S-Class Wilder

What are S-Class Characters?

S-class characters are built using the summoner class as the basis against which all other classes are balanced. The “S” in this case stands for both summoner and, as a more appropriate in-world reference, superior. If you have played, or GM’d for, a summoner and felt it was fine as is, you should have no problem running with an s-class character.

Spell-Like and Psi-Like Abilities

As explained in the source material, psionics function in many ways like spells, and are able to be countered, negated, and resisted just as spells are. The distinctions drawn between the two are purely in the ways in which they are learned and how they affect the world around them.

For this reason, the content here is provided more in context of other Pathfinder options, listing spell-like abilities and referring to spells when a psionic power or talent is equivalent to one.

S-class wilders learn enough about their innate talents that they can eventually split them into different surges. The energy within the s-class wilder fluctuates with each passing day. At times, this makes them even more unpredictable than their standard counterparts.

Note: The s-class wilder is an alternate, superior version of the wilder class. They retain all of the standard wilder progressions and options, and as such should qualify to select wilder archetypes without specific adjustments.

Hit Die: d8.

Starting Wealth: 4d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp.)

Class Skills

The s-class wilder’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Autohypnosis (Wis), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Table: S-Class Wilder

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	PP/day	Powers Known	Max Power Level
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Psychic enervation, surge blast, surge bond, talent, wild surge +1	2	1	1st
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Elude attack (+1)	6	2	1st
3rd	+2	+1	+1	+3	Wild surge +2	11	2	1st
4th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Surging euphoria +1	17	3	2nd
5th	+3	+1	+1	+4	Enervation tolerance 2%, improved surge bond, secondary surge +1	25	3	2nd
6th	+4	+2	+2	+5	Elude attack (+2)	35	4	3rd
7th	+5	+2	+2	+5	Wild surge +3	46	4	3rd
8th	+6/+1	+2	+2	+6	—	58	5	4th
9th	+6/+1	+3	+3	+6	Enervation tolerance 3%, improved surge bond	72	5	4th
10th	+7/+2	+3	+3	+7	Elude attack (+3)	88	6	5th
11th	+8/+3	+3	+3	+7	Secondary surge +2, wild surge +4	106	6	5th
12th	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8	Surging euphoria +2	126	7	6th
13th	+9/+4	+4	+4	+8	Enervation tolerance 5%, improved surge bond	147	7	6th
14th	+10/+5	+4	+4	+9	Elude attack (+4)	170	8	7th
15th	+11/+6/+1	+5	+5	+9	Wild surge +5	195	8	7th
16th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	—	221	9	8th
17th	+12/+7/+2	+5	+5	+10	Improved surge bond, secondary surge +3	250	9	8th
18th	+13/+8/+3	+6	+6	+11	Elude attack (+5)	280	10	9th
19th	+14/+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Wild surge +6	311	10	9th
20th	+15/+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Perfect surge, Surging euphoria +3	343	11	9th

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the s-class wilder.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency

S-class wilders are proficient with all simple weapons, with light armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Powers Points/Day

An s-class wilder’s ability to manifest powers is limited by the power points she has available. Her base daily allotment of power points is given on Table: The Wilder. In addition, she receives bonus power points per day if she has a high Charisma score (see Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points). Her race may also provide bonus power points per day, as may certain feats and items.

Powers Known: An s-class wilder begins play knowing one wilder power of your choice. At every even-numbered class level after 1st, she unlocks the knowledge of new powers.

Choose powers known from the wilder power list. An s-class wilder can manifest any power that has a power point cost equal to or lower than her manifester level.

The total number of powers an s-class wilder can manifest in a day is limited only by her daily power points.

An s-class wilder simply knows her powers; they are ingrained in her mind. She does not need to prepare them (in the way that some spellcasters prepare their spells), though she must get a good night’s sleep each day to regain all her spent power points.

The Difficulty Class for saving throws against wilder powers is: 10 + the power’s level + the wilder’s Charisma modifier.

Maximum Power Level Known: An s-class wilder begins play with the ability to learn 1st-level powers. As she attains higher levels, she may gain the ability to master more complex powers.

To learn or manifest a power, an s-class wilder must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the power’s level.

Wild Surge (Su)

An s-class wilder can let her passion and emotion rise to the surface in a wild surge when she manifests a power. During a wild surge, an s-class wilder gains phenomenal psionic strength, but may harm herself by the reckless use of her power (see psychic enervation, below).

An s-class wilder can choose to invoke a wild surge whenever she manifests a power. When she does so, she gains +1 to her manifester level with that manifestation of the power. The manifester level boost gives her the ability to augment her powers to a higher degree than she otherwise could; however, she pays no extra power point for this wild surge. Instead, the additional 1 power point that would normally be required to augment the power is effectively supplied by the wild surge.

Level-dependent power effects are also improved, depending on the power an s-class wilder manifests with her wild surge.

This improvement in manifester level does not grant her any other benefits outside of the manifestation (she gains no higher-level class abilities, for instance).

She cannot use the Overchannel psionic feat and invoke her wild surge at the same time.

At 3rd level, an s-class wilder boosts her manifester level by two instead of one. At 7th level, she boosts her manifester level by three; at 11th level, by four; at 15th level, by five; and at 19th level, by six. The wilder always wild surges for the maximum amount possible, for unleashing emotions in the fashion of a wild surge does not lend itself to using finesse.

In all cases, the wild surge effectively pays the extra power point cost that is normally required to augment the power by this additional amount; only the standard power point cost is subtracted from the wilder’s power point reserve.

The wilder can expend her psionic focus to manifest a psionic power without expending any power points, powering the manifestation with only her wild surge. She manifests this power as if all power points were paid by her wild surge ability. This results in the power being manifested as if the base power point cost of the power was paid, along with augmentation equal to her wild surge amount, but she may not augment the power beyond the amount of her wild surge, and when checking for psychic enervation, the chance to be overcome doubles to 30%. An s-class wilder must wait 10 minutes after wild surging in this fashion before she can do so again. If the wilder suffers psychic enervation and loses more power points than she has available, she instead loses 3 hit points for every power point lost.

Psychic Enervation (Ex)

Pushing oneself by invoking a wild surge is dangerous. Immediately following each wild surge, an s-class wilder may be overcome by the strain of her effort, the effect of which is detailed in the specific surge type below. The chance of suffering psychic enervation is 15%.

Surge Blast (Su)

An s-class wilder can channel her wild surge into a blast of uncontrolled phrenic energy. As a standard action and by expending psionic focus, the wilder can make a ranged touch attack (range 30’) that deals 1d6 points of force damage for every +1 to her wild surge.

Disrupt Pattern (Su)

When an s-class wilder gains psionic focus, she selects one creature type as her active type (she does not need to select a subtype).

As a standard action, the wilder can make a ranged touch attack with a range of 30 feet, firing a ray of black energy at a target she can see. If the attack is successful, the wilder deals 1d6 points of damage + additional damage equal to her Intelligence modifier. This attack deals half damage if the target’s type is not the wilder’s chosen type. Disrupt pattern can only be used once per round, even if an item or other effect would duplicate it.

Surge Bond

The wilder’s choice of emotional surge, as defined in psychic enervation, grants the wilder additional benefits through a surge bond. The wilder gains a unique benefit depending on the type of surge selected. A list of sample surge types and their bonds can be found at the end of this section.

Improved Surge Bond: At 5th level, the wilder’s surge bond grants additional special abilities depending on the type of wilder.

Elude Attack (Ex)

Starting at 2nd level, an s-class wilder’s intuition supersedes her intellect, alerting her to danger from attacks. She gains a +1 dodge bonus to her Armor Class. This bonus increases by 1 every 4 levels thereafter (+2 at 6th level, +3 at 10th level, etc).

Surging Euphoria (Ex)

Starting at 4th level, when an s-class wilder uses her wild surge ability, she gains a +1 morale bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws for a number of rounds equal to the intensity of her wild surge. If an s-class wilder is overcome by psychic enervation following her wild surge, she does not gain the morale bonus for this use of her wild surge ability.

At 12th level, the morale bonus on an s-class wilder’s attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws increases to +2. At 20th level, the bonus increases to +3.

Enervation Tolerance (Ex)

At 5th level, an s-class wilder’s ability to resist enervation when she surges improves. She reduces the chance that she suffers an enervation by 2%. This reduction applies after any other changes to the base enervation chance (such as when expending her psionic focus to manifest without spending power points).

The wilder’s enervation tolerance increases to 3% at 9th level, and to 5% at 13th level.

Secondary Surge (Su)

Starting at 5th level, an s-class wilder gains greater control over her emotions, allowing her to develop a secondary surge. Select a surge type the wilder doesn’t already possess. That surge type becomes the wilder’s secondary surge. A secondary surge functions in all ways as a wild surge, except as noted here.

• The secondary surge begins at +1. It increases to +2 at 11th level, and +3 at 17th level.
• The secondary surge also includes an additional surge bond. At 11th and 17th level, it grants improved surge bond benefits.
• The enervation tolerance for a secondary surge is doubled (4%, 6%, 10%).

Perfect Surge (Su)

The wilder has mastered the untamable and can now use a blindingly powerful version of wild surge, albeit at great cost. Once per day, the wilder may add +10 to her manifester level on one manifestation as if through wild surge. In addition to this increase, the manifestation also receives +3 to its save DC, +3 to any attack rolls involved, and is treated as a power five levels higher for the purposes of level-dependent effects (such as minor globe of invulnerability). A power manifested with a perfect surge has the radius and intensity of its associated displays doubled; such displays cannot be hidden normally. The wilder exudes light as if she is the subject of the daylight spell while using a perfect surge, and anyone who makes physical contact with her before the start of her next turn takes 1d4 points of fire damage. However, this extreme example of wild surging has its price. The wilder is struck by psychic enervation afterwards without fail, except she suffers her associated condition (dazed, staggered, etc.) for 1d4 rounds and loses a number of power points or hit points (dependent on path) equal to her manifester level +10. The wilder also takes 2 points of ability burn to every ability score.

The wilder cannot use wild surge or Overchannel on the same manifestation as a perfect surge.

Surge Types

Some of the surge types here are alternates of existing surge types. You can gain the benefits presented here, or those of the original surge type if you choose. These options are balanced in the same way and are available to both standard and s-class wilders.

Artificer’s Surge

Wild Surge and Psychic Enervation: The artificer wilder can channel her emotion into the objects around her, allowing her to control them or granting them greater function. The artificer wilder can wild surge to create one of the following spell effects. Her effective caster level with these effects is equal to her manifester level + her wild surge bonus.

• alarm, alchemical tinkering, animate rope, bed of iron, break, burning disarm, crafter’s fortune, detect secret doors, fabricate bullets, fabricate disguise, hold portal, identify, jury-rig, lighten object, longshot, mending, mirror polish, open/close, reinforce armaments, sundering shards, swift girding, technomancy

At 6th level, the artificer wilder adds these effects to her list. When creating these effects, the wilder must spend 5 power points.

• arcane lock, armor lock, conjure carriage, disable construct, explosive runes, heart of the metal, improve trap, instant weapon, keen edge, knock, make whole, masterwork transformation, obscure object, retrieve item, shrink item, silk to steel, telekinetic assembly, trapfinder’s focus

At 10th level, the artificer wilder adds these effects to her list. When creating these effects, the wilder must spend 9 power points.

• banishing blade, create armaments, fabricate, greater make whole, major creation, mass lighten object, minor creation, rune of ruin, unbreakable construct, ward shield

At 14th level, the artificer wilder adds these effects to her list. When creating these effects, the wilder must spend 13 power points.

• animate objects, artificer’s curse, awaken construct, control construct, hardening, magnetic field, memory of function, sabotage construct

After creating one of the effects listed here, the artificer wilder has a 20% chance of triggering psychic enervation. Alternatively, she can expend her psionic focus to create one of these effects without expending any power points, powering the effect with only her wild surge. This counts as the similar ability she uses when manifesting her psionic powers, and the chance to be overcome with psychic enervation doubles to 40%.

Surge Bond: You gain Arcane Strike as a bonus feat, even if you don’t meet the prerequisites.

Improved Surge Bond: At 5th level, the artificer wilder can apply a +1 enhancement bonus to a masterwork, non-magical item, which is obviously temporary and of no greater value as a result. She can have one such enhancement active at a time. At 9th level, and every 4 levels thereafter, this bonus increases by +1, and the artificer wilder can choose instead to “spend” the additional enhancements for magical abilities, such as flaming or speed. She must have access to those abilities or have previously encountered them to add them to grant them to her item.

Chaotic Surge

Wild Surge and Psychic Enervation: The chaotic wilder’s wild surge and psychic enervation warps the world around her. When the chaotic wilder invokes a wild surge, an area around her becomes chaotic terrain for a number of rounds equal to half her manifester level (minimum 3). The size of the area is 5 feet for every +1 of the chaotic wilder’s wild surge bonus. Only one chaotic terrain can exist in an area at a time, and only the stronger terrain persists when two would overlap.

At its most basic, chaotic terrain counts as difficult terrain. In addition, depending on the discipline of the wild surged power, another effect has a 4% chance per manifester level of the chaotic wilder to occur (minimum 20%) whenever a creature enters the area.

• Abjuration— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it reduces any damage dealt to it by the wild surge bonus while in the area for the duration. If it is an enemy, it must succeed at a Will save DC 10 + 1/2 the chaotic wilder’s manifester level + her Charisma modifier) or be unable to step into squares that would put it closer to the chaotic wilder for the duration.
• Clairsentience/Divination— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it adds the wild surge bonus as a circumstance bonus to its AC versus the next attack made against it or to its next saving throw within the duration. If it is an enemy, it suffers the same as a circumstance penalty instead.
• Illusion— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it becomes concealed for the duration. If it is an enemy, it cannot hide or benefit from cover, concealment, or invisibility for the duration.
• Metacreativity/Conjuration— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, a tiny, chaotic being of indeterminable origin appears and aids it by flanking creatures in the area for the duration. If it is an enemy, the creature instead distracts it, making it flat-footed for the duration.
• Necromancy— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it gains 10 temporary hit points for every +1 of the wild surge bonus. If it is an enemy, its maximum hit point total is reduced by that amount for the duration (this deals damage to the creature accordingly that can only be healed once the effect ends).
• Psychokinesis/Evocation— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it gains five times the wild surge bonus as resistance to one energy type determined at random (acid, cold, electricity, or fire) for the duration. If it is an enemy, it gains vulnerability instead.
• Psychometabolism/Transmutation— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it can make an additional attack each round at its highest attack bonus as part of a full-attack action while in the area. If it is an enemy, its first attack made each round as part of a full-attack action while in the area suffers a –5 penalty.
• Psychoportation/(Teleportation)— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it can teleport to any other space within the area as a move action. If it is an enemy, it must succeed at a Will save DC 10 + 1/2 the chaotic wilder’s manifester level + her Charisma modifier) or be teleported in a random direction (1d8, as with splash weapons) 5 feet for every +1 of the wild surge bonus.
• Telepathy/Enchantment— If the creature is an ally to the chaotic wilder, it can aid and receive aid from the chaotic wilder as a free action once per turn. If it is an enemy, it is confused for the duration or until it leaves the area.

Because the chaotic wilder has less control over her wild surge than most wilders, she has a 25% chance of triggering psychic enervation. When the chaotic wilder triggers psychic enervation, she is affected by her wild surge area as if she was an enemy and loses power points equal to her manifester level. If she would already be affected (by rolling the % chance for entering a square in the area), she also loses a number of power points equal to twice her manifester level.

Surge Bond: The chaotic wilder can benefit from her wild surge area as a swift action.

Improved Surge Bond: A chaotic wilder of 5th level or higher can target a creature in her wild surge area as a swift action and force it to reroll its % chance to be affected. At 9th level, she can target one creature already affected by her area as a standard action and increase the duration of the effect on it to 1 round per manifester level, persisting even once the area itself ends. She can use this ability once per wild surge at 9th level, plus one additional time per wild surge at 13th and 17th level.

Enduring Surge

Wild Surge and Psychic Enervation: The enduring wilder draws strength from taking action, and can only wild surge a number of times per day equal to her Charisma modifier. This value can increase or decrease as the day goes on. It functions as a swashbuckler’s panache pool, and the enduring wilder can regain points in the same ways (via critical hit or killing blow with a Light or One-Handed Piercing Melee Weapon).

When an enduring wilder suffers psychic enervation, she loses an additional charge of her wild surge and a number of power points equal to her normal manifester level (the increase in manifester level from her wild surge does not increase the number of power points lost). If she has no charges of her wild surge left for the day, the enduring wilder instead suffers nonlethal damage equal to her manifester level that cannot be reduced or healed until she regains at least 1 charge of wild surge.

Surge Bond: The enduring wilder gains a swashbuckler’s deed of her choice as a swashbuckler of her manifester level.

Improved Surge Bond: At 5th, 9th, 13th, and 17th level, the enduring wilder gains additional deeds as a swashbuckler of her manifester level.

Leader’s Surge

Wild Surge and Psychic Enervation: For the leader wilder, the rush of emotions is at its highest when amongst allies and friends. From their camaraderie, she draws renewed strength and in combat, their danger drives her emotions to almost paralyzing heights, sometimes spilling over into her aura. A leader wilder loses any active performance, cannot perform for a number of rounds equal to twice the level of wild surge used, and loses a number of power points equal to her normal manifester level (the increase in manifester level from her wild surge does not increase the number of power points lost). If the leader wilder suffers psychic enervation again while still suffering from a previous psychic enervation, the penalties do not stack, but the duration resets.

Surge Bond: The leader wilder gains the bardic performance class feature, as the bard, except as follows: the number of rounds per day she may perform is equal to 2 + her Charisma modifier, +1 per level of wilder she possesses. If she also has levels of bard, add the durations of each together, counting Charisma only once between them. At 1st level, the leader wilder knows one bardic performance of her level automatically, and she can learn additional performances using feats as she gains levels.

Improved Surge Bond: At 5th, 9th, 13th and 17th level the leader wilder automatically gains an additional bardic performance as a bard of the same level. If she has levels of bard, add those levels to her wilder level to determine which bardic performances she can select.