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[img]https://1gr.cz/fotky/idnes/14/082/cl6h/ANB553317_worldofumbra01.jpg[/img]
For ten years I have been polishing this sword;
Its frosty edge has never been put to the test.
Now I am holding it and showing it to you, sir:
Is there anyone suffering from injustice?
-Jia Dao, 'The Swordsman'
The word Wuxia is a compound composed of the elements wu (literally "martial" or "armed") and xia (literally "honorable," "chivalry" or "heroic"). A martial artist who follows the code of xia is often referred to as a Xiake (literally "follower of xia") or Youxia (literally "wandering xia"). In some translations, the martial artist is referred to as a "swordsman" or "swordswoman" even though he or she may not necessarily wield a sword. As a genre, wuxia tales have been adapted to stage, song, comics, novels, and of course the silver screen. Films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of the Flying Daggers have been big hits far outside of their native China and have influenced the style of many Hollywood action flicks.
In fact, there's a certain space opera mega-franchise that owes as much to the Chinese Wuxia genre as it does the Japanese Chanbara epic. You know the one I'm talking about: psychic space monks, evil black knights, humble farm boys with great destinies, captive princesses, and hidden fortresses... Yeah, that one.
I really like the standard Solarian of Starfinder, but I feel that it draws much of its inspiration and thematic elements from a more Western chivalry tradition. Don't get me wrong, space-knights in (sometimes literally) shining armor with magic swords are cool and all... But, well, I wanted to create something a little more Eastern in feel.
This class is based, largely, on Starfinder's standard Soldier class with the Phrenic Adept archetype. In fact, its perfectly possible to play a Wuxia-style character with only that class... But, hey, I wanted to tinker and make things even a bit more like how I wanted them to be.
The Youxia combine physical training with mastery of psionic powers. Youxia concentrate on battle prowess, defense, and martial arts training. Additionally, they are ambassadors of justice, if not necessarily law, protecting the innocent from all evils, be they space pirates or cruel colonial governors. These men solely travelled the stars using a quiet influential word or naked physical force to right the wrongs done to the common people by the powers that be, often judged by their personal codes of chivalry. Youxia did not come from any social class or species in particular, folktales describe them as being princes, government officials, poets, musicians, physicians, professional soldiers, merchants, monks and even humble farmers and butchers. Some were just as handy with a calligraphy brush as others were with swords and spears.
All Youxia journey into the galaxy at large to further their own knowledge and to help those in need. They take their responsibility seriously, considering even the mundane missions to be personal tests. Few have the devotion to walk the Youxia's path and they must often walk it alone.
Hit Points: 6
Stamina Points: 6 + Constitution Modifier
Key Ability Score: Your Wisdom determines your ability to channel your telepathic powers, so Wisdom it your key ability score. A high Strength and Charisma are also important abilities for a Youxia.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Engineering (Int), Mysticism (Wis), Perception (Wis), Piloting (Dex), Profession (Cha, Int, or Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Survival (Wis)
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier
Proficiencies: Armor (light), Weapons (basic melee and advanced melee, small arms)
[code]Level BAB Fort Ref Will Class Features
1st +0 +0 +2 +2 Youxia Feat
2nd +1 +0 +3 +3 Telepathic Link
3rd +2 +1 +3 +3 Weapon Specialization, Youxia Feat
4th +3 +1 +4 +4 Telepathic Defense
5th +3 +1 +4 +4 Youxia Feat
6th +4 +1 +5 +5 Telepathic Senses
7th +5 +2 +5 +5 Youxia Feat
8th +6 +2 +6 +6 Tranquil Deflection
9th +6 +2 +6 +6 Youxia Feat
10th +7 +3 +7 +7 Tranquil Fury
11th +8 +3 +7 +7 Youxia Feat
12th +9 +3 +8 +8 Telepathic Power
13th +9 +4 +8 +8 Youxia Feat
14th +10 +4 +9 +9 Telepathic Bond
15th +11 +5 +9 +9 Improved Tranquil Fury, Youxia Feat
16th +12 +5 +10 +10 Tranquil Reflection
17th +12 +5 +10 +10 Youxia Feat
18th +13 +6 +11 +11 Telepathic Power Mastery
19th +14 +6 +11 +11 Youxia Feat
20th +15 +6 +12 +12 Kōngxū[/code]
[u]Youxia Feat 1st Level[/u]
A 1st level and every two levels thereafter, you gain a bonus feat in addition to those gained from normal advancement. These bonus feats must be selected from the following list: Antagonize, Blind-Fight, Cleave, Enhanced Resistance, Fleet, Great Cleave, Kip Up, Major Psychic Power, Minor Psychic Power, Mobility, Multi-Weapon Fighting, Mystic Strike, Psychic Power, Quick Draw, Weapon Focus
Additionally, you no longer need to meet the minimum Charisma requirement of the feat Minor Psychic Power or of any feat that has Minor Psychic Power as a prerequisite.
[u]Telepathic Link (Su) 2nd Level[/u]
You gain limited telepathy, as per the lashunta racial trait. If your race already grants you limited telepathy (such as with the lashunta and shirren races), you instead increase the range of your limited telepathy by 60 feet.
You can also select two additional languages to act as languages that you can use only to communicate telepathically with creatures that know the language. If you learn the full version of a language in which you can only communicate telepathically through other means (such as investing ranks in the Culture skill), you can select a new language to be able to communicate telepathically in at the same time.
[u]Telepathic Defense (Ex) 4th Level[/u]
Your psychic powers give you additional defenses against mental attacks. The first time you fail a saving throw against a spell or effect with the emotion, fear, mind-affecting, or pain descriptor, you can spend 1 Resolve Point as a reaction to immediately reroll the failed saving throw.
Even if the second saving throw fails, your stronger defenses might reduce the effect of the spell or ability. If the spell or ability deals damage, reduce the damage done by an amount equal to your class level. If the spell or ability has a duration of 2 rounds or longer, reduce its duration by half.
[u]Telepathic Senses (Sp) 6th Level[/u]
You gain the power to sense mental abilities and the creatures who have them. As a standard action, you can spend 1 Resolve Point to activate your telepathic senses. This acts as the spell arcane sight, except you see only magic sources with the emotion, fear, mind-affecting, or pain descriptor. If you succeed at a Mysticism check to determine a source’s school of magic, you also learn which of these descriptors apply to it. If you concentrate on a specific creature within 120 feet of you as a standard action to determine whether it has any spellcasting or spell-like abilities (see arcane sight), you learn only that it does if at least one of those abilities has one of these descriptors, and you learn the caster level of only the most powerful of these abilities.
While your telepathic senses are active, you also gain blindsense (emotion) with a range of 30 feet.
[u]Tranquil Deflection (Ex) 8th Level[/u]
When you would be hit by a ranged attack from a weapon or Spell that deals energy or kinetic damage, you can spend 1 Resolve Point as a reaction to make an attack roll with a melee weapon that deals the same general category of damage (energy or kinetic). If your attack roll is higher than the attack roll that hit you, you deflect the attack with your weapon, and it misses. This doesn’t work against area attacks, even against area attacks that have attack rolls like blast weapons, and you can’t use this reaction if you aren’t capable of making an attack with an appropriate weapon.
If you also have the Deflect Projectiles Feat, you gain a +5 bonus to your Tranquil Deflection attack roll.
[u]Tranquil Fury (Ex) 10th Level[/u]
When making a full attack using only melee weapons or unarmed, you can make up to three attacks instead of two attacks. You take a –6 penalty to these attacks instead of a –4 penalty.
[u]Telepathic Power (Ex) 12th Level[/u]
Your psychic abilities have significantly strengthened, allowing you to duplicate the effects of specific higher-level spells. Once per day, you can cast a spell from the following list as a spell-like ability: confusion, mind probe, and telepathic bond. At 16th level, you can use this ability twice per day, and at 20th level, you can use this ability three times per day. The save DC of these spells is equal to 10 + the spell level + your key ability score’s modifier.
[u]Telepathic Bond (Sp) 14th Level[/u]
As a standard action, you can form a telepathic link with up to six other willing creatures, allowing you to communicate telepathically at great distances. This functions as telepathic bond, except the duration is permanent. You can have only one telepathic bond active in this way at any given time; creating a new telepathic bond immediately ends the previous one.
[u]Improved Tranquil Fury (Ex) 15th Level[/u]
When using your Tranquil Fury ability, you now take only a –4 penalty to these attacks instead of a –6 penalty.
[u]Tranquil Reflection (Ex) 16th Level[/u]
When you successfully deflect an attack with the Tranquil Deflection ability, you can spend 1 additional Resolve Point to redirect the attack at a target within 60 feet to which you have line of effect. Make a ranged attack at a –4 penalty against the appropriate Armor Class of the new target. If your attack succeeds, the target is damaged as if it had been the target of the original attack.
If you also have the Reflect Projectiles Feat, you instead increase the range of your reflected attack by 60 feet.
[u]Telepathic Power Mastery (Su) 18th Level[/u]
Your psychic powers have grown to grant you potent mental abilities. Once per day you can use one of the following abilities. The save DC of these abilities is equal to 10 + half your Youxia level + your Wisdom modifier.
Mass Synesthesia: As a standard action, you can scramble the senses of creatures, causing their sensory input to be processed by the wrong senses, such that noises trigger bursts of color, smells are perceived as sounds, and so on. You can target one creature per 2 class levels, no two of which can be more than 30 feet apart and all of which must be within 100 feet of you. Each target must succeed at a Will save or be staggered and forced to treat all creatures as having concealment for 1 round per class level you have. Abilities that negate or reduce the effects of concealment have no effect on mass synesthesia. This is a mind-affecting ability.
Psychic Crush: As a standard action, you can invade the mind of a single creature within 60 feet of you. You deal 15d8 nonlethal damage and cause the target to be sickened for 1 round per Youxia level you have. If the target succeeds at a Fortitude save, it takes half damage and is not sickened. This is a pain effect.
Thought Shield: As a move action, you can grant yourself a +5 enhancement bonus to saving throws against mind-affecting effects for 1 round per Youxia level you have. For this duration, you are also immune to spells and effects that allow creatures to read your thoughts.
[u]Kōngxū (Su) 20th Level[/u]
You have gained the ability to assume an ethereal state for as though using the spell ethereal jaunt. Using this ability is a move action instead of the spell's normal standard action casting time and the duration is halved, otherwise this ability is identical to the spell.