Transcendent
Certain warriors delve into esoteric studies to reach states of altered consciousness and bend matter to their will in addition to training with armaments and strategies. Transcendents are such students, using psionic talent to enhance their prowess beyond their mortal limit.
Esoteric Prowess
Controlling psychic energy isn’t a simple task. Rather it requires immense levels of discipline. Transcendents frequently practice their psionic and martial arts with a zeal matched only by the most consummate of knights and fighters. Focus is vital for transcendents to possess in order to thrive under the rigors or war.
Many transcendents recognize that simply studying or sequestering themselves away in cloisters will do little to push them in enhancing their powers. As such, they often seek to become adventurers to hone their skills and shape their minds into fine weapons.
Creating a Transcendent
When creating your transcendent, consider what drove your character to merge martial training with psionic discipline. Was there an event in your past where you felt powerless with the tools available which compelled you to pursue more mystical means? Are you a polymath of martial feats that needed a further edge or challenge?
As a transcendent, you are able to support your group with talents similar to fighters and savants. You can readily fill roles like a fighter or paladin, but can also opt to focus yourself to be more like a rogue. While you won’t gain your Eclectic Attunement until 3rd level, you want to consider what choice you wish to make when deciding skills and how to prioritize your abilities as well as which powers are best suited for you. If you see your character as an armored defender you’ll probably choose powers that are defensive and give you more battlefield control. For a character that rapidly strikes enemies you’ll want movement or ranged powers. A ranged transcendent or an assassin-themed one would choose different powers.
Quick Build
You can make a transcendent quickly by following these suggestions. First, Strength or Dexterity should be your highest ability score depending on whether you want finesse weapons or not, followed by Wisdom. Second choose the soldier background. Third choose speed of thought as your known power.
The Transcendent
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | Powers Known | Power Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Power Manifesting | 1 | 0 |
| 2nd | +2 | Fighting Style, Martial Focus | 2 | 1 |
| 3rd | +2 | Eclectic Attunement | 2 | 3 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 2 | 3 |
| 5th | +3 | Extra Attack | 3 | 5 |
| 6th | +3 | Eclectic Attunement feature | 3 | 5 |
| 7th | +3 | Blade and Will | 3 | 7 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 7 |
| 9th | +4 | — | 4 | 10 |
| 10th | +4 | Eclectic Attunement feature | 4 | 10 |
| 11th | +4 | Second Mind | 5 | 12 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 5 | 12 |
| 13th | +5 | Adamant Resolve | 5 | 14 |
| 14th | +5 | — | 6 | 14 |
| 15th | +5 | Eclectic Attunement feature | 6 | 16 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | 16 |
| 17th | +6 | — | 7 | 19 |
| 18th | +6 | Eclectic Attunement feature | 7 | 19 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 7 | 22 |
| 20th | +6 | Psionic Reserves | 7 | 22 |
Class Features
As a transcendent, you gain the following class features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10 per transcendent level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per transcendent level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, and Stealth
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) scale mail or (b) studded leather
- (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
- (a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
- Four javelins
If you forgo this starting equipment, as well as the items offered by your background, you start with 4d4 x 10 gp to buy your equipment.
Power Manifesting
1st-level transcendent feature
You can harness your psychic aptitude to manifest psionic powers. See the Power Mechanics section for the general rules of power manifesting and below for the transcendent power list.
Powers Known
You know one power of your choice from the transcendent power list.
The Powers Known column of the Transcendent table shows when you learn more transcendent powers of your choice. When you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the powers you know and replace it with another power from the transcendent power list.
Power Points
The Transcendent table shows how many power points you have to augment your transcendent powers. When you manifest a power, you can expend power points to enhance the power. You can expend a number of power points no greater than half your transcendent level (rounded up) on a single power manifestation. You regain all expended power points when you finish a short or long rest.
Psionic powers differ from spells in that powers can have different expressions when augmented by power points. These different expressions have a similar theme, but the scope and scale can change. For example, the suspension power includes expressions that can affect single targets or an area with different measures of control.
Manifesting Ability
Wisdom is your manifesting ability for your powers. You use Wisdom whenever a power refers to your manifesting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a transcendent power you manifest and when making an attack roll with one.
Power save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Power attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier
Fighting Style
2nd-level transcendent feature
You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.
Whenever you reach a level in this class that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace a fighting style you know with another fighting style available to this class.
Defense
While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
Dueling
When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus on damage rolls with that weapon.
Great Weapon Fighting
When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
Psionic Warrior
You gain one psionic power of your choice from the channeler power list. It counts as transcendent power for you, and Wisdom is your manifesting ability for it. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace this power with another power from the channeler power list.
Two-Weapon Fighting
When engaging in two weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Martial Focus
2nd-level transcendent feature
While you have the psionic focused condition you gain the following benefits:
- When you are the target of an effect which can move you against your will or impair your movement, such a shove or gust of wind, you can take a reaction to add your Wisdom modifier to your ability check or saving throw to resist that attempt.
- When you hit a target with a melee weapon attack while maintaining a transcendent power augmented by at least 1 power point, you can deal an extra 1d4 psychic damage to it. The size of the die increases when you maintain a power augmented by at least 3 power points (d6) or 7 or more power points (d8). You can trigger this extra damage once each round.
- Once each round, if you fail a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a transcendent power, you can reroll the die, but you must use the new roll.
Eclectic Attunement
3rd-level transcendent feature
You choose an attunement which expands your combat prowess by channeling your psychic powers in different ways: Nomad, Ghost Hunter, or Transient Blade. Your attunement choice grants you features at 3rd level, and then again at 6th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.
Ability Score Improvement
4th-level transcendent feature
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Extra Attack
5th-level transcendent feature
You can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Blade and Will
7th-level transcendent feature
When you use your action to manifest a power, you can make one weapon attack as a bonus action. If you are maintaining a power that allows you to use your action to reactivate the power, you can also make one weapon attack as a bonus action when you do so.
In addition, while you have the psionic focused condition you have advantage on saving throws against the charmed and frightened conditions and compulsion effects.
Second Mind
11th-level transcendent feature
Through rigorous discipline and exercise, you can maintain a second power using the same concentration. One of the powers must have a range of self or only target you. You can only maintain psionic powers through this feature.
If you fail a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration, you lose both powers unless the powers’ descriptions indicate otherwise.
In addition, while maintaining a second power you can trigger the bonus damage from your Martial Focus feature twice in a round, but can’t trigger it more than once per attack.
Impervious Mind
14th-level transcendent feature
You can maintain a power that targets you for up to two rounds if you are incapacitated. In this event, if you are no longer incapacitated before the power ends, you can choose to continue to maintain it.
Psionic Reserves
20th-level transcendent feature
If you have fewer than 4 power points remaining when you roll initiative, your power point reserve is refreshed to 4.