Studio M compilation for February 21
Introduction
So, Hall Kennette is a prolific author that has been kind of focusing on Akashic magic supplements. He has a Patreon where he publishes his designs, and he compiles this material monthly normally with a thematic motif. This is the result.
What’s inside?: 16 pages for 5 bucks, which includes:
-5 Archetypes: The Kshatriya is an archetype for the Rajah, the only akashic book I haven’t reviewed, (I haven’t had the opportunity to play Path of War, let alone support books) that instead of the powerful Path of War system, uses the flexible and more down-to-earth Spheres of Might! I remember it has a low BAB, but the Kshatriya gets the adept maneuver progression, meaning 15 talents, and when performing maneuvers through vassals, use their veilweaver level. A great hack of the base class and NOW I will be able to use it, so I might for once read that book! Nice one!
The Record Keeper Scholar loses all medical training and flashbangs for modest veilweaving (Int mod veils from the vizier list +1/lvl, up to 4 veils and 10 essence) and can increase their essence and gain bind with some knacks. The Stormfury Stormbound gets a warrior HD/BAB and Expert talent progression in exchange for all normal veilweaving. Here I would have preferred a champion with access to the Weather sphere, but ok. The Veiled Combatant Striker becomes just a proficient combatant (losing half their talents) for modest, constitution-based veilweaving abilities (up to 5 veils, 10 essence, 7 binds), and a lot of small and big hacks to the base Tension engine to create a truly different beast! Another winner here!
Araneanen Vigilante are one of those veil specialists, mastering Lashing Spinnerets and Spiderweb Wrappings AND learning some special tricks with them, replacing their specialization and half their vigilante talents but counting as stalkers for talents… So yeah! This is the closest you will get to playing Spidey!
-11 feats and 1 trait: Akashic Aura lets you increase your pally/antipally’s aura by investing essence in them. Akashic Fury damages creatures near you when you are (blood)raging, using again “akashic” damage and the Fort DC to half it is ridiculous (10+½lvl+Con mod… +essence invested!), this one is too strong IMHO. Duelist’s Bind makes the Weapon Training class feature an essence receptacle that increases damage (good) AND attack (not so good) by point of essence invested (should be bound). Chakra Focus increases the DC to the ability of a veil that can be shaped to that chakra. Essence-Bound Channel increases the healing/harm done by channel energy by investing essence in it (should be bound IMHO). Essence Forged Armaments increases your effective monk or warpriest level (or a class with a similar upgradable weapon damage) to determine the damage dice (not a fan, since from one level to another, the essence needed to benefit from this ability changes drastically). Focused Veil doubles the hardness of a specific veil AND increases the DC by 2. Registered Foe lets you bind essence into this feat for a temporary change in favored enemies (why does a temporary ability requires essence binding while the others, while other feats in this section have greater repercussions? Who knows). Set Focus is yet another feat that increases the DC and hardness of veils, but this time focusing in a veil set; this one increases the hardness by 3 for each other veil from the set, and all the set veils’ DC by 1. Studied Veilweaving increases your effective veilweaver level, useful for multiclassers. Veil-bound Detection lets you disable magical traps and serves as an essence receptacle, increasing perception for spotting hidden foes and traps, disable device checks, and saves and AC against traps; in this particular instance I won’t complain about it being an essence receptacle, but sounds more like a veil though. The Apprentice Veilweaver magic trait is like the light version of the Studied Veilweaving feat.
-Veilweaving Section: this includes the Enhanced descriptor, which I’m not a fan of as is it now, since it basically make magical armor and weapons and sunder obsolete, but that’s my opinion. It includes all the aspects of the descriptor, which is great since the book includes variants for all 15 Akashic Trinity and the first volume of Akashic Realms’ weapon and armor veils.
Apart from the variant veils, there is a new set, Gravelord’s Regalia, a 7 veil set (which only the vizier can shape them all) that includes 3 veils from Akashic Mysteries, and gives us 4 new veils: Coronet of the Gravelord is a headband veil that lets you detect and gain the favor of the undead, and even command them when bound! KEWL! Grasp of Undeath is a wrists veil is like a chill touch in veil form minus the Strength damage, but nauseating the living and panicking the undead and those living healed by negative energy, and paralyzing when bound. Cryptbreaker’s Greatcloak is a shoulders veil that lets you lesser animate dead and giving you a desecrating aura that empowers undead in the radius, increasing the range and the bonus to undead by investing essence, and functioning as animate dead when bound. Finally, Soul of the Unliving is a belt and body veil that makes you one of the undead minus the immunities, treating you as an undead creature for effects that make the distinction, giving you resistance to cold and electricity and a bit of natural armor, and changing your polarity, being healed by negative and damaged by positive energies. You can also heal yourself a couple of times per day, useful since you can’t be healed by more standard means; essence increases the resistance and natural armor, and binding it to a veil gives you a lich-like akashic phylactery, and the body bind makes this effect even stronger. Cool! I would have added full undead immunities for the body bind, since it is a capstone ability.
Of Note: The Kshatriya makes me give the Rajah a second look, and the rest of the archetypes are intriguing. The Gravelord’s Regalia is really cool too!
Anything wrong?: I am still not convinced about Enhanced veils, and make me realize that some weapons, and specially some armor veils are very powerful, including those made by the original author of Akashic Mysteries. Also, the fact that most feats don’t follow the standard and work with essence investment instead of binding makes me uneasy, and most are very powerful.
What I want: There are some things that need standardization, like “akashic” damage, and maybe an optional version of the Enhanced descriptor.
What cool things did this inspire?: I want to give the Rajah a second look, as well as make at least one Veiled Combatant. And I got some evil ideas for the Gravelord’s Regalia mwahahaha!
Do I recommend it?: If you play with Spheres content and you like the Enhanced descriptor, completely. If not, the feats, Araneanen and the veil set are cool, so if you are willing to skip on a McDonuts meal, then go for it. 4 Sphere-shaped stars from this reviewer.
How would someone purchase it, look up February compilation on Drive Thru?
Sorry mah guy forgot to check on responses to these posts. Yeah, just search for Studio M or Akashic on Drivethrough