Endzeitgeist
First Post
Disclaimer: After reviewing version 1.0. I stepped up and tried to help improve the pdf, to make it more accessible and Steve has implemented some of my suggestions to improve the ES-pdf. That is very rewarding to see and shows an admirable willingness to support and improve products!
This full-color pdf clocks in at 25 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page credits, 1 page ad and 1 page OGL, leaving a whopping 21 pages of crunch and fluff for this class, and rest assured, the space has been put to good use.
What is the enlightened scholar? Well, remember Kang the Mad from Bioware's Jade Empire? The Uncle in Jackie Chan movies? The Enlightened Scholar is all of this and even more. Mechanically, it's a D6, 6+Int skill ranks, 1 good save class that has a monk-like improving unarmed attack that gets better as he progresses as well as a bonus to AC.
The major abilities of the ES, however, are abilities selected from diverse fields of knowledge, so called enlightened knowledge-abilities he may select from several fields.
The fields are:
Academia (Knowledge + Languages), Feng-Shui (alter the flow of of fate, exorcise with a broom), Folk Magic (makes the ES a minor preparing spellcaster), I Ching (Divination and prediction abilities), Invention (trapfinding and creating strange devices and the like), Medicine (gives helping healing abilities), Nei Tan (internal alchemy), Warfare (Help allies with strategy), Wei Tan (external alchemy).
Each of the fields has several different abilities to choose from and you may switch freely from field to field, however, some of the abilities with a given field have additional prerequisites (skills, feats and other enlightened knowledge abilities). They all have in common that they utilize some legendary features of wise men from Chinese legends, movies and games. Ever wanted to create a conveyance that can swim and fly with or without weapons, usable by you alone or by groups?
There are actually rules for this in the pdf!
Want to combine potions? Bombs? Be a know-it-all? The ES can be all that, and more!
Very interesting is, among others, the ability to Brandish Magical Might, which enables him to counter spells cast by others if he readies an action. The ability is usable once per day per two class levels and does not cost any spell slots or the like. He can also use this check to overcome SR.
The whole class takes up 15 pages and is advanced in every sense of the word: Interesting, complex and many options to consider. The ES is certainly not a class to pick-up-and-play, but rather a versatile and complex class that is definitely rewarding to play. Additionally, everything has been done to make the class as comprehensive as possible.
We also get 1 page with a new skill, the Feng Shui skill.
After that, we get 4 pages of Ch’i and Chakrafeats, which I liked. They are cool and the system they utilize is now in V.2.0 easier to understand for people who don't have access to Heroes of the Jade Oath.
Conclusion:
The Es is an extremely iconic, versatile and cool class that makes me not only think of one potential character-concept, but whole campaign-arcs around them either as PCs or NPCs, or both.
I'll start with 5 stars for the awesome idea and the willingness to improve the pdf and for making this very versatile, complex class easy to understand and implement. Unfortunately, the immortal knowledge abilities are still missing and so I'll have to detract one star. Rest assured, though, that the pdf still has more than enough highest quality crunch to satisfy your gaming needs.
Edit: The Folk Magic table has been released as an additional download.
This full-color pdf clocks in at 25 pages, 1 page front cover, 1 page credits, 1 page ad and 1 page OGL, leaving a whopping 21 pages of crunch and fluff for this class, and rest assured, the space has been put to good use.
What is the enlightened scholar? Well, remember Kang the Mad from Bioware's Jade Empire? The Uncle in Jackie Chan movies? The Enlightened Scholar is all of this and even more. Mechanically, it's a D6, 6+Int skill ranks, 1 good save class that has a monk-like improving unarmed attack that gets better as he progresses as well as a bonus to AC.
The major abilities of the ES, however, are abilities selected from diverse fields of knowledge, so called enlightened knowledge-abilities he may select from several fields.
The fields are:
Academia (Knowledge + Languages), Feng-Shui (alter the flow of of fate, exorcise with a broom), Folk Magic (makes the ES a minor preparing spellcaster), I Ching (Divination and prediction abilities), Invention (trapfinding and creating strange devices and the like), Medicine (gives helping healing abilities), Nei Tan (internal alchemy), Warfare (Help allies with strategy), Wei Tan (external alchemy).
Each of the fields has several different abilities to choose from and you may switch freely from field to field, however, some of the abilities with a given field have additional prerequisites (skills, feats and other enlightened knowledge abilities). They all have in common that they utilize some legendary features of wise men from Chinese legends, movies and games. Ever wanted to create a conveyance that can swim and fly with or without weapons, usable by you alone or by groups?
There are actually rules for this in the pdf!
Want to combine potions? Bombs? Be a know-it-all? The ES can be all that, and more!
Very interesting is, among others, the ability to Brandish Magical Might, which enables him to counter spells cast by others if he readies an action. The ability is usable once per day per two class levels and does not cost any spell slots or the like. He can also use this check to overcome SR.
The whole class takes up 15 pages and is advanced in every sense of the word: Interesting, complex and many options to consider. The ES is certainly not a class to pick-up-and-play, but rather a versatile and complex class that is definitely rewarding to play. Additionally, everything has been done to make the class as comprehensive as possible.
We also get 1 page with a new skill, the Feng Shui skill.
After that, we get 4 pages of Ch’i and Chakrafeats, which I liked. They are cool and the system they utilize is now in V.2.0 easier to understand for people who don't have access to Heroes of the Jade Oath.
Conclusion:
The Es is an extremely iconic, versatile and cool class that makes me not only think of one potential character-concept, but whole campaign-arcs around them either as PCs or NPCs, or both.
I'll start with 5 stars for the awesome idea and the willingness to improve the pdf and for making this very versatile, complex class easy to understand and implement. Unfortunately, the immortal knowledge abilities are still missing and so I'll have to detract one star. Rest assured, though, that the pdf still has more than enough highest quality crunch to satisfy your gaming needs.
Edit: The Folk Magic table has been released as an additional download.
Last edited:
