December 2020 - Recap and Preview (Patreon)

Happy new years, and welcome to 2021!

December 2020 has come to a close, and with it the first month of content releases for Studio M— does as well!

This month felt like it had a good pace for updates, save for a few hiccups around the holiday season.  We released a bunch of new Storm veil themed archetypes and class features in Expanded Features articles this month (part 1 and part 2), a new archetype and tome for the Legendary Magus, a new suite of winter-themed veils and Storm veils, and the release of a brand-new descriptor for veils that can be enhanced as items.

For my current patrons, thank you for all your support in making what I want to accomplish possible!

For those who are new to this patreon, I wanted to include a recap of some of my favourite parts of December 2020:

New Legendary Magus Archetype: Momentum Mage

Infusing their body with their magical powers have allowed these magi to move at incredible speeds, using their momentum to generate magical potential and to strike their foes with perfectly placed bursts of movement.

Want a preview of this class? You can find it here! 

Infused Mobility (Su): At 1st level, the momentum mage has infused their body with arcane energies, allowing them to more easily move throughout the flow of combat. They gain the benefits of the Dodge and Mobility feats, even if they don’t meet the prerequisites for those feats. This effect counts as having these feats for the purposes of prerequisites.

At 3rd level, and every 3 levels thereafter, their arcane energies infusing their body develop further, granting them a +10 foot increase to their base movement speed, and increasing the dodge bonus granted by the Mobility feat by +2.

Arcane Momentum (Su): At 1st level, the momentum mage has learned to use their movements to generate magical energy. This energy, called arcane potential, is stored within the magus and they can use this stored energy to bolster their abilities in a variety of ways. A momentum mage starts their day with no potential, but can gain potential in the following way:

• Potential Momentum: For every 10 feet the momentum mage moves in a round, they gain one point of arcane potential. This point of arcane potential is gained immediately upon moving a total of 10 feet in a round, and for every total increment of 10 feet moved thereafter. All forms of movement count for the purposes of this ability, including teleportation.

The momentum mage’s potential goes up or down throughout the day, but usually cannot go higher than their Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), though some feats, abilities, and magic items may affect this maximum. At 3rd level and every three levels afterward, their maximum potential increases by 1. If a legendary magus spends 1 minute or longer outside of combat, they lose all potential they possess.

This modifies the legendary magus’ arcane potential class feature.

Momentum Techniques (Su): A momentum mage has learned to utilize their specific style of potential to create techniques unique to them.

At 1st level, the momentum mage has access to the following potential techniques:

1 Potential

• Blurred Reposition: After being hit by an attack or affected by a spell, the momentum mage can spend 1 point of potential as an immediate action to move up to 10 feet. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity, and can be performed even if the attack or spell would cause the momentum mage to be unable to move normally (such as if they were knocked unconscious, stunned, or paralyzed).
• Rapid Spell: As a swift action, the momentum mage can cast a single magus spell as a swift action by spending a number of points of potential equal to 1 + the spells level. The momentum mage cannot use this ability if they have already cast a spell this turn, and using this ability causes them to be unable to cast spells as a standard or move action this turn.

2 Potential

• Momentum Strike: The momentum mage binds their potential into their weapon, allowing them to empower their attack with their momentum. The next melee attack the momentum mage makes before the end of their turn deals an additional 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of movement they have moved this round, to a maximum of 1d6 + 1d6 per two class levels. This damage is magical in origin and bypasses damage reduction or resistance, and is multiplied on a critical hit.

This replaces the legendary magus’  arcane deflection, focused concentration, and surging strike potential techniques.

Momentum Combat (Su): A momentum mage has learned to combine their magic with their combat skills in unique ways, allowing them to leap forward with a surge of magic, strike, and then leap back out of combat. As a full-round action the momentum mage can move up to their speed and make a single melee attack at any point during this movement. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the target of their attack. This ability counts as the Spring Attack feat for the purposes of feat prerequisites.

This replaces the legendary magus’ spell combat class feature.

Expanded Momentum Techniques (Su): At 8th level, the momentum mage gains access to the following potential techniques:

1 Potential

• Afterimage: As a free action, the momentum mage can imbue their movements with potent illusionary magics, allowing them to leave behind afterimages as they move. If the momentum mage moves at least 10 feet this turn, they generate an afterimage that functions as a single image produced by the mirror image spell. For every additional 10 feet they move that round, they can spend an additional point of potential to generate an additional image. These images persist until the start of the momentum mage’s next turn.

2 Potential

• Striker’s Momentum: The legendary magus can spend potential to increase the potency of their momentum, allowing them to treat the first attack made as part of their momentum combat as if it were made using the attack action.

3 Potential

• Blurred Patrol: As a full round action, the momentum mage selects a 25 ft by 25 ft square that includes their current square. Until the beginning of their next turn, the momentum mage gains a number of additional attacks of opportunity equal to their Intelligence modifier, and is treated as being in all of these squares for the purposes of determining their threatened area, and for the purposes of making melee attacks of opportunity. The momentum mage moves as part of these attacks, and this movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. At the beginning of their next turn, the momentum mage may choose to move to any location in this area without provoking attacks of opportunity as a free action.

This replaces the legendary magus’  arcane redoubt, sorcerous guard, and rapid spell combat expanded potential techniques.

New Akashic Veils

New to Akashic Magic? You can find the rules for veilweaving and the rules for Storm veils in my preview for The Stormbound, right here!

Mai’yr’s Icy Glare

Descriptors: Cold

Class: Eclipse, Guru, Nexus, Radiant, Stormbound, Vizier

Slot: Head

Saving Throw: Will (see text), Fort (see text)

The irises of your eyes flare with brilliant azure essence before slowly cooling to a cold steel blue.

Shaping this veil causes your eye color to change to a cold steel blue, enhancing your sight and allowing you to see through fog, ice, rain, and snow. As you invest essence in this veil your eyes begin to shift into brighter and more saturated hues the more essence that is invested.

You gain the ability to ignore the penalties to your sight-based Perception checks and the reduction in visibility imposed by non-magical fog, rain, and snow. Against their magical variations, you can ignore the visual impairment imposed by effects that have a spell level less than or equal to the number of points of essence invested in this veil. If those effects are created by a veil, you must have an equal or greater number of points of invested essence compared to the veil creating the effects. If those effects are created by neither a spell nor veil, the effect's effective spell level is treated as equal to half the creature's caster level with the ability, or half their hit dice (rounded down), when determining the number of points of invested essence required to ignore the effect.

Additionally, you gain the ability to see through accumulated ice and snow as if it were translucent glass. For every inch of snow or ice, you suffer a -1 penalty to Perception checks made to perceive what lies beyond it or inside of it.

Essence: For each point of essence invested in this veil you gain a +1 insight bonus to Perception checks.

Chakra Bind (Head): Binding this veil to your Head chakra imbues your gaze with chilling magic, freezing either the bodies or the minds of your foes. You gain a gaze attack with a range of 30 feet that functions in one of two ways which you can switch between at the beginning of each of your turns. This gaze can otherwise be activated or deactivated as a standard action which doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity, and requires purely mental components. Activating or deactivating your gaze has no visible or audible effect.

Steely Gaze: Your steely gaze causes creatures' minds to subtly slow when interacting with you, making them much easier to manipulate. Enemies who fail their Will save against this gaze attack are much easier to influence, granting you a +1 insight bonus to the next Bluff, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, or Intimidate check made against them within the next hour. This bonus increases by +1 per point of essence invested in this veil. This is a mind-affecting effect. Unlike other mind-affecting effects, a creature does not realize it is being affected whether it passes or fails a saving throw against this ability unless they are immune to mind-affecting effects. You always know when a creature has succeeded or failed against this ability, and if they are immune to it. If a creature fails this saving throw, they do not make another save against it until an hour passes or until after you make a Bluff, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, or Intimidate check against them, whichever happens first. If a creature succeeds on three consecutive saving throws against this gaze attack, they become immune to the effects of your steely gaze for 24 hours.

Freezing Gaze: Your gaze causes creatures to freeze in their tracks. Enemies who fail their Fortitude save against this gaze have their movement speed reduced by 5 feet + 5 feet per 2 points of essence invested in this veil until the beginning of their next turn (to a minimum of 0 feet), and take 2 points of cold damage per point of essence invested in this veil. This reduction in movement speed does not stack with other effects, or itself. If a creature succeeds on three consecutive saving throws against this gaze attack, they become immune to the effects of your freezing gaze for 24 hours.

The Crystalline

Descriptors: Cold

Class: Stormbound

Slot: Storm

Saving Throw: Reflex half

Fist-sized shards of crystalline ice fall from the sky like flakes of windswept snow, beautiful to behold until one drifts too close. A mystical storm of the far north said to form when the border between the realms of air and water grow thin. It is said by those who dwell in these frigid lands that when the light of the sun begins to refract and the sky grows Crystalline, seek cover, watch the light, and pray for stillness.

Once per turn as a free action, choose a single 5-foot wide space within your storm. A pillar of slowly drifting ice crystals forms within this space, reaching from the top of your storm to the ground (or the base of the storm, if you are flying or swimming). Until the end of your next turn, any creature who moves into this pillar or ends their turn in this pillar causes the ice slowly falling within it to coalesce and spontaneously grow in size, crystallizing on their skin and freezing their flesh. That creature takes 1d6 points of cold damage and has their movement speed halved until the end of their next turn. A successful Reflex saving throw halves this damage and negates the slowed movement. After being triggered, the pillar of ice crystals disappears.

Essence: For each point of essence invested in this veil you may create an additional pillar, and each of your pillars deals an additional 1d6 points of cold damage when triggered. You may only have a single pillar in any square at a time. If a creature triggered multiple pillars in a single turn, every pillar after the first deals 50% reduced damage.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil allows you greater control over the storm, allowing you to cause the falling crystals to coalesce at your command. As a standard action, you can cause any number of your pillars to immediately coalesce, affecting the creatures inside their space. If a single creature is affected by multiple pillars at once using this effect (such as a large or larger creature who has two or more pillars in their space), they only make a saving throw against a single pillar, but the damage is increased by 50% per additional pillar that they are affected by. This damage increase is additive. For example, if a creature is affected by 3 pillars, those pillars would deal the base damage, +100% additional damage.

New Sorcerer Bloodline: Elderstorm

The Elderstorm, a confluence of energy that rages at the border of the borders of the elemental planes, had an influence on your bloodline far in the past. Now its energies manifest within you.

The rules for Storm veils and a small selection of Storm veils you can use with this bloodline can be found in my preview for The Stormbound, right here!

Class Skill: Survival.

Bonus Spells: Endure elements (3rd), with the windUW (5th), wind wall (7th), life bubble [as a 4th level spell] (9th), control winds (11th), sirocco (13th), control weather (15th), whirlwind (17th), storm of vengeance (19th).

Bonus Feats: Access Higher Chakra SlotAM, Access Low Chakra SlotAM, Access Middle Chakra SlotAM, Akasha Imbued BodyAM, Akasha Infused SpellsAM, Extra EssenceAM, Shape VeilAM, Veilbound MetamagicAM.

Bloodline Arcana: An elderstorm bloodline sorcerer can protect themselves and their allies from the effects of their Storm veils. As a free action on your turn, you can choose to grant limited immunity to the harmful effects of your Storm veils to a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier plus 1/2 your sorcerer level (rounded down). If one of these creatures would be subjected to a saving throw from your Storm veils, they are treated as automatically passing that saving throw. If they are subjected to an attack roll or combat maneuver from the effects of your Storm veils it is treated as a miss. If they were to take damage from your Storm veils, that damage is reduced to 0. These same properties apply to you as a constant effect, even if you lose consciousness. This limited immunity persists until either you use this ability again, or lose consciousness. If you lose consciousness, other creatures lose the benefits of your weatherproofing ability until you regain consciousness. If one of your Storm veils imposes other penalties that do not require a saving throw (such as a reduction in vision range, making its area difficult terrain, or filling the area with high winds) this ability does not protect against those penalties.

Bloodline Powers: Your elderstorm bloodline gives you the ability to tap into the fury and might of the elderstorm.

Stormshaping (Su)

At 1st level, you gain the ability to shape a single Storm veil each day, using your sorcerer level as your veilweaver level for this veil and your Charisma as your veilweaver modifier. At 1st level, you select a number of Storm veils equal to your Charisma modifier and treat those as your veil list for this ability. If you gain a permanent increase to your Charisma that increases your Charisma modifier, you add new veils to this list. You gain 1 point of essence at levels 1, 6, 12, and 18.

Reshape Storm (Su)

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to reshape your Storm veils to your whims. As part of reallocating your essence, you may choose to take a single point of essence burn to unshape a single shaped Storm veil, and immediately shape a new one in its place. If the Storm veil you unshaped was bound to a chakra, the new Storm veil you shape in its place is also bound.

Additionally, you gain an additional point of essence, and the essence capacity of your Storm veil shaped using your stormshaping ability increases by 1. This ability does not stack with the improved essence capacity class feature, or any other class feature that increases the essence capacity of your veils.

Widening Front (Su)

At 9th level, whenever you invest essence in your Storm veil, you can choose to increase its range from Close to Medium range (100 feet + 10 feet per veilweaver level), or vice versa. At 15th level, you can choose to increase it from Close range to Medium or Long range  (400 feet + 40 feet per veilweaver level) instead.

Additionally, you gain the ability to bind veils shaped to the Storm slot, gain an additional point of essence, and the essence capacity of your Storm veil shaped using your stormshaping ability increases by 1. This ability does not stack with the improved essence capacity class feature, or any other class feature that increases the essence capacity of your veils.

Calamitous Storm (Su)

At 15th level, your storm veils increase in area when invested with essence. For each point of essence invested in your Storm veils beyond the first, their radius increases by an amount equal to their base radius. This range increase function similarly to a range weapon’s range increment. For each increment beyond the first, you treat the effects of the Storm veil as if it was invested with 1 fewer point of essence when determining its effects and saving throw DCs. For example, if you invest the Blizzard veil with 3 essence, utilizing this storm power would cause it to have a total radius of 75 feet plus 15 feet per 2 sorcerer levels (for Close range), divided into three 25 foot plus 5 feet per 2 sorcerer levels increments. At the farthest increment it is treated as being invested with 1 essence, the next closest would be treated as being invested with 2, and finally, the closest would be invested with 3.

Additionally, you gain an additional point of essence, and the essence capacity of your Storm veil shaped using your stormshaping ability increases by 1. This ability does not stack with the improved essence capacity class feature, or any other class feature that increases the essence capacity of your veils.

One with the Storm (Su)

At 20th level, you leave your physical body behind, becoming an aspect of the elderstorm itself. You become an outsider with the native subtype, and gain immunity to cold, electricity, and fire damage. You gain the blindsight ability, which applies only to the area of your Storm veil. Your body becomes made of wind and cloud that resembles the current effects of your Storm veil. You gain a fly speed of 30 feet (perfect), DR 10/—, and become immune to poison, sneak attacks, and critical hits. Any objects you pick up, wear, or carry take on the appearance of your Storm veil, but function normally. If you desire, you can cause your storm to surge in a specific direction, carrying you along at up to 600 feet per round with poor maneuverability. You are incredibly difficult to make out amidst your storm, giving you a +3 Insight bonus to stealth checks per point of essence invested in your Storm veil.