Transcendent Order Prestege Classes

Without further ado and little fanfair, I present three PrCs for review.

Cadence Dancer
The Cadence of the Planes - or heartbeat of the multiverse - is central to Cipher philosophy. A rare few known as the cadence dancers devote themselves entirely to it, attuning themselves more closely through an unfettered devotion. By freeing their mind of hesitation and deliberation, they become one with their actions, relying in instinct and impulse. They train hard to strengthen both mind and body, and thus remove all barriers to action as the multiverse needs. After all, a person that is weak of mind or body may know the rhythm of it all, but they will be unable to act upon it.

To some extent the cadence dancers resemble various monastical orders, but they differ in that there is no rigid order or structure behind their learning. Instead, they follow their own paths, occasionally looking to their fellows for guidance. There is no formal organization, no temples of Oneness, no rites of initiation. Rather, ciphers will learn and teach wherever they feel appropriate, though often places will become gathering points, such as the homes and businesses of ciphers, or a particularly serene open area. A number travel to Elysium, where they can find such places and confer in quiet harmony.

Cadence dancers are skilled at dealing with a variety of challenges and threats, and often seem to know what needs to be done long before they actually perform the action. Though they seem peaceful to an outsider, they very much adapt to a given situation. Sometimes they will work to forge peace from war - or vice versa. They do what they do to preserve the balance between the alignments, making their actions seem mysterious and incomprehensible to outsiders. Some see them as unpredictable and unreliable, but ultimately other ciphers know to place faith in the Cadence of the Planes, and to let it guide their fellows as it may.

Hit die: d8.

Table 3-4: The Cadence Dancer
Fort Ref Will
Lvl BAB Save Save Save Special

1 +0 +2 +2 +2 Pulse of the Multiverse +1
2 +1 +3 +3 +3 Cadence Dance
3 +2 +3 +3 +3 Hear the Rhythm, Pulse of the Multiverse +2
4 +3 +4 +4 +4 Cadence Dance, Dream the Rhythm
5 +3 +4 +4 +4 Be the Rhythm, Pulse of the Multiverse +3

Requirements
To qualify to become a cadence dancer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any neutral.
Skills: Concentration 9 ranks, Perform (Dance) 9 ranks.
Feat: Cadence Whispers, Cipher Trance.
Special: Membership in the Transcendent Order.

Class Skills
The cadence dancer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Control (Wis), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (the planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha), Profession (Int), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All the following are features of the cadence dancer prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Cadence dancers gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Pulse of the Multiverse: While in a trance the effects of any music or song based abilities that grant a nonvariable numeric bonus, such as bardic music and some spells, are enhanced by +1. For example, inspire heroics would grant a cadence dancer a +5 morale bonus to saving throws and a +5 dodge bonus to AC. At 3rd level and 5th level, this enhancement increases by +1.

Cadence Dance: It becomes easier for the cadence dancer to let themselves go and embrace the cadence of the planes. At 2nd and 4th level, the cadence dancer gains Extra Cipher Trance as a bonus feat.

Hear the Rhythm: At 3rd level, the cadence dancer trusts the cadence of the planes to guide them to where they need to be, gaining Walk the Predefined Path as a bonus feat. If the cadence dancer already has this feat, they may choose another Transcendent Order feat for which they meet the prerequisites.

Dream the Rhythm (Sp): At 4th level, the cadence dancer's ability to commune with the multiverse heightens, granting further wisdom. They may use planar union (see Chapter 5) as a spell-like ability once per day as a cleric of their character level.

Be the Rhythm (Sp): At 5th level, the cadence dancer is so in synch with the multiversal harmony that they can detect threats to themselves. They may use foresight as a spell-like ability once per day as a cleric of his character level.

Disciple of Razule
Some ciphers take the goal of unifying body and mind more literally than most, using psionic abilities to bring the two into unison. To them, the barriers between the mind and body are not only something to be overcome, they're completely artificial. The Disciples of Razule believe that no distinction should be made between the two at all - that the two are separate at all is simply a widely-held fallacy. Though the founder of this subfaction is long forgotten and many other ciphers see them as having strayed too far from the multiversal beat, they also can't deny that the Disciples of Razule may be addressing an imbalance no one else has even recognized. Because the Disciples accept new students based on dedication and capability instead of faction membership, they’ve also gained friends in other factions, particularly the Mind’s Eye.

Hit die: d6.

Table 3-4: The Disciple of Razule
Fort Ref Will
Lvl BAB Save Save Save Special Powers Known
1 +0 +2 +0 +2 Unified Power -
2 +1 +3 +0 +3 - +1 level of existing manifesting class
3 +2 +3 +1 +3 Unified Being -
4 +3 +4 +1 +4 - +1 level of existing manifesting class
5 +3 +4 +1 +4 Unified Focus -

Requirements
To qualify to become a Disciple of Razule, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any neutral.
Skills: Autohypnosis 8 ranks, Concentration 8 ranks.
Feats: Body Fuel, Mind Over Body, Psionic Body.
Special: Must receive training from a Disciple of Razule.

Class Skills
The Disciple of Razule’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Control (Wis), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Jump (Str), Knowledge (psionics) (Int), Profession (Int), Psicraft (Int), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All the following are features of the Disciple of Razule prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Disciples of Razule gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Powers Known: At every level indicated on the table, the character gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if they had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class they belonged to before they added the prestige class. They do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, psicrystal special abilities, and so on). If they had more than one manifesting class before they become a Disciple of Razule, they must decide to which class to add each level for the purposes of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.

Unified Power (Su): The potential of the body becomes one with the aptitude of the mind. While psionically focused, if the Disciple of Razule’s Intelligence is lower than their Strength they receive an enhancement bonus to their Intelligence equal to the difference between the two abilities. If their Strength is lower than their Intelligence they receive an enhancement bonus to their Strength equal to the difference between the two abilities. For instance, if a disciple has Strength 12 and Intelligence 17, they receive a +5 enhancement bonus to Strength. This ability equalizes their permanent ability scores, and does not adjust for ability burn or enhancements from spells and equipment.

Unified Being (Su): At 3rd level, the endurance of the body becomes one with the resolve of the soul. While psionically focused, if the Disciple of Razule’s Charisma is lower than their Constitution they receive an enhancement bonus to their Charisma equal to the difference between the two abilities. If their Constitution is lower than their Charisma they receive an enhancement bonus to their Constitution equal to the difference between the two abilities. For instance, if a disciple has Constitution 15 and Charisma 12, they receive a +3 enhancement bonus to Charisma. This ability equalizes their permanent attribute scores, and does not adjust for attribute burn or enhancements from spells and equipment.

Unified Focus (Su): At 5th level, the instincts of the body become one with the intuition of the mind. While psionically focused, if the Disciple of Razule’s Dexterity is lower than their Wisdom they receive an enhancement bonus to their Dexterity equal to the difference between the two abilities. If their Wisdom is lower than their Dexterity they receive an enhancement bonus to their Wisdom equal to the difference between the two abilities. For instance, if a disciple has Dexterity 18 and Wisdom 14, they receive a +4 enhancement bonus to Wisdom. This ability equalizes their permanent attribute scores, and does not adjust for attribute burn or enhancements from spells and equipment.

Trance Caster
Trance magic is a relatively recent innovation by cipher standards. Though originally developed several centuries ago, it was only recently that it finally came into its own, spreading across the Great Ring. No one member is credited with its teachings, but rather, it is believed to be the final product of many small discoveries, uniting magic with the Cadence of the Planes in order to cast magic in an natural, swift fashion. The general idea is "magic as thought", and the ease and speed with which trance casters work their magic is surprising and disturbing, especially to "learned" spellcasters.

This style of magic appears restricted to those who work magic in a spontaneous fashion, and doesn't function with those that actually need to perform serious memorization or prayer behind their spells. It requires the potential to work magic without structure, casting spells according to whim and impulse. While extremely flexible, trance casting has the drawback of being dependent on the cipher trance state, which requires a fair amount of dedication to the Transcendent Order philosophy to achieve and maintain.

Hit die: d4.

Table 3-4: The Trance Caster
Fort Ref Will
Lvl BAB Save Save Save Special Spells per Day
1 +0 +0 +2 +2 Trance Casting +1 level of existing spellcasting class
2 +1 +0 +3 +3 Rapid Casting -
3 +1 +1 +3 +3 - +1 level of existing spellcasting class
4 +2 +1 +4 +4 Instinctive Casting -
5 +2 +1 +4 +4 Impulse Casting +1 level of existing spellcasting class

Requirements
To qualify to become a trance caster, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Alignment: Any neutral.
Skills: Concentration 12 ranks, Spellcraft 12 ranks.
Feats: Eschew Material Components, Improved Initiative, Quicken Metamagic, Trance.
Special: Membership in the Transcendent Order.

Class Skills
The Disciple of Razule’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Concentration (Con), Control (Wis), Craft (Int), Listen (Wis), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Int), Spellcraft (Int), Spot (Wis), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features
All the following are features of the trance caster prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Trance casters gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Spells per Day: At every level indicated on the table, the character gains new spells per day and spells known as if they had also gained a level in any one spellcasting class to which they belonged before adding the prestige class level. They do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would normally gain (such as bonus feats, bard abilities, familiar special abilities, and so on). If they had more than one spellcasting class before they become a trance caster, they must decide to which class to add each level for the purposes of determining spells per day and spells known.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Trance casters gain no proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Trance Casting: Abandoning ritual and formula for the inner power that comes from being in tune with the multiverse, the trance caster no longer needs to use verbal or somatic components for their spontaneous spells so long as they are in a trance.

Rapid Casting: At 2nd level, the trance caster begins to speed the flow of magic through them to match the pulse of their body. While in a trance any spell that would normally require a full round, such as a spell modified by metamagic or a summon monster spell, requires only a standard action.

Instinctive Casting: At 4th level, the trance caster senses the beat to which other spellcasters move as well as her own and can react without thinking to counter their spells. While in a trance they can counterspell an opponent’s spell as an immediate action even if they did not ready an action to do so.

Impulse Casting: At 5th level, the direction of magical energy by the trance caster is instantaneous. While in a trance any spell that would normally require a standard action is instead cast as a swift action. The trance caster cannot force themselves to take longer, there is simply no delay between the will to cast and the actual magical effect. Because only one swift action may be made a round, the trance caster cannot cast multiple spells per round unless casting a spell that would normally take longer than a standard action.