PART 3 - The Channeler

[The Hive Mind]

Magic is a rare and powerful force in the world of MIDNIGHT, and mortals who can wield it are rarer still. Most arcane spellcasters of any accomplishment perished or were corrupted at the end of the Third Age. In the aftermath of the war, there are precious few teachers and mentors who can pass along their lore to a new generation. Those who manage to learn the craft of magic on their own are inevitably hunted down and exterminated by the legates, the only ones who wield true divine magic.

People who know and can cast a few useful spells are not completely unknown in Aryth. Usually this is practical magic that aids common folk in their daily lives, spells like light, mending, and purify food and drink. Occasionally, exceptional individuals learn to wield more powerful spells useful in battle, commerce, thievery, diplomacy, or other pursuits. To truly master the art of magic, however, a person must devote himself to it completely. These rare few are known as channelers.

Adventures: Channelers lead lives of great risk and danger. Their innate power and potential mark them as threats to the Night Kings and their dominion. They are hunted by the dark god’s priests, the legates, as if they can smell magic on their prey.
Because of these dangers and the superstitions of common folk, channelers often seek secluded places to pursue their studies, experiments, and meditations in isolation. When they venture out, they often quest for rare items of power, lost knowledge, or vengeance against those who persecute their kind.

Characteristics: Channelers devote themselves to the understanding and mastery of magic. Because magic is a force that flows through the world, they often pursue knowledge of nature and other scholarly subjects as well. Most channelers lack the combat abilities of other classes, but their command of magic more than offsets this weakness. While characters of any class can learn to use a few simple spells, channelers are the only ones that do not worship the dark god who become truly accomplished spellcasters.

Alignment: Channelers can be of any alignment, though this trait often follows their choice of magical tradi- tion. Hermetic channelers tend toward law over chaos, charismatic channelers are often just the opposite, and many spiritual channelers are inclined toward balance and neutrality.

Religion: Hermetic and charismatic channelers are rarely religious, unless they are evil characters who serve Izrador and the Night Kings. These channelers recognize that they do not owe their power to any divine agency and that the only spellcasters who do are servants of the Shadow. Spiritual channelers, on the other hand, are often trained in and committed to animistic or religious traditions, usually those that are strongest in their native cultures.

Background: As a persecuted and elite group, channelers are often bound together by a strong bond of fraternity, though this rarely manifests as formal organizations or orders. The dangers faced by channelers make membership in such groups risky at best. Many channelers, however, aid each other when and where they can and do their best to pass on their knowledge and traditions to promising youths.

Races: During the Third Age, humans were the most common channelers within the hermetic tradition. They rigorously pursued the refinement of magic as a craft and science. Magic also plays a strong role in halfling culture, though few truly powerful halfling channelers survive. Elves and elflings, though rare in the aftermath of the Last Battle, are among the most powerful spiritual and charismatic channelers. Dwarf, dwarrow, dworg, and orc channelers are exceptionally rare and almost always follow the spiritual traditions of their people.

Other Classes: Channelers seek to work and associate with members of other classes more often than with other channelers. Fighters, barbarians, and defenders offer needed protection in close combat, while rogues and wildlanders are useful for gathering information and scouting out potential dangers. Some channelers look down on members of other classes who dabble in magic without truly committing themselves to its mastery.

Level / Base Attack Bonus / Fort Save / Ref Save / Will Save / Special
1 ------------+0 ------------+0 ----------+0 ------+2 ---------Magecraft, bonus spell energy, art of magic
2 ------------+1 ------------+0 ----------+0 ------+3 ---------Spellcasting, bonus spells, summon familiar
3 ------------+2 ------------+1 ----------+1 ------+3 ---------Tradition gift
4 ------------+3 ------------+1 ----------+1 ------+4 ---------Bonus feat
5 ------------+3 ------------+1 ----------+1 ------+4 ---------Spellcasting
6 ------------+4 ------------+2 ----------+2 ------+5 ---------Tradition gift
7 ------------+5 ------------+2 ----------+2 ------+5 ---------Bonus feat
8 ------------+6/+1 ---------+2 ----------+2 ------+6 ---------Spellcasting
9 ------------+6/+1 ---------+3 ----------+3 ------+6 ---------Tradition gift
10 -----------+7/+2 ---------+3 ----------+3 ------+7 ---------Bonus feat
11 -----------+8/+3 ---------+3 ----------+3 ------+7 ---------Spellcasting
12 -----------+9/+4 ---------+4 ----------+4 ------+8 ---------Tradition gift
13 -----------+9/+4 ---------+4 ----------+4 ------+8 ---------Bonus feat
14 -----------+10/+5 --------+4 ----------+4 ------+9 ---------Spellcasting
15 -----------+11/+6/+1 -----+5 ----------+5 ------+9 ---------Tradition gift
16 -----------+12/+7/+2 -----+5 ----------+5 ------+10 --------Bonus feat
17 -----------+12/+7/+2----- +5 ----------+5 ------+10 --------Spellcasting
18 -----------+13/+8/+3 -----+6 ----------+6 ------+11 --------Tradition gift
19 -----------+14/+9/+4 -----+6 ----------+6 ------+11 --------Bonus feat
20 -----------+15/+10/+5 ----+6 ----------+6 ------+12 --------Spellcasting

Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d6.
Starting Possessions: 2d4x10 vp.

Class Skills

The channeler's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (spirits) (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Speak Language (n/a), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Int modifier) x 4.
Skill Points at each additional level: 4 + Int modifier.

Additional Class Skills

Charismatic Channeler: Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Intimidation (Cha), and Sense Motive (Wis).

Hermetic Channeler: Knowledge (all skill, taken individually) (Int).

Spiritual Channeler: Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Channeler Class Abilities

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Channelers are skilled with all simple weapons. Channelers are not proficient with any type of armor or with shields. Armor of any type exposes a channeler to the risk of spell failure.

Magecraft: The channeler gains the Magecraft feat for free at 1st level. When a character gains the Magecraft feat, he must choose a spellcasting tradition. The tradition chosen determines the channeler's key ability for spellcasting, determines how he learns additional spells, and determines the channeler gifts that he may gain as he advances in channeler level, as described below.

Bonus Spells: Starting at 2nd level, the channeler learns two new spells of any level and school he can cast upon gaining a new channeler level. This is in addition to the spells learned from the Magecraft and Spellcasting feats.

Bonus Spell Energy: The channeler's maximum spell energy increases by one point for every level of channeler he gains.

Art of Magic: The channeler focuses on the art, science, or philosophy of magic above all else. As such, he may master spells more quickly than a mere dabbler. Usually, a character may only know or cast spells of a level equal to or less than one-half his character level (rounded down). A character with more channeler levels than levels in other classes adds +1 to his character level for this purpose.

Spellcasting: A channeler gains the spellcasting feat at 2nd level and every three levels thereafter, each time choosing a new spell school. A channeler who qualifies may choose Greater Spellcasting instead.

Summon Familiar: Channelers eventually learn to shape part of their own souls into spirit-like entities separate from themselves, the better to investigate the world around them, perform minor chores, and act as guardians, scouts, and messengers. These entities are known as familiars. At 2nd level, the channeler may summon a familiar via a process that takes one full uninterrupted day of ritual and concentration and requires a sacrifice of 5 days worth of food. The rules for the familiar are otherwise exactly the same as those described in the core rules.

Bonus Feat: The channeler gains a bonus feat at 4th level and every three levels thereafter. The type of feat that may be chosen depends on the channeler's tradition.

Channeler Traditions and Gifts

Each channeler tradition is essentially a sub-class of the channeler class; the members of the separate traditions have varying methodologies, outlooks, specialities, and strengths. Even within a single tradition, the styles of magic and details of spellcasting run a wide gamut, but channelers of the same tradition are always united by three things: their key spellcasting abilities, their bonus feats, and the nature of their spellcasting gifts.

Spiritual Tradition

Bonus Feats: Spiritual channelers may choose Extra Gift, Spell Knowledge, or any item creation feats as bonus feats.

Master of Two Worlds (Su): At 3rd level, spiritual channelers are gifted with the ability to command the natural world and to ward off that which is unnatural. The spiritual channeler may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Wisdom modifier. At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter (at 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level), the spiritual channeler may choose one of the powers listed below. A 3rd-level channeler must choose either mastery of nature, mastery of the unnatural, or mastery of spirits.

Unless otherwise stated, each power must be used independently. For instance, if a spiritual channeler with the mastery of nature power and the mastery of the unnatural power is being attacked by a gang of barghests and their hunting wolves while being grappled by an assassin vine, he may choose to attempt to rebuke the assassin vine and the wolves, or turn the barghests, but not both.

Mastery of Nature: The spiritual channeler may rebuke or command animals and plants. This ability works just like the evil cleric's ability to rebuke or command undead in the d20 system core rules, except that it is a Wisdom check and it only functions on animals and plants. The channeler affects both creature types when he uses this power, and may not choose to affect only one creature type or another.

Mastery of the Unnatural: The spiritual channeler may turn or destroy outsiders and constructs. This ability works just like the good cleric's ability to turn undead in the d20 system core rules, except that it is a Wisdom check and it only functions on outsiders and constructs. Furthermore, all outsiders are considered to have twice the normal HD for the purposes of resolving turning checks and turning damage against them.

Note that outsiders (spirits) that are possessing another entity are immune to these turn attempts, and must first be removed (such as via Mastery of Spirits, below, or the protection from evil spell) from their hosts.

Mastery of Spirits: The spiritual channeler may exorcise any possessing entity from a corporeal, living creature. This ability works just like the good cleric's ability to turn undead in the d20 system core rules, except that it is a Wisdom check and it only functions on creatures using a spell, spell-like ability, or supernatural ability to possess another creature. Common examples include a ghost's or spirit's malevolence ability, the magic jar spell, or dominate person.

If the channeler is successful, the entity is forced out of the host and back into its own body, a receptacle, or simply expelled into the nearest space outside the host, whichever is appropriate for the possessing effect. A creature that has benefited from the channeler's exorcism ability may not be possessed by the same being for 24 hours; if the channeler had double the possessing creature's HD, that creature may not be possessed by the same creature for one year.

Confident Effect: The spiritual channeler gains a +4 competence bonus on his mastery checks.

Heightened Effect: The spiritual channeler is considered to be two levels higher for the purposes of any mastery check, but not for mastery damage.

Powerful Effect: The spiritual channeler rolls an additional 1d6 of mastery damage.

Precise Effect: When the spiritual channeler uses master of two worlds, he may choose a specific creature type from among those he may effect. The effect is applied to creatures of that type before all others, regardless of distance and HD. For instance, in the example above, the channeler could choose to affect animals first or plants first, causing the rebuke attempt to apply to the assassin vine or the hunting woves before moving on to the other creatures.

Specific Effect (requires Precise Effect): When the spiritual channeler uses master of two worlds, he may choose specific individuals from among those he may affect. The effect is applied to those individuals before all others, regardless of distance and HD. For instance, in the example above, the channeler could choose to specify the lead barghests, causing the turn attempt to apply to them before moving on to the other creatures.

Universal Effect: When the spiritual channeler uses master of two worlds, he may include any mastery power he knows in the attempt. For instance, in the example above, the channeler would be able to affect both the assassin vine and the barghests with a single use of master of two worlds. The channeler still cannot control which type of creature is affected first.

Hermetic Tradition

Bonus Feats: Hermetic channelers may choose Spell Knowledge, item creation feats, or metamagic feats as bonus feats.

Literate: At 1st level, hermetic channelers gain literacy in any one language in which they have skill ranks. Every three levels thereafter, they gain literacy in another language in which they have skill ranks.

Lorebook (Su): Hermetic channelers not only have their own experiences from which to draw knowledge, they are also able to tap into an understanding of history, hearsay, and tales as separate pieces of a larger whole. At the end of each day, the hermetic channeler records all of the knowledge he has gained over the course of the day in his lorebook. His memory and awareness are such that even random snippets of conversation and seemingly unimportant observations are remembered and written down.

By the time he reaches 3rd level, the lorebook has acquired so much information ranging from the esoteric to the essential, so many scraps of the whole tapestry of the knowledge of the human race, that it can be used both as a study tool and to jog the hermetic channeler's memory and insight on nearly any topic. To use the lorebook, the hermetic channeler may consult it over one minute. At the end of that minute, he may make a lorebook check with a bonus equal to his hermetic channeler class level plus his Intelligence modifier. If successful, he gains some useful bit of knowledge or insight from his book. Lorebooks contain information on history, people, places, legends, and creatures. The channeler may not take 10 or take 20 on this check, since the information may simply not be available in the book. Retries are not possible. The DM should determine the DC of the check by using the table below as a guide.

The hermetic channeler may instead scan the book rapidly as a full-round action. In this case, the lorebook check suffers a -10 penalty, and may be retried.

It is assumed that the hermetic channeler spends 10 minutes of uninterrupted work at the end of each day recording information he has picked up, and spends 10 minutes of uninterrupted study at the beginning of each day perusing the book. If either step is skipped, the hermetic channeler suffers a cumulative -1 penalty on all lorebook checks for each day a step is skipped.

Lorebook Checks / DC Type of Knowledge / Examples

10 Common, known by at least a substantial minority of the local population.

A legend about a spirit that haunts the nearby forest; the local lord's tax collection schedule, or what other burdens he places on the people.

20 Uncommon but available, known by only a few people in the area.

Legends of a lost city sunk in a nearby swamp; the fact that the town's healer also brews potions; identify a CL 10 or lower magic item.

25 Obscure, known by few, hard to come by.

The fact that the town's healer is an insurgent; that the town was once the site of a mass destruction of the Fell; identify a CL 20 magic item.

30 Extremely obscure, known by very few, possibly forgotten by most who once knew it, possibly known only by those who don't understand the significance of the knowledge.

That the elves refer to the town's orchard as elluinel; identify an artifact.

The lorebook's uses are many, however. At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter (at 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level), the hermetic channeler may choose one of the powers listed below.

Quick Reference: The hermetic channeler is practiced at looking up information under stress. The penalty for scanning the lorebook rapidly is reduced to -5. THis power may be chosen a second time, reducing the penalty to 0.

Knowledge Specialty: The hermetic channeler has learned to earmark different sections of the book depending on his needs. At the beginning of each day, he may choose one Knowledge skill as he peruses his book. The channeler is considered to have the Skill Focus (Knowledge) feat in that skill for the day. This power may by chosen multiple times; each time it is chosen, the hermetic channeler gains one additional Skill Focus (Knowledge) feat for the day.

Foe Speciality: The hermetic channeler recognizes the value of knowledge as a weapon. At the beginning of each day, he may choose one creature type as he peruses his book. The channeler may take 10 when making Knowledge checks to identify creatures and their special powers or vulnerabilities. Additionally, the channler can rattle off what he knows about such creatures by rote. In game terms, this means that he may communicate any knowledge he has about such creatures to his companions as soon as initiative is rolled, assuming his companions are within earshot. This power may be chosen multiple times; each time it is chosen, the hermetic channeler may use the foe speciality ability on one additional creature type per day.

Spell Speciality: The hermetic channeler can gain insight into the nature of magic by reading about the world around him. At the beginning of each day, he may choose one spell that he knows. The save DC for that spell increases by +1. THis power may be chosen multiple times; each time it is chosen, the hermetic channeler may use the spell speciality ability on one additional spell per day. The same spell may not be chosen twice, meaning that the DC of any one spell cannot by increased by more than +1 by this ability.

Charismatic Tradition

Bonus Feats: Charismatic channelers may choose Extra Gift, Spell Focus, Greater Spell Focus, or Spell Knowledge as bonus feats.

Force of Personality (Su): Charismatic channelers manipulate magic through sheer force of will, and that same personal power can be used to affect living beings. At 3rd level, charismatic channelers are gifted with the ability to extend that force of will to affect the actions, thoughts, and emotions of others. The charismatic channeler may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier. At 3rd level and every 3 levels thereafter (at 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th level), the charismatic channeler gains another use per day of this ability and may choose one of the powers listed below. A 3rd-level channeler must choose either inspire fascination, inspire freedom, or inspire fury. Unless otherwise noted, using the force of personality power requires a move action to activate and a move action to maintain. Some force of personality abilities require either a standard action to activate, a standard action each round to maintain concentration, or both.

Unless otherwise stated, each power must be used independently. For instance, if a charismatic channeler with the inspire confidence ability and the inspire fury ability wants to use both to assist his comrades, he may only activate one such ability per round.

Inspire Confidence: The channeler can use his strong sense of self to help others resist assaults on their minds. To be affected, an ally must be within 60 ft. and be able to see and hear the channeler. For as long as the channeler continues to use this ability as a move action, all affected creatures gain a +4 morale bonus to saves against enchantment or fear effects. If an ally is already being affected by an enchantment or fear effect when this ability is activated, he may immediately make a new saving throw with the +4 morale bonus to end the effect. Inspire confidence has no effect against effects that don't allow saves. Inspire confidence is a mind-affecting ability, and may be maintained for 1 round per class level.

Inspire Fascination: The channler can use his conversational skills, performances, or sheer magnetic personality to cause one or more creatures to become fascinated must be within 120 ft., be able to see and hear the channeler, and able to pay attention to him. The channler must also be able to see the creature. The distraction of a nearby combat or other dangers prevents the ability from working. The channeler can target one creature per class level.

Activating this ability requires a standard action. Each target must make a Will save (DC equal to 10 + 1/2 channeler's class level + Cha modifier). If a creature's saving throw succeeds, the channeler cannot attempt to fascinate that creature again for 24 hours. If its saving throw fails, the creature sits quietly and watches or listens to the channler, taking no other actions, for as long as the channeler continues to speak or perform and concentrate as a standard action (up to a maximum of 1 round per class level). While fascinated, a target takes a -4 penalty on skill checks made as reactions, such as Listen and Spot checks. Any potential threat allows the creature a new saving throw.

Any obvious threat, such as someone drawing a weapon, casting a spell, or aiming a ranged weapon at the target, automatically breaks the effect. Inspire fascination is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting ability.

Inspire Fury: The channeler can use his powerful presence to inspire his allies (including himself), bolstering them against attacks and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be within 60 ft. and able to see and hear the channeler. The effect lasts for as long as the channeler maintains the ability (or for as long as the ally is in range and can see and hear the channeler) and for 5 rounds thereafter. The effect may be maintained for up to 1 round per channeler level. An affected ally receives a +1 morale bonus on initiative rolls, attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls. Inspire fury is a mind-affecting ability.

Improved Fury (Requires Inspire Fury): When the channeler uses the inspire fury ability, affected creatures gain an additional +1 morale bonus on initiative rolls, attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls. This gift may be chosen multiple times, and its effects stack.

Improved Confidence (Requires Inspire Confidence): When the channeler uses the inspire confidence ability, even allies that fail their saves against enchantment effects only suffer the effects for half the normal duration. Likewise, allies that fail their saves against fear effects suffer the next lowest fear status: panicked allies are merely frightened, frightened allies are merely shaken, and shaken characters become unaffected.

Suggestion(Requires Inspire Fascination): When the channeler uses the inspire fascination ability, he can make a suggestion (as the spell) as a standard action to a creature that he has already fascinated (see above). Using this ability does not break the channeler's concentration on the fascinate effect, nor does it allow a second saving throw against the fascinate effect. A Will saving throw (DC 10 + 1/2 channeler's class level + Cha modifier) negates the effect.

Making a suggestion uses up one of the channeler's daily allotments of force of personality uses. Suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.

Greater Fury (Requires Inspire Fury and Improved Fury): When the channeler uses his inspire fury abiity, he can inspire greater fury in himself or a single willing ally within 30 feet as a move action, granting him or her extra fighting capability. The effect lasts for as long as the inspire fury ability continues to affect the target. A creature inspired with greater fury gains 2 bonus Hit Dice (d10s), the commensurate number of temporary hit points (apply the target's Constitution modifier, if any, to these bonus Hit Dice), a +2 competence bonus on attack rolls, and a +1 competence bonus on Fortitude saves. The bonus Hit Dice count as regular Hit Dice for determining the effect of spells that are Hit Dice dependent.

Each use of greater fury on a single target uses up one of the channeler's daily allotments of force of personality uses. Greater fury is a mind-affecting ability.

Greater Confidence (Requires Inspire Confidence and Improved Confidence): When the channeler uses his inspire confidence ability, after five rounds of using the ability, he may target one ally within range as a standard action. That ally receives the benefits of a break enchantment spell (caster level equal to the channeler's class level). For every subsequent 5 rounds of using the inspire confidence ability, the channeler may use this ability an additional time.

Each use of greater confidence on a single target uses up one of the channeler's daily allotments of force of personality uses. A channler can't use greater confidence on himself.

Mass Suggestion (Requires Inspire Fascination and Suggestion): This ability functions like suggestion, above, except that the channeler can make the suggestion simultaneously to one creature per three class levels that he has already fascinated (see above).

Each creature targeted with mass suggestion uses up one of the channeler's daily allotments of force of personality uses. Mass suggestion is an enchantment (compulsion), mind-affecting, language-dependent ability.