Animus Adept

Some martial disciples seek the power of raw arcane
energies, known to those in martial circles as animus,
and learn methods to channel it. Others are born with
it and choose to bend it inwards for martial pursuits
and become animus adepts, others dally with it while
maintaining other professions before coming to embrace
it as a source of raw arcane talent. Whatever the path
that led to their discovery and mastery over their power,
animus adepts are skilled warriors that are able to
blend their talents with glyph manipulation and martial
maneuver to produce a variety of wild effects that blur
the line between what is magic and what is pure martial
skill.

**Hit Die:** d8.

### **Requirements**

To qualify to become an animus adept, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

* **Skills:** Knowledge (martial) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
* **Feats:** Animus Healing.
* **Initiating:** Ability to initiate maneuvers, initiator level 5th.
* **Special:** Must possess an animus pool (either by a class feature or the Tap Animus feat).

**Class Skills:** The animus adept’s class skills are Craft (Int), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

**Skill Ranks per Level:** 2 + Int modifier.

### **Class Features**

The following are the class features of the animus adept.

### **Weapon and Armor Proficiency**

Animus adepts gain
no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

### **Maneuvers**

At every even level, an animus adept
gains a new maneuver known. His available disciplines
for these maneuvers are Elemental Flux and three of his previously available disciplines, chosen when he takes his first animus adept level. He must meet a maneuver’s
prerequisites to learn it, as normal. He adds his full
animus adept level to his initiator level to determine
his total initiator level and his highest-level maneuvers
known.

At 2nd level and again at 5th level, an animus adept
gains an additional maneuver readied.

### **Stances**

At 4th level, an animus adept learns a new
stance from any of the disciplines available to him as an
animus adept. He must meet the stance’s prerequisites to
learn it, as normal.

### **Animus (Su)**

At 1st level, an animus adept gains an
animus pool similar to a mystic’s. Outside combat, an
animus adept has no animus to spend. When the animus
adept enters combat, he gains an animus pool equal to 1
+ his highest initiation modifier (minimum 1) at the start
of his first turn, and adds one point of animus to her
animus pool at the start of each of his turns thereafter.
His animus pool persists for one minute after the last
enemy combatant is defeated or the encounter otherwise
ends. At the end of any round in which the animus adept
initiates a maneuver, he adds an additional point of
animus to her pool. Certain abilities, such as some class
features, maneuvers, and feats, require the animus
adept to expend points of animus to use.

If the animus adept previously had levels in the mystic
class or another class that grants an animus pool, he
instead adds his animus adept level to his levels in that
class to determine its strength, potentially gaining more
powerful maneuver augments or increasing the amount
he can spend on such augments. If the animus adept
possesses the Tap Animus feat, it is exchanged for the
Extra Animus feat as normal.

### **Martial Glyphs (Su)**

At 1st level, an animus adept
learns to use primal magic to funnel his uncontrolled
arcane energies through elemental concepts. These
concepts encapsulate base principles of arcane magic,
the building blocks upon which actual spells are formed,
and when the animus adept combines these building
blocks with his physical abilities, he can channel them
into martial glyphs. When he enters this class, an animus
adept learns five basic glyphs, and learns three new
glyphs at each animus adept level thereafter. Each time
the animus adept gains a new level in this class, he can
exchange a single known glyph for any other glyph he
could learn. At 1st level, he can only learn basic glyphs.
At 3rd level, he gains the ability to learn advanced glyphs,
and at 5th level, he can learn master glyphs.

The animus adept can cast a glyph as a free action
once per round when he hits with a strike. Alternatively,
he can cast a glyph as a swift action. In either case,
casting a glyph costs one point of animus and affects
a single creature within close range (25 feet + 5 feet
per 2 initiator levels). Unless otherwise noted, a glyph
lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the animus
adept’s highest initiation modifier (minimum 1 round).
If a glyph allows a saving throw, its save DC is 10 + 1/2
the animus adept’s initiator level + the animus adept’s
highest initiation modifier.

Repeated applications of the same glyph do not stack
with each other or change their duration. Glyphs that
deal energy damage or grant energy resistance use the
animus adept’s choice of his active energy type (if he is
psionic) or his active element’s associated energy type.
If the animus adept does not have an active element, he
gains one, as if he knew maneuvers from the Elemental
Flux discipline. Once a glyph is cast, it maintains the
element that it was cast with, if any. A character with
the Spellcraft skill can identify glyphs as they are cast,
treating the animus adept’s class level as their effective
spell level.

### **Mystical Prowess**

Starting at 2nd level, an animus
adept adds his class level to Knowledge (martial) and
Spellcraft checks to identify martial maneuvers, powers,
spells, and glyphs. In addition, if the animus adept
possesses the elemental glyphs or candle magic class
features, he adds his animus adept level to his mystic
level to determine their effectiveness of those abilities.

### **Mass Martial Glyphs (Su)**

At 4th level, an animus
adept’s control over his roiling arcane might is such that
he can become a living font of animus-infused glyphs. As
a full-round action, the animus adept can cast a martial
glyph against a number of allies within 30 feet equal to
his highest initiation modifier.

### **Runic Singularity (Su)**

At 5th level, the animus adept
gains the ability to cast a martial glyph against a target
within close range as part of the initiation action of a boost or when he changes his stance. In addition, he adds one additional point of animus to his animus pool
at the start of each of his turns in a combat.

## **Martial Glyphs**

The following are the glyphs available to an animus
adept. Unless otherwise noted, these effects last for
the duration of the glyph or until the glyph otherwise
expires (see the individual glyphs for more details).

### **Basic Glyphs**

*Elemental Shield*: The affected ally gains energy
resistance to the animus adept’s active element’s
associated energy type equal to the animus adept’s
initiator level.

*Blinding Blade*: The next time the affected ally hits
with a martial strike, critical hit, deadly strike, or sneak
attack, their target must succeed at a Reflex save or
become blinded for one round. Regardless of whether or
not the target succeeds on their save, this glyph expires
once used.

*Elemental Weapon*: The affected ally’s attacks deal an
additional 1d6 points of damage of your active element’s
associated energy type per six initiator levels you possess
(up to a maximum of 3d6).

*Dead Steel*: The affected ally’s attacks deal an additional
1d6 points of negative energy damage per six initiator
levels the animus adept posseses (up to a maximum
of 3d6). Against creatures of the fey type, this damage
increases to 1d8 per six initiator levels (up to a maximum
of 3d8). Undead creatures and other creatures healed by
negative energy do not take this additional damage and
are not healed by it.

*Deflective Armor*: The affected ally’s natural armor
bonus to their AC increases by +2. This bonus increases
by +1 for every six initiator levels the animum adept
possesses (up to a maximum of +5).

*Evasive Armor*: The next time the affected ally succeeds
on a Reflex save against an effect that allows a partial
effect on a successful saving throw, they are instead
completely unaffected. This glyph expires once used.

*Ferrous Shell*: The affected ally is protected by a crude
but non-restrictive metal shell, granting them a +5 armor
bonus to their AC. The shell weighs 10 pounds and does
not count as armor.

*Flowing Blade*: The affected ally rolls twice against a
creature’s miss chance and uses the better result.

*Ghost Armor*: The affected ally’s armor and shield gain
the benefits of the *ghost touch* special ability.

*Ghost Eating Blade*: The affected ally’s weapons gain
the benefits of the *ghost touch* special ability.

*Shadowmeld*: The affected ally is surrounded by a
layer of protective, smoky concealment, granting them
gain concealment (20% miss chance) against opponents.

### **Advanced Glyphs**

*Corpse Strength*: The affected ally gains a +4 profane
bonus to Strength and a +2 bonus on saving throws
made to resist spells and effects that utilize negative
energy, inflict negative levels, deal ability damage or
ability drain, or inflict ability penalties. In addition, the
affected ally heals from negative energy damage and
takes damage from *cure* spells or similar effects, as if
they were an undead creature.

*Death Shield*: The affected ally gains resistance to
negative energy equal to the animus adept’s initiator
level and a +4 bonus on saves against energy drain and
negative energy effects.

*Elemental Armor*: A creature that hits the affected ally
with a melee attack take 2d6 points of damage of the
animus adept’s active element’s associated energy type.

*Hardened Armor*: The affected ally gains damage
reduction 5/adamantine.

*Illusionary State*: The affected ally gains the benefits of
a *mirror image* spell, using the animus adept’s initiator
level as the caster level. This glyph expires once each
image has been destroyed.

*Spirit Stride*: As a free action, the affected ally can
teleport to any unoccupied space they can see within 5
feet per two initiator levels. The ally does not require
line of effect, and this glyph expires once used.

*Spiritual Anchor*: In order to affect a creature with
this glyph, the animus adept must have hit them with a
martial strike as part of casting it, or must hit them with
a ranged touch attack if he did not cast it during a strike.
The target is affected as if by a *dimensional anchor* spell.

*Wind Speed*: The affected ally gains the benefits of a
*haste* spell (+1 to attack rolls, AC, and Reflex saves, a +30-
foot enhancement bonus to movement speeds, and one
extra attack when making a full attack).

### **Master Glyphs**

*Dispelling Burn*: This glyph acts as a targeted *greater*
*dispel magic* spell against the target, with a caster level
equal to the animus adept’s initiator level. The target
takes 1d4 points of damage for each level of the spell or
effect dispelled by this ability.

*Drowning Curse*: The target chokes and gasps,
becoming nauseated and unable to speak or perform
the verbal components of spells. The target can attempt
a Fortitude save at the start of each of their turns while
they are affected by this glyph; if they succeed, they can
ignore its effects and act normally for one round.

*Fortified Heart*: The affected ally’s vital areas become
as hard as the hardest stones, and they become immune
to critical hits and sneak attacks.

*Gravity of Iron*: This glyph can only be cast against
creatures who are made of metal or wearing metal
armor. The target must succeed at a Fortitude save or
become paralyzed and knocked prone. At the end of
each of its turns while paralyzed by this glyph, the target
can attempt another Fortitude save to end its effects.

*Incandescent Array*: The affected ally emits light as a
*daylight* spell in a dazzling array of colors, and attacks
against them suffer a 50% miss chance. Creatures that
do not rely on sight to aim their attacks are unaffected
by this miss chance.

*Wraithstrike*: The target must succeed at a Will save
or gain 1d3 temporary negative levels until the end of
the encounter. Unlike normal negative levels, these
disappear after the encounter ends. A creature can only
suffer the effects of this glyph once at any given time;
if they are affected by another *wraithstrike* glyph, the
negative levels overlap, rather than stacking.