MAKING AN ERUDITE
CHAPTER 6
An erudite's role is slightly larger than that of a psion, in that an erudite has access to a wider base of powers and thus is even more flexible. However, this flexibility comes at the price of limits in other areas. Abilities: Intelligence determines the strength of an erudite's manifested powers, how hard those powers are to resist, and the size of his power point reserve. See Class Features, below. Races: Those who choose the way of an erudite must adhere to a rigorous path of study and practice. Among the humanoid races, humans seem most apt to follow such a course. Among the savage and monstrous humanoids, erudites are rare due to the required physical study of psionic lore. Alignment: Studious erudites tend more toward law than chaos, but they are not required to follow any particular philosophical path to use their abilities. Erudites are both good and evil in equal measure. Hit Die: d4.
CHARACTER OPTIONS
of a guildhouse. Other Lodge Luminous members are likely to respond positively to your questions. The initial attitude of a fellow luminary is always one step closer to helpful from his normal starting attitude (see Influencing NPC Attitudes, PH 72). Luminaries help their own. If you make a Diplomacy or Gather Information check while talking to a fellow lodge member, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus on the check. If you fall on desperate times, you can petition the lodge for aid. Doing so requires a Diplomacy check, modified by a cumulative 2 penalty for each previous call for aid you have made. Typically, members who request aid want a monetary loan. If you don't pay back the loan within the agreed-upon time (usually one month), you are expelled from the guild and the loan is absolved. Finally, all members of the Lodge Luminous gain a useful contact within the lodge (see below). Associated Skills: Autohypnosis, Concentration, Knowledge (psionics), Psicraft, Use Psionic Device. Favored in Guild Feat Benefit: The Lodge Luminous subsidizes your monetary expenses when you create psionic items, reducing your raw material costs by 5%. Sample Contact: Ialdabode, 5th-level psion (telepath). As a contact within the guild, Iaklabode is friendly to you. Once per month, he'll use read thoughts on any person or creature brought to the lodge as a favor to you at no charge.
CLASS FEATURES
All the following are class features of the erudite. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Erudites are proficient with the club, dagger, heavy crossbow, light crossbow, quarterstaff, and shortspear. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor does not interfere with the manifestation of powers. Armor check penalties for armor heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move Silently, Sleight of Hand, Swim, An alternative to the standard psion class, the erudite is a and Tumble. psionic character who follows a scholarly and sell-reflective Power Points/Day: An erudite's ability to manifest road to power, instead of a merely self-conscious path like powers is limited by the power points he has available. the psion follows. An erudite's psionic powers stem from a His base daily allotment of power points is given on Table schedule of austere study and continual practice. Those who 6 6. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day can master the teachings of erudite lore eventually call upon if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table 2 1: Ability an internal reservoir of psionic power. Modifiers and Bonus Power Points, EPH 18). His race might An erudites strength lies in his array of powers. His mental also provide bonus power points per day, as might certain abilities are the result of hard work and prolonged study. As feats and items. with the psion, an erudite's aggressive powers do not freely Unique Powers per Day: An erudite manifests scale like the spells of arcane and divine casters (though psionic powers, paying for each manifestation with an they can be augmented), but he enjoys supreme flexibility expenditure of power points. Unlike a psion, an erudite in accessing those powers with power points. is limited to manifesting a certain number of unique Unlike a psion, an erudite does not choose a discipline psionic powers of each level per day from, the repertoire in which to focus; his ability to learn select discipline of powers he knows, according to his class level. Thus, a powers is somewhat restricted. In addition to the powers 1st-level erudite can manifest one unique power per day; he learns for free when gaining a new level, an erudite can however, the total number of powers he can manifest per learn powers as he comes upon them, which means his day is limited only by his daily power points (that is, the potential variety of powers is far broader than a psion's. erudite could manifest the unique power as many times Additionally, an erudite can seed a crystal or gem with a per day as he has power points to pay for it). An erudite fragment of his personality, creating a psicrystal as a class simply knows his powers; they are part of his repertoire. feature. A psicrystal has special abilities that are helpful to He does not need to prepare them, though he must get an erudite. a good night's sleep to regain all spent power points the next day.
VARIANT PSION: THE ERUDITE
BEHIND THE CURTAIN: USING THE ERUDITE A hallmark of most psionic classes is the ability to manifest a limited number of powers. The erudite breaks from this to provide an option for characters who want to have a variety of powers at their disposal. Limits are still in place an erudite
must choose whether a “utility” power is worth manifesting, when each new daily power restricts his later choices. In this way, an erudite is much more versatile at the beginning of an encounter than at the end.
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