The Ninth World

Forward

Ninth World

There have been eight previous worlds. You may refer to them as ages, aeons, epochs, or eras, but it’s not wrong to think of each as its own individual world. Each former world stretched across vast millennia of time. Each played host to a race whose civilizations rose to supremacy but eventually died or scattered, disappeared or transcended. During the time that each world flourished, those that ruled it spoke to the stars, reengineered their physical bodies, and mastered form and essence, all in their own unique ways.

Each left behind remnants.

The Ninth World is built on the bones of the previous eight, and in particular the last four. Reach into the dust, and you’ll find that each particle has been worked, manufactured, or grown, and then ground back into drit—a fine, artificial soil—by the relentless power of time. Look to the horizon—is that a mountain, or part of an impossible monument to the forgotten emperor of a lost people? Feel that subtle vibration beneath your feet and know that ancient engines—vast machines the size of kingdoms—still operate in the bowels of the earth.

The Ninth World is about discovering the wonders of the worlds that came before it, not for their own sake, but as the means to improve the present and build a future.

Each of the prior eight worlds, in its own way, is too distant, too different, too incomprehensible. Life today is too dangerous to dwell on a past that cannot be understood. The people excavate and study the marvels of the prior epochs just enough to help them survive in the world they have been given. They know that energies and knowledge are suspended invisibly in the air, that reshaped continents of iron and glass—below, upon, and above the earth—hold vast treasures, and that secret doorways to stars and other dimensions and realms provide power and secrets and death. They sometimes call it magic, and who are we to say that they’re wrong?

More often, however, when they find leftovers of the old worlds—the devices, the vast machine complexes, the altered landscapes, the changes wrought upon living creatures by ancient energies, the invisible nano-spirits hovering in the air in clouds called the Iron Wind, the information transmitted into the so-called datasphere, and the remnants of visitors from other dimensions and alien planets—they call these things the numenera. In the Ninth World, the numenera is both a boon and a bane. It makes life very different from any other time on Earth.

In a southern part of the vast, singular continent of the Ninth World lies a cluster of settled lands collectively called the Steadfast. Although each of the kingdoms and principalities of the Steadfast has its own ruler, a leader known as the Amber Pope guides the Order of Truth, an organization of Aeon Priests that commands a great deal of respect in the region. Thus, the Amber Pope is likely the most powerful ruler in the Steadfast even though he does not govern a single square foot of land. The Order of Truth reveres the people of the past and their knowledge on a quasireligious level of adoration and faith. It is a religion devoted to science.

Deeper in the wilds lies a region called the Beyond, where villages and communities are isolated and rare. Here, Aeon Priests still study the secrets of the past, but they do so cloistered in remote claves. These priests do little more than pay lip service to the Amber Pope, if that, and are not considered part of the Order of Truth. Like the regions in which they live, and the claves in which they work, they are isolated, islands unto themselves.

The People of the Ninth World

In the youth of an age, people use the resources they have on hand, coupled with whatever understanding of their world they can master, to carve out a life for themselves. In the Ninth World, the resources are the numenera—the detritus of the prior eras—and the people’s understanding of these resources is crude and incomplete. The Aeon Priests possess just enough discernment and knowledge to suggest possible uses for things, but so much remains to be discovered. Even the creatures and plants of the Ninth World are strange byproducts of the prior ages; the past left behind flora, fauna, and machines, some designed by lore or nature, others transplanted from distant stars or dimensions.

The people of the Ninth World clothe themselves in newly spun fabrics but weave the artifacts of the past into each garment. They forge armor, weapons, and tools from materials recovered from ancient structures and devices. Some of these materials are metals, but others are (or appear to be) glass, stone, bone, flesh, or substances that defy categorization and understanding.

Those who risk the mysterious dangers to recover the relics of the past provide a valuable service. Typically these brave souls—warrior glaives, science-wielding nanos, scavenger delves, and wily jacks—bring their findings to the Aeon Priests, who use the artifacts to fashion tools, weapons, and other boons for the growing civilization. As time passes, more individuals learn to use the numenera, but it still remains a mystery to most people.

Who, then, are the people of the Ninth World? Most are humans, although not all that call themselves human truly are. There are likewise the abhumans: some mutants, crossbreeds, genetically engineered, and their offspring. And then there are the visitants, who are not native to the earth but who now call the Ninth World home, and who have no more understanding of the past (even their own) than anyone else.

Looking at the Ninth World From the 21st Century

The Ninth World is a science-fantasy setting approximately a billion years in the future. The people of the world dwell amid the flotsam of impossible ultratech of eight prior civilizations and call it magic. Unimaginably huge machines lie beneath the earth, and satellites orbit high above, transmitting a web of data and free energy. Nanotech, gravitic technology, genetic engineering, spatial warping, and superdense polymers allowed the inhabitants of the previous worlds to reshape the planet. Mass and energy were theirs to command.

In many ways, the Ninth World is a medieval fantasy setting without the historicity. When people who haven’t done a lot of homework on the dark ages run a traditional fantasy game, they often insert modern sensibilities or developments such as democracy, hygiene, or matches. But in the Ninth World, these things, and more, make sense. Characters can have rain slickers, ink pens, zippers, and plastic bags, all left over from the prior eras (or fashioned from leavings of the past). They can understand how illnesses are transmitted or how socialism works. They can know that the earth revolves around the sun and be aware of other “anachronistic” bits of knowledge.

On the other hand, characters in Numenera don’t refer to weapons as “guns” or vehicles as “cars.” The technology in the Ninth World is too advanced and too alien for such terminology to have endured. Using 21st-century terms for weapons and vehicles is as inappropriate as using medieval terms. The numenera is weird—much of it wasn’t created by humans or for humans. It isn’t designed or presented in any way that might be familiar to the players or the characters. Only through experimentation, player insight, and character skill can the PCs identify, and possibly use, what they find.

Perhaps even more important, the artifacts, cyphers, and oddities that characters use probably aren’t serving their original purpose. The explosive cypher that a character tosses at an enemy might have been the power source for a vehicle. The force field the enemy uses to protect herself from the blast might have been designed to contain the radiation of the fuel rods in a miniature nuclear reactor.

Welcome to the Ninth World, where every discovery might save you—or kill you. But you won’t know until you try.

The Numenera

People with knowledge of the relics of older worlds divide them into three types: artifacts, cyphers, and oddities.

Artifacts

Artifacts are large devices that typically can be used more than once to produce the same result. An artifact might be a belt that creates a shield of invisible force to protect the wearer or a flying skiff that carries people and cargo from one place to another. The term is almost always used for an item that has an obvious purpose—a weapon, a defense, a mode of transport, a means of communication or learning new information, a means of obtaining food or other necessities, and so forth. Artifacts make their users more powerful, or they make life easier or better.

Cyphers

Cyphers are usually small, minor devices that most characters can coax a single effect from before they are depleted and become curiosities or decorations. They might include a quick injection designed to repair physical damage in a living creature or a handheld object that, when manipulated properly, becomes a weapon that explodes with tremendous force. However, cyphers are dangerous when gathered together because they create radiation and harmonic frequencies that are inimical to human life.

Oddities

Oddities are the relics that are neither cyphers nor artifacts. They serve no obvious purpose but have strange functions that are at least curious, if not downright entertaining. Examples include a piece of glass in a metal frame that shows peculiar images or a box with three bells that ring at unpredictable times. Not everything from the prior worlds can be understood. In fact, much of it cannot.

Arkus

The closest analog to the Akai in the Ninth World would be the bard. They prop others up to overcome problems. Their tools are their words. Arkai tend to be leaders and the upper class. In some places "Arkus" is used to refer to a person skilled in governance. But this is just once facet of the skills related to them. Sometimes the commanders in an army are Arkai. Arkai have these potentials and more because their abilities affect the people around them, and have more than just a way with words.

Arkai favor their minds in combat. Even so, exploring the Ninth World presents many challenges and the Arkai isn't one to take that lightly. While the Arkai favor a high Charisma, they can hold themselves in a fight. They tend to prefer ranged weapons if the need arises, but most would rather remedy the situation through words rather than physical violence.

Arkai in Society

It is easy for people to underestimate an Arkus. To the layman, being an effective leader seems easy. While Nanos are viewed with suspicions and fear, Arkai are barely thought of at all. While their skillset is highly specialized most people will assume that anyone can achieve the same things. But the truth is convincing people to listen, let alone do something, is incredibly hard. And failing, can lead a community into ruin.

Throughout recent history tales of leaders are common. Some are powerful, but most are about failures. True Arkai are relatively rare. Many think they can be a leader, after all how different could leadership be from handling their apprentices. General leadership is much more complicated than being in charge of people.

Arkai tend to keep themselves surrounded by those who they trust, those who can take their words and turn them into reality. These are people they considers peers, or followers at the very least. They use these people to help improve society as they see fit.

Some Arkai claim their power form an authority above themselves. This could be a god, some race from a prior world, the Arkus's own noble lineage, etc. In the short term this can be effectice, but only if the Arkus backs it up by good decisions, and actual ability. Other Arkai simply let their skills speak for themselves. It can be harder to win over people this way but they will more inclined to stick with you.

Arkai in the Group

An Arkus usually fills the role of party face. When negotiations need to be made, a noble needs to swayed, or the party needs to get paid, an Arkus is one to give aid. In physical combat they tend to stay near the rear. They can use their abilities to improve their allies, or force their enemies to make disastrous actions. They can take a hit or two, but they shouldn't be on the front lines for long.

Arkai and the Numenera

Arkai are interested in numenera that enhance their ability to communicate, things like a device that allows talking across long distances, or talking with multiple groups at once. The devices can help them extend their network of influence farther they would otherwise. Arkai can also be interested in numenera that allow to see the thoughts of others. This can inform them on the best way to change anothers mind.

Creating an Arkus

Arkai thrive on the people around them. Consider the people that your characters associates with. What can they bring to the table to help you change the world around you.

Consider how your character views their followers. Do they view them as tools for an end, or as companions to share the tough times with. Does your character use their background to gain a foothold in social encounters. Do you even come from a background worthy of such reverence. Perhaps you let your abilities do the talking.

Quick Build

You can make an Arkus quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second choose the Noble background. Third, choose Goad and Anecdote as your starting precepts. Fourth, choose the Focus Speak with a Silver Tongue.

Class Features

As an Arkus, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d8 per Arkus level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per Arkus level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
• Tools: None

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• Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
• Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Invenstigation, Perception, Performance, and Persuation.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a rapier, (b) longsword, (c) any simple weapon
• (a) diplomat's pack or (b) an entertainer's pack
• (a) any musical instrument or (b) fancy clothes or something
• (a) Leather armor, and a dagger

Precepts

You have a wide range of abilities that give you an edge over other people. Some of these precepts are similar to esoteries in that you call upon a strange ability, use a device, and so on. Others are more mundane, relying on skill. Almost all require that you can speak to use them. Unless otherwise described, if they affect another creature, that creature must be able to perceive and understand you. Some precepts are constant, ongoing effects; others are specific actions that usually cost energy.

At 1st level, you gain two precepts of your choice. A list of the available options can be found further on. When you gain certain arkus levels, you gain additional precepts of your choice.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the precepts you know and replace it with another precept that you could learn at that level.

A level prerequisite in a precept refers to arkus level, not character level.

Saving Throws. Some of your precepts require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Concentration. Some precepts require concentration to maintain their effects. Concentrating on a precept follows the same rules as concentrating on a spell. This rule means you can't concentrate on a precept and an esotery at the same time, nor can you concentrate on two precepts at the same time. See chapter 10, "Spellcasting," in the Player's Handbook for how concentration works.

Energy Points

You have an internal reservoir of energy that can be devoted to precepts and abilities you know.

The number of energy you have is based on your arkus level, as shown in the Energy column of the Arkus table. The number shown for your level is your energy maximum. Your energy total returns to its maximum when you finish a long rest. The number of energy you have can't go below 0 or over your maximum.

Spending more than 8 energy in a single ability is exhausting. You can only do this four times before you finish a long rest.

Focus

You choose a focus from the list available that makes you unique. The focus you chose grants you a feature at 1st level, and again at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Follower

When you reach 5th level an NPC has taken notice of you and pledges themselves to your service. Choose an NPC of CR 1 or less to follow you on your adventures. They act on their own initiative and take their own actions. You may command them verbally, but the DM ultimately decides how they act.

If you lose a follower you can spend 8 hours in a populated area gathering another follower for your cause.

At 11th level you gain another follower of CR 5 or less. At 20th level you gain another follower of CR 11 or less.

Precepts

1st Level

Anecdote

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You can lift the spirits of a group of creatures and help them bond together by entertaining them with an uplifting or pointed anecdote. For the next hour, those who pay attention to your story are proficient in a skill of your choice that’s related to the anecdote.

Babel

You gain the ability to extend your knowledge of language. When you finish a long rest, you gain proficiency in a language of choice that you are familiar with. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest.

Armored

You gain proficiency with heavy armor.

Connection to an Organization

You have a general connection with an important organization, such as the Order of Truth, the Angulan Knights, the aristocracy of a region, a merchant guild, and so on. You have advantage on ability checks involving getting members of this organization to trust you. Furthermore, You can use this connection to learn about events related to that organization’s focus. For instance, if you have a connection with the Angulan Knights, you may learn of events related to mutants in the area. You and the DM should work out the details together. You can choose this precept more than once and choose a new organization each time.

Expertise

Choose one of your skill proficiencies, or one of your tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency. You can take this precept more than once choosing a different skill/tool proficiency each time.

Goad

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: 1 round

You can attempt to goad a creature within range that can hear you into a belligerent—and probably foolish—reaction. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be provoked. On its next ture the target moves towards you by the shortest and most direct route and attack you if able. Whether the target strikes you or fails to do so, they come to their senses immediately afterward, after which the target has advantage on the saving throw against Goad. If the target doesn't understand your language the precept has no effect.

Skill Proficiency

You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice. You can take this precept more than once.

Understanding

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You observe or study a creature. Once before the precept ends, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check of its choice that is involved in socially interacting with another creature. You can roll the die before or after making the ability check. The precept then ends.

3rd Level

Animal Friendship

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 28 hours

This precept lets you convince a beast that you mean it no harm. Choose a beast that you can see within range. It must see and hear you. If the beast's Intelligence is 4 or higher, the spell fails. Otherwise, the beast must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the precept's duration. If you or one of your companions harms the target, the spell ends.

Charm Person

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 1 hour

You attempt to charm a humanoid you can see within range. It must make a Wisdom saving throw, and does so with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it. If it fails the saving throw, it is charmed by you until the precept ends or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it. The charmed creature regards you as a friendly acquaintance. When the precept ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you.

Cloud Personal Memories

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round

You attempt to interact with or study a creature within range for at least a round. If you concentrate until your next turn you gain a sense of how its mind works, which you can use against it in the most blunt fashion possible. You can attempt to confuse it and make it forget what’s just happened. You can use an action to erase up to the last five minutes of its memory unless the creature makes a Wisdom saving throw.

Disincentivize

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You attempt convince a creature in range that attacking you is a dubious proposition at best. The creature makes a Wisdom saving throw, if they fail thier attacks against you have disadvantage for the duration of the precept.

5th Level

Extra Attack

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Gather Intelligence

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 hour
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

When in a group of people (a caravan, a palace, a village, a city, etc.) you can ask around about any topic you choose and come away with useful information.

You can ask a specific question, or you can simply obtain general facts. You also get a good idea of the general layout of the location involved, note the presence of all major sites, and perhaps even notice obscure details. For example, not only do you find out if anyone in the palace has seen the missing boy, but you also get a working knowledge of the layout of the palace itself, note all the entrances and which are used more often than others, and take notice that everyone seems to avoid the well in the eastern courtyard for some reason.

Inspire Action

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

Choose one ally you can see within range that can hear you. That ally can use their reaction to immediately take the Attack action. You choose the targets.

Resilient

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one ability score. You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability. You can take this precept more than once.

7th Level

Break the Line

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 150 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentation up to 1 minute

All foes within a 30ft radius sphere centered on a point withing range cannot gain advantage for the duratio.

Improved Followers

Prerequisite: 7th level
Your followers gain the following benefits

• The followers hit point maximum is increased by an amount equal to your arkus level
• The creature adds your proficiency bonus to its weapon damage rolls

Informant

Prerequisite: 7th level
You gain an informer within an allied community. They act as your secret (or known) informer. If something of note happens in your informer’s location, they will use whatever means they have available to tell you what’s happened.

Perfect Stranger

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentation up to 1 hour

You alter your posture and way of speaking and make a small but real alteration to an outfit (such as putting on or taking off a hat, reversing a cloak, and so on). You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and distinguishing characteristics, if any. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your statistics change. You also can't appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you're bipedal, you can't use this spell to become quadrupedal, for instance. At any time for the duration of the precept, you can use your action to change your appearance in this way again.

9th Level

Exile From Community

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: As long as you want

If you are in a community you are allied with and you study a target for the duration of the activation time, you can attempt to convince them to leave the community, either permanently or for a specified period of time. The target makes a wisdom saving throw. If they fail they leave the community for your designated amount of time.

Oratory

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 hour
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 28 hours

When speaking with a group of intelligent creatures that can understand you and aren’t hostile, you convince them to take one reasonable course of action with the next 28 hours. A reasonable action should not put the creature or its allies in obvious danger or be wildly out of character.

Spur Effort

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 1 round

You encourage a creature of your choice within range that can see and hear you. They may add 4d10 to a single damage roll they make in their next turn.

Unseen Among the People

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

You become effectively unseen for the duration of the precept while you are within an allied community. During this time, the residents help you move from place to place in a variety of ways that makes it appear that you are no one of importance. While moving unseen in a community, you have advantage on stealth ability checks. This effect ends if you do something to reveal who you really are—attacking, using an ability, commanding someone in the community within earshot of an enemy, and so on. If this occurs, you can regain the remaining unseen effect by taking an action to focus on going into hiding.

11th Level

Healing Power of Words

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You interact with a creature helping them to recover quicker than normal. One creature you choose within range may spend hit dice to restore their hit points as if they had finished a short rest.

Infer Thoughts

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

For the duration, you can read the thoughts of certain creatures. When you activate the precept and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your mind on any one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature you choose has an Intelligence of 3 or lower or doesn't speak any language, the creature is unaffected.

You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature—what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can either shift your attention to another creature's thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature's mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature's thoughts, the creature can use its action on its turn to make an Intelligence check contested by your Intelligence check; if it succeeds, the spell ends.

Lead by Inquiry

Prerequisite: 11th level
You keep your allies on their toes with occasional questions, jokes, and even mock drills for those who care to join in. After spending 28 hours with you, your allies gain proficiency in the perception skill. This benefit is ongoing while you remain in your allies’ company. It ends if you leave, but it resumes if you return to the allies’ company within 28 hours. If you leave the allies’ company for more than 28 hours, you must spend another 28 hours together to reactivate the benefit.

Strategize

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 28 hours

Having an action plan in place before facing a challenge improves the odds of success, even if that plan is eventually changed or discarded once it’s put into play. You and any allies you choose go over a plan of action during the activation time, all of you gain advantage on one ability check, saving throw, or attack roll of your choice that you attempt during the execution of that plan within the duration. The plan of action must be something concrete and executable in order to gain this benefit.

13th Level

Divide and Conquer

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

You brief and prep one of your followers for the duration of the activation time. They can act on your behalf within an allied community or horde so well that you can effectively take on two tasks simultaneously. When interacting with others your follow can use your skill checks and precepts. Precepts used by your follower use energy from your pool.

Knowing the Unknown

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

While in an allied community or horde, you can spend an action tapping into a source of information beyond yourself. You can ask the GM one question and get a general answer. Gaining knowledge of the future is impossible.

Raise a Champion

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 1 hour

While in an allied community or horde, you can spend the activation time rousing the community to put forth a champion—a CR 5 NPC or creature that could conceivably live in and be part of the community. The champion appears for the duration then returns home. While present, the champion acts as you direct, requiring no additional actions on your part.

Suggestion

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 28 hours

You suggest a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two) and influence up to three creatures of your choice that you can see within range and that can hear and understand you. Creatures that can't be charmed are immune to this effect. The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the course of action sound reasonable. Asking the creature to stab itself, throw itself onto a spear, immolate itself, or do some other obviously harmful act automatically negates the effect of the spell.

Each target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it pursues the course of action you described to the best of its ability. The suggested course of action can continue for the entire duration. If the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the precept ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do.

You can also specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. For example, you might suggest that a group of soldiers give all their money to the first beggar they meet. If the condition isn't met before the precept ends, the activity isn't performed.

If you or any of your companions damage a creature affected by this spell, the precept ends for that creature.

15th Level

Coax the Crowd

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 10 miuntes
• Range: 150 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 28 hours

You convince a large number of people—all within range—to change a belief and take a long-term action or set of actions. For example, you might convince them to identify the location of a local criminal that no one has previously been brave enough to act against, or you might convince them to welcome a group of visitants as friends in the community. This takes the activation time to accomplish, during which time you can’t be seriously interrupted or the attempt fails.

Complete Lunacy

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Forever

You convince a creature to do something that they would never normally do. A creature withing range makes a wisdom saving throw. If they fail, you give them a simple order than can be anything short of outright killing themselves (although they might do something obviously dangerous) or committing violence against someone or something they love. You could convince the duke to take off his clothes and run around his castle. You could convince an Aeon Priest to give over her most valuable numenera device. This isn’t mind control—they’re actually convinced it’s the right thing to do and will believe so long after they’ve done it.

Rouse to Violence

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 1 hour

While in an allied community or horde, you can spend the activation time rousing the ire of residents to a killing frenzy and then point out a creature that the crowd can see in range.I f the target is CR 3 or lower, the attacks it until either they are all dead or the creature is.

Take Command

Prerequisite: 15th level
You can use your action to issue a specific command to another creature. If that creature chooses to listen during their next turn, they gain advantage on any rolls made in the course of completing that order, and any damage rolls they make are increased by 3d10.

Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long or short rest.

17th Level

Inpiration

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

You speak words of encouragement and inspiration. All allies within range who can hear you make can spend a single hit die to recover health, and can use their reaction to make a melee weapon attack or activate an ability with an activation time of 1 action and doesn't cost any energy.

Network of Contacts

Prerequisite: 17th level
You have a large number of important contacts in influential or knowledgeable positions, spread out over all the regions where you’ve been in your career. Some of these contacts know each other and maintain lines of communication to you, regardless of where you are. You and the DM should work out the details together.

Terrify

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, to to 1 minute

Yuou speak deadful, intimidating words. Each creature of your choice within range must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is holding and become frightened for the duration.

While frightened by this precept, a creature must take the Dash action and move away from you by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. If the creature ends its turn in a location where it doesn't have line of sight to you, the creature can make a Wisdom saving throw. On a successful save, the spell ends for that creature.

Will of a Leader

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

You inpire your compatriots with a strength of the greatest leaders. You can affect up to tweleve creatures with your speech. Those creatures that listen to the speech gain several benefits. The creature is cured becomes immune to being frightened, and makes all Wisdom saving throws with advantage. Its hit point maximum also increases by 2d10, and it gains the same number of hit points. These benefits last for 24 hours.

Delve

Delves don't have a great analog in D&D. The best way to describe them is a sort of combination between Ranger and Rogue. They are also on the hunt for something new, something unique, something no one else has seen before. Going where no one has gone before, seeing what no one has seen before, expanding the knowledge of humanity. These are the things that can drive a delve. They know that mysteries and treasures can be found everywhere. Where others may over look a overrun ruin as a place to avoid, Delves see the promis of hidden treasure and secrets of the prior world to solve. They excel in finding way to collect and get to the numenera they seek to catalog.

Delves are quite rare. To most people the risk of unknown numenera is far too great. One could lose an arm, or worse. Delves aren't fools. They understand the risks they take and take precations against it. However for a delve the joy of discovery far outweights the dangers involved. After all who else is going to bring back the special components that some crafters have come to depend on?

That said, a Delve won’t discover much if they don’t have the stamina to push through when things get tough. Delves need to be at least a little skilled at a lot of things. They need strength and dexterity to deal with the challenges they face, but they need intellect to help them salvage for numenera.

To explore inscrutable ruins, Delves have to be able to react quickly, squeeze through small spaces, and often run away without being weighed down by heavy armor. A few might choose light armor, though most prefer clothes that don’t restrict them at all.

Delves in Society

Delves don’t spend much time in society because they’re off exploring. When they do come back to a base, settlement, or larger community, they are given a wide berth by those afraid of the numenera, which is often a surprising number of people. To commoners, the numenera is as likely to help you as it is to kill you, disfigure you, or send you hurtling into the void. So Delves usually seek the company of other explorers, such as Nanos, Jacks, Glaives, and others. Delves also seek the acquaintance of crafters, and vice versa, because the iotum that Delves prize is equally sought by them to craft installations and other wonders.

Sometimes Delves deliver objects or messages between distant locations, or they provide their expertise on travel routes to merchants and other explorers. But these are usually secondary goals, convenient in that a long-distance trip allows them to find more previously unexplored locations. Sometimes a Delve’s deliveries are delayed while the Delve spends an extra week or more investigating an abandoned structure or ruin. This can put a strain on otherwise cordial relationships with Glaives and Nanos, who each see in the Delve a bit of themselves. Arkai are least likely to want to upend their stay inside newly developed communities, but they understand the value a Delve associated with a community can bring, if the Delve decides to use the community as their base.

Delves in the Group

A Delve isn’t so much a leader as a scout, though some Delves do naturally step into the role of directing a group, since they’re often the ones who can find the best route forward. Though they are resilient in a fight, they are not front-line defenders; that’s obviously a job for a Glaive. They pay attention to knowledge provided by Nanos, but they know enough about the numenera themselves that they don’t need to rely on them. Delves may spend long periods of time exploring, but many enjoy talking about what they found with a small group of friends or allies.

Delves and the Numenera

In many ways, the numenera is what draws Delves to explore—the numenera and the special components that bring the numenera to life. But Delves are excited by any discoveries related to the numenera, whetting their appetite to explore further. Their skills and knowledge give them excellent means to find and salvage iotum and other valuables from otherwise dead ruins.

Delves look for items that help them improve their ability to search and find out information. If a Delve doesn’t know where to look, then they’re virtually useless.

Creating a Delve

Text to help newer players.

Quick Build

Stuff

Class Features

As a delve, you gain the following class features

Hit Points

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• Hit Dice: 1d10 per delve level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per delve level after 1st

Proficiencies

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• Armor: light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: scavenger's tools, navigator's tools

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• Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
• Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Athletics, Investigation, Nature, Numenera, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
• (a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons
• explorer's pack
• dungeoneer's pack
• a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows

Delve Lore

You have special abilities called Delve lore that are related to exploring strange places and using numenera. Some of these abilities are constant, ongoing effects, and others are specific actions that usually cost energy.

At 1st level, you gain two lores of your choice. A list of the available options can be found further on. When you gain certain delve levels, you gain additional tricks of your choice.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the lore you know and replace it with another lore that you could learn at that level.

A level prerequisite a in lore refers to delve level, not character level.

Saving Throws. Some of your lore require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Concentration. Some lores require concentration to maintain their effects. Concentrating on a lore follows the same rules as concentrating on a spell.

This rule means you can't concentrate on a lore and an esotery at the same time, nor can you concentrate on two lores at the same time. See chapter 10, "Spellcasting," in the Player's Handbook for how concentration works.

Energy Points

You have an internal reservoir of energy that can be devoted to lores and abilities you know.

The number of energy you have is based on your nano level, as shown in the Energy column of the Delve table. The number shown for your level is your energy maximum. Your energy total returns to its maximum when you finish a long rest. The number of energy you have can't go below 0 or over your maximum.

Spending more than 8 energy in a single ability is exhausting. You can only do this four times before you finish a long rest.

Focus

You choose a focus from the list available that makes you unique. The focus you chose grants you a feature at 1st level, and again at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Cypher Enhancement

Beginning at 5th level, when you activate a cypher, you may use your reaction to quickly tinker with the cypher to increase its effectiveness in a time of need. You can do one of the following

• Increase the DC of a saving throw the cypher calls for by 1
• Double the duration of an effect of the cypher, to a maximum duration of 28 hours.
• Double the range of an effect of the cypher if it is greater than 5 feet.
• Increase the range of an effect of the cypher to 30 ft, if it has a range of touch.
• When you roll damage for the cypher you may reroll any number of the damage dice, You must use the new rolls.

Phase Step

At 11th level, you learn to use your action to exist out of phase for a short period of time. While activated you can move in any direction, you ignore all objects and effects that aren't out of phase as well. At the end of your turn you return to your your normal phaseness and if you occupy the same spot as a solid object or creature when this happens, you are immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space that you can occupy and take force damage equal to twice the number of feet you are moved.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Two Becomes One

At 20th level, your knowledge of numenera allows you to activate two cyphers at the same time. Whenever you active a cypher, you may use your reaction to active another you have on you. You may choose different targets for the second one.

Delve Lore

1st Level

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Armor Proficiency

You gain proficiency in heavy armor

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Find the Way

You can double your proficiency bonus for ability checks involving your navitagor's tools.

Right Tool for the Job

If you have at least one cypher, you can use an action to break it to fashion a temporary device that provides an advantage to an ability check or a tool to allow for such a check in the first place. For example, if you need to climb a wall, you could create some sort of climbing assistance device; if you need to break out of a cell, you can tune a cypher in your possession to serve as a lockpick; if you need to sneak past a guard, you could adjust a cypher to give you some camouflage; and so on. Once fashioned, the adapted cypher lasts for about a minute or until used for the intended purpose. This use destroys the cypher.

Skill Proficiency

You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice. You can take this fighting move more than once.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

3rd Level

Curious

Prerequisite: 3rd level
You are always curious about your surroundings, even on a subconscious level. Whenever you make an ability check to attempt something you have never done before, you gain a +2 bonus to that roll.

Environmental Adaptation

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 28 hours

You gain a temporary respite from the natural effects of a specific environment. These effects include extremes in temperature, lack of air, poisonous fumes, emanations of strange energy, or other attributes of the environment itself.

Eye for Detail

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 10 minute
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You spend the activation time thoroughly exploring the area around you in range, you can ask the DM one question about the area. The DM must answer you truthfully. You cannot use this more than one time per area per 28 hours.

Familiarize

Prerequisite: 3rd level
You can familiarize yourself with a new area if you spend at least one hour studying a region up to a 200 ft distance across that you are able to directly access and move about in. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with an area all of your perception checks, navigator's tool checks, salvager's tool checks in the area have advantage. Each time you familiarize yourself with a new area, you lose focus on a previous area.

5th Level

Energy Reserve

Prerequisite: 5th level
You maximum energy increases. Use the table below to get your maximum energy instead of the one in the delve table.

Energy Maximum

Level	Energy
5	14
6	14
7	17
8	17
9	27
10	27
11	32
12	32
13	38
14	38
15	44
16	44
17	57
18	57
19	64
20	64

Expertise

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one of your skill proficiencies, or one of your tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency.

Extra Attack

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Danger Instinct

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take at the beginning of a round of combat in which you are surpised
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

Your instincts let you move up to your speed to avoid danger from the threat.

Resilient

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one ability score. You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability. You can take this fighting move more than once.

7th Level

Creature Insight

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

When examining any nonhuman creature in range, you can ask the DM one question to gain an idea of its level, its capabilities, what it eats, what motivates it, what its weaknesses are (if any), how it can be repaired, or any other similar query. This is for difficult or strange creatures beyond those readily identified by using skills.

Device Insight

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

When examining any numenera device you touch, you can ask the DM one question to gain an idea of its capabilities, how it functions, how it can be activated or deactivated, what its weaknesses are (if any), how it can be repaired, or any other similar query. This is for difficult or strange things beyond those readily identified by using the numenera skill.

Evasion

Prerequisite: 7th level
You can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Trapfinder

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

You find any traps (like a floor that would give way beneath you) or mechanical triggers to a trap or defense system that might pose a threat in range. You can do this without setting them off and in lieu of making a roll to find them.

9th Level

Delve's Fortitude

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 1 hour

You steel your resolve and can ignore debilitating situations. For the duration you can ignore the effects of one condition affecting you.

Experienced Finder

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 28 hours

When you are looking for something specific, such as a particular kind of iotum, a chemical needed to complete a vaccine for a disease, a spare part required to repair a damaged device, the tracks of a specific beast, or the sword that a thief stole from you, this ability is of great use. For the next 28 hours, if you come within 60 ft of the thing and circumstances are such that it is possible for you to perceive the thing (for example, it’s not in a locked chamber for which you do not have the key), you find it. This ability assumes that you are constantly on the lookout, always looking everywhere possible, peering behind obstacles, and so on—if you’re running for your life, sleeping, or otherwise occupied, this ability does not help you. You use this ability in lieu of making a roll to find the thing

Sieze Opportunity

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you a creature misses an attack against you
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

Taking advantage of the opening your opponent gave you, you make a weapon attack against the attacking creature.

Wrest From Chance

Prerequisite: 9th level

When you roll a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you take a long rest.

11th Level

Counter Danger

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 1 minute

You negate a source of potential danger related to one creature or object within range for one minute. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a creature’s natural ability, or a trap triggered by a pressure plate. You can also try to counter an action. If you are countering something controlled by another creature (a weapon being held, a specific ability, a cypher being held, claws, etc.) that creature can ignore the effects if they make a Wisdom saving throw.

Numenera Adaptation

Prerequisite: 11th level
You have resistance to damage that comes from a numenera device, automation, or other mechanism.

Subtle Steps

Prerequisite: 11th level
If you do not take the dash action in a turn you can move without making a sound, regardless of the surface you move across.

Vigilant

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you would be paralyzed or stunned
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 1 round

You are not paralyzed or stunned from whatever effect was going to cause it.

13th Level

Concussion

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 100 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: up to 1 minute

If you have at one cypher, you can destroy it to fashion a concussive device and throw it. The adapted iotum can explode with concussive force, either after being tossed up to point in range or have a trigger switch, whichever you prefer. If you choose to have a switch, you can have it detonate after a specificed amount of time, or detonate when you use your reaction to press the switch.

When the device explodes each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the device must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 8d6 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Free to Move

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 1 hour

For the duration, your movement is unaffected by difficult terrain, and effects can neither reduce your speed nor cause you to be paralyzed or restrained.

You can also spend 5 feet of movement to automatically escape from restraints, such as manacles or a creature that has it grappled. Finally, being underwater imposes no penalties on your movement or attacks.

Hard to Kill

Prerequisite: 13th level
Whenever you are hit with an attack roll you may use your reaction to force the attacker to reroll the attack.

Runner

Prerequisite: 13th level
Your base move speed doubles.

15th Level

Boundless Cyphers

Prerequisite: 15th level

Whenever you make a scavenger's tools check to scavenge for cyphers you find an addition cypher.

Incredible Recovery

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You may spend hit dice to recover hit point as if you had just finished a short rest and you can end any one ongoing condition you are currently under.

Not Dead Yet

Prerequisite: 15th level
When you would normally be dead, you instead fall unconscious for one round and then awaken. You immediately gain 1d10 + your delve level in hit points. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Shared Defense

Prerequisite: 15th level
If an ally within 60 ft of you makes a saving throw, and you are proficient in that saving throw, they too are proficient in that saving throw.

17th Level

Device Master

If given a week and the right tools, chemicals, and parts, you can tinker with one of your cyphers, transforming it into another cypher of the same type (anoetic or occultic) that you had in the past. Alternatively, given two weeks (and the right tools and materials, of course), you can tinker with one of your cyphers, transforming it into another permanent numenera that you had in the past. The DM and player should collaborate to ensure that the transformation is logical—for example, you probably can’t transform a pill into a helmet.

Find Numenera

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Concentration, up to 28 hours

Describe or name a piece of numenera that is familiar to you. You sense the direction to the object's location, as long as that object is within 5 miles of you. If the object is in motion, you know the direction of its movement.

The lore can locate a specific object known to you, as long as you have seen it up close—within 30 feet—at least once. Alternatively, the lore can locate the nearest object of a particular kind, such as a certain kind of apparel, jewelry, furniture, tool, or weapon.

Open

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

You open something that can be physically opened, no matter what. Think of a nice way to word this later

Reuse Cypher

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you activate a cypher
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 1 minute

When you activate a cypher you quickly modify it so that you can get another activation out of it. For the duration of the lore the cypher can be used a second time. You cannot use this lore on a cypher more than once, and if you don't use the cypher a second time before the duration is up the cypher is destroyed.

Jack

Jacks are intrepid explorers and adventurers. They are jacks of all trades—hence the name—although the word also hearkens back to fables involving a wily, resourceful hero who always seems to be named Jack. Used as a verb, “to jack” means to steal, to deceive, or to get out of a tight scrape through ingenuity or luck.

Jacks don’t use one skill or tactic exclusively; they use whatever weapons, armor, esoteries, or anything else that might help them. They are hunters (particularly treasure hunters), con artists, skalds, rogues, scouts, and experts in a variety of fields.

Jacks in Society

Jacks are crafters, entertainers, leaders, and thieves. They’re architects, engineers, con artists, salespeople, and teachers. This diversity doesn’t mean that the jack is the archetypal everyman—that kind of simple categorization would diminish the character type. Jacks are remarkable in that they can do so many different things, and some do multiple things. If one jack is an artist and another is an explorer, there’s likely a third who is both at once.

Skilled and learned jacks who share their gifts with others are prized members of society, well respected for what they know and can do. A village might be protected by warriors, but it’s the jack who makes everything run smoothly by repairing or building whatever is needed, handling disputes, investigating mysteries, and so on. On the other hand, jacks who use their varied abilities to benefit only themselves are distrusted at best and reviled at worst. The murderers and thieves of a community are likely jacks.

Jacks in the Group

Jacks fill in the space between the extremes of nanos and glaives. They frequently do a little of everything and know a little of everything. They can fight alongside a glaive or have a scholarly talk with a nano. There are no right or wrong places, actions, or roles for jacks. They can hold their own in combat or other dangerous situations, but they excel at many assorted tasks like searching for clues, using diplomacy with the locals, or repairing a piece of broken gear. The drawback, of course, is that jacks are rarely the best fighters in combat or the best handlers of the numenera. They might, however, be the best at more specialized skills. They’re the most likely characters to know how to climb, how to stand watch effectively, how to jimmy a lock, and how to jury-rig a makeshift shelter or snare trap.

Jacks and the Numenera

Jacks gravitate toward cyphers or artifacts that expand their array of options even further. An enhanced piece of armor might be fine for a glaive, but many jacks would rather have an object that allows them to communicate at a distance, walk through walls, or put foes to sleep.

Creating a Jack

Text to help newer players.

Quick Build

Stuff

Class Features

As a jack, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Points: 1d8 per jack level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Consitution modifier per jack level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: thieves' tools

Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose any four

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the starting equipment granted by your background:

• (a) rapier or (b) shortsword
• (a) a shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows or (b) a shortsword
• (a) a burglar's pack or (b) a dungeoneer's pack, or (c) an explorer's pack
• (a) Leather armor, two daggers, and thieves' tools

Tricks of the Trade

You have a wide range of abilities that keep people guessing. Some of these tricks of the trade are technically esoteries, using the numenera, while others are more mundane. Some tricks are constant, ongoing effects; others are specific actions that usually cost points from one of your energy pool

At 1st level, you gain two tricks of your choice. A list of the available options can be found further on. When you gain certain jack levels, you gain additional tricks of your choice.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the tricks you know and replace it with another trick that you could learn at that level.

A level prerequisite a in trick refers to jack level, not character level.

Saving Throws. Some of your tricks require your target to make a saving throw to resist its effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Concentration. Some tricks require concentration to maintain their effects. Concentrating on a trick follows the same rules as concentrating on a spell. This rule means you can't concentrate on a trick and an esotery at the same time, nor can you concentrate on two tricks at the same time. See chapter 10, "Spellcasting," in the Player's Handbook for how concentration works.

Energy Points

You have an internal reservoir of energy that can be devoted to tricks and abilities you know.

The number of energy you have is based on your nano level, as shown in the Energy column of the Jack table. The number shown for your level is your energy maximum. Your energy total returns to its maximum when you finish a long rest. The number of energy you have can't go below 0 or over your maximum.

Spending more than 8 energy in a single ability is exhausting. You can only do this four times before you finish a long rest.

Flex Skill

At 1st level, you gain the ability to extend your knowledge. When you finish a long rest, you gain a proficiency of your choice: tool or skill. You can replace this with a language. This benefit lasts until you finish a long rest.

Focus

You choose a focus from the list available that makes you unique. The focus you chose grants you a feature at 1st level, and again at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Jack of all Trades

Starting at 5th level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus. This does not count as adding your proficiency bonus for the feature reliable talent.

Reliable Talent

By 11th level, you have refined your chosen skills until they approach perfection. Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

Stroke of Luck

At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for succeeding when you need to. If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Tricks of the Trade

1st Level

Apply Deadly Poison

You can use your bonus action to apply a poison you have to a weapon, food, or drink.

Armored

You gain proficiency with (a) medium armor and shields or (b) heavy armor. you can take this trick more than once.

Critter Companion

You gain a critter companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast's AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your jack level, whichever is higher.

The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn't take an action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.

If you are incapacitated or absent, your critter companion acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

Like any creature, the beast can spend hit dice during a short rest.

If the critter dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours magically bonding with another beast that isn't hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.

Expertise

Choose one of your skill proficiencies, or one of your tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency. You can take this trick more than once choosing a different skill/tool proficiency each time.

Face Morph

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 1 hour

You make yourself—including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person—look different until the trick ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the morph is up to you.

To discern that you are disguised, a creature can use its action to inspect your appearance and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your trick save DC.

Skill Proficiency

You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice. You can take this trick more than once.

Sneak Attack

You know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe's distraction. Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.

You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

The amount of the extra damage increases by +1d6 at 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level. Only your jack levels count towards this ability.

Weapon Proficiency

You gain proficiency in one weapon of your choice. You can take this trick more than once.

3rd Level

Augment Cypher

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, when you activate a cypher
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly tinker with a cypher to increase its effectiveness in a time of need. You can do one of the following

• Increase the DC of a saving throw the cypher calls for by 1
• Double the duration of an effect of the cypher, to a maximum duration of 28 hours.
• Double the range of an effect of the cypher if it is greater than 5 feet.
• Increase the range of an effect of the cypher to 30 ft, if it has a range of touch.
• When you roll damage for the cypher you may reroll any number of the damage dice, You must use the new rolls.

Late Inspiration

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, when you fail an ability check
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You reroll the triggering ability check taking the second result. You can only use this trick once per ability check.

Link Senses

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour.

A willing creature in range links its senses to yours for one minute. At any time during that duration, you can use an action to see, hear, and smell what that creature is experiencing, instead of using your own senses.

Phased Pocket

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 1 hour. You connect yourself for one hour to a small space that is out of phase and moves with you. You can access this space as if it were a convenient pocket or bag, but nobody else can perceive or access the space unless they have the ability to interact with transdimensional areas. The space can hold up to 1 cubic foot. The space is a part of you, so you can’t use it to carry more cyphers than your limit, a detonation cypher activated inside the space harms you, and so on. When the connection ends, anything in the space falls out.

Restful Presence

Prerequisite: 3rd level You presence soothes companions and increases the effectiveness of their short rests. If you or any friendly creatures who can see you regain hit points by spending Hit Dice at the end of the short rest, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.

5th Level

Encouraging Presence

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

All creatures of your choice within range gain encounrage from your steadfast presence. Whenever a target makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw. In addition they get a +1 bonus to AC for the duration.

Extra Attack

Prerequisite: 5th level
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Illusory Duplicate

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 10 minutes

You create a single image of yourself within range. The image looks like you as you are now (including how you are dressed). The image can move (for example, you could make it walk or attack), but it can’t move more than 10 ft from where you created it. The illusion includes sound and smell. It lasts for ten minutes and changes as you direct (no action is needed). If you move beyond the 30 ft of the illusion, it vanishes.

If a creature physically interacts with the illusion in any way they become aware it isn't real.

A creature can use its action to inspect the illusion and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your trick save DC to discern it isn't real.

Intense Interaction

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 10 minutes

You gain advantage on Charisma based skill checks for the duration of the trick.

Resilient

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one ability score. You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability. You can take this trick more than once.

Vanish

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 1 hour

A creature you touch becomes invisible until the trick ends. Anything the target is wearing or carrying is invisible as long as it is on the target's person. The spell ends for a target that attacks or activates an energy ability.

7th Level

Evasion

Prerequisite: 7th level
When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Far Hands

Prerequisite: 7th level
When you activate a trick, you may pay 2 energy to: double the range if has a range of 5ft or greater, or increase range to 30ft if it has a range of touch.

Obstacle Running

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 1 minute

For the duration, you can ignore difficult terrain allowing you to travel at normal speed through areas that would be difficult for others and have advantage on Athletics and Acrobatics ability checks.

Uncanny Dodge

Prerequisite: 7th level
When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.

9th Level

Crowd Control

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 1 round

You speak a one-word command to any number of creatures you can see within range. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or follow the command on its next turn. The spell has no effect if the target is undead, if it doesn't understand your language, or if your command is directly harmful to it.

Some typical commands and their effects follow. You might issue a command other than one described here. If you do so, the DM determines how the target behaves. If the target can't follow your command, the spell ends.

Approach. The target moves toward you by the shortest and most direct route, ending its turn if it moves within 5 feet of you.

Drop. The target drops whatever it is holding and then ends its turn.

Flee. The target spends its turn moving away from you by the fastest available means.

Grovel. The target falls prone and then ends its turn.

Halt. The target doesn't move and takes no actions. A flying creature stays aloft, provided that it is able to do so. If it must move to stay aloft, it flies the minimum distance needed to remain in the air.

Meticulous Planner

Prerequisite: 9th level
Your extensive planning skill allow for you to overcome harder obstacles. If you spend ten times as long as it takes to perform an ability check in preperation for it, you gain a +5 bonus to that check. This benefit applies to only one roll. If you want to perform the ability check again you need to study and plan once more.

Recharge Cypher

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You recharge a cypher that was used in the past ten minutes allowing it to be used again. You must succeed on a DC 11 + cypher level Numenera (Intelligence) check to succeed.

11th Level

Illusory Evasion

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you are hit by an attack
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see, leaving behind an illusory copy of yourself to be struck by that attack instead of you. This destroys the illusion but leaves you unharmed by the attack.

Memory Becomes Action

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5+
• Duration: Instantaneous

You can duplicate one action as if it were natural for you. You must have seen the action used within the past week. If the action has a level requirement you must meet it (you can ignore any class restrictions on the level requirement). If the action has an energy cost, you must pay it in addition to the cost for this trick. You repeat all steps in the action making your own decision where needed, and you use your proficiencies and ability scores for all rolls. For example, if you saw a glaive make the attack action and attack 3 times during it, you can use this ability to do the same. You also get 3 attacks, you choose who you are attacking, and you can choose where to move between them. Or you may choose to copy the activation of an esotery from a nano. If you have seen a nano active the Mind Control esotery you can pay an additional 9 energy to do the same. You may also pay an extra 2 energy to affect a creature of a type other than humanoid with it regardless of whether the nano did.

Stun Attack

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You imbue your next attack with energy to stun its target. The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack during this trick's duration, the creature receives an overload of energy and takes an extra 3d8 force damage. Additionally, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

13th Level

Jaunt

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 500 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

You teleport yourself from your current location to any other spot within range. You arrive at exactly the spot desired. It can be a place you can see, one you can visualize, or one you can describe by stating distance and direction, such as "200 feet straight downward" or "upward to the northwest at a 45-degree angle, 300 feet."

You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn't exceed what you can carry. You can also bring one willing creature of your size or smaller who is carrying gear up to its carrying capacity. The creature must be within 5 feet of you when you cast this spell.

If you would arrive in a place already occupied by an object or a creature, you and any creature traveling with you each take 4d6 force damage, and the spell fails to teleport you.

Subtle Tricks

Prerequisite: 13th level
You can use your skills and tricks of the trade in ways that don't look like you're doing anything. If you would make an ability check or activate a trick that would normally require an obvious movement, phrase, or other action by you, it instead seems to happen on its own. Instead of using your tools to pick a lock, the lock clicks open as you stand near it. Instead of manipulating a numenera screen, the information you want appears on the screen when you look at it. Instead of bluffing your way past some guards, they step aside as you approach and let you through. This ability usually only works up to a distance of 10 ft.

True Senses

Prerequisite: 13th level
You gain truesight out to 60 ft.

15th Level

Energy Recovery

Prerequisite: 15th level
Whenever you roll any amount of hitdice to recover hit points after a shrot rest you may also recover 7 energy.

Impossible Walk

You can manipulate grativy to enable you to walk on impossible surfaces. You gains the ability to move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. You can also walk on a liquid or semi-liquid surface. You also gain a climbing speed equal to its walking speed.

Teach Trick

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 hour
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 1 hour

You spend an hour instructing a willing humanoid you touch on how to perform a trick of the trade that you know. The target must meet the prerequisite level of the trick if it is a PC, or have a CR of the prerequisite level if it is an npc. The student can perform that trick of the trade as if it were natural for them for the duration of the trick. They must pay the costs (if any) to use that trick. You and the student must share a language.

17th Level

Blurring Speed

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: 1 round

You move so quickly that until your next turn, you look like a blur. While you are blurred, you have advantage on attack rolls; attack rolls have disadvantage against you; your speed is doubled; You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws; and you gain an additional action on your turn. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.

Doppeljack

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 10 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

A perfect copy of you appears within range. This doppeljack might be a version of you from another timeline, a parallel dimension, or the past; an instantly spawned clone; or something even stranger. It is identical to you, but it has half of your hit point maximum. If it were to use any abilities that require energy they are taken from your pool instead. The doppeljack obeys your spoken commands, moving and acting in accordance with your wishes and acting on your turn in combat.

Outside Reality

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 round

You exist outside of everything for the duration of the spell. To you, a few seconds pass while you are alone in a cool void. To everyone else, you seem to vanish for a few seconds and reappear in the same place. While in this unreal state, you can use abilities or objects on yourself, but you can’t perceive, interact with, or affect the rest of the world, and vice versa. Time-based effects already on you are paused while you exist outside reality, but when this ability ends they resume as if no time had passed.

Glaive

Glaives are the elite warriors of the Ninth World, using weapons and armor to fight their enemies. Hunters, guardians, and soldiers could be glaives. Sometimes scouts, warlords, bandits, and even athletes are glaives. “Glaive” is a common slang term used almost everywhere in the Steadfast and the Beyond for any person skilled with weapons or a martial art, but in truth, it applies only to the best of the best. Glaives are warriors who command abilities far beyond those of a typical person with a sword.

Most glaives are either strong—using the heaviest armor and weapons available and having a high Strength—or fast, sticking with light weapons and armor and having a high Dexterity. A few attempt to use both and stay somewhere in the middle. Glaives also use ranged weapons such as bows or darts. Some don’t rely on weapons at all, preferring to use their bodies in hand-to-hand combat—punching, kicking, grabbing, throwing, and so on.

Glaives in Society

In most cities and villages, people hold glaives in great esteem. Although a glaive could just as likely be a thug as a noble warrior, those who help protect their fellow humans from the dangers of the Ninth World are always treated with respect. There is no shame in getting paid for the use of one’s skills, so being a blade for hire is a perfectly acceptable profession. Restrictions on carrying weapons openly are rare, and most glaives wear the tools of their trade with pride.

Not surprisingly, glaives often get along best with other glaives, or at least soldiers, guards, or similar comrades in arms. Nanos, scholars, and people who aren’t terribly physical are less likely to mix well with glaives, but obviously not every glaive is the same. They focus on their bodies, but that doesn’t mean they don’t value more cerebral pursuits as well. A glaive need not follow the stereotype of the dumb bruiser with a sword or an axe.

Glaives in the Group

In a group of explorers, glaives typically take the lead. They’re usually the most physically capable, the most durable, and the most ready to meet danger head-on. Sometimes they act protectively toward their companions; other times, they’re more self-interested. Either way, a glaive’s place is often in the middle of the fray.

Glaives and the Numenera

When it comes to the numenera, most glaives are interested in weapons, armor, or devices that aid them in combat. The ancients produced all sorts of incredibly durable substances, many of which can be made into armor that is lighter and more protective than steel. Sometimes, glaives can scavenge a suit of armor composed of these advanced materials, but more often they find the materials and then ask a crafter or smith to make the armor. Of course, the problem is that a substance that is difficult to damage is also hard to work.

As varied as armoring materials might be, numenera weaponry is infinitely more so. These items include melee weapons that shock, stun, or burn whatever they touch; and ranged weapons that blast projectiles with incredible power or bursts of strange energies. There are also bombs, damaging energy fields, poisonous gases, and far stranger weaponry, but some glaives find that such complex objects are better off in the hands of a nano. Maneuverability is just as important as attack or defense, however, so an item that allows a glaive to move quickly or negate gravity is a great prize.

As for cyphers, glaives prefer physically enhancing or restorative objects, such as injections of chemicals that improve reaction time or pills with microscopic repair devices that heal wounds and restore fatigued muscle tissue. They use the nickname “boost” for any cypher that enhances their strength, stamina, reflexes, or other physical aspects, while one that repairs damage or alleviates fatigue is called a “treat.”

Creating a Glaive

Text to help newer players.

Quick Build

Stuff

Class Features

As a glaive, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Points: 1d10 per glaive level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Consitution modifier per glaive level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None

Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two skills from Acrobatics, Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Initiative, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the starting equipment granted by your background:

• (a) chain mail or (b) leather, longbow, and 20 arrows
• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) two handaxes
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Fighting Moves

You have a special talent for combat and can perform feats that others can barely imagine. These feats are called Fighting Moves. Some fighting moves are constant, ongoing effects, and others are specific actions that usually cost points from you energy pool.

At 1st level, you gain two fighting moves of your choice. A list of the available options can be found further on. When you gain certain glaives levels, you gain additional fighting moves of your choice.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the fighting moves you know and replace it with another fighting move that you could learn at that level.

A level prerequisite in a fighting move refers to glaive level, not character level.

Saving Throws. Some of your fighting moves require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Energy Points

You have an internal reservoir of energy that can be devoted to fighting moves and abilities you know.

The number of energy you have is based on your glaive level, as shown in the Energy column of the Glaive table. The number shown for your level is your energy maximum. Your energy total returns to its maximum when you finish a long rest. The number of energy you have can't go below 0 or over your maximum.

Spending more than 8 energy in a single ability is exhausting. You can only do this four times before you finish a long rest.

Focus

You choose a focus from the list available that makes you unique. The focus you chose grants you a feature at 1st level, and again at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 11th level in this class and to four when you reach 20th level in this class.

Fighting Moves

1st Level

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Shield Bash

If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield.

Skill Proficiency

You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice. You can take this fighting move more than once.

Surging Confidence

You have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to 1d10 + your glaive level.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

3rd Level

Action Surge

Prerequisite: 3rd Level
You can push yourself beyond your normal limits for a moment. On your turn, you can take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action.

Once you use this fighting move, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Hemorrhage

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You make a powerful and precise strike that inflicts a wound that'll continue to cause its owner damage. The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this move's duration, your attack deals an extra 1d8 damage and the target takes 1d6 at the start of each of your turns until it, or someone within 5ft of it, takes an action to make a Medicine (Wisdom) check against your fighting move save DC. You do not need to concentrate to get the ongoing damage.

Impactful Strike

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You concentration on your attacks to make the next strike more impactful. The next time you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during this move's duration, your attack deals an extra 2d6 damage.

Successive Attack

Prerequisite: 3rd level
On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you may make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.

5th Level

Energy Reserve

Prerequisite: 5th level
You maximum energy increases. Use the table below to get your maximum energy instead of the one in the glaive table.

Energy Maximum

Level	Energy
5	14
6	14
7	17
8	17
9	27
10	27
11	32
12	32
13	38
14	38
15	44
16	44
17	57
18	57
19	64
20	64

Expertise

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one of your skill proficiencies, or one of your tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency.

Fast Reload

Prerequisite: 5th level
Energy Cost: 1+
When you take the Attack action to attack with a weapon with the loading property, you can spend 1 energy to ignore the restriction for the current turn. At glaive level 11th, this cost increases to 2 energy, and 3 energy at 20th level.

Resilient

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one ability score. You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability. You can take this fighting move more than once.

7th Level

Energy Resisteance

Prerequisite: 7th level
Choose one damage type that you are familiar with from the following: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. You gain resistance to the chosen damage type. You can take this fighting move more than once choosing a different damage type each time.

Daring Escape

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you a creature misses an attack against you
• Energy Cost: 3
• Range: Self
• Duration: Instantaneous

You deftly get out of the way of an attack causing that attack to hit another creature of your choice within range of the original attack.

Improved Critical

Prerequisite: 7th level
Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Sense Ambush

Prerequisite: 7th level
You can't be surprised while you are conscious.

9th Level

Ability Score Improvement

Prerequisite: 9th level
You can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Parry

Prerequisite: 9th level
Energy Cost: 3
When you are hit by an attack you may spend 3 energy to use your reaction to give yourself a +3 bonus to AC against the triggering attack.

Sieze Opportunity

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you a creature misses an attack against you
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

Taking advantage of the opening your opponent gave you, you make a weapon attack against the attacking creature.

11th Level

Capable Warrior

Prerequisiste: 11th level You gain a +1 bonus to all damage rolls you make.

Hardy

Prerequisite: 11th level
You are immune to disease and poisons.

Momentum

Prerequisite: 11th level
If you move at least 20 ft. straight toward a target and then hits it with a weapon attack on the same turn, the target takes an extra 2d8 weapon damage.

13th Level

Combat Trance

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 1 minute

You go into a trance, increasing your effeciency. For the duration of the move you gain an additional action on each of your turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use and Object action.

Jump Attack

Prerequisite: 13th level
Energy Cost: 5
When you make a weapon attack you may attempt a DC 15 Athletics check to jump high into the air as part of the attack. If you succeed your attack inflicts 2d6 additional points of damage and knocks the target prone. If you fail the athletics check still make you attack as normal but you don't inflict the extra damage or knock them prone if you hit.

Whirlwind Strike

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 1 minute

You spin your weapon with the force of a tornado. Each creature within range makes a Strength saving throw or take 5d6 damage of the type your weapon does and be pushed 10 ft. away from you. A creature that makes the saving throw takes half damage and isn't pushed.

15th Level

Battlefield Tactician

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You scrutinize your surroundings, looking for the most advantageous spot. Choose a 5ft square in range. For the duration, that area is the most tactically sound spot in range. Attacks rolls made by creatures in that spot have advantage. Attack rolls made against a creature in that spot have disadvantage.

Inverse Attrition

Prerequisite: 15th level
In every round of combat after the first, you gain a +1 bonus to all damage rolls. This bonus increases every other round. So on the second and third rounds, you inflict 1 additional point of damage. On the fourth and fifth rounds, you inflict 2 additional points of damage. You must be a participant in the combat, and you must be fully aware and take an action in a round for it to count toward an increase in damage.

Precise Timing

Prerequisite: 15th level
If you take the same action for three rounds in a row, on the third round (and every consecutive round thereafter), You have advantage on that action. Actions might include bashing a door, swimming across a raging river, or attacking the same foe. If your attack action has multiple attacks, all those attacks have advantage.

17th Level

Finishing Blow

Prerequisite: 17th level
Energy Cost: 6
When you make a successful attack against a creature that is prone or incapacitated you may spend 6 energy to make that attack a critical hit.

Slayer

Prerequisite: 17th level
Energy Cost: 6
When you make a successful weapon attack on an NPC or creature of CR 6 or lower you may spend 6 energy, if you do, you kill the target outright.

Volley

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 150 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

You fire a piece of ammunition from a ranged weapon or throw a weapon into the air and choose a point within range. Hundreds of duplicates of the ammunition or weapon fall in a volley from above and then disappear. Each creature in a 40-foot-radius, 20-foot-high cylinder centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 6d8 damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage type is the same as that of the ammunition or weapon.

Nano

Nanos are sometimes called mages, wizards, sorcerers, or witches by the people of the Ninth World. Nano-sorcerer is also a common term, with their abilities referred to as nanosorcery. Some claim to be the representatives of gods or other supernatural agencies. Whatever they’re called, nanos master the mysteries of the past to the degree that they seem to perform miracles. They tap into the numenera to alter reality or learn things that they couldn’t otherwise know.

The term “nano” is derived from the nanotechnology that is omnipresent throughout the Ninth World (whether anyone realizes it or not). Sometimes people call these invisible, numinous particles that infuse the landscape nano-spirits. Sometimes these spirits take on a devastating manifestation called the Iron Wind and move through the air in clouds, which can be far more dangerous than any conventional storm. In truth, nanites are literally everywhere.

Nanos wield their power in the form of what they call esoteries, although some prefer to call them spells, enchantments, or charms. Nanos are proficient with other devices as well, and sometimes their powers are actually the subtle use of such items hidden upon their person. All nanos call forth their power in slightly different ways.

Typically, nanos are intelligent, learned, and insightful. Most of the time, they devote themselves to the numenera and other esoterica rather than to purely physical pursuits. As a result, they’re often well versed in the artifacts and leftovers of the previous eras.

Nanos in Society

Frequently, common folks fear nanos or look upon them with suspicion. It’s easy to be afraid of a brute with an axe, but when it comes to someone who wields invisible powers—magic, for lack of a better term—too much is unknown. A nano’s strange abilities are unsettling even to the bravest souls unless they have a modicum of knowledge about the numenera. That said, not everyone is frightened of or intimidated by nanos. There are other people and creatures that have capabilities far beyond the understanding of normal folks—things that even nanos might not understand. Things that even nanos might fear.

Like the wizards of fables, some nanos dwell in solitude to study and conduct odd experiments, while others gather in schools and teach those with potential to use their abilities. They enjoy time in the company of people with similar predilections and interests. Not every nano is a frail bookworm, however—that’s just the stereotype placed upon them by society.

Sometimes, people view nanos as representatives of the powers that be: gods, demons, or spirits. That’s not too surprising considering that they affect the world around them in ways that most people can’t fathom. What’s more surprising is that some nanos believe this to be true as well. They call themselves priests or shamans and treat their esoteries more like rituals, prayers, or invocations. When these nanos gather, they do so in temples, but just as often one of them lives alone amid a flock of the faithful. Some of these loner nanos don’t call themselves priests; they call themselves gods.

Nanos in the Group

Typically, a nano is the party member who keeps to the back of the group, as far from the danger as possible. Compared to their comrades, nanos are often a bit fragile and less well protected against threats. In addition, most of their abilities work best at range.

As useful and impressive as nanos’ offensive powers can be, their knowledge is often most valuable to a group. When the party comes upon mysterious devices, weird creatures, or other aspects of the numenera, the nano is usually the one who knows how to identify or deal with the finds. He or she can best scavenge for new cyphers or figure out how to use artifacts from the past. Many nanos possess other valuable knowledge in areas such as geography, botany, medicine, and more.

Nanos and the Numenera

All nanos know a fair bit about the numenera. In many ways, it’s their lifeblood. When a group finds a broken vehicle, an inactive automaton, or an ancient machine, the nano steps up and searches it for useful devices.

Almost any numenera item would be welcome, but generally, nanos are most interested in ranged weapons, protective devices other than armor, and devices that have interesting utility effects—using magnetism, creating force fields, healing wounds, reshaping flesh, creating or destroying matter, and so on. This is true of cyphers as well as artifacts.

Creating a Nano

Text for new players

Quick Build

stuff

Class Features

As a nano, you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Points: 1d6 per nano level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Consitution modifier per nano level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: none
Weapons: daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows
Tools: none

Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom
Skills: Choose two from Numenera, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, and Religion.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the starting equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a quarterstaff or (b) a dagger
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• (a) a basic cypher

Esoteries

You can tap into the numenera to reshape the world around you. Similar in appearance to the way a fabled wizard might seem to cast spells, these expressions of your knowledge are called esoteries. People who are not nanos sometimes call them spells or charms. Most esoteries are actions which requires that you have a free hand.

At 1st level, you gain two esoteries of your choice. A list of the available options can be found further on. When you gain certain glaives levels, you gain additional esoteries of your choice.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the esotery you know and replace it with another esotery that you could learn at that level.

A level prerequisite in an esotery refers to nano level, not character level.

Saving Throws. Some of your esoteries require your target to make a saving throw to resist the esotery's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Energy Points

You have an internal reservoir of energy that can be devoted to esoteries and abilities you know.

The number of energy you have is based on your nano level, as shown in the Energy column of the Nano table. The number shown for your level is your energy maximum. Your energy total returns to its maximum when you finish a long rest. The number of energy you have can't go below 0 or over your maximum.

Spending more than 8 energy in a single ability is exhausting. You can only do this four times before you finish a long rest.

Focus

You choose a focus from the list available that makes you unique. The focus you chose grants you a feature at 1st level, and again at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Onslaught

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous

A beam of crackling energy streaks toward a creature within range. Make a ranged esotery attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 force damage.

This esotery's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Esotery Enhancement

At 5th level, you gain the ability to twist your esoteries to suit your needs. You gain two of the following enhancement options of your choice. You gain another one at 11th level.

You can use only one enhancement option on a spell when you cast it, unless otherwise noted.

Careful Esotery

Energy Cost: 2
When you use an esotery that forces other creatures to make a saving throw, you can protect some of those creatures from the spell's full force. To do so, you spend 2 energy and choose any number of those creatures. A chosen creature automatically succeeds on its saving throw against the esotery.

Distant Esotery

Energy Cost: 2
When you use an esotery that has a range of 5 feet or greater, you can spend 2 energy to double the range of the esotery.

When you use an esotery that has a range of touch, you can spend 2 energy to make the range of the spell 30 feet.

Empowered Esotery

Energy Cost: 2
When you roll damage for an esotery, you can spend 2 energy to reroll any number of the damage dice. You must use the new rolls.

You can use Empowered Esotery even if you have already used a different enhancement option during the esotery.

Extended Esotery

Energy Cost: 2
When you use an esotery that has a duration of 1 minute or longer, you can spend 2 energy to double its duration, to a maximum duration of 24 hours.

Heightened Esotery

Energy Cost: 4
When you use an esotery that forces a creature to make a saving throw to resist its effects, you can spend 4 energy to give one target of the spell disadvantage on its first saving throw made against the esotery.

Quickened Esotery

Energy Cost: 6
When you use an esotery that has a activation time of 1 action, you can spend 6 energy to change the activation time to 1 bonus action for this use.

Twinned Esotery

When you use an esotery that doesn't have a range of self and is incapable of targeting more than one creature, you can spend a number of energy equal to the esotery target a second creature in range with the same spell (1 energy if the esotery doesn't have a cost).

Usurp Cypher

At 20th level you can use an action to choose one cypher that you carry. The cypher must have an effect that is not instantaneous. You destroy the cypher and gain its power, which functions for you continuously. You can choose a cypher when you gain this ability, or you can wait and make the choice later. However, once you usurp a cypher’s power, you cannot later switch to a different cypher—this feature works only once.

Esoteries

1st Level

Armored

You gain proficiency with (a) light armor, (b) medium armor and shields or (c) heavy armor. you can take this esotery more than once.

Hedge Magic

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 10 ft
• Duration: Up to 1 hour

This esotery is a minor trick that novice spellcasters use for practice. You create one of the following effects within range:

• You create an instantaneous, harmless sensory effect, such as a shower of sparks, a puff of wind, faint musical notes, or an odd odor.
• You instantaneously light or snuff out a candle, a torch, or a small campfire.
• You instantaneously clean or soil an object no larger than 1 cubic foot.
• You chill, warm, or flavor up to 1 cubic foot of nonliving material for 1 hour.
• You make a color, a small mark, or a symbol appear on an object or a surface for 1 hour.
• You create a trinket or an illusory image that can fit in your hand and that lasts until the end of your next turn.

If you use this esotery multiple times, you can have up to three of its non-instantaneous effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.

Mindslice

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous

You focus your mental energy to blast the thought processes of another creature. The target must succeed on an Intelligence saving throw or take 1d10 psychic damage.

This esotery's damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Push

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

A telekinetic force pushes a creature who fails a Strength saving throw or object a 10 ft in any direction you wish. The target must be your size or smaller and must not be affixed to anything.

Resonance Field

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 8 hours

You touch a willing creature who isn't wearing armor, faint lines in a color you choose form a tracery over the entire body and emit faint light. Whenever a creature within immediate range makes an attack against you, the pattern energizes to block the attack. The target's base AC becomes 13 + its Dexterity modifier. The esotery ends if the target dons armor or if you dismiss the spell as an action.

Scan

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You scan an area equal in size to a 10-foot cube, including all objects or creatures within that area. The area must be within short range. Scanning a creature or object always reveals its CR. You also learn whatever facts the DM feels are pertinent about the matter and energy in that area. For example, you might learn that the wooden box contains a device of metal and synth. You might learn that the glass cylinder is full of poisonous gas, and that its metal stand has an electrical field running through it that connects to a metal mesh in the floor. You might learn that the creature standing before you is a mammal with a small brain. However, this esotery doesn’t tell you what the information means. Thus, in the first example, you don’t know what the metal and synth device does. In the second, you don’t know if stepping on the floor causes the cylinder to release the gas. In the third, you might suspect that the creature is not very intelligent, but scans, like looks, can be deceiving. Many materials and energy fields prevent or resist scanning.

Skill Proficiency

You gain proficiency in a skill of your choice. You can take this esotery more than once.

Ward

You have a shield of energy around you at all times that helps deflects attacks. You gain a +2 bonus to AC. You cannot benefit from this esotery and a shield at the same time.

Weapon Proficiency

You gain proficiency in one weapon of your choice. You can take this esotery more than once.

3rd Level

Adaptation

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 28 hours

One creature you touch gains a temporary respite from the natural effects of a specific environment. These effects include extremes in temperature, lack of air, poisonous fumes, emanations of strange energy, or other attributes of the environment itself.

Aggression

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 1 minute

You reach into the mind of a character you touch and unlock his more primitive instincts. That character has a +4 temporary bonus to strength. This bonus can cause the ability to exceed its maximum for the duration.

Cutting Light

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 90 ft
• Energy Cost: 3+
• Duration: Instantaneous

You emit a thin beam of energized light from your hand towards a creature or object in range. You make a ranged esotery attack against the target it if it is a creature. If it hits it does 4d6 force damage. You can spend additional energy on this esotery when you activate it to increase the damage by 1d6 for each extra energy spent. The total amount you spend cannot exceed your nano level.

This esotery automatically disintegrates a Medium or smaller object. If the target is a Large or larger object this esotery disintegrates a 5-foot-cube portion of it.

Distortion

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

The body of the touched creature becomes blurred, shifting and wavering to all who can see you. For the duration, any creature has disadvantage on attack rolls against you. An attacker is immune to this effect if it doesn't rely on sight, as with blindsight, or has truesight.

Far Step

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

You leap through the air and land some distance away. You can jump up, down, or across to anywhere you choose within range if you have a clear and unobstructed path to that location. You land safely. This movement still provokes opportunity attacks.

Hover

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: 10 minutes

One creature or loose object of your choice that you can see within range rises vertically, up to 20 feet, and remains suspended there for the duration. The esoter can levitate a target that weighs up to 500 pounds. An unwilling creature that succeeds on a Constitution saving throw is unaffected.

The target can move only by pushing or pulling against a fixed object or surface within reach (such as a wall or a ceiling), which allows it to move as if it were climbing. You can change the target's altitude by up to 20 feet in either direction on your turn. If you are the target, you can move up or down as part of your move. Otherwise, you can use your action to move the target, which must remain within the esotery's range.

When the esotery ends, the target floats gently to the ground if it is still aloft.

Mind Reading

Prerequisite: 3rd level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

For the duration, you can read the thoughts of certain creatures. When you activate the esotery and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your mind on any one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature you choose has an Intelligence of 3 or lower or doesn't speak any language, the creature is unaffected.

You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature—what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can either shift your attention to another creature's thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature's mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature's thoughts, the creature can use its action on its turn to make an Intelligence check contested by your Intelligence check; if it succeeds, the spell ends.

Questions verbally directed at the target creature naturally shape the course of its thoughts, so this esotery is particularly effective as part of an interrogation.

You can also use this esotery to detect the presence of thinking creatures you can't see. When you cast the spell or as your action during the duration, you can search for thoughts within 30 feet of you. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 2 feet of rock, 2 inches of any metal other than lead, or a thin sheet of lead blocks you. You can't detect a creature with an Intelligence of 3 or lower or one that doesn't speak any language.

Once you detect the presence of a creature in this way, you can read its thoughts for the rest of the duration as described above, even if you can't see it, but it must still be within range.

5th Level

Extra Attack

Prerequisite: 5th level
Whenever you take the attack action you may attack twice, instead of once.

Expertise

Prerequisite: 5th level
Choose one of your skill proficiencies, or one of your tool proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency.

Flash

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 150 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

A bright streak flashes from your pointing finger to a point you choose within range and then blossoms with a low roar into an explosion of flame. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 8d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The fire spreads around corners. It ignites flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried.

Mental Link

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 5+
• Duration: 1 hour

You forge a telepathic link among up to 2 willing creatures of your choice within range, psychically linking each creature to all the others for the duration. Creatures with Intelligence scores of 2 or less aren't affected by this spell.

Until the spell ends, the targets can communicate telepathically through the bond whether or not they have a common language. The communication is possible over any distance, though it can't extend to other planes of existence. For each addition point of energy you spend you can link another willing creature.

Overload Machine

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 5+
• Duration: Instantaneous

You infuse an unattended powered numenera device of with more energy than it can handle. If affected, the device is destroyed (if an oddity, a cypher, or an artifact) or disabled for at least one minute (if a more substantial machine). The DM may rule that the disabling effect lasts until the device is repaired. need some words about how to increase cost based on how powerful the item is

Retrieve Memories

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 10 minutes

You touch the remains of a recently slain creature and restore its mind to life long enough to learn information from it. The corpse must still have a mouth and can't be undead. The esotery fails if the corpse was the target of this esotery within the last 10 days.

Until the esotery ends, you can ask the corpse up to five questions. The corpse knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy. This spell doesn't return the creature's soul to its body, only its animating spirit. Thus, the corpse can't learn new information, doesn't comprehend anything that has happened since it died, and can't speculate about future events.

Shock to the System

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You flood the mind of a creature within range with disturbing images and ideas.The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or faint and collapse to the ground, remaining unconscious for the duration. At the end of each of its turns, the target can make another Wisdom saving throw. On a success, the esotery ends on the target. If the target takes any damage the esotery ends.

Speedy Recovery

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You adjust a creature’s normal regenerative ability so that they recover more quickly. One creature you choose within range may spend hit dice to restore their hit points as if they had finished a short rest.

Stasis

Prerequisite: 5th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You surround a creature within range of your size or smaller with scintillating energy, forcing it to make a Constitution Saving throw. If it fails the energy keeps it from moving or acting for the duration, as if frozen solid. While in stasis, the target is paralyzed, impervious to harm, cannot be moved, and is immune to all effects.

A creature affected by this spell makes another Consitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, the effect ends for it.

7th Level

Disassemble

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

You cause an unattended object you touch to rapidly dismantle into ten pieces of equal weight. The object must be your size or smaller, The pieces gently fall to the ground around the place where the object stood.

Energy Protection

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 6+
• Duration: 1 hour

For the duration, the willing creature you touch has resistance to one damage type of your choice: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder. You may spend additional energy to have the esotery affect more than targets. The esotery costs an additional 2 energy for each target beyond the first.

Fire and Ice

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You cause a creature you can see within range to become either very hot or very cold. The target makes a Dexterity saving throw if you chose very hot, or a Constitution saving throw if you chose very cold. If the target fails the saving throw they suffer damage at the start of each of their turns equal to 3d6 fire/cold damage (depending on which you chose) for the duration of the esotery. At the end of each of the targets turn they can make another saving throw ending the effect on a success.

Implant Suggestion

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: 28 hours

You suggest a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two) and influence a creature you can see within range that can hear and understand you. Creatures that can't be charmed are immune to this effect. The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the course of action sound reasonable. Asking the creature to stab itself, throw itself onto a spear, immolate itself, or do some other obviously harmful act gives the target advantage on the saving throw

The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it pursues the course of action you described to the best of its ability. The suggested course of action can continue for the entire duration. If the suggested activity can be completed in a shorter time, the esotery ends when the subject finishes what it was asked to do.

You can also specify conditions that will trigger a special activity during the duration. For example, you might suggest that a knight give her warhorse to the first beggar she meets. If the condition isn't met before the esotery expires, the activity isn't performed.

If you or any of your companions damage the target, the esotery ends.

Sensor

Prerequisite: 7th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 10 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: 28 hours

You create an immobile, invisible sensor within range that lasts for the duration. At any time during that duration, you can use an action to see, hear, and smell through the sensor, no matter how far you move from it. The sensor doesn’t grant you sensory capabilities beyond the norm.

9th Level

Accelerate

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 7+
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You imbue a creature with vitality and energy, allowing it to act more quickly. Up to 3 willing creature you choose within range accelerates for one minute. Until the esotery ends, the targets' speed is doubled, it gains a +2 bonus to AC, it has advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and it gains an additional action on each of its turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action. Additionally all attacks against the target have disadvantage. You can spend extra energy when you activate this esotery to affect an additional target for each 1 energy you spend beyond 7.

Barrier

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

A wall of solid stone springs into existence at a point you choose within range. The wall is 6 inches thick and is composed of ten 10-foot-by-10-foot panels. Each panel must be contiguous with at least one other panel. Alternatively, you can create 10-foot-by-20-foot panels that are only 3 inches thick.

If the wall cuts through a creature's space when it appears, the creature is pushed to one side of the wall (your choice). If a creature would be surrounded on all sides by the wall (or the wall and another solid surface), that creature can make a Dexterity saving throw. On a success, it can use its reaction to move up to its speed so that it is no longer enclosed by the wall.

The wall can have any shape you desire, though it can't occupy the same space as a creature or object. The wall doesn't need to be vertical or rest on any firm foundation. It must, however, merge with and be solidly supported by existing stone. Thus, you can use this spell to bridge a chasm or create a ramp.

If you create a span greater than 20 feet in length, you must halve the size of each panel to create supports. You can crudely shape the wall to create crenellations, battlements, and so on.

The wall is an object made of stone that can be damaged and thus breached. Each panel has AC 15 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness. Reducing a panel to 0 hit points destroys it and might cause connected panels to collapse at the DM's discretion.

If you maintain your concentration on this spell for its whole duration, the wall becomes permanent. Otherwise, the wall disappears when the spell ends.

Fabricate Minion

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 hour
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

You fashion a machinelike minion from raw materials around you. The minion can look like whatever you choose, though the materials you use to create it may limit its appearance. You may assemble the minion anywhere within range. The minion is a CR 3 creature of your size or smaller and accompanies you and follows your instructions (need to get stats). A minion remains in your service until it is dead. You may only have one minion at a time.

Telekinesis

Prerequisite: 9th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: 10 minutes

You gain the ability to move or manipulate creatures or objects by thought. When you activate the esotery, and as your action each round for the duration, you can exert your will on one creature or object that you can see within range, causing the appropriate effect below. You can affect the same target round after round, or choose a new one at any time. If you switch targets, the prior target is no longer affected by the spell.

Creature. You can try to move a Huge or smaller creature. Make an ability check with your esotery ability contested by the creature's Strength check. If you win the contest, you move the creature up to 30 feet in any direction, including upward but not beyond the range of this spell. Until the end of your next turn, the creature is restrained in your telekinetic grip. A creature lifted upward is suspended in mid-air. On subsequent rounds, you can use your action to attempt to maintain your telekinetic grip on the creature by repeating the contest.

Object. You can try to move an object that weighs up to 1,000 pounds. If the object isn't being worn or carried, you automatically move it up to 30 feet in any direction, but not beyond the range of this spell. If the object is worn or carried by a creature, you must make an ability check with your esotery ability contested by that creature's Strength check. If you succeed, you pull the object away from that creature and can move it up to 30 feet in any direction but not beyond the range of this spell.

You can exert fine control on objects with your telekinetic grip, such as manipulating a simple tool, opening a door or a container, stowing or retrieving an item from an open container, or pouring the contents from a vial.

11th Level

Exile

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 9
• Duration: 10 minutes

You make a melee esotery attack against a target. If you hit you hurl the target into another random dimension or universe, where it remains for ten minutes. You have no idea what happens to the target while it’s gone, but at the end of ten minutes, it returns to the precise spot it left.

Invisibility

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 9
• Duration: 1 hour

You or a creature you touch becomes invisible until the esotery ends. Anything the target is wearing or carrying is invisible as long as it is on the target's person. The target becomes visisble when they attack or casts a spell. The target can use an action to regain their invisibility

Mind Control

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 9+
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You attempt to mind control a humanoid that you can see within range. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the duration. If you or creatures that are friendly to you are fighting it, it has advantage on the saving throw.

While the target is charmed, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the creature while you are conscious (no action required), which it does its best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as "Attack that creature," "Run over there," or "Fetch that object." If the creature completes the order and doesn't receive further direction from you, it defends and preserves itself to the best of its ability.

You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

Each time the target takes damage, it makes a new Wisdom saving throw against the spell. If the saving throw succeeds, the esotery ends.

You may spend an additional 2 energy to affect a creature of a type other than humanoid.

Projection

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 9
• Duration: 10 minutes

You project an image of yourself to any location you have seen or previously visited. Distance does not matter as long as the location is on the same world as you. The projection copies your appearance, movements, and any sounds you make for the next ten minutes. Anyone present at the location can see and hear you as if you were there. However, you do not perceive through your projection.

Slay

Prerequisite: 11th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 9
• Duration: Instantaneous

You make an esotery attack against a creature. If you hit the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a successful save, the target takes 8d6 force damage. If the target fails it dies.

13th Level

Concussion

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: Instantaneous

You cause a pulse of concussive force to explode out from a point you choose within range. The pulse extends out in all directions, up to 30 ft. Everything within the pulse’s area makes a Wisdom saving throw. Those that fail take 10d6 psychic damage, and are stunned until the end of your next turn. Those that succeed take half damage.

Knowing the Unknown

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: 10 minutes

You tap into the datasphere and can ask the 5 questions get general answers. Gaining knowledge of the future is impossible.

Matter Cloud

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: 1 minute.

Pebbles, dirt, sand, and debris rise into the air around you to form a swirling cloud. The cloud extends out to 10 ft and moves with you. The cloud remains around you for the duration. When it ends, all the materials fall to the ground around you. The cloud makes it harder for other creatures to attack you. All attacks against you have disadvantage for the duration.

In addition, while the cloud is around you, you can use your action to whip the material so that is abrades everything within 10 ft of you. Each creature in that range makes a Dexterity saving throw or takes 4d6 slashing damage. If the creature succeeds they take half that damage.

Regeneration

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: 1 hour

You touch a creature and stimulate its natural healing ability. The target regains 4d8 + 15 hit points. For the duration of the esotery, the target regains 1 hit point at the start of each of its turns (10 hit points each minute).

The target's severed body members (fingers, legs, tails, and so on), if any, are restored after 2 minutes. If you have the severed part and hold it to the stump, the spell instantaneously causes the limb to knit to the stump.

Wormhole

Prerequisite: 13th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 10 ft
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: Instantaneous

You create a doorway through time and space. The shortcut manifests as a hole in reality large enough to accommodate you and creatures of your size or smaller. One side of the doorway appears anywhere within range, and the other side opens at a spot you choose anywhere you know. Any character or object moving into one side exits from the other. The door remains open for one minute or until you use an action to close it.

15th level

Control Weather

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 11
• Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

You take control of the weather within 5 miles of you for the duration. You must be outdoors to activate this esotery. Moving to a place where you don't have a clear path to the sky ends the spell early.

When you activate the esotery, you change the current weather conditions, which are determined by the DM based on the climate and season. You can change precipitation, temperature, and wind. It takes 1d4 × 10 minutes for the new conditions to take effect. Once they do so, you can change the conditions again. When the esotery ends, the weather gradually returns to normal.

When you change the weather conditions, find a current condition on the following tables and change its stage by one, up or down. When changing the wind, you can change its direction.

Precipitation

Stage	Condition
1	Clear
2	Light clouds
3	Overcast or ground fog
4	Rain, hail, or snow
5	Torrential rain, driving hail, or blizzard

Temperature

Stage	Condition
1	Unbearable heat
2	Hot
3	Warm
4	Cool
5	Cold
6	Arctic cold

Wind

Stage	Condition
1	Calm
2	Moderate wind
3	Strong wind
4	Gale
5	Storm

Divide Your Mind

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Energy Cost: 11
• Range: Self
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You split your consciousness into two parts. For one minute, you can take two actions on each of your turns, but only one of them can be to activate an esotery that requires an energy cost.

Traverse the Worlds

Prerequisite: 15th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 10 ft
• Energy Cost: 11
• Duration: Instantaneous

You instantaneously transmit yourself to another planet, dimension, plane, or level of reality. You must know that the destination exists; the DM will decide if you have enough information to confirm its existence. You can bring up to 8 other people in range with you.

True Senses

Prerequisite: 15th level
You gain truesight out to 60 ft.

17th Level

Alter Reality

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: Instantaneous

just look at wish, and we'll figure something out

Earthquake

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 1 mile
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You create a seismic disturbance at a point on the ground that you can see within range. For the duration, an intense tremor rips through the ground in a 500-foot-radius circle centered on that point and shakes creatures and structures in contact with the ground in that area.

The ground in the area becomes difficult terrain. Each creature on the ground that is concentrating must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's concentration is broken.

When you activate this esotery and at the end of each turn you spend concentrating on it, each creature on the ground in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is knocked prone.

This spell can have additional effects depending on the terrain in the area, as determined by the DM.

Fissures. Fissures open throughout the esotery's area at the start of your next turn after you activate the esotery. A total of 1d6 such fissures open in locations chosen by the DM. Each is 1d10 × 10 feet deep, 10 feet wide, and extends from one edge of the spell's area to the opposite side. A creature standing on a spot where a fissure opens must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall in. A creature that successfully saves moves with the fissure's edge as it opens.

A fissure that opens beneath a structure causes it to automatically collapse (see below).

Structures. The tremor deals 50 bludgeoning damage to any structure in contact with the ground in the area when you activate the esotery and at the start of each of your turns until the esotery ends. If a structure drops to 0 hit points, it collapses and potentially damages nearby creatures. A creature within half the distance of a structure's height must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5d6 bludgeoning damage, is knocked prone, and is buried in the rubble, requiring a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check as an action to escape. The DM can adjust the DC higher or lower, depending on the nature of the rubble. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and doesn't fall prone or become buried.

Freeze Time

Prerequisite: 17th level

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly stop the flow of time for everyone but yourself. No time passes for other creatures, while you take 1d4 + 1 turns in a row, during which you can use actions and move as normal.

This esotery ends if one of the actions you use during this period, or any effects that you create during this period, affects a creature other than you or an object being worn or carried by someone other than you. In addition, the esotery ends if you move to a place more than 1,000 feet from the location where you activated it.

Character Focus

Focus is what makes your character unique. No two PCs in a group should have the same focus. Focus is what your character does best. Focus gives your character specificity and provides interesting new abilities that might come in handy. Your focus gives you benefits when you create your character and again at 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Foci replace subclasses for the classes described earlier in this document. Foci are not restricted to certain classes.

Focus Ability

Some of the Foci have ability score that is used when you activate some of the abilities. You use this ability modifer whenever something refers to your focus ability. In addition, you use it when setting the saving throw DC for a feature from your focus and when making an attack roll with one.

Abides in Crystal

You possess an affinity with intricate crystals, many of which were fashioned by prior-world technologies. Crystals can store information and energy, and you know that matter can be transformed into either. You can store yourself within crystals, or use energy-infused crystals to enhance your own form. Eventually, you can even use crystals to travel limitless distances instantaneously.

You likely wear crystalline jewelry or other adornments. And what’s more, you’re probably interested in gathering additional crystals as well. For you, they’re far more important than shins or other simple treasures.

Although Nanos are likely to be crystal fusers, Glaives gain perhaps as much if not more benefit from the focus abilities.

Additional Equipment

In addition to your starting equipment you have four crystals of different sizes and colors that you value.

Cystalline Esoteries

If you perform esoteries, and you would use an esotery that has a damage type other than piercing, you may change the damage type to piercing and have the esotery function by creating sharp shards of cystal that are hurled with great force.

Fuse Into Crystal

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Up to 28 hours

You transfer your body and whatever you are wearing and holding into a crystal at least the size of your index finger. While in the crystal, you are in complete stasis, unaware of anything that transpires. You exit the crystal when some predetermined trigger occurs involving the crystal (it is tapped, it gets ten degrees warmer, someone says your name into the crystal, etc.) or when 28 hours pass, whichever comes first. If the crystal is destroyed or significantly damaged while you are within it, you immediately exit and are stunned for 3 rounds.

Crystal Armor

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 1 hour

You cause a fist-sized crystal to flow like liquid, coating your body in a hard but flexible sheen that grants you +1 AC for the duration.

Inhabit Crystal

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Up to 28 hours

You transfer your body and whatever you are wearing and holding into a crystal at least the size of your index finger. While in the crystal, you are aware of what is going on around it, “seeing” and “hearing” through the crystal. You can even speak through the crystal and carry on conversations. You cannot take actions other than to choose to exit the crystal. You remain within as long as you wish, but you are not in stasis, and so should exit to eat, drink, sleep, and so on as normal (breathing is not an issue). If the crystal is destroyed or significantly damaged while you are within it, you immediately exitand are stunned for 3 rounds.

Crystal Intellect

When you reach 10th level you permanetly fuse crystals into your brain, utilizing them as storage and processing space. You become proficient in all Intelligence ability checks.

Crystalline Skin

When you reach 14th level you permamnently fuse crystals into your flesh. When you aren't wearing armor your AC becomes 15 + Dexterity modifer.

Crystal Travel

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: Instantaneous

You transfer your body and whatever you are wearing and holding into a crystal of any size and exit from another crystal of any size, anywhere in the same dimension. You must know of the crystal you are going to use as an exit before you enter the first crystal.

Absorbs Energy

Every movement is an expression of energy. You can harness the energy of movement—kinetic energy—and transform it into other sorts of energy. To begin with, once you absorb energy, you cannot absorb more until after you’ve used it. You can use this absorbed energy as a weapon, or to infuse dangerous energy into an object, which is released upon touch. You can eventually use the energy for nonviolent purposes, such as healing or invigorating creatures.

At 6th level, however, the abilities of an energy absorber become a bit more complicated, as a reserve of energy can be built up. This is dangerous, as with each “charge” of absorbed energy, there is a risk that you won’t be able to contain it all, and it detonates, harming you.

Glaives often gain the biggest benefit from being an energy absorber, as they are the ones most often being struck in combat, and many of the initial uses of absorbed energy are for combat.

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Absorb Kinetic Energy

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when take blugeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
• Range: Self
• Duration: Instantaneous

You absorb the energy of one incoming blow or impact. You roll 2d6 and prevent that much that from the blow you would have suffered. You becomed charged. While you are charged you cannot use this ability.

Release Energy

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Special: Must be charged

You release the energy you absorbed as a blast that strikes a single foe. Make a ranged focus attack against the target. On a hit the target takes 2d6 force damage. You lose your charge.

Energize Object

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Duration: Until released
• Special: Must be charged

You infuse energy you have absorbed into an object, like a weapon. The object holds the energy until it is touched by anyone but you, so putting it into a melee weapon or the ammo of a ranged weapon allows the weapon to trigger the energy in combat. The energy inflicts 2d6 points of damage on the creature touched. You cannot have more than one energized object on your person at a time.

Overcharge Energy

Beginning at 6th level you can hold more than one charge with your abilities. This, however, comes with a risk. Whenever you attempt to absord a blow when you have a charge you need to make a Constitution saving throw with a DC equal to 10 + the number of charges you already have. So, if you try to absord a second chard you need to make a Constitution saving throw equal to 11. If you have 3 charges and try to absorb a 4th the DC is 13. If you fail the saving throw the energy you are trying to hold and absord releases; you take 2d6 damage + 2d6 damage for each charge you had on you.

Redirect Energy

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when take blugeoning, piercing, or slashing damage.
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

You absorb the energy of one incoming blow or impact. You roll 2d6 and prevent that much that from the blow you would have suffered. Make a range focus attack against a creature in range. On a hit the creature takes damage equal to the amount you prevented.

Energize Creature

Beginning at 14th level you can use your action and spend a charge to have creature you touch regain 4d4+4 hit points.

Once you energize a creature you cannot energize them again until they take a long rest.

Energize Crowd

Beginning at 18th level you can user your action and spend a charge to regain 4d6+6 hit points. Each creature within 30 ft reagins 4d4+4 hit points.

Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Abuses Alchemy

You’ve learned that alchemical concoctions can make you more than merely feel good— they can make you better! At least, they can do so for as long as you keep taking your special formulation of ingredients that some might call drugs. Normally, people who use drugs as often as you spiral out of control and die early. But you’re different, you tell yourself. You’ve leashed yourself to a strict regimen of alchemical substances that keep you from feeling the effects of withdrawal, while at the same time enormously enhancing your abilities in particular ways.

Your acquaintances sometimes worry you’re just a day away from a serious crash. But what do they know? Everything is great, you tell yourself. Confidence is another sideeffect of your daily dose of amazing.

You probably wear dark clothing to hide stains of your constant alchemical experiments. Symbols for elemental materials like water, fire, and various specific substances might adorn that dark clothing. Some who abuse alchemy wear hoods or eye-covering lenses to hide wide black pupils and bloodshot eyes.

Abusers are usually Jacks, but Nanos can fall into alchemical dependence, too. Those who choose this focus usually refer to themselves as alchemical travelers. Everyone else calls them alchemical abusers.

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Additional Equipment

In addition to the equipment in your background you start with alchemist's supplies, ingredients for creating your drugs, journal containing your drug recipes. You have several weeks’ worth of your daily alchemical dose prepared, and ingredients to create several more weeks’ worth on hand.

Alchemical Dependence

You are proficient in alchemist supplies. In addition, you take a daily regimen of special drugs you’ve designed to work with your body in particular, drugs that have slowly adapted your muscles and organs, allowing you to accept still more concentrated doses. In effect, you’ve enhanced yourself with permanent abilities while you keep taking your daily dose of drugs.

You can change your matrix of active daily abilities by choosing to take a different complement of drugs on a given day, assuming you have the recipe in your manual and ingredients for granting yourself that ability. You can have only one active ability of a given tier at a time. To make the switch, spend ten minutes studying your manual, preparing a new alchemical concoction, and finally taking it, after which time your activity ability is changed out. You can choose to change your active abilities after a short or long rest. Others who’ve taken your drugs experienced life-threatening reactions the few times you’ve experimented.

Choose one of the following abilities as your active alchemical ability for this feature

Deadly Reflexes.

You add 1 to all of your damage rolls.

Densely Muscled.

You have advantage on strength ability checks.

Alchemical Dependence

Beginning at 2nd level, you add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability this feature.

Breath of Distress

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self (15 ft cone)
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You breathe out a puff of alchemical “distress." Each creature in a 15-foot cone must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 3d6 acid damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Resilience

Choose one ability score. You gain proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability.

Alchemical Dependence

Beginning at 6th level you add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for this feature.

Fast

Your base move speed is doubled.

Incredible Health

You are immune to diseases and poison.

Alchemical Dependence

Beginning at 10th level you add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for this feature.

Body Weaponry

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous

You can leash the inherent energy surging through your alchemically enhanced body. This allows you to fire a blast of energy. You make a ranged focus attack against a target. If you hit it deals 3d10 force damage. This damage increases to 4d10 when at 17th level.

Unusually Observant

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 90 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

You determine the weaknesses, vulnerabilities, qualities, and mannerisms of a single creature within range. The DM informs you of any pertenent information. If the target fails a wisdom saving throw you also have advantage on any attack roll made against the creature for the duration of the feature.

Alchemical Dependence

Beginning at 14th level you add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for this feature.

Genius

You had advantage on Intelligence ability checks and you gain a proficiency in another skill of your choice.

Triumph of Alchemy Over Sense

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 6

• Duration: 1 hour

  you are affected by an unwanted condition or affliction (such as disease, paralysis, mind control, broken limb, and so on, but not damage), you can ignore it and act as if it does not affect you for the duration.

Alchemical Dependence

Beginning at 18th level you add the following abilities to your recipe manual. Choose one of them as your active ability for this feature.

Alchemical Defenses

The density of your skin and musculature increases further, providing you with resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. In addition, if you are struck by a melee attack, your skin reacts by releasing an alchemical backlash that inflicts 2d6 points of lightning damage to the attacker.

Juggernaut

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: 1 round

For the duration, you can move through solid objects such as doors and walls. Only 2 feet (60 cm) of wood, 1 foot (30 cm) of stone, or 6 inches (15 cm) of metal can stop your movement.

Acts Without Consequence

You’re a rebel. You resist the dictates of authority, you try to break away from the control that society holds over you, and you like to flout traditions that you view as backward. That’s not to say that you automatically disagree with anything or anyone you deal with. It’s more that you believe certain institutions and conventions are foolish and even hurtful. This is why you often press your luck and defy the status quo. Often enough, you get away with it.

In fact, your success is more than a mere twist of statistics. You enjoy some kind of psychic enhancement, implanted device, or attention of a datasphere spirit. You’ve also practiced certain skills, behaviors, and attitudes that allow blame to slip off you like water off a murden.

Glaives, Jacks, Delves, and Arkai are drawn to acting without consequence.

A character who acts without consequence often dresses in flamboyant garments designed to draw the eye, as if they’re tempting the universe to notice them after all.

Additional Equipment

Deck of cards and a “lucky” oddity of the GM’s choice.

Weird Ability

You can choose to learn this ability instead of one of the abilities granted by your class.

Danger Sense

When you roll initiative you may pay 2 energy to get a +3 bonus to the check.

Slip Into Shadow

You can use your action to make a hide check even in full view of another creature, as long as there is a shadow for you to hide in.

Blameless

You gain proficiency in one of the following, the Deception skill, the Steath kill, or Disguise Kit tool

Get Away

Beginning at 2nd you can use your bonus action to take the dash or disengage action.

Ability Choice

At 6th level choose one of the following abilities to gain as a feature this level.

Goad

Whenever you successfully hit a creature with an attack roll you can spend 2 energy to give that target disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you.

Sieze Opportunity

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you a creature misses an attack against you
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

Taking advantage of the opening your opponent gave you, you make a weapon attack against the attacking creature.

Uncanny Luck

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take miss an attack or fail a saving throw.
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You may reroll the attack or saving throw, use the second result.

Invisibility

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You become invisible until the feature ends. Anything you wearing or carrying is invisible as long as it is on the target's person. You become visisble if you attack or activate an ability you become visisble. While you concentrate on the ability you can use an action to become invisible again.

No Fate

You don’t believe in any luck except that which you make for yourself. If you fail on an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw you can change the die result to a natural 20. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Augments Flesh With Grafts

Machines can be upgraded and improved, and the human body is just an organic machine. Your goal is to keep improving your physical form, replacing obsolete parts of your body with new grafts and trying to become supremely efficient at your normal and augmented biological processes. Whether you do this with technology or pieces from other creatures depends on what you find in your explorations and your estimation of your flaws and shortcomings. You don’t believe it’s possible to achieve perfection—perfection is an ongoing process, not a final state. If following this path makes you something more than human, so be it. You left behind childish toys and forms to become an adult, so you are willing to leave your humanity behind in order to become something greater.

Glaives see grafting as a way to increase their physical power and survive attacks from dangerous opponents. Delves often have many opportunities to find and use grafts.

Autodoctor

You become proficient in medicine. In addition you can perform surgeries on yourself, remaining conscious while you do so.

Surgical Graft

You use your knowledge to surgically attach a cypher to your body, linking it to your nerves and muscles. Activating or using this cypher is as natural for you as breathing and doesn’t require any obvious motion (allowing you to activate it secretly). A grafted cypher still counts toward your cypher limit, but it is not automatically destroyed after one use. When you activate it, roll a d10. On a 1 the cypher is destroyed. To graft a cypher onto yourself you need to attempt a surgery on yourself. Make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check. If you suceed the graft is successful, if you fail the cypher is destroyed. The surgery takes an hour to complete.

The GM may allow you to graft biological parts from other creatures, giving you an ability like one of the creature’s abilities. This is treated exactly the same as if it were a grafted cypher (that is, it counts toward your cypher limit, is destroy on a roll of 1 in 1d10, etc.), except the DC of the medicine check is 10 + the CR of the monster. If you fail the check, the graft is destroyed. You can only attempt to graft from a given creature once.

Once you attempt a surgery you cannot attempt it again until you finish a long rest.

Removing a graft is an hour long minor surgery that doesn't require a roll. When you attempt a surgery to graft you may also remove one graft you already had on you.

Augment Graft

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, when you activate graft
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You can increase the power of your grafts. Choose one of the following changes to make to the effect of your graft.

• Increase the DC of a saving throw the cypher calls for by 1
• Double the duration of an effect of the cypher, to a maximum duration of 28 hours.
• Double the range of an effect of the cypher if it is greater than 5 feet.
• Increase the range of an effect of the cypher to 30 ft, if it has a range of touch.
• When you roll damage for the cypher you may reroll any number of the damage dice, You must use the new rolls.

Recharge Graft

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you use when a graft of yours is destroyed.
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly jury rig a solution to your broken graft in the heat of the moment. Make a Wisdom (Medicine) check against the DC of the original graft. If you succeed you keep the graft.

Additional Cypher

Beginning at 10th level your cypher limit is increased by 1

Faster Grafting

At 14th level, you’ve permanently altered your body to make it faster and easier to add or remove grafts. You have advantage on Wisdom (Medicine) checks to grft things to your body. You can now complete the surgery for adding or removing a graft in one minute instead of one hour, and you only need a short rest before you can attempt a graft again.

Transhuman Augmentation

At 18th level, you upgrade your nervous and immune systems. You become proficiency in all saving throws, and your Constitution score increases by 2 and its maximum increases by the same amount.

Battles Automatons

Life is for the living—the biological. Automatons, animate machines, thinking machines, and anything similar are abominations. You excel at battling these anathemas, cleansing the world of their contaminating presence.

Maybe your desire to battle automatons comes from religious zealotry. Maybe it’s steeped in revenge for some past crime committed by a machine. Maybe you don’t know why you’re driven to destroy animate machines. Maybe you’re just good at it.

You probably bear the trophies of former “kills” on you, wearing bits of numenera on your belt or around your neck. You also likely use heavy weaponry, ideal for penetrating armor. Glaives are most often automaton fighters, particularly those who are quick and nimble, able to leap in, cutting a few vital wires here or slicing through a component panel there.

Focus Ability

Wisdom is your focus ability for these features.

Additional Equipment

You have bits and pieces that you tore from the husks of automatons you have destroyed in the past.

Anti-Machine Abilities

You gain proficiency in the Numenera skill. If you have abilities that would not work against automatons, they will now.

Machine Vulnerabilities

Whenever you deal damage to an automaton or animate machine, you deal an extra 1d6 damage.

Defense Against Automatons

Starting at 2nd, you have advantage on saving throws against the effects of automatons.

Machine Hunting

You gain proficiency in Stealth and Survival skills.

Disable Mechanisms

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You make a melee focus attack against an automaton creature. If you hit you reach inside the automaton and deactivate a key part of it's function. For the duration of the feature you can inflict one of the penalties to the creature.

• The attacks rolls the automaton makes has disadvantage
• The speed of the automaton is halved.
• The automaton deals half damage.

Pierce Metal Hides

At 10th level, you ignore resitances to piercing, bludgeoning, and slashing damage against automatons.

Drain Power

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You make a melee focus attack against an automaton creature. If you hit you reach inside the automaton and drain a part of its energy source. For the duration of the feature you can inflict all of the following on the automaton.

• The attacks rolls the automaton makes has disadvantage
• The speed of the automaton is halved.
• The automaton deals half damage.

Blind Machine

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you use when you hit a creature with a weapon attack
• Range: 90 ft
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Forever

You deactivate the sensory apparatus of the automaton, making it effectively blind.

Bears a Halo of Fire

You can create a sheath of flames around your body. You leave scorch marks wherever you go, and you can’t handle combustible objects without first dousing your inherent flames. Your special abilities (such as Nano esoteries) are tainted with flame. Fiery visuals accompany your powers, and in some cases, your predilection for flame actually reshapes your abilities to take on a fiery nature where none existed before.

Although most of those who take up this mantle are Nanos, flame-wielding Glaives and Jacks are fearsome indeed.

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Fire Powers

If you activate a class ability and its has a damage type other than fire, you may change the damage type to fire.

Shroud of Flames

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

Your entire body becomes shrouded in flames that last for the duration. The fire doesn’t burn you, but it automatically inflicts 1d6 fire damage to anyone who tries to touch you or hits you with a melee attack. While the shroud is active, you gain resistance to fire damage.

Hurl Flame

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Special: Must be concentrating on Shroud of Flames

You reach into your halo and hurl a handful of fire at a target in range. Make a ranged focus attack against the target. On a hit the taget takes 2d6 fire damage.

You can throw more than one handful of fire when you reach higher levels: two handfuls at 5th level, three at 11th, and four at 17th. You can hurl tham at the same target or at different one. Make a seperate attack roll for each handful.

Fiery Hand of Doom

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Until Shroud of Flames ends
• Special: Must be concentrating on Shroud of Flames

While your Shroud of Flame is active, you can reach into your halo and produce a hand made of animate flame that is twice the size of a human’s hand. The hand acts as you direct, floating in the air. The hand is an object that has 15 AC and hit points equal to half your hit point maximum. It has a Strength of 22 (+6) and a Dexterity of 10 (+0). The hand doesn't fill its space.

When you activate this ability and as a bonus action on your subsequent turns, you can move the hand up to 30 feet and then cause one of the following effects with it.

Clenched Fist. The hand strikes one creature or object within 5 feet of it. Make a melee focus attack for the hand using your game statistics. On a hit, the target takes 2d8 fire damage.

Grasping Hand. The hand attempts to grapple a large or smaller creature within 5 feet of it. You use the hand's stength score to resolve the grapple. If the target is small or smaller, you have advantage on the check. When the hand is grappling the target you can use a bonus aciton to have the hand crush it. When you do so, the target takes fire damage equal to 1d10 + you focus ability modifier.

Ignite. The hand disperses itself in a fiery explosion. Each creature within 10 feet of it makes a Dexterity saving throw or take 4d6 fire damage. If a creature succeeds on the saving throw it takes half damage. This destroys the hand.

Flameblade

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Until Shroud of Flames ends
• Special: Must be concentrating on Shroud of Flames

You extend your halo of fire to cover a weapon you wield in flame. The dlame ends if you stop holding or carrying the weapon. While the flame lasts, the weapon deals 1d6 fire damage in addition to its normal damage.

Fire Tendrils

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: Until Shroud of Flames ends
• Special: Must be concentrating on Shroud of Flames

Your halo sprouts three tendrils of flame. When you active this ability and when you use action on subsequent turns you can have the three tendrils attack. They have a reach of 30 ft. Make a melee focus attack for each tendril. If it hits it does 2d6 damage and grapples the target if it is medium or smaller. The escape DC for the grapple is equal to your focus save DC. If a tendril already has a creature grappled it deals 2d6 fire damage to the creature instead of making an attack roll

Fire Servants

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: 90 ft
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
• Special: Must be concentrating on Shroud of Flames

You consume your fiery halo to create four fire elementals. Each fills a 10-foot cube within range.

The elementals are friendly to you and your companions for the duration. Roll initiative for the elemental, which has its own turns. It obeys any verbal commands that you issue to it (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to the elemental, it defends itself from hostile creatures but otherwise takes no actions.

While you are concentrating on this ability you cannot use your Shroud of Flames ability. If your concentration is broken, the elementals disappear.

Becomes Energy

Whether through an implanted device, an encounter with the Iron Wind that you survived, or some other means, you gained the ability to convert the bulk mass of your body into energy. The first time you used your ability, things could have gone badly. Thankfully you figured out how to restrain the energy you convert yourself into so that it’s inert—except for a bright glow—until you choose to discharge it. As a being made partly or completely of energy, you gain increased defenses, the ability to unleash some of that energy as attacks, and eventually even flight and the ability to disintegrate objects. Using a fraction of your converted mass hurts you a little at first, until you learn to siphon off energy from your surroundings to make up for that deficit.

Nanos find the ability to become energy especially useful for defensive purposes, as an aid in getting around, and as an impressive display of their abilities.

Focus Ability

Constitution is your focus ability for these features.

Energy Skin

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Duration: While energized, up to 1 hour

You convert a thin outer layer of your skin into a glowing shield of energy that changes your AC to be calcualted as 13 + Dexterity modifer for the duration. In addition you becomed energized. For the duration you can dismiss the effect as a bonus action and convert the shield back into the outer layer of your skin. You can choose instead to release the energy using one of your other abilities.

Release Energy Blast

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Special: Must be energized.

You release the energy you are holding into a blast that strikes a target withing range. Make a ranged focus attack. On a hit you deal 2d6 force damage. Regardless of whether you hit or not you take 1d6 force damage from the loss of part of your mass. You are no longer energized.

The damage you deal increases to 3d6 at 5th level, 4d6 at 11th, and 5d6 at 17th.

Energize Fist

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You energize you hand and use that energy to harm another creature. Make a melee focus attack against a creature within your reach. On a hit the target takes 4d10 force damage. Regardless of whether you hit ot not you take 1d6 force damage from the loss of part of your mass.

Energy Hop

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 300 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You instantaneously transmit yourself as a blaze of energy to any location that you can see within range.

Energize Body

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You can convert more than your fist into glowing energy; you can turn your entire body into a nimbus of bright energy for up to one hour. The energy remains inert, during which time you act normally—albeit with an attendant glow—until you discharge it. While this ability is active you gain the following benefits.

• You become energized
• Your AC is calculated as 13 + Dexterity modifier.
• Release Energy Blast doesn't stop you form being energized.
• When you hit a target with a weapon attack, that target takes an extra 2d12 force damage
• You can detonate the remaining energy to deal 8d6 force damage to all creatures within 30 ft that fail a Dexterity saving throw. On a successful save they take half damage. You take 2d6 from the loss of mass. This ability ends and you are no longer energized.

Flight

Beginning at 14th level, when you are energized through your Energy Body ability you gain a flying speed of 60 ft for the duration.

E=MC²

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: Instantaneous

You throw naught but a small pebble, but you take its small mass and turn it into a giant explosion. Each creature within a 40 ft radius sphere centered on a point you choose in range must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 40d6 force damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one.

Brandishes an Exotic Shield

Anyone can use a shield. But few can project a protective force field that crackles with otherworldly energy. Maybe your ability comes from a childhood encounter with a strange machine or a metallic nodule that protrudes above your flesh along your spine, or perhaps it is something that people in your family are capable of once every few generations. You use your force field to not only protect yourself, but to aggressively bash those who would do you harm. At first, you can create only a small protective plane. But as your skills improve, you can learn to throw it at foes and have it rebound, heal allies, and release an explosion of destructive energy each time it strikes home.

Glaives and Delves are most likely to choose this focus.

Force Field Shield

You can use a bonus action to manifest a small plane of pure force, which takes on a shield-like shape. You can dismiss it just as a bonus action. To use the force shield, you must hold it in one of your hands. You proficient in using this shield. You can also use this shield as a weapon that has a damage die of 1d6, and the light property.

Shield Bash

If you take the Attack action on your turn, you can use a bonus action to try to shove a creature within 5 feet of you with your shield.

Enveloping Shield

Beginning at 2nd level your force field shield increases in effectiveness. The bonus to AC you receive from it increases from +2 to +3.

Throw Force Shield

Starting at 6th level your force shield gains the thrown property with a range of (20/60). Whether you hit or miss the shield immediately dissipates and then reforms in your grasp.

Energized Shield

At 10th level you shield pulses with a dangerous energy while you have it out. The damage die increases to 1d8.

Force Wall

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute
• Special: Force Field Shield must be active

Your force shield expands and becomes a will at point you choose within range. You can make the wall up to 50 feet long, 15 feet high, and 1 foot thick. The wall lasts for the duration. While concentrations on this feature you cannot manifest your force field shield.

Bouncing Shield

Beginning at 18th level if you throw your force shield for a weapon attack, whether it hits or misses, you can attack up to two additional targets within range as part of the attack. Whether you hit all, some or none of your targets, the shield dissipates and then reforms in your grasp.

Breaks Down Walls

Through some modification of your body— mutation, mechanical enhancement, nanoreinforcement, or something else—you have the ability to smash through walls, destroy weapons, shatter shackles, break devices, and otherwise annihilate objects that would be difficult or even impossible for others to demolish. You’re a breaker. You do not flinch; you punch right through that wall, smash that machine, and fold the enemy’s metallic sword in half in an impressive and intimidating display. Depending on the method that gives you this ability, your act might be accompanied by flashes of energy, sound, or acidic odors. Once you display your impressive skills as a destroyer, your enemies sometimes surrender rather than face an apparent force of nature like yourself.

You likely wear armor, but probably not the heaviest armor you can because you don’t want anything to slow you down too much. Breakers are often Glaives or Delves.

Breaker

When you make a strength ability check to break an object, you are considered proficieny in the check. Damage you deal to objects ignores resistance to slashing, piercing, and blugeoning damage.

Break Through

Beginning at 2nd level, if you move at least 20 ft towards a wall, you can use a bonus action to attempt a strength ability check to break through it if you are withing 5ft of it.

Machine Vulnerability

Starting at 6th level, whenever you deal damage to an automaton or animate machine, you can deal an additional 1d8 damage.

Force to Reckon With.

At 10th level you can break through force fields and energy barriers as if they were physical walls.

Jump Attack

Beginning at 14th level when you make a weapon attack you may spend 5 energy and attempt a DC 15 Athletics check to jump high into the air as part of the attack. If you succeed your attack inflicts 2d6 additional points of damage and knocks the target prone. If you fail the athletics check still make you attack as normal but you don't inflict the extra damage or knock them prone if you hit.

Break the Ranks

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

You gain extra movement for the current turn. The increase equals your speed, after applying any modifiers. You may make one weapon attack against every creature that comes within reach of you during your turn.

Carries a Quiver

The archer is a skilled combatant, deadly in any fight. With a keen eye and quick reflexes, you can eliminate foes at range before they reach you. A good archer also learns to make his own arrows and bows.

You probably wear no more than light armor so you can move quickly when needed.

Many glaives and jacks are archers. You can use this focus with crossbows instead of bows if you wish.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Fletcher

You gain proficiency in woodcarver's tools

Covering Fire

Starting at 2nd level, when you take the attack action to attack with a bow or crossbow, you can use your bonus action to make another weapon attack with that weapon.

Master Fletcher

Beginning at 6th level, when you make an ability check to use your woodcarver's tools you can add double your proficiency bonus instead of just once.

Quick Shot

Starting at 10th level, whenever you score a critical hit on an attak with your bow or crossbow, instead of dealing extra damage, you may make another weapon attack with the same weapon.

Powerful Shot

Beginning at 14th level, whenever you have advantage on a weapon attack with your bow or crossbow, you may add your wisdom modifier to the damage roll.

Swift Quiver

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 6
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

On each of your turns until the ability ends, you can use a bonus action to make two attacks with a weapon that uses ammunition from the quiver. If the quiver leaves your possession, the ability ends.

Charges Right In

Subtlety is not your strong suit. Tactics and complicated plans are not your forte. You are a straightforward soul who confronts problems head on. You do not hesitate. You do not blanche. With a mighty battle cry, you throw yourself at your enemies, and wreak havoc amid their ranks, sowing chaos and fear. You likely wear armor, but probably not the heaviest armor you can, because you don’t want anything to slow you down too much.

Chargers are by far most often Glaives.

Quick to Act

You may add your proficiency bonus to initiative checks.

Charge Attack

Starting at 2nd level, you can move up to double your move speed if you move in a straight line towards a target creature, and you make the attack action once you get in range.

Sieze the Day

Beginning at 6th level, if you use your charge attack and move at least 20 ft, you deal an extra 1d8 damage on your damage rolls that turn.

Evasion

At 10th level, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Alterness

Starting at 14th level, you cannot be surprised and you have advantage on initiative checks.

Improved Charge

Beginning at 18th level, when you use your charge attack the damage from Sieze the Day increases to 2d8 and you gain resistance to piercing, slashing, and blugeoning damage from opportunity attack during your charge.

Commands Mental Powers

You have always had special abilities that others didn’t seem to share. Through practice and devotion, you have honed this unique talent so that you can harness the power of your mind to perform deeds.

No one can tell that you have this ability just by looking at you, although you wear a crystal or jewel somewhere on your head to help focus your power. Either this focusing object was given to you by someone who recognized your ability, or you came upon it by accident and it triggered your abilities. Some people with mental powers— often called psychics or psionics by ordinary folks—are secretive and a little paranoid.

Although Nanos frequently command mental powers, psionic characters of every other type are not uncommon.

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Telepathic

Your mind awakens to the ability to communicate via telepathy. You can telepathically speak to any creature you can see within 120 feet of you in this manner. You don't need to share a language with the creature for it to understand your telepathic messages, but the creature must be able to understand at least one language or be telepathic itself.

Mind Reading

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

For the duration, you can read the thoughts of certain creatures. When you activate the esotery and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your mind on any one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature you choose has an Intelligence of 3 or lower or doesn't speak any language, the creature is unaffected.

You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature—what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can either shift your attention to another creature's thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature's mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that looms large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature's thoughts, the creature can use its action on its turn to make an Intelligence check contested by your Intelligence check; if it succeeds, the ability ends.

Psychic Burst

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

Choose a point you can see within 60 feet of you. Each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a target takes 6d8 psychic damage and suffers disadvantage on all saving throws until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, a creature takes half as much damage.

Use Senses of Others

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.

You can see, hear, smell, touch, and taste through the senses of anyone with whom you have telepathic contact. You can attempt to use this ability on a willing or unwilling target within range; an unwilling target can resist by suceeding on a Wisdom saving throw. Regardless of if it fails or suceeds the target is unaware of the ability. You don’t need to see the target, but you must know that it’s within range. Your shared senses lasts fopr the duration.

Telepathic Network

At 14th level you can spend 1 minutes to set up a telepathic network. You can contact up to ten creatures known to you, no matter where they are. All targets must be willing and able to communicate. All creatures in the network are linked and can communicate telepathically with one another. They can also “overhear” anything said in the network, if they wish. The network last for 10 minutes.

Precognition

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: 8 hours

You gain a limited ability to see into the immediate future. For the duration, you can't be surprised and have advantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws. Additionally, other creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target for the duration.

Conceals the Truth

When you were young, you learned that lying was often easier than telling the truth.

Did you feed the seskii? Yes, mother. What happened to that device your father was studying? I don’t know.

As you grew older, your ability to conceal the truth grew more mature as well. You don’t necessarily lie because you enjoy the thrill of power it gives you over others (though you might); you lie in order to accomplish the things that you deem worthy, which might be every bit as important as goals set by those who view deception as a moral failing. You don’t care what they think. The kind of people who never lie are easier to lie to.

You probably wear conservative clothing and carry books or other oddments that give you a professional or modest air, all of which makes you seem less likely to be someone who constantly lies.

Jacks enjoy concealing the truth.

Focus Ability

Charisma is your focus ability for these features.

Natural Born Liar

You are proficient in the deception skill, and whenever you make an ability check for the deception skill you may add twice your proficiency modifier instead of just once.

Stealth Skills

You gain proficiency in one of the following skills or tools: Disguise Kit, Thieves Tools, Perception, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth.

Evanesce

Beginning at 2nd level you may attempt to hide even when you otherwise wouldn't as long as you hide within a shadowed area. The area must be big enough to fit you whole body.

Ambusher

Starting at 6th level when you attack a creature that has not yet acted in combat you had advantage on that attack roll.

More Stealth Skills

At 6th level you gain proficiency in one of the following skills or tools: Disguise Kit, Thieves Tools, Perception, Sleight of Hand, or Stealth.

Mask

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You assume a different form. When you activate this ability, you transform your appearance. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, sound of your voice, hair length, coloration, and distinguishing characteristics, if any. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your statistics change. You also can't appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you're bipedal, you can't use this ability to become quadrupedal, for instance. At any time for the duration of the ability, you can use your action to change your appearance in this way again. The effects last for the duration of the ability.

Uncanny Luck

Beginning at 14th level something happens

Perfect Lie

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You tell a lie to a target than can hear and understand you withing range, that is so convincing that believe it is true upon hearing it. On later turns the target can use its actinon to make a Wisdom (Insight) check against your focus save DC. It it succeeds the target figures out the ruse.

Consorts with the Dead

Through the study of sciences to which most people give a wide berth, you have mastered the ability to speak with and reanimate the dead. The numenera holds no moral or ethical distinctions between different abilities or types of knowledge, but Ninth World society does, and necromancy is shunned as a taboo. Nothing that you do proves the existence of an afterlife—your abilities deal with retrieving information from brain cells and reactivating dead tissues. Still, perhaps delving even deeper into your studies can reveal knowledge of what happens after death and whether it’s possible to truly restore the dead to life.

You probably wear black clothing, which might be adorned with skulls, bones, teeth, or other symbols of death. Some who consort with the dead paint their skin and dye their hair black, red, and white to bring them visually closer to the bodies they interact with.

Nanos are the most likely characters to consort with the dead, calling themselves “necromancers.” Glaives and jacks who plumb these dark depths are sometimes referred to as “death warriors” or “death knights.”

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Necrotic Esoteries

If you perform esoteries, and you would use an esotery that has a damage type other than necrotic, you may change the damage type to necrotic.

Speaker for the Dead

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 2+
• Duration: 10 minutes

You grant the semblance of life and intelligence to a corpse you touch, allowing it to answer a question you pose. The corpse must still have a mouth and can't be undead. The ability fails if the corpse was the target of this ability within the last 10 days.

Until the ability ends, you can ask the corpse one question. The corpse knows only what it knew in life, including the languages it knew. Answers are usually brief, cryptic, or repetitive, and the corpse is under no compulsion to offer a truthful answer if you are hostile to it or it recognizes you as an enemy. This spell doesn't return the creature's soul to its body, only its animating spirit. Thus, the corpse can't learn new information, doesn't comprehend anything that has happened since it died, and can't speculate about future events. You may spend one additional point of energy to ask a another question up to a maximum of 5 quesitons.

Reading the Room

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You gain knowledge about an area by reading residual energies from the past. You can ask the DM a single, matter-of-fact question about the location and get an answer. “What killed the cattle in this barn?” is a good example of a simple question. “Why were these cattle killed?” is not an appropriate question because it has more to do with the mindset of the killer than the barn. Once you use this ability on a room, you cannot use it on the same area for 24 hours.

Necromancy

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: 10 ft
• Energy Cost: 5+
• Duration: Instantaneous

This ability creates an undead servant. Choose a pile of bones or a corpse of a Medium or Small humanoid within range. Your ability imbues the target with a foul mimicry of life, raising it as an undead creature. The target becomes a skeleton if you chose bones or a zombie if you chose a corpse (the DM has the creature's game statistics).

On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command any creature you made with this ability if the creature is within 60 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.

The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you've given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must activate this ability on the creature again before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of the ability reasserts your control over up to four creatures you have animated with this ability, rather than animating a new one.

When you activate this ability you may spend additional energy to animate or reassert control over two additional undead creatures for every 2 extra energy spent. Each of the creatures must come from a different corpse or pile of bones.

Death Gaze

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You project a chilling gaze at all living creatures within range who can see you. Each creature you choose in range makes a Wisdom saving throw or suffers 6d8 necrotic damage and become frightened for the duration. A successful save means they take half damage and are not frightened. While a creature is frightened this way they are frozen in fear, their movement becoming 0ft. At the end of each of their turns they can repeat the saving throw ending the effect on a success. A creature immune to fear is immune to the damage as well.

Greater Necromancy

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: 10 ft
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: Instantaneous

Choose up to four corpses of Medium or Small humanoids within range. Each corpse becomes a ghoul under your control. (The DM has game statistics for these creatures.)

As a bonus action on each of your turns, you can mentally command any creature you animated with this ability if the creature is within 120 feet of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). You decide what action the creature will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the creature only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the creature continues to follow it until its task is complete.

The creature is under your control for 24 hours, after which it stops obeying any command you have given it. To maintain control of the creature for another 24 hours, you must cast Necromancy on the creature before the current 24-hour period ends. This use of Necromancy reasserts your control over up to four creatures you have animated with this ability.

True Resurrection

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 hour
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 13
• Duration: Instantaneous

You touch a creature that has been dead for no longer than 200 years and that died for any reason except old age. If the creature's soul is free and willing, the creature is restored to life with all its hit points.

This ability closes all wounds, neutralizes any poison, cures all diseases, and anything affecting the creature when it died. The ability replaces damaged or missing organs and limbs. If the creature was undead, it is restored to its non-undead form.

The ability can even provide a new body if the original no longer exists, in which case you must speak the creature's name. The creature then appears in an unoccupied space you choose within 10 feet of you.

Controls Beasts

To say that you have a way with animals and nonhuman creatures doesn’t begin to cover it. Your mastery and communication with beasts is positively uncanny. They come to you fearlessly, and it’s not uncommon for birds to alight on your shoulder or for small animals to climb up your arms or legs.

You probably wear tough clothing and have a disheveled or grizzled appearance that suggests a rugged, outdoor life. Perhaps you even smell like an animal.

Any type of character is likely to have this focus.

Focus Ability

Wisdom is your focus ability for these features.

Beast Companion

You gain a beast companion that accompanies you on your adventures and is trained to fight alongside you. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower. Add your proficiency bonus to the beast's AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher.

The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative, though it doesn't take an action unless you command it to. On your turn, you can verbally command the beast where to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, Dodge, or Help action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.

If you are incapacitated or absent, your beast companion acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.

Like any creature, the beast can spend hit dice during a short rest.

If the beast dies, you can obtain another one by spending 8 hours bonding with another beast that isn't hostile to you, either the same type of beast as before or a different one.

Sooth the Savage

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You attempt to suppress the strong instincts of beast. A target beast within range must make a Charisma saving throw; If a creature fails its saving throw, choose one of the following effects.

You can suppress any effect causing a target to be charmed or frightened. When this spell ends, any suppressed effect resumes, provided that its duration has not expired in the meantime.

Alternatively, you can make a target indifferent about creatures of your choice that it is hostile toward. This indifference ends if the target is attacked or harmed by a spell or if it witnesses any of its friends being harmed. When the ability ends, the creature becomes hostile again, unless the DM rules otherwise.

Communication

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 10 minutes

You gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts for the duration. The knowledge and awareness of many beasts is limited by their intelligence, but at minimum, beasts can give you information about nearby locations and monsters, including whatever they can perceive or have perceived within the past day. You might be able to persuade a beast to perform a small favor for you, at the DM's discretion.

Mount

Starting at 6th level, you gain another beast companion of challenge rating 2 or lower that is at least one size larger than you and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a mount, using the following rules.

Mounting and Dismounting

Once during your move, you can mount a creature that is within 5 feet of you or dismount. Doing so costs an amount of movement equal to half your speed. For example, if your speed is 30 feet, you must spend 15 feet of movement to mount a horse. Therefore, you can't mount it if you don't have 15 feet of movement left or if your speed is 0.

If an effect moves your mount against its will while you're on it, you must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or fall off the mount, landing prone in a space within 5 feet of it. If you're knocked prone while mounted, you must make the same saving throw.

If your mount is knocked prone, you can use your reaction to dismount it as it falls and land on your feet. Otherwise, you are dismounted and fall prone in a space within 5 feet it.

Controlling a Mount

While you're mounted, you have two options. You can either control the mount or allow it to act independently. Intelligent creatures, such as dragons, act independently.

You can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. Domesticated horses, donkeys, and similar creatures are assumed to have such training.

The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it. It moves as you direct it, and it has only three action options: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge. A controlled mount can move and act even on the turn that you mount it.

An independent mount retains its place in the initiative order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes. It might flee from combat, rush to attack and devour a badly injured foe, or otherwise act against your wishes.

In either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you're on it, the attacker can target you or the mount.

Beast Eyes

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You touch a willing beast. For the duration of the ability, you can use your action to see through the beast's eyes and hear what it hears, and continue to do so until you use your action to return to your normal senses. While perceiving through the beast's senses, you gain the benefits of any special senses possessed by that creature, though you are blinded and deafened to your own surroundings.

Beast Call

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 6
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You summon beast creatures that appear in unoccupied spaces that you can see within range. Choose one of the following options for what appears:

• One beast creature of challenge rating 3 or lower
• Two beast creatures of challenge rating 2 or lower
• Four beast creatures of challenge rating 1 or lower
• Eight beast creatures of challenge rating 1/2 or lower

A summoned creature disappears when it drops to 0 hit points or when the ability ends.

The summoned creatures are friendly to you and your companions. Roll initiative for the summoned creatures as a group, which have their own turns. They obey any verbal commands that you issue to them (no action required by you). If you don't issue any commands to them, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.

The DM has the creatures' statistics.

Control the Savage

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You attempt to beguile a beast that you can see within range. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the duration. If you or creatures that are friendly to you are fighting it, it has advantage on the saving throw.

While the target is charmed, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the creature while you are conscious (no action required), which it does its best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as "Attack that creature," "Run over there," or "Fetch that object." If the creature completes the order and doesn't receive further direction from you, it defends and preserves itself to the best of its ability.

You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

Each time the target takes damage, it makes a new Wisdom saving throw against the ability. If the saving throw succeeds, the ability ends.

Controls Gravity

Gravity must have been quite a concern for the people of prior epochs because there are many paths within the numenera to control it. Through a quirk of fate, some unique device(s), or supreme devotion (or a combination of all three), you have learned to tap into the power of gravity. With one foot planted in the distant past, you are a mysterious individual. Most likely, you are also older, having spent much of your life honing your odd, ancient talents.

You might prefer billowy garments that display your mastery of gravity’s pull and conceal your identity and intentions.

No one type of character is more likely to control gravity than another, but the power is rare.

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Additional Equipment

You have a pen-sized oddity that tells the weight of whatever you point it at (within short range). The weight is displayed on a small glass plate in runes that only you can decipher.

Weighty

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.

You causes a target creature in range to increase their weight making it hard for them to move. On a failed Strength saving throw, the target is burdened by their weight and have a movement speed of 0 ft for the duration.

Hover

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 2
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You float slowly into the air. While you concentrate on this ability, as your action, you can move up to your speed, or ascend/decend at half your speed.

Gravity Cleave

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 90 ft
• Energy: 3+
• Duration: Instantaneous

You can harm a target within range by rapidly increasing gravity’s pull on one portion of the target and decreasing it on another. The target makes a Constitution saving throw, taking 5d6 force damage on a failed save, or half damage on a successful one.

You can spend more energy to increase the damage by 1d6 for each extra energy you spend. You cannot spend and amount of energy greater than your character level this way.

Fly

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You touch a willing creature. The target gains a flying speed of 60 feet for the duration. When the spell ends, the target falls if it is still aloft, unless it can stop the fall.

Define Down

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy: 7
• Duration: 1 round

The natural gravity within a 10 ft radius, 20 ft high cylinder cenetered on a point within range changes directions so that it flows in the direction you determine (up, up and to the south, west, and so on) for a the duration, then snaps back. At the end of the duration creatures within the cylinder wihtout a fly speed make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check against your focus save DC. Those that fail take 2d6 blungeoning damage from the fall.

Reverse Gravity

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 100 ft
• Energy: 10
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

This ability reverses gravity in a 50-foot-radius, 100-foot high cylinder centered on a point within range. All creatures and objects that aren't somehow anchored to the ground in the area fall upward and reach the top of the area when you cast this spell. A creature can make a Dexterity saving throw to grab onto a fixed object it can reach, thus avoiding the fall.

If some solid object (such as a ceiling) is encountered in this fall, falling objects and creatures strike it just as they would during a normal downward fall. If an object or creature reaches the top of the area without striking anything, it remains there, oscillating slightly, for the duration.

At the end of the duration, affected objects and creatures fall back down.

Black Hole

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy: 13
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You designate a 20 ft radius sphere within range in which you create a black hole. Creaturs and objects within the abilities radius have their speed reduced to 0ft. Whenever a creature enters the radius on its turn, or starts its turn there makes a Strength saving throw. On a failed save the creature takes 8d6 blugeoning damage and moves 5ft closer to the center of the black hole. On a successful save the creature takes half damage and its speed is increased to 5ft for the turn.

A creature that begins its turn within 5ft of the center takes 16d8 blugeoning damage instead on a failed save, or half on a success.

Creatures outside of the radius are considered blinded twoards creatures and objects inside. Ranged attack rolls from creatures inside the radius to creatures outside automatically miss.

Crafts Illusions

You use the numenera to create holographic images that appear real. You are, in effect, an artist—a crafter of light and sound. Holographic images can never inflict direct harm or exert real force, but they can fool creatures, changing opinions and even behaviors if you craft them cleverly.

You likely dress with flair and color. The appearance of things is important to you, both their beauty and their ugliness. You are a visual performer who can entertain, terrify, or fool everyone you encounter.

A Nano is the most likely character to be an illusionist, but Jacks find illusions to be helpful as well. The rare Glaive illusionist can find ways to use tricks in battle.

Focus Ability

Charisma is your focus ability for these features.

Psychedelic Abilities

Your special abilities take on flamboyant visual and auditory qualities of your choosing. This alteration changes nothing other than the appearance of the effects. For example, your attack esoteries might look like monsters made of energy that assail your foes. Your Stasis esotery might look like a tentacled beast that holds the victim in place. Your Teleportation esotery might seem like a hole in space opens up and swallows you. Your defensive fighting moves might look like ghostly echoes mimicking your actions or ephemeral arms blocking attacks against you.

Minor Illusion

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Duration: 1 minute

You create a sound or an image of an object within range that lasts for the duration. The illusion also ends if you dismiss it as an action or activate this ability again.

If you create a sound, its volume can range from a whisper to a scream. It can be your voice, someone else's voice, a lion's roar, a beating of drums, or any other sound you choose. The sound continues unabated throughout the duration, or you can make discrete sounds at different times before the spell ends.

If you create an image of an object—such as a chair, muddy footprints, or a small chest—it must be no larger than a 5-foot cube. The image can't create sound, light, smell, or any other sensory effect. Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it.

If a creature uses its action to examine the sound or image, the creature can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your focus save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the illusion becomes faint to the creature.

Disguise

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 2
• Duration: 1 hour

You make yourself—including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person—look different until the ability ends or until you use your action to dismiss it. You can seem 1 foot shorter or taller and can appear thin, fat, or in between. You can't change your body type, so you must adopt a form that has the same basic arrangement of limbs. Otherwise, the extent of the morph is up to you.

To discern that you are disguised, a creature can use its action to inspect your appearance and must succeed on an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your focus save DC.

Major Illusion

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy: 5+
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes.

You create the image of an object, a creature, or some other visible phenomenon that is no larger than a 20-foot cube. The image appears at a spot that you can see within range and lasts for the duration. It seems completely real, including sounds, smells, and temperature appropriate to the thing depicted. You can't create sufficient heat or cold to cause damage, a sound loud enough to deal thunder damage or deafen a creature, or a smell that might sicken a creature.

As long as you are within range of the illusion, you can use your action to cause the image to move to any other spot within range. As the image changes location, you can alter its appearance so that its movements appear natural for the image. For example, if you create an image of a creature and move it, you can alter the image so that it appears to be walking. Similarly, you can cause the illusion to make different sounds at different times, even making it carry on a conversation, for example.

Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature that uses its action to examine the image can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your focus save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, and its other sensory qualities become faint to the creature.

You may spend an additional 4 energy when you activate this feature. If you do there is no duration and you don't need to concentrate on it.

Illusory Selves

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

You create four holographic duplicates of yourself within range. They seem completely real and replicate sounds, smells, and temperature appropriate. The duplicates last for the duration. You mentally direct their actions (no action required), and the duplicates aren’t mirror images—each one can do different things.

Physical interaction with the image reveals it to be an illusion, because things can pass through it. A creature that uses its action to examine the image can determine that it is an illusion with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your focus save DC. If a creature discerns the illusion for what it is, the creature can see through the image, and its other sensory qualities become faint to the creature.

Terrifying Image

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy: 10
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

Drawing on the deepest fears of a group of creatures, you create illusory creatures in their minds, visible only to them. Each creature in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on a point of your choice within range must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes 5d10 psychic damage and becomes frightened for the duration. The illusion calls on the creature's deepest fears, manifesting its worst nightmares as an implacable threat. At the end of each of the frightened creature's turns, it may make another Wisdom saving throw ending the effect on a success. On a successful save, the creature takes half damage.

Grandiose Illusion

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Sight
• Energy: 13
• Duration: 10 days

You make terrain in an area up to 1 mile square look, sound, smell, and even feel like some other sort of terrain. The terrain's general shape remains the same, however. Open fields or a road could be made to resemble a swamp, hill, crevasse, or some other difficult or impassable terrain. A pond can be made to seem like a grassy meadow, a precipice like a gentle slope, or a rock-strewn gully like a wide and smooth road.

Similarly, you can alter the appearance of structures, or add them where none are present. The ability can disguise, conceal, or add creatures. For example, armies can clash in battle, with air support from machines or flying creatures, on and above terrain of your creation.

The illusion includes audible, visual, tactile, and olfactory elements, so it can turn clear ground into difficult terrain (or vice versa) or otherwise impede movement through the area. Any piece of the illusory terrain (such as a rock or stick) that is removed from the spell's area disappears immediately.

Creatures with truesight can see through the illusion to the terrain's true form; however, all other elements of the illusion remain, so while the creature is aware of the illusion's presence, the creature can still physically interact with the illusion.

Dances With Dark Matter

You’ve felt the edges of something more real than the substanceless shadows that dance behind the light—something you dubbed dark matter. It responded to you, almost like a living thing. When you made shadow puppets, they were dark matter condensed and became briefly real. As you grew older, you learned to harness your gift for more than play. You can condense dark matter from thin air, pulling it from the void spaces or a transdimensional pocket that few others can access. You don’t fear dark matter, but others should when you’re around.

Nanos, Jacks, and Delves probably get the most out of this focus. That said, an Arkus could parlay the sense of dread that accompanies anyone able to command darkness, bolstering their authority among many.

Focus Ability

Wisdom is your focus ability for these features.

Ribbons of Dark Matter

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 90 ft
• Duration: 1 minute.

For the duration, dark matter condenses within a 30 ft-radius area centered on a point within range, manifesting as swirling ribbons. The area becomes difficult terrain. You can dismiss the dark matter early as an action.

Void Wings

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 2
• Duration: 1 round

Swirling ribbons of weird matter grasp you and lift you up, giving you a fly speed equal to your speed for the duration.

Dark Matter Strike

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

The next time you hit a creature with a weapon attack during this ability's duration, dark matter condenses around your target and entangles its limbs, and the attack deals an extra 2d6 necrotic damage to the target. Additionally, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or have their speed halved until the ability ends.

Dark Matter Shell

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You cover yourself with a shell of dark matter for the duration. Your appearance becomes a dark silhouette, and you advantage on stealth checks, and a +2 bonus to AC. The dark matter shell works seamlessly with your desires, whenever you make an ability check, saving throw, or an attack roll you may roll a d4 and add the result to the total of your roll.

Windracked Traveler

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 6
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour

You condense a wide wing of dark matter that can carry up to all targets within 10 ft of you through the air for the duration. You can use your action to direct the dark matter in a diraction at a speed of 120 ft a round. When the ability ends, everyone falls if you are still aloft, unless it can stop the fall.

Dark Matter Structure

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 7
• Duration: 28 hours

You can form dark matter into a large structure consisting of up to ten 10-foot (3 m) cubes. The structure can be somewhat complex, though everything has the same matte black color from which no light shines. Otherwise, the structure can possess different densities, textures, and capacities. This means it can include windows, doors with locks, furnishings, and even decor, as long as it is all black as pitch. For example, you could shape the dark matter into a large, defensible structure; a sturdy 100-foot (30 m) bridge; or anything similar. You can’t keep more than one such structure solid at any one time.

Defends the Gate

You are a defender. Places are special to you, and seeing them overrun hurts your soul to its core. Perhaps you had a bad experience once, where a place that you loved was lost in war. After that, you vowed: never again. You sought out special training, and more than that, a connection to the nanites that some possess but most people think of as magic. This connection is conferred via mutation, a special device, psychic concentration, or some other method that links you to the numenera. Your connection grows over time, granting you the ability to defend a city, a wall, or even just a single but all-important gate.

You probably wear obvious armor, perhaps even distinctive in its defensive nature. A few spikes and scowling faces worked into the pattern might discourage those seeking to get past you.

Glaives are the obvious character to prefer this focus.

Fortified Position

You can use your action to defend an area. Choose a point you are adjacent to. For the next minute if you are within 10 ft of that point you gain the following benefits.

• When you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the creature's speed becomes 0 for the rest of the turn.
• Creatures provoke opportunity attacks from you even if they take the Disengage action before leaving your reach.
• You are not limited to 1 reaction a round as long as all the reactions you are take are opportunity attacks.

Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

"My name... is Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa! As I breathe, you will not pass the castle gate!"

Rally to Me

Starting at 2nd level you can use your action to cry out, blow a battle horn, or otherwise signal to everyone within 300 ft that you require aid. All allied creatures who respond by moving to within an 10 ft of you within the next minute may roll a d6 and at it to the result to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw it makes. Once you use this feature you can't use it again until you take a short or long rest.

Train Defenders

Beginning at 6th level, during the downtime you spend in a community that considers you an ally you can train up to 10 willing Commoners with the ability to defend their community in a time a need. If you manage to train them 8 hours a day for 7 days they become Guards. You can only train 10 people at a time.

Living Buttress

Starting a 10th level, when you use your Fortified Position ability you gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level.

Reinforcing Field

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy: 5
• Duration: 1 hour

You can reinforce any object or structure you touch by infusing it with a force field. The force field grants the object or structure resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage for the duration.

Train Solders

Beginning at 18th level when you use your train defenders ability, the Commoners you train become Soldiers instead.

Makes Something Out of Nothing

All the world is a vast puzzle, one you’re able to solve. Where others see junk, you see the shape of what all the pieces could be. Sometimes you combine objects to create something new, and other times you chip away everything that doesn’t look like the thing you want. The more you learn, the more you’re able to make, up to and including numenera devices. However, improvising a weapon from whatever happens to be lying around can be just as impressive when the unexpected happens and time is of the essence.

You probably wear a vest or coat with many pockets for your tools.

Additional Equipment

One artisan tool of your choice.

Craftperson

You gain proficiency in three artisan tools of your choice.

Improvise

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Instantaneous

You cobble together a tool, gain a sudden insight, or have a rush of dumb luck into overcoming a problem. Choose one of the following effects

• You may roll and add a d4 to the result of the next ability check you make that you don't add your proficiency bonus to.
• You fashion a nearby object to work as the weapon of your choice for 1 minute.
• You fashion a nearby object to function as a shielf for the next 1 minute.
• You can attempt an ability check to use a tool even if you don't actually have the tool. You have disadvantage on the check.

Depowering

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: 1 minute

You manipulate a powered numenera item causing it ro stop function for the duration.

Brief Empowerment

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

You empower an single cypher or artifact to allow it to function once, or for one round, whichever is most approporate.

Jury-Rig

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Instantaneous

You quickly create an object using what would seem to be entirely inappropriate materials. You can make a detonation out of a few oddities, a lockpick out of a few expertly snipped shins, or an energy-detecting device out of some junk and a few shins. You make an Intelligence (relevant artisan tools) check with a DC equal to 11 + the level of the cypher. If you succeed then you make a cypher that you are familar with of level 5 or lower.

Of My Own Design

Beginning at 14th level, if you would make an ability check and an item you personally made is used in the process of doing that check, then you have advantage on the check.

Greater Jury-Rig

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

As Jury-Rig except as noted above. In additino you can increase the activation time of this ability to 1 minute you make a cypher of level 7 or lower.

Needs No Weapon

You don’t use weapons—you are a weapon. With powerful punches, kicks, and full-body moves, you inflict incredible damage on your foes. By focusing your energy, the combined power of your body and mind means you can do incredible amounts of damage without depleting your energy reserves. You might have gained your skills through intense training, various implants and enhancements, genetic mutations, or any combination of these things. Whatever the origin of your feats, you likely take good care of your body, ensuring that it remains the sharpest, most dependable weapon at your disposal.

Martial artists or kasundas (as those with your training are sometimes called) are both feared and revered. They wear loose, comfortable clothing that allows them a full range of movement, and they rarely use weapons other than their body’s own implements (although some carry items designed to enhance their body movements for greater effect, such as knuckle weapons, knee spikes, or boot blades). Glaives are perhaps best suited for using their bodies as weapons, but jacks are also good candidates.

Focus Ability

Wisdom is your focus ability for these features.

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Fists of Fury

Beginning at 1st level, you can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike. This changes to a d6 at 6th level, a d8 at 14th level, and a d10 at 18th level. In addition, you can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.

Advantage to Disadvantage

Beginning at 2nd level, you can use your action to make an unarmed strike attack with disadvantage. If you succeed, in addition to the damage you may also disarm your target so that their weapon is now 10ft away on the ground, or in your hands—your choice.

Stunning Strike

Energy Cost: 2
Starting at 6th level, you can interfere with the an opponent's body. When you hit another creature with your unarmed strike, you can spend 2 energy to attempt a stunning strike. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Move Like Water

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 3
• Duration: 1 minute

You spin and move so that your defenses are aided by your fluid motion. For one minute all attacks against you have disadvantage.

Diamond Soul

Beginning at 14th level, your mastery of your body grants you proficiency in all saving throws.

Quivering Palm

Energy Cost: 5
Starting at 18th level, you may spend 5 energy to set up lethal vibrations in someone's body. When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you can start these imperceptible vibrations, which last for a number of days equal to your character level. The vibrations are harmless unless you use your action to end them. To do so, you and the target must be on the same plane of existence. When you use this action, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. If it fails, it is reduced to 0 hit points. If it succeeds, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage.

You can have only one creature under the effect of this feature at a time. You can choose to end the vibrations harmlessly without using an action.

Plays Tricks

Whether you’re a performer, a thief, a Nano, a Jack, or a simple wanderer, you delight in fooling, confounding, and surprising others. Some of your tricks are meant to charm and entertain. Others are more useful for getting out of tight corners and confusing your foes. Even if you’ve got others’ best interests at heart, you’ve probably accidentally hurt or confused your friends with your antics in the past, so you try to avoid making that particular mistake in the future.

You probably wear a garment with several concealed pockets, from which you can produce hidden shins and other oddments of guile.

Focus Ability

Charisma is your focus ability for these features.

Additional Equipment

In addition to the equipment granted by your background and class you gain a disguise kit.

Legerdemain

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Duration: Instantaneous

You can perform small but seemingly impossible tricks. For example, you can make a small object in your hands disappear and move into a desired spot within reach (like your pocket). You can make someone believe that they have something in their possession that they do not have (or vice versa). You can switch similar objects right in front of someone’s eyes.

Additional Proficiencies

You gain proficiencies in either Persuasion or Intimidation. You gain a tool proficiency for disguise kit.

Impersonate

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, when you make an ability check to use your disguise kit
• Range: Self
• Energy: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous
• Special: Requires having a disguise kit

You gain advantage on an ability check to disguise yourself.

Poke and Run

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 3
• Duration: 1 minute

The next time you hit a creature that has eyes with a melee weapon attack during this ability's duration, you take advantage of the situation and poke it in the eyes. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be blinded for the duration.

A creature blinded by this ability makes another Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer blinded.

Opportunist

Beginning at 10th level you have advantage on melee attack rolls against a creature that has already been attacked since your later turn.

Trap Trick

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Self
• Energy: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

You are trained in creating simple traps, especially many varieties of deadfalls, snares, stabbing traps, tripwires, and so on using objects from the surrounding environment. You can usually create a trap in under a minute. When you lay a trap, decide whether you want to hold the victim in place, inflict damage, or something else. Look at the dmg for examples of traps.

Fake-Out

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 reaction, which you take when you fail a roll, or take damage, or gain a condition.
• Range: Self
• Energy: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

You were just faking the whole time! Change the result of a roll to as if you rolled a 20 instead, reduce the amount of damage to you from a source to 0, or remove a condition you just gained.

Once you use this ability you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Rages

The berserker is a feared fighter who cannot be stopped. You put yourself into a howling battle frenzy that can make you a terror on the battlefield. You might hail from a less civilized society, perhaps even a tribal one.

You likely wear little or no armor so as not to restrict your speed or maneuverability. Your clothing is probably simple and utilitarian. Glaives make the best berserkers.

Some of your focus features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Rage

In battle, you fight with primal ferocity. On your turn, you can enter a rage as a bonus action.

While raging, you gain the following benefits if you aren't wearing heavy armor:

• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll. This bonus increases to 3 at level 9 and 4 at level 16.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
• If you are able to use esoteries, you can't use them or concentrate on them while raging.

Your rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.

Once you have raged the maximum number of times for your character level, you must finish a long rest before you can rage again. You may rage 2 times at 1st level, 3 at 3rd, 4 at 6th, 5 at 12th, and 6 at 17th.

Hardy

At 2nd level, increase your Constitution and Strength score by 2. The maximum for those scores is now 22.

Power Strike

Energy Cost: 3+
Beginning at 6th level when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can spend 3 energy to attempt to knock the target down. If the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone. You may spend 5 energy to affect a target of Huge, and 6 energy to affact a target of Gargantuan.

Unarmored Fighter

Beginning at 6th level, while you are not wearing any armor, your Armor Class equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Constitution modifier. You can use a shield and still gain this benefit.

Relentless Rage

Starting at 10th level, your rage can keep you fighting despite grievous wounds. If you drop to 0 hit points while you're raging and don't die outright, you can make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. If you succeed, you drop to 1 hit point instead.

Each time you use this feature after the first, the DC increases by 5. When you finish a short or long rest, the DC resets to 10.

Attack and Attack again

Energy Cost: 5 Beginning at 14th level, when you roll an 19 or 20 on a melee weapon attack on your turn, you may spend 5 energy to take one additional action on top of your regular action and a possible bonus action. You can only use this feature once per turn.

Brutality

At 18th level, you can roll an additional weapon damage dice when determining the damage for a hit with a melee attack.

Rides the Lightning

The ancients harnessed electricity in strange and wonderful ways. Through practice and inherent ability (or the subtle use of hidden or implanted devices), you control the same energy. Not only can you create and discharge electrical power, but you can eventually learn to use it to transport yourself.

You probably wear tight-fitting clothing that allows you to move quickly. Your garments might be blue and black, perhaps with a lightning-bolt motif.

Although nanos seem most suited to wielding lightning, jacks can make good use of the varied lightning abilities.

Electrical Esoteries

If you perform esoteries, and you would use an esotery that has a damage type other than lightning, you may change the damage type to lightning.

Focus Ability

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (your choice) is your focus ability for these features.

Shock

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Duration: Instantaneous

Lightning spring from your hand to deliver a shock to a creature you try to touch. Make a focus attack against the target. You have advantage on the attack roll if the target is wearing armor made of metal. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 lightning damage, and it can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.

The spell's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Charge

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• Activation Time: 1 minute
• Range: Touch
• Energy: 1+
• Duration: Instantaneous

You charge a piece of numenera you touch so that it can be used once. The amount of energy you spend is equal to the level of the numenera.

Bolt Rider

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 150 ft
• Energy: 3
• Duration: Instantaneous

Carried by a bolt of lightning, you instantly travel a destination you can see within range that has no intervening barriers.

Lightning Swift

Beginning at 6th level you have harnessed the power of lightning to gain advantage on Initiave checks.

Drain Charge

At 6th level you can use your action to drain the power from a numenera, allowing you to regain energy per the item. You regain points at the rate of 1 point per round and must give your full concentration to the process each round. The DM determines whether the device is fully drained (likely true of most handheld or smaller devices) or retains some power (likely true of large machines). You drain 1 energy per level of the numenera.

Bolts of Power

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self (60 ft cone)
• Energy: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

A blast of lightning erupts from your hands. Each creature in a 60 ft cone must make a Reflex saving throw. A creature takes 8d8 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Electrical Flight

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 10
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You exude an aura of crackling electricity that lets you fly for the duration. You gain a flying speed of 60 feet. You can’t carry other creatures with you. When the feature ends, you fall if you are still aloft, unless it can stop the fall. For the duration of this effect, your Shock ability has a range of 30 ft and deals an extra 2d8 damage.

Wall of Lightning

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 120 ft
• Energy: 13
• Duration: Instantaneous

You create a wall of lightning on a solid surface within range. You can make the wall up to 60 feet long, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick, or a ringed wall up to 20 feet in diameter, 20 feet high, and 1 foot thick. The wall is opaque and lasts for the duration.

When the wall appears, each creature within its area must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 8d8 lightning damage, or half as much damage on a successful save.

One side of the wall, selected by you when you cast this spell, deals 8d8 lightning damage to each creature that ends its turn within 10 feet of that side or inside the wall. A creature takes the same damage when it enters the wall for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there. The other side of the wall deals no damage.

Speaks with a Silver Tongue

You are poetry incarnate. The words flow from your tongue like liquid metal. Your voice is golden and captivating. With enough time and focus, you can convince almost anyone to do almost anything for you, with you, or in spite of you. Words—words are what matter. You believe they have power. There’s a chance you don’t care much about your appearance, as long as you can say what you want to say.

Some might call you the “face” because when your friends or allies need to put forth their best face, they send you. You’re a charmer. The word “charisma” was coined for people like you—there’s just something about you that people seem to like.

Since words are important to you, you may have covered your skin with tattooed words or have written things on your outfit. You might play an instrument, write books, or compose songs in your spare time.

Jacks, with their ability to take a related flex skill each day, make excellent speakers, but Nanos and Glaives might choose this route to inspire their companions.

Focus Ability

Charisma is your focus ability for these features.

Poetic License

You gain proficiency in Persuasion, Intimidation, and Deception. If you are already proficient in one or more of those skills gain a proficiency in a skill of your choice. You also gain proficiency in two other languages.

A Smile and a Word

Beginning at 2nd level your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Deception, Intimidation, or Persuasion.

Verbal Misdirection

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 3
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

With fast talk and bewildering words, you can confuse and distract anyone that you’re speaking with, giving you advantage on ability checks Using charisma with a creature that can understand you for the duration.

Castigate

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You intimidate one creature within range who understands a language. That creature makes a Wisdom saving throw. If they fail you intimidated them so much they are incapacitated on their next turn. For the duration of the ability their attack rolls have disadvantage. At the of each of the creatures susequent turns the creature my make the saving throw again, ending the effect on a success.

Stay the Course

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy: 6
• Duration: Instantaneous

When your companions are flagging, you can help inspire them with a well-timed word or two. Choose up to six creatures within range. Each target regains hit points equal to 3d8.

Command

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 7
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You attempt to beguile a humanoid that you can see within range. It must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for the duration. If you or creatures that are friendly to you are fighting it, it has advantage on the saving throw.

While the target is charmed, you have a telepathic link with it as long as the two of you are on the same plane of existence. You can use this telepathic link to issue commands to the creature while you are conscious (no action required), which it does its best to obey. You can specify a simple and general course of action, such as "Attack that creature," "Run over there," or "Fetch that object." If the creature completes the order and doesn't receive further direction from you, it defends and preserves itself to the best of its ability.

You can use your action to take total and precise control of the target. Until the end of your next turn, the creature takes only the actions you choose, and doesn't do anything that you don't allow it to do. During this time you can also cause the creature to use a reaction, but this requires you to use your own reaction as well.

Each time the target takes damage, it makes a new Wisdom saving throw against the spell. If the saving throw succeeds, the ability ends.

Touches the Sky

The storm smells like life to you—like love. Electricity charges the air, dances across your skin, and connects you to the wind, the weather, and the sky. That connection is due to a device fused to your flesh, a mutation, or just your training with the nanomachines that suffuse everything. You issue commands through that connection, and the weather listens. The winds curl to your desire; they lift you, protect you, and give you the power to summon storms or break them apart. An electrical storm, a blizzard, or—when your mastery reaches its zenith—even a tornado is something you can call up and loose upon the world.

You probably wear sleek clothing designed to stay out of your way when high winds roar past you. Flaring coats, cloaks, and capes can look dramatic, though, if you train yourself in managing the excess fabric.

No matter a character’s type, the ability to fly is something almost everyone desires.

Focus Ability

Intelligence is your focus ability for these features.

Additional Equipment

You have a device that sometimes crackles with electricity. Whoever holds it is immune to your weather abilities (but only if you willingly give it to them).

Weather Abilities

If you wield powers that would normally use force or other energy, you may have them instead use various effects generated by extreme weather. You change the type of damage to cold, thunder, or electricity.

Zap

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 90 ft
• Duration: Instantaneous

Lightning springs from your hand to deliver a shock to a creature inr ange. Make a ranged focus attack against the target. You have advantage on the attack roll if the target is wearing armor made of metal. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 lightning damage, and it can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.

The ability's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Air Step

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 2
• Duration: 1 round

You gain a fly speed equal to your speed for the duration. If you end this flight in the air, you fall unless something else holds you aloft.

Wind Armor

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Energy: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes

You seize control of the air around you to create a protective veil. Until your concentration ends, attack rolls against you have disadvantage, and when a creature you can see misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to force the creature to repeat the attack roll against itself.

Thunder Clap

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 60 ft
• Energy: 7
• Duration: Instantaneous

Choose a point you can see within range. Thunder energy erupts in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on that point. Each creature in that area must make Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a target takes 8d6 thunder damage, and it is stunned until the end of your next turn. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage.

Cold Burst

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 150 ft
• Energy: 10
• Duration: Instantaneous

A storm made up of sheets of ice appears in a location you choose within range. The area of the storm consists of up to ten 10-foot cubes, which you can arrange as you wish. Each cube must have at least one face adjacent to the face of another cube. Each creature in the area must make a Constitution saving throw. It takes 7d10 cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

The areas affected by the ability become difficult terrain.

Control Weather

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 10 minutes
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 11
• Duration: Concentration, up to 8 hours

You take control of the weather within 5 miles of you for the duration. You must be outdoors to activate this esotery. Moving to a place where you don't have a clear path to the sky ends the spell early.

When you activate the esotery, you change the current weather conditions, which are determined by the DM based on the climate and season. You can change precipitation, temperature, and wind. It takes 1d4 × 10 minutes for the new conditions to take effect. Once they do so, you can change the conditions again. When the esotery ends, the weather gradually returns to normal.

When you change the weather conditions, find a current condition on the following tables and change its stage by one, up or down. When changing the wind, you can change its direction.

Precipitation

Stage	Condition
1	Clear
2	Light clouds
3	Overcast or ground fog
4	Rain, hail, or snow
5	Torrential rain, driving hail, or blizzard

Temperature

Stage	Condition
1	Unbearable heat
2	Hot
3	Warm
4	Cool
5	Cold
6	Arctic cold

Wind

Stage	Condition
1	Calm
2	Moderate wind
3	Strong wind
4	Gale
5	Storm

Travels Through Time

You have the unusual ability to travel through time in a way others can never dream of. You have likely experienced jumps where time seems to have passed but you have no memory of what happened. You probably also suffer from déjà vu, sensing that you have been in a situation or witnessed an event before and are now experiencing it all over again. You have begun to realize the extent of your powers and work to master them so that perhaps one day you can travel farther into the future or deeper into the past.

Time travel poses many risks. Often, you have no clear sense about what the future might hold or what might have been happening in the spot where you appear when you travel to the past. Death waits for the bold and the incautious.

Worse than mishap, you must guard against paradox. When you change an event in the past, you could inadvertently cause the future to be rewritten. On the other hand, cosmic forces may move in to correct paradoxes by changing circumstances to accommodate the revision, causing your memories to become false ones when the world you know changes to adapt to your meddling. Of course, if you attempt anything too radical, the universe might write you out of existence so that your efforts to change the past never occur.

You likely wear clothing and have personal effects in a range of styles, choosing items from many different periods. This eclectic approach to your possessions may give you a shabby appearance or make you look strange and alien to others in the present.

Any type of character can have this focus, though its power is extraordinarily rare.

Temporal Esoteries

If you perform esoteries, time appears to slow down when you use them. You and everything around you moves in slow motion for a moment, and then time snaps back into place. The temporal distortion changes nothing about the effects of your esoteries except for making them rad as hell.

Anticipation

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• Activation Time: 1 bonus action
• Range: Self
• Duration: 1 round

You look ahead to see how your actions might unfold. Once before the ability, you can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to one ability check, attack roll, or saving throw of your choice. You roll the die before or after making the d20 roll.

See History

Starting at 2nd level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 2
• Duration: Instantaneous

You touch an object and immediately visualize up to three significant events that involved the object or happened near it at some point in the past, starting with the most recent. The events are those that involve intense emotion or sensation, or that had an impact on the way history unfolded after the event. The GM decides whether you see the event, gain some understanding of what happened, or receive impressions of what was experienced.

Temporal Acceleration

Starting at 6th level you can use this ability

---

• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Touch
• Energy Cost: 5
• Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute

You or one willing character you touch moves more quickly through time. The world moves slowing for the target. Until the ability ends, the target's speed is doubled, it gains a +2 bonus to AC, it has advantage on Dexterity saving throws, and it gains an additional action on each of its turns. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object action.

When the ability ends, the target can't move or take actions until after its next turn, as a wave of lethargy sweeps over it.

Temporal Dislocation

Starting at 10th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: Self
• Energy Cost: 7
• Duration: 1 hour?

You disappear and travel up to one hour into the future or the past. You remain there until you catch up to the present or the present catches up to you. While dislocated in time, you perceive events as they transpire from your position using your normal senses. No other character can see you or interact with you. Similarly, you cannot interact with your environment.

Time Loop

Starting at 14th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 10
• Duration: 1 minute

You call yourself from a few moments in the future to help you in the present. Your future self appears anywhere you choose within range and remains for the duration, at which point both you and your future self disappear. When the ability ends you reappear a round later in the space your future self left when he disappeared.

Your future self shares your stats, so any damage that either of you takes applies to your overall hit points. Any energy your future self uses comes from your pool. Your furture self acts on your intiative count.

If an attack against your future self deals damage sufficient to kill you, your future self dies, but you don’t die until after the effect causes you to disappear.

Time Travel

Starting at 18th level you can use this ability

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• Activation Time: 1 action
• Range: 30 ft
• Energy Cost: 13+
• Duration: Instantaneous

You and up to three willing characters you choose within range travel to a point in time that you specify when you use this ability. The point in time must be within ten years of the present. For every 2 additional energy you spend, you can travel ten more years. When you appear in the new moment in time, you do so in the same position you were in when you used this ability. Upon arriving at your temporal destination, you and each character that traveled with you are stunned for one minute. In order to return to the original time, you must use the power again.

Equipment

The Ninth World is a dichotomy of past and future, of the primitive and the extremely advanced, of limitations and limitlessness. Nowhere does this dichotomy become more evident than in the tools the inhabitants use, the clothing they wear, the weapons they wield, and the gear they carry. This section looks at currency, materials, and gear in the Ninth World. Although some of the equipment and materials described in this section are products of the distant past, actual cyphers, artifacts, and oddities are not listed here.

Currency

Thanks to the mining and metallurgy of the prior worlds, and their ability to create anything they wished (or so it seems, anyway), no metal is rarer than any other. People in the Ninth World have no concept of gold, silver, gemstones, or even diamonds as being valuable due to their scarcity. Such materials are valuable based on their beauty or usefulness alone. Most civilized societies use generic coins commonly referred to as shins.

Shins are usually metal but can be made of glass, plastic, or substances that have no name. Some are jagged bits of interesting material or small, coinlike objects (such as highly decorative buttons from a machine), and others are properly minted and stamped, with writing and images. No minted coin in existence today comes from a prior world—no coins survive from the ancients, if indeed they used such currency at all.

Some regions of the Ninth World only accept coins that were minted in that realm; others accept all coins, regardless of origin. This custom varies from place to place and society to society

Because shins are from the Ninth World, they rarely turn up in old locations. Occasionally, explorers of ancient or forgotten sites find a smattering of items—buttons or doodads—that can be salvaged as shins.

For purposes of purchasing items listed in the PHB consider 1 gold to be equal to 1 shin.

Materials

Most objects built in the Ninth World are made of wood, leather, cloth, stone, glass, or metal. Smithies and forges can produce high-quality steel objects, but they generally work in iron or bronze. However, plastic (called “synth”), organic stone or steel, exotic crystal, and even stranger materials are not unknown. Items made of those substances are left over from the prior worlds, so many people are familiar with them, although very few know how to produce more. Unlike gold or gemstones, some of these materials are indeed recognized as being rare, but none are valuable for their rarity alone. Ninth Worlders are too practical for that. Such materials include (but are not limited to):

Adamant silk: This fabric is five times as strong as regular silk and extremely resistant to stains and dirt.

Azure steel: This bluish metal is not steel and may not be from Earth at all. While somewhat lighter than steel, it is at least ten times harder and tougher.

Molded foam: This substance has the mass of soap foam but has been molded firmly into other shapes, such as dishes, boxes, or other common objects. Most kinds of molded foam are brittle, but some types are more durable.

Organic stone: Although it has the appearance and strength of granite (or sometimes other minerals, such as marble or quartz), this material is grown rather than quarried. Some varieties of organic stone are half as light as normal stone, but other types are just as heavy—if not heavier.

Pliable metal: This material retains the strength and durability of steel but is pliable enough to make bags, boots, or similar objects. Sometimes pliable metal temporarily molds to the shape of whatever is pressed against it, similar to 21st-century memory foam.

Shapestone: Like stone out of precise molds, shapestone has the durability of granite but is actually ceramic.

Stronglass: Although this material looks, feels, and is worked like glass, it has the strength of steel.

Synth: This is a Ninth World name for any of a number of materials similar to various plastics common to 21st-century Earth. They are durable but not particularly strong.

Synthsteel: Similar in appearance to normal synth, this somewhat misnamed substance is harder and tougher than synth, making it stronger but far lighter than steel.

Armor

Characters expecting danger frequently wear armor. Even the simplest of protective coverings helps against slingstones and sword-strokes, and more sophisticated or heavier armor protects against graver threats. All armor found the PHB are avaiable in the ninth worth in addition to synthsteel armor.

Synthsteel Armor: You can get armor made out of synthsteel at a cost of +800 shins. The synth armor functions as the normal armor expect it is lighter and more flexible. If the armor normally imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks or has a Strength requirement, the synth version of the armor doesn't.

Weapons

All the weapons found in the PHB can be found in the ninth world. In addition those weapons some extras can be found.

Punching Dagger: A dagger that you have to punch people to use.

Forearm Blade: This metal weapon is basically a bracer with a mounted blade on it. A favorite of berserkers as well as the Jaekels of Aras Island. The weapon can be pulled back into the bracer and kept hidden from view.

Sisk: This solid, bladed disk is about the diameter of a human head. This weapon is used most frequently by the warriors of Milave.

Verred: This weapon resembles a sword with two forked blades. It is short and useful in defense as well as offense. If you are weilding at least one when you engage in two-weapon fighting, you increase your AC by 1.

Razor Ring: This ranged weapon is just what it sounds like: a ring with a razor-sharp outer edge. The inner edge is often padded for holding.

Adventuring Gear

There are some things found in the PHB that cannot be found in the ninth world but I am too lazy to do it right now. There are some other stuff you can find though.

Glowglobe: This device illuminates everything as a torch would. It can hover in place on its own, or it can be attached to something. The minor glowglobe lasts for an hour when activated. The major glowglobe functions continuously.

Memory Ants: This is a small jar of tiny insects that run across a page of text and then return to the jar. When spilled out again and given ink, they replicate the text once and then die.

Scavenger's Tools: Tools used to scavenge cyphers from the piece of tech.

Shaper Key: A shaper key is a wad of putty that can be inserted into a conventional lock. It takes on the form of the key for that lock and then hardens, permanently, into a functional key.

Sprayflesh: This tiny synth canister sprays out a sticky gelatin that covers and seals wounds instantly. Its use restores 2d4+2 hit points.

Spraymetal: Similar to sprayflesh, but instead of restoring flesh, it repairs minor damage (breaks, tears, and holes) in any simple object—even a flexible object like cloth or a leather bag—but not devices or anything as complex as a crossbow. It has the strength of steel.