Vim tel'Gossamer's page

Not all psions see their psicrystals as expendable scouts, but rather as cherished friends and trusted advisors - after all, they are listening to a facet of themselves and who could be more loyal to you than yourself? Some of these psions and a few psychic warriors choose to embed or implant their psicrystals into their own bodies, which makes the psicrystals nearly indestructible from outside forces and gives them a trusted advisor in social situations or an extra mind to handle what happens on a battlefield. These psicrystals exhibit an even closer connection to their masters and while they cannot deliver touch powers, fly or scout an area, they enhance their masters in different ways. They share their telepathic sight and power resistance with their masters and offer a more comprehensive helping hand in most situations, always dependent on their personalities. Some psions have them implanted into their spine or at the base of their skulls to hide the crystal, while others implant the crystal shard in their forehead forming a mythical “third eye” while warriors tend to have them implanted into the hand or chest, often sporting custom made armor to show off the crystal to their enemies.

Requirement A character needs to take the Superior Psicrystal* feat to gain access to this type of psicrystal. Once they have chosen this manifestation of the feat, they cannot choose another. If this feat is chosen after first level, it represents the melding or implantation of the psicrystal. This version overwrites the psicrystal gained from Psicrystal Affinity.

Effects

All implanted psicrystals impart abilities to their owners depending on the level of the owner instead of manifesting as a singular creature, as shown on the table. The abilities on the table are cumulative. It is also important to note that an implanted psicrystal cannot be targeted in any way and for all intents and purposes, isn’t a targetable or separate creature, instead providing their abilities directly.

Implanted Psicrystal Special Abilities

---ML---Init.Bonus--- Special
1st-2nd- +1 -Alertness, personality, tele- pathic link
3rd-4th- +2 -Sighted
5th-6th- +3 -Telepathic Speech
7th-8th- +4 -Focused Personality
9th-10th- +5 -
11th-12th- +6 -Resistant Mind
13th-14th- +7 -
15th-16th- +8 -
17th-18th- +9 -
19th-20th- +10 -

Initiative Bonus (Ex): This number noted here is an improvement to the master’s Initiative score as the psicrystal helps them react and act faster than would be possible for them otherwise.

Alertness (Ex): The presence of a psicrystal sharpens its master’s senses. As long as the crystal is functioning its owner gains the Alertness feat.

Personality (Ex): Every psicrystal has a personality. See the Psicrystal Personality table at the end of the book.

Telepathic Link (Su): The owner has a telepathic link with his psicrystal. The owner can communicate telepathically as if the psicrystal were the target of a mindlink power manifested by the owner. Because of the telepathic link between a psicrystal and its owner, the owner can react to events which the psicrystal perceives (illustrated in the Initiative bonus above). In addition, once per day the master can roll two d20 when making a non-physical skill check and take the best result as the psicrystal helps him find a new way to manage a problem.

Sighted (Ex): Although it has no physical sensory organs, an implanted psicrystal can telepathically sense its environment as well as a creature with normal vision and hearing. Darkness (even supernatural darkness) is irrelevant, as are areas of supernatural silence, though a psicrystal still can’t discern invisible or ethereal beings. A psicrystal’s sighted range is 40 feet and at 3rd level its master can use it for up to 1 minute per level every day. These minutes can be used in 1 minute increments.

Telepathic Speech (Ex): If the owner is 5th level or higher, she and the implanted psicrystal may communicate telepathically with any creature within 30 feet that has a language.

Focused Personality (Ex): If the owner is 7th level or higher, the implanted psicrystals personality becomes empowered by its long connection to its master and the bonus granted by the personality shard increases by +2. This increase affects all personalities in an implanted psicrystal. In addition, the owner increases his Will-save by +2 as his mind is strengthened by his companion.

Resistant Mind (Ex): If the owner is 11th level or higher, once per day, when the owner fails a saving throw against a mind-affecting effect, as an immediate action she can shunt that effect into the implanted
psicrystal’s consciousness instead. When she does so, she is not affected by the mind-affecting effect, but for the normal duration of that effect, the owner loses the bonuses on Initiative and the personality bonus the psicrystal provices, and can’t use this ability to shunt a mind-affecting effect into the psicrystal’s consciousness.

DESCRIPTION

This snakeskin belt’s buckle is shaped like a serpent’s head.

The wearer gains a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength and a +2 competence bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks. Treat the enhancement bonus to Strength as temporary ability bonus for the first 24 hours the belt is worn. In addition, the belt grants the wearer the constrict ability for 1d6 points of damage plus the wearer’s Strength modifier.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Wondrous Item, Metamorphosis, Animal Affinity, Grip of Iron; Cost 9,250 gp.

DESCRIPTION

Flecks of silver are visible among the dull gray of these magical earrings.

EFFECT

This ring offers psionic protection in the form of a +1 to +5 resistance bonus on all saving throws (Fortitude, Reflex, and Will).

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Craft Wondrous Item, fortify, creator’s manifester level must be at least three times the cloak’s bonus; Cost 500 gp (+1), 2,000 gp (+2), 4,500 gp (+3), 8,000 gp (+4), 12,500 gp (+5)

DESCRIPTION

This crystal monocle is tinged red and can give the wearer the ability to interpret the emotional aura of a specific creature. When the wearer expends his psionic focus while looking at a single creature, he gains a +5 insight bonus to Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks against that creature for one round.

CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

Feats Craft Wondrous Item; Powers empathy; Cost 875 gp

The hardest parts about thieving, Vim learned on his first and last night on the job, was the secret-keeping bit and the feeling-bad-about it bit. Sure, Vim was a more than capable liar, and he could sneak through a room quieter than almost anyone, but when at the end of the job his crew went their separate ways, Vim found himself walking to the closest precinct to turn himself in for a crime that hadn't even been reported yet.

The officer on duty, once he was convinced Vim wasn't lying to him, faced an interesting decision. Here was, as he'd just heard in excruiciating detail, a down-on-himself fourth son of a well-accomplished Healer, searching for something to be good at after utterly failing at of his umpteenth attempt at mastering the manipulation of healing energy. And he'd found it, to be fair. The museum he'd broken in to was no small-time library- it was a well guarded building and contained a fortress's worth of security. If the boy had in fact done what he'd claimed and facilitated a break-in, then he was either the most talented liar or the best cat-burglar he'd ever come across. And whichever it was (or both, as it turned out), the boy's skills could prove valuable.

Luckily for Vim, or perhaps with Fate's finger on the scales a bit, this particular officer was well connected. Placed in his position by high-ranking intelligence officials, his primary duty was to keep an ear to the ground for potential recruits. And so, when the call eventually came in alerting the precinct to the crime, and thus confirming Vim's story, an offer was made. With little thinking, Vim accepted, hoping to keep himself out of prison and giving far less thought to how this would affect the rest of his life than maybe he should have.

Regardless, Vim took to the work, and drew satisfaction from it. After his training period, he graduated and worked his way steadily upwards, officially taking a cover-position as a mid-level auditor for the Clan's trading arm, which facilitated his frequent travel schedule. He darted from city to city as directed, recovering information and artifacts as needed by his superiors, and earning a name for himself within the organization as he gained experience. In the process, he awakened the powers he did have, developing not Vitalist abilities, but a suite of powers to complement his skill set: subtle, effective, and practical. Yes, Vim had made a terrible thief, but he turned out to be quite the spy, when all was said and done.

Personality/History:
Vim's a talented and confident professional now, with a decade of spycraft on the books, but wasn't always that way. Aimless and complacent in his youth, he coasted on the success of his family, a moderately wealthy and successful brood of Vitalists and crafters. Years of unsuccessful attempts to follow in his sibling's footsteps and join the family business eventually soured his outlook, until he joined a rather unceremonius thieving crew. As it turned out, while his childhood hadn't taught him anything in the way of Vitalism, he had developed a conscious, and immediately turned himself in.

Once recruited by the Intelligence Service, he was more fully exposed to other types of psionics, and with the help of some very talented trainers and teachers, was able to develop his mind and body past what he'd ever thought possible. With success and a fulfilling life, he grew back to the joyful person he'd been earlier in life. Vim appreciates the finer things society has to offer, and indulges himself when he travels, as fitting one of his station.

Now an older, more accomplished agent, Vim's conscious hasn't changed much, be he has grown ever more confident. He knows some of the things he does might not seem to the casual observer like they fall in line with anyone's strong moral code, but his utter confidence in Clan Astradia's ability to make the 'right' decisions carries him through, even when he walks a fine, gray line.

To keep up appearances, he's learned a fair bit of Trade Auditing & Administration, and tends to equip himself lightly, so as not to raise suspicion. A great many psionic items would certainly help his professional activities, but a Crystal Mask is much harder to explain than one would often like, and so Vim has developed a largely unarmed fighting style when necessary, though it's more common he's able to bluff himself out of a tight spot.