Test Page 6

The Learner
		Memetics					Maneuvers
Level	Special	Active Memes	Memory	Libraries	Max Grade	Memes Known	Max Grade	Schools	Maneuvers Known
1	Combat Style, Learning	2	1	1	Common	2	Basic	1	2
2	Pedagogy	2	1	1	Common	3	Basic	1	3
3		2	1	1	Common	4	Basic	1	4
4	Pedagogy	3	1	1	Common	5	Basic	1	5
5		3	1	2	Uncommon	6	Lesser	1	6
6	Pedagogy	3	2	2	Uncommon	6	Lesser	1	6
7		3	2	2	Uncommon	7	Lesser	1	7
8	Pedagogy	4	2	2	Uncommon	8	Lesser	1	8
9		4	2	2	Uncommon	9	Lesser	2	9
10	Learner Talent	4	2	2	Uncommon	10	Lesser	2	10
11		5	3	3	Uncommon	11	Lesser	2	11
12	Learner Talent	5	3	3	Rare	11	Expert	2	11
13		5	3	3	Rare	12	Expert	2	12
14	Learner Talent	5	3	3	Rare	13	Expert	2	13
15		6	3	3	Rare	14	Expert	2	14
16	Learner Talent	6	4	3	Rare	15	Expert	2	15
17		6	4	4	Rare	16	Expert	2	16
18	Learner Talent	7	4	4	Rare	16	Expert	2	16
19		7	4	4	Obscure	17	Greater	2	17
20	Learner Talent	7	4	4	Obscure	18	Greater	2	18

 

Learner

Troi, iconic learner

"Experience is the best teacher."

The petrifying gaze of a basilisk, the lightning breath of a dragon, the soul-draining touch of the undead: these powers are to be feared, most certainly. Some, however, would believe that the best way to fight fire is with fire, and so seek out ways to gain these powers - not through study or research, but through watching those who wield them. This is the way of the learner.

It is impossible to say what a learner is capable of. An individual learner may learn dozens - if not hundreds - of abilities over the course of her lifetime, as varied in power and application as the creatures that walk the world. Calling upon the power of the Blue to enhance her memory and ability to replicate the powers of monsters, the learner is a powerful ally and unpredictable foe.

However, to gain access to these abilities, the learner must see them in action - and that means a life of adventure and danger. As such, learners also train themselves in the arts martial, to acquire the skills needed to do battle with the creatures from which they wish to glean new knowledge. For the budding learner, this also means that they are able to function in an adventuring troupe with minimal fuss; while they are not as well-versed in the ways of combat as true warriors, they are able to hold their own, and once the learner has acquired a stable of useful memes, they can combine their memetics and maneuvers to deadly effect.

Game Rule Information

Learners have the following game statistics.

Force Alignment: Blue.

Force Resistances: TO 5 + level, CO 5 + level.

Abilities: Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are all equally important to a learner. She gains bonus active meme slots based on her Wisdom, bonus memory based on her Intelligence, and additional belief-space based upon her Charisma.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 15 + Con score.

Hit Points at Each Additional Level: 9 + Con modifier.

Healing Surges: 10 + Con modifier.

Defenses: Fort +2; Ref +2; Will +2; Det +2.

Starting Age: Moderate.

Class Features, Revisited

All of the following are class features of the learner.

Proficiencies

Weapons: Choose three.

Armor: Light, Mystic.

Implements: Records, Tomes.

Combat Style

At first level, the learner decides which combat style he will pursue. Choose one of the following; once you have made a selection, it cannot be changed later.

▶ Archer

You focus on the pursuit of archery. You gain the [core] abilities of the archer class, and gain aim with actions spent per the table below. You select your schools and maneuvers from the archer list.

You gain proficiency with a ranged weapon of your choice.

While you have a quarry, whenever that creature uses a special ability, you can automatically learn that ability (as per learning, below).

When you process a meme that targets a single creature, you can spend aim to improve your attack roll. Each point of aim you spend gives you a +2 power bonus to the attack roll.

▶ Berserker

Placeholder!

▶ Defender

You focus on learning how to defend yourself and others. You gain the [core] abilities of the defender class, and can gain grit when you make successful armor checks and shield checks. You select your schools and maneuvers from the defender list.

You gain proficiency with heavy armor and shields.

Whenever a hostile creature targets you with a special ability, you can automatically learn that ability (as per learning, below).

When you process a meme that allows the target to spend a healing surge for an effect, you can spend an amount of grit equal to the meme's grade (1 for common, 2 for uncommon, and so on). If you do, each target can spend an additional healing surge (note that this effect may not affect all memes that allow for the expenditure of healing surges).

▶ Falconer

Placeholder!

▶ Karateka

Placeholder!

▶ Warlord

Placeholder!

Learning

While other memeticists study the world memory in an abstract sense, the learner seeks to instead gain knowledge first-hand. By observing how creatures are able to interact with the world, he can deduce their underlying mechanics and, in the process, learn how to replicate the effects.

Whenever a creature uses a special ability, you can make a learning check as a reaction, which is d20 + your level bonus + your Intelligence modifier, against a DC of 10 + half the creature's level. If you hit, you gain a learned meme, which is a copy of that ability in all respects (including recharge value). You can choose to immediately replace one of your active memes with this learned meme; if you do, and the original meme had memory allocated to it, that memory is lost: learned memes cannot have memory allocated. They otherwise function as normal memes, including your need to ready them.

Physical abilities learned through this ability that require an attack roll require a physical attack roll of the appropriate type (melee or ranged), while supernatural abilities require a memetic attack roll.

Abilities that recharge per encounter, recharge for you after a short rest; abilities that have a daily recharge, recharge for you after a long rest.

This ability cannot be used on class or item abilities.

You can have a total number of learned memes equal to your Intelligence modifier.

Design Notes

Well... turns out that a pure blue mage isn't really doable. That's too bad, but... well, it's been an informative fourteen years or so.

This is a close enough approximation, and with our move on the GM side to more 4e-style mechanics, this particular method of learning works out relatively well. So we're good, I think.