A cold-iron nail for the fey, a saint's knucklebone for the restless dead, a broken chain for the tyrant. Every creature has its weakness, and you carry them all.
The world is full of things no one can explain: dead gods, old curses, creatures that should not exist. You have spent your life gathering the pieces that answer them, a sprig of mistletoe here, a shard of a holy relic there, a bell that once rang over a plague pit. None of it belongs to a single tradition. You take what works from all of them, and you make it work for you.
At the heart of your collection are your implements: a handful of objects heavy with meaning, like a lantern, a mirror, a tome or a blade, that you carry as both badge and weapon. Around them you keep your esoterica, a clutter of charms, trinkets and relics that you can reach for without looking. Faced with a foe, you find the object that repels it and turn its weakness against it.
In a fight, you study your enemy for a moment and then strike exactly where it hurts, with a weapon in one hand and an implement in the other. Among people, you read the ties between them as easily as you read the ties between omens and outcomes. On the road, you are the one who knows what that sign on the door means and what the thing behind it fears. Between adventures, you dust off relics, trade favors with strange patrons and add the newest curiosity to your collection.
Statistics
Stamina 8 plus your Constitution modifier. You increase your maximum Stamina by this number at 1st level and every level thereafter.
Key Attribute Charisma. At 1st level, your class gives you an attribute boost to Charisma.
Key Skills Choose two of Arcana, Nature, Occultism and Religion. You are trained in both, and they automatically become expert at 3rd level, master at 7th level, paragon at 11th level, legendary at 15th level and ascendant at 19th level.
Skills
Trained in the two of Arcana, Nature, Occultism and Religion that you didn't choose as Key Skills.
Trained in Esoteric Lore.
Trained in a number of additional skills equal to 3 plus your Intelligence modifier.
Attacks
Trained in simple weapons.
Trained in martial weapons.
Trained in unarmed attacks.
Deflection
Trained in light armor.
Trained in medium armor.
Trained in unarmored defense.
Defenses
Trained in Stability.
Trained in Evasion.
Trained in Resilience.
Expert in Clarity.
Expert in Spirit.
Expert in Resolve.
Perception
Expert in Perception.
Class Threshold
Trained in Thaumaturge class threshold.
You are untrained in anything not listed unless you gain a better proficiency rank in some other way. Your proficiency ranks improve as you gain levels, as shown in Table T-1: Thaumaturge Advancement below.
Key Terms
You'll see the following key terms in many Thaumaturge class features.
Esoterica Abilities with the esoterica trait use the small mystic objects you always carry. You are assumed to have them on you, unless something has taken your gear away.
Implement One of the special objects at the center of your practice, described under Implements. You gain up to three implements as you advance.
Temporary items Some Curios let you prepare items that last only a short time. A temporary item can't be sold, and unless its ability says otherwise, it and any effect it created that isn't permanent end at your next daily preparations.
| LEVEL | Class | Attack | Deflection | Stability | Evasion | Resilience | Clarity | Spirit | Resolve | Perception | CLASS FEATURES |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Esoteric Lore; First Implement and Esoterica; Exploit Vulnerability; Implement's Empowerment; Trained Curio. | ||||||||||
| 2 | Trained Curio. | ||||||||||
| 3 | Implement Loci. | ||||||||||
| 4 | Expert Curio. | ||||||||||
| 5 | Second Implement. | ||||||||||
| 6 | Expert Curio. | ||||||||||
| 7 | Implement Adept. | ||||||||||
| 8 | Master Curio. | ||||||||||
| 9 | Intensify Vulnerability. | ||||||||||
| 10 | Master Curio. | ||||||||||
| 11 | Second Adept. | ||||||||||
| 12 | Paragon Curio. | ||||||||||
| 13 | Thaumaturge's Investiture. | ||||||||||
| 14 | Paragon Curio. | ||||||||||
| 15 | Third Implement. | ||||||||||
| 16 | Legendary Curio. | ||||||||||
| 17 | Implement Paragon. | ||||||||||
| 18 | Legendary Curio. | ||||||||||
| 19 | Unlimited Esoterica. | ||||||||||
| 20 | Ascendant Curio. |
Class Features
You gain these features as a Thaumaturge. Features gained at higher levels list the level at which you gain them next to the feature's name.
Esoteric Lore
You have heard of every strange thing there is, even if what you heard was half rumor. You are trained in Esoteric Lore, a special Lore skill that you can use to Recall anything about haunts, curses and creatures of any kind, but nothing else. You use your Charisma modifier for Esoteric Lore instead of your Intelligence modifier. You also gain the Dubious Knowledge skill feat.
Your Esoteric Lore becomes expert at 3rd level, master at 7th level, paragon at 11th level, legendary at 15th level and ascendant at 19th level.
First Implement and Esoterica
Choose an implement from the list under Implements. You begin play with an ordinary object of that kind, and you gain its initiate benefit. An implement matters to you and to no one else, so it is worth nothing if sold. If you find a new object of the same kind, you can make it your implement by spending a day of downtime with it.
Around your implements you keep your esoterica: cold-iron nails, scraps of scripture, bones said to belong to saints, and the like. You keep them where your hands can find them, and you can draw and use esoterica with the same hand that holds an implement.
Exploit Vulnerability
Every creature, however strange, has something that repels it. You can find the right object in your esoterica and wake its power, either by calling on a weakness the creature already has, or by improvising one aimed at that creature alone.
Frequency once per round
Requirements You are holding your implement.
You search your memory and your esoterica for something that repels your foe, and use your implement to wake the power in it. Choose a creature you can see and attempt an Esoteric Lore check against a standard-difficulty threshold of the creature's level. The effects last until you Exploit Vulnerability again.
Critical Success You learn all the creature's resistances, weaknesses and immunities, with their values, and any unusual vulnerability it has. You can use its mortal weakness or its personal antithesis, and your Strikes against it become magical.
Success You learn the creature's highest weakness, but nothing else about its defenses. You can use its mortal weakness or its personal antithesis, and your Strikes against it become magical.
Failure You can't recall a weakness, so you improvise one. You can use only its personal antithesis, and your Strikes against it become magical.
Critical Failure You fumble through your esoterica. You are off-guard until the start of your next turn.
Mortal weakness You arm yourself with the thing the creature fears. Your unarmed and weapon Strikes trigger the highest weakness you learned, even though their damage type doesn't change. This applies against the target and against any other creature of exactly the same kind, but not against other creatures that merely share the weakness.
Personal antithesis You present something that repels this creature in particular, like a broken chain before a tyrant. The target, and only the target, gains a weakness to your unarmed and weapon Strikes equal to 2 + half your level.
Implement’s Empowerment
You trace a pattern in the air with your implement as you strike, and the blow lands harder. When you Strike while holding an implement, the Strike deals 2 extra damage per weapon damage die. You gain this only if your hands hold nothing but implements, esoterica and a single one-handed weapon.
Implement Loci
Many of your implements are also loci, the objects spellcasters channel magic through, and you have learned to strike with them. A lantern, mirror, wand, tome, chalice or bell implement is a locus for you, and you can make locus Strikes with it.
Your locus Strikes use Charisma plus your proficiency with martial weapons for the attack roll, and the number of damage dice follows that same proficiency, up to five. The damage die and type are those of the locus; a bell is an instrument and deals sonic damage. Your locus Strikes count as weapon Strikes for your Thaumaturge features.
Second Implement
Choose a second implement of a different kind from your first, and gain its initiate benefit.
While you hold one implement, you can swap it for another one you are wearing as a free action, immediately before using an action that requires the second implement in hand.
Implement Adept
Choose one of your implements. You gain its adept benefit.
Intensify Vulnerability
You learn to press your implement against your quarry's weakness. You gain the intensify benefit of each of your implements, and the Intensify Vulnerability action.
Frequency once per round
Requirements You are benefiting from Exploit Vulnerability, you can see its target, and you haven't used Exploit Vulnerability this round.
You present your implement and esoterica again, and the weakness burns hotter. Choose one implement you are holding and gain its intensify benefit until the start of your next turn.
Second Adept
You gain the adept benefit of your second implement.
Thaumaturge’s Investiture
Your collection of magical objects keeps growing, and you have learned to carry more of them at once. The number of magic items you can keep invested becomes 5 plus twice your Charisma.
Third Implement
Choose a third implement of a kind you don't have yet. You gain its initiate benefit and its intensify benefit.
Implement Paragon
Choose an implement that already has its adept benefit. You gain its paragon benefit.
Unlimited Esoterica
Your hands find the right charm before your mind does. You can use Exploit Vulnerability and Intensify Vulnerability as free actions instead of single actions, still no more than once per round.
Implements
Each implement grants an initiate benefit when you choose it, an intensify benefit from 9th level, and, if you choose it for Implement Adept or Second Adept, an adept benefit. One implement can reach its paragon benefit at 17th level.
Amulet
A lucky coin, a holy symbol, a rabbit's foot, a diagram drawn on bone: amulets are carried for protection, and yours works.
Initiate Benefit You gain the Amulet's Abeyance reaction.
Trigger The target of your Exploit Vulnerability would damage you or an ally within 15 feet of you.
Requirements You are holding your amulet and benefiting from Exploit Vulnerability.
You thrust your amulet toward the harm. You or the ally gain resistance to all damage against the triggering damage, equal to 2 + your level.
Adept Benefit When you use Amulet's Abeyance, the protected creature also chooses one damage type from the triggering attack and gains resistance 5 against it until the start of your next turn, or 10 from 15th level.
Intensify Benefit You gain a +2 status bonus to your Deflection and defense checks against the target of your Exploit Vulnerability.
Paragon Benefit Amulet's Abeyance protects you and every ally within 15 feet at once. Each gains both the resistance against the triggering damage and the lingering resistance of the adept benefit, and each chooses its own damage type.
Bell
A handbell, a drum, finger cymbals, any instrument you can play with one hand: bells speak to the power sound has over the heart. Your bell is also an instrument, a locus that deals sonic damage.
Initiate Benefit You gain the Ring Bell reaction.
Trigger The target of your Exploit Vulnerability makes a Strike or Casts a Spell that would affect you or an ally.
Requirements You are holding your bell, and the triggering creature is within 30 feet of you.
Your bell rings out at exactly the wrong moment for your foe.
Against a spell A crash of sound breaks the caster's focus. It must succeed at a Resilience defense check against your class threshold or be stupefied 1 until the end of your next turn, stupefied 2 on a critical failure. The stupefied condition applies to the triggering spell.
Against a Strike A discordant note throws the attacker's body off. It must succeed at a Resolve defense check against your class threshold or be your choice of enfeebled 1 or clumsy 1 until the end of your next turn, or 2 on a critical failure. The condition applies to the triggering Strike.
Adept Benefit The conditions from Ring Bell last 3 rounds instead of 1.
Intensify Benefit When you hit the target of your Exploit Vulnerability with a Strike, your bell sounds a haunting note: the creature takes a −2 status penalty to defense checks against your Ring Bell for 1 round, or −3 on a critical hit. This has the auditory trait.
Paragon Benefit Every condition value from Ring Bell increases to 2, or 3 on a critical failure. Ring Bell can respond to any enemy, not only the target of your Exploit Vulnerability, but against another enemy its conditions last only until the start of your next turn.
Chalice
A goblet, a gourd, a small amphora, a hollowed skull: a vessel that slowly fills, and that gives life to whoever drinks from it.
Initiate Benefit You gain the Drink from the Chalice action.
Frequency once per round
Requirements You are holding your chalice.
You drink from your chalice, or give it to an adjacent ally, who chooses how deeply to drink.
Sip The drinker gains temporary Stamina equal to your level (at least 3) until the end of your next turn.
Drain The drinker regains 3 Stamina for each of your levels. Once drained, the chalice holds only dregs: it can be sipped but not drained again until 10 minutes pass with nobody drinking from it, when it fills again. A creature healed by void energy can drain the chalice too, and the effect gains the void trait.
Adept Benefit When you or an ally within 30 feet takes piercing or slashing damage from an enemy's critical hit, or takes persistent bleed damage, that creature drinks more deeply from your chalice before the end of your next turn: a sip gives temporary Stamina equal to twice your level, and draining restores 5 Stamina for each of your levels.
Intensify Benefit While you are within 30 feet of the target of your Exploit Vulnerability, the chalice draws strength from it: a sip gives temporary Stamina equal to your level more, and draining restores twice your level more.
Paragon Benefit Draining the chalice lowers the drinker's clumsy, enfeebled, frightened, stupefied and stunned values by 1, and its drained value by 1 once per day. The chalice also tries to counteract every poison, disease and curse affecting the drinker, with a counteract rank of half your level rounded up and your class threshold − 10 as its modifier. An affliction it fails to counteract can't be tried again on that drinker until midnight.
Lantern
A glass lantern, a paper lantern, a torch: the light that parts shadows and shows things as they are.
Initiate Benefit You can light or put out your lantern with a thought, as a free action with the concentrate trait. While lit, it sheds bright light in a 20-foot emanation, reaching past cover, and dim light for another 20 feet. Its counteract rank against magical darkness is half your level rounded up. You and your allies in the light gain a +1 status bonus to visual Perception checks to notice things in it, and to Recall about creatures in it. During exploration, the GM rolls a secret check for you to find traps, hazards, haunts and secrets as they enter the light, even if you aren't Searching. These effects have the magical and revelation traits.
Adept Benefit The light grows to a 30-foot emanation. While you hold the lantern, invisible and ethereal creatures in the light appear as rippling distortions; they are still concealed, but you know they are there.
Intensify Benefit The light flares, doubling the size of the emanation. Against the target of your Exploit Vulnerability, the lantern's status bonuses increase to +2, the target takes a −2 status penalty to Deception and Stealth checks while in the light, and it can't be concealed there.
Paragon Benefit The light grows to a 40-foot emanation and shows everything as it truly is. The GM rolls a secret counteract check against every illusion, morph or polymorph effect in the light, with a counteract rank of half your level rounded up and your class threshold − 10 as its modifier; success lets you see through it without ending it. An effect the lantern fails against can't be tried again until midnight.
Mirror
A small hand mirror that bends what others see, and makes where you stand a matter of perspective.
Initiate Benefit You gain the Mirror's Reflection action.
Requirements You are holding your mirror.
You cast a reflection of yourself into an empty space you can see within 15 feet. Until the start of your next turn, you are in both spaces at once: you can attack, Seek and flank from either, even with yourself. Each time you act, you choose which of you acts; anything that targets or affects your reflection affects you, but never twice for the same effect. The reflection ends at the start of your next turn, when you move out of either space, or when you fall unconscious; you then choose which of you is real.
Adept Benefit When an enemy next to one of your spaces damages you while your reflection lasts, you can shatter that version of yourself as a free action. The reflection ends, and every creature within 5 feet of where it stood takes slashing damage equal to 2 + half your level or the damage of the triggering attack, whichever is lower. You don't take this damage.
Intensify Benefit Your mirror twists the target's senses: you are concealed to the target of your Exploit Vulnerability. Since it still knows roughly where you are, you can't use this to Hide or Sneak.
Paragon Benefit When you use Mirror's Reflection, one of you can immediately Interact, Seek or Strike.
Regalia
A scepter, a jeweled orb, a banner: the symbols of rule, and of the loyalty that follows them.
Initiate Benefit While holding your regalia, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Deception, Diplomacy and Intimidation checks. Allies who can see you can Follow the Expert when you are only Trained in the skill, gaining a +1 circumstance bonus. You also project an inspiring aura in a 15-foot emanation: you and allies in it who can see you gain a +1 status bonus to defense checks against fear, and when your frightened value goes down at the end of your turn, so does theirs. The aura has the emotion, mental and visual traits.
Adept Benefit The bonus to Deception, Diplomacy and Intimidation becomes +2 for each of those skills in which you are at least Master. Allies following you gain +2 if you are Trained, +3 if Expert, and +4 if Master or higher. Your aura's bonus now applies to defense checks against all mental effects, and you and allies in it gain a +2 status bonus to damage rolls, +3 from 11th level and +4 from 17th level.
Intensify Benefit When you hit the target of your Exploit Vulnerability with a Strike, choose an ally you can see. It gains a +1 circumstance bonus to attack rolls against that creature until the start of your next turn, or +2 if your Strike was a critical hit.
Paragon Benefit A critical failure to Coerce, Make an Impression or Request becomes a failure. Allies following you gain +3 if you are Trained and +4 if you are Expert or higher. Allies in your aura aren't off-guard from being flanked unless you are too, and the status penalty they take from being clumsy, enfeebled, frightened, sickened or stupefied is 1 lower, unless you share the condition.
Shield
A shield of 1 Bulk or less, the plainest symbol of guarding and watching over others.
Initiate Benefit You gain the Shield Block general feat. If your shield implement would be reduced to 0 Durability, it is left at 1 instead, its bonus to your Deflection when raised drops by 1, and you can't Shield Block with it until it is repaired; you can still use it as an implement while broken. From 5th level, when you Exploit Vulnerability, you can also Raise a Shield as a free action.
Adept Benefit While your shield is raised, you gain a status bonus to defense checks against spells and other magic equal to its bonus to your Deflection, and damage from spells and magic can trigger your Shield Block, even when it isn't physical.
Intensify Benefit When you hit the target of your Exploit Vulnerability with a Strike, your shield regains Durability equal to half your level. If it is already undamaged, its Hardness increases by your Charisma until the start of your next turn. This happens only once per turn.
Paragon Benefit While your shield is raised, its bonuses to Deflection and to defense checks against magic also apply to allies within 15 feet, and you can Shield Block for any of them.
Tome
A weathered book, a clay tablet, a bundle of knotted cords: knowledge that shouldn't exist, and that knows what you need to know.
Initiate Benefit While holding your tome, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Recall. During your daily preparations, choose two skills: you are Trained in both until your next preparations, as long as the tome is on you. From 3rd level you are Expert in one of them, and from 5th level Expert in both. These proficiencies are temporary, so they can't satisfy the requirements of a skill increase, a feat or any other permanent choice.
Adept Benefit At the start of each of your turns, while holding your tome, attempt to Recall about a creature you can see. On a success, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to your next attack roll against it before the start of your next turn. Your temporary skills become one Expert and one Master, and from 9th level both Master.
Intensify Benefit When you use Intensify Vulnerability, roll a d20 and set the result aside. Before the start of your next turn, you can use it in place of rolling for an attack roll against the target of your Exploit Vulnerability. This is a fortune effect.
Paragon Benefit You can roll Esoteric Lore for initiative against creatures and haunts, with a +3 circumstance bonus. The tome's bonus to Recall becomes +2, the adept benefit's bonus applies to every attack roll until the start of your next turn, and both your temporary skills are Legendary.
Wand
A short, light baton of wood and something stranger, charged with the magic it slowly collects.
Initiate Benefit When you gain this implement, choose cold, electricity or fire. You gain the Fling Magic activity.
Requirements You are holding your wand.
You hurl the magic your wand has gathered at a creature within 60 feet. It takes 3d4 damage of your wand's type, with a basic Evasion defense check against your class threshold. The damage increases by 1d4 at 3rd level and every 2 levels after that.
Once, you can release the wand's stored charge to deal d6s instead of d4s. The charge returns at the end of your next turn. This activity gains the trait of its damage type.
Adept Benefit Fling Magic's range becomes 120 feet. Choose a second damage type, and choose between your two each time. A creature that fails its check and takes damage also suffers an effect: cold, a −10-foot status penalty to its Speeds for 1 round; electricity, off-guard until the end of your next turn; fire, 1d10 persistent fire damage, 2d10 on a critical failure (2d10 and 4d10 with the paragon benefit).
Intensify Benefit Fling Magic against the target of your Exploit Vulnerability gains a status bonus to damage equal to your level.
Paragon Benefit Fling Magic's range becomes 180 feet, you can choose any of the three damage types each time, and you can affect every creature in a 20-foot burst instead of a single target.
Weapon
A one-handed weapon, the most direct of all implements: struggle, battle and the will to strike.
Initiate Benefit You gain the Implement's Interruption reaction.
Trigger The target of your Exploit Vulnerability uses a concentrate, manipulate or move action, or leaves a square during a move action.
Requirements You are holding your weapon implement and benefiting from Exploit Vulnerability, and the creature is within your reach, or within 10 feet with a ranged weapon.
Your weapon senses the opening before you do. Make a Strike against the triggering creature with your weapon implement. On a critical hit, you disrupt the triggering action. This Strike doesn't count toward your multiple attack penalty, and your multiple attack penalty doesn't apply to it.
Adept Benefit When your Implement's Interruption fails but doesn't critically fail, you still deal 1 damage of the weapon's type, which can trigger the target's weaknesses.
Intensify Benefit You gain a +2 status bonus to attack rolls against the target of your Exploit Vulnerability.
Paragon Benefit Implement's Interruption disrupts the triggering action on any hit, not only a critical hit.
Curios
Your Thaumaturge feats are your Curios: the tricks, rites and odd pieces of knowledge your collection has taught you. Each has a rank, and you can take it once your Class Proficiency reaches that rank. You gain a Curio at 1st level and at every even level.
Still Being Written
The Curios are being written next.
Design Notes
Open, and not decided yet
The Curios, including new ones built around implement loci. A small improvement for the wand. Whether locus Strikes with an implement gain Implement's Empowerment and personal antithesis, as written above.