Vitalist Methods

Presented below are several options for vitalist methods. Additional methods may be available at your GM’s discretion.

Guardian Method

A guardian vitalist focuses his skill on keeping his allies from suffering wounds. He develops psionic abilities that deflect, absorb, and reflect damage proactively, rather than healing wounds after they are suffered.

Guardian Power

A guardian vitalist adds biofeedback to his list of powers known. This does not count against his number of powers known.

Guardian Knacks

A guardian can select one of the talents below as his method knack.

• Fortify, Lesser: Gain a +1 bonus on saving throws.
• Toughen: Grant +1 natural armor to collective members.

Guardian’s Touch

A guardian vitalist of 2nd level who utilizes transfer wounds grants the target a number of temporary hit points equal to his class level. These temporary hit points last a number of rounds equal to the vitalist’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and do not stack with any other temporary hit points.

Guardian’s Pulse

As a free action, guardian of 6th level may project a pulse to all members of his collective by spending one power point, granting them DR 2/- for one round. Every three vitalist levels thereafter, this DR increases by 1.

Swift Aid

A guardian of 8th level may, as an immediate action and by expending his psionic focus, grant a member of his collective a +1 insight bonus to AC or saves (guardian’s choice) that lasts until the beginning of the target’s next turn. This insight bonus increases by +1 every four vitalist levels thereafter.

Guardian’s Expertise

Upon achieving 11th level, anytime a guardian manifests empathic feedback, the power gains two additional augment options.

• If you spend 6 additional power points, this power may be manifested as an immediate action.
• If you spend 4 additional power points, the damage dealt to the attacker is subtracted from the damage you take.

In addition, any time a guardian manifests a power on a member of his collective (including himself) with a range of You and a duration measured in rounds, the guardian may expend his psionic focus to treat that power as if affected by the Extend Power feat.

Master Guardian

A guardian of 20th level can, as a full-round action and by expending his psionic focus, give one member of the collective a psionic bubble of protection. This protective bubble grants DR 6/-, PR 27, resistance 20 against any attack that deals acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage, and a +6 deflection bonus to AC. This protective bubble lasts for one minute. The guardian can use this ability once every 10 minutes.

Intercessor Method

An intercessor tries to find a solution to every problem through communication. The intercessor likely finds a peaceful solution instead of preventing, healing, or dealing harm.

Intercessor Power

An intercessor vitalist adds telempathic projection to his list of powers known. This does not count against his number of powers known.

Intercessor Knacks

An intercessor gains the talent below as his method knack.

• Empathy: You know the subject’s surface emotions.

Intercessor’s Touch

An intercessor vitalist of 2nd level who utilizes transfer wounds shares an empathic bond with the healed target. The intercessor gains an insight bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Sense Motive checks equal to his class level for all checks with that target.
This effect lasts for a number of minutes equal to the vitalist’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). The vitalist may only have one such empathic bond active at any time, should he use transfer wounds on another target while he has an active empathic bond, the first bond immediately ends and he establishes an empathic bond with the new target.

Intercessor’s Pulse

As a free action, an intercessor of 6th level may project a pulse to all members of his collective by spending one power point, granting them one of the effects below at the intercessor’s choice. The effect lasts for one round.
Inspire Courage: The vitalist inspires courage in the members of his collective (including himself), bolstering them against fear and improving their combat abilities. To be affected, an ally must be in the vitalist’s collective. An affected ally receives a +2 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects and a +2 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls. At 12th level and 18th level, this bonus increases by +1, to a maximum of +4 at 18th level. Inspire courage is a mind-affecting ability.
Inspire Competence: All members of the collective get a +2 competence bonus on skill checks with a particular skill as long as they stay in the collective. This bonus increases by +1 for every four levels the vitalist has attained beyond 6th (+3 at 10th, +4 at 14th, and +5 at 18th). Unlike the bardic performance of the same name, skills such as Stealth can be used. The vitalist can’t inspire competence in himself.
Sanctuary: All members of the collective are treated as if under the effects of the sanctuary spell for one round, with a caster level equal to the vitalist’s manifester level. If a member of the collective performs an action that would break the effect, it breaks the effect only for that member of the collective.

Swift Aid

If a member of his collective fails a Will saving throw, an intercessor of 8th level may, as an immediate action and by expending his psionic focus, make an additional Will saving throw for the member of his collective. The intercessor gains a +1 insight bonus to this save. This insight bonus increases by +1 every four vitalist levels thereafter.
If the intercessor fails the saving throw, his ally suffers the consequences of the effect that forced the Will save.

Intercessor’s Expertise

Upon reaching 11th level, the intercessor gains a +2 bonus to the save DC of any mind-affecting power that he manifests. This bonus stacks with any other bonus to the save DCs from his powers, including those from augmentation or feats such as Psionic Endowment.
In addition, the intercessor can now read and speak any language.

Master Intercessor

The intercessor of 20th level has learned to emit a telepathic aura that causes enemies to prefer to attack one member of the collective over the others should a peaceful solution not be possible. The intercessor chooses one member of the collective as the preferred target as a swift action with a duration of one minute. Changing the preferred target is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. At the start of the enemy’s turn, it feels a mental inclination to avoid attacking all but one of the collective members. Any time an enemy makes an attack against any member of the collective other than the preferred target, they suffer a penalty to their attack and damage rolls and to rolls to breach power resistance equal to the intercessor’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and a penalty to the save DCs of effects that do not target the preferred target equal to half the intercessor’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) and feel a mental inclination to instead attack the preferred target. Effects that target an area that include the preferred target are not subject to this penalty, even if other members of the collective are in the affected area.
A member of the intercessor’s collective may request to become the preferred target as a move action, at which time the intercessor may expend his psionic focus as an immediate action to allow the change in preferred targets.
If the enemy cannot see the preferred target, the enemy does not suffer the effects of this ability. Should the preferred target be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, this effect immediately ends.
This is a mind-affecting effect.

Mender Method

A mender vitalist is the most common found, as he focuses on healing wounds more efficiently, even bringing back life to the dead. The mender vitalist learns how to boost the body’s natural healing ability to unimaginable regenerative levels.

Mender Power

A mender vitalist adds natural healing to his list of powers known. This does not count against his number of powers known.

Mender Knacks

A mender gains the talent below as his method knack.

• Halt Death: Automatically stabilize a dying creature.

Mender’s Touch

A mender vitalist of 2nd level who utilizes transfer wounds heals the target an additional number of hit points equal to his class level. This additional healing is not transferred to the mender like the normal amount healed.

Mender’s Pulse

As a free action, a mender of 6th level may project a pulse to all members of his collective by spending one power point, granting fast healing 1 for one round. Every three vitalist levels thereafter, this fast healing increases by 1. This healing is not eligible to be redirected using collective healing.

Swift Aid

A mender of 8th level may, as an immediate action and by expending his psionic focus, heal a member of his collective as if he had used transfer wounds.

Mender’s Expertise

Upon achieving 11th level, a mender is skilled at restoring the psyche of the recently deceased and efficiently healing his collective members. Any time a mender manifests psionic revivify, the maximum number of rounds after the target’s death allowed increases by his Wisdom modifier (minimum 1) without the need to suffer additional negative levels.
In addition, anytime a mender manifests a power with the [Healing] descriptor, it heals an additional 50% hit points (round down).

Master Mender

A mender of 20th level is capable of healing even the most grievous of injuries. As a full-round action and by expending his psionic focus, the mender can heal a member of his collective to full health, including restoring any ability drain, removing fatigue or exhaustion, and curing any poisons or diseases. The mender can use this ability once every 10 minutes.

Soulthief Method

A soulthief vitalist develops techniques that focus on harnessing the energy of enemies, siphoning it off and using it to heal himself and his allies.

Soulthief Power

A soulthief vitalist adds collapse to his list of powers known. This does not count against his number of powers known.

Soulthief Knacks

A soulthief can select one of the talents below as his method knack.

• Fatigue: Cause a creature to be fatigued.
• Siphon: Deal 1d3 points of damage and gain 1 temporary hit point.

Soulthief’s Touch

A soulthief vitalist of 2nd level who utilizes transfer wounds can choose to instead deal the amount of damage that transfer wounds would normally heal plus the soulthief’s class level to the target, healing himself a number of hit points equal to the damage dealt. A soulthief may not heal more hit points than the touched creature had prior to using this ability.
This ability may only be used on creatures with a Constitution score and may not be used against creatures in the soulthief’s collective. A soulthief may use this ability on creatures with a total number of hit dice less than half his vitalist level, but he gains no healing from it.

Soulthief’s Pulse

As a free action, a soulthief of 6th level may project a pulse to all members of his collective by spending one power point, which empowers the attacks of the members of the collective for one round. Any successful damaging attack made with an attack roll made by a member of the collective heals the attacker for the damage dealt, up to 2 hit points of damage. Every three vitalist levels thereafter, the maximum healing granted by this aura increases by 1.

Swift Aid

A soulthief of 8th level may, as an immediate action and by expending his psionic focus, transfer the wounds of a member of his collective to an enemy within 15 ft. of the ally for an amount of damage equal to the soulthief’s transfer wounds ability. A successful Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 class level + Wisdom modifier) negates the effect.

Soulthief’s Expertise

Upon achieving 11th level, anytime a soulthief manifests hostile empathic transfer, the attack can be made as a ranged touch attack with a range of 30 feet instead of as a melee touch attack. In addition, every additional power point spent augmenting hostile empathic transfer increases the additional damage transferred by 7, rather than by 5, and the maximum number of points of damage transferred increases to 85.
In addition, any time a soulthief manifests a power or psi-like ability that deals hit point damage, it heals him for 50% of the damage dealt. If the power does hit point damage to multiple targets, the soulthief only heals 50% of the damage to the target dealt the highest damage.

Master Soulthief

A soulthief of 20th level learns how to siphon the life out of a creature. Once every 10 minutes, the soulthief can choose one target to which he has line of sight and, as a full-round action and by expending his psionic focus, begin draining the target of health (12d6 points of empathic damage) which is then transferred to the collective and heals an equal amount of damage. A successful Will save (DC 20 + Wis modifier) negates the effect. Each round, the target may attempt another Will save to negate the effect. The soulthief can maintain concentration to continue the damage each round, for up to one minute. Any damage done after all members of the collective are healed completely instead grants temporary hit points to any member of the collective (soulthief’s choice) for 10 minutes. The soulthief may divide these temporary hit points as he so chooses among members of the collective.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Psionics Unleashed. Copyright 2010, Dreamscarred Press; Authors: Jeremy Smith and Andreas Rönnqvist.