Sketched iconography in cave
Break rules
Quick to Fight (Racial Power)
At the start of each battle, roll initiative twice and choose the result you want.
Champion Feat: If you roll a natural 19 or 20 for initiative, increase the escalation die by 1 (usually from 0 to 1 since it’s the start of the battle).
Melee attack
At-Will
Target: One enemy
Attack: Strength + Level vs. AC
Hit: WEAPON + Strength
damage
Miss: Damage equal to your
level.
Ranged attack
At-Will
Target: One enemy
Attack: Dexterity + Level vs. AC
Hit: WEAPON + Dexterity
damage
Miss: —
Brain-Melting Secrets
You have looked upon reality squarely, with no veil, smoke, or mirrors. It would be more than enough to drive any other mortal mind insane. When you touch the minds of your enemies, you reveal to them some small hint of the unsettling reality that you know all too well. They try to not even look at you afterward. . . .
When you hit with a spell attack that deals psychic damage, one target of the attack can’t attack you during its next turn this battle unless you are the only nearby enemy.
Adventurer Feat: The effect works whenever you hit an enemy with a spell, not only one that deals psychic damage.
Champion Feat: You are immune to the confused and dazed conditions. In addition, charm, fear, sleep, and similar mental effects have no effect on you.
Epic Feat: Once per battle when you deal psychic damage to an enemy, if it has 300 hp or fewer, you can also weaken it (save ends).
Otherworld Shadow
A shadow self haunts you—a spirit that is both intimately you and eerily other. The shadow lurks near you most of the time, sometimes an actual shadow on a wall, but other times only a presence sensed just over your shoulder. It may also appear as an apparition of some other sort: a reflection, an inhuman voice, a cool spot in the room, etc. How you relate to your shadow says a lot about who you are as an occultist. Is it an implacable higher self to which you pray for power? Or is it a semblance of life that you have created from part of your own soul? In terms of story, you interact with your shadow a lot, and it might even be central to letting you do what you do.
Once per day as an interrupt action, negate all damage and effects from an enemy’s attacks against you that turn as your shadow absorbs them. Using this talent’s power means you avoid damage from a monster’s multiple attacks if it has them. It also works against multiple attacks from mooks in the same mob working on the same initiative count, but not attacks from multiple non-mook monsters.
Adventurer Feat: Your shadow grants you greater personal resilience: increase your total recoveries by 1.
Champion Feat: Once per day as a free action, you can end all ongoing damage affecting you as you pass off the damage to your shadow.
Epic Feat: Once per day as a free action, your shadow can reveal its terrible, mind-bending visage, appearing in the most horrible way for all to see. You gain a fear aura that affects each enemy attacking you or engaged with you. The hit point threshold for the fear effect is the standard value for a monster five levels above you. Allies are not subject to the fear effect unless they cast a spell that targets you or otherwise interact with you directly in some way. Even in this case, that ally can spend a move action to be immune to your shadow’s fear aura for one round as they remind themselves that it’s just your shadow.
The ability of the occultist to deal force damage demonstrates that underneath surface phenomena, the worlds are composed of force, but no one knows what that really means. Run with the story-consequences of “flesh-warping” attacks as you wish.
Adventurer Feat: When you cast a spell that twists, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier (double your Wisdom modifier at 5th level; triple it at 8th level).
Champion Feat: When you score a critical hit with a spell, the target also takes ongoing force damage equal to double your Wisdom modifier (triple it at 8th level). The ongoing damage isn’t doubled by the crit.
Epic Feat: Once per battle when you hit an enemy with a spell, you can negate all of the target’s resistances (hard save ends, 16+) by twisting its flesh temporarily out of form. This effect occurs even if the target’s PD is higher than its MD.
Unwinding the Soul
Once you have seen the secret skeins of necessity that wrap around an enemy, you become better at unwinding them and bringing misfortune to that foe.
When you cast a spell and roll a natural 11+ with the attack,
after the attack you can “unwind” the target as a free action,
making it vulnerable to your attacks until the end of the battle.
You can unwind only one enemy at a time, so if you choose to
unwind a different enemy, the previous foe is no longer vulnerable
to your attacks.
Adventurer Feat: You can now unwind a second enemy, but if you unwind a third, the first enemy is no longer vulnerable. You can also take this feat multiple times, allowing you to unwind another enemy each time you select it.
Champion Feat: You can now unwind an enemy with any attack roll other than a natural 1 when you cast a spell, instead of only on an 11+.
Epic Feat: When you attack an enemy that you have begun to unwind and roll a natural 11+ against it, it takes extra psychic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier + Level from all subsequent hits by you or your allies.
Adventurer Feat: Twice per day when an enemy engaged with
you misses you with an attack, you can deal ongoing damage
to it equal to your Wisdom modifier + Level as you give
it a quick slice you’re your weapon (double your Wisdom
modifier at 5th level; triple it at 8th level).
Inevitable Fall
Bitter Lesson
Moment of Karma
6
Iconic Healing Potion: Recovery + 4d8hp
Cloak of All Possible Realities
Recharge 11+. This cloak gives you two abilities that are similar but mutually exclusive. You make separate recharge rolls for each ability.
When you’re not engaged, you may temporarily be nearby or far away when targets are chosen for an attack, regardless of your actual physical position on the battlefield. So, you can be nearby the cleric when she casts heal, but then snap back to far away when the evil spellcaster fireballs the area.
For the rest of the battle, or until you’re taken out, there are two of you – or one, in two places at once. You don’t get any extra actions, but you can divide your actions between your two copies as you wish. Everything is shared between the two – damage and conditions apply to both of you. You can engage multiple foes, but take a -4 penalty to any opportunity attacks you make beyond the first each round. You can even both engage the same enemy for purposes of powers like sneak attack. When the battle ends, pick which you stays, and which one vanishes.
Finally, if you are killed, you can instead choose to live, but the cloak is permanently destroyed.
This cloak can look any way you wish, but rarely looks the same way twice.
Staff of the Master
This staff of an unknown substance is carved with the runes of the Cult’s secret language and was created by the First Master.
Once per arc, you can use the Staff to cast a ritual that summons the Devourer. The time it takes for the Devourer to arrive at your location will vary.
Your attacks against Cultists add the escalation die to damage, and expand your crit range by an amount equal to the escalation die.
You can cast any Occultist spell without a trigger, on your turn as an action. The first time you do this, the recharge roll is 6+, the second time 11+, and the third time 16+. Alternately, you can cast the spell, but at the cost of decreasing the escalation die by 1.
Slaver’s Lash
On a hit, the target takes damage and is Stuck. At the beginning of the target’s next turn, they make a saving throw. On a success, they escape. On failure, they are Stunned (save ends). On subsequent turns, you may inflict damage as a quick action with no attack roll.
Range: Engaged or Nearby
Adventurer: D6 x Level + Mod
Champion: D8 x Level + 2x Mod
Epic: D10 x Level + 3x Mod
Testament of the Devourer
This heretical text was written by the First Master of the Cult of the Devourer. It contains the writings and rituals sacred to the Cult. You gain the background +3 Master of the Cult. Additionally, you may select one Occultist power of each level up to level 9, which you can cast regardless of your actual level.