Discipline: Metacreativity (Creation); Level: Cryptic 3, gifted blade 3, Marksman 3, psychic warrior 3, tactician 3 MANIFESTINGDisplay: material EFFECTRange: close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels) | 
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DESCRIPTION
A blob of malleable, adhesive ectoplasm shoots out from your outstretched hand, attached by an ectoplasmic cord. Upon hitting its target, this ectoplasmic grapnel reels in, pulling the target to you - or you to it.
When manifesting this power, you must have a hand free, and must make a ranged touch attack against the target; a miss causes the grapnel to retract instantly without attaching to anything. Alternately, you may have it shoot out from your shield instead of a free hand; you still get your shield's AC bonus against the target, but lose it against anyone else for the duration of the power.
If you target a creature no more than one size category larger than you, you may attempt a drag combat maneuver check. If successful, you move the creature 5 feet closer to you. For every 5 by which your attack exceeds your opponent's CMD, you can drag the target an additional 5 feet toward you. If the creature is willing, you may drag it up to 30 feet closer to you.
If you target an unattended object, you may pull it up to 30 feet towards you; if this moves it into your square, you may grasp the item immediately as a free action, although you must have a free hand to do so. If you target an attended object, the ranged touch attack is made against the opponent, and you must succeed at a disarm or steal (your choice) combat maneuver check to wrest the item free.
If you fail at the combat maneuver check (or if you target an immovable object such as a creature more than one size category larger than you, an object bolted to the floor, or a building wall, floor, or ceiling), you are instead moved up to 30 feet towards the target. This movement provokes attacks of opportunity. Alternately, you may choose to relinquish your grip on the ectoplasmic cord, knocking you prone and ending the power immediately rather than moving you towards the target. If you end your movement at a climbable location (such as a wall or ledge), you must attempt a Climb check (at normal DC) to grab hold (or pull yourself over the edge, in the case of a ledge); failure means you begin falling, and must make a second Climb check with +20 DC to catch yourself.
If you spend a full-round action bracing yourself before manifesting this power, you get a +2 bonus on the above combat maneuver checks. Each adjacent ally that spends an Aid Another action to grab hold of you also adds a +2 bonus to your combat maneuver check, but also suffers the consequence of being dragged or knocked prone with you should the check fail. If the power duration should be extended beyond instantaneous (see augment below), each ally holding onto you must spend an Aid Another action each turn to maintain their hold. If you end your movement at a climbable location, each ally may make a Climb check to grab the wall, or may instead continue holding onto you; your own Climb check is penalized as normal if their combined weight drops your encumbrance into a category with a worse armor check penalty.
If you manifest this power while engaged in a grapple that you are in control of, you immediately make a grapple combat maneuver check; failure means you are no longer grappling the creature, while success means you gain a +2 bonus to your drag combat maneuver check for each creature (besides yourself) participating in the grapple. If the drag combat maneuver check fails, you and everyone in the grapple are dragged (or knocked prone) accordingly.
If you manifest this power while engaged in a grapple that you are not in control of, you immediately make a grapple combat maneuver check; success means you have broken free of the grapple, while failure means you are still grappling (but gain a +2 bonus to your drag combat maneuver check for each creature (besides yourself) participating in the grapple). If the drag combat maneuver check fails, you and everyone in the grapple are dragged (or knocked prone) accordingly, unless the creature grappling you is too large for you to drag (in which case the cord snaps and the power fails). The grappling creature may voluntarily release you from the grapple to avoid being dragged or knocked prone, but must do so before the combat maneuver check is rolled.
Augment: You can augment this power in one or more of the following ways:
1. If you spend 2 additional power points, the duration increases to 1 rnd./lvl. if the ranged touch attack hits. The cord does not automatically retract; you may choose to retract or extend the cord up to 30 feet (to the limit of the power's range) as a standard action, and must succeed at a combat maneuver check each time you attempt to drag an unwilling creature in this manner. Other creatures may climb or manipulate the cord as they would a rope, but it is as strong as a chain. An unwilling creature attached to the grapnel must cut (5 hp, hardness 10, AC 10) or burst (Str DC 26) the cord to move away from you, unless he succeeds at a drag combat maneuver check to pull you behind him. If the cord is cut or burst, or if you let go of the cord (a free action), the power ends immediately.
2. If you spend 2 additional power points, the range of the power increases to Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./lvl.).
3. If you spend 4 additional power points, the cord retracts the full length instantly. A successful combat maneuver check, by any margin, pulls the target adjacent to you, while a failed combat maneuver check pulls you adjacent to the target (unless you relinquish the cord and go prone instead).
4. For every 4 additional power points you spend, this power can drag creatures an additional size category larger than you, and the cord's hardness increases by 2, hit points increases by 10, and break DC increases by 2.
5. If you spend 4 additional power points, you can manifest this power as a move action.
In addition, for every 2 additional power points you spend to achieve any of these effects, you also gain a +1 bonus on any combat maneuver checks or Climb checks you make for this power.
