Light's Artist



''You don't have to do this. Come, let me show you. You don't have to be afraid anymore."''

-Unknown Light’s Artist, opening her Embrace

Many are those drawn to the Light from its power. More are drawn by the hope it embodies, the strength that endures almost any challenge and emerges whole. But it is a precious few who are drawn to the Light for one of its simplest and yet most complex treasures. Its sheer, utterly heart-stopping, beauty. The Light is the embodiment of every wondrous childhood memory, every magnificent moment where love is shared and given forever. It is the feel of that first kiss, the bone deep protective love for one’s child and the endless wellspring from which those feelings perpetually flow.

Light’s Artists tap into that love-borne beauty, that particular facet of the Light, and make it what they are. Wherever an Artist walks, that beauty follows. Wherever she works her power, it remains for all time. And when she is forced into conflict, it surrounds her in a weave of protective Light that reaches out to her opponent with an offer of utter safety. She will walk through the fire, the storms, and everything else that might be levelled against her. She will never strike back, only acting to defend herself and her comrades. And, when she is close enough, she will reach out to her foe, and wrap them in the comforting arms of Light’s true embrace.

Requirements
To become a Light’s Artist, you must fulfill all the following criteria.

Special: Power of Friendship, Evoker Level 6

Class Skill List
Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge [History] (Int), Knowledge [Local] (Int), Knowledge [Nobility and Royalty] (Int), Listen (Wis), Perform (Cha) Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Use Magic Device (Cha)

Skill Points
6 + Int modifier at each level.

Hit Die
d8

Weapon and Armour Proficiencies
A Light's Artist gains no additional proficiencies.

Illuminations
An Artist loses only a little of her power as an evoker, but she does lose some. A Light’s Artist continues to progress access to Illuminations from her Evoking Class, as well as her Evoker Level, as shown. If she has more than one Evoking Class, then she must choose one of them when she takes her first level in Light’s Artist. Once made, this choice cannot be changed.

Remembered Weaving (Ex)
An Artist can still weave bits and pieces of the protective Light her old vocation gave her, and remains fully capable of tapping into their strength. But as with anything, her focus on something beyond the physicality of the universe weakens her.

A Light’s Artist gains additional costume elements as her Evoker Level and Illuminations progress.

Unbreakable (Su)
An Artist is a strange one, but utterly unassailable in their strength of will where it comes to reaching out to those in pain – even those facing her in combat. Weapons blunt themselves on her, bursting into nothing but Light itself in the face of the glory of her Embrace.

At 1st level, an Artist gains a special costume effect that is always active and gained in addition to all others. Furthermore, she automatically has (class level) motes invested into it, without lowering her mote pool and bypassing normal investment limits.

Effect: The Artist gains DR 1/-, as well as 25% fortification, giving her a chance to negate any sneak attack or critical hit and force damage to be rolled normally.

Essence Boost: For every 2m invested into this effect, increase the granted DR by 1. If the evoker has 8 motes or more invested into this effect, she gains Evasion. If another class would grant her evasion, this effect improves to Improved Evasion. If 16 motes or more are invested, she gains Mettle.

Cartridge Boost: When a Cartridge is expended to fuel this effect, the Artist is wreathed in a great mantle of furious light that shields her from harm. She gains the effect of the Starmantle spell (BoED), for rounds equal to her (Evoker Stat Modifier).

Light’s Embrace (Su)
A Light’s Artist is a part of the Light in a way that none of her fellows can ever imagine. She becomes a living conduit of the infinite love and endless forgiveness that is her particular facet of Light. And when faced by foes on all sides, she does not fight them as her sisters would. Instead she reaches within and Embraces those who have lost their way in her loving Light, opening their eyes to themselves and offering them another way out of the hell that has become their life.

At level one, an Artist may make a touch attack against an enemy. If she hits, a ribbon of her Light flares out from her soul, wrapping them in a gentle embrace. Her target must make a will save vs a DC of (10 + ½ HD + Evoker Stat Modifier) or be affected as Calm Emotions, as the memories of her past – and the possibilities of her future – overwhelm her. The Caster Level for the Calm Emotions effect is equal to twice (class level), and it requires concentration as normal. When this effect ends, the Artist may make an immediate Power of Friendship roll, with a +1 bonus for each round that she held her target within her Embrace to a maximum bonus of (class level). She may only Embrace one target at a time and must remain within 5’ of her to hold the Embrace.

Once a target has freed herself from the Artist's Embrace, she is immune to its effects for 24 hours.

At level four, the Light’s Artist’s inner radiance reaches forth to those around her with a graceful ease that would be terrifying if it was not so…right. She can reach out across a battlefield, twining multiple ribbons around those near her, and bringing them peace. The Artist may sustain a number of Embraces equal to half of her class level. Her Calm Emotions effect bypasses immunity to Mind Affecting or Compulsion effects except that granted by mindlessness – although it grants a +6 bonus on their will save to any with such immunity – and gains a range of 5’/every two class levels. She may also make Embraces as iterative attacks in a full attack. Finally, she may sustain her Embraces so long as those targeted by them remain within her range.

On reaching level seven, an Artist has learned to tap deeply enough into the love-channel of Light that those within her Embrace realise that they never truly wish to run. Those Embraced by an Artist must now make two saves against the standard DC. One against the Calm Emotions effect, and one against a Slow effect with a CL equal to twice (class level). And at level ten, a Light’s Artist attains such a mastery of herself as a conduit of the Love of Light, that her power transcends the limitations of her mortal shell. She reaches beyond the Embrace, to something more, granting even the most desperate and lost soul another chance.

At 10th level, the Artist adds a third effect to her Embrace that is saved against in addition to Slow and Calm Emotions. If her target fails their save, they are rendered dazed by the torrent of memory and possible futures that they can still grasp that floods their mind. In addition, the Artist gains the ability to, when pushed far enough, utterly stop combat with the gravest of sanctions. Once per encounter, she may produce an effect similar to End to Strife (BoED) as a supernatural ability, with a DC as the other effects of Light’s Embrace.

Radiant Wonder (Ex)
Light’s Artists exude a strange, yet utterly powerful, aura of safety and love that enfolds all around them. Usually invisible in its effect, an Artist can focus this aura if she so wishes to sway the opinions of those around her to aid them in seeing the Light.

The Artist gains a bonus equal to her class level on Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate and Sense Motive. In addition, she gains an at will extraordinary Charm Person effect with a DC of (10 + ½ HD + Evoker Stat Modifier) that she may use as a standard action.

At level seven this effect improves to Charm Monster. At tenth level, any racial immunity which may protect from these effects is negated. Such monsters instead receive a +6 bonus to their saving throw to resist this ability.

Shining Path (Su)
The path to those in need of love is sometimes a very hard one. Those who believe themselves unworthy will lock themselves away. Those who are afraid will levy dreadful blood penalties against those who try to give it. But an Artist cares little for such things. The path from her to the one who needs her help will always be clear to her, and nothing can bar it from her.

At level five, once per encounter, an Artist may designate a single opponent as a standard action. When moving towards him, she cannot be held by any means, passes freely through obstructions to her path and does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Not even impenetrable obstacles, such as a wall of force or forcecage, may hinder her path. Once per round, whilst moving towards her target, she may ignore the effects of any effect dealing harm other than hit point damage that would affect her. If her target moves away, she automatically moves the same distance towards him – gaining necessary burrow, swim or fly speeds as necessary for the action. An artist must move a minimum of half her speed towards her designated opponent each round until she is close enough to use her Embrace on the opponent at which point the effect ends and she is required to use her Light’s Embrace on the designated target as her next action. The Path grants her a speed of her base land speed for all types of movement (flight, swim, burrow, etc.) whenever it is necessary.

Triumph of Light (Ex)
The other side of the Shining Path, the Triumph of Light is perhaps the most feared of all an Artist’s abilities. Many know the limits of the Shining Path, that it forces an Artist to pursue her target regardless of where they might go and what may be waiting. The Artist’s answer to this weakness is this.

Once per encounter as an immediate action, an Artist may surround herself in an unbreakable shell of radiant power that shields her from anything that attempts to harm her. For a single round, she reflects all attacks and effects that target her directly straight back at their sources. Harmful spells or other effects that would include her in their area of effect exclude her space from their affected area. In addition, any harmful conditions she is currently affected by are suppressed for the round.

At level ten, the Artist gains another per encounter use of this ability.