Arcanopath

Requirements

Spellcasting: Ability to cast 3rd level arcane spells, 2 from each level must be divinations.

Feats: Iron Will, Spell Focus (Divination).

Skills: Concentration (8 ranks), Scry (5 ranks).

Base Stats: Charisma 13+, Intelligence 13+, Wisdom 13+.

Special: May not have Enchantment as a prohibited school

Summary

A central theme in many divination spells is the concept of telepathy. The mental acuity and open transmission of thoughts that occurs during certain spells can awaken a desire in some diviners to explore this higher state of consciousness.

For some, it is enough to simulate true telepathy through the intermittent use of spells or magic items that grant those spells. For the truly driven, however, these temporary solutions are not enough. Spells have limited duration, magic items can be lost and neither grants the true sensation of being telepathic. Mental talents are rare but, more often than not, if a spellcaster becomes obsessed with telepathy to this degree there is a good chance he already possesses some level of psychic potential. In these cases, the divination spells act as a form of call and lure, attracting the telepathic aspect of the diviner to the surface and inspiring the spellcaster to achieve the mental awareness required for this inner gift to emerge.

These magically awakened ‘arcanopaths’, as they are called, form a loose-knit society through the course of their inner (and outer) journey to learn more about their new powers. Some arcanopaths are good-natured and act as guides for this selfdiscovery, while a dark few are embittered by their lonely, painful years of searching and lie in wait for emerging arcanopaths to victimise. Even the friendliest of arcanopaths is likely to live in relative isolation, far from the cacophony of city life and the thousands of minds that live there.

The role of the arcanopath is not a set one, with each acting in his own fashion to further his extraordinary abilities and behaving as conscience and morality demands (or against such demands, as befits the individual arcanopath). A collective of arcanopaths would be a potent force for whatever goals such a group set for itself and even a solitary arcanopath is, at the peak of his ability, a power to be reckoned with.

Role: Spell DPS

Characteristics: Refined spellcasting minds with offenses and defenses coming from said minds

Source: Encyclopedia Arcane: Divination

Game Rule Information

The Arcanopath has the following game statistics.

Abilities: Charisma and Intelligence are how you are able to get the most out of this class with your various abilities

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d4

Starting Gold: N/A

Class Skills

The Arcanopath's class skills are Alchemy (Int), Animal Empathy (Cha), Concentration (Con), Gather Information (Cha), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Scry (Int), Search (Int) Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Spot (Wis)

Skill Points at 1st Level: (2 + Int modifier) × 4

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Arcanopath.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A Arcanopath is proficient with whatever they were proficient with prior to taking levels in this class

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At every arcanopath level except third, sixth and ninth, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bardic music uses, metamagic or item creation feats or the like). If the character had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an arcanopath, the player must decide to which class to add each level for determining spells per day and spells known.

Open Mind Su: Beginning at first level, an arcanopath’s mind expands as the burgeoning power of telepathy takes shape. This ability duplicates the effects of the detect thoughts spell, allowing the arcanopath to read a target’s surface thoughts. Reading a creature’s thoughts in this way requires a Concentration skill check (DC 10 + target’s Hit Dice), with failure resulting in the arcanopath suffering 2d6 points of subdual damage. As this ability requires concentration, an arcanopath cannot take any action except for a standard move while using this ability.

At fourth level, this ability allows the arcanopath to duplicate the effects of the telepathic bond spell and at seventh level, it allows the arcanopath to duplicate sending. Open Mind is a supernatural ability and is usable at will.

Awake: Upon taking this prestige class, the character’s mind ‘awakens’ and is completely open to external contact. Until he learns to compensate for his new awareness, and protect himself from mental intrusion and assault, he suffers a penalty to all Willpower saves equal to his Intelligence modifier. This penalty is negated upon the character reaching second level in this class.

Mental Shield Su: With this power, an arcanopath discovers how to form a psychic barrier against attacks targeting his mind. This Mental Shield can be invoked or dismissed as a free action on the arcanopath’s turn and automatically negates any mind-affecting spell or effect from a source with fewer hit dice than the arcanopath’s caster level. The Mental Shield is ineffective against more powerful attacks. While this ability is in use, the arcanopath cannot cast or exercise control over mind-affecting spells. Mental Shield does not interfere with the arcanopath’s class abilities.

Touch of Power Su: The power of the mind resonates through the arcanopath’s body. If the arcanopath can succeed at a melee touch attack as part of a Divination or Enchantment spell that is normally cast at range, the touched target suffers a penalty to its Willpower save equal to the arcanopath’s class level. Use of this ability can be exhausting. If the target manages to save despite the penalty, the mental backlash deals 1d6 points of subdual damage per spell level to the arcanopath. Targets with the Iron Will feat are immune to this ability but do not cause this backlash effect.

Tower of the Mind Ex: Arcanopaths develop a mental stronghold as their powers develop, normally taking the form of a personal dwelling the arcanopath visits during meditation. An arcanopath with a this ability requires only three quarters of the usual amount of sleep for his race and recovers one additional hit point per level (thus, a 6th level wizard/4th level arcanopath would recover 14 hit points per night, 10 for his character level, +4 for his arcanopath level). Also, when confronted with a Knowledge skill check, an arcanopath can meditate for one hour and, if he has any ranks in the appropriate Knowledge skill, he is considered to have ‘taken 20’ for the purpose of determining the result of the check.

Mindstrike Sp: The telepathic power of the arcanopath is now so heightened that he can lash out with his thoughts against any or all enemies within 30 feet. This ability can be used a number of times per day equal to the arcanopath’s Charisma modifier and inflicts 10d6 points of subdual damage to the targets. This is a mind affecting, spell-like ability and allows a Will save (DC 10 + ½ arcanopath’s level + Charisma modifier) to halve this damage.

Aura of Power Su: The mental domination that begins to develop with the Touch of Power becomes even stronger when an arcanopath reaches this level of ability. The target of the arcanopath’s ranged Divination and Enchantment spells suffers a penalty to its Willpower saves equal to the arcanopath’s class level if it is within 30 feet. No touch is required but the original spell must have a range of at least 30 feet. As with the Touch of Power ability, a successful save on the part of the target deals 2d6 points of subdual damage to the arcanopath and targets possessing the Iron Will feat are immune to the effects of Aura of Power.

Thoughtgates Su: With this power, an arcanopath can set up special ‘gates’ in his mind. Each gate is attuned to a single creature the arcanopath has been in mental contact with, though this attunement does not have to occur during the contact itself. Once a gate is established, a process that takes one hour and costs the arcanopath 500 experience points, he can establish a telepathic bond with that individual at any time, regardless of distance. Once a thoughtgate is formed, it can only be erased through painful mental effort and a further expenditure of 100 experience points. An arcanopath can only possess one thoughtgate per class level. This ability can only be used on willing subjects.

Bastion of the Mind Ex: The mental defences of an arcanopath at this level of ability are made manifest through his Tower of the Mind ability. The mental image changes to include potent defences and ramparts, granting the arcanopath immunity to mental attacks, mind-affecting spells and psychic intrusion while he is meditating, unconscious or asleep. An arcanopath protected in this way becomes instantly aware of any such attempts and can allow them to affect him if he wishes.

Gaze of Power Su: The Divination and Enchantment spells of an arcanopath of this level are made so potent by his mental abilities that any target the arcanopath can see clearly within ten feet per caster level receives a penalty to their Willpower saves equal to the arcanopath’s class level, as with Touch of Power. Cover is irrelevant but concealment of 50% or above will ruin this ability unless the arcanopath has a means of penetrating this concealment. This ability suffers from the same backlash and inability to affect those with the Iron Will feat as Touch of Power.

Mental Mastery Su: At the apex of his power, an arcanopath who achieves this level fully awakens his telepathy and harnesses its true potential. Using Open Mind no longer requires a Concentration check, the number of times he can use the Mindstrike ability is doubled and his Mental Shield becomes a constant mind blank effect. In addition, the arcanopath receives a +4 competence bonus to all Concentration checks.

Table 1-1: Arcanopath Progression

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spellcasting
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Open mind I, awake	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Mental shield	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Touch of power	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Open mind II, Tower of the mind	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Mindstrike	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Aura of power	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Open mind III, thoughtgates	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Bastion of the mind	+1 level of existing spellcasting class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Gaze of power	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Mental mastery	+1 level of existing spellcasting class