The Adept

“BURN HIM!”

“Wait a minute! Who’s the devil here?!?”

A mob with pitchforks and torches chases an adept who has not learned subtlety.

Prime Requisite: CHA

Requirements: None

Hit Dice: 1d4

Maximum Level: 14

There are men and women whose blood courses with magical power. These individuals may seek a quick and easy path to power through trafficking with otherworldly beings or forces, or they may be the descendants of those who held such power. Either way, incautious adepts may soon find themselves feared and hunted.

At first level, adepts hit an unarmored foe (AC 0) with an attack throw of 10+. Like thieves, they advance in attack throws and saving throws by two points every four levels of experience. Adepts may only wear leather or lighter armor, and they are unable to use shields. Adepts may fight with two weapons or use a weapon two-handed, but they may only fight with the weapons associated with their pact. All adepts receive their abilities and training through an otherworldly origin, or from a pact with otherworldly beings or forces. Judges are encouraged to create pacts specific to their campaign setting. Otherwise, when an adept is created, select a pact for the character from the Adept Pacts below. Write down the allowed weapons and special abilities of the pact. Each pact includes a list of allowed weapons, a collection of special abilities, and four proficiency selections which are added to the Adept Proficiency List as potential class proficiency choices.

Adepts are noteworthy due to their continuous and at will magical abilities. Continuous and at will only refer to the frequency and method of activating a spell-like ability. Unless stated otherwise, the spell-like ability is otherwise resolved exactly as the spell, including, for example, requiring concentration for a period of time to benefit from or maintain certain spells. A continuous magical ability is like a spell that is “always on”. However, an adept may voluntarily suppress a continuous ability as an action in lieu of making an attack. An at will magical ability is like a spell that the adept may invoke as an action in lieu of making an attack. The signature at will magical ability of all adepts is their magic blast (see below).

At level 2, all adepts gain the Sensing Power proficiency. At 3rd level, an adept's unnatural flesh decreases the damage from any non-magical attacks by 1 point per die, similarly to a dwarven fury’s flesh-runes. This protection increases to 2 points per die at 7th level and 3 points per die at 13th level. At level 8, all adepts' unnatural healing allows them to heal themselves (only) 2 hit points per experience level, once per day.

An adept can use any magic items usable by thieves. Additionally, they may attempt to use wands, staffs, and other magic items only useable by mages. At level 1, the adept must make an Arcane Dabbling proficiency throw of 18+ or the attempt backfires. The proficiency throw required reduces by 2 per level, to a minimum of 3+. Beginning at level 4, adept dabbling allows adepts to attempt to use any magic items only usable by clerics or fighters. To do so, the adept must make an Arcane Dabbling proficiency throw with a -6 modifier or the attempt backfires. Upon reaching 12th level, the adept may attempt to create magic items such as weapons, rings, and staffs as a spellcaster of 9th level. However, the adept must make a successful Arcane Dabbling proficiency throw for each spell involved in an item’s creation. Otherwise, the adept follows all of the rules for creating magical items.

Upon reaching 9th level, an adept may construct a hideout. When an adept builds a hideout, the adept will gain 2d6 1st level adept apprentices. If hired, they must be paid standard rates for ruffians. Additional rules for hideouts are detailed in the Campaign chapter of the ACKS Rulebook.

Experience	Level	Title	Hit Dice	Special Abilities
0	1		1d4	magic blast at will, Arcane Dabbling
2,500	2		2d4	Sensing Power
5,000	3		3d4	Unnatural flesh DR 1
10,000	4		4d4	Adept dabbling
20,000	5		5d4
40,000	6		6d4
80,000	7		7d4	Unnatural flesh DR 2
160,000	8		8d4	Unnatural healing
310,000	9	Adept	9d4	Hideout
460,000	10		9d4+1*
610,000	11		9d4+2*
760,000	12		9d4+3*	Adept research
910,000	13		9d4+4*	Unnatural flesh DR 3
1,060,000	14		9d4+5*

*Hit point modifiers from constitution are ignored

Adept Pacts

Pact	Weapons	Proficiency List
Fey	club, composite bow, dagger, mace, shortbow, short sword, spear, staff, sword	Beast Friendship, Elven Bloodline, Magical Music, Passing Without Trace

Level	Special Abilities
1	magic blast at will, Arcane Dabbling
2	Sensing Power, Difficult to spot, as an explorer
3	Unnatural flesh DR 1
4	Adept dabbling, continuous silent step (self only)
5	winged flight at will, except that the character can continuously fly for only 1 round per level before becoming fatigued
6
7	Unnatural flesh DR 2
8	Unnatural healing
9	alter self at will
10	Read and cast magic from arcane scrolls, continuous resist cold (self only), skinchange once per 8 hours; each use takes 1 round
11
12	Adept research
13	Unnatural flesh DR 3
14	polymorph self once per 8 hours; each use takes 1 round

Pact	Weapons	Proficiency List
Infernal	club, dagger, flail, spear, staff, whip	Divine Blessing, Divine Health, Familiar, Soothsaying

Level	Special Abilities
1	magic blast at will, Arcane Dabbling, Infravision 30’
2	Sensing Power, chameleon (self only) at will
3	Unnatural flesh DR 1
4	Adept dabbling, Infravision 60’
5	winged flight at will, except that the character can continuously fly for only 1 round per level before becoming fatigued
6
7	Unnatural flesh DR 2
8	Unnatural healing
9	detect invisible at will
10	continuous resist fire (self only), dimension door (self only) up to 60’ at will
11
12	Adept research
13	Unnatural flesh DR 3
14	Summon infernal creature, as a warlock, once per day; each use takes 1 turn

Pact	Weapons	Proficiency List
Psionic	club, dagger, pole arm, spear, staff, sword	Acrobatics, Blind Fighting, Prophecy, Unarmed Fighting

Level	Special Abilities
1	magic blast at will, Arcane Dabbling, Incapacitating Blast -2, The character’s magic blast may deal nonlethal damage. To do so, the adept must succeed on a magic blast attack throw with a -2 penalty. If successful, the attack deals nonlethal damage.
2	Sensing Power, +2 bonus on charm and illusion saving throws
3	Unnatural flesh DR 1
4	Adept dabbling, Incapacitating Blast -0
5	continuous jump (self only)
6
7	Unnatural flesh DR 2
8	Unnatural healing
9	continuous esp
10	+4 bonus on charm and illusion saving throws, spider climb (self only) at will, clairvoyance once per 8 hours; each use takes 1 round
11
12	Adept research
13	Unnatural flesh DR 3
14	phantasmal killer once per day; each use takes 1 round

Adept Proficiency List (24 + 4 = 28): Alchemy, Alertness, Ambushing, Armor Training, Collegiate Wizardry, Combat Reflexes, Command, Eavesdropping, Extend Blast, Fighting Style, Healing, Knowledge, Language, Magical Engineering, Martial Training, Mystic Aura, Naturalism, Performance, Precise Shooting, Prestidigitation, Running, Skirmishing, Swashbuckling, Weapon Finesse

New Proficiency

Extend Blast

Extend Blast increases the range of the character’s magic blast to 240 feet.

New Spell

Magic Blast

Arcane 1

Range: 60’

Duration: instantaneous

When this spell is cast, a blast of magical energy strikes its target for 1d6 points of damage per odd level of the caster. For example, 1d6 at 1st level, 2d6 at 3rd level, up to 7d6 at 13th level. The spellcaster must make a successful attack throw against the target, using the target values for a fighter of her level. Inanimate objects are not damaged by the spell.

Custom Class Build Information

Hit Dice	Fighting	Thievery	Divine	Arcane
0	1b (Thief)	3	0	0

Trade-Offs

Reduce weapon selection from Broad to Narrow for 2 custom powers

Eliminate 1 fighting style for 1 custom power

Exchange 10 skills for 10 custom powers

Custom: Thievery Value Trade-Off Experience Point Penalty

A class with a Thievery Value of 3 or greater that makes a tradeoff increases the experience point cost of its Thievery Value by 125XP per custom power gained.

XP Calculation: 0 + 500 + 750 + 1250 = 2500 at 2nd level

Designer’s Notes

I was inspired to create this class based on a request on the Autarch forums. Prior to creating this class, I had created a matrix of spell-like abilities based on the examples provided in the Player’s Companion, but expanded to show a power cost for 1st through 6th level spells, frequency at will through 1 per quarter, casting time 1 round or 1 turn (when not at will). I created this matrix with the goal of using it to create new races. Although there was some number-crunching behind my matrix, I realized that two conditions likely invalidated my calculated costs: 1) all spells at a given level are not equal, and 2) any points system can be abused. Therefore, my matrix represents, at best, a baseline. The next step is to develop guidelines for how to apply the matrix, or more specifically, circumstantial cost adjustments.

The adept class is a fire-hose of spell-like abilities compared to the races I have in development. That fire-hose may help me to fine tune my approach more quickly.

Clearly, the adept is not for everyone, and that’s fine. If you are playing a game where adept PCs may fit in, I hope you will give the class a try and post your feedback. If you are not playing in a game suitable for adept PCs, the adept can provide the Judge with a unique and interesting adversary for the players. I can easily imagine adepts re-skinned as alien horrors from the deep or demons of the ancient world.

In any event, have fun with it!