ASTROPATH

This section describes the Astropath prestige class. The fastest way to get to this class is through the Seer advanced class. Astropaths are selected from a grouping of special psykers who are neither completely untrained and a danger to themselves (like wyrds) and whose incredible faith allows them to accept a part of the Emperor into themselves – a boon like no other psyker will ever receive. Like Primaris Psykers, they must be young, vigorous and willing. Astropaths undergo basic psychic training before they assume their role of telepathic communicators throughout the Imperium. They are taught how to use the Emperor’s Tarot, how to cast horoscopes, and the practices of cheiromancy and augury of all kinds. In short all Astropaths begin their career as seers. Once they have been prepared in this way they undergo the unique Binding Ritual which gives them a little of the Emperor’s strength.

 

The Soul Binding

No ordinary psykercould transmit a message through the warp, nor could he receive a telepathic message over such vast distances. Astropaths only gain this ability as a result of their many years training, culminating in a special ritual which combines some of the Emperor’s own power with their own. This ritual, known as the soul binding, brings the mind of the psyker close to the psychic greatness of the Emperor. In the process, some of the Emperor’s vast energy is transferred to the Astropath.

The transference of energy is traumatic for the psyker – not all survive despite years of preparation, and not all those that survive retain their sanity. Even the survivors suffer damage the sensitive nerves of the eyes, so that almost all Astropaths are blind. In fact their increased psychic skills tend to make up for this loss of sight, so that they would not appear blind were it not for their distorted, sunken and empty eye sockets.

 

Requirements

Skills: Knowledge (warp) +10, Knowledge (imperial) +10

Class Ability: Level 5 Mystic Psyker

 

Special: Must have made a pilgrimage to Terra and been Soul Bound to the Emperor. The soul binding ritual kills any psyker that fails a DC 20 psychic sense and blinds any psyker that fails a DC 40 psychic sense check.

 

CLASS INFORMATION

The following information pertains to the Astropath prestige class.

 

Hit Die

Gains 1d4 hit points per level. The character’s Constitution modifier applies.

 

Action Points

Astropaths gain a number of action points equal to 7 plus one-half their character level, rounded down, every time they advance a level in this class.

 

Class Skills

Computer Use (Wis), Concentration (Con), Craft (chemical, electronic, mechanical and pharmaceutical) (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Investigate (Int), Knowledge (any) (Int), Listen (Wis), Research (Int), Speak or Read/Write Language (none), Spot (Wis), Treat Injury (Wis), Psychic Sense (Wis).

 

Skill Points for each Level: 9 + Int modifier

 

Table: The Astropath
Level	Base Attack	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Defense	Leadership
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Telepathy	+1	+2
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Local Astropath	+1	+2
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Planetary Astropath	+2	+2
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Solar Astropath	+2	+3
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Galactic Astropath	+3	+3

 

CLASS FEATURES

The following features pertain to the Astropath prestige class.

 

Mystic Psychic Powers

The Astropath continues to gain Mystic Psyker Levels for each level of Astropath that he takes. These stack with all the other Mystic Psyker levels he has. So a Dedicated Hero 3 / Seer 7 / Astropath 4 is a 14th level Mystic Psyker as well as a 14th level character.

 

Telepathy

An astropath can talk to anyone telepathically within 100 feet. He can also detect the surface thoughts of anyone within this range as if he were using the detect thoughts power as described in the d20 Modern rulebook. This telepathy also allows him to ‘feel’ his way around and grants him the ability to ‘see’. It is not quite as good as ordinary sight but is useful none-the-less. A telepath immediately knows the square (on a battle grid) that each person within 100 feet is located. However because he cannot see them he suffers the following effects when attacking them: -4 to attack rolls, 50% miss chance. Likewise when he is attacked by them he takes a -4 penalty to defense. The blind fight feat removes the 50% miss chance on attacks but the -4 on attack and defense will not go away. Because of their highly attuned sense of telepathy, astropaths suffer no other ill effects from blindness.

 

Local Astropath

The astropath can communicate astropathically (with other astropaths only) on a Local scale. The local scale is up to around 1 million miles and allows communication with anyone else on the planet (Terra is 8000 miles in diameter) and is likely to allow communication with Astropaths on orbital platforms and nearby satellites and space ships. An Astropath can send an open distress call to other Astropaths within his range, and can receive distress calls but only from within his range.

 

Planetary Astropath

At second level the Astropath becomes a planetary astropath and has about one hundred times the effective range of a local Astropath. He can talk up to a range of 100 million miles. The distance between Mars and Terra is about half of this. A planetary astropath, can, not surprisingly, communicate across a vast distance and communicate with astropaths on nearby planets.

 

Solar Astropath

At fourth level the Astropath increases his range by 10,000 times its planetary range. He has become a Solar Astropath, with communication ranges of up to 1 trillion miles or approximately 1/5 of a light year in distance. A Solar Astropath can communicate to pretty much every Astropath with a given solar system.

 

Galactic Astropath

At fifth level the Astropath achieves the ultimate astropathic state, with a mental range about 100,000 times greater than that of a Solar Astropath. His mind extends over 20,000 light years and there are few worlds in the Imperium that his mind cannot reach from Terra.