Equipment Sphere
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Spheres of Might
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The Equipment sphere handles what equipment you are trained to use and how you use it. When you first gain the Equipment sphere, choose one Equipment talent of your choice and gain it for free.

Some talents are marked (discipline). These talents grant groups of weapons with shared thematic roots that may be very different mechanically but are generally presented as being complementary in some way. Whenever a talent or ability refers to a weapon discipline, it refers to all weapons included in any single discipline talent.


Equipment Talents

Armor Expert [High. HB]

You increase the armor bonus to AC of any armor you are wearing by +1. When your base attack bonus reaches +8, you lower the armor check penalty of any armor you wear by 1. For every 8 points of base attack bonus you gain thereafter, you reduce the armor check penalty of your worn armor by a further 1 (this cannot reduce your armor check penalty below 0). The benefits granted by this talent do not stack with those provided by the Armor Focus and Improved Armor Focus feats. Associated Feat: Armor Focus.

Armor Training

You gain proficiency with light armor and medium armor. If you are already proficient with light armor, you instead gain proficiency with medium armor and heavy armor. You may take this talent up to two times.

Armored Defense

You may add 1/2 of your armor bonus from your worn armor (rounded down) as a circumstance bonus to your CMD; the bonus from this talent may not exceed 1/3 your base attack bonus (minimum +1).

Armored Deflection [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

You may add 1/2 of your armor bonus from your worn armor (rounded down) as a circumstance bonus to your touch AC; the bonus from this talent may not exceed 1/3 your base attack bonus (minimum +1).

Armored Evasion [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

While wearing medium or heavy armor, when you succeed at a Reflex save against an effect that would deal half damage on a successful save you may divert any damage you would have taken to your armor. At +10 base attack bonus you may divert half the damage from a failed Reflex save to your armor.

Arcane Armor

When wearing armor or using shields you are proficient with, decrease your total chance of arcane spell failure by 10%. You may take this talent multiple times, decreasing your chance of arcane spell failure by 10% each time (minimum 0).

Balanced Defense

While wielding a light or one-handed weapon and nothing in any other hand you possess, you gain a +1 shield bonus to AC. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, this bonus increases by +1. Attacking with an off-hand weapon, making more than one natural attack on your turn, or using abilities such as a monk’s flurry of blows or a magus’ spell combat suppresses this bonus until the start of your next turn.

Battle Ready Armor [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

Your armor receives a competence bonus to its hardness equal to your base attack bonus. Your armor does not gain the broken condition until it is reduced to 1/4th its hit points, and when your armor would be destroyed you may expend your martial focus to allow it to remain broken with 1 hit point remaining.

Bowling Bolas [Apoc]

You gain a +2 competence bonus to ranged trip attempts made with bolas or brutal bolas. Whenever you use bolas or brutal bolas to make a successful ranged trip attack as an attack action, you may also deal damage to the target as if the trip attempt had been a standard ranged attack with that weapon.

Cavalry Ready [Apoc]

You treat all one- or two-handed melee weapons as if they had the brace special feature. Associated Feat: Let Them Come.

Cloth Snake Puppetry (stance) [Youxia HB]

While in this stance, you can use any long, flexible objects like strings, ropes, sashes, chains, etc. as an extension of your own body. As part of the action you use to enter this stance, you may draw or pick up an unattended object within reach capable of use with this talent. While holding such an object in your hand, you may use it to increase your natural reach for grabbing objects, manipulating objects, and performing the bull rush, dirty trick, disarm, drag, steal, and trip maneuvers. The increased reach is limited by the length of the object used, to a maximum of 10 feet.

For every 4 base attack bonus you possess, the maximum potential reach of the object increases by 5 feet and you gain a +1 bonus to CMB for combat maneuvers made with the object. These objects count as grappling hooks for the purposes of talents such as Get Over Here! and Rope Swing.

Cold-Weather Adaptation [High. HB]

With 10 minutes of work, you may treat any set of clothing you wear as a cold-weather outfit, granting a +5 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saving throws against exposure to cold weather. When using the outfit in this fashion, you may wear it in addition to another outfit or armor.

Additionally, while wearing a great kilt or cold-weather outfit, you gain cold resistance 2. At +6 base attack bonus the cold resistance increases to 5. At base attack bonus +12 the cold resistance increases to 10. At base attack bonus +18 the cold resistance increases to 20.

Craftsman

You are skilled at crafting and repairing gear. When you first gain this ability, you gain ranks in a single Craft skill of your choice equal to your total Hit Dice; whenever you gain a Hit Die (such as when you gain a level) you gain an additional rank. If you already possess ranks in this Craft skill, you may immediately retrain them, but you do not get to retrain when only temporarily gaining this talent, such as through the armiger’s customized weapons class feature. When crafting a mundane item, you may do so in half the usual time.

Critical Genius

You may select 1 weapon with which you are proficient (including unarmed strike), treating that weapon as though its critical threat range was 19-20 (unless it would be higher) and its critical multiplier as though it was x2 (even if it would normally be higher). In addition, when you confirm a critical hit with the chosen weapon while using the attack action, you deal additional damage equal to your base attack bonus; this additional damage is applied after other modifiers and is not multiplied by the critical hit. At +10 base attack bonus, the chosen weapon’s critical threat range is instead treated as 18-20.

Author's Note: The change in critical threat range and critical multiplier from this talent is applied before other modifiers, such as the keen weapon property or the weapon mastery class feature.

Crushing Thrower

You may choose to treat your ranged attacks with thrown weapons as melee attacks, using your melee attack bonus, including Strength bonus, feats, and other modifiers to determine your attack bonus as normal, but applying standard modifiers for range penalties. Attacking into melee, through cover, and other situations that penalize ranged attacks incurs the standard penalties. In addition, you may apply 1-1/2 times your Strength bonus to damage if you wield the thrown weapon with two hands, and you can use the Power Attack feat with your thrown weapon attacks.

Author's Note: A ranged attack treated as a melee attack "applies the standard penalties" and other interactions for making a ranged attack. This includes the defending target receiving bonuses from being prone, being deflected by "ranged-only miss chance", and any other reasonable effect that would interfere or interact with a ranged attack. Effects and abilities that would modify a melee attack (such as weapon finesse, and the ability to apply Dexterity to damage) also apply to a "ranged" melee attack performed with Crushing Thrower. In the event of disagreement, the GM should make the final decision. The talent is intended for a character to apply or benefit from their otherwise melee-only abilities, but does not magically transmute a thrown weapon attack into not being a ranged attack.

Dagger Bravo [Youxia HB]

Whenever you wield a dagger properly sized for you, its critical range is changed to 18-20/x2 (although its critical multiplier cannot be increased) and its range increases to 30 feet. At +10 base attack bonus, its range increases to 50 feet. Associated Feat: Weapon Focus (dagger)

Dagger Dancer [Youxia HB]

You can draw or sheath a dagger as a free action and you gain a +3 circumstance bonus on attack rolls to confirm critical hits with daggers. At +10 base attack bonus, this circumstance bonus increases to +6. Associated Feat: Critical Focus

Dual Blade Savant

You may separate or rejoin a dual blade as a free action and do not treat each separate blade of a dual blade’s weapon’s enhancement bonuses as being reduced by 1 when you split it into two separate weapons.

Duelist’s Grip

Whenever you wield a melee weapon other than a natural attack in only one hand and make no attacks using any other hand or natural attack you possess, you apply 1 and 1/2 times your Strength bonus to damage rolls with it instead of just your Strength bonus.

Expert Reloading

Whenever you reload a ranged weapon with which you are proficient, you may decrease the required time; hand and light crossbows become free actions, heavy crossbows and one-handed firearms become move actions, and two-handed firearms become standard actions. If you possess the Crossbow Mastery feat, you do not provoke attacks of opportunity when reloading any crossbow. Associated Feat: Rapid Reload.

Fast Draw

You can draw a weapon as part of the action used to make an attack with it. This can be used with splash weapons, but not with other items such as potions, scrolls, or wands. You can draw a hidden weapon (see the Sleight of Hand skill) as a move action. Associated Feat: Quick Draw.

Finesse Fighting

You may use your Dexterity modifier in place of your Strength modifier when calculating your melee attack rolls with light weapons and weapons with the finesse weapon special feature. You may take this talent a total of two times. If taken a second time, whenever you make an attack using your Dexterity bonus on attack rolls and your Strength bonus on melee damage rolls, you may also add 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1) as a bonus on that damage roll. Associated Feat: Weapon Finesse.

Garrote Grappler

You treat garrotes as possessing the finesse weapon special feature. As an attack action, you may make a grapple check to initiate a grapple using a garrote against any target within reach, not just helpless or unaware targets. If successful, you deal your garrote damage to the target. You do not take the -4 penalty for not having two hands free on this check. When you use the choke option when making a grapple check, you may inflict garrote damage in addition to the effects of the choke. The garrote damage referenced in this ability includes your Strength modifier as appropriate to a two handed weapon as well as any enhancement and other bonuses. Damage from this talent does not stack with damage from the constrict universal monster ability.

Gauntlet Shield

You may treat a cestus, gauntlet, or spiked gauntlet as a buckler, gaining the +1 shield bonus to AC as normal for a buckler. The weapon’s enhancement bonus to attack and damage also applies to the shield bonus granted by the weapon. You lose this bonus if you attack with the weapon or wield another weapon in the same hand unless you possess an ability to retain your shield bonus when making a shield bash attack, such as the Bashing Shield talent of the Shield sphere or the Improved Shield Bash feat. Making an attack with this weapon may count as making a shield bash if beneficial.

Guarded Combatant

You gain a +1 competence bonus to your CMD vs. the disarm and sunder maneuver. This bonus increases by +1 for 4 points of base attack bonus you possess. This bonus does not stack with the bonus provided by the Improved or Greater Disarm/Sunder feats.

Gun Kata

While wielding a firearm, you can still make unarmed strikes with the hands used to wield it (these attacks do not provoke attacks of opportunity if you are not proficient with unarmed strikes); if you do, your unarmed strikes made with any hand wielding a firearm gain any enhancement bonuses to attack or damage rolls your firearm possesses (this bonus cannot exceed +5). When using the attack action to make a successful attack with your unarmed strike against a creature, or when you succeed at a melee attack with a double weapon that is part melee weapon and part firearm (such as the axe musket or dagger pistol) using the attack action, as a swift action you can make a ranged attack with a -2 penalty against the same creature with your firearm or the firearm portion of your weapon; this attack does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Immovable Object [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents

While wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 competence bonus to your CMD against bull rush, drag, and reposition maneuvers. This bonus increases by +1 for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Mechanical Savant

When you make a successful ranged attack with an attack action, an attack of opportunity, or additional attacks granted by class features or talents while wielding a crossbow or firearm, you deal additional damage equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus (minimum 1).

Natural Materials [LotS]

You do not need kits to create combat or skill sphere effects that do not possess a costly material component (such as an alchemy kit to create formulae from the Alchemy sphere). The materials are assumed to be gathered from your natural environment or generated by you. This talent treats you as always possessing the appropriate kit for combat or skill sphere effects (such as an alchemy crafting kit’s reduced poison crafting time for Alchemy sphere).

You may substitute your practitioner or operative modifier for your Intelligence modifier when attempting Craft checks to create combat or skill sphere effects.

You may take this talent a second time. If you do, you no longer require a free hand to use combat or skill sphere effects based on your creations. This may mean spitting a formula rather than throwing it (using the same range), licking a weapon to poison it, disgorging a trap as you lay it, or utilizing a gizmo that has been built into your body. This does not reduce the action needed to perform any of these actions. In addition, your creations are stored within your body rather than on your person, preventing them from being stolen or sundered.

Net Master

You take no penalties for using a net that has not been folded and apply any enhancement bonus to attack rolls that the net possesses to all your Strength checks against a creature entangled by the net, and to the DC of Strength checks to burst your nets. You add half your base attack bonus to the escape artist DC to escape your nets.

Additionally, you may make drag and reposition attempts against creatures entangled by your nets as long as you control the trailing rope. You may add any enhancement bonus to attack rolls that the net possesses on these combat maneuver checks. This talent applies to any weapon that functions as a net, such as the lasso (as applicable) and snag net.

Palm Throw [Youxia HB]

Whenever you perform an attack action, attack of opportunity, or additional attack granted by a class feature or talent with shuriken, you may throw two identical shuriken at once. If you do so, increase the size of the shuriken’s base damage die by three steps (1d6 Medium, 1d4 Small) instead of hitting twice.

Abilities that would negate a single attack only stop one shuriken per use, removing the damage die increase but failing to prevent the attack entirely if only one shuriken is negated. Abilities that replace the base damage die of the weapon such as the warpriest’s sacred weapon do not stack with this talent.

Particle Blade Emulation [Inv. HB]

When unfolding any particle blade, you may treat it as though it was any other melee weapon of the same category (light, one-handed, or two-handed) that you are proficient with for the purpose of benefiting from feats, talents, or abilities. While treating the particle blade as another melee weapon, the particle blade also gains any special features that a weapon of its kind would normally gain. For example, if you were also proficient with the longspear, you could unfold a two-handed particle blade and treat it as if it were a longspear for the purposes of the Weapon Focus (longspear) feat, and grant the particle blade the brace and reach weapon specials. (See the Tech sphere for more information on particle weapons.)

Author's Note: If emulating a two-handed melee weapon with the double special property, the damage of each of the weapon's ends are 3 sizes smaller than normal for the particle blade (1d6/1d6 Medium, 1d4/1d4 Small).

Polearm Mastery

When wielding a reach weapon, you may attack targets within your natural reach, but suffer a -2 penalty when doing so. At +10 base attack bonus, you also threaten all squares within your natural reach when wielding a reach weapon, but still suffer a -2 penalty to attacks of opportunity made in this fashion.

Shield Expert

You increase the shield bonus to AC of any shield you wield by +1. When your base attack bonus reaches +8 you lower the armor check penalty of any shield you wield by 1. For every 8 points of base attack bonus you gain thereafter, you reduce the armor check penalty of your wielded shields by a further 1 (this cannot reduce your armor check penalty below 0). Associated Feat: Shield Focus.

Shortbow Mastery

You have learned to take advantage of the shortbow’s short draw length to make more frequent attacks. Whenever you use the attack action with a shortbow, you may spend a swift action to make an additional ranged attack at a -5 penalty.

Skin of Steel [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

While wearing heavy armor and fighting defensively, you gain DR/bludgeoning equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus. This stacks with any DR/- you may possess.

Normal: Typed damage reduction does not stack with untyped damage reduction.

Note: This was previously known as the Steel Body talent.

Sling Combatant

You may make melee attacks with a loaded sling, threatening an area as appropriate. Making attacks in this fashion does not use up ammunition. Also, when making attacks in this fashion, your sling gains the trip and disarm weapon special features. Treat a loaded double sling as a double weapon. Associated Feat: Sling Flail.

Small Arms [Jester's HB]

You do not take penalties for using weapons sized for smaller creatures. For example, a Medium creature could wield a two-handed weapon sized for smaller creatures in one hand without incurring the penalty for wielding inappropriately sized weapons.

Additionally, you gain a cumulative +1 bonus to Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a weapon on your person for each size smaller the weapon is sized for. For example, a Medium creature using a dagger sized for Tiny creatures would receive a +2 bonus to a Sleight of Hand check to conceal it on their person.

Normal: Using a weapon inappropriately sized for you incurs a -2 penalty on attack rolls for each size category difference. A weapon smaller than its wielder takes one step less effort to wield in combat for each step smaller they are than the wielder. A Small-sized two-handed weapon can be wielded by a Medium creature as a one-handed weapon. A Small-sized one-handed weapon can be wielded by a Medium creature as a light weapon. See the weapon rules for more details (Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook pg. 140).

Spear Dancer

You may treat any spear or polearm you wield as though it had the finesse weapon special feature, and may wield it as a one-handed weapon. Spears and polearms include weapons like the amentum, boar spear, doru, elven branched spear, glaive, guisarme, harpoon, lance, longspear, naginata, pilum, planson, shortspear, sibat, spear, tiger fork, and trident or other weapons based on GM approval.

Spiked Defense (stance) [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

You may only enter this stance when wearing armor equipped with armor spikes. While in this stance when a creature within the reach of your armor spikes makes a melee attack against you, they provoke an attack of opportunity from you. This attack of opportunity is resolved after the triggering attack. The attack of opportunity granted by the talent must be made using armor spikes, and you may only make one attack of opportunity this way per creature per round. This may not be combined with the Bloody Counter Berserker talent.

Splitshot

Whenever you make an attack action with a bow, you can load two arrows and fire them as part of the same attack. When making an attack action in this fashion, your attack suffers a -2 penalty, but can target two adjacent creatures. For every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess, the targets may be +5 ft. away from each other and still be viable targets, so long as their distance from each other is not greater than the distance from you to either of them. If combined with a barrage, only the actual attack action is split, not the extra attacks.

Author's Note: Similar to a scatter weapon or other abilities that let you make a single attack against multiple creatures, only a single target is the target of "the attack action". Other additional targets are hit, as per a normal attack with the weapon, but effects that trigger on an attack action or similar do not affect the secondary/non attack-action target.

Staff Mastery

You can wield a quarterstaff as a one-handed weapon or as a reach weapon. At the start of your turn, you decide whether or not you are going to wield the quarterstaff as a one-handed weapon, two-handed weapon, double weapon, or two-handed reach weapon. When you wield it as a one-handed weapon, your other hand is free. You cannot use a staff as a double weapon if you are wielding it as a reach weapon or a one-handed weapon. In your hands, a quarterstaff is treated as a trip weapon.

If you possess the Spear Dancer talent as well, a quarterstaff is treated as a finesse weapon in your hand, and you may wield a quarterstaff as a one-handed reach weapon. Additionally, spears and polearms gain the trip weapon special feature in your hands. Associated Feat: Quarterstaff Master.

Steady Shooting

You have mastered techniques for making firearms more reliable and accurate at the expense of power. When firing a firearm as an attack action, you may ignore its misfire chance, but the weapon targets normal AC instead of touch AC. When firing a firearm in this manner, treat its range increment as 10 ft. longer than it actually is, plus an additional 10 ft. for every 4 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Steel Martyr [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents

Whenever a critical hit is scored against you, as an immediate action you may divert the additional damage from the critical hit to your armor. This action is taken after the result of the attack roll is known but before the damage is revealed. You suffer any damage in excess of your armor’s hit points.

Throw Bash [Apoc]

You gain proficiency with throwing shields. Ranged attacks made with a throwing shield incorporate shield spikes into their damage calculation as normal. Additionally, if you have the Cover Ally talent, you may treat any ally within your shield’s first range increment as being within your shield’s reach by throwing it as part of the active defense action. You may apply a (deflect) talent to this active defense as normal, performing any additional actions by ricocheting the shield off of the attack. If your shield has the returning property, or you have the Throwing Mastery talent, it returns after using Cover Ally as if you made an attack with it.

Throwing Mastery

When using an attack action, attack of opportunity, or additional attack granted by class features or talents to make a ranged attack against a creature with a thrown weapon, you may apply extra spin to the throw, causing the weapon to bounce back towards you after the attack resolves. As long as you have at least one hand free, you may automatically catch a weapon after it rebounds in this manner, otherwise the weapon lands in your square (or the nearest legal square beneath you if you are flying, levitating, or otherwise not standing on the ground).

Thrower’s Reflexes

Once per round when you would normally be hit with an attack from a ranged weapon, you may instead expend your martial focus and choose to catch the weapon. You must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed, and you must have at least one hand free. Attempting to catch a ranged attack doesn’t count as an action. You cannot catch an attack that is from a weapon sized for a creature more than one size category larger than you are. Ranged attacks generated by natural attacks or spell effects can’t be caught. Associated Feat: Snatch Arrows.

Tower Shield Mastery

You may ignore the attack penalty for attacking while carrying a tower shield. You can also bash with a tower shield, dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage with it (1d6 Small). You and others modifying or enchanting a shield you possess may treat tower shields as heavy shields for the purposes of enchantments (such as bashing) and shield spikes. Additionally, any tower shield you are wielding has its maximum Dexterity bonus increased by 1 and its armor check penalty reduced by 1, +1 for every 5 base attack bonus you possess.

Unarmored Training

Your deft movements, physical conditioning, and expert use of your chosen weapons allow you to create a protective barrier around yourself as effective as any true suit of armor. When unarmored and unencumbered, you gain a +3 armor bonus to your AC. This bonus increases by +1 for every 3 points of base attack bonus you possess. Characters who gain Acrobatics as a class skill may instead choose to have the armor bonus increase by +1 for every 3 ranks in the Acrobatics skill they possess.

This bonus to AC applies even against touch attacks or when you are flat-footed. You lose these bonuses when you are immobilized or helpless, when you wear any armor, or when you carry a medium or heavy load. These bonuses do not stack with the AC bonus class feature of the monk or similar abilities.

This bonus depends on an intricate awareness of the practitioner's body and balance, and as such is lost when the target is under any shapeshift other than blank form, or is polymorphed into a creature of the animal, dragon, elemental, magical beast, plant, or vermin type.

Unfettering Armor [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents

You may move at your normal speed while wearing medium armor. At +7 base attack bonus you may move your normal speed while wearing heavy armor.

Unorthodox Firing

You may fire any ranged weapon while prone. Additionally, you may use a leg in place of a hand when wielding a ranged weapon, although you must still use at least one hand to fire the weapon and suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls while using a foot in this manner. This can allow you to fire the weapon in situations where two hands are not available, such as when hanging from a rope, grappling a creature, or in other, similar situations.

Unstoppable Force [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents

If you are wearing heavy armor and have martial focus, you lose the battered condition at the end of your turn, even if it would normally last longer, and you no longer suffer a penalty to CMD while battered.

Versatile Fighter (stance) [Youxia HB]

This talent gives you access to three stances, listed below. Feats that list the associated feats as prerequisites only work while the stances that grant the associated feats are active.

  • Offensive Style: While in this stance, you gain the benefit of the Deadly Aim and Power Attack feats. Additionally, when you successfully damage a creature with an attack action modified by Deadly Aim or Power Attack, that creature becomes battered for 1 round. Associated Feats: Deadly Aim, Power Attack.
  • Defensive Style: While in this stance, you gain the benefit of the Combat Expertise feat. Additionally, when you successfully damage a creature with an attack action modified by Combat Expertise, increase the dodge bonus to armor class granted by Combat Expertise by 1, +1 per 10 base attack bonus you possess, until the end of your next turn. This increase does not stack with itself. Associated Feat: Combat Expertise.
  • Recovery Style: While in this stance, you gain the benefit of the Heroic Resolve feat. Additionally, when you successfully damage a creature with an attack action while in this stance, your next activation of Heroic Resolve until the end of your next turn does not require expenditure of your martial focus. Associated Feat: Heroic Resolve.

Versatile Shield

When wielding a shield, you may add your shield’s AC enhancement bonus to attack and damage rolls made with the shield as if it were a weapon enhancement bonus. Associated Feat: Shield Master.

Weaponmaster [Conq. HB]

You take advantage of your weapons in unique ways. When wielding any weapon you have proficiency with, you can shift your grip as a swift action so that your weapon deals bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage instead of the damage type normally dealt by that weapon. You may switch back to the weapon’s normal damage as a swift action. At +5 base attack bonus, you may change damage types as a free action instead. Associated Feat: Weapon Versatility.

Whip Fiend

You can deal lethal damage with a whip and can also damage creatures regardless of their armor or natural armor bonus. In addition, you threaten all spaces within 5 ft. of yourself and do not provoke an attack of opportunity while making an attack with a whip.

As a standard action, you may use your whip to manipulate an unattended object up to 15 ft. away as if you were adjacent to it. You are limited to manipulations you could accomplish in a single move action using only one hand.

At +10 base attack bonus, you instead threaten all spaces within 10 ft. of yourself. Associated Feat: Whip Mastery, Improved Whip Mastery.


Discipline Talents

Archery Bash (discipline)

You are considered proficient with using a bow, crossbow, or firearm as an improvised melee weapon, and any enhancement bonus to these weapons applies to your attack and damage rolls while using them as an improvised weapon. You suffer no penalty to attacks with these weapons due to using them as an improvised weapon, provoke no attacks of opportunity when using them as a melee weapon, and threaten the area around you as you normally would when wielding a melee weapon.

Armed Smith (discipline) [3PP]

Source: Expanded Spheres: Baron's Lost Apocrypha

You are proficient with the battle wrench, light hammer, lucerne hammer, mancatcher, and warhammer. The nonproficiency penalty of any weapon you have personally crafted is reduced to -2.

Bounty Hunter’s Tools (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the bola, garrote, grappling hook, harpoon, kyoketsu shoge, lasso, mancatcher, net, net launcher, sap, and whip. You may deal nonlethal damage with any of these weapons at no penalty and treat them all as having the grapple special feature.

Bushido Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the double-chained kama, double walking stick katana, dual blade, katana, kama, kusarigama, longbow, naginata, nodachi, tetsubo and wakizashi.

Caber Toss (discipline) [High. HB]

You are considered proficient with thrown cabers, which are normally used for breaking up military formations.

You can hurl cabers up to two size categories larger than you. A “caber” is any long, thick, and relatively cylindrical shaped object made of any material with a hardness of 5 or less, that is at least 5 feet in length, such as a wooden beam or massive leg bone. Cabers are considered two-handed exotic thrown weapons and deal quadruple damage on a critical hit. You can hurl the caber as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 5 feet + 5 feet per size category it is smaller than you, targeting a square (AC 5) within range. Success means that you create a line of difficult terrain originating from the target square (in the direction of your choice), and everyone in the line’s area must attempt a Reflex save or take bludgeoning damage as if hit by the caber. The difficult terrain lasts as long as the caber remains in the area; moving, picking up, or destroying the caber similarly affects the difficult terrain. Failing to hit the target square results in the caber taking the damage itself, the GM randomly determines the direction of the line of difficult terrain using a d8, and everyone in the line’s area automatically succeed their Reflex save.

As long as you have martial focus and a suitable caber in your reach, you may pick them up as part of your attack. At +7 and +14 base attack bonus increase the maximum size caber you can throw by one size category.

Cabers: Affected Area and Damage by Size
Caber Size Affected Area Damage
Medium 5-ft. line 1d6
Large 10-ft. line 1d8
Huge 20-ft. line 1d10
Gargantuan 50-ft. line 2d6
Colossal 100-ft. line 2d8

Catfolk Training (discipline) [Catgirl HB]

You gain proficiency with the cat-o’-nine-tails whip, chakram, khopesh, kukri, ranseur, rope dart, scimitar, shortbow, tekko-kagi, and tiger fork. You also gain proficiency with claw blades, and may use claw blades even if you are not a catfolk.

Custom Training (discipline)

Select 5 weapons; you gain proficiency with the selected weapons. Exotic weapons count as two weapons against your total (so you could gain 1 exotic weapon proficiency and proficiency in 3 martial or simple weapons, or proficiency in 2 exotic weapons and 1 martial or simple weapon). You may take this talent multiple times, selecting new weapons each time.

Dancer Training (discipline)

You are proficient with the intricacies of music and dance, and can apply that precision in battle. You are proficient with the battle poi, bladed scarf, chakram, fighting fan, gladius, rapier, scimitar, shortsword, war flute, war lute, war mallet, and whip. You may add your Dexterity modifier in place of your Charisma modifier when making Perform (dance) checks.

Deep Fighter Training (discipline) [Alienist HB]

You gain proficiency with the gnome hooked hammer, hand crossbow, mancatcher, rapier, poisoned sand tube, sanpkhang, scorpion whip, shortsword, spinal sword, and whip. Any weapon you wield can deliver contact poison upon a successful combat maneuver check as well as upon a successful attack roll, regardless of whether you deal damage.

Double Weapon Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with all melee double weapons (except firearms), including exotic ones.

Duelist Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the bastard sword, butterfly knife, double chicken saber, dual blade, dueling sword, estoc, greatsword, longsword, pistol, rapier, shortsword and swordbreaker dagger.

Dwarven Heritage (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the battleaxe, dwarven boulder helmet, earthbreaker, greataxe, greatclub, hand axe, heavy pick, light hammer, light pick, pickaxe, throwing axe, and warhammer. You may take this talent a total of twice. If taken a second time, you also gain proficiency with the dwarven dorn-dergar, dwarven double waraxe, dwarven longaxe, dwarven longhammer, dwarven maulaxe, dwarven urgrosh, and dwarven waraxe.

Elvish Heritage (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the elven branched spear, elven curveblade, longbow, longsword, rapier, scimitar, short sword, shortbow, two-bladed scimitar, and two-bladed sword.

Enforcer Training (discipline) [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

You gain proficiency with armor spikes, bola, barbazu beard, dwarven boulder helmet, dire flail, heavy flail, light flail, harpoon, mancatcher, rhoka sword, shield spikes, and spiked chain.

Firearm Proficiency (discipline)

You gain proficiency with all firearms (except siege weapons) and the Gunsmithing feat.

Wiki Note: It is reasonable for any Martial Tradition that grants this proficiency to also grant a battered firearm. (Source)

Gallowglass Training (discipline) [High. HB]

You gain proficiency with the deer horn knife, greatsword, halberd, light shields, longbow, longsword, musket, pistol, shortbow, and shortsword, and may wield the bastard sword as a two-handed martial weapon.

Gladiator Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the throwing shield, as well as the amentum, battleaxe, gladius, lasso, net, pilum, scizore, short sword, shortbow, trident, and whip. You may take this talent twice; the second time you take it you gain proficiency with the aklys, flying blade, hooked axe, knuckle axe, madu, quadrens, sica, and shotel.

Gnomish Heritage (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the heavy crank crossbow, light crank crossbow, battle ladder, flailpole, flask thrower, gnome flick-mace, gnome hooked hammer, gnome pincher, and piston maul.

Goblin Heritage (discipline) [Apoc]

You gain proficiency with the the brutal bola, dogslicer, garrote, horsechopper, light flail, machete, sap, shortbow, spiked chain, swordbreaker dagger and torch. In addition, when you wield a torch as a weapon it is considered a club that deals an additional 1d4 fire damage on a successful hit if the torch is lit. Associated Feat: Fire Hand, Burn! Burn! Burn!.

Halfling Heritage (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the double sling, sling, halfling rope-shot, halfling sling staff, machete, sling glove, and war razor. In addition, you may reload a double sling, halfling sling staff, sling, and sling glove as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Associated Feat: Ammo Drop.

Huntsman Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the atlatl, bolas, boomerang, handaxe, harpoon, longbow, net, shortbow, throwing axe, and tube arrow shooter. In addition, you only suffer a –1 penalty per full range increment between you and your target when using a ranged weapon. Associated Feat: Far Shot.

Knightly Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the greatsword, halberd, heavy flail, heavy pick, light flail, light pick, lance, longsword, shortsword, and warhammer, and may wield the bastard sword and estoc, but only as two-handed martial weapons. When performing a charge, you only suffer a -1 penalty to your AC rather than -2.

Mechanical Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the battle wrench and with all crossbows, including exotic ones such as the net launcher. Crossbows that can be fired with one hand reduce the penalty for doing so by half.

Medical Malpractice (discipline) [Youxia HB]

You gain proficiency with the acupuncture needle, butterfly knife, drow razor, garrote, iron brush, needle launcher, poisoned sand tube, sanpkhang, sawtoothed sabre, shuriken, switchblade knife, syringe spear, and torch.

Monk Weapon Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with all weapons with the monk special feature. If you have this talent and either the brawler’s flurry or flurry of blows class feature, you may make one additional attack with a weapon in this group as a free action whenever you make an attack action with a weapon from this group or an unarmed strike, but both attacks take a -2 penalty. You must decide whether or not to use this ability before making the first attack roll for your attack action. Attacks made using this ability apply your full Strength bonus to the damage roll, regardless of whether the weapon is wielded with two hands or with an off-hand.

Ninjutsu Training (discipline) [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Swashbucklers

You gain proficiency with the kama, kusarigama, nunchaku, rope dart, sai, short sword, shortbow, shuriken, siangham, and wakizashi, and may wield the katana as a two-handed martial weapon. In addition, when attacking an enemy that is unaware of your presence, your first attack against them deals an additional +1 damage.

You may take this talent a total of twice. If taken a second time, you also gain proficiency with the chakram, crystal chakram, double-chained kama, kyoketsu shoge, tekko-kagi, tube arrow shooter, and may wield the katana as a one handed exotic weapon.

Orc Heritage (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the battleaxe, dire flail, falchion, greataxe, handaxe, heavy flail, light flail, orc double axe, orc skull ram, spiked chain, and throwing axe.

Outrider Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the bola, lance, lasso, longbow, musket, pistol, scimitar, and shortbow. In addition, whenever you make a ranged attack from atop a mount, you take only half the usual attack penalty. Associated Feat: Mounted Archery.

Peasant Training (discipline)

You are proficient at using the tools of farming, fishing, mining, and herding in war. You gain proficiency with the ankus, crook, fishing tackle, handaxe, heavy pick, light hammer, light pick, machete, net, pickaxe, scythe, and trident.

Pikeman Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the bardiche, bec de corbin, bill, glaive, glaive-guisarme, guisarme, halberd, hooked lance, lance, mancatcher, and ranseur. Whenever you use a readied action to make an attack with a weapon with the brace weapon special feature against a target moving into your threatened area, that attack deals an additional +2 damage. At +10 base attack bonus, this bonus damage is instead increased to +4.

Pirate Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the boarding axe, boarding gaff, boarding pike, cat-o’-nine-tails, cutlass, Duelist sword, grappling hook, pistol, rapier, and sea-knife. Additionally, you gain a +2 competence bonus to Profession (sailor) checks made to sail a ship. At +10 base attack bonus, this bonus increases to +4.

Rock Toss (discipline)

As long as you have martial focus, you can catch thrown or falling rocks (or projectiles of similar shape) that are no larger than your current size. Once per round, when you would normally be hit by a rock, you can make a Reflex save to catch it as a free action. The DC is 25 for a rock of your current size, -5 for each size category it is smaller than you. If the projectile has a magical bonus on attack rolls, the DC increases by that amount. You must be aware of the attack in order to make a rock catching attempt.

Additionally, you are considered proficient with thrown rocks. You can hurl rocks of up to two size categories smaller than you. A “rock” is any large, bulky, and relatively regularly shaped object made of any material with a hardness of at least 5.

You can hurl the rock as a thrown weapon with a range increment of 10 ft. +10 per size category it is smaller than you. Tiny rocks deal 1d6 bludgeoning damage, Small 1d8, Medium 2d6, and Large 3d6. As long as you have martial focus and a suitable rock is within your reach, you may pick them up as part of your attack. At +7 and +14 base attack bonus, increase the maximum size rock you may throw by one size category, to a maximum equal to your current size.

Rogue Weapon Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the blade boot, butterfly knife, garrote, hand crossbow, kukri, rapier, sap, short sword, shortbow, starknife, switchblade knife, sword cane, war razor, and whip. Additionally, you gain a +2 competence bonus to Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal a weapon on your person. At +10 base attack bonus, this competence bonus increases to +4.

Shield Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with all shields, including tower shields, and are proficient in all shield bashes. Associated Feat: Shield Proficiency, Tower Shield Proficiency.

Swashbuckler Training (discipline) [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Swashbucklers

You gain proficiency with the butterfly knife, longsword, rapier, scimitar, spiral rapier, and sword cane, and may wield the estoc as a two-handed martial weapon. Whenever you make an attack using your Dexterity bonus on attack rolls and your Strength bonus on melee damage rolls, any creature you deal damage to suffers a -1 to CMB when attempting to disarm or sunder your weapon, and a -1 to CMD against disarm or sunder attempts you make against it. These penalties end at the start of your next turn. At +10 base attack bonus, these penalties increase to -2.

Techmaniac (discipline) [Inv. HB]

You gain proficiency with all technological weapons. Additionally, you gain a +2 competence bonus to Craft (mechanical) checks made to activate gadgets. At +10 base attack bonus, this bonus increases to +4.

Toolkit Training (discipline)

You are adept at using adventuring tools as impromptu weapons of war. You gain proficiency with the battle ladder, battle stein, battle wrench, climbing pick, fishing tackle, garrote, grappling hook, iron brush, machete, net, ten foot pole, torch, and whip.

Tribal Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the atlatl dart, battle poi, boomerang, greatclub, hunga munga, klar, knobkerrie, rhomphaia, tepoztopilli, terbutje, and the wahaika. You may treat each of these weapons as if they possessed the fragile weapon special feature for the purpose of feats or talents you possess. Whenever you roll a critical hit with a fragile weapon, you may give it the broken condition to automatically confirm the critical hit. Associated Feat: Disposable Weapon.

Unarmed Training (discipline)

You gain proficiency with the blade boot, brass knuckles, cestus, dan bong, emei piercer, gauntlet, katar, knuckle axe, punching dagger, rope gauntlet, sap, scizore, spiked gauntlet, and tekko-kagi, and may treat these and any natural attacks you possess (except when using them as part of a full attack) as an unarmed strike for the purpose of how much damage they deal and interactions with abilities which require an unarmed strike; when using any of these weapons as an unarmed strike, it uses your unarmed strike’s critical multiplier, even if it would normally be higher.


Legendary Talents

Adamantine Bulwark [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

Prerequisites: Base attack bonus +4.

While wearing heavy armor and fighting defensively, any adjacent creature that strikes you with a melee attack takes bludgeoning damage equal to 1/2 your base attack bonus. A creature can only take this damage once per round, plus one additional time each round per 5 points of base attack bonus you possess.

Note: This talent was previously known as Iron Wall.

Armored Armaments [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents 2

Prerequisite: Equipment sphere.

While wearing heavy armor you may treat your gauntlets and any armor spikes as though they had an enhancement bonus equal to the armor’s enhancement bonus to AC. Gauntlets and armor spikes benefiting from this talent do not gain the benefits of any enhancement bonus or special properties they would normally possess.

Force Redirection Technique [Youxia HB]

Prerequisite: Equipment sphere.

You may use your Strength modifier in place of your Dexterity modifier to AC, up to a maximum of 3 + half of your base attack bonus. Characters who gain Climb or Swim as a class skill may instead choose to have the cap increase by +1 for every 2 ranks in the listed class skill they possess. Your bonus to AC is still affected by anything that would limit or remove your Dexterity modifier to AC such as wearing armor or being flat-footed. You may disable or enable Force Redirection Technique as a free action at the start of your turn, once per turn.

Get Over Here!

Prerequisites: Equipment sphere, Lancer sphere, Ranged Impale, proficiency with grappling hook, harpoon, or rope dart.

Whenever you successfully impale a creature with a ranged attack using a grappling hook, harpoon, rope dart, or another weapon attached to a rope, you may attempt a drag combat maneuver as a free action which does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

If this attempt is successful, the creature is dragged into a square adjacent to you as long as there is an unobstructed path between yourself and the creature (this talent fails if you are not standing on solid ground as well as if there is not enough solid ground adjacent to you to accommodate the creature you are repositioning, and this movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity).

Magic Armor

Prerequisites: Equipment sphere.

You can coax great power from the magic in your armor. You gain a deflection bonus to AC equal to your worn armor’s enhancement bonus to AC.

Oversized Weapons

Prerequisites: Equipment sphere, base attack bonus +6.

You may wield weapons sized for creatures 1 size larger than yourself without increasing the effort required (i.e., you do not increase the weapon’s category by 1 step from light to one-handed, one-handed to two-handed, etc.), though you still suffer a -2 penalty on attack rolls with the oversized weapon. In addition, you may treat two handed weapons of your normal size as one-handed weapons and may treat one-handed weapons of your normal size as light weapons, but suffer a -2 penalty to attack rolls made while doing so. These penalties are doubled when making a full attack action.

Self-Mounted [3PP]

Source: Expanded Spheres: Baron's Lost Apocrypha

Prerequisites: Four or more legs

Benefit: You gain proficiency with the lance. You can wield a lance one-handed as if you were mounted and may treat yourself as though you were mounted when making charge attacks.

Stable Shooter

Prerequisites: Equipment sphere, Firearm Proficiency or Mechanical Training, base attack bonus +6.

If you are proficient with the culverin or gastraphetes, you are always treated as though it was supported or mounted and may reload these weapons while prone, although you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls with these weapons when using them with this talent. This penalty is doubled when making a full attack action with weapons wielded with this talent.

Sword Shooter

Prerequisites: Equipment sphere, base attack bonus +6.

You may treat lances, longswords, and spears as ammunition for longbows, shortbows, light crossbows, and heavy crossbows, being able to draw and load them as though they were ammunition (although they are not destroyed after hitting a target). Using these weapons as ammunition deals additional damage equal to the weapon’s damage die (this additional damage is not multiplied on a critical hit) and you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls made while using these weapons as ammunition. If you possess the Barroom sphere, you may use this talent with improvised weapons (you may not use an improvised weapon which would require more than one hand for you to wield). The penalty is doubled when making a full attack action while using these weapons as ammunition.

If you possess the Ceaseless Ammo talent, you may use it with the listed weapons, although the same limitations apply, and if you possess the Ranged Impale talent, you may use it with this talent.

Titan’s Shield [Apoc]

Source: Spheres Apocrypha: Armor Talents

Prerequisites: Equipment sphere (Oversized Weapons), base attack bonus +6.

You may wield shields that are one size category larger than you. While wielding a shield that is larger than you, you gain a +1 bonus to your CMD. While wielding a tower shield that is larger than you, when you use your tower shield to provide cover, you treat your space as though you were the same size category as your shield. This allows you to provide cover for other creatures.


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