Aegis

While the shaper is the master of manipulating ectoplasm and creating any manner of item, the aegis has learned to take ectoplasm and form it into a suit to be worn around his body, granting him a variety of benefits.

The aegis can shape his astral suit into several different forms and is capable of altering its abilities to suit his needs.

Role: An aegis is a front-line combatant. His astral suit allows him significant flexibility in handling combat and non-combat situations, and his defensive abilities are considerable.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Die: d10.

Starting Wealth: 2d6 × 10 (average 70 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills

The aegis’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Autohypnosis (Wis), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: Aegis
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Customization Points Power Points/Day
1st +1 +2 +0 +2 Astral repair, form astral suit 3 1
2nd +2 +3 +0 +3 Craftsman (+1), damage reduction (2/-) 4 2
3rd +3 +3 +1 +3 Invigorating suit, reconfigure (1/day) 5 3
4th +4 +4 +1 +4 Augment suit (1) 7 5
5th +5 +4 +1 +4 Damage reduction (3/-), Master Craftsman, reconfigure (2/day) 8 7
6th +6/+1 +5 +2 +5 Craftsman (+2) 9 9
7th +7/+2 +5 +2 +5 Reconfigure (3/day) 10 11
8th +8/+3 +6 +2 +6 Augment suit (2), damage reduction (4/-) 11 14
9th +9/+4 +6 +3 +6 Reconfigure (4/day) 13 17
10th +10/+5 +7 +3 +7 Craftsman (+3) 14 20
11th +11/+6/+1 +7 +3 +7 Damage reduction (5/-), reconfigure (5/day) 15 24
12th +12/+7/+2 +8 +4 +8 Augment suit (3), cannibalize suit (1/day) 16 28
13th +13/+8/+3 +8 +4 +8 Reconfigure (6/day) 17 32
14th +14/+9/+4 +9 +4 +9 Craftsman (+4), cannibalize suit (2/day), damage reduction (6/-) 19 37
15th +15/+10/+5 +9 +5 +9 Reconfigure (7/day) 20 42
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +10 +5 +10 Augment suit (4), cannibalize suit (3/day) 21 47
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +10 +5 +10 Damage reduction (7/-), reconfigure (8/day) 22 52
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +11 +6 +11 Cannibalize suit (4/day), Craftsman (+5) 23 58
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +11 +6 +11 Reconfigure (9/day) 25 64
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +12 +6 +12 Augment suit (5), cannibalize suit (5/day), damage reduction (8/-), perfect merger 26 70

Class Features

The following are class features of the aegis.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Aegii are proficient with all simple and martial weapons. Aegii are proficient with light armor and shields (but not tower shields). Armor does not interfere with the aegis’s class features.

Power Points/Day: An aegis’s ability to manifest some of his abilities is limited by the power points he has available. His base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Aegis. In addition, he receives bonus power points per day if he has a high Intelligence score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points), treating his manifester level for the purposes of bonus power points as equal to his class level. His race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Astral Repair (Ps)

An aegis is capable of repairing mundane items, restoring 2 hit points of damage to the touched item as a standard action usable at will. If the object has the broken condition, this condition is removed if the object is restored to at least half its original hit points. All of the pieces of an object must be present for this ability to function. This ability has no effect on objects that have been warped or otherwise transmuted, but it can still repair damage done to such items.

Form Astral Suit (Su)

Every aegis learns to draw forth ectoplasm and form an astral suit around their form. The aegis can select from three different types when forming his astral suit— skin, armor, or juggernaut. An aegis is always considered to be proficient with his astral suit, even if he does not have the appropriate armor proficiency. The amount of time forming this astral suit takes depends on the type of suit being formed. Different astral suit forms grant different free customizations. These free customizations never count against the aegis’s total number of customization points spent on his astral suit.

The aegis chooses the appearance of his astral suit, although its shape must reflect the selections the aegis has chosen: astral skin would cover the aegis like a psychoactive skin, astral juggernaut would appear to cover the aegis like plate armor, etc.

An astral suit can be dismissed as a free action.

An astral suit does not function in areas where psionics do not work, such as a null psionics field. Dismiss ectoplasm can be used against an astral suit; treat the manifester level as the aegis’s class level, although the aegis can simply form his astral suit again on his next turn.

(Editor’s Note: Full details on how astral suits work can be found here: Astral Suits)

Craftsman

Beginning at 2nd level, an aegis gains a +1 bonus to any one Craft skill of his choice. At 6th level and every four levels thereafter, this bonus increases by 1.

Damage Reduction

Starting at 2nd level, when an aegis is wearing his astral suit, he gains damage reduction 2/-, regardless of what type of astral suit he is wearing. At 5th level and every three levels thereafter, this damage reduction improves by 1.

Invigorating Suit (Su)

An aegis of at least 3rd level wearing his astral suit gains a +4 bonus on the following checks and saves: Swim checks made to resist nonlethal damage from exhaustion; Constitution checks made to continue running; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from a forced march; Constitution checks made to hold breath; Constitution checks made to avoid nonlethal damage from starvation or thirst; Fortitude saves made to avoid nonlethal damage from hot or cold environments; and Fortitude saves made to resist damage from suffocation.

Reconfigure

Starting at 3rd level, an aegis can reconfigure up to his Intelligence modifier in customization points on his astral suit once per day as a standard action. Every two levels thereafter, he can use this ability an additional time per day.

Augment Suit (Su)

An aegis learns how to infuse his astral suit with his psionic power, augmenting the capacity of his suit. Beginning at 4th level, the aegis may spend up to one power point per four class levels to customize his Astral Suit, gaining one temporary customization point for each power point spent.

This ability, activated as a standard action, lasts for a number of rounds equal to the aegis’ Intelligence modifier.

Activating this ability again, while already in use, immediately causes the previous duration to end.

An aegis may end the duration as a free action at any time.

Master Craftsman

At 5th level, an aegis gains the Master Craftsman feat as a bonus feat. He must still meet the prerequisites of the feat in order to gain its benefits.

Cannibalize Suit (Su)

Starting at 12th level, an aegis learns to convert the psionic energy used to create his suit into healing power. Once per day as a standard action, he can dismiss his astral suit and heal a number of hit points equal to his customization pool. The aegis cannot reform his suit again for one minute after using this ability. Every two levels thereafter, the aegis can use this ability an additional time per day. Additional customization points gained from Augment Suit are not counted for this ability.

Perfect Merger (Su)

An aegis of 20th level has learned to become one with his suit. His suit cannot be dispelled or removed against his will by any means, although his astral suit ability still does not function within areas where psionics do not work, such as a null psionics field.

In addition, the aegis can spend two daily uses of his reconfigure ability to alter all of the customizations on his astral suit.

Finally, once per day, the aegis can boost his cannibalize suit ability, healing all of his hit point damage, although he cannot reform his suit for ten minutes after using this ability, rather than the standard one minute.

Favored Class Bonuses

Instead of receiving an additional skill rank or hit point whenever they gain a level in a Favored Class, some races have the option of choosing from a number of other bonuses, depending upon their Favored Classes. The following options are available to the listed race who have aegis as their Favored Class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the listed Favored Class reward.

Race Bonus Source
Dreamscarred Press
Blue Add 1 to the hit points restored using astral repair. PE:APG
Dromite Add +1/4 to the dromite’s armor bonus from his astral suit. PE:APG
Duergar Increase the astral suit’s damage reduction by +1/4. PE:APG
Gnome Gain +1/2 to Damage Reduction/cold iron. PE:APG
Half-elf Add +1/4 to the aegis’s customization points. PE:APG
Half-giant Add +1 to the aegis’s CMD when resisting a bull rush or grapple. PE:APG
Human Add +1/4 to the aegis’s customization points. PE:APG
Ophiduan Add +1/4 to the maximum dexterity bonus of the aegis’s astral suit. PE:APG

Archetypes & Alternate Class Features

When a character selects a class, he must choose to use the standard class features found or those listed in one of the archetypes presented here. Each alternate class feature replaces a specific class feature from its parent class. For example, the elemental fist class feature of the monk of the four winds replaces the stunning fist class feature of the monk. When an archetype includes multiple class features, a character must take all of them—often blocking the character from ever gaining certain familiar class features, but replacing them with equally powerful options. All of the other class features found in the core class and not mentioned among the alternate class features remain unchanged and are acquired normally when the character reaches the appropriate level (unless noted otherwise). A character who takes an alternate class feature does not count as having the class feature that was replaced when meeting any requirements or prerequisites.

A character can take more than one archetype and garner additional alternate class features, but none of the alternate class features can replace or alter the same class feature from the core class as another alternate class feature. For example, a paladin could not be both a hospitaler and an undead scourge since they both modify the smite evil class feature and both replace the aura of justice class feature. A paladin could, however, be both an undead scourge and a warrior of the holy light, since none of their new class features replace the same core class feature.

Archetypes are a quick and easy way to specialize characters of a given class, adding fun and flavorful new abilities to already established adventurers. Characters may take more than one archetype if they meet the requirements.

Table: Aegis Archetypes / Alternate Class Features

Archetype / Alternate Class Feature Class Features Changed or Replaced
Class Skills Weapon & Armor Power Points/Day Astral Repair Form Astral Suit Craftsman Damage Reduction Invigorating Suit Reconfigure Augment Suit Master Craftsman Cannibalize Suit Perfect Merger
2 6 10 14 18 2 5 8 11 14 17 20 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 4 8 12 16 20 12 14 16 18 20
Dreamscarred Press
Annihilator (Blue) X X X X X X X X X X X
Aberrant X X X X X X X X
Crystal Warrior X C X X X X X X X
Ectopic Artisan C X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
Trailblazer C X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
War Hulk (Half-Giant) X C X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X
X=replaced, (X)=optional replacement, C=changed
Section 15: Copyright Notice

Psionics Expanded: Advanced Psionics Guide. Copyright 2011, Dreamscarred Press; Authors: Jeremy Smith and Andreas Rönnqvist.

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