Test Page 7
The Learner
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| Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Active Memes | Memory | Belief-Space |
| 1 | +0 | +1 | +1 | +1 | Memory Surge (I), Bestial Lore, Method | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | +1 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Learner Secret | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | +2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
| 4 | +3 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Learner Secret | 5 | 6 | 2 |
| 5 | +3 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Memory Surge (II) | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| 6 | +4 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Learner Secret | 6 | 9 | 3 |
| 7 | +5 | +4 | +4 | +4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | |
| 8 | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Learner Secret | 8 | 12 | 4 |
| 9 | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +4 | Memory Surge (III) | 8 | 14 | 4 |
| 10 | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +5 | Learner Talent | 9 | 15 | 5 |
| 11 | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +5 | 10 | 17 | 5 | |
| 12 | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Learner Talent | 11 | 18 | 6 |
| 13 | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Memory Surge (IV) | 11 | 20 | 6 |
| 14 | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +6 | Learner Talent | 12 | 21 | 6 |
| 15 | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +7 | +7 | 13 | 23 | 7 | |
| 16 | +12/+7/+2 | +7 | +7 | +7 | Learner Talent | 14 | 24 | 7 |
| 17 | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +8 | +8 | Memory Surge (V) | 14 | 26 | 8 |
| 18 | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +8 | +8 | Learner Talent | 15 | 27 | 8 |
| 19 | +14/+9/+4 | +8 | +8 | +8 | 16 | 29 | 8 | |
| 20 | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +9 | +9 | Learner Talent | 17 | 30 | 9 |
Contents
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.
Adventures: To be a learner is to be an adventurer; there is no way around it. In order to gain new abilities, the learner must seek out danger, and not just face it, but also live to experience a fearsome foe's abilities. Learners seek out adventure not simply for the thrill of it, but because that is the only way to learn new things.
Characteristics: Those who pursue the path of the learner tend to be confident, curious thrill-seekers, and while some certainly vary from this stereotype, that is the most common personality amongst learners. They tend to be rather friendly and outgoing, as having assistance in seeking out new and more dangerous monsters is usually helpful. For a learner, no threat is insurmountable; there is always an answer, it must simply be found.
Ethos: Learners tend towards a somewhat paradoxical mix of Blue and Red virtues.
Religion: Many saints look favorably on the acquisition of knowledge, and many learners revere them. Learners who worship Lucavi often worship Ajora, who prides himself on power, much as learners of a more Black bent. Naturalist learners are not terribly uncommon, as while they do not have the same relationship with Nature that geomancers do, the nature of their work is such that learners often encounter powerful parts of the Natural world.
Background: Most learners tend to have had a childhood in which they witnessed powerful creatures destroying their homes or invade their city. Some learners come from a wilderness background, coming to be more interested in the abilities of what they hunted rather than the hunt itself. A significant number of learners come from Sarteri, where wild mementos often prove to be a moderate nuisance among the villages and cities there.
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 Die: d8.
Class Skills: The learner’s class skills are Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Memecraft (Int), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Spot (Wis), and Sense Motive (Wis).
Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int.
Alignment: Any.
Starting Age: Moderate.
Starting Gold: 4d4 x 10gp.
Favored By: Vesuvan.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the learner.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Learners are proficient with all simple weapons, all one-handed martial weapons, light and medium armor, and all shields save tower shields.
Memes (Me): The abilities of the learner are memes, the purview of the blue. Unlike other memeticists, learners construct their own memes, using their knowledge of memory to do so, which allow them to imitate the abilities of monsters.
A learner can know any number of memes, but she can only have so many actively accessible at one time ("Memes," on the table). The learner can change what memes she has access to after a night's rest.
A learner cannot research memes on her own; he must learn them from monsters (described below), and all learner memes correspond at least partially to at least one monster ability. Due to various factors, however, a learner's meme may not be an exact replica of a monster's ability.
When a learner uses a meme, it becomes temporarily unavailable to her; this is due to how the Blue deals with memory access. Each meme has a recharge value; at the beginning of the learner's turn, if she has any memes that need to recharge, she rolls 1d6, and those memes whose recharge values are equal to or less than the result are recharged. A meme cannot be recharged until its duration ends.
You gain additional active meme slots equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Memory (Me): A learner has only so much of her personal memory that she can devote towards her memes; however, when she does so, those memes increase in power. A meme cannot have more than memory invested in it than your memeticist level.
As a swift action, you may choose to reallocate some or all of your free memory. When you choose to invest memory into a meme, that memory becomes "locked" into that meme until the meme is recharged.
You gain additional memory equal to your Intelligence modifier.
Belief-Space (Me): As a memeticist, the learner is able to incorporate foreign memes directly into her belief-space, incorporating the meme into her personal memory. This process allows her to gain deeper understanding of the meme's pattern (and therefore, the information it contains), but it is also possible that the meme will taint and modify the learner's personality and memories.
The learner can have the indicated number of memes bound to her belief-space. The integration or removal of such bound memes is an involved process, and so the learner can only change her bound memes after a night's rest.
If you have a Charisma modifier, you gain an additional belief-space at every even learner level, until you have bonus belief-space equal to your Charisma modifier.
Bestial Lore: Learners are well-versed in the nature of monstrosities. She can make a special bestial lore check with a bonus equal to her learner level + her Intelligence modifier to determine if she knows anything about a particular creature. Making such a check is a swift action.
Sidebar: Assayed Status
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| You have sufficient knowledge of a creature with this status that you can learn its abilities. This status is always specifically tied to the creature that caused it; thus, a creature can have multiple copies of this status, each keyed to a different individual. |
You can gain the normal information about the creature with this check, but also can gain access to more "meta" information that others would usually not be able to glean (for instance, if you succeed on the check by a significant margin, you can directly examine and explain the creature's stat block).
If your result is at least 10 + one-half the creature's HD, the creature - and all other creatures of the same kind nearby - gains the assayed status in regards to you for the remainder of the encounter. If you fail to grant this status to a creature, that creature is immune to the status for the remainder of the encounter.
You gain a +2 synergy bonus on this check if you have at least 5 ranks in the Knowledge skill relevant to the target's creature type.
Method: Each learner has a particular method she uses to attain the abilities of monsters. At first level, the learner chooses one of the following methods.
Regardless of method, in order to learn a meme, the learner must make a Memecraft check against the Su or Sp ability’s saving throw DC. If it doesn’t have one, the DC to learn the ability is 10 + one-half the monster’s HD + the monster’s Charisma modifier (if the modifier is less than +0, it is considered +0 for purposes of learning). If the learner succeeds, she learns the meme associated with that ability, provided that the target is assayed.
Sidebar: Passive Abilities
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| Some memes are learned through gaining access to a creature's passive abilities, like regeneration. In that case, you can use draw to choose such abilities; otherwise, the creature must actively benefit from the ability for you to learn it from a lancelet or observation. |
- Draw (Me): The learner learns her memes through drawing, a process which allows her to pull energy directly out of a monster. As a standard action, a learner may make a ray (ranged touch) attack against a single creature within 60 feet. If successful, she may choose one of that monster's abilities; if she has not already learned the meme associated with it, she may attempt to do so. If she knows the meme for the ability she chose, or if she successfully learns it, she gains one temporary active meme slot, which is immediately occupied by the meme she just learned. This temporary active meme slot lasts 1 round/memeticist level.
- Lancelet (Me): The learner learns her memes through a lancelet, a mark of the Blue that allows her to read the creature's memories and recreate its abilities. As a standard action, the learner may mark a creature within 60 feet. Whenever that creature uses an (Su) or (Sp) ability, the learner may attempt to learn the meme associated with that ability, so long as the learner is on the same plane as the creature. The lancelet lasts for 1 round/memeticist level.
- Observation (Bl): The learner learns her memes through observation, using her power of sight to enable her to mimic the abilities of monsters. As a standard action, a learner can watch monsters present within 60 feet. If any of them should use an (Su) or (Sp) ability until the learner’s next turn, the learner may attempt to learn the meme associated with that ability. If the learner is targeted with an (Su) or (Sp) ability or otherwise in the area affected by one while observing, she gets a +4 bonus on the Memecraft check to learn that meme.
Memory Surge (Bl): The learner has a reserve of powerful self-memory that she can use for a variety of effects. At each rank of memory surge, she gains one daily use of this resource. You regain your full allotment of memory surge after a night's rest.
As a swift action on your turn, you can spend one use of memory surge to immediately recharge one meme.
As an immediate action, when you would be able to learn a meme due to your Method ability, you can spend one use of memory surge to automatically learn the meme, without making a check.
As a swift action on your turn, you can cause the assayed status on a single target (and all nearby creatures of the same kind) within 60 feet, even if you had already failed to grant it to that creature earlier in the encounter.
Learner Secret: At 2nd, 4th, 6th, and 8th levels, the learner unlocks a secret of the Blue, improving her abilities in some fashion. Choose one of the following abilities; unless otherwise noted, each ability can only be taken once.
- Chicanery (Me): When you successfully grant the assayed status, you become a font of knowledge of how to interact with such creatures to your advantage. You and all allies gain a +2 insight bonus on skill checks made against creatures with the assayed condition, plus an additional +2 insight bonus for every five memeticist levels you have.
- Improved Draw (Me): When you use the Draw ability, the temporary active meme benefits from an amount of temporary memory equal to half your memeticist level, rounded down. (Prerequisites: Draw, Memeticist level 6th+)
- Improved Lancelet (Me): The range of your Lancelet ability is now 120 feet. (Prerequisites: Lancelet, Memeticist level 6th+)
- Improved Observation (Bl): You can use Observation as a move action, rather than a standard. (Prerequisites: Observation, Memeticist level 6th+)
- Lucubration (Me): When you successfully grant the assayed status, you become a font of knowledge of how best to defeat such creatures. You and all allies gain a +1 insight bonus on attack rolls against creatures with the assayed condition, plus an additional +1 insight bonus for every five memeticist levels you have.
- Moxie (Me): When you successfully grant the assayed status, you become a font of knowledge of how best to avoid the creature's abilities. You and all allies gain a +1 insight bonus on saving throws against against racial abilities from creatures with the assayed condition, plus an additional +1 insight bonus for every five memeticist levels you have.
- Puissance (Me): When you successfully grant the assayed status, you become a font of knowledge of how to bring such creatures down. You and all allies gain a +2 insight bonus on damage rolls against creatures with the assayed condition, plus an additional +2 insight bonus for every five memeticist levels you have.
- Resistance (Bl): You gain a +4 insight bonus on saving throws against status effects. You can take this ability multiple times; its effect stacks.
- Tenacity (Me): When you successfully grant the assayed status, you become a font of knowledge of how to dodge such creature's attacks. You and all allies gain a +1 insight bonus to AC against attacks from creatures with the assayed condition, plus an additional +1 insight bonus for every five memeticist levels you have.
Learner Talent: As a learner progresses in her training, she gains access to new and unusual applications of the Blue. At 10th level, and every two levels thereafter, she gains access to one of the following abilities.
- Absorb (Bl): When the learner learns a meme via draw, she may temporarily deny the creature the use of its ability. If the creature fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + memeticist level + learner's Cha mod), it loses access to the ability the learner learned for 1 round/memeticist level. (Prerequisites: Draw)
Sidebar: Countering
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| When you attempt to counter an ability, you must make a memeticist level check against DC 11 + the Force-user level of the creature whose ability you are trying to counter. If the creature is not using a Force ability, the DC is instead 11 + the creature's HD. If you make the check, you counter the effect; if you fail, the effect continues unabated. |
- Soak (Bl): If the learner is the target of an ability, she may attempt to learn it, as though she had used draw to do so. If she does so and successfully learns the meme, the ability is negated as though countered. This talent only works on abilities the learner has not yet learned. (Prerequisites: Draw, Absorb)
- Countermeme (Me): When the learner is targeted by, or in the area affected by, a creature's ability from which she could learn a meme, and she has that meme as one of her active memes that is not currently in use and is recharged, she can use that meme as an immediate action in response to the creature's ability, countering it. Doing so counts as using the meme, and thus it must recharge, but it begins doing so immediately as though its duration were instantaneous. (Prerequisites: Lancelet)
- Disable (Bl): When the learner learns a talent via lancelet, she may temporarily deny the creature the use of its ability. If the creature fails a Will save (DC 10 + memeticist level + learner's Cha mod), it loses access to the ability the learner learned for 1 round/memeticist level. This effect counts as a status ailment. (Prerequisites: Lancelet, Countermeme)
- Deep Secret: You gain an additional ability from the Learner Secret list of your choice. You can take this talent multiple times.
- Draw Mastery: The temporary active meme you gain when using draw benefits from memory equal to one-half your memeticist level, rounded down. This memory cannot be reallocated nor removed from the meme. (Prerequisites: Draw, Memeticist level 12th+)
- Expanded Methods: You can choose an additional method of learning that you do not currently have access to. You can take this talent twice.
- Immunity (Bl): Choose a status ailment other than dead. You are now immune to that status ailment.
- Lancelet Mastery: When you mark a creature with lancelet, all creatures of the same kind with the assayed status in regards to you also become marked. (Prerequisites: Lancelet, Memeticist level 12th+)
- Observation Mastery: You are considered to be benefiting from your observation ability at all times, to a distance of 5 feet per 2 memeticist levels. You can still use a move action to observe creatures at a greater distance than that. (Prerequisites: Observation, Memeticist level 12th+)
- Peep (Bl): Requires the Observation method. As a standard action, you may attempt to learn information about a creature with Close range. When you use your bestial lore ability, you gain awareness of the creature as though you had used status, which lasts until the end of the encounter. (Prerequisites: Observation)
- Scan (Bl): Requires the Peep ability. When you use your bestial lore ability, you learn additional information about a creature, as though you had used the creature loresight meme with memory invested equal to your memeticist level. (Prerequisites: Observation, Peep)
Memes
What follows is a description of how a learner learns memes, and the meme lists.
Unlike most Force-users, memes of a learner are not influenced by his memeticist level. Instead, the effectiveness of a meme is dependent upon how much memory he devotes to it. Expressions such as "100 feet + 10 feet/memory" mean that, for every point of memory you have invested in the meme, add an additional 10 feet to the range, and so on.
The saving throw DCs for all of a learner's memes are 10 + her Charisma modifier + memory invested.
Learning Memes
Whenever a creature uses a non-extraordinary ability, the learner has a chance to learn it (depending upon her learning method). If she does so, she learns a meme that corresponds to that ability in some way - the meme a learner learns is almost never an exact duplicate of the ability she learned it from, though it will usually share many similar qualities.
Unlike other Force users, whose abilities are static, learners' abilities are informed by the means through which they learn them: for instance, a learner can learn beta from a creature with an aura of flame, a creature whose touch ignites others, or a dragon's breath - but these all function differently, various aspects of the beta meme changing upon each use. A learner who gains access to different variations of a single meme can call upon any of those variations without allocating an active meme slot to each variation, but each variation is distinct in that qualities of one variation cannot be mixed with another.
The base ability that teaches a meme is referred to as the meme's template.
Learner Memes
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| Aero: Use wind to damage and move foes. |
| Angel Whisper: Restore a creature to life, remove status ailments. |
| Aquabreath: Use water to damage foes. |
| Bad Breath: Cause a variety of status ailments. |
| Beta: Use fire to damage and burn foes. |
| Blowfish: Attack a foe with a volley of spines. |
| Cocoon: Improve your natural armor. |
| Death Force: Resist death effects. |
| Dischord: Cause a creature to gain a negative level. |
| Dragon Force: Improve your combat prowess. |
| Drain Touch: Cause physical ability score damage. |
| Earth Shake: Cause an earthquake. |
| Eerie Sound Wave: Remove enhancements from a creature. |
| Exploder: Sacrifice self to deal massive area damage. |
| Feather Barrier: Improve ability to evade attacks and effects. |
| Flash: Blind creatures. |
| Force Spear: Use force energy to damage a creature. |
| Frost: Use cold to damage a creature. |
| Fusion: Imbue weapons with special effects. |
| Guard Off: Reduce a creature's ability to defend itself. |
| Haste Break: Cause a creature enjoying temporal manipulation to lose its enhancements. |
| Infrasonics: Reduce a creature's ability to evade your attacks and effects. |
| Magic Hammer: Reduce a creature's ability to call upon magic. |
| Madness: Cause mental ability score damage. |
| Mighty Guard: Put a variety of protective effects into place. |
| Moon Flute: Cause creature to rage. |
| Night: Cause creatures to fall asleep. |
| Pearl: Use holy energy to damage foes. |
| Poison Claw: Inflict a creature with poison. |
| Quasar: Use magnetic energy to damage foes. |
| Roulette: Cause a random nearby creature to die. |
| Screech: Use sonic energy to damage and deafen foes. |
| Shadow Flare: Use shadow energy to damage foes. |
| Stare: Confuse a creature. |
| Stone Breath: Cause creatures to turn to stone. |
| Trine: Use lightning to damage and shock foes. |
| Vanish: Cause a creature to become invisible. |
| Virus: Inflict a creature with a disease. |
| White Wind: Heal yourself and allies. |
| Zombie Touch: Inflict undead-like status on a creature for a time. |
Design Notes
November, 2003. Twelve years later, still working on making this class viable in D&D. Maybe this time, we can put this beast to rest.
Memes do not need power scaling. That is my final decision. Memes will function akin to gifts in that the power scaling is controlled by points; whereas gifts require some number, memes are controlled by how many you can pump into them.
Oh right. Once you use a meme, until it recharges, all the memory you stuck into it are "locked" into that meme until it recharges. This completely avoids the akashic craziness of having all your memory available all the time.
Also this meme list is bad and you should feel bad. Fix it.
Lower-level learner abilities, and the assayed concept, taken from here. But... you know what's cool? Not making bonuses dependent on skill checks and DCs, and instead making them level-based. Less swingy that way.
