilitiesand wade into the front line of combat.Abilities: Wisdom helps an ardent manifest the powersto which she will eventually have access, but she also valuesIntelligence, since it helps her learn more about the philosophical concepts with which she is enamored. Constitutionis also important, giving her the stamina to travel and survivewherever her studies take her.Races: Characters who feel inspired to become an ardentneed to select their core philosophies and the mantlesassociated with them. Among the humanoid races, humansseem most apt to follow such a course. Ardents are rare amongsavage or monstrous humanoids, since being an ardent requiresa philosophical mind and a certain amount of education inesoteric concepts and ideas.Alignment: An ardent can be of any alignment. Someardents worship deities and choose mantles in line withtheir deities' portfolio and domains; these characters alsoshare some component of their patrons' alignments. In mostother cases, ardents tend toward alignments that match theirphilosophical outlooks (few ardents who pursue the deathmantle are good, for example).CLASS FEATURESArdents master universal philosophies, drawing their powerand strength from their knowledge of these concepts.HIT DIE: D6FortSave 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6RefSave 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 6WillSave 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12SpecialAssume psionic mantles (2)Assume psionic mantle——Assume psionic mantle————Assume psionic mantle————Assume psionic 789101112131415161718192021Class Skills (2 Int modifier per level, 4 at 1st level): Autohypnosis, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Heal, Knowledge,Profession, Psicraft*. See the Player’s Handbook for standard skill descriptions.*See skills in Chapter 3: Skills in Expanded Psionics Handbook.

CLASSES7CHAPTER 1They also gain unique powers from each mantle they learnThe Difficulty Class for saving throws against ardentto wield.powers is 10 the power's level the ardent's Wis modifier.Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ardents are proficientFor example, the saving throw against a 6th-level power haswith all simple weapons, with all types of armor (heavy,a DC of 16 Wis modifier.medium, and light), and with shields (except tower shields).Mantles: The first two mantles an ardent selects are herPower Points/Day: An ardents ability to manifest powersprimary mantles. All others gained are secondary mantles.is limited by the power points she has available. Her basePrimary mantles represent the two philosophies the ardentdaily allotment of power points is given on Table 1–2: Thefeels most strongly about and champions above all others.Ardent. In addition, she receives bonus power points perAn ardent must maintain at least as many powers in herday if she has a high Wisdom score (see Table 2–1: Abilityprimary mantles as she takes in her secondary mantles,Modifiers and Bonus Power Points, EPH 18). Her race mightreflecting that personal allegiance. An ardent cannot choosealso provide bonus power points per day,a power from a secondary mantle if doing so would give heras might certain feats and items.more powers known from that secondaryPowers Known: An ardent bemantle than she knows from either of hergins play knowing two of the firstprimary mantles.powers available to her basedFor example, an ardent has the Fateon her choice of mantles. Eachand Good mantles as primary mantlesmantle features at least oneand the Law and Light and Darknesspower or ability with a costmantles as secondary mantles. Whenof 1 power point. An ardentshe gains a new level, she couldselects two of these powersonly choose a power from one offrom her two known mantlesher secondary mantles if she hadat 1st level.fewer powers in those mantlesAt each additional level, anthan in either of her primary ones.ardent learns one new powerThe exception to this rule is that iffrom her available mantles.the only choice an ardent can makeShe must be able to manifestat a given level would give her morethe new power at the level atpowers in a secondary mantlewhich she learns it, however.than in a primary mantle.For example, an ardent whoUnder those conditions, thatattains 5th level can learnchoice is allowed.any power from one of herAn ardent can choosemantles that costs 5 powerto swap the priority of twopoints or less to manifest;mantles—making one primaryshe cannot learn a powerand one secondary—at 8th level,from a mantle that costsand again at 15th level. As anmore than 5 power points toardent gains experience, hermanifest until she attains aworldview changes. Manylevel capable of manifestingfind themselves more devoteda power with that cost.to different concepts later inTo learn or manifest atheir careers. If an ardentpower, an ardent must haveknows fewer powers froma Wisdom score of at leasta newly designated pri10 the power's level. Formary mantle, she must takeexample, an ardent withpowers known exclusivelya Wisdom score of 13 canfrom that mantle at each ofmanifest powers of 3rd levelthe next few levels until sheor lower.has learned more powers fromThe total number of powersthat mantle than the rest of thean ardent can manifest in a daymantles she has.is limited only by her daily powerAssume Psionic Mantle:points. In other words, an 9th-levelAn ardent chooses a pair ofThe ardent chooses the truth he followsardent (with a total of 72 power points, notpsionic mantles at 1st level andincluding bonus power points for a high Wisdom score) couldassumes one additional mantle at 2nd, 5th, 10th, andmanifest a power costing 1 power point seventy-two times in15th level. Each mantle provides a list of powers (usuallyone day, a power costing 9 power points eight times in onesix or more) that an ardent can learn as she increasesday, or any combination of power point costs that does notin level. Each mantle also provides an ardent with aexceed 72 power points in total.special granted power. See Chapter 4 for a complete listAn ardent simply knows her powers; they are ingrainedof psionic mantles.in her mind. She does not need to prepare them (in theMantles represent a psionic distillation of a universal conway that some spellcasters prepare their spells), thoughcept or philosophical idea that the ardents believe transcendsshe must get a good night's sleep each day to regain all herthe multiverse. These concepts exist beyond deities or anyspent power points.creation of a creature, whether mortal or immortal.

CLASSESCHAPTER 1An ardent can select any mantle she wants over thecourse of her advancement, even choosing two that seemdiametrically opposed to one another, such as Good and Evil.Such ardents might seem to embody a series of contradictions,constantly seeking ways to balance (or not) the conflictingphilosophies they endorse. Other

allowed to take a free action. Since swift actions usually involve magic or psionics, or the activation of magic or psionic items, many characters (especially those who don’t use magic or psion-ics) will never have an opportunity to take a swift action. Casting a quickened