Ascendant (3.5e Class)

Summary::Ascendants are those who are at one with the flow of existance and who are capable of seeing it fluctuate and warp in unimaginable ways. One of the trademarks of an ascendant is the fact that they are capable of splitting themselves, creating multiple versions of their physical body, and inhabit them all. Length::20 Minimum Level::1 Base Attack Bonus Progression::Poor Fortitude Save Progression::Poor Reflex Save Progression::Good Will Save Progression::Good Class Ability::Psionics Class Ability Progression::Full

Allowed Alignments::Lawful Good Allowed Alignments::Lawful Neutral Allowed Alignments::Lawful Evil Allowed Alignments::Neutral Good Allowed Alignments::Neutral Allowed Alignments::Neutral Evil Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Good Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Neutral Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Evil

Ascendant
Ascendants are those who have achieved synchronization with the flow of reality and who are capable of comprehending its endless fluctuations and paradoxical weavings far beyond any other living creature. The trademark of an ascendant is that they have within them the power to work outside causality, and duplicate themselves, allowing them to bring forth multiple versions of their physical body, and consciously inhabit, perceive, and control them all with but a thought.

Making an Ascendant
Ascendants are extremely versatile entities in the world, and can seem impossible to stop in battle. They can devastate the field of battle with ease, bringing down the wrath of the fabric of reality itself upon all beings. Ascendants usually elect to remain in the outer reaches of combat, choosing to rewrite the laws of reality from a distance avoiding harm from befalling directly upon themselves. Ascendants are truly magnificent foes to fight, one who can surprise even the most brilliant of scholars and wisest of men.

Abilities: The most imprtant ability score to an ascendant is Intelligence, seeing as it is their key ability score for manifesting powers and determining bonus power points. Secondmost, both Constitution and Dexterity are important in working up an ascendant's defense, increasing their health to make up for their small HD, and increasing their AC to compensate for their lack of the ability to wear armor, two saving throws are also based on these ability scores, making them wise to invest in for defense. Wisdom is also valuable for this same reason actually. Charisma can be useful to an ascendant who seeks out power via skills. Strength is not recommended for an ascendant to invest in.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any.

Starting Gold: 3d12&times;10 gp (195 gp).

Starting Age: Complex, as wizard.

Epic Ascendant
Erudition: An ascendant gains an additional erudition, selected from the list of eruditions above, every six levels after 18 th.

Enigma (Ex): The deflection bonus to AC and the enhancement bonus tp manifester level checks made to overcome psi-resistance the ascendant receives from the enigma ability increases by +1 every 4 levels after 20th.

Disjoinment (Ex): An ascendant gains an additional disjoiment of himself every nine levels after 18 th.

 (Ex): Eventually, an ascendants mind melds so seamlessly into the unending flow of reality, that, while he is at peace, his mind is capable of absorbing all knowledge that there is to be known. At thirtieth level, whenever an ascendant falls asleep or meditates in complete silence, his mind blooms out into the cosmos, and he becomes aware of everything and all of reality. This ability allows the character to know about everything he might be capable of knowing by simply seeing it, hearing it, or feeling it. This includes, but is not limited to, conversations, forest fires, wind patterns, battles, objects, houses, thunderstorms, meteors as they float through space, insect swarms as they fly through the desert, godlike presences, the location of every single lion in the world, and the time of day on the nearest neighboring planet. This ability is not capable of overcoming any sort of force or ability that specifically hides something, such as the nondetection spell, or mind blank. This ability cannot, in and of itself, see past what is tangible, and cannot discern secret message in conversations, and, seeing that the ascendant is unconscious, he cannot attempt a sense motive check to decode secret messages either. Though, when an ascendant awakens, he remembers, and is aware of, everything that he was aware of while he was unconscious and in that state of perfect awareness.



Epic Ascendant Bonus Feat List: Epic Expanded Knowledge, Epic Fortitude, Epic Manifestation, Epic Psionic Focus, Epic Reflexes, Epic Speed, Epic Will, Improved Manifestation, Improved Metapsionics

Dromite Ascendant Starting Package
Weapons: Sickle.

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 4 + Int modifier.

Feat: Overchannel

Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight.

Gear: Backpack, Bedroll, Belt Pouch, Hooded Lantern, Iron Pot, Oil (&times;9 pints), Small Steel Mirror, tent, trail rations (&times;4 days worth), waterskin, winter blanket.

Gold: 100 gp.

Playing an Ascendant
Religion: Ascendants and religion rarely are able to work together. For, to an ascendant, deities are merely a part of the infinite reaches of reality that they are able to comprehend, and therefore, not worth noting. Though, this is not always the way an ascendant feels. For example, an ascendant could very easily find a god whom they find to be enticing, and wish to help this god in their endeavors, even going so far as to begin leading crusades into the nether reaches of the universe, all in the name of expanding the influence of said god. Of course, at the same time, an ascendant could just as well believe the universe itself is the most powerful thing to exist, and that the gods are mere mockeries of it, even seeking to dismantle them in the name of reality.

Other Classes: Ascendants are extremely esoteric individuals, usually keeping their thoughts to themselves remaining in the background until something of note should happen. Of course, there are ascendants who beleive that their connection with all of reality should be spread, and brought to the attention of all. Ascendants of this type will usually enjoy the company of other manifesters such as the time bender, the psychic warrior, or the wilder. They may also like to spend time with casters like the sorcerer or the bishop. Ascendants may also have a certain fondness for physical characters, and the material perfection of their bodies. Even lowly individuals, like the rogue or the threat, are sometimes intriguing to ascendants.

Combat: Ascendants are titans upon the battlefield, being capable of renting minds assunder with but a glance, and reshaping bones and flesh without a second thought. They are able to bring forth massive bursts of energy with ridiculous ease, and even magnify the strengths of others with hardly a twitch. Though, ascendants suffer from the inherent weakness of their their greatest strength: their multiple instances in existance. For a single disjoiment is tied to the ascendants life force, and, should a flesh rending blow be directed at any any one of their existances, they shall feel it in full force.

Advancement: Not all ascendants aspire to know everything about the reality they have fallen in tune with, and may seek to focus upon their own mind. Such an ascendast is often tempted to perhaps take levels in psion uncarnate, to unleash their all encompassing minds from the mortal shells that restricted them before, or possibly even the thoughtless prestige class, to remove from their minds the dense arrays of thoughts that slowed their perception of everything. Some ascendant may even seek to take levels in metamind, to increase their powers even further.

Ascendants in the World
"Which ones the real me? Fool! They're all the real me!"

Ascendants tend to be cryptic, distant individuals who can be found anywhere, from the dark hallways of castles in the woods, to distant palaces in desert countries, to even out at sea, where salt and sweat are whipped by harsh winds, and survival is carried upon the backs of sailors. This is mainly due to the fact that being at one with all of reality, tends to bring out the wanderer in creatures, and makes them wish to see this universe that they have been stretching out into. Of course, there are ascendants who merely rest, deep within the catacombs of cities or atop towers that reach up, high above the clouds, and send out their disjoinments to experience the world for them. Though, no matter how an ascendant is, they always tend to be very esoretic and strange to most creatures.

Daily Life: Ascendants spend most of their life in something of a trance, seeing as it is difficult to focus upon the material, when a beings mind spans out across all of reality, and is able to grab hold of any detail that they may seek. Though, day to day life for an ascendant is usually rather interesting, for few other entities can see a shooting star, and then find out where that star actually came from, or be able to feel the thoughts and feelings of those who are entire universes away.

Notables: Rimore Eldtaie, Male Elven Ascendant: Travels from alternate reality to alternate reality via an unknown means.

Rilith Leth, Male Gnoll Ascendant: United a thousand tribes of gnolls together, and created a nation out of them.

Areos Tyjuios, Female Pixie Ascendant: Believed to be the single most potent sentient force in existance.

Organizations: Ascendants rarely find themselves inclined to join an organization, for they have difficulty relating to the plights of others, and can often merely brush off the idea of allegance and pledging oneself to an ideal with ease. Though, an ascendant could find interest in an organization that deals with matters on a universal scale, or perhaps even an organization of other ascendants that seeks to expand their infinite knowledge. Though, sometimes, an ascendant may seek to create their own organization, a guild of lore seekers, or even a league of individuals who are simply powerful.

NPC Reactions: An ascendant is someone for whom it is very easy to recognize for what they are, considering that they exist as multiple beings at any given moment, are able to know information that is far beyond the comprehension of others. People rarely know what the ascendant actually is though, and usually mistake them for the emisary of some strange, knowledgable god, or even a god themselves. Though, should a person actually realize what an ascendant is, the most common reaction is awe, fear, or respect. A persons reaction can even range into silent apprehension or mere avoidance.

Ascendant Lore
Characters with ranks in knowledge (psionics) can research ascendants to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Ascendants in the Game
Ascendants can be found anywhere, from the most distant, most isolated monestary in all of existance, to the neighborhood pub. Yet, no matter where they can be found, it seems that their mind is occupied elsewhere. While this is true, an ascendant can truly be a helpful individual, who can grant a traveller who has come to see them almost any piece of knowledge they seek with little to no effort. When it comes to roles to fill though, an ascendant will usually be seen as the cryptic wanderer, the terrifying voodoo doctor, or the wise, sagely elder.

Adaptation: Ascendants can be fitted into any campaign with realative ease. For example, in a campaign where being completely in tune with the universe is impossible, an ascendant could be someone who has managed to achive some slight syncronization with the universe, but is unable to control the connection. On the other hand, in a campaign where being in tune with reality at all is impossible, an ascendant could simply be someone who has expanded their perceptive ability to an almost god-like state, and is able to simply percieve things through time and space.

Sample NPC: Haridan Lonny was a child who knew more hardship than most full grown men could understand. One of his earliest memory was of his parents dying before his very eyes as he stumbled out of his room, looking for the source of the crashes that came in the middle of the night. He never even saw the face of the killer, as he vanished out the door before his mothers form even touched the ground. Haridan found himself in an orphanage after that, shivering in the cold, wishing to see his parents again, crying in the night without a sound. He was never taken from that place, growing up his entire life in that small building, wishing only for one thing, to feel his parents presence once more. After he was grown, he left the orphanage, going out into the world for the first time in his life, with a steely resolution set in his mind, he was going to find his parents, wherever their souls may rest. He travelled a long way, spoke to many people; preists, scholars, shamans, and yet none of them could seem to reach out and contact the souls of his parents, it was as though they didn't even exist. It wasn't until many years later, many trips into the deepest jungles and the highest moutnains later, that he managed to find something. It was on an island near the edge of the world that he found this link. An island that was barely more than a salt battered piece of rock with a rickety old shack on it. In this shack, there was an old, blind man, who sat there the entire day, a book laying open before him despite the fact that he couldn't see it. This man never ate, never slept, it was said, by those few who actually knew of his existance. When Haridan enterred into the man shack, he was surprised to hear the man welcome him by his name, and invite him to sit. Haridan did as he was asked, but before he could even open his mouth, the man told him that he knew why he was here, and that he could help him find what he sought, but it would take time. Haridan agreed after he blinked a few times in surpirse. To this day, Haridan is still on that island, still being trained by the man. He knows much he never did before, but his parents souls are still beyond his reach.

EL 15: