Kheshig

The kheshig is a powerful warrior who blends akashic prowess and physical might to become the perfect bodyguard – or a deadly hunter. Whether you want to create a perfect bodyguard or a powerful hunter, the kheshig, clad in akasha, can help you achieve your goals.

Role: The kheshig’s role in any party is to be the bulwark which the enemy breaks themself upon. Dragons, demons, unscrupulous nobles, and dastardly thieves will struggle in futility against the kheshig, and in turn, his allies.

Alignment: Any

Hit Die: d6

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

Skills

Class Skills: The kheshig’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nobility) (Int), Perception (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int)

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table 1: The Kheshig
Level Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special Veils Essence
1st +1 +0 +0 +2 Fighting style, akashic arsenal, essence bound duty 1+1 1
2nd +2 +0 +0 +3 Chakra bind (low), akashic arsenal 2+1 2
3rd +3 +1 +1 +3 Reinforced (+5), akashic arsenal 2+2 3
4th +4 +1 +1 +4 Improved essence capacity +1, fighting style 2+2 3
5th +5 +1 +1 +4 Chakra bind (low), essence bound duty 2+2 4
6th +6/+1 +2 +2 +5 Reinforced (+10) 3+2 5
7th +7/+2 +2 +2 +5 Improved fighting style 3+2 6
8th +8/+3 +2 +2 +6 Chakra bind (middle) 3+2 6
9th +9/+4 +3 +3 +6 Essence bound duty, reinforced (+15) 3+2 7
10th +10/+5 +3 +3 +7 Improved essence capacity +2, improved fighting style 4+2 8
11th +11/+6/+1 +3 +3 +7 Chakra bind (middle) 4+2 9
12th +12/+7/+2 +4 +4 +8 Reinforced (+20) 4+2 9
13th +13/+8/+3 +4 +4 +8 Essence bound duty 4+2 10
14th +14/+9/+4 +4 +4 +9 Chakra bind (High) 5+2 11
15th +15/+10/+5 +5 +5 +9 Reinforced (+25) 5+2 12
16th +16/+11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +10 Improved essence capacity +3 5+2 12
17th +17/+12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Essence bound duty 5+2 13
18th +18/+13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 Chakra bind (whole), reinforced (+30), akashic arsenal 6+2 14
19th +19/+14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 Eternal guard 6+2 15
20th +20/+15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Karmic justice 6+2 15

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies

Kheshig are proficient with all simple and martial weapons and with all armor (heavy, light, and medium) and shields (including tower shields).

Veilweaving

A kheshig’s primary ability is shaping the magical power known as akasha into powerful veils, which are drawn from the kheshig’s veil list. The kheshig knows and can shape any veil from the kheshig veil list. The DC for a saving throw against a veil’s abilities is 10 + the number of points of essence invested in the veil + the kheshig’s Wisdom modifier. The kheshig can only shape a limited number of veils per day, as listed on Table 1-1: Kheshig. Veils are constructs of pure magic and, as such are suppressed while in the area of an antimagic field or similar effect. (The kheshig veil list is all veils contained in this document.)

At 1st level, the kheshig also gains access to a personal pool of essence, which can be invested into veils to increase their power. The amount of available essence is listed in the table above; the kheshig’s character level determines the maximum quantity of essence he can invest in any single veil or other receptacle. As a swift action, the kheshig can allocate or reallocate his essence, allowing him to invest it into and reclaim it from her receptacles as he chooses. A kheshig who wishes to shape veils must have at least 8 hours of rest or meditation to achieve a clear and focused state, and must meditate for one hour to shape his veils for the day.

During this time, he unshapes any previously formed veils and constructs his new selection of veils. At the end of the hour, all effects of unshaped veils end and the veilweaver’s new selection of veils takes effect.

Akashic Arsenal (Su)

At 1st level, the kheshig learns how to mold his akashic essence into powerful arms and armor.

When the kheshig gains this ability, he chooses one veil with the [Enhanced (weapon)] descriptor that he knows, and is native to the kheshig’s veil list (not acquired through feats, traits, or other means). He may shape this veil without it counting against the number of veils he may shape each day as well as having it not count against the slot that it shaped.

This choice may be changed each day when the kheshig shapes his veils.

At 2nd level, the kheshig may always bind their chosen [Enhanced (weapon)] veil to its appropriate slot, regardless of their normal binds. This veil does not count against their normal bind limits. If the veil has multiple slots, the kheshig may choose which one to bind to.

At 3rd level, the kheshig chooses one veil with the [Enhanced (armor)] descriptor, and is native to the kheshig’s veil list (not acquired through feats, traits, or other means). He may shape this veil without it counting against the number of veils he may shape each day as well as having it not count against the slot that it shaped. This choice may be changed each day when the kheshig shapes his veils.

At 18th level, the kheshig may always bind their chosen [Enhanced (armor)] veil to its appropriate slot, regardless of their normal binds. This veil does not count against their normal bind limits.

Fighting Style (Ex)

A kheshig is a guardian who blends their akashic prowess with a unique fighting style to protect their charges. At 1st level, and again at 4th level, the kheshig chooses one of the following styles. At 7th level, and again at 10th level, you may choose to improve the selected style, gaining its listed benefits. If you possess any of the feats granted to you by the following fighting styles, you may immediately retrain that feat.

Fighting Styles
  • Twin Fangs: You gain Two-weapon fighting as a bonus feat. You may use your Strength score instead of your Dexterity score for the purpose of qualifying for Two-weapon fighting and any feats with Two-weapon fighting as a prerequisite.
    • Improved: As a standard action, you may make an attack with your main-hand and off-hand (or both sides of a double weapon), taking penalties from two-weapon fighting as if you made a full attack.
  • Bulwark: You gain the Mighty Shield feat as a bonus feat.
    • Improved: You may add your shield bonus to AC to your Reflex saves. As an immediate action, you may redirect any attack or single target spell from an adjacent ally to yourself. You must be a valid target for the attack or spell.
  • Einhander: You gain the Einhander feat as a bonus feat.
    • Improved: You gain the Improved Einhander feat as a bonus feat.
  • Titan Weapon: Whenever you make an attack with a twohanded melee weapon and miss with that attack, you deal damage to that creature equal to your strength modifier. This damage’s damage type is the same as the damage typing as the weapon that you missed with.
    • Improved: Whenever you deal enough hit point damage to cause a creature to die, be destroyed, or fall unconscious with a melee attack, you may make an additional melee attack against a creature within your weapon’s reach. You may take a 5 ft. step before this attack (even if you have already made a 5 ft. step this turn), but the extra attack must be made with the same weapon with the same bonus as the attack that caused the creature to die, be destroyed, or fall unconscious. This ability may trigger only once per round.
  • Empty Hand: You gain Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. Your unarmed strikes have their base damage increased to 1d6 for a Medium creature, 1d4 if Small. Whenever you hit with an unarmed strike, you may move 5 feet. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity.
    • Improved: Once per round, whenever you make an unarmed attack, you may make another unarmed attack at your highest base attack bonus minus 2.
  • Storm of Arrows: You gain Rapid Shot and Precise shot as bonus feats.
    • Improved: You gain Manyshot as a bonus feat. You may use the Manyshot feat with any ranged or thrown weapon.
  • Silver Bullet: Your aim is impeccable. You gain the Far Shot and Precise shot as bonus feats.

Essence-Bound Duty (Su)

By infusing a bit of your essence into a person, you can protect them from harm, and punish those who would bring them harm. At 1st level, as a part of a 1 hour ritual, you may designate a creature other than yourself as your charge. You may only have one charge at a time, and may abandon your charge using the same one hour ritual.

Creatures attacking your charge, or including them with an area of effect without including you as well have a 10% miss chance and spell failure chance. You must be within close range and have line of sight and effect to your charge for your charge to benefit from this ability. This miss chance and spell failure chance doubles while you are within 15-ft of your charge.

You may invest essence into your charge. Each point of essence invested in your charge increases this ability’s miss chance and spell failure chance by 5%.

This miss chance and spell failure chance doubles while you are within 15ft of your charge. A creature that attacks your charge becomes marked. Once per round as a free action, you may move up to 15ft towards a marked target, plus an additional 5ft for each point of essence invested in your charge. This movement must place you closer towards the marked target.

Marks last for 1 minute, or until the marked creature takes damage from you, whichever comes first.

You gain a bonus to attack your veilweaving modifier against marked targets, and your attacks against marked targets deal an additional 1d6 points of damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage for every three veilweaving levels you possess. Damage you deal to marked targets is reinforced by an akashic pulse of power, and as such is not reduced by damage reduction, hardness, resistances, or immunities.

At 5th level, as an immediate action whenever your charge is attacked, you may move up to your speed. This movement must place you adjacent to your charge, or this ability fails.

After this movement, you may redirect the triggering attack to yourself, as if you were the original recipient of the attack.

The triggering creature is then marked. While you are within 15ft of your charge, your charge is immune to fear effects.

At 9th level, your charge gains hardness equal to your veilweaver level. At the start of each of their turns, they gain temporary hit points equal to the amount of essence invested in them, not to exceed twice your veilweaver level.

Any effects that would improve your veil’s hardness improve your charge’s hardness, and any effect that would improve your veil’s hit points improves the maximum amount of temporary hit points your charge may gain from this ability.

At 13th level, marks now last for 1 minute, or at the end of any turn in which a marked creature takes damage from you.

You are immune to to mind-affecting effects.

At 17th level, your charge becomes immune to death effects. Whenever they would take damage that would reduce them to 1 or fewer hit points, you may instead have them reduced to 1 hit point. If you do, any damage in excess of this is transferred to you. This damage cannot be reduced, redirected, or mitigated in any way.

Chakra Binds (Low): At 2nd level, the kheshig gains access to a low chakra bind. Each day when they shape their veils, they can choose whether they wish to bind veils to the Feet or Hands slot. At 5th level, they additionally can choose between the Head slot, and can choose two binds rather than one.

Reinforced (Su)

By circulating one’s essence through their own body, the kheshig reinforces their body to outside influences. The kheshig receives an additional 5 hit points at 3rd level, and every 3 levels thereafter.

The kheshig also gains 1 point of essence, plus an additional point of essence every 3 levels thereafter. They may not invest this essence into any veil, but may invest this essence into other containers and burn this essence freely. Essence burn recovers at a rate of 1 per minute.

  • Improved Essence Capacity: Constant combat and training has improved the kheshig’s essence capacity. At 4th, 10th, and 16th level, the capacity for all of the kheshig’s receptacles increases by 1.
  • Chakra Binds (Middle): At 8th level, the kheshig gains access to a middle chakra bind. Each day when they shape their veils, they can choose whether they wish to bind veils to the Wrists or Shoulders slots. At 11th level, they additionally can choose between the Headband slot, and choose two binds rather than one.
  • Chakra Binds (High): At 14th level, the kheshig gains access to a high chakra bind. Each day when they shape their veils, they can choose whether they wish to bind veils to the neck or belt slots.
  • Chakra Binds (Whole): At 18th level, the kheshig gains access to a high chakra bind. Each day when they shape their veils, they can choose whether they wish to bind veils to the body or chest slots.

Eternal Guard (Ex)

At 19th level, the kheshig stops aging and takes no penalty to their physical ability scores from aging. If the kheshig is already taking such penalties, they are removed at this time. In addition, the kheshig can no longer be magically aged.

Karmic Justice (Su)

At 20th level, 50% of the damage dealt by enemies you have marked that isn’t dealt to you is also dealt to them. This damage comes from an akashic pulse of power, and as such is not reduced by damage reduction, hardness, resistances, or immunities.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Akashic Classes: Kheshig © 2021, Legendary Games; Author Anthony Cappel.

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