Eldritch Surge (Wilder)
You asked for it, and we are providing it! Last year, we asked you what you wanted to see more of in Best in Class, and got a loud and clear message that you want to see a Necromancers of the Northwest twist on existing base classes from other third-party publishers. We’ve committed ourselves to providing several articles this year with new content for classes from other publishers, and we’re starting that tradition today with a new surge type for wilders.
If you’re not familiar with the wilder, it’s one of the psionic classes from the publisher that brought psionics into Pathfinder, Dreamscarred Press. You can find the wilder on the d20pfsrd website, or you can open your mind to the wonders of psionics with Psionics Unleashed. To find out more about Dreamscarred Press, we recommend taking a look at their website, www.dreamscarred.com.
New Wilder Surge Type
Eldritch Surge
Wild Surge and Psychic Enervation: An eldritch wilder draws her psionic power, directly or indirectly, from strange and alien forces in unknowable and inhuman dimensions. An eldritch wilder overcome by psychic enervation suffers 1d2 points of Wisdom damage and loses a number of power points equal to her normal manifester level (the increase in manifester level from her wild surge does not increase the number of power points lost). Wisdom damage inflicted in this way cannot be healed by any means, but fades away on its own at a rate of 1 per day.
Whenever the eldritch wilder uses a wild surge, there is a 5% chance per point of Wisdom damage she is currently suffering from that was gained in this way that an eldritch entity takes an interest in her power and intervenes. If this occurs, the increase to the wilder’s manifester level as a result of the wild surge (as well as the accompanying free power points spent on the power) is doubled. However, the eldritch entity, as determined by the GM, makes all decisions relating to the power, including how those points are spent, the spell’s target or the location of its area, and so on. Because eldritch entities are strange and unknowable intelligences, they are as likely to make decisions that aid the eldritch wilder as hinder her, or may make choices that seem to make no sense at all. The eldritch wilder must declare how many power points she plans to spend on the power before it is determined whether an eldritch entity will intervene.
Surge Bond: The eldritch wilder’s mind is touched with strange and alien influences. Whenever she succeeds on a saving throw to resist a spell or power with the mind-affecting descriptor, the source of that spell or power suffers 1d2 points of Wisdom damage. If she succeeded on the saving throw by 5 or more, the source of the power must also succeed on a Will save (DC = 10 + 1/2 her wilder level + her Charisma modifier) or be dazed for 1 round.
Improved Surge Bond: At 5th level, when the eldritch wilder uses her wild surge class feature, alien tendrils emerge from an otherworldly dimension around her, lashing and writhing around her for 1 round. As part of performing the wild surge, she can direct a single tentacle to make an attack against a creature within 20 feet. The tentacle attacks with a bonus equal to her normal manifester level + her Charisma modifier, and deals an amount of damage equal to 1d8 + her Charisma modifier on a successful hit. The tentacle can also make attacks of opportunity against creatures within 20 feet until it vanishes at the beginning of the eldritch wilder’s next turn. At 9th level, and every four levels thereafter, the eldritch wilder manifests one additional tentacle every time she uses her wild surge (to a maximum of four tentacles at 17th level).