Empath Connection for the PF1 Fantasy Mystic (Patreon)

Having written a draft of the mystic class redesigned for PF1, I want to get through the connections in the Starfinder Core Rulebook alphabetical list. That seems the best way to ensure we’ve covered enough of the original classes flavor and options.

Empath

Your connection helps you sense emotions and notice details others can’t, and sometimes manipulate the emotions of others. You might be a diplomat, an investigator, a mind-reading bodyguard, a ship’s psychologist, or a psychic con artist..Associated Skills: Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Perception, Sense MotiveSpells: At the listed mystic class levels you receive the listed bonus spells. The spell level of each spell gained is listed in parenthesis. 3rd – Detect Thoughts (1st), 5th – Detect Desires (2nd), 7th – Charitable Impulse (3rd), 9th – Apparent Treachery (4th), 11th –Pessimism (5th), 13th – Curse of Disgust (6th), 15th – Perceive Betrayal (7th), 17th – Antipathy or Sympathy (choose which when you reach 17th level)(8th), 19th – Symbol of Strife (9th).

Connection Powers

Empathy (Su)(1st Level): As a full-round action, you can attempt a Sense Motive check to read the emotions of a particular creature (DC = 20 or 10 + its total Bluff modifier, whichever is higher). If you succeed, you learn its general disposition and attitude toward creatures within 30 feet of it, and you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks against that creature for 1 hour. Whether you succeed or fail, after opening your mind to read emotions, you take a –2 penalty to saving throws against mind-affecting effects for 1 minute.Greater Mindlink (Su)(3rd Level): You can use your mindlink ability on the same creature as many times per day as you wish, and the communication can be both ways, though the maximum of 10 minutes of communication per round still applies.Emotionsense (Su)(6th Level): You can detect and locate creatures within 60 feet that have emotions, as if you had blindsense. A creature can keep its emotions calm to avoid detection by this ability by succeeding at a Bluff check with a DC equal to 10 + your Sense Motive modifier, but a creature under the influence of an emotion effect cannot try to avoid detection. Creatures under the effects of nondetection or similar effects automatically avoid detection by this ability. Unless otherwise stated, constructs, mindless creatures, and those with Intelligence scores of 2 or lower don’t have emotions and can’t be sensed this way.Discern Lies (Sp)(10th Level): You can use discern lies as a spell-like ability a number of times per day equal to your mystic level, each time targeting a single creature. This effect lasts 1 round. Once a creature successfully saves against this ability, it becomes immune to further uses of this ability for 24 hours.Greater Emotionsense (Su)(14th Level): Your emotionsense is far more discerning, as if you had blindsight. It otherwise functions as the emotionsense connection power.Retrocognition (Sp)(18th Level): You can use retrocognition as a spell-like ability at will. When doing so, you take a –2 penalty to saving throws against mind-affecting effects for as long as you concentrate on retrocognition and an equal amount of time afterward.Empathic Mastery (Sp)(20th Level): You can expend a 7th-level or higher spell slot to use psychic surgery as a spell-like ability. If you are incapacitated by an effect that psychic surgery could remove and have an appropriate spell slot remaining, you can expend the spell slot to use this ability on yourself at the beginning of your turn, even without being able to take any actions.

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