Animus Adept

Some martial disciples seek the power of raw arcane energies, known to those in martial circles as animus, and learn methods to channel it. Others are born with it and choose to bend it inwards for martial pursuits and become animus adepts, others dally with it while maintaining other professions before coming to embrace it as a source of raw arcane talent. Whatever the path that led to their discovery and mastery over their power, animus adepts are skilled warriors that are able to blend their talents with glyph manipulation and martial maneuver to produce a variety of wild effects that blur the line between what is magic and what is pure martial skill.

Hit Die: d8.

Requirements

To qualify to become an Animus Adept, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Class Skills

The animus adept’s class skills are Craft (Int), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

The following are class features of the Animus Adept .

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

Animus adepts gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers and Stances

Maneuvers: At every even level, an animus adept gains a new maneuver known. His available disciplines for these maneuvers are Elemental Flux and three of his previously available disciplines, chosen when he takes his first animus adept level. He must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it, as normal. He adds his full animus adept level to his initiator level to determine his total initiator level and his highest-level maneuvers known.

At 2nd level and again at 5th level, an animus adept gains an additional maneuver readied.

Stances: At 4th level, an animus adept learns a new stance from any of the disciplines available to him as an animus adept. He must meet the stance’s prerequisites to learn it, as normal.

Animus (Su)

At 1st level, an animus adept gains an animus pool similar to a mystic’s. Outside combat, an animus adept has no animus to spend. When the animus adept enters combat, he gains an animus pool equal to 1 + his highest initiation modifier (minimum 1) at the start of his first turn, and adds one point of animus to her animus pool at the start of each of his turns thereafter. His animus pool persists for one minute after the last enemy combatant is defeated or the encounter otherwise ends. At the end of any round in which the animus adept initiates a maneuver (a strike, boost, or counter), he adds an additional point of animus to her pool. Certain abilities, such as some class features, maneuvers, and feats, require the animus adept to expend points of animus to use.

If the animus adept previously had levels in the mystic class or another class that grants an animus pool, he instead adds his animus adept level to his levels in that class to determine its strength, potentially gaining more powerful maneuver augments or increasing the amount he can spend on such augments. If the animus adept possesses the Tap Animus feat, it is exchanged for the Extra Animus feat as normal.

Martial Glyphs (Su)

At 1st level, an animus adept learns to use primal magic to funnel his uncontrolled arcane energies through elemental concepts. These concepts encapsulate base principles of arcane magic, the building blocks upon which actual spells are formed, and when the animus adept combines these building blocks with his physical abilities, he can channel them into martial glyphs. When he enters this class, an animus adept learns five basic glyphs, and learns three new glyphs at each animus adept level thereafter. Each time the animus adept gains a new level in this class, he can exchange a single known glyph for any other glyph he could learn. At 1st level, he can only learn basic glyphs. At 3rd level, he gains the ability to learn advanced glyphs, and at 5th level, he can learn master glyphs.

The animus adept can cast a glyph as a free action once per round when he hits with a strike. Alternatively, he can cast a glyph as a swift action. In either case, casting a glyph costs one point of animus and affects a single creature within close range (25 feet + 5 feet per 2 initiator levels). Unless otherwise noted, a glyph lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the animus adept’s highest initiation modifier (minimum 1 round). If a glyph allows a saving throw, its save DC is 10 + 1/2 the animus adept’s initiator level + the animus adept’s highest initiation modifier.

Repeated applications of the same glyph do not stack with each other or change their duration. Glyphs that deal energy damage or grant energy resistance use the animus adept’s choice of his active energy type (if he is psionic) or his active element’s associated energy type. If the animus adept does not have an active element, he gains one, as if he knew maneuvers from the Elemental Flux discipline. Once a glyph is cast, it maintains the elemental that it was cast with, if any. A character with the Spellcraft skill can identify glyphs as they are cast, treating the animus adept’s class level as their effective spell level.

Mystical Prowess

Mystical Prowess: Starting at 2nd level, an animus adept adds his class level to Knowledge (martial) and Spellcraft checks to identify martial maneuvers, powers, spells, and glyphs. In addition, if the animus adept possesses the elemental glyphs or candle magic class features, he adds his animus adept level to his mystic level to determine their effectiveness of those abilities.

Mass Martial Glyphs (Su)

Mass Martial Glyphs (Su): At 4th level, an animus adept’s control over his roiling arcane might is such that he can become a living font of animus-infused glyphs. As a full-round action, the animus adept can cast a martial glyph against a number of allies within 30 feet equal to his highest initiation modifier.

Runic Singularity (Su)

Runic Singularity (Su): At 5th level, the animus adept gains the ability to cast a martial glyph against a target within close range as part of the initiation action of a boost or when he changes his stance. In addition, he adds one additional point of animus to his animus pool at the start of each of his turns in a combat.

Martial Glyphs

The following are the glyphs available to an animus adept. Unless otherwise noted, these effects last for the duration of the glyph or until the glyph otherwise expires (see the individual glyphs for more details).

Basic Glyphs

Elemental Shield: The affected ally gains energy resistance to the animus adept’s active element’s associated energy type equal to the animus adept’s initiator level.

Blinding Blade: The next time the affected ally hits with a martial strike, critical hit, deadly strike, or sneak attack, their target must succeed at a Reflex save or become blinded for one round. Regardless of whether or not the target succeeds on their save, this glyph expires once used.

Elemental Weapon: The affected ally’s attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of damage of your active element’s associated energy type per six initiator levels you possess (up to a maximum of 3d6).

Dead Steel: The affected ally’s attacks deal an additional 1d6 points of negative energy damage per six initiator levels the animus adept posseses (up to a maximum of 3d6). Against creatures of the fey type, this damage increases to 1d8 per six initiator levels (up to a maximum of 3d8). Undead creatures and other creatures healed by negative energy do not take this additional damage and are not healed by it.

Deflective Armor: The affected ally’s natural armor bonus to their AC increases by +2. This bonus increases by +1 for every six initiator levels the animum adept possesses (up to a maximum of +5).

Evasive Armor: The next time the affected ally succeeds on a Reflex save against an effect that allows a partial effect on a successful saving throw, they are instead completely unaffected. This glyph expires once used.

Ferrous Shell: The affected ally is protected by a crude but non-restrictive metal shell, granting them a +5 armor bonus to their AC. The shell weighs 10 pounds and does not count as armor.

Flowing Blade: The affected ally rolls twice against a creature’s miss chance and uses the better result.

Ghost Armor: The affected ally’s armor and shield gain the benefits of the ghost touch special ability.

Ghost Eating Blade: The affected ally’s weapons gain the benefits of the ghost touch special ability.

Shadowmeld: The affected ally is surrounded by a layer of protective, smoky concealment, granting them gain concealment (20% miss chance) against opponents.

Advanced Glyphs

Corpse Strength: The affected ally gains a +4 profane bonus to Strength and a +2 bonus on saving throws made to resist spells and effects that utilize negative energy, inflict negative levels, deal ability damage or ability drain, or inflict ability penalties. In addition, the affected ally heals from negative energy damage and takes damage from cure spells or similar effects, as if they were an undead creature.

Death Shield: The affected ally gains resistance to negative energy equal to the animus adept’s initiator level and a +4 bonus on saves against energy drain and negative energy effects.

Elemental Armor: Opponents that hit the ally with a melee attacks take 2d6 points of damage of the animus adept’s active element’s associated energy type.

Hardened Armor: The affected ally gains damage reduction 5/adamantine.

Illusionary State: The affected ally gains the benefits of a mirror image spell, using the animus adept’s initiator level as the caster level. This glyph expires once each image has been destroyed.

Spirit Stride: As a free action, the affected ally can teleport to any unoccupied space they can see within 5 feet per two initiator levels. The ally does not require line of effect, and this glyph expires once used.

Spiritual Anchor: In order to affect a creature with this glyph, the animus adept must have hit them with a martial strike as part of casting it, or must hit them with a ranged touch attack if he did not cast it during a strike. The target is affected as if by a dimensional anchor spell.

Wind Speed: The affected ally gains the benefits of a haste spell (+1 to attack rolls, initiative, and Reflex saves, a +30-foot enhancement bonus to movement speeds, and one extra attack when making a full attack).

Master Glyphs

Dispelling Burn: This glyph acts as a targeted greater dispel magic spell against the target, with a caster level equal to the animus adept’s initiator level. The target takes 1d4 points of damage for each level of the spell or effect dispelled by this ability.

Drowning Curse: The target chokes and gasps, becoming nauseated and unable to speak or perform the verbal components of spells. The target can attempt a Fortitude save at the start of each of their turns while they are affected by this glyph; if they succeed, they can ignore its effects and act normally for one round.

Fortified Heart: The affected ally’s vital areas become as hard as the hardest stones, and they become immune to critical hits and sneak attacks.

Gravity of Iron: This glyph can only be cast against creatures who are made of metal or wearing metal armor. The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or become paralyzed and is knocked prone. It remains aware of its surroundings and can breath normally (unless otherwise in a situation where they might not be able to), but cannot take any actions, including speech. At the end of each of its turns while paralyzed by this glyph, the target can attempt another Fortitude save to end its effects.

Incandescent Array: The affected ally emits light as a daylight spell in a dazzling array of colors, and attacks against them suffer a 50% miss chance. Creatures that do not rely on sight to aim their attacks are unaffected by this miss chance.

Wraithstrike: The target must succeed at a Will save or gain 1d3 temporary negative levels until the end of the encounter. Unlike normal negative levels, these disappear after the encounter ends. A creature can only suffer the effects of this glyph once at any given time; if they are affected by another wraithstrike glyph, the negative levels overlap, rather than stacking.