ECHOE
Salorras Paragon: Echoe · Base path: Legatee (vital-core essencer) or Mage (Wizard) (diviner) — eidolai future-glimpser of the Tyrant’s Voice of Praecaria. A 10-level Pathfinder 1e prestige class for the strangest of the eidolai — those who “see” the branching possibilities of the next few seconds and bend the action around them, drawing on the foreknowledge of the Golden Thread.
The echoes are the most mysterious and strange eidolai in the world of Salorras. They took their name from their ability to “see” the possible versions of the future movements of the people around them.
Carrying the gift of the innate and outstanding quick-wittedness of their orilyni ancestors, they can unlock even the most complex functions of their minds. Thus, out of the chaos, they can foresee small fragments of images from the immediate future and steer the action around them as they will, making themselves exceptionally dangerous opponents and difficult targets all at once.
The echoes gain their powers by unlocking new facets of their evolved minds. Often they are mages who have excelled in the mystic foresight of the divination school — the foreknowledge that, in the cosmology of Salorras, flows from the Golden Thread of the Fabric — while there are many who discovered their new powers from the road of the legatees and from the essences tied to their minds.
It is known that in Praecaria there is a strike company of such warriors, by the name of the Tyrant’s Voice, and although they support and stand beside the tyrant starborn Kyrthan Kane, they never act as his slaves or servants, but only as the unpredictable and chaotic outgrowth of the organized forces of Praecaria.
Most echoes believe in no deity, though there are several who revere Othrax as the highest deity who governs time, while a number are faithful to the mysterious deity Kaith’otl.
One becomes an echoe only from the paths of the arcane spellcasters or the essencers — such as the mage or the legatee respectively — though there are often those who excel as scoundrels, as fighters, and at times as assassins, shadowdancers, and arcane tricksters.
It is not easy to come across an echoe by chance, for the nature of the eidolai and their way of life is such that they usually hide even in plain sight. The Tyrant’s Voice, on the other hand, is an open organization in Praecaria, and one may meet it anywhere on the island or even in the rest of the world.
Hit Die: d8.
Requirements
To qualify to become an echoe, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Race: Eidolai.
Essences or Spells: Able to combust 1st- and 2nd-level essences from the vital (mind) essential core, or cast 1st-, 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-level arcane spells from the divination school of magic.
Alignment: Any chaotic.
Intelligence: 14+.
The Echoe
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | Spells or Essences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Foresee, uncanny dodge | +1 level of existing class |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Predicted initiative 1/day | +1 level of existing class |
| 3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Anticipate 1/day, trap sense +1 | — |
| 4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Improved uncanny dodge, inevitable strike 1/day | +1 level of existing class |
| 5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Insight 1/day, predicted initiative 2/day | +1 level of existing class |
| 6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Anticipate 2/day, trap sense +2 | — |
| 7th | +5 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Inevitable strike 2/day | +1 level of existing class |
| 8th | +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +2 | Insight 2/day, predicted initiative 3/day | +1 level of existing class |
| 9th | +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +3 | Anticipate 3/day, trap sense +3 | — |
| 10th | +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +3 | Inevitable strike 3/day | +1 level of existing class |
Class Skills
The echoe’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Perception (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are features of the echoe prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency. An echoe is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, with light armor, and with bucklers.
Spells or Essences per Day. When a character first enters the echoe prestige class, and at the levels shown on the table thereafter, they continue to gain all the features tied to the advancement of arcane spells per day or essences known, as though they had gained a level in the arcane spellcasting class or essencer class they already belonged to. They do not, however, gain the other abilities of that previous class (such as extra uses of body restoration or a bonus feat). If the newly entered character had more than one arcane spellcasting class, more than one essencer class, or a combination of arcane spellcasting and essencer classes before becoming an echoe, they must declare which class they will continue to advance for spells per day or essences known. (The echoe advances its casting/essencing at 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 10th level — the levels marked on the table; 3rd, 6th, and 9th grant no such advance.)
Foresee (Su). The echoe sees possible versions of their opponents’ future movements, so that they may more easily avoid a hostile blow or better weigh a strike of their own.
In practice, the echoe has a 1% chance per echoe class level to roll d100 as a swift action and cause one incoming hostile melee or ranged attack that round to miss automatically. The echoe may choose which attack to negate, even if the enemy has already rolled the attack and its damage. A failed foresee roll costs the echoe nothing. The same 1%-per-class-level chance applies once per round to make one of the echoe’s own attacks hit automatically; the echoe may choose which attack, even after the attack roll has been made. In no case may the echoe use this ability more than twice in the same round: at most once to attack and once to defend.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex). Also at 1st level, an echoe retains their Dexterity bonus to Armor Class even when caught flat-footed or struck by an unseen attacker (they still lose it if immobilized). An echoe who already has uncanny dodge from another class instead gains improved uncanny dodge (see below).
Predicted Initiative (Su). At 2nd level, out of the chaos of the unpredictable future the echoe can discern an opponent’s opening reaction in time to react faster themselves. Once per day, the echoe may reroll an initiative check, add to it an insight bonus equal to half their echoe levels (rounded down), and decide which of the two results applies. The echoe gains an additional daily use at 5th and 8th level. If the echoe has the Improved Initiative feat, its bonus stacks normally.
Anticipate (Su). Foreseeing the future for a few seconds, an echoe can alter the odds of a hostile blow landing — or of a dangerous situation in general. Once per day, as a swift action, the echoe may reroll any saving throw, add to it an insight bonus equal to half their echoe class levels (rounded down), and choose which of the two results applies. Alternatively, if a hostile attack beats the echoe’s Armor Class, they may force the attacker to reroll that attack roll with a penalty equal to half the echoe’s class levels, and the lower of the two rolls applies. The echoe gains an additional daily use at 6th and 9th level.
Trap Sense (Ex). Also at 3rd level, an echoe gains an intuition that warns them of possible traps, granting a +1 bonus on Reflex saves to avoid them and a +1 dodge bonus to Armor Class against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +2 at 6th level and +3 at 9th level, and stack normally with trap sense from other classes.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex). At 4th level, an echoe can no longer be flanked, their intuition for incoming attacks grown so sharp that they react equally well to many foes at once. This denies enemies the ability to sneak attack the echoe by flanking — unless the attacker has at least four more levels (in a class that grants sneak attack) than the echoe has echoe levels. If the character already has uncanny dodge from another class (such as barbarian or scoundrel), those levels stack to determine this threshold.
Inevitable Strike (Su). The echoe can foresee an opponent’s defensive movements and guide their weapon or spell to the right spot to deliver the fatal blow. Once per day, as a swift action, the echoe may reroll an attack roll they have just made, add to it an insight bonus equal to half their echoe class levels (rounded down), and decide which of the two results applies. Alternatively, if the echoe casts a spell against which the target must make a Reflex saving throw, they may use inevitable strike to force that target to roll the save twice and take the lower result. The echoe gains an additional daily use at 7th and 10th level.
Insight (Su). This ability is an evolved function of the echoe’s mind. Once per day, an echoe literally foresees the next movements of a living being. As a free action they activate it against one opponent, who must succeed on a Will save (DC 10 + the echoe’s class levels + their Intelligence modifier). If the opponent fails, shadowy phantom versions of themselves reveal to the echoe every possible move they are about to make on their turn. For 1 round this lets the echoe treat that target as flat-footed (losing their Dexterity bonus to AC and rendered vulnerable to sneak attacks); the target automatically fails any Reflex saving throw against an attack from the echoe that would otherwise allow one (such as a fireball); and the echoe gains an insight bonus to Armor Class equal to their echoe class levels, applying for that round only against attacks from that particular opponent. The echoe gains an additional daily use at 8th level.
Ex-Echoes
An echoe who ceases to be chaotic automatically loses the gift of chaos that reveals things of the future to them: all the special features of the prestige class go inert, and they cannot gain further levels as an echoe. They do, however, continue to benefit from the spells per day or essences known they gained thanks to the echoe prestige class.