Occultist Savant (3.5e Class)

Author: Zhenra-Khal (talk) Date Created: 11/9/2016 Status: Complete Editing: Clarity edits only please

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A wielder of magic and psionics who gives up high levels of power in order to broaden their horizons and give themselves more control over the more intricate aspects of their power.

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Prepared Arcane Spellcasting, Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting, Prepared Divine Spellcasting, Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting, Alternate Magic, Psionics, Invocations,

"Soulmelds" is not in the list (Prepared Arcane Spellcasting, Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting, Prepared Divine Spellcasting, Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting, Arcane Spellcasting, Divine Spellcasting, Prepared Spellcasting, Spontaneous Spellcasting, Alternate Magic, Psionics, ...) of allowed values for the "Class Ability" property.

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"Other." is not in the list (Prepared Arcane Spellcasting, Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting, Prepared Divine Spellcasting, Spontaneous Divine Spellcasting, Arcane Spellcasting, Divine Spellcasting, Prepared Spellcasting, Spontaneous Spellcasting, Alternate Magic, Psionics, ...) of allowed values for the "Class Ability" property.

Other

Occultist Savant

Wizards practice magic via arcane syllables and complex gestures. Clerics pray to their deities, then upon casting, call out the them and present their holy symbols to channel the spell. Sorcerers and Favored Souls find their magic within, through their bloodline. What they all have in common, is they are all magic. All the base life essence of the world, flowing in and out of everything, everywhere and nowhere at once. Psions and others like them tap into the power of the mind, focusing that which is latent within all living minds; Warlocks make pacts to draw upon a collective of power they do not know the origin of, and Meldshapers pull soul energy from beyond life and death to bring them power. But again, there is a common factor here. All of these are forms of power that were discovered and shaped by strife, by the fight to survive, a will to thrive and better themselves. Wizards seek knowledge; Clerics seek to further the will of their cause; Psions seek to prefect their minds, yet how to they go about that? By putting themselves in danger. By learning from the primal instinct awakened by combat, they gain experience, learning how their power can best be used.

Where these practitioners all use that primal animal instinct as a surrogate to increase their power, the Occultist Savant starts there. That primal emotion in the heat of combat, the memories of what made them feel what emotion, of what situations made them think of what other situations, learning these tiny connections. And thus, this allows them to tap into power both arcane and divine, both learned and innate, both from the mind and soul, and ultimately, from the collective billions of living creatures who experience that basic fight or flight instinct every day, every moment. They travel and learn, seeking to experience and simply live life and reflect on said life, using what they learn and experience to their advantage. They give up the specialized power others gain from following merely one path, but in return, they gain so much more.

Making an Occultist Savant

The Occultist Savant is a caster, and despite only having access to 6th-level and lower abilities, they are full casters, and like full casters, can fill many roles - In fact, an Occultist Savant can be anything from a daring warrior to a kind healer to a cunning thief, depending on what abilities they've chosen. However, in the end, all of their power stems from their magic, and without it they are weak.

Abilities: The Occultist Savant relies on his mental abilities more than anything. Intelligence dictates the highest-level spell they can learn and how many spells they can prepare each day. Wisdom dictates their bonus power points and their Strain threshold. Charisma governs their saving throw DCs, for spells, powers and most other class abilities. Dexterity is also useful, as the Occultist Savant doesn't wear armor; And Constitution helps offset their low base hit points.

Races: Races like Elves, Gnomes, Illumians and Planetouched, with heritage so deeply touched by superstition and magic, are far more likely to take up the mantle of the Occultist Savant than warlike races like Dwarves or Orcs.

Alignment: Any. Those who follow this path come from all walks of life, and thus may be of any alignment; However, your alignment dictates your class abilities somewhat. You cannot choose a Cleric Domain or Psionic Mantle that you do not share an alignment component with; And your alignment also dictates what Soulmelds you can use, and some of your other abilities.

Starting Gold: 3d4×10 gp (75 gp).

Starting Age: Moderate. Much of their power is innate, like a Sorcerer; Yet much of their power is gained through training and study, like a Wizard, thus they find themselves somewhere in the middle.

Table: The Occultist Savant

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Power Points/Day	Powers Known	Maximum Power Level Known	Invocations Known	Chakra Binds	Soulmelds Known	Essentia Points
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Spells, Psionics, Occult Channel, Occult Blast 1d6, Meldshaping	0	1	1	—	—	1	1
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Totem or Crown Chakra, Least Invocations	2	1	1	1	1	1	1
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Occult Metamagic I	4	2	1	1	1	1	2
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Third Psionic Mantle	6	2	2	1	1	2	2
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Occult Blast 2d6, Open Least Chakra	8	3	2	2	1	2	3
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Spellbind, Open Least Chakra	10	3	2	2	1	2	3
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Bonus Feat, Third Domain	12	4	3	2	1	3	4
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Lesser Invocations, Dispelling Orb	14	4	3	3	1	3	4
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Occult Blast 3d6, Open Lesser Chakra	16	5	3	3	2	3	5
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Open Lesser Chakra	18	5	4	4	2	4	5
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Blastbind, Open Lesser Chakra	20	6	4	4	2	4	6
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Occult Metamagic II	22	6	4	4	2	4	6
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Occult Blast 4d6, Greater Invocations	24	7	5	5	3	5	7
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Third Psionic Discipline	26	7	5	5	3	5	7
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Greater Dispelling Orb	28	8	5	5	3	5	8
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Third Wizard School	30	8	6	6	4	6	8
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Occult Blast 5d6	32	9	6	6	4	6	9
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Open Greater Chakra, Fourth Domain	34	9	6	6	4	6	9
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Dark Invocations, Open Greater Chakra	36	10	6	7	5	7	10
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Occult Metamagic III	38	10	6	7	5	7	10
Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Autohypnosis (Wis), Concentration (Con), Control Shape (Wis), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Heal (Wis), Knowledge (All skills; taken individually) (Int), Listen (Wis), Psicraft (Int), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Speak Language (None), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), Truespeak (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Psionic Device (Cha).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Occultist Savant.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Occultist Savants are proficient with no armor nor shields, and are proficient only with the quarterstaff, dagger, club, light crossbow, heavy crossbow and shortspear, as well as their Eldritch Blast.

Occult Attunement (Su): The Occultist Savant may use Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Read Magic, and Detect Magic as supernatural abilities at will. They may also use Cure minor Wounds, Light and Mending as supernatural abilities a number of time per day equal to their Charisma modifier. They also treat all these spells as being on their class spell list for the purposes of magic items.

Spells: The Occultist Savant can cast spells of both divine and arcane nature, thought they can cast neither with the same proficiency as someone who specialized in one or the other. The Occultist Savant chooses two Cleric domains and two Wizard specialist schools as their primary areas of study; These groups of spells compose the class spell list that they may choose their spells from. They may gain the grant ability of ONE domain they have access to, with one-half (rounded down, min 1) of their Occultist Savant level acting as their effective Cleric level for the power. The Occultist Shaman's caster level for all his spells is equal to his class level. Their alignment and sometimes subtype(s) limit their Domain choices, however; They must share the alignment component of the Domain they choose.

The Occultist Savant begins play with one Arcane and one Divine spell chosen from his primary areas of study. At each level thereafter, he may learn one arcane spell or one divine spell of any level he has access to; With the limitation that the number of spells of each sort they know must be within 1 of each other - Thus 4th-level occultist Savant could know two Arcane spells and three Divine spells, or three Arcane and two Divine, but not 1 Arcane and 4 Divine. This limitation doesn't apply to spells added to their spellbook via Spellcraft checks, but common sense should be used regardless.

At 7th level, the Occultist Savant gains a third domain. However, he cannot learn more spells from this domain than he has learned from any one of his Primary domains. At 16th level, the Savant gains a third Wizard school; And at 18th, the Savant gains a fourth Domain. The third school and fourth domain are subject to the same restrictions as the third Domain.

At first level, the Occultist Savant also chooses two other 1st-level spells, from any class list, to be their first-level Signature Spells; One Arcane and one Divine. This effectively gives them four 1st-level spells known. However, these Signature Spells are innate; The Savant doesn't need his spellbook to prepare them. Each time the Savant gains another level of spells, they choose two spells of that level to be his Signature spells. At 5th level and every 4 levels after that, the Savant may "lose" an old Signature spell in order to exchange it for a new one of the same level he gave up. However, the limitation is that the new spell must be from one of the Savant's areas of expertise.

Occultist Savants prepare spells, and keep their spells in a spellbook, much like a wizard; And while they can learn spells from a spellbook or Archivist's prayerbook, neither can learn from an occultist Savant's spellbook, and the Occultist takes a -4 penalty on Spellcraft checks made to learn spells not in his areas of interest. However, the Occultist Savant can choose which of his spells to cast at the moment of casting, thus allowing him to cast from his list of prepared spells much in the same way a Sorcerer casts from his innate list of spells known. Adding metamagic to a spell cast in this way increases the casting time just as with a Sorcerer's spells, unless the spell was prepared with the metamagic feat already attached.

In order to cast a spell, the Occultist Savant must have an Intelligence score equal to 10 + the spell's level, and their bonus spells prepared per day are based on their Intelligence scores. The saving throw DC of a Savant's spell is equal to 10 + the Savant's Charisma modifier + The spell's level. The Occultist Savant's spells prepared per day by level are shown on the table below. Where the table lists 0 spells prepared per day, they only get spells prepared per day if they have an Intelligence score high enough to grant them bonus spells of that level.

Table: Occultist Savant Spells Prepared Per Day

Level	Spells Prepared Per Day
	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th
1st	2	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	2	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	2	0	—	—	—	—
4th	3	1	—	—	—	—
5th	3	1	—	—	—	—
6th	3	1	0	—	—	—
7th	3	1	1	—	—	—
8th	4	2	1	—	—	—
9th	4	2	1	0	—	—
10th	4	2	1	1	—	—
11th	4	3	2	1	—	—
12th	5	3	2	1	0	—
13th	5	3	2	1	1	—
14th	5	3	2	2	1	—
15th	5	4	3	2	1	0
16th	6	4	3	2	1	1
17th	6	4	3	2	2	1
18th	6	4	3	3	2	1
19th	6	5	3	3	2	1
20th	7	5	4	3	3	2

Components: An Occultist Savant's magic is very different from the magic of other spellcasters; Where wizards chant unintelligible nonsense and wave their hands around frantically, and Clerics call out to their gods and point various religious paraphernalia about crudely, the Occultist has a bit of a different method. Rather than Verbal and Somatic components, an Occultist's spells rely on emotion and thought. Any spell that lists a Verbal component instead uses an Emotion component; Any spell that lists a Somatic component instead uses a Thought component.

Rather than speaking syllables in an ancient language or calling out in the name of a deity (In the form of a Verbal component), the Occultist's Emotion component represents the emotional drive behind the spell - He's not generating power via voice nor asking his deity to grant him this power, but rather drawing it from within, the most primal aspects of the psyche. He calls forth anger to smite his foes with an attack spell, fear to bring forth defensive magic, sadness and sympathy to heal, courage to rally his allies; The Occultist draws from the collective instinct of every creature, to fight or run, to rally help or to sympathize. A spell requiring an Emotion component is impossible to cast while under the effects of a spell that causes fear or otherwise alters the Savant's emotional state; Even if the effect is giving them the correct emotion, their emotions are not under their control, thus taking away the emotional precision they need to exact their spell.

Likewise, rather than shaping the spell energy he's called forth with a set of complicated gestures or a presented holy symbol (In the form of a Somatic component), the Occultist Savant shapes his magic and gives his energy purpose through visualization. Picturing fire erupting from his body to strike a foe or his skin turning to stone to protect him, these are the things a Savant pictures. If the perfect, detailed mental images a Savant must construct are interrupted, then it is more difficult for them than any other spellcaster to maintain the spell; Thus when they cast a spell, if they must make a concentration check (Such as because of an attack of opportunity or because of mental interference in the area) then they take a -4 penalty on the Concentration roll. However, they can take a Move action to center their minds before casting, in order to negate the penalty. However; this method of casting means that the Silent Spell and Still Spell metamagic feats cannot be used on Occultist Savant spells in order to negate Emotion and Thought components. But, armor does not interfere with an Occultist Savant's spellcasting, because said spellcasting lacks somatic components.

Casting: An Occultist Savant's spellcasting also isn't as precise as some other forms of spellcasting. While it is more versatile and can be used in different situations - A Savant can cast spells while tied up and gagged as long as their minds aren't fogged by drugs or the like - It has its downfalls, specifically the fact that their spells don't work quite the same as other spells; When a Wizard finishes waggling his fingers, the spell usually goes off without a hitch; The same goes for a Cleric when his deity answers his call. However, an Occult Savant's power doesn't come from power gathered from outside via chanting and obscene gestures, nor is it granted by a deity. It comes from within, and thus there is room for error, just as there is when an ordinary person is trying to craft something, pick a lock or figure out what spell is being cast at him. However, while they may mess up, the determination of these people often goes far beyond the limited amount of energy a Wizard can gather in a day, and it's not limited by a deity's willingness to continue granting more and more power to their follower. Much like a Warlock, this power is seemingly boundless, coming from the collective animal instinct of every living creature, that will to survive and thrive that has kept all races around for centuries.

Mechanically, this means each time they cast a spell, they must make a skill check, called a Casting Check. The skill used is Spellcraft, and the DC is typically equal to the spell's level. Typically this means the Savant can cast any spell they know without a hitch if they've been practicing their Spellcraft enough; So long as they don't roll a 1. Failing the check means the spell doesn't go off; Rolling a natural 1 means a Wild Magic effect (If you don't have a wild magic table, use the Rod Of Wonder's table) goes off. If you roll a natural 20, then one of the spell's damage(/healing/number of targets or HD effected) is doubled. If it doesn't deal damage, then its duration is doubled. If its duration is instantaneous, its area is doubled. If none of these apply to the spell in question, rolling a natural 20 has no effect. However, every time an Occultist Savant casts a spell, they accrue Strain equal to the level of the spell. Their total Strain is then added to all subsequent Casting Checks, representing their willpower slowly being ground away. The Occultist Savant can have a maximum Strain threshold equal to their Wisdom modifier, multiplied by their class level. When the exceed half this number in Strain, they become Fatigued until it rises above half again. When they meet their total Strain threshold, their fatigue worsens to Exhaustion and they lose their Wisdom bonus to Will saves, in addition to not being able to cast any more spells until their Strain lowers again. The Occultist Savant's Strain does go down over time, however; If their strain is equal to less than half of their Strain threshold, then they lose 1 Strain in any round not spent casting a spell. If it's over half but not over three-quarters, then they regain 1 strain each minute as long as they haven't cast a spell in this time. If their Strain is over three-quarters of their Strain threshold, then it takes an hour of abstaining from spellcasting to rid the Savant of a single point of Strain. Thus, many Savants are careful not to wear themselves thin too quickly, because it takes so long to recover so little.

Power Points/Day: The Occult Savant's knowledge also delves into psionics, an art so similar to their own casting but yet vastly different. A Savant’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points he has available. His base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Occultist Savant. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Wisdom score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). His race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Powers Known: The Occultist Savant, at first level, chooses two Psionic Mantles and two Psionic Disciplines to choose powers from. These represent the Savant's mental focus, and if often a reflection of their spellcasting focus - For example an Occult Savant who chose Evocation and Conjuration as his Wizard schools and Sun and Darkness as his Cleric domains will probably choose Psychokinesis and Psychoportation as his Psionic Disciplines and Light And Darkness and Elements as his Psionic Mantles. They gain the granted power of one of their primary Mantles.

At 4th level, the Occultist Savant takes up a third Psionic Mantle; However, he may not learn more powers from this mantle than he's learned from either of his first two mantles. At 14th level, he gains a third Psionic Discipline, with the same restrictions as his third Mantle.

The Saving Throw DC for an Occultist Savant's Power is equal to 10 + the power's level + the Savant's Charisma modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known: This column determines the highest level power an Occultist Savant can learn at this level. To learn or manifest a power, an Occultist Savant must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Occult Channel (Su): The Occultist Savant, at first level, gains the ability to channel, in small, powerful, but unfiltered bursts, the collective energy he taps into with his spells. This ability has a number of uses per day equal to one point of the the Occultist Savant's Charisma modifier per class level, plus 1 per 5 class levels. This ability has no use on it's own, but functions as Turn Undead for the purposes of feats and abilities, including Domain abilities (And, likewise, the Extra Turning feat can be taken to increase the number of daily uses you have, but your number of daily uses can never exceed your class level).

Occult Blast (Su): Much like the Warlock's Eldritch Blast, the Occultist Savant learns how to unleash devastating blasts of energy. As a standard action while psionically focused, the Savant may release an Occult Blast, a ranged touch attack with a range of 60 feet. On a successful hit, it deals 1d6 points of damage, ignoring energy resistance, but it is subject to spell and/or power resistance if the target has it; The blast's damage increases by 1d6 every 4 levels after 1st (2d6 at 5th, 3d6 at 9th, and so forth). In other words, this ability functions as, and counts as, Eldritch Blast for the purposes of feats, prestige classes and items. However, unlike Eldritch Blast, Occult Blast only functions while you maintain your Psionic Focus.

Invocations: Like a Warlock, an Occultist Savant of second level and higher learns a handful of Invocations. However, the Savant may only select Blast Shape and Eldritch Essence invocations. Invoker level is equal to their class level. However, you automatically learn the Eldritch Shield Blast Shape invocation as a bonus invocation. At 11th level you automatically learn the Blastbind Eldritch Essence invocation as a bonus invocation. The Occultist savant gains access to Lesser invocations at 8th level, Greater invocations at 13th level and Dark invocations at 19th level.

Meldshaping: The Occultist Savant learns how to shape soul energy, gaining access to Soulmelds. Meldshaper level is equal to their class level. The Savant may learn one Soulmeld from any class list at 1st level, and an additional one every three levels thereafter. However, at 6th level, the Occultist Savant automatically gains Spellbind as a bonus soulmeld. Your alignment dictates the Soulmelds you can learn; You cannot learn, shape or bind any soulmeld you do not share an alignment component with; Thus only Good-aligned Occultist Savants can use Soulmelds with the Good descriptor, and so forth,

Totem or Crown Chakra: At second level, choose Totem Chakra or Crown Chakra. You gain access to that Chakra and can bind Soulmelds to it.

Occult Metamagic (Su): At third level, you gain a bit of wiggle room with your abilities. Specifically, you can use powerpoints, essentia, your Occult blast or Occult Channel uses to reduce the cost of metamagic, and thus the cost of strain to use metamagic on a spell, as well as the casting time. When applying metamagic to a spell spontaneously, you may expend your psionic focus and spend either 2 Power Points per spell level increase, 1 point of Essentia per spell level increase, 1 Occult Channel use per spell level increase, or voluntarily lose access to your Occult Blast for 1d4 rounds per spell level increase (Essentia expended in this way remains invested in this ability for 24 hours, just like with an Incarnum feat). Applying metamagic to a spell in this fashion negates the extra Strain incurred by using metamagic, and does not increase casting time as spontaneous metamagic normally does. This ability can be used on Occult Savant spells of 2nd level and lower when first gained; of 4th level and lower beginning at 12th level, and of 6th level and lower beginning at 20th level. This ability cannot be used on spells gained from any other class. Finally, any metamagic feats you possess can be used on Powers as if it were the corresponding metapsionic feat, and metapsionic feats can be treated as their metamagic counterparts, but only for the purposes of spells and powers gained by virtue of levels in the Occultist Savant class.

Open Least Chakra: At 5th and 6th level, the Occultist Savant gains Open Least Chakra as a bonus feat, even if they do not meet the prerequisites, for any Least Chakra they do not already have access to.

Bonus Feat: At 7th level, the Occultist Savant gains a bonus feat. This is either Open Least Chakra (if they chose Totem Chakra at second level) or any psionic, metamagic, metapsionic, item creation or Incarnum feat they meet the prerequisites for (If they chose Crown Chakra at second level). If they chose Totem Chakra and thus gain Open Least Chakra for their final Least Chakra, they need not meet the prerequisites of that feat.

Dispelling Orb (Su): At 8th level, you learn to shape a small orb of incarnum and hurl it at any target within 30 feet as a standard action. If you succeed on a ranged touch attack, the dispelling orb functions as a targeted Dispel Magic spell (caster level equals your meldshaper level). For every point of essentia you invest in the orb, you gain a +1 insight bonus on any dispel checks you make with it. After the attack is resolved, the invested essentia returns to your essentia pool and can be reinvested as normal. At 15th level, the orb instead functions as a targeted Greater Dispel Magic.

Open Lesser Chakra: At 9th, 10th and 11th level, the Occultist Savant gains Open Lesser Chakra as a bonus feat, even if they do not meet the prerequisites, for any Lesser Chakra they do not already have access to.

Open Greater Chakra: At 18th and 19th level, the Occultist Savant gains Open Greater Chakra as a bonus feat, even if they do not meet the prerequisites, for any Greater Chakra they do not already have access to.

Epic Occultist Savant

Table: The Epic Occultist Savant

Hit Die: d4

Level	Special
21st	Occult Blast 6d6
22nd
23rd
24th	Bonus Feat
25th	Occult Blast 7d6
26th
27th
28th	Bonus Feat
29th	Occult Blast 8d6
30th
2 + Int modifier skill points per level.

Spellcasting: The Epic Occultist Savant gains no more spells prepared per day after 20th level. As usual, Caster Level is equal to class level, and Strain threshold is equal to class level multiplied by Wisdom modifier.

Psionics: The Epic Occultist Savant gains no more powers known or power points per day after 20th level. Manifester level continues to rise with class level, however.

Meldshaping: The Epic Occultist Savant gains no more soulmelds known, soulmelds shaped, new Chakra binds, or Essentia points after 20th level. Meldshaper level continues to rise with class level, however.

Invocations: The Epic Occultist Savant gains no more Invocations after 20th level. Invoker level continues to rise with class level, however, as does Occult Blast damage, increasing by 1d6 at 21st level and every 4 levels thereafter.

Occult Channel: The Occult Savant has a number of daily Occult Channel uses equal to his Charisma Modifier + 1 per 5 class levels, as normal.

Bonus Feats: The Epic Occultist Savant gains a bonus feat every 4 levels after 20th. These feats must be metamagic, metapsionic, psionic, or Incarnum feats.

Human Occultist Savant Starting Package

Weapons: Quarterstaff

Skill Selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 2 + Int modifier.

Skill	Ranks	Ability	Armor Check Penalty
Concentration	4	Con	—
Heal	4	Wis	—
Knowledge (Arcana)	4	Int	—
Listen	4	Wis	—
Spellcraft	4	Int	—
Spot	4	Wis	—

Suggested Alignment: Chaotic Good

Feat: Combat Casting.

Bonus Feats: Skill Focus (Spellcraft).

Primary Cleric Domains: Healing, Travel (Travel Domain Granted Ability)

Primary Wizard Schools:Abjuration, Conjuration

Spells: Mage Armor, Longstrider

Signature Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Magic Missile

Primary Psionic Mantles: Freedom, Life (Freedom Domain Granted Ability)

Primary Psionic Disciplines: Psychometabolism, Psychoportation

Power: Dimension Hop

Soulmeld: Blink Shirt

Gear: Potion of Cure Light Wounds; Backpack, bedroll, flint and steel, belt pouch, 2 weeks of trail rations, torch, waterskin.

Gold: 5 GP.

Campaign Information

Playing an Occultist Savant

Religion: Most of the time Occultist Savants are either indifferent to religion or follow a deity with a devotion that either amazes or in some cases, frightens, the ordinary clergy of said deity. When they follow a deity, their domain and mantle choices are, 90% of the time, from the list of those deity they follow would grant. Normally, they tend to worship those divine with a hand in magic; The elves worship Corellon Larethian; While others may worship Boccob, Vecna, Wee Jas, Mystra, Shar, Azuth or any number of other deities with magic or secrets in their portfolios.

Other Classes: Paladins and those of their ilk seem to have the biggest problem with Occultist Savants, viewing them as unholy practitioners of magic who only seek power, and unfortunately those among the Savants who are evil only act to reinforce that stereotype. However, if the Savant proves themselves trustworthy and/or demonstrates that they do in fact follow a deity of good will, the pious usually soften up. Anyone who distrusts magic will distrust Occultist Savants twofold. However, most wizards, sorcerers, druids, psions, meldshapers, warlocks and etc. normally treat Savants no different than they would a member of their own class, though curious about how they meld their abilities so seamlessly.

Combat: As Occultist Savants are very squishy, they tend to stay off the front line. However, some do grab a level in Fighter and use Spellbind with Divine Power or Transformation, making optimal use of their abilities in order to be very dangerous frontline warriors. Most of the time, however, they're content to use their abilities from a distance, firing spell, power and Occult Blast into to opposition whenever they can.

Advancement: Typically those who begin down this path follow it to the bitter end; Though any of the prestige classes that combine two aspects of this class - Mystic Theurge, Psychic Theurge, Eldritch Theurge, Eldritch Disciple, or Soulcaster - Can easily be used, for those who only want to advance those specific aspects of the class. A Gish build can consist of a one-level dip into Fighter and using Divine Power with Spellbind, and using Eldritch Shield to protect yourself while you attack. Starting as Rogue for a couple levels and then changing to Occultist Savant, and choosing the Trickery domain, the schools of Illusion and Enchantment, and the Telepathy and/or Clairsentience disciplines can lead to a very via trickster build.

Occultist Savants in the World

“	It's quite funny to hear those words... Oh, what was it? "Pitiful unholy abomination?" Yes, that's it. Hysterical indeed to hear that from the mouth of a Tiefling, when I stand here before you, robed in white, with my sister's blood on your teeth. When I'm done with you, there will be nothing left for your vile Lord of Lies to claim.	”
—Makalo Vex, Silver Elf Occultist Savant

Daily Life: Occultist Savants can be found almost anywhere, be it as a tribe's shamanic leader, the head of a school of magic, as the sly nobleman nobody knows is the local legendary thief, or just the party healer in an adventuring band. Anywhere magic is found, a Savant is likely to be not far behind. When they're not meditating or teaching magic to others, they're out adventuring and searching out new knowledge, new spells, new power, just like a Wizard.

Notables: Makalo Vex, a Silver Elf Occultist Savant who leads the Silver Talons, a group of Silver Elves looking to build enough rapport and power to reclaim their homeland from the Githyanki.

Organizations: Occultist Savants rarely band together unless it's in pursuit of knowledge; Much like wizards, they all have their own agendas. They do, sometimes, form cults and gain followers to their causes, gaining support as well as minions to aid them in their search for power.

NPC Reactions: Most react to the Occultist Savant the same way they would to any spellcaster, psionic character, invoker, or meldshaper, though the impression will of course be influenced by behavior, alignment, choice of spells, race and other circumstances.

Occultist Savant Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana, Religion, Psionics, or The Planes) can research Occultist Savants to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Arcana, Religion, Psionics, or The Planes)

DC	Result
5	Occultist Savants are those who meld many forms of power, from Arcane and Divine spellcasting to Psionics and Soulmelds.
10	The Occultist Savant casts spells not with gestures nor chants, but with pure force of will and imagination alone, much like psionic Powers are manifested. They can also use their other powers to boost their magic, expending power points, essentia, or even their Occult Blast. They've also discovered how to turn their Occult Blast into a shield, protecting them from similar attacks.
15	While the Eldritch Theurge can attach large spells like Fireball to their Eldritch Blast, casting it normally, the Occult Savant learns from his experience with Soulmelds how to Bind a smaller, less spectacular spell he knows into his blast, using it time and time again. Likewise, they can turn a protective or self-enhancing spell into a Soulmeld temporarily, making it last as long as they please.
20	Characters who achieve this level of success can learn the whereabouts, name, appearance and general habits and tactics of a specific Occultist Savant.
30	Characters who achieve this level of success automatically know the color of the nearest Occultist Savant's underwear, though they do not know how they know this information.

Occultist Savants in the Game

Occultist Savants can fill many roles; Some good, some evil, but all magical. They can be the party healer, the scout, the blaster, and they can change roles as they please based on their spell selection for the day.

Adaptation: To make this class less powerful, give it the spellcasting progression of a Bard of its level, but use the same mechanics - Both for class spell lists and casting method/components - As is listed above. Other than that, the class in and of itself can play many roles, from voodoo necromancer to mighty crusader to invisible trickster. It can be changed into a 10-level Prestige Class, requiring at least 2nd-level arcane and divine spellcasting, access to 2nd-level powers and Meldshaper level 3rd or higher, in addition to 6 or more ranks each in Knowledge (Arcana, Religion, Psionics AND The Planes), Spellcraft and Concentration. Speaking of which, I may take the liberty of designing that soon.

Sample Encounter: The leader of the Silver Talon organization has contacted you and asked that you appear before him. His messenger says he has a proposition, one that carries much risk and could bear much reward.

EL 13:

Makalo Vex

CR 13

	Male Silver Elf Occultist Savant 11
	CN Small Fey
Init/Senses	+3/Darkvision 120ft; Listen +19, Spot +20
Languages	Common, Elven, Sylvan, Celestial, Draconic, Infernal
AC	19, touch 14, flat-footed 16 (+3 Armor, +2 Natural, +3 Dex, +1 Size)
hp	39 (11d4 HD)
Immune	Sleep
Fort/Ref/Will	+4/+7/+11
Weakness	Light Blindness
Speed	40ft; Scorn Earth
Melee	+5, Quarterstaff (1d6 20/x2 Bludgeoning)
Ranged	+10, Occult Blast (3d6 20/x2 untyped, SR applies, range 60ft) or +10, Acid Glob (3d6 20/x2 Acid, Range 30ft)
Space/Reach	5 ft./5 ft.
Base Atk/Grp	+5/+5
Special Actions	Telekinesis (Su), Astral Shield (Su), Occult Blast 3d6 (Su), Occult Channel 5/day (Su), Dispelling Orb, Occult Metamagic (1st and 2nd)
Combat Gear	Wand of Hold Person (CL 3rd; DC 13; 25 charges), 3 Potions of Cure Serious Wounds
Abilities	Str 7, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 17
SQ	Powerful Build, Cordless
Feats	Combat Casting, Maximize Spell, Psionic Meditation, Regenerative Shield
Skills	Balance +4, Climb -1, Concentration +19, Hide +7, Knowledge (Arcana) +16, Listen +19, Move Silently +4, Search +5, Spellcraft +16, Spot +19, Swim -1
Possessions	combat gear plus +3 Bracers Of Armor, +2 Amulet Of Natural Armor
Telekinesis (Su)	A Silver Elf's mind is strong enough to manipulate objects. They can manipulate objects of 25 pounds, +5 pounds per caster level, at close (25ft +5ft/2 CL) range, and it can move this weight up to half their own movement speed each round, as long as they maintain concentration, as if concentrating on a spell. This otherwise functions just like the sustained force version of the Telekinesis spell (With a Caster Level equal to the Silver Elf's HD), except as listed here. They can also use the Violent Thrust and Combat Maneuver versions as well, but these are limited to the same weight and range; And use their Caster Level rather than BAB (For the Violent Thrust version), and their Intelligence modifier (as if they were a Wizard) for the ability as a whole. This racial ability counts as Telekinesis as a spell-like ability for the purposes of the Master of the Unseen Hand prestige class.
Scorn Earth (Su)	A Silver Elf's feet lift from the ground. From now on, she can float a foot above the ground. Instead of walking she glides along, unconcerned with the hard earth or difficult terrain. While she remains within 1 foot of a flat surface of any solid or liquid, she can take normal actions and make normal attacks, and can move at her normal speed (she can even “run” at four times her normal speed). However, at distances higher than 1 foot above any surface, her speed diminishes to 10 feet per round.While she remains within 1 foot of a surface, she can make melee and ranged attacks normally, but if she moves any higher, she incurs the penalties on melee and ranged attack rolls as if she were the subject of the levitate spell.
Astral Shield (Su)	Out of necessity, Silver Elves have learned to turn their telekinesis into a shield, allowing them to project an orb of force (Usually silvery-violet in color and resembling Faerie Fire) around themselves. This shield has 10 points of HP, +1 per HD of the silver elf, and grants +1 Deflection bonus to armor class per 3 HD (Max bonus +5). It can absorb any sort of damage except that caused by poison, disease and natural processes such as starvation, dehydration, suffocation, and the like; As a Force effect, incorporeal creatures cannot bypass it as they do normal armor. The shield grants Spell Resistance against Force spells and effects (Such as Magic Missile) equal to 10, +1 per HD of the silver elf; When it is affected by such a spell or effect, subtract the effective spell level from the shield's remaining HP, whether it resisted the spell or not. Unlike other shields, it confers no immunity to sneak attacks or critical hits. The shield can be activated as a swift or immediate action and lasts until destroyed (However, the Silver Elf's Telekinesis cannot be employed while it is in existence); Once destroyed, it takes 1 minute to recharge before it can be used again. This racial trait grants access to feats which improve the shield's effectiveness.
Powerful Build (Ex)	The physical stature of Silver Elves lets them function in many ways as if they were one size category larger. Whenever a Silver Elf is subject to a size modifier or special size modifier for an opposed check (such as during grapple checks, bull rush attempts, and trip attempts), the elf is treated as one size larger if doing so is advantageous to him. A silver elf is also considered to be one size larger when determining whether a creature’s special attacks based on size (such as improved grab or swallow whole) can affect him. A silver elf can use weapons designed for a creature one size larger without penalty. However, his space and reach remain those of a creature of his actual size. The benefits of this racial trait stack with the effects of powers, abilities, and spells that change the subject’s size category.
Regenerative Shield (Feat)	Makalo's Astral Shield has Fast Healing 1, and can be reactivated the round after it's destroyed, at 3 HP. Each round it is not activated, it regains 3 HP; Automatically returning to full health after 1 full minute of non-use.
Spells	Caster Level 11th. Makalo has access to spells from the Conjuration and Abjuration schools, and from the Travel, Healing and Sun domains. He has access to the Travel Domain's granted ability as if he were a 5th-level Cleric. His Signature spells are: 1st: Magic Missile, Shield. 2nd: Blur, Acid Arrow. 3rd: Haste, Displacement. 4th: Cone Of Cone, Resilient Sphere. Typical Spells Prepared: Shield, Mage Armor, Cure Light Wounds, Obscuring Mist, Longstrider; Cure Moderate Wounds, Glitterdust, Web; Dispel Magic, Searing Light; Dimension Door. His Strain threshold is 33; If he incurs more than 16 points of Strain, he becomes Fatigued; If he incurs a total of 33, his Fatigue worsens to Exhaustion and he loses his Wisdom bonus to Will saving throws, in addition to not being able to cast any more spells. He loses 1 point of strain per round if his current Strain is less than 16; If it's more than 16 but less than 24, he loses 1 point of strain every minute instead of every round; If his strain is above 24, he loses 1 point of Strain every hour instead of minute. The Saving Throw DC from his spells are 13 + spell level.
Psionics	Manifester Level 11th. Makalo draws his powers known from the Psychokinesis and Psychoportation disciplines, as well as the Justice, Freedom and Natural World mantles. While Psionically focused, his base speed increases by 10 feet due to the Freedom Mantle's granted power. He has 36 Power Points, and his powers known are: 1st: Dimension Hop, Energy Ray; 2nd: Energy Missile, Animal Affinity; 3rd: Energy Burst; 4th: Psionic Fly. The Saving Throw DC from his powers are 13 + power level.
Occult Blast (Su)	As Eldritch Blast, but only functions while he's psionically focused. Deals 3d6 damage to a single target within 60ft with a successful ranged touch attack. Spell Resistance applies.
Meldshaping	Meldshaper Level 11th. Makalos knows the Dissolving Spittle, Flame Cincture, Mantle Of Flame, Blink Shirt and Spellbind soulmelds, and has access to the Totem, Crown, Feet, Hands, Arms, Brow and Shoulders chakra bind, but can only have 2 Chakra Binds at a time. Typically he keeps Blink Shirt bound to his Totem Chakra, and Mantle Of Flame bound to his Shoulders Chakra. He has 6 points of Essentia, and his maximum Essentia capacity for any Soulmeld is 2. Typically he keeps Displacement bound within his Spellbind, keeping 3 Essentia allocated there to sustain the spell; With two of his remaining Essentia resting within his Dissolving Spittle, increasing its damage to 3d6, and the remaining point is usually in Blink shirt. Altogether, with his Soulmelds shaped, bound and filled in this fashion, he has continual Displacement; Resistance to Fire 5; Can spit a glob of acid as a ranged touch attack that provokes attacks of opportunity with a range of 30 feet; dealing 3d6 Acid damage on-hit; Anyone who attacks him with a natural weapon or non-reach melee weapon takes 1d6 Fire damage and he can expand it outward to damage everyone in squares adjacent to him (Ref half; DC 13 + Essentia invested); And he can teleport up to 20 feet as a Move action.
Invocations	Invoker Level 11th. His invocations are (BS = Blast Shape, EE = Eldritch Essence): Least: Eldritch Shield (BS), Frightful Blast (EE), Sickening Blast (EE); Lesser: Brimstone Blast (EE), Eldritch Chain (BS); Greater: Blastbind. He may choose to use Blastbind; If he does, he applies Acid Arrow to it, taking 3 rounds and requiring him to shift two Essentia into his blast (Which he usually takes from his Dissolving Spittle soulmeld, reducing its damage to 1d6). Once he's done so, any creature hit by his Eldritch Blast is affected by Acid Arrow as if he had just cast it on them, in addition to the Occult Blast's normal damage. He usually uses Eldritch Chain in order to hit up to 2 extra targets with his Acid Arrow Blast; In total dealing 3d6 untyped damage and 2d4 Acid damage, and dealing 2d4 damage to targets hit every round for 3 rounds after the initial damage. The Eldritch Blast damage is subject to Spell Resistance, but the Acid Arrow effect, and thus the Acid damage, is not.
Occult Channel (Su)	Makalo has 5 uses per day of this ability. It has no true uses, other than activating Divine feats or fueling his Occult Metamagic.
Occult Metamagic (Su)	Makalo can use this ability to add metamagic to a spell at the moment of casting, without increasing casting time or Strain costs. His only metamagic feat is Maximize Spell, which incurs a spell level increase of +3. He can apply Maximize spell to any spell or Power he knows of 1st or 2nd level at the moment of casting, without increasing casting time or Strain costs, but in order to do so he must expend 1 use of Occult Channel, 2 Power Points, 1 point of Essentia, or voluntarily lose access to his Occult Blast for 1d4 rounds, per spell level increase. He can use any combination of these powers; For example, he only has 5 uses of Occult Channel, so he can fuel his first Maximized spell completely with Occult Channel, then for his second Maximized spell he can use his remaining 2 uses of Occult Channel and spend 2 power points, and his third Maximized spell can be fueled by 4 Power Points and losing his Occult Blast for 1d4 rounds. Essentia invested in an Occult Metamagic spell remains invested for 24 hours, just like with an Incarnum feat. For the purposes of his powers, he can treat Maximize Spell as if it were Maximize Power.
Open Chakra Feats	Makalo has the Open Least Chakra and Open Lesser Chakra feats for the Crown, Feet, Hands; Arms, Brow and Shoulders chakras. These feats give him bonuses based on the chakras, as follows. Crown: +1 insight bonus on Will saves. Feet: +1 insight bonus on Balance and Move Silently checks. Hands: +1 insight bonus on Climb and Swim checks. Arms: +2 insight bonus on grapple checks. Brow: +1 insight bonus on Search and Spot checks. Shoulders: +1 insight bonus on Reflex saves. These values have already been calculated into his stats.
Dispelling Orb (Su)	As a standard action, Makalo can shape a small orb of Incarnum and throw it at a target within 30 feet (A ranged touch attack). If it hits, the target is subjected to a targeted Dispel Magic effect (CL 11th). When he throws the orb, he can add Incarnum to it; Each point of Incarnum added grants a +1 bonus to the Dispel check made with the orb; Essentia invested in the orb returns to him immediately after the attack roll is resolved.

Makalo Vex is a Silver Elf, a member of a race of elves which dwelled on the Astral plane. Centuries ago, during the time when Makalo's grandfather was young, their cities were attacked by Githyanki, ad the Silver Elves that survived were driven to the material plane. Makalo is the leader of the Silver Talons, an organization of Silver Elves who are crusading to reclaim their ancestral home. He contacts the PCs in an attempt to hire them on as extra help, himself, the PCs and a group of other Silver Elves laying siege to one of the floating cities their kind once called home in order to reclaim it and set up a base of operations there.

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