AD&D Classes: Transcendent

Compatable with all editions, originally plotted for 2nd edition. This is an original class created by Earl S. Wynn that has been officially game tested.

Individuals that go beyond the level of psychokinetic manipulation practiced by Psionists, Transcendents are incredibly rare. They have learned to manipulate the smallest components of matter, able to convert it to and from a pure energy state at will.

Prime Requisite: INT

Equipment Restrictions: No Armor heavier than soft leather.

Weapon Restrictions: No weapon that has a base, unadjusted damage (as if it were simply a normal item) higher than 1d10, and no blunt, bashing weapons.

Hit Dice: 1d6

Transcendents operate from a pool of Energy points that grows with experience, gaining a base amount of 50 points per level. The following modifiers effect this increase according to size (Example: a +10% modifier applied to the base of 50 would add another 5 points per level to the pool) Round all fractions up. Maximum pool size never declines. If the modifier cancels out all growth, the pool size becomes stagnant.

Species Modifiers:

Elvish: +10% (of current pool)

Half-Elvish: +5%

Human: no modifier

Gnomish: -5%

Dwarvish: -10%

Half Orc: -25%

INT modifiers:

< 5 = -25%

5-9 = -10%

9 = no modifier

10-15 = +10%

16-18 = +25%

19-20 = +50%

21-24 = +75%

25 = +100%

Transcendents learn 1d2 skills at first level and an additional 1d4 skills per level after that. Each has a cost value, which means that casting it requires an expenditure of EP. If insufficient EP is available, the skill can still be used, but left over points used are converted to burnout damage, which uses HP instead. Transcendents recover 50 EP for every good night of sleep (1d100/2, round up, if sleep is interrupted,) but certain skills can increase this. Unless otherwise stated, skills are instantaneous. Note: The use of Dark Arts skills, even for "good" is generally frowned upon by most Transcendents. There are, however, several sects of quasi-religious Transcendents who serve their own dark god and use such skills in the service of them. Use of such a skill pushes a character's alignment toward evil. The severity of the push is relative to the severity of the atrocity committed by the use of the skill.

When a Transcendent overexerts him or herself, the subatomic structure of their body begins to lose cohesion, manifesting in bleeding, hemorrhaging, internal bleeding, organ failure, and sometimes even death. For every 25% of a Transcendent's HP lost in Burnout, he/she suffers a hit on the critical burnout table, and if death occurs from burnout, the Transcendent's body will lose all cohesion and disperse in a flash of light, making resurrection impossible. None of the effects listed on the table are permanent.

Critical Burnout:

1. Subatomic particles lose all cohesion temporarily. (Transcendent's HP reduced until he/she has had 1d4 days of rest.)

2. Transcendent experiences a major hemorrhage. (Loss of 50% of Transcendent's max HP)

3. Internal organ failure. (Loss of 1 hit die worth of damage, stats halved until healed and given a day of rest.)

4. Bleeding occurs in 1d20 different locations

5. Typically blood-rich areas of the body "leak" blood temporarily.

6. Capillaries break in 1d6 different locations

7. Skin becomes flush with blood, 10% chance of internal bleeding.

8. No noticeable effect.

9. Stigmata-like effect (blood from hands and tear ducts.)

10. No noticeable effect.

11. Extreme dizziness (lasts 1d4 hours)

12. No noticeable effect.

13. Extreme exhaustion (lasts for 1d2 days)

14. No noticeable effect.

15. Skin becomes flush with blood, 10% chance of internal bleeding.

16. Capillaries break in 1d6 different locations

17. Bleeding occurs in 1d20 different locations

18. Internal organ failure. (Loss of 1 hit die worth of damage, stats halved until healed and given a day of rest.)

19. Transcendent experiences a major hemorrhage. (Loss of 50% of Transcendent's max HP)

20. Subatomic particles lose all cohesion temporarily. (Transcendent's HP reduced until he/she has had 1d4 days of rest.)

Default Skills:

Force Blast: 1d1-1d100 die for attack, total points dealt reflect EP used. Detect Alignment: (5 EP) allows the caster to sense an individual's alignment.

Other Skills:

Energy Translocation: (25 EP) Transcendent breaks apart his or her body and converts it to energy, then folds reality to rephase at a chosen location (same world, same plane) (that caster has seen before) treat as teleport.

Planar Relocation: (60 EP) Allows the Transcendent to convert his/her body to energy and send it to the same location on a chosen plane of existence. (Note: This could mean that the Transcendent appears within a wall or solid stone!)

Trans-Planar Gateway: (110 EP) Allows the Transcendent to open a gateway to a specific place that he/she has seen before regardless of distance, plane, or planet. The gateway will admit 10 people/level of the caster before it collapses.

Quasi-matter Form: (2 EP/second) The Transcendent can convert his/her body (and possessions) into quasi-matter for a short period of time, effectively allowing him/her to walk through solid objects or render him/herself immune to hits from normal weapons. A magical weapon with a plus equal to or more than ½ the Transcendent's level is required to hit him/her, though there are still some weapons and spells capable of doing damage to the Transcendent. (DM's discretion.) Likewise, the Transcendent cannot harm others while in this form. (Unless using a Transcendent Skill.)

Material Fabric Manipulation: (10 EP) Transcendent shifts reality to redirect a missile weapon. (-1 to hit penalty/level.)

Ether Well: (10 EP) This allows the Transcendent to tweak the flow of natural energy in a particular location, making it possible to draw in twice as much EP during sleep as normal. The well lasts for 1d6 days +1/level of the Transcendent.

Accelerate Subatomic: (*) Treat as Force Blast, but double the EP cost. Effectively accelerates the smallest components of matter to incredible and unnatural speeds, causing explosions, fires, or conversion into another state (I.E. liquid or ice to steam, steam to plasma, etc.)

Solidify Subatomic: (*) Treat as a Force Blast, but double the EP cost. Effectively slows the smallest components of matter to a veritable halt, freezing it solid, encrusting it in ice, etc.

Energy Strike: (10 EP) Converts a part of the body into energy, allowing penetration into vital organs on a hit (50% chance of critical strike, 5% chance of fatal blow.) Not Applicable to weapons.

Rearrange Physical Form: (90 EP) Allows the Transcendent to change the makeup of their body, allowing them to change every aspect of their appearance, (or the appearance of another,) but not their internal makeup or items. (I.E. Transcendent appears as a dragon, but retains stats, HP, etc.)

Alchemical Fabric Manipulation: (25/cubic foot) Allows the Transcendent to convert an item to energy and then into another form. (I.E. lead to gold, stone to flesh.)

Quasi-matter Alert Matrix: (20 EP/25 cubic feet) Allows the Transcendent to lay out a network of invisible "triplines" that alert him/her when they are broken by the passage of anything larger than a small insect. (Though they can be "attenuated" to pick up creatures of a specific mass after spending a round in the process.) The alert is very specific, notifying the Transcendent of the exact location of the breach. The matrix lasts as long as the caster continues to spend the required EP per day.

Sense Energy: (5 EP/hour) Using this skill, the Transcendent becomes acutely aware of the presence of energy around him/her. The higher the energy state of the matter, the easier it is for the Transcendent to detect it. (I.E. Fire, Electricity, Plasma are significantly easier to detect than say, an object at room temperature, while ice and frozen objects are almost impossible to sense.)

Read Thoughts: (4 EP/10 minutes, round up cost) Touching an individual while using this skill allows the Transcendent to read that person's thoughts as if they were speaking them aloud and in the Transcendent's native tongue. Touching them while they're moving requires a to-hit roll.

Mental Interpretive Screen: (5 EP/minute) Allows the Transcendent to project a screen of quasi-matter that acts as a sort of network of neurons, out to a maximum distance of 5ft/level of the Transcendent, effectively conveying the thoughts of every living creature in that space to the Transcendent as if they were speaking them aloud and in the Transcendent's native tongue.

Convert to Usable Energy: (1 EP) Allows the Transcendent to convert an object into energy that is usable in the form of EP. The amount of EP gained from an item is determined by a 1d6 roll/sq ft. (round up.) Time required for the conversion is approximately 10 minutes/sq ft.

Restore Cohesion: (10 EP) Effectively allows the Transcendent to de-age items, making rotten food consumable or causing a dull, rusty blade to become clean and sharp.

Reverse Engineer: (25 EP) Allows the Transcendent to subatomically rebuild mechanical devices, effectively picking locks, reversing the flow of energy, or generally just causing them to malfunction or become disabled. The type of device effected is determined by the Transcendent's levels gained after the acquisition of this skill every two levels, the Transcendent is a little more competent, and is effectively able to preform the skill on devices a single difficulty level higher than before.

Photonic Projection: (10 EP) Allows the Transcendent to create light in a single space (up to 40' square per 10 EP). The light can be of any brightness, color, or pattern the Transcendent desires. (DM's discretion)

Capsule Form: (10 EP) Allows the Transcendent to convert his/her body (and possessions) into a tiny concentrated mass of matter the size of a small pill or capsule. The capsule weighs the same as the Transcendent and all his/her possessions combined, and should be treated as adamantine for damage purposes. Any such damage is reflected on the Transcendent's body should he/she return to his/her original state.

Cellular Energy Weave: (10 EP) Heals minor wounds (1d6 HP)

Quasi-matter Healing: (25 EP) Heals moderate wounds (1d10)

Subatomic Repair Stimulation: (50EP) Heals serious wounds (1d20 HP)

Deep-Tissue Energy Therapy: (80 EP) Heals critical wounds (2d20 HP)

Complete Subatomic Restructuring: (100 EP) Completely heals all wounds.

Open-conduit Regrowth field: (200 EP) Heals 1d100 HP on each creature within 10'/level of the Transcendent.

Devour Soul: (0 EP) (Dark Arts) One of the most heinous acts a Transcendent can learn to accomplish, the ability to devour a creature's life essence, or soul, is almost universally considered tantamount to murder among Transcendents. Using this ability, a Transcendent (through touch. To-hit roll applies here) can effectively rip the soul out of a victim. (Save v.s. death ray) The Transcendent then consumes the soul, gaining +10 EP/level of the victim (0's count as ½'s) If this is done to another Transcendent, it becomes INT +1d20 for both sides (highest total wins), and if the attacker is successful, consuming the soul allows them to gain 1d6 of that transcendent's skills. In any case, if the attacker hits successfully but fails to take the soul, roll 1d6. On 5 or 6, the attacker manages to escape with a chunk of the soul (A limb, for example.) It's worth 2 EP/level of the victim, and the corresponding area on the victim begins to necrotize and cannot be healed. It will die and be left to rot in 1d4 days, unless 50 HP of healing is put into the area per day, at which point the suffering can be drawn out to up to 10 +1d4 days. Rotting sections of flesh have a 25% chance per day to introduce a nasty disease into the rest of the body. Victims who lose their souls cannot be healed from this state or resurrected. They remain an invalid for 2d4 days, at the end of which, they become zombies.

Enliven Weapon: (5 EP/strike. Can "charge" to a set number of strikes in one use.) (Dark Arts.) This skill allows the Transcendent to heat and force supersonic vibration into a weapon, effectively making it equivalent to a magical weapon of pluses equal to half the Transcendent's level. (Round up.) Such a weapon has a 1% chance per consecutive strike (dropping off by 1% for every full minute it's not in use.) To break. Rolling half that percentage or less results in a catastrophic explosion that does three times the weapon's damage to everyone within 10 ft.

Transmit Essence: (100 EP) (Dark Arts) Akin to Devour Soul, Transmit Essence allows a Transcendent to convert his/her entire being into mental energy that is then implanted into the target body (barring a successful death-ray save) The Transcendent is then in control of the target body, but is weak and unable to do anything he/she would normally be capable of (in terms of powers/skills) for a number of days equal to the target's original intelligence score. Each day, there is a 2% chance (5% if Target is a Transcendent) that the target will successfully expel the Transcendent. If the target fails to expel the Transcendent during this period, it is consumed by the Transcendent, leaving the Transcendent in complete control of the new body. The transcendent then regains 1 level, two stat points and four of their original skills every 1d3 days until he/she is again at full power. If at any time, the victim manages to push out the Transcendent, the Transcendent suffers a loss of half (round up) of his/her intelligence points, regaining one per day until back at normal power.

Disable Organ: (25 EP) (Dark Arts) A variant of energy strike, Disable Organ allows the Transcendent to push his/her fingers into a specific organ (with a successful hit at a -2 penalty) and disable it permanently. The victim suffers the appropriate effects, but the damage can be healed by a fast acting character casting the equivalent of a cure serious wounds (or higher) spell or a knowledgeable healer doing something similar.

Reroute Neural Pathways: (25 EP/day) (Dark Arts) Using specifically placed quasi-matter blockages on the neurons of the target's brain, the Transcendent can effectively turn people (barring a successful death-ray save) into drones (of a sort) for a chosen number of days. These people are then programmed with a single duty of the transcendent's choice per every five levels of the caster.

Blood Dance: (25 EP) (Dark Arts) Utilizing an unconscious living person (or people) equal in level (count 0's as ½'s) to the Transcendent as sacrifices, the Transcendent can create an ether funnel that will allow the Transcendent to recover twice as much EP during sleep as normal. Can be used with the Ether Well, but closes it after that night's sleep is over.

Photokinetic Replacement: (25 EP) Effectively allows a Transcendent to exchange his/her body with an object of equivalent size within 5'/level of the caster (but in sight, regardless) instantaneously. This exchange of matter happens so quickly that the Transcendent's afterimage is left on the object for a moment, making the Transcendent appear as if he/she were in two places at once (or one place, if the Transcendent is tricky enough!)

Quasi-Matter Shield: (3 EP/cubic ft.) Allows the Transcendent to create a translucent (and virtually indestructible) shield of quasi-matter, to be used as anything from a standard shield (AC-2) to a large dome/cube that can encase large areas, EP dependent, of course. The shield can withstand damage from anything, even thermonuclear explosions, but only lasts 20 minutes/level of the Transcendent. Note: A Transcendent of a higher intelligence can use High-Energy Matter Separation to cut into it.

High-Energy Matter Separation: (1 EP/ft cut.) Suspending a single proton in a plasmatic state at the tip of his/her finger, a Transcendent can cut through pretty much any known substance, up to an inch deep and about an eighth of an inch wide. A successful hit with this skill does about 1d6 damage, with a 5% chance of a critical strike.

Electro-Gravitic Pulse: (All EP) Perhaps the most destructive attack available to Transcendents, the EGP affects everything within a 100 ft. radius of the Transcendent, passing through whatever it cannot destroy. In addition, every time it is used, there is a 5% chance the Transcendent will "overdo it" and suffer a hit on the critical burnout table. Add +10 pts. to the damage dealt by the pulse if this occurs. To determine damage, multiply the Transcendent's intelligence score by his/her level. Everything within that radius is affected. Everyone hit by the pulse (that is not killed) is stunned for 1d4 rounds, and all electronics are instantly fused and become inoperable. The DM should consider the pulse's impact on any nearby structures or walls.

Create Photonic Ally: (25 EP) Allows the Transcendent to create a projection, like a hologram, of any person or animal he/she can visualize in his/her head, including familiar people, strangers, and imaginary creatures. While projecting the ally, the Transcendent must concentrate on nothing else, lest he/she risk the ally copying them, blurting their thoughts, flickering, or disappearing entirely. This ally is very real; he/she can walk, talk, do anything a normal person can do, but cannot move more than fifty feet from the Transcendent. Also, the Transcendent has the ability to make the projection solid or insubstantial at will, depending on the situation. The Ally lasts as long as the Transcendent concentrates on it.

Create Photonic Environment: (5 EP/square ft.) Much like the Create Photonic Ally skill, the ability to create a photonic environment also requires all of one's concentration. Essentially, it allows the Transcendent to project a place in his/her mind onto reality, creating it with light and quasi-matter fields.

Incorporate Negative Plane Entity: (50 EP) (Dark Arts) Allows the Transcendent to dip a lure into the Negative Plane of Existence, effectively drawing out a demon that the Transcendent converts to energy that he/she can harness to increase 1d6 stats of his/her choice by 1d4 points for 1d4 days. The side effects include eventual (and certain) madness, a shifting of the character's alignment toward evil, the possibility of making enemies in the Negative Plane and a 5% chance that the demon will reverse the effect and take over the mind of the Transcendent. (See Transmit Essence.)

If you're a player, it's always a good idea to talk with your Dungeon Master or Referee before using any classes from outside sources. If you liked this class, or even if you just want to see more, please feel free to follow the links at the bottom of the page to check out all my other RPG classes. Check back often-- new classes added all the time!