Akasha Expanded: Storms of Spring (Patreon)

The following article contains a new archetype for the stormbound focusing on the magics of spring, and four new spring-themed Storm veils!

New Stormbound Archetype: Herald of Spring

To the creatures of the fey realms the seasons are said to have once been ancient, primordial beings that warred over the realms. Some are blessed by these powers, and are referred to be the fey as their heralds. The heralds of spring are one such group; mystical wielders of thunderous rain storms that carry spring in their wake.

Spring’s Weave (Su)

The herald of spring gains access to a unique veil shot: the Storm slot. The herald of spring gains an additional veil each day that must be used to shape a Storm veil. Unlike a normal stormbound, a herald of spring may freely invest their essence to or from their storm veils.

The electric currents of  spring storms imbues the herald of spring’s soul, allowing them to call upon unique and devastating winter storms from beyond the mortal realms. Whenever the herald of winter shapes a Storm veil with the Acid, Cold, or Fire descriptors, they can choose to shape that veil with the Electricity descriptor instead. Any acid, cold, or fire damage dealt by this veil instead deals electricity damage.

This replaces the stormbound’s stormweaving class feature.

Blessing of Spring (Su)

Due to their unique connection to the primeval forces of spring, a herald of spring’s protection from the power of storms is altered. The herald of spring and their allies do not gain the benefits of endure elements from the herald of spring’s weatherproofing. Instead, affected creatures gain a pool of temporary hit points equal to the herald of spring’s class level. If lost, these temporary hit points recover at a rate of 1 point per minute.

If weatherproofing is removed from a creature these temporary hit points are immediately lost. If a creature is provided weatherproofing by the herald of spring once again, the temporary hit points are restored at the exact value they were when weatherproofing was removed.

This modifies the stormbound’s weatherproofing class feature.

Shifting Spring (Su)

The herald of spring’s command over spring’s storms allows them to easily and effortlessly shift their storms into a new shape. At 2nd level, when the herald of spring rolls initiative, or at the beginning of each of their turns, they can choose to take 2 points of essence burn to unshape a single shaped Storm veil, and immediately shape a new one in its place. If the Storm veil she unshapes was bound to her chakra, the new Storm veil she shapes in its place is also bound. If the unshaped Storm veil and the newly shaped Storm veil both have one of the following properties the herald of spring can use this ability without taking essence burn: the Air descriptor, Electricity descriptor, Water descriptor, or Storms that have no capability of dealing damage. The two veils do not need to match for this ability: the herald of spring can replace an Electricity storm with one that deals no damage without suffering essence burn, or vice versa.

This replaces the stormbound’s shifting storms class feature.

Boon of Spring (Su)

At 6th level, the herald of spring’s connection to their storms is enhanced when they shape storms that are used for defense and for support, rather than for offense. Whenever the herald of winter shapes a Storm veil that has no capability of damaging a creature, such as The Enshrouding or The Deluge, or if they possess a storm power that can be invested with essence has no capability of dealing damage to a creature, such as Distracting Current or Soothing Rain, they can choose to treat those veils and powers it as if they were invested with an additional point of essence. This effective essence bypasses the veil's normal essence capacity. Whenever the herald of winter invests their essence, or when they shape such a Storm veil, they can choose whether this ability is active or not. This ability does not stack with a stormbinder’s crook, or similar abilities that allow the herald of spring to bypass their normal essence capacity.

At 12th level, and again at 18th level, this ability improves, treating the affected veils as invested with 1 additional point of essence.

Voltaic Powers

If the herald of spring gains a storm power that can be invested as if it were a storm veil, they may instead invest essence in it as if it were a normal essence receptacle. In addition, if they select a storm power which deals acid, cold, or fire damage, when they select the storm power they can choose for it to deal electricity damage instead.

This modifies the stormbound’s storm powers class feature.

Herald’s Essence (Ex)

At 11th level, the herald of spring’s internal pool of essence begins to swell with the primordial wellsprings of spring, granting them an additional point of essence. They gain an additional point of essence at 12th level, and every level thereafter.

This replaces the stormbound’s twinveil storm class feature.

Improved Boons (Su)

At 12th level, the temporary hit points granted by the herald of spring’s boon of spring ability are increased by 50% (rounded up), and they now recover at a rate of 1 point per round.

In addition, whenever the herald of spring grants an ally temporary hit points or heals an ally using a veil or storm power, the healing or temporary hit points granted are increased by 50%.

This replaces the stormbound’s improved stormweaving class feature.

Avatar of Spring: At 20th level, the primordial forces of spring infuse the herald fully with its power, transforming them into its avatar. The herald of spring’s type changes to fey, they gain low-light vision (or doubles the range of their low-light vision if they already possessed it), and immunity to electricity damage. With their body fully sustained by the powers of spring they no longer age, need to eat or drink, or need to breathe. If the herald of spring is slain their body and equipment discorporeates into electricity and a burst of wind and they are revived during the zenith of the next naturally occuring spring storm on the planet they died (or plane they died, if the plane they died on has no distinct planets). They are revived at full hit points with all of their equipment, and may immediately shape their veils as if they had rested for 8 hours. If spring storms do not exist on the planet or plane in which they died (such as the plane of cold), or if the planet or plane they died on has no natural weather (such as a demiplane without weather), the herald of spring cannot be revived with this ability. For the purposes of this ability, a spring storm is any storm that occurs during the spring season, or any storm which causes lightning and rain.

This replaces the stormbound’s avatar of the elderstorm class feature.

New Veils

The First Bloom

Descriptors: Poison (see text)
Class: Stormbound
Slot: Storm
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
The first rains of spring signal the beginning of a new year of growth and life. Near places where the border between the realms is thin, this first bloom can bring about dramatic growth and change.

When at least 1 point of essence is invested in this veil, plants within the area of the storm begin to grow rapidly. Natural vegetation in the storm grows wild while it's in the storm’s area, causing any spaces they grow within to be considered difficult terrain. Creatures who would automatically succeed on saving throws against this veil (such as if they benefit from the stormbound’s weatherproofing class feature) do not suffer from this difficult terrain. At the end of your turn, any plant that has been affected by this storm and isn’t within The First Bloom’s area returns to its normal state. Natural vegetation affected by The First Bloom is bolstered by its magic, granting them hardness equal to your veilweaving level, and a number of temporary hit points equal to twice your veilweaving level. These temporary hit points are automatically refreshed to their maximum value each turn, and are lost if the plants stop being affected by this veil. This does not affect creatures of the plant type.

As a standard action, you may cause two contiguous 5-foot squares of natural vegetation within the area of the storm to grow wildly and attempt to entangle any creature within its area. Affected creatures must make a Reflex saving throw. If they fail, they are entangled and immobilized by the plants until the end of your next turn. Entangled creatures can attempt to break free as a move action, making a Strength check against the DC of this veil, or an Escape Artist check against the DC of this veil +5. Plants entangling a creature can also be destroyed, as if sundering this veil. Destroying the plants does not suppress the veil, but immediately frees the entangled creature.

Essence: For each point of essence invested in this veil beyond the first, the number of 5-foot squares of natural vegetation you can cause to grow and entangle creatures increases by two. These affected squares must be contiguous.

When 3 or more points of essence are invested in this veil, plants entangling creatures grow thorns, dealing 1d6 points of piercing damage per point of essence invested in the veil to entangled creatures at the beginning of each of their turns while they are entangled.

When 6 or more points of essence are invested in this veil, creatures entangled must also make a successful Fortitude saving throw or become nauseated for as long as they are entangled. If they successfully free themselves using their move action on their turn, the effect immediately ends and they may use their remaining actions for the round. This is a poison effect.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil to your Storm chakra dramatically empowers its ability to cause plant growth, causing even infertile terrain to sprout plants at your command. You can use any 5-foot squares of solid terrain for the active ability of this veil, not just squares of plants. When doing so, plants appropriate to the climate and surface (moss for rocks, grasses for dirt, etc) sprout to entangle the affected creatures. These plants dissolve away into nothingness if they leave the area of the storm, or when they stop entangling a creature.

In addition, you gain the ability to call upon plants to form a wall of thorns to block your foes. Rather than entangling creatures using the active ability of this veil, you can instead have those plants for a wall of thorns, as the spell, in those squares instead. These walls are 5 feet high, + 5 feet per 3 essence invested in the veil, and persist for a number of rounds equal to your veilweaving modifier (minimum 1). You may only have a single wall of thorns active at a time. If you use this ability again, the plants forming the first wall return to their normal shape. If a space of the wall leaves the area of the storm it also returns to its normal form. In addition, this wall of thorns deal an additional 2 points of damage per point of essence invested in the veil.

The Fulguration

Descriptors: Electricity
Class: Stormbound
Slot: Storm
Saving Throw: Reflex negates, Reflex half (see text)
The sky glows above you with the wrath of nature itself, lightning arcing between and clouds and thundering to the ground at your command.

Shaping this veil fills the sky about your storm with billowing dark clouds that arc with bursts of electricity. This continuously arcing current raises the light level within the storm’s area by 1 step (to a maximum of bright light).

As a standard action you can direct the current into a bolt of lightning that arcs out towards a single creature in the storm’s area. Make a ranged touch attack, using your veilweaving modifier in place of your Dexterity bonus. This touch attack can originate from any location within the storm, allowing you to ignore most forms of cover when making this attack, and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. On a hit, the struck target takes 1d6 points of electricity damage, and must make a Reflex saving throw or become dazzled and suffer a -1 penalty to Reflex saves until the end of your next turn.

Essence: For every odd point of essence invested in this veil, it deals an additional 1d6 points of electricity damage on a successful hit and the penalties imposed by the dazzled condition applied by this veil are worsened by 1. For every even point of essence invested, it deals an additional 2d6 points of electricity damage on a successful hit and the penalty to Reflex saves imposed by this veil are worsened by 1.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil to your Storm chakra allows you to harness the full power of the electricity arcing throughout the storm. As a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity you can call down the true power of The Fulguration, enveloping the entire area of the storm in a burst of devastating electricity. Every creature within the area of the storm must make a Reflex saving throw, or suffer the effects of being struck by the lightning conjured by the storm. A successful Reflex save halves the damage, and negates the dazzled condition and Reflex saving throw penalties. After using this ability the storm must regain its charge, and this ability cannot be used for 1d4 rounds. During this time, the storm does not raise the light level of its area.

The Energization

Descriptors: Electricity
Class: Stormbound
Slot: Storm
Saving Throw: Fortitude negates
Said to be the creation of an ancient creature of the plane of air, this storm imbues that beings allies and blights their enemies with energizing electricity.

When at least 1 point of essence is invested in this veil, the area of the storm begins energized with a faint shimmering current of electricity.

Whenever you or one of your allies begins their turn within the area of the storm, the current of energy infuses them with increased speed. They gain a +5 increase to their base movement speed and a +1 insight bonus to their Reflex saves until the beginning of their next turn. Allies immune to electricity damage are immune to this effect.

Whenever an enemy begins their turn within the area of the storm, the current of energy attempts to infuse their muscles, causing them to spasm wildly. They must make a Fortitude save. If they fail, they suffer a -5 penalty to their movement speed (to a minimum of 5 feet) and a -1 penalty to their Reflex saves until the beginning of their next turn. Enemies immune to electricity damage are immune to this effect.

Essence: For each odd point of essence invested beyond the first, the storm’s effect on an affected creature's movement speed increases by 5 feet. For allies this is a bonus, for enemies this is a penalty.

For each even point of essence invested, the storm effect on an affected creature’s Reflex saving throws increases by 1. For allies this is a bonus, for enemies this is a penalty.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil to your Storm chakra allows you to focus the energy suffusing the air of the storm into a single creature. As a standard action, you can cause the electricity within the storm to energize a single creature within the area of the storm.

If the chosen creature is an ally, they gain an additional move action each turn and may make an additional attack at their full base attack bonus as part of a full attack. This does not stack with similar abilities, such as the haste spell or hustle power. Allies immune to electricity damage are immune to this effect.

If the chosen creature is an enemy, they must make a Fortitude saving throw or gain the staggered condition and suffer a -1 penalty to AC, increasing by -1 per 2 points of essence invested in this veil. This does not stack with the slow spell, or similar abilities. A successful save negates this effect. Enemies immune to electricity damage are immune to this effect.

Both of these effects last for 1 round, +1 round per 2 points of essence invested in the veil.

The Cleansing Rain

Descriptors: Water
Class: Stormbound
Slot: Storm
Saving Throw: none
Pure rain drawn from the plane of water bestowed with cleansing magics mists downwards from this storm, purifying rot and toxin from the land and those who live upon it.

Thin clouds fill the sky above the storm and begin producing a thin mist of warm and soothing rain. This rain reduces the effects of poison and disease within the area of the storm, and helps soothe any pains caused by them. This rain also provides an unnatural calm that lessens the effects of negative emotions, and helps aid sleep.

Creatures inside the area of the storm gain a +1 insight bonus to their saving throws against diseases, poisons, fear, and emotion effects.

Whenever a creature suffering from ability damage due to a poison or disease spends an hour within the effects of the storm, they may make a saving throw against that disease or poisons initial save DC. On a success, they are cured for 1 point of ability damage caused by that poison or disease. If they were suffering from the effects of multiple diseases or poisons, they choose which they want to lessen the effects of each hour.

Any creature who sleeps within the area of the storm also gains the bonus to saving throws against any effect that would attempt to magically interfere with or hinder their sleep, such as the nightmare spell. If such an effect was placed upon the creature when they were awake, they gain a new save against the effect when they attempt to sleep within the area of the storm.

Essence: For each point of essence invested in this veil, the saving throw bonuses it provides increase by +1.

Chakra Bind (Storm): Binding this veil to your Storm chakra infuses the veil with restorative magics, allowing its power to be directed to cleanse most effects. As a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, you can burn 1 point of essence invested in this veil to allow a single creature within the area of the storm suffering from an ongoing effect that allows for a saving throw to make a new saving throw against that effect. If they succeed, the effect ends or has its effect reduced as if they had passed the original save against it.