Abilities

For help adding ability VTT text and side macros to a character sheet, see VTT Integration.

Terms

VTT Text and Macros

Many abilities include text meant to be copied into a virtual tabletop. A VTT Macro Description is the main text placed in the ability's description field. A Side Macro handles an effect used after the ability is active, such as spending a resource or repeating an attack. A VTT Number of Dice formula goes in the sheet's dice field and calculates how many dice the ability rolls.

Abilities

Abilities are generally supernatural (Su) or extraordinary (Ex) tools that bring something new to a character beyond spells and feats. Many follow a theme with several iterations of the same ability.

Concentration

If an ability requires concentration, treat it as a 5th-level spell when calculating the concentration DC.

Difficulty Check (DC)

Abilities commonly use a mental-based supernatural DC or Constitution-based extraordinary DC. These are usually 10 + half HD + primary mental modifier, or 10 + half HD + Constitution modifier, respectively.

Dispel Magic

Supernatural (Su) and spell-like (Sp) abilities can be dispelled. Supernatural abilities count as 6th-level spells for dispel-magic rolls. Spell-like abilities use the level of the spell being mimicked.

Extraordinary Ability (Ex)

Extraordinary abilities typically rely on physical attributes and are mundane in presentation. They are never subject to dispel magic or spell resistance.

Hit Die (HD)

Your character's level after any level adjustments.

Iterative Growth

When a higher form of an ability is taken, it replaces the previous ability. For example, Improved Breath Weapon replaces Breath Weapon.

Prerequisites

Attribute requirements are hard prerequisites. Other prerequisites can be overridden when sufficiently integrated with the character's backstory. In the list below, an indented ability requires its parent ability or belongs to that parent's ability family. Other requirements remain listed on the ability's own page.

Resources

Many abilities grant a resource used to activate that ability or related abilities. Grace, for example, grants Grace Points that can be spent on Grace or related abilities such as Twin Talon.

When an ability says “Gain X [Resource] Points,” increase the maximum pool by that amount. It does not immediately restore any points. A 6 HD character with 2 Grace Points who takes Twin Talon increases their maximum to 3. Points are fully restored after a rest.

Spell-Like Ability (Sp)

Spell-like abilities mimic spells from the Spelladex and use HD in place of caster level for spell functions and features.

Spell Proficiency

Spell Proficiency is added to spell, spell-like ability, and supernatural ability DCs and spell attack rolls, including touch attacks. It is also applied to each damage, healing, or warding die from those effects. It does not apply to a weapon's attack or damage after that weapon is modified by a spell unless the spell says otherwise. An applicable 5d6 effect, for example, gains +10 from Spell Proficiency 2.

Spell Resistance

When an ability is subject to spell resistance, use HD as its effective caster level. Spell Penetration does not benefit abilities.

Supernatural Ability (Su)

Supernatural abilities typically rely on mental attributes and are magical in presentation. They are subject to dispel magic and sometimes spell resistance. Against a counterspell, dispel, or similar effect, a supernatural ability counts as a 6th-level spell and gains +4 on the roll.

Ability List

A

• Ally Shielding: Grant warding to allies.
• Animal Companion: Gain a companion with the Animal monster definition.
• Apotheosis: Take massive damage each round to gain enormous benefits at low health.
• Arcane Blast: Gain a powerful ranged ability enhanced by sacrificing spell slots.
• Aura, Lesser: Gain a persistent aura that augments allies.
  • Aura, Improved: Increase the aura's benefits and range.
    • Aura, Greater: Further improve the aura's benefits.

B

• Breath Weapon, Lesser: Gain a line or cone that deals damage or conditions.
  • Breath Weapon, Improved: Increase its size and damage.
    • Breath Weapon, Greater: Further increase its size and power.
• Brier Patch: Create an area that damages creatures moving through it.

C

• Cloud of Uncertainty: Move nonlinearly and attack targets within the area.
  • Cloud of Uncertainty, Greater: Gain more positional and movement options.
• Control Undead: Seize control of nearby undead.
• Cover Me: Create an area of denial with a companion and briefly gain AC.
• Crusher Strike: Make a melee touch attack that can break bones.

D

• Dances
  • Chassé: Select an ally as your dance partner, allowing you both to move faster and weave safely through enemies.
    • Tango: Force an enemy dance partner to approach you and move through your threatened area.
    • Whorling Waltz: Dance with an ally so each of you can strike every chosen enemy within your threatened squares.
  • Footloose and Fancy Free: Draw an enemy into a dance that improves your defenses while hindering theirs.
• Dance - Figures
  • Fouetté: Hurl multiple projectiles in a spinning dance, striking one or several creatures with increasing accuracy and damage.
  • Grand Battement: Deliver a powerful kick that combines your Strength and Dexterity to deal heavy bludgeoning damage.
  • Grand Jeté: Leap up to your base movement speed as a swift action.
  • Over the Back: Throw a nearby creature, potentially knocking it prone and/or empowering its next melee attack.
• Dancing Stars: Create stars that deal damage or grant warding.
• Divine Smite: Channel divine energy into damage and resistance.
• Dragon's Pressure: Sprout wings to fly or push enemies.

E

• Energy Charge: Become charged with energy and gain offensive bonuses.
  • Energy Echo: Mark a target with energy that explodes after a delay.
    • Energy Crescents: Create lashes of energy along a line.
• Energy Veil: Veil yourself with energy to gain resistances.
• Envenomate: Use a natural weapon to deal ability damage.
• Ephemeral Weapon, Lesser: Summon an enhanced weapon.
  • Ephemeral Weapon, Improved: Improve its enhancement and imbuements.
    • Ephemeral Weapon, Greater: Give the weapon special attacks.

F

• Familiar: Gain a Small or smaller magically imbued companion.
• Fay Space: Gain a personal extradimensional pocket.
• Focus: Sacrifice multiple attacks to make one reliable attack.
  • Breaker: Spend Focus Points to injure an opponent.
  • Juggernaut: Move unstoppably while shoving or trampling creatures.
  • Penetrating Blow: Sacrifice attacks to bypass DR or miss chance.
• Forms of the Recondite: Sacrifice spell slots for martial forms.
  • Advanced Forms of the Recondite: Gain four additional forms.

G

• General Knowledge: Know useful information about every subject.
• Grace: Gain Grace Points that can be spent to avoid damage.
  • Flip Trick: Gain defensive and positional benefits against surrounding enemies.
  • Leaping Assault: Leap in a line and add damage to a physical attack.
  • Riposte: Immediately attack a creature that misses you.
  • Sliding Scourge: Slide forward and attack enemies beside the path.
  • Twin Talon: Make a dual melee strike that can wound a foe.
    • Deadly Assault: Make additional attacks as a full-round action.
• Gravity Oppression, Lesser: Increase gravity in an area and hamper movement.
  • Gravity Oppression, Improved: Crush a creature inside the area.
    • Gravity Oppression, Greater: Gain additional Gravity Oppression benefits.
• Gumption: Apply Constitution to maneuvers or reroll a failed Fortitude save.
  • Endure: Gain DR determined by the selected duration.
    • Shattering Feedback: Damage weapons stopped by Endure.
  • Perfect Counter: Counterattack creatures that attack you.

H

• Hail of Arrows: Strike multiple targets with one ranged attack.
• Hamstring: Injure a target to cripple its mobility.

I

• Improvised Arcane Device: Turn spell slots into temporary devices.
  • Improvised Arcane Device, Advanced: Double its dice and add effects.
• Inspiration: Use the Natural Leader definition's signature ability.
• Inspire Perfection: Give a subject three perfect rolls within 24 hours.

K

• Key Insight: Use knowledge to impose disadvantage on foes.

L

• Lay on Hands: Gain a pool of healing or damage delivered by touch.
• Little Helper: Create a small being or construct that attacks foes.

M

• Music — Flourishes
  • Crescendo: Deal sonic damage to three targets during a song.
  • Shrill Chord: Interrupt spellcasting with a dissonant chord.
  • Warm Tonic: Remove conditions and heal allies during a song.
• Music — Songs
  • Anthem: Grant protection against compulsions and provide warding.
  • Dirge: Hamper nearby foes with a sorrowful song.
  • Étude: Grant sonic damage and an accumulating one-use morale bonus.
• Magic Capacitor: Sacrifice spell slots to recharge magical items.
• Monstrous Bite: Make a bite attack that initiates a grapple.

N

• Natural Magic: Gain a spell of 5th level or lower as a spell-like ability.
  • Spell Theft: Absorb a resisted spell and recast it using the original statistics.

O

• On My Mark: Give adjacent allies an immediate move or standard action.
• Opportunist, Lesser: Deal extra damage to disadvantaged foes, up to +3d6.
  • Opportunist, Improved: Increase the limit to +6d6.
    • Opportunist, Greater: Remove the damage limit.

P

• Panache: Apply Charisma offensively or defensively while making clever remarks.
  • Baffle with Bullshit: Penalize foes and potentially stun or stifle them.
  • Fake it 'til you Make It: Gain luck after failing with a bad excuse.
  • Je ne Sais Quoi: Disarm others with an indefinable quality.
• Personal Construct: Build a construct designed to assist with selected tasks.
• Petal Shroud, Lesser: Use PMA for defenses and vine-whip attacks.
  • Petal Shroud, Improved: Add cover, fast healing, and stronger whips.
    • Petal Shroud, Greater: Improve every aspect of Petal Shroud.
• Piercer: Maximize a piercing weapon's damage and ignore some DR.

Q

• Qì: Focus your will for brief bonuses and reroll a failed Will save.
  • Anima Ablation: Make a line attack that can disable magical abilities.
  • Breath Wrap: Improve grappling or make a ranged grapple.
  • Pneuma Echo: Hold a spell until specified conditions trigger it.
  • Qì Strikes: Give melee weapons reach or ranged options.

R

• Rage: Gain offense and spell DC at the cost of fatigue and AC.
  • Rage, Greater: Improve Rage, gain temporary HP, and bolster spells.
    • Rage, Intensified: Further amplify Rage and perfect the first spell.
• Rebuke Undead: Suppress undead with divine power.

S

• Scourge: Take self-damage to gain brief benefits.
• Shadow Fade: Gain concealment, rapid movement, and an opportunity to stun.
  • Shadow Blast: Deal nonlethal shadow damage.
  • Shadow Clasp: Damage a foe and hamper its movement.
• Shard of Void, Lesser: Summon a movable shard that deals entropic damage.
  • Shard of Void, Improved: Increase the shard's damage.
    • Shard of Void, Greater: Remove concentration and move it freely.
• Shroud of the Phoenix: Create an energy aura that harms enemies and protects allies.
  • Fall of the Phoenix: Detonate, affect nearby creatures, and return from ashes.
  • Flight of the Phoenix: Form energy wings with perfect flight.
  • Quills of the Phoenix: Make ranged touch attacks with explosive quills.
  • Talons of the Phoenix: Form scaling energy talons using your best attribute.
• Spell Thrower: Convert spell slots into specialized magical ammunition.
• Spirit Form: Transform into another creature type while retaining mental attributes.
• Static Cling: Link targets so distance between them increases their damage.
• Suppression Field, Lesser: Penalize enemies within an area.
  • Suppression Field, Improved: Increase the field's penalties.
    • Suppression Field, Greater: Further increase its penalties.
• Sympathetic Wave: Turn nonlethal damage against enemies or use it to heal allies.

T

• Tail Swat: Sweep creatures within reach and knock damaged targets prone.
• Taunting Challenge: Demand that a target attack you or suffer penalties.
• Telekinetics, Lesser: Gain basic telekinetic abilities.
  • Telekinetics, Improved: Make those abilities more capable.
    • Telekinetics, Greater: Make them supremely capable.
• Thurible: Grant immediate boons using selected aromatics.
  • Poultice of Pain: Deal nonlethal damage and potentially deny an action.
  • Poultice of Sluggishness: Penalize movement and combat statistics.
  • Tincture of Grit: Grant physical and energy defenses.
  • Tincture of Vigor: Improve movement and physical combat.

U

• Unleash: Grant combat bonuses to a construct, animal companion, or familiar.

V

• Valour, Lesser: Gain bonuses against multiple foes and temporary HP for felling them.
  • Valour, Improved: Improve the bonuses and punish Opportunist attacks.
    • Valour, Greater: Further improve the bonuses and temporary-HP triggers.

W

• Were-Transformation: Assume a powerful hybrid form while risking bloodlust.
• Wind Slash: Damage enemies in a line with a slashing weapon.