Base Attack Bonus: The essence smith gains base attack bonus equal to a Commander of his class level. This modifies base attack bonus.
Hit Dice: The essence smith uses d8 for his Hit Die.
Class Skills: The essence smith adds Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha) to her list of class skills but removes Climb (Str), Intimidate (Cha), and Survival (Wis).
Casting: The essence smith may combine spheres and talents to create magical effects. The essence smith is considered a Low-Caster and uses Intelligence as his casting ability modifier. (Note: All casters gain 2 bonus talents and may select a casting tradition the first time they gain the casting class feature.)
Spell Pool: An essence smith gains a small reservoir of energy she can call on to create truly wondrous effects, called a spell pool. This pool contains a number of spell points equal to his level + his casting ability modifier (minimum: 1). This pool replenishes once per day after roughly 8 hours of rest.
Blended Training: The essence smith gains a combat or magic talent every time he gains a class level. The essence smith uses his casting ability modifier as his practitioner modifier.
This replaces combat training.
Magical Essence (Su): The essence smith gains a pool of magical essence every level, which he may use to aid in crafting magic items as shown on Table: Magical Essence. Magical essence is measured in gp, and may be spent in place of gp to cover the raw material cost for creating magical items. No more than 50% of the cost of creating an item may be covered by magical essence; the rest must be covered by conventional means.
This replaces thunderous blows.
Table: Magical Essence| Level | Magical Essence | Level | Magical Essence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 100 gp | 11th | 15,000 gp |
| 2nd | 500 gp | 12th | 18,000 gp |
| 3rd | 1,000 gp | 13th | 21,000 gp |
| 4th | 2,000 gp | 14th | 24,500 gp |
| 5th | 3,000 gp | 15th | 28,000 gp |
| 6th | 4,500 gp | 16th | 32,000 gp |
| 7th | 6,000 gp | 17th | 36,000 gp |
| 8th | 8,000 gp | 18th | 40,500 gp |
| 9th | 10,000 gp | 19th | 45,000 gp |
| 10th | 12,500 gp | 20th | 50,000 gp |
Enhancement Lord: The essence smith gains the Enhancement sphere as a bonus talent and uses his essence smith level as the caster level. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources.
This replaces maintenance, rapid maintenance and equipment specialist.
Master Artificer (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, the essence smith uses his class level as his caster level when meeting the prerequisites of, and crafting items with, any item creation feat. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources. He may use Craft or Profession skills in place of all Spellcraft skill checks made to create, modify, and repair magic items when working with material related to his chosen skill (such as using Profession (blacksmith) in place of Spellcraft when working to create magical armor). Lastly he gains an item creation feat of his choice for which he meets the prerequisites.
This replaces skilled craftsman and artisan savant.
Reforge: From 3rd level on, the essence smith can reforge implements of power from one shape to another (converting a staff to an amulet for instance), in addition to magic armor and shields. The essence smith can also restore broken magic items of any kind.
This modifies reforge.
Smithing Insights
The essence smith has exclusive access to the following smithing insights:
Crafting Insight
The essence smith gains an insight bonus to all checks related to crafting magical items equal to half his essence smith level (minimum 1).
Improved Enhancement
When using the (enhance) ability Equipment Enhancement, the enhancement bonus stacks with existing enhancement bonuses (this still does not allow a weapon to have a higher enhancement bonus higher than 5, or 6 if the essence smith possesses Greater Enhance Equipment), though multiple uses of this ability do not stack with itself.
Greater Enhancement (requires essence smith 5)
By spending an extra spell point the essence smith may substitute the enhancement bonuses granted by the enhance equipment ability from the Enhancement sphere to instead add special abilities from the list of special abilities an Armorist may add to her summon and bound weapons. Adding these special abilities consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These special abilities are added to any the weapon already has, but duplicates do not stack. If the weapon or armor is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other special abilities can be added. These bonuses and special abilities are decided when the spell point is spent and cannot be changed until the next time the essence smith uses this ability. He may exchange a +1 bonus to provide a number of weapon or armor properties with a gp cost (instead of a cost in enhancement bonus) equal to 500 gp per essence smith level.
This counts as possessing an arcane pool for the purposes of feats that depend on that class ability.
Disenchant (requires essence smith 5)
The essence smith may unweave the enchantments on a magical item, adding the raw material cost of that item to his magical essence pool. The essence smith must possess the item’s prerequisite item creation feats, and must spend one day with the item before he may disenchant it. When disenchanting an item with a limited number of uses divide the cost of creating the item by the original number of charges, then multiply by the remaining uses to find the amount of magical essence gained. If the item was created at lower than the usual cost (such as via an essence smith with the Efficient Enchanting craftsman technique), the essence smith only gains the actual amount the item cost to create as magical essence. Artifacts cannot be disenchanted, nor may it be used to disenchant costless magic items generated by class abilities. Constructs may be disenchanted, but they must be willing (which usually means mindless and under your control), or helpless during the entire disenchantment process.
Hidden Cache (Sp)
The essence smith gains Extradimensional Storage as a magic talent even if he does not possess the Warp sphere. He uses the essence smith level as the caster level when using that space ability (this stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources). This insight may be taken insight twice, which upgrades his spell-like ability to have the effect of two purchases of Extradimensional Storage.
Item Master
When determining the save DC of a magic item he activates that determines its power by the formulae 10 + 1/2 the item’s caster level, he may add his casting ability modifier to the save DC. In addition, he may use his casting ability modifier for any sphere effects from any magic item he activates that require it (such as the Chameleon talent from the Light sphere). As a standard action he may spend a spell point and touch any magic item, allowing it to function this way for other wielders for one minute.
Master of Repair
The essence smith gains Potent Alteration from the Creation sphere, or another talent from the Creation sphere of his choice if he already possesses said talent. If he does not possess the Creation sphere, he also gains the Creation sphere but gains the Limited Creation drawback, being only able to use alter. When using the alter ability to Repair or Destroy items, he uses his essence smith level as his caster level. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources. In addition he can always repair or destroy magic items he has created regardless of their material composition.
Supreme Artificer
When using a Craft or Profession skill with the Master Artificer ability to create a magic item, the essence smith may craft that magic item whether or not he possesses its prerequisite base sphere. Crafting a magic item in this fashion increases the skill check required to make the item by +5.
U: Part of Ultimate Spheres of Power and does not need to be bought separately from that book