The Blaster is a first-level sample character for Spheres of Power, suitable for use as a PC or as an NPC. Information on its build rules, and how to adjust for different rules, is included below. This character was created by the community.
The Blaster
Human elementalist 1
N Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +4
Defense
AC 17, touch 13, flat-footed 14 (+3 Dex, +4 armor)
hp 10 (1d8+2)
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +2
Weaknesses somatic casting, verbal casting
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee adhesive blast +0 touch (1d6+1 acid, DC 15 Reflex save or entangled and unable to move for 1 round)
. . destructive blast +0 touch (1d6+1 bludgeoning)
. . spending 1 spell point on either blast increases damage to 2d6+1
Ranged adhesive blast +4 touch (1d6+1 acid, DC 15 Reflex save or entangled and unable to move for 1 round)
. . destructive blast +4 touch (1d6+1 bludgeoning)
. . spending 1 spell point on either blast increases damage to 2d6+1
Special adhesive explosive orb, Close range burst with radius up to 10’ (1d6+1 acid, targets are entangled and unable to move for 1 round; DC 15 Reflex save for half damage and no entanglement); costs 1 spell point
. . explosive orb, Close range burst with radius up to 10’ (1d6+1 bludgeoning; DC 15 Reflex save for half damage); costs 1 spell point
. . spending a second spell point increases damage to 2d6+1
Magic
Caster Level 1; MSB +1; MSD 12; Concentration +5
Tradition Warmage (Verbal, Somatic); +1 spell point, +1 per three levels gained in a spellcasting class)
CAM Cha
Spell Points 5
Destruction Sphere - DC 15; Duration None; Range Close (25 ft), Touch; Talents Adhesive Blast, Explosive Orb; Drawbacks None
- Destructive Blast (Adhesive Blast, Explosive Orb)
Protection Sphere - DC 14; Duration Aegis (1 Hour), Ward (Concentration; 1 Round); Range Aegis (Touch), Ward (Up to 15 ft); Talents None; Drawbacks None
- Aegis (Deflection)
- Ward (Barrier)
Statistics
Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 18
Base Atk +1; CMB +4; CMD 16 (20 vs. bull rush or trip)
Feats Extra Magical Talent. Sphere Focus (Destruction)
Traits Destructive Talent, Practiced Aim
Skills Acrobatics +5, Intimidate +8, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Perception +4, Spellcraft +4
Languages Common
SQ adhesive blast (blast type) barrier (ward), bonus feat, bonus skill points, casting, deflection (aegis), destructive blast, destructive talent, explosive orb (blast shape), practiced aim, weave energy
Other Gear chain shirt, dagger, 48 gp
Special Abilities
Casting (CL 1 with Destruction, 0 [1] otherwise) You can cast sphere effects. For purposes of multiclassing you have a caster level of 0 with all spheres except Destruction, but you are treated as having a minimum caster level of 1.
Destruction: Adhesive Blast You transmute your destructive blast into a sticky, acidic sap. Your destructive blast deals acid damage. Any creature damaged by the attack must pass a Reflex save or be entangled and unable to move for 1 round.
Destruction: Destructive Blast Ranged or melee touch attack deals 1d6+1 bludgeoning damage
Destruction: Explosive Orb You may spend a spell point to make a destructive blast as a burst effect centered anywhere within Close range. This burst has up to a 10 ft radius, with a Reflex saving throw for half damage.
Destructive Talent Your destructive blasts gain a +1 trait bonus to damage.
Practiced Aim You gain a +1 trait bonus on attack rolls with your destructive blast.
Protection: Barrier You can create a ward that absorbs damage with a mostly-transparent wall; it has up to a 15’ radius, 5 hit points, and a Break DC of 15.
Protection: Deflection +1 You can put an aegis on a creature to grant it a deflection bonus to AC
Somatic Casting You must gesture to cast spells—a process that requires you to have at least 1 hand unoccupied. When using magic, you cannot wear armor heavier than light without incurring a chance of arcane spell failure. You may select this drawback twice. If taken a second time, you cannot wear any armor or use a shield without incurring a chance of arcane spell failure.
Verbal Casting You must speak in a loud, clear voice to cast spells. Using magic alerts all nearby hearing creatures to your presence and location, effectively breaking stealth. You cannot cast in an area of magical silence, or in any other situation where you are unable to speak clearly.
Warmage This custom tradition is similar to traditional sorcery or wizardry, but includes training in light armor for additional defense. It requires Verbal Casting and Somatic Casting, but the somatic components are only disrupted by medium or heavy armor.
Weave Energy An elementalist gains the Destruction sphere as a bonus magic talent and uses his class level as his caster level with the Destruction sphere. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources.
Build Rules
The Blaster is built with a 20-point buy and 150 gp starting wealth. Favored Class Bonus is 1 hit point. If using a lower point buy, you can lower Intelligence, Wisdom, and Strength. If using a higher point buy (or rolling really well), your most important attributes are Charisma and Dexterity. Charisma affects the save DCs of your abilities and your spell points; Dexterity makes sure your ranged touch attacks hit, while also helping initiative and AC. Constitution is not too crucial, given that you want to stay at range, but you never want to have too few hit points (especially since your attacks may draw the enemy’s attention).
Playing The Blaster
Your goal is to deal damage and debuff. Always use Adhesive Blast unless your opponent is resistant to acid damage. If enemies are grouped together, use Explosive Orb. Otherwise, use your standard blast on weaker enemies and save your spell points for more dangerous enemies. Keep in mind that making an enemy unable to move can be very useful against enemies without ranged attacks.
You also have your abilities from the Protection sphere. A +1 deflection bonus to AC for 1 hour is good for you or any of your allies. Creating a barrier provides another form of protection that can stop damage from attacks or interfere with enemy movement. Just remember that the barrier has a duration of concentration; even spending 1 spell point only gives you 1 round. Consider if you want to spend your standard action on the barrier or on blasting an enemy.
Future Abilities
For feats, first take Point-Blank Shot and Precise Shot. After that, Extra Magical Talent is good choice. You may also wish to take one or more Metamagic feats.
There is a long list of blast types you may learn; take a few that have different energy types and that target different saves. For example, Frost blast does cold damage and targets Fortitude, while Nether Blast deals negative energy damage and targets Will. Other Destruction talents can add to damage (Greater Blast) or give you additional options (Selective Blast or various blast shapes).
You can also increase your versatility by investing in other spheres. Taking more Protection talents can give you more defensive options. The Life sphere lets you provide healing, while Alteration can provide useful buffs. (As long as a form you take can provide somatic and verbal components, you can still use destructive blast.)
Admin's Thoughts Consider taking the Protected Soul drawback for the Protection sphere at 1st level if nobody else in your party needs defenses. You can get an extra defensive talent that way. You can also consider taking something like Magical Signs for bonus Spell Points if you don't care about subtlety.
