Empyrean Friar

The empyrean friar is a scholar first and a warrior second. Instead of perfecting their martial arts, a friar pours over various tomes and scrolls seeking knowledge of the old ways of pact magic and spirits. To the friar, the housing of a spirit within one’s soul is the most precious gift in the entire world. Many empyrean friars will all but beg spirits to make that pact during a ritual.

Class Skills: An empyrean friar adds Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (planes), and Spellcraft to their list of class skills.

Bind Spirit

An empyrean friar can seal pacts with spirits. The character’s binder level equals his or her monk level, and the character binds spirits as an occultist of that same level. An empyrean friar uses Wisdom in place of Charisma on binding checks and when adjudicating the effectiveness of granted abilities.

This ability replaces stunning fist.

Constellation Alignment

At 1st level, an empyrean friar aligns with one constellation among any except the Thief constellation. The empyrean friar cannot seal pacts with a spirit of the Thief constellation or any spirit whose constellation opposes the aligned constellation. Also, the empyrean friar is treated as a binder of ½ his or her monk level when making binding checks with, and using the granted abilities of, unaligned spirits.

Spirit Strike (Su)

At 3rd level, an empyrean friar can seamlessly combine a bound spirit’s granted abilities with regular monk attacks. Whenever an empyrean friar uses his or her flurry of blows, you may substitute an attack with a bound spirit’s major granted ability. The substituted attack must have an attack bonus equal to the monk’s level -2. For example, a 5th level monk must substitute an attack with a bonus of +3 in exchange for a major granted ability. Also, in order to combine with a flurry of blows, the granted ability must require a standard action or less to activate and it must target either the friar or a creature within the friar’s melee attack range (5 feet for Small and Medium empyrean friars, or 10 feet if the friar is using a reach weapon). Spirit strike can only be used in conjunction with the major granted ability of the character’s favored spirit (see below).

This replaces maneuver training.

Favored Spirit

At 3rd level, an empyrean friar selects one bindable spirit as his or her favored spirit. This spirit need not belong to the empyrean friar’s aligned constellation but it cannot be a spirit that is opposed to the aligned constellation. An empyrean friar no longer needs to perform the favored spirit’s ceremony. Instead, the character need only meditate for 1 minute. Meditating in this manner provokes attacks of opportunity. Alternatively, the empyrean friar can make a rushed pact with the favored spirit as a standard action with the usual -10 penalty. At 9th level and again at 15th level, an empyrean friar can select one additional favored spirit, for a maximum of three spirits at 15th level.

This ability replaces fast movement, improved evasion, and quivering palm.

Meditative Realignment

At 5th level, an empyrean friar can select one spirit that does not belong to his or her aligned constellation. The spirit is treated as belonging to the aligned constellation for the purpose of the constellation alignment ability. This benefit does not apply to feats, class features, or similar abilities.

At 11th level and again at 17th level, an empyrean friar can realign 1 additional spirit, for a maximum of 3 spirits at 15th level.

This ability replaces high jump, diamond body, and timeless body.

Desperate Plea

Beginning at 7th level, an empyrean friar can plea once daily with a favored spirit as a full-round action, asking to exchange powers. The empyrean friar immediately expels one spirit as if using the Expel Spirits feat and binds with another spirit as part of the full-round action used to activate this ability. The newly bound spirit remains bound to the empyrean friar for 24 hours and, when first bound, the spirit’s major granted ability is expended for 5 rounds as if it had just been used. The empyrean friar does not gain the newly bound spirit’s capstone empowerment. In addition, the empyrean friar suffers the spirit’s physical sign and influence for the duration of the pact. An empyrean friar can use this ability daily.

At 13th level and again at 19th level, the friar gains 1 additional daily use, for a maximum of 3 times per day at 19th level.

This ability replaces wholeness of body, diamond soul, and empty body.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pact Magic Unbound, Vol. 1. Copyright, 2012, Radiance House. Author(s): Alexander Augunas, Dario Nardi

scroll to top