Transcendant

There are those who have ascended beyond their mortal origins, becoming outsiders by the virtue of their long training of mind and body. Often ascetic monks aspire to this fate, believing it to be the end of their long studies and rigorous martial and physical education.

It is not the end; it is a beginning.


Transcendant
Hit Die: d8.
Requirements
To qualify to become a Transcendant, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Concentration 25 ranks, Knowledge (any one) 12 ranks, Listen 12 ranks, Spot 12 ranks.
Feats: Iron Will.
Epic Feats: Extended Lifespan.
Special: The character must have been transformed into an Outsider through a class ability or feat (for example, the monk’s Perfect Self).

Class Skills
The Transcendant’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Diplomacy (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (all) (Cha), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), and any three skills.
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: The Transcendant
Level Special Spells per Day
1st Timelessness, renounce wealth, bounty of absence +1 level of existing class
2nd Enhance weapon (+1)
3rd Immortality
4th Bonus feat +1 level of existing class
5th Renounce food, transcend body
6th Enhance weapon (+2)
7th Penetrate damage reduction +1 level of existing class
8th Bonus feat
9th Enhance weapon (+3), renounce sleep, true insight
10th +1 level of existing class
11th Enhance weapon (+4)
12th Bonus feat
13th Renounce morality, oneness of matter +1 level of existing class
14th Enhance weapon (+5)
15th Perfection of mind and body


Class Features
All the following are Class Features of the Transcendant epic prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Transcendants gain no new proficiencies.

Timelessness (Ex): A Transcendant no longer takes ability score penalties for aging and cannot be magically aged. Any penalties she may have already incurred, however, remain in place. Bonuses still accrue, and the Transcendant does not die from old age.

Bounty of Absence (Su): The Transcendant gains a +6 enhancement bonus on all physical ability scores. This bonus increases to +8 at 10th level.

Renounce Wealth (Ex): The Transcendant purifies her soul by rejecting superfluous wealth. If she owns more than 8 magical and 8 nonmagical items she loses her bounty of absence ability. If she owns more than 4 magical and 4 nonmagical items the bonus is decreased by 2.
If she owns no more than 2 magical and 2 nonmagical items the bonus instead applies to all ability scores, mental and physical.

Enhance Weapon (Su): Any weapon wielded by the Transcendant, including natural weapons and unarmed strikes, gains the listed enhancement. This overlaps any existing enhancements on the weapons.
Immortality (Ex): At 5th level, the Transcendant has no need to eat, sleep, trance, or breathe, and is not subject to death from massive damage. She can still die in combat and in similar situations.

Bonus Feats: At levels 4, 8, and 12 the Transcendant gains a bonus feat. She may choose any feat she is qualified to take.

Transcend Body (Su): At 5th level, the Transcendant my strike incorporeal creatures without a miss chance. She may assume incorporeal form at will for any number of rounds per day. Taking this form, or returning to material form, is a move action.

Renounce Food (Ex): At 5th level the Transcendant purifies her body by rejecting food and drink, including magical sustenance such as heroes’ feast and drink such as potions. If the Transcendant partakes of food or drink, she loses her ability to transcend body for the next 8 hours.

Penetrate Damage Reduction (Su): At 9th level, the Transcendant can penetrate damage reduction with any weapon she wields (including natural weapons and unarmed strikes) as if she was wielding epic weapons.

True Insight (Su): At 9th level, the Transcendant adds the lesser of one-third her Wisdom bonus and one-third her class level as an insight bonus to her armor class and saves.

Renounce Sleep (Ex): At 9th level the Transcendant purifies her body and mind by rejecting sleep, trance, and dreams, including dream casting of any sort and magically induced sleep. If the Transcendant sleeps, trances, or dreams, she loses her true insight ability for the next 24 hours.

Oneness of Matter (Su): At 13th level the Transcendant can penetrate damage reduction with any weapon she wields (including natural weapons and unarmed strikes) as though her weapon is made of all materials (adamantine, cold iron, silver, etc.).

Renounce Morality (Ex): At 13th level the Transcendant purifies her mind by rejecting either her moral (good/evil) or ethical (law/chaos) portion of her alignment. If the Transcendant’s chosen alignment segment exceeds 2, she loses her oneness of matter ability for the next 7 days.

Perfection of Mind and Body (Ex): A 15th level Transcendant with at least 40 ranks in Concentration is immune to mind-influencing effects (though she may drop this immunity for one round as a standard action). She gains DR 5/– (instant healing) and resistance 10 to acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic.


Note: While monks are the class most likely to take this prestige class, it is open to all classes. (I'll probably write a feat letting those without classes/prestige classes ascend on their own.) The spellcasting progression exists to make the class slightly more accessable to nonmonks, even though they'll take longer to get into the class and might not benefit in the same ways.

Just a quick quiestion:

Renounce morality: what does the reference to "alignment segment" mean? What is it, and how can it exceeds 2? And why would it lead to the loss of a oneness of matter ability? Or do you mean the renounce morality ability?

Cheiromancer said:

Just a quick quiestion:

Renounce morality: what does the reference to "alignment segment" mean? What is it, and how can it exceeds 2? And why would it lead to the loss of a oneness of matter ability? Or do you mean the renounce morality ability?

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It's a bad choice of words, but I don't have a better one. (I'd take any suggestions!) It should have been clear from context, though: either your moral alignment or your ethical alignment. I use the Book of Hallowed Might alignment scale, where each portion of alignment ranges from 0-9. A paladin might be L7G5, strongly lawful and fairly good; a rogue might be C1E6, neutral (favoring chaos) and strongly evil.

Like the other "renounce" abilities, you lose another class ability if you fail to keep it. You must renounce wealth to gain the ability enhancement, food and drink to gain the transcend body ability, etc.

Any thoughts about the class, either in game use or mechanics?

Looks cool!

The enhance weapon ability kinda sucks for an epic-level character. How bout if he can add enhancements of that value to the weapon he's wielding (i.e. he can use that +1 to make his greataxe +5 into a flaming greataxe +5? Just a thought.

the Jester said:

Looks cool!

The enhance weapon ability kinda sucks for an epic-level character. How bout if he can add enhancements of that value to the weapon he's wielding (i.e. he can use that +1 to make his greataxe +5 into a flaming greataxe +5? Just a thought.

Click to expand...

It's actually meant to be a sucky ability:
* It hides the fact that the class doesn't give many abilities (since many are powerful)
* It's great for PCs who lose their equipment.
* You could choose to use a nonmagical weapon in conjunction with the renounce wealth limitation... if you feel lucky, punk.

Gotcha. Makes sense, then.

Could a character with Vow of Poverty take this class?

Also- it seems as if the ability to treat your attacks as good/evil/lawful/chaotic would be a better fit to the renounce morality ability.

Wouldn't a monk (who has to be neutral) have a hard time renouncing law/chaos?

I don't know what kind of renunciation would allow you to be all metals at once, though.

the Jester said:

Gotcha. Makes sense, then.

Click to expand...

Well, I hope so. Your ability is a good one, but it works much better on a class like the arcane archer.

If you find any other oddities/mistakes in the class, or if you have any suggestions, feel free to add them. Feedback = good.

Cheiromancer said:

Could a character with Vow of Poverty take this class?

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This class was not designed with Vow of Poverty in mind, since I don't allow Vow of Poverty. There are a few ways around it (they don't get 'renounce wealth' and its associated ability because they're already getting the benefit from the feat, or requiring an item that they can't have), but you'd have to check these out.

Cheiromancer said:

Also- it seems as if the ability to treat your attacks as good/evil/lawful/chaotic would be a better fit to the renounce morality ability.

Click to expand...

I considered this. I really like the 'oneness of matter' ability, though. Can you think of something better to give up? I'm not attached to this particular vow.

Cheiromancer said:

Wouldn't a monk (who has to be neutral) have a hard time renouncing law/chaos?

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A monk would have to:
* Renounce good/evil
* Renounce law/chaos and become an ex-monk
* Renounce neither, and live without oneness of matter

That reminds me, this class should multiclass freely. I need to update my first post!

Hiya mate!

The one bit that gives me concern is Incorporeality at will any amount/day. That seems a bit powerful.

Also the 'overall' focus is also somewhat ambiguous. Is it primarily designed to be an extended monk in the same fashion as Archmage and Hierophant apply to Spellcasters?

Upper_Krust said:

The one bit that gives me concern is Incorporeality at will any amount/day. That seems a bit powerful.

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Really? I guess I'll have to take your word on that; I haven't played enough at epic levels to say. I would have supposed that most parties would already have the capability to do this often, if desired.

Do you have any suggestions for replacement abilities that would fit with the general flavor of the ability -- becoming seperated from your body?

Upper_Krust said:

Also the 'overall' focus is also somewhat ambiguous. Is it primarily designed to be an extended monk in the same fashion as Archmage and Hierophant apply to Spellcasters?

Click to expand...

Yes, it's somewhat ambiguous, I know. That's made worse by the (poor, IMO) 15th-level ability. You got the main thrust of the class -- it extends the monk, although I took pains to make it accessable to other classes if they want it. The only classes that would have real trouble with the class are sorcerer/wizards, for whom the abilities aren't useful.

I have a druid in my campaign who is interested in the class, and a cleric in another campaign (currently 'on hold') also wants it.