Main» E20: Epic Progression Rules

Beyond Ragnarok uses the E20 system for epic progression. The rules described on this page replace the normal 3rd edition epic progression rules.

E20: Basic Rules

Epic begins at 20

A character is considered to be epic once he advances to 20th character level. (This means that the character now qualifies for epic feats and the other epic advancement options described on this page.)

Advancement caps

• No character may have an XP total greater than 190,000 (i.e. the XP total required to reach 20th level).
• No character may have a character level higher than 20th.
• No character may have a base attack bonus greater than +20.
• No character may have a base saving throw bonus greater than +12.
• No character may have more than 23 ranks in any skill.
• No character may have more than 20 levels in any spellcasting class progression.

Bonus feat

Upon attaining 20th level, a character gains a bonus feat. This may be any epic or nonepic feat for which he qualifies, excepting such feats as improve spellcasting ability in any way. No XP expenditure is required to gain this feat.

(Alternatively, instead of selecting a feat, the character may select any other character advancement option (see below) that does not cost more than 10,000 XP. The same restriction regarding spellcasting-related abilities applies to this option as well.)

Gaining XP after 20th level

All XP earned after reaching 20th level goes into a separate “epic XP” pool (the character’s pre-epic total of 190,000 XP no longer has any game-mechanical effect, and never increases or decreases again). This XP pool may be spent to purchase various character advancement options (see below), or on crafting of magical items, casting spells with XP components, etc. (The current value of the epic XP pool at any given time is of no significance—it is merely a pool of XP waiting to be spent.)

Spending XP on character progression after 20th level

XP in a character’s epic XP pool may be spent to acquire a variety of character advancement options, including class levels, feats, and skill points. A character can spend XP, and gain the new abilities, whenever he has the chance to get a good night's rest. (Some advancement options have special requirements for gaining them, which are listed in their description.) Unless stated otherwise, each epic ability may be taken only once. See Epic Character Advancement Options, below, for a list of what an epic character may acquire by spending XP.

XP from a character’s epic XP pool that is spent to acquire advancement options is simply gone; there is no running epic XP total (as there is for pre-epic characters).

Epic Advancement Options

An epic character may spend XP from his epic XP pool to acquire a variety advancement options, summarized on the table below. See the descriptions of each option, below the table, for details.

Epic Advancement Options
Advancement Option	XP Cost
Feat	Varies; see Table: Feats
Skill points	2,000 XP the first time; cost increases by 1,000 XP each subsequent time
Base attack bonus advancement (+2 each time; up to +20)	5,000 XP the first time; cost increases by 2,000 XP each subsequent time
Base save bonus advancement (+2 to one save or +1 to all three saves; up to +12)	5,000 XP the first time; cost increases by 2,000 XP each subsequent time
Class ability advancement	Varies; see Class Progression Paths

Feat

The character gains a single feat (either epic or non-epic) for which he qualifies. This advancement option may be selected multiple times. (Most feats may be taken once only; see individual feat descriptions for exceptions.)

See Table: Feats, below, for a list of XP costs for available feats.

 

Table: Feats
Feat	Source	XP Cost	Benefit
Acrobatic	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Jump and Tumble checks
Advanced Learning		7,000	Transfer spells from one spell list to another
Advanced Two-Weapon Fighting		5,000	Reduce two-weapon fighting penalties by 1
Agile	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Balance and Escape Artist checks
Agile Shield Fighter	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Reduce two weapon penalties when using shield bash
Alertness	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Listen and Spot checks
Animal Affinity	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Handle Animal and Ride checks
Arcane Accompaniment	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Expend prepared spell or spell slot to extend duration of bardic music
Arcane Flourish	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Expend spell to gain bonus on Perform check
Arcane Strike	Complete Warrior	5,000	Sacrifice a spell for +1 on attacks and +1d4 damage per level of the spell
Arctic Priest	Frostburn	3,000	Can swap out prepared spells for a specialized list of spells
Armor Proficiency (heavy)	Player's Handbook	3,000	No armor check penalty on attack rolls in heavy armor
Armor Proficiency (light)	Player's Handbook	3,000	No armor check penalty on attack rolls in light armor
Armor Proficiency (medium)	Player's Handbook	3,000	No armor check penalty on attack rolls in medium armor
Armor Specialization	Player's Handbook II	5,000	DR 2/— with chosen armor
Athletic	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Climb and Swim checks
Augment Healing	Complete Divine	5,000	Healing spells do +2 per spell level
Augment Summoning	Player's Handbook	7,000	Summoned creatures gain +4 Str, +4 Con
Beckon the Frozen	Frostburn	5,000	Summoned creatures gain cold subtype and +1d6 cold damage to attacks
Blind-Fight	Player's Handbook	5,000	Reroll miss chance for concealment
Boar’s Ferocity	Complete Divine	5,000	Fight while at negative hit points
Bolster Resistance	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead gain +4 turn resistance
Bonus Domain		10,000	Gain additional domain
Born of the Three Thunders	Complete Arcane	7,000	Electric/sonic spells deal electric+sonic damage, knockdown, stun (metamagic +0)
Brew Potion	Player's Handbook	5,000	Create magic potions
Brutal Strike	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Daze opponent with successful bludgeoning attack
Captivating Melody	Complete Mage	5,000	Expend bardic music to increase the save DC of an enchantment or illusion spell
Chain Spell	Complete Arcane	7,000	Single-target spell arcs to secondary targets (metamagic +3)
Chant of Fortitude	Complete Adventurer	5,000	As immediate action, sing to grant allies Diehard feat for 1 round
Cheetah’s Speed	Complete Divine	5,000	Speed becomes 50 ft. for 1 hour
Cleave	Player's Handbook	5,000	Extra melee attack after dropping target
Cold Focus		7,000	+2 to DC of cold spells
Cold Spell Specialization	Frostburn	7,000	Cold spells do +1 or +2 damage/die in cold weather
Combat Acrobat	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Gain new uses for Balance skill
Combat Casting	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on Concentration checks for defensive casting
Combat Expertise	Player's Handbook	5,000	Trade attack bonus for AC (max 5 points)
Combat Reflexes	Player's Handbook	5,000	Additional attacks of opportunity
Corpsecrafter	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead gain +4 Str and +2 hp per Hit Die
Corrupt Spell	Book of Vile Darkness	7,000	Makes spell evil; half damage is unholy damage (metamagic +1)
Craft Contingent Spell	Complete Arcane	7,000	Place contingent spells on creatures
Craft Magic Arms & Armor	Player's Handbook	7,000	Create magic weapons, armor, and shields
Craft Wand/Staff	Player's Handbook	7,000	Create magic wands and staves
Craft Wondrous Item	Player's Handbook	7,000	Create magic wondrous items
Crossbow Sniper	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Half Dexterity bonus on crossbow damage, 60 ft. skirmish or sneak attack
Crushing Strike		5,000	Gain increasing attack bonus when making multiple hits with bludgeoning weapon
Damage Reduction		10,000	Gain DR 5/—
Dampen Spell	Player's Handbook II	7,000	Reduce save DC of foe’s spell by expending spell or slot as immediate action
Deadeye Shot	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Ready action to fire, denying foe Dex bonus to AC on your attack after ally hits foe
Deadly Chill	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead deal +1d6 cold damage on melee attacks
Death of Enemies		10,000	Instantly slay favored enemy on a critical hit
Deceitful	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Disguise and Forgery checks
Defensive Sweep	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Foe must move or provoke attack
Defensive Throw	Complete Warrior	5,000	Trip attempt after foe's attack misses
Deflect Arrows		5,000	Knock projectiles aside
Deft Hands	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Sleight of Hand and Use Rope checks
Destruction Retribution	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead deal negative energy damage when killed
Devastating Critical		10,000	Instantly slay opponent on critical hit with chosen weapon
Diehard	Player's Handbook	3,000	Remain conscious at –1 to –9 hp
Diligent	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Appraise and Decipher Script checks
Diminutive Wild Shape		10,000	Wild shape into Diminutive creatures
Dinosaur Wild Shape		15,000	Gain access to dinosaur wild shape forms
Dire Charge		10,000	Attack twice on a charge
Disciple of Darkness		5,000	+5 once per day when doing evil act
Disciple of the Sun	Complete Divine	5,000	Spend an extra turn attempt to destroy undead instead of turning them
Distant Shot		10,000	Make ranged attack at any distance you can see
Divine Might	Complete Warrior	5,000	Add Cha bonus to weapon damage
Divine Shield	Complete Warrior	5,000	Add Cha bonus as sacred bonus to your shield's defense
Dodge		3,000	+1 to AC
Domain Focus	Complete Divine	7,000	+1 caster levels for one domain
Eagle’s Wings	Complete Divine	5,000	Grow wings for 1 hour
Elemental Smiting	Complete Divine	3,000	Spend turn/rebuke attempt to smite an elemental
Empower Spell	Player's Handbook	7,000	Increase spell's variable, numeric effects by 50% (metamagic +2)
Endurance	Player's Handbook	3,000	+4 bonus on checks or saves to resist nonlethal damage
Energy Admixture		7,000	Deal additional damage of chosen type with elemental spell (metamagic +4)
Energy Substitution		7,000	Elemental spell deals damage of chosen element instead (metamagic +0)
Enlarge Spell	Player's Handbook	7,000	Double spell's range (metamagic +1)
Epic Dodge		10,000	Gain massive AC bonus against attacks from focused enemy
Epic Speed		7,000	Speed increases by 30 ft.
Eschew Materials	Player's Handbook	5,000	Cast spells without material components
Exceptional Deflection		10,000	Deflect any kind of attack, even giant or magic projectiles
Exotic Weapon Proficiency	Player's Handbook	3,000	No penalty on attacks with specific exotic weapon
Exotic Wild Shape		15,000	Gain access to variety of new wild shape forms
Expanded Casting		10,000	Gain 9 levels of spell slots
Extend Spell	Player's Handbook	3,000	Double spell's duration (metamagic +1)
Extra Music	Complete Adventurer	5,000	Use bardic music 4 more times per day
Extra Turning	Player's Handbook	5,000	Can turn or rebuke 4 more times per day
Extra Wild Shape	Complete Divine	5,000	Gain two additional wild shape uses per day
Faith in the Frost	Frostburn	5,000	Successful turn or rebuke causes cold damage
Far Shot	Player's Handbook	5,000	Increase range increment by 50% or 100%
Fast Wild Shape	Complete Divine	5,000	Wild shape as a move equivalent action
Force of Personality	Complete Adventurer	5,000	Add Cha instead of Wis to Will saves against mind-affecting
Forge Ring	Player's Handbook	7,000	Create magic rings
Fortify Spell	Complete Arcane	7,000	Spell can better penetrate spell resistance (metamagic +1 or more)
Frozen Berserker	Frostburn	5,000	Gain cold subtype while raging
Frozen Magic	Frostburn	7,000	Cold spells have higher caster levels in cold weather
Frozen Wild Shape	Frostburn	5,000	Wild shape into cold magical beasts
Gargantuan Wild Shape		20,000	Wild shape into Gargantuan creatures
Great Cleave	Player's Handbook	5,000	No limit to cleave attacks each round
Great Fortitude	Player's Handbook	5,000	+2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Great Smiting		7,000	Smite attack does more damage
Greater Weapon Focus		5,000	Additional +1 to attacks with all weapons for which you have Weapon Focus
Greater Weapon Specialization		5,000	Additional +2 to damage with all weapons for which you have Weapon Focus
Grizzly’s Claws	Complete Divine	5,000	Gain claws for 1 hour
Hardened Flesh	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead gain +2 natural armor
Heighten Spell		7,000	Spell's level is equal to spell slot level
Hold the Line	Complete Warrior	5,000	Make attack of opportunity against charging foe
Ice Harmonics	Frostburn	5,000	Shatter ice with your voice
Icy Calling	Frostburn	7,000	Summoned frostfell creatures are stronger in cold weather
Imbued Summoning	Player's Handbook II	7,000	Summoned creature arrives with beneficial spell (metamagic +1)
Improve Class Ability (animal companion)		5,000	Use character level to determine animal companion abilities
Improve Class Ability (aura of despair)		5,000	Effect of your aura of despair doubles
Improve Class Ability (auravision)		5,000	Capabilities of auravision improve
Improve Class Ability (death attack)		5,000	Save DC of your death attack increases, and benefits from poison
Improve Class Ability (familiar)		5,000	Gain any benefit from any familiar; familiar is easier to raise
Improve Class Ability (fighter special ability)		5,000	Gain maximum benefit from all your fighter special abilities
Improve Class Ability (hexblade's curse)		5,000	Use curse more often; or curse effect improves
Improve Class Ability (inspire courage)		5,000	Bonus granted by inspire courage increases
Improve Class Ability (ranged legerdemain)		5,000	Use ranged legerdemain via mage hand or telekinesis
Improve Class Ability (sneak attack)		5,000	Sneak attack does more damage
Improve Class Ability (spellcasting)		5,000	Improved caster level for prestige class spellcasting
Improve Class Ability (steal spell-like ability)		5,000	Steal abilities that don't duplicate spells
Improve Class Ability (summon erinyes)		5,000	Summon more or better erinyes
Improve Class Ability (summon hellcat)		5,000	Summon more or better hellcats
Improve Class Ability (summon osyluth)		5,000	Summon more or better osyluths
Improve Class Ability (turn or rebuke undead)		5,000	Turn/rebuke undead at higher level and more often
Improve Class Ability (weapon bond)		5,000	Use alternate weapon as bonded weapon; transfer weapon powers
Improved Bull Rush	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on bull rush attempts; no attack of opportunity
Improved Combat Expertise	Complete Warrior	5,000	Reduce your attack bonus to improve your AC
Improved Combat Reflexes		10,000	Three additional attacks of opportunity per round
Improved Counterspell	Player's Handbook	5,000	Counterspell with spell of same school
Improved Critical		5,000	Threat range doubled for all weapons for which you have Weapon Focus
Improved Disarm	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on disarm attempts; no attack of opportunity
Improved Familiar	Dungeon Master's Guide	5,000	Gain an unusual familiar
Improved Feint	Player's Handbook	5,000	Feint in combat as move action
Improved Flight	Complete Adventurer	5,000	Improve flight maneuverability by one step
Improved Grapple	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on grapple checks; no attack of opportunity
Improved Initiative	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on initiative checks
Improved Metamagic		15,000	Spell slot modifier of all metamagic feats reduced by 1
Improved Mounted Archery	Complete Warrior	5,000	Reduce or eliminate attack penalties with ranged weapon while mounted
Improved Overrun	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on overrun attempts; no attack of opportunity
Improved Precise Shot	Player's Handbook	5,000	Ignore less than total cover/concealment on ranged attack
Improved Rapid Shot	Complete Warrior	5,000	Ignore –2 penalty when using Rapid Shot
Improved Shield Bash	Player's Handbook	5,000	Retain shield bonus to AC when shield bashing
Improved Smiting	Complete Divine	5,000	Your smite gains an alignment for overcoming DR and +1d6 damage
Improved Spell Capacity		15,0001	Gain ability to cast higher-level spells
Improved Sunder	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on sunder attempts; no attack of opportunity
Improved Trip	Player's Handbook	5,000	+4 bonus on trip attempts; no attack of opportunity
Improved Turning	Player's Handbook	5,000	+1 level for turning checks
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting		5,000	Gain as many attacks with off hand as with main hand
Improved Unarmed Strike	Player's Handbook	5,000	Considered armed even when unarmed
Incite Rage		10,000	Your rage provokes rage in allies
Infernal Wild Shape		5,000	Gain access to fiendish wild shape forms
Innate Spell	Complete Arcane	5,000	Use a spell as an at-will spell-like ability
Intensify Spell		15,000	Spell's variable, numeric effects are maximized and doubled (metamagic +7)
Intimidating Strike	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Use Intimidate check with attack to shake opponent
Investigator	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Gather Information and Search checks
Iron Will	Player's Handbook	5,000	+2 bonus on Will saves
Legendary Athlete		10,000	Climb and jump much better, and take no armor check penalties for athletic skills
Legendary Rider		10,000	Ride bareback with no penalty, and control mount with no check
Legendary Tracker		10,000	Track quarry across water and through air
Legendary Wrestler		10,000	Gain +10 bonus to grapple checks; more against larger opponents
Lightning Reflexes	Player's Handbook	5,000	+2 bonus on Reflex saves
Lion’s Pounce	Complete Divine	5,000	Make a full attack on a charge
Lord of the Uttercold	Complete Arcane	7,000	Cold spell deals half of its damage as negative energy (metamagic +0)
Lyric Spell	Complete Adventurer	7,000	Expend bardic music instead of spell slots to cast spells
Mage Slayer		5,000	Enemy spellcasters have great difficulty concentrating when adjacent to you
Magical Aptitude	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Spellcraft and Use Magic Device checks
Malign Spell Focus	Book of Vile Darkness	7,000	+2 to DC of evil spells
Manyshot	Player's Handbook	5,000	Shoot two or more arrows simultaneously
Martial Weapon Proficiency	Player's Handbook	3,000	No penalty on attacks with specific martial weapon
Master Manipulator	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Gain two new uses of Diplomacy skill
Master Staff		10,000	Activate staff by expending spell slots instead of charges
Maximize Spell	Player's Handbook	7,000	Maximize spell’s variable, numeric effects (metamagic +3)
Melodic Casting	Complete Mage	7,000	Use Perform in place of Concentration, cast spells while using bardic music
Mobility	Player's Handbook	3,000	+4 dodge bonus to AC against some attacks of opportunity
Mounted Archery	Player's Handbook	5,000	Half penalty for ranged attacks while mounted
Mounted Combat	Player's Handbook	5,000	Negate hits on mount with Ride check
Multispell		15,0002	Cast additional quickened spell in a round
Natural Spell	Player's Handbook	7,000	Cast spells while in wild shape
Necromantic Might	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead in your presence gain +2 on attack rolls and damage rolls
Necromantic Presence	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead in your presence gain +4 turn resistance
Negative Energy Burst		10,000	Wave of negative energy inflicts level drain
Negotiator	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Diplomacy and Sense Motive checks
Nimble Bones	Libris Mortis	5,000	Undead gain +4 to initiative and +10 ft./round
Nimble Fingers	Player's Handbook	5,000	+2 bonus on Disable Device and Open Lock checks
Oaken Resilience	Complete Divine	5,000	Become like a tree and gain plants immunities
Overwhelming Critical		10,000	Chosen weapon gains increased critical multiplier
Perfect Health		10,000	You are immune to most diseases
Permanent Emanation		15,000	One of your emanation spells is made permanent on you
Persuasive	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Bluff checks and Intimidate checks
Plant Wild Shape		10,000	Wild shape into plant creatures
Point Blank Shot	Player's Handbook	3,000	+1 bonus on ranged attack and damage within 30 ft.
Positive Energy Aura		10,000	Automatically turn or destroy nearby undead
Power Attack		5,000	Sacrifice accuracy for damage
Practiced Spellcaster	Complete Divine	5,000	Your caster level is +4 but not above your HD
Precise Shot	Player's Handbook	5,000	No –4 penalty for shooting into melee
Profane Lifeleech	Libris Mortis	5,000	Steal 1d6 hp from nearby creatures
Profane Vigor	Libris Mortis	5,000	Grant 1d8 hp to nearby undead allies
Quick Draw	Player's Handbook	5,000	Draw weapon as free weapon
Quicken Spell	Player's Handbook	7,000	Cast spells as swift action (metamagic +4)
Rapid Reload	Player's Handbook	5,000	Reload crossbow more quickly
Rapid Shot	Player's Handbook	5,000	One extra ranged attack each round
Reflect Arrows		10,000	Throw arrows at opponent who shoots at you
Regeneration		10,000	Gain regeneration
Ride-By Attack	Player's Handbook	5,000	Move before and after a mounted charge
Ruinous Rage		10,000	Deal massive damage to objects while raging
Run	Player's Handbook	3,000	Run 5 times normal speed, +4 bonus on Jump checks Made after a running start
Sacrificial Mastery	Book of Vile Darkness	5,000	+4 bonus on sacrifice checks
Scribe Scroll	Player's Handbook	5,000	Create magic scrolls
Self-Sufficient	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Heal and Survival checks
Shield Charge	Complete Warrior	5,000	Free trip attack with shield during charge
Shield Proficiency	Player's Handbook	5,000	No armor check penalty on attack rolls when using shields
Shield Slam	Complete Warrior	5,000	Use shield to daze opponent
Shield Specialization	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Increase shield bonus by +1
Shield Ward	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Gain shield bonus to touch AC and against combat maneuvers
Shot on the Run	Player's Handbook	5,000	Move before and after ranged attack
Silent Spell	Player's Handbook	5,000	Cast spells without verbal components (metamagic +1)
Simple Weapon Proficiency	Player's Handbook	3,000	No –4 penalty on attack rolls with simple weapons
Skill Focus		3,000	Chosen skill is always class for you
Slashing Flurry		5,000	Make additional attack with slashing weapon
Smite Fiery Foe	Frostburn	5,000	Add Cha mod on attack and character level to damage against fire creatures
Snatch Arrows	Player's Handbook	5,000	Catch a deflected ranged attack
Sneak Attack of Opportunity		5,000	All attacks of opportunity count as sneak attacks
Snowcasting	Frostburn	7,000	Add cold descriptor to spell
Spectral Strike		10,000	Deal full damage to incorporeal creatures
Spell Focus		7,000	+2 to DC of spells of one school
Spell Knowledge		7,000	Learn two new arcane spells
Spell Mastery	Player's Handbook	7,000	Can prepare some spells without spellbook
Spell Opportunity		7,000	Cast touch spell as attack of opportunity
Spell Penetration	Player's Handbook	7,000	+2 bonus on caster level checks to defeat spell resistance
Spell Stowaway		15,000	If another spellcaster uses chosen spell nearby, it affects you also
Spirited Charge	Player's Handbook	5,000	Double damage with mounted charge
Spontaneous Domain Access		15,000	Spontaneously convert prepared spells into domain spells
Spontaneous Spells		15,000	Gain ability to cast several spells spontaneously
Spring Attack	Player's Handbook	5,000	Move before and after melee attack
Staggering Strike	Complete Adventurer	5,000	Stagger enemies with melee sneak attacks
Stealthy	Player's Handbook	3,000	+2 bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks
Still Spell	Player's Handbook	5,000	Cast spells without somatic components (metamagic +1)
Storm Magic	Frostburn	5,000	All spells cast at caster level +1 during storms
Storm of Throws		10,000	Hurl thrown weapons at all enemies in sight
Stunning Fist	Player's Handbook	5,000	Stun opponent with unarmed strike
Superior Initiative		10,000	Gain additional +4 bonus to initiative
Superior Whirlwind Attack		5,000	Strike at all enemies in reach with both weapons
Tenacious Magic		15,000	Chosen spell cannot be dispelled, only suppressed, when you cast it
Terrifying Rage		10,000	Your rage panics enemies
Toughness		5,000	Gain your level of hit points
Tower Shield Proficiency	Player's Handbook	5,000	No armor check penalty on attack rolls when using tower shields
Track	Player's Handbook	3,000	Use Survival skill to track
Trample	Player's Handbook	5,000	Target cannot avoid mounted overrun
Transcendent Learning		7,000	Your caster level increases
Twin Sword Strike		5,000	Strike with both weapons as attack action or on charge
Two-Weapon Fighting	Player's Handbook	5,000	Reduce two-weapon fighting penalties by 2
Two-Weapon Rend	Player's Handbook II	5,000	Gain bonus damage if you hit with both weapons
Undead Mastery		15,000	Command much larger quantity of undead
Violate Spell	Book of Vile Darkness	7,000	Makes spell evil; half damage is vile damage (metamagic +1)
Weapon Finesse	Player's Handbook	5,000	Use Dex modifier instead of Str modifier on attack rolls with light melee weapons
Weapon Focus	Player's Handbook	5,000	+1 bonus on attack rolls with selected weapon
Weapon Specialization		5,000	Gain +2 bonus to damage with all weapons for which you have Weapon Focus
Weapon Supremacy		5,000	Gain several advantages with all weapons for which you have Weapon Focus
Whirlwind Attack	Player's Handbook	5,000	One melee attack against each opponent within reach
Widen Aura		10,000	Your aura has greatly increased radius
Widen Spell	Player's Handbook	7,000	Double spell’s area (metamagic +3)
Wolverine’s Rage	Complete Divine	5,000	Enter a rage for 5 rounds
Zone of Animation		15,000	Animate nearby corpses with rebuke attempt

¹ This feat's XP cost goes up by 10,000 XP each time it is taken.
² This feat's XP cost goes up by 15,000 XP each time it is taken.

Skill points

The character gains an amount of skill points equal to twice the average of the number of skill points provided by each of their class levels (remember that the class level taken at 1st character level provides quadruple skill points), rounded to the nearest whole number. (The character’s Intelligence modifier does not affect this number, nor does a human character’s racial bonus skill point per level.)

Note: For an epic character, a skill is considered to be a class skill if it is a class skill for at least 10 of his class levels. The Skill Focus feat, and some regional feats, can make a skill always be a class skill for a character, regardless of what class levels he has.) The maximum number of ranks an epic character may possess in any skill remains 23.

This advancement option may be selected multiple times. The XP cost of this option is 2,000 XP the first time it is taken, and goes up by 1,000 XP every subsequent time it’s taken after the first time.

Note: Whenever an epic character gains any other epic advancement option, he also gains 2 skill points.

Base attack advancement

The character’s base attack bonus increases by +2 (to a maximum of +20).

This advancement option may be selected multiple times. The XP cost of this option is 5,000 XP the first time it is taken, and goes up by 2,000 XP every subsequent time it’s taken after the first time.

Base save advancement

The character’s base save bonus for one type of saving throw of his choice (Fortitude, Reflex, or Will) increases by +2; or, all three of the character’s base save bonuses increase by +1 each. In either case, none of the character’s base saving throw bonuses may increase beyond +12.

This advancement option may be selected multiple times (and the character may choose between the +2 option and the +1/+1/+1 option each time). The XP cost of this option is 5,000 XP the first time it is taken, and goes up by 2,000 XP every subsequent time it’s taken after the first time.

Class ability advancement

The character gains one or more class abilities for which he qualifies. (See Class Progression Paths, below, for details on acquiring class abilities.

Class Progression Paths

As an epic character cannot gain character levels in the E20 system, he therefore cannot gain class levels either. A character can, however, gain class abilities, and improve the class abilities that he already has. This is accomplished by means of class progression paths.

A character may simply purchase (using XP from his epic XP pool) any available class ability (or package of class abilities) for which he qualifies. The available class abilities are listed below.

Starting a new class vs. advancing in an existing class

A character who does not have any levels in a given class can acquire a package of low-level abilities of that class (if the class is not one of the restricted classes; see below). These ability packages do not have prerequisites, only an XP cost. The character may then acquire other class abilities from that class. All available abilities of a certain class require that a character either have levels in that class, or that he have acquired the starting ability package of that class.

Restricted classes

Several base character classes are restricted, which means that an epic character cannot acquire any of their class abilities unless he already has levels of that class. No starting ability package is available for that class. The following classes are restricted:

• Druid
• Fighter
• Hexblade
• Sorcerer
• Wizard

Note: No class progression path is listed for the druid and sorcerer classes, because no player character in Beyond Ragnarok has more than 0 but fewer than 20 levels in either class.

Available abilities by class

Barbarian

1. Fast movement, rage 2/day, uncanny dodge.
   Requirements: not already a barbarian.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Rage +4/day (maximum 7/day).
   Requirements: rage 1/day.
   XP cost: 5,000.
3. Greater rage.
   Requirements: rage 1/day.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Mighty rage.
   Requirements: rage 3/day, greater rage.
   XP cost: 5,000.
5. Tireless rage.
   Requirements: rage 2/day.
   XP cost: 5,000.
6. Improved uncanny dodge.
   Requirements: uncanny dodge.
   XP cost: 5,000.

Bard

1. Bardic music (inspire courage +2, fascinate) 5/day; first 5 levels of bard spellcasting.
   Requirements: not already a bard.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Two additional bardic music abilities (select from: countersong, inspire competence, suggestion, inspire greatness, song of freedom, inspire heroics).
   Requirements: Bardic music.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to three times)
   Note: Each bardic music ability still requires its listed number of ranks in a Perform skill in order to use it.
3. Mass suggestion (bardic music ability).
   Requirements: suggestion (bardic music ability).
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Additional level of bard spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of bard spellcasting.
   XP cost: 10,000 (if the new level grants access to a new spell level); 7,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 20 levels of spellcasting)

Cleric

1. First 3 levels of cleric spellcasting; one domain (selected from deity’s list of granted domains); turn or rebuke undead as level 3 cleric (a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus; minimum 1).
   Requirements: not already a cleric.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Additional level of cleric spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of cleric spellcasting.
   XP cost: 12,000 (if the new level grants access to a new spell level); 8,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 20 levels of spellcasting)

Fighter

1. Fighter special ability.
   Requirements: fighter level 10.
   XP cost: 5,000.
2. Fighter level advancement (increase effective fighter level for the purposes of qualifying for feats and abilities by 4); bonus feat (from fighter bonus feat list).
   Requirements: fighter level 1.
   XP cost: 8,000.

Hexblade

1. Two additional levels of hexblade spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of hexblade spellcasting.
   XP cost: 10,000 (if the new levels grants access to a new spell level); 5,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 20 levels of spellcasting)

Ranger

1. Favored enemy (one creature category, +2); first 5 levels of ranger spellcasting; Track feat (or swift tracker ability if already have Track feat); animal companion (effective druid level equal to one-half character level).
   Requirements: not already a ranger.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Favored enemy (increase bonus for one creature category by +4; or, increase bonus for two creature categories by +2 each; in any case maximum is +10).
   Requirements: favored enemy class feature.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected multiple times)
3. Swift tracker.
   Requirements: favored enemy class feature, Track feat.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Combat style.
   Requirements: favored enemy class feature.
   XP cost: 5,000.
5. Improved combat style.
   Requirements: combat style.
   XP cost: 5,000.
6. Combat style mastery.
   Requirements: improved combat style.
   XP cost: 5,000.
7. Two additional levels of ranger spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of ranger spellcasting.
   XP cost: 10,000 (if the new levels grants access to a new spell level); 5,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 20 levels of spellcasting)
8. Camouflage.
   Requirements: favored enemy class feature, Hide 12 ranks, Knowledge (nature) 10 ranks.
   XP cost: 7,000.
9. Hide in plain sight.
   Requirements: favored enemy class feature, Hide 15 ranks, Bluff 10 ranks.
   XP cost: 10,000.

Rogue

1. Trapfinding.
   Requirements: none.
   XP cost: 5,000.
2. Rogue special ability.
   Requirements: sneak attack +3d6, trapfinding, evasion.
   XP cost: 7,000. (may be selected multiple times, choosing a different special ability each time)
   Note: See also changes to rogue special abilities.

Wizard

1. Additional level of wizard spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of wizard spellcasting.
   XP cost: 12,000 (if the new level grants access to a new spell level); 8,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 20 levels of spellcasting)

Arcane Trickster

1. Additional level of arcane spellcasting class, +1d6 sneak attack, impromptu sneak attack 1/day, ranged legerdemain 1/day.
   Requirements: normal arcane trickster entry requirements; not already an arcane trickster.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Additional use/day of impromptu sneak attack.
   Requirements: impromptu sneak attack 1/day.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to three times)

Archmage

1. High arcana.
   Requirements: normal archmage entry requirements; not already an archmage.
   XP cost: 10,000.
2. Additional high arcana.
   Requirements: high arcana.
   XP cost: 10,000. (may be selected multiple times)

Assassin

1. Hide in plain sight.
   Requirements: death attack class feature, Hide 15 ranks, Bluff 10 ranks.
   XP cost: 10,000.
2. Additional level of assassin spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of assassin spellcasting.
   XP cost: 10,000 (if the new level grants access to a new spell level); 7,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 10 levels of spellcasting)

Blackguard

1. Aura of evil (as character level), detect good, poison use, sneak attack +1d6, command undead as level 3 cleric (a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus; minimum 1).
   Requirements: normal blackguard entry requirements; not already a blackguard.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Smite good 2/day (as if blackguard level equal to one-half character level).
   Requirements: aura of evil, Disciple of Darkness.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected multiple times)
3. Aura of despair.
   Requirements: aura of evil, Disciple of Darkness.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Fiendish servant, first three levels of blackguard spellcasting.
   Requirements: aura of evil, Disciple of Darkness.
   XP cost: 10,000.
5. Additional level of blackguard spellcasting.
   Requirements: at least 1 level of blackguard spellcasting.
   XP cost: 9,000 (if the new level grants access to a new spell level); 6,000 (otherwise). (may be selected multiple times; may not gain more than 10 levels of spellcasting)

Demonologist

1. Quasit familiar, spontaneous charm demon (sacrifice prepared spell or spell slot of 3rd level or higher to cast charm monster on any demon), summoning mastery I (1st through 3rd level summon monster spells have effect as spell of next higher level when summoning fiends).
   Requirements: normal demonologist entry requirements; not already a demonologist.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Summoning mastery II (4th through 6th level summon monster spells have effect as spell of next highest level when summoning fiends).
   Requirements: summoning mastery I.
   XP cost: 5,000.
3. Summoning mastery III (7th through 9th level summon monster spells have effect as spell of next highest level when summoning fiends).
   Requirements: summoning mastery II.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Greater summoning mastery (summoning mastery now improves effect of summon monster spells by two levels instead of one).
   Requirements: summoning mastery (any).
   XP cost: 5,000.
5. Telepathy (as the demon ability).
   Requirements: spontaneous charm demon.
   XP cost: 5,000.
6. Spontaneous hold demon (sacrifice prepared spell or spell slot of 5th level or higher to cast hold monster on any demon).
   Requirements: spontaneous charm demon.
   XP cost: 7,000.
7. Spontaneous dominate demon (sacrifice prepared spell or spell slot of 9th level or higher to cast dominate monster on any demon).
   Requirements: spontaneous charm demon.
   XP cost: 10,000.

Disciple of Arakel

1. Combat tactics, iron hews, strike through I (ignore 10 points of Armor Class).
   Requirements: normal disciple of Arakel entry requirements; not already a disciple of the Iron Triad.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Combat tactics (additional benefit).
   Requirements: Combat tactics.
   XP cost: 3,000. (may be selected up to four times, choosing a different benefit each time)
3. Strike through II (ignore 20 points of Armor Class).
   Requirements: strike through I.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Strike through III (brilliant energy).
   Requirements: strike through II.
   XP cost: 7,000.
5. Iron power (1 additional number).
   Requirements: iron hews.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected twice)
6. Greater iron hews.
   Requirements: iron hews.
   XP cost: 5,000.
7. Summon erinyes 1/day (an erinyes which is killed cannot be summoned again until the next day).
   Requirements: combat tactics, iron power.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to three times, gaining an additional daily use each time)
8. Ironskin.
   Requirements: iron hews, iron power.
   XP cost: 7,000.
9. Iron avatar.
   Requirements: iron hews, iron power, ironskin.
   XP cost: 10,000.

Disciple of Karayan

1. Tongue of the devil, suggestion 1/day, summon osyluth 1/day (an osyluth which is killed cannot be summoned again until the next day).
   Requirements: normal disciple of Karayan entry requirements; not already a disciple of the Iron Triad.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Additional daily use of suggestion.
   Requirements: suggestion 1/day.
   XP cost: 3,000. (may be selected up to two times)
3. Additional daily use of summon osyluth.
   Requirements: summon osyluth 1/day.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to four times)
4. Beguiling nature 1/day.
   Requirements: suggestion 1/day.
   XP cost: 10,000.
5. Mirage arcana 1/day.
   Requirements: suggestion 1/day.
   XP cost: 7,000.
6. Summon devils 1/day (two gelugons or three amnizu).
   Requirements: summon osyluth 1/day, beguiling nature 1/day.
   XP cost: 10,000.

Disciple of Zorayan

1. Charm 1/day, command 1/day, learn secret 1/week.
   Requirements: normal disciple of Zorayan entry requirements; not already a disciple of the Iron Triad.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Additional daily use of charm or command.
   Requirements: charm 1/day or command 1/day (depending on ability selected).
   XP cost: 3,000. (may be selected up to two times per ability)
3. Additional weekly use of learn secret.
   Requirements: learn secret 1/week.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to two times)
4. Greater command (when this ability is selected, the character may use greater command in place of command).
   Requirements: command 1/day.
   XP cost: 5,000.
5. Evil authority 1/day.
   Requirements: command 2/day, or greater command.
   XP cost: 7,000.
6. Summon hellcat 1/day (a hellcat which is killed cannot be summoned again until the next day).
   Requirements: command 1/day.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to 5 times, gaining an additional daily use each time)
7. Call major devil 1/week.
   Requirements: learn secret 1/week, summon hellcat 1/day.
   XP cost: 7,000.

Frostrager

1. Frostrage, freezing blood.
   Requirements: normal frostrager entry requirements; not already a frostrager.
   XP cost: 10,000.
2. Improved frostrage.
   Requirements: frostrage.
   XP cost: 5,000.
3. One-two punch.
   Requirements: frostrage.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Absorb cold.
   Requirements: frostrage.
   XP cost: 7,000.
5. Rend.
   Requirements: frostrage.
   XP cost: 5,000.

Hierophant

1. Hierophant special ability.
   Requirements: normal hierophant entry requirements; not already a hierophant.
   XP cost: 10,000.
2. Additional hierophant special ability.
   Requirements: any hierophant special ability.
   XP cost: 10,000. (may be selected multiple times)

Spellsword

1. Channel spell.
   Requirements: normal spellsword entry requirements; not already a spellsword.
   XP cost: 10,000.
2. Two additional uses of channel spell per day.
   Requirements: channel spell.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected up to two times)
3. Ignore spell failure (reduces ASF by 10%).
   Requirements: channel spell.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected multiple times)
4. Multiple channel spell.
   Requirements: channel spell, any one other spellsword progression ability.
   XP cost: 10,000.

Stormsinger

1. Stormpower, stormsong (gust of wind).
   Requirements: normal stormsinger entry requirements; not already a stormsinger.
   XP cost: 10,000.
2. Any one stormsong ability: thunderstrike, control winds, winter’s ballad (requires control winds), great thunderstrike (requires thunderstrike), storm of vengeance (requires control winds and thunderstrike).
   Requirements: stormsong.
   XP cost: 3,000. (may be selected multiple times, choosing a different ability each time)

True Necromancer

1. Rebuke undead as level 3 cleric (a number of times per day equal to your Charisma bonus; minimum 1); necromancy (caster level for necromancy spells equal to sum of spellcasting progression levels, up to 20); zone of desecration.
   Requirements: normal true necromancer entry requirements; not already a true necromancer.
   XP cost: 20,000.
2. Improved zone of desecration (radius equal to 10 feet per level).
   Requirements: zone of desecration.
   XP cost: 5,000.
3. Greater zone of desecration (as shrine to evil power).
   Requirements: improved zone of desecration.
   XP cost: 5,000.
4. Elemental corruption 2/day.
   Requirements: necromancy.
   XP cost: 5,000. (may be selected multiple times)
5. Dark reach.
   Requirements: necromancy.
   XP cost: 5,000.
6. Fell animate.
   Requirements: improved zone of desecration.
   XP cost: 7,000.
7. Energy drain 3/day.
   Requirements: improved zone of desecration, dark reach.
   XP cost: 5,000.

War Chanter

1. War chanter music (+2 uses per day of bardic music; inspire toughness, effective level = 4, +1 for every additional war chanter progression ability taken, to a maximum of 10; combine songs).
   Requirements: normal war chanter entry requirements; not already a war chanter.
   XP cost: 20,000.
   Note: Each war chanter music ability still requires its listed number of ranks in a Perform skill in order to use it.
2. War cry 3/day.
   Requirements: inspire toughness.
   XP cost: 5,000.
3. Aura of courage.
   Requirements: inspire toughness.
   XP cost: 3,000.
4. Inspire recklessness.
   Requirements: inspire toughness.
   XP cost: 7,000.
5. Battlecry 1/day.
   Requirements: inspire toughness.
   XP cost: 3,000. (may be selected multiple times)
6. Inspire awe (save DC is equal to 20 + Charisma bonus).
   Requirements: inspire toughness.
   XP cost: 5,000.
7. Inspire legion.
   Requirements: inspire toughness, inspire recklessness, aura of courage or battlecry.
   XP cost: 7,000.

Epic prestige paths

Epic prestige paths are not “generic”; they are unique progressions of the focus that a character has pursued prior to attaining epic level, and thus are specific to each character. As such, they have no initial game-mechanical requirements, unlike non-epic character progression paths; a character who wishes to pursue an epic progression path, qualifies for it by definition.

In all other ways, epic progression paths work the same way that other epic advancement options do: abilities or ability packages may be purchased with XP, assuming the requirements are met.

• Epic prestige path - Albrecht

Death & Resurrection

No XP loss

Returning from the dead does not result in XP loss for epic characters.

Temporary negative levels

Returning from the dead inflicts temporary negative levels on a character (unless true resurrection is used). Returning to life via a raise dead spell inflicts three negative levels; returning to life via a resurrection, wish, or miracle spell inflicts two negative levels; returning to life via a true resurrection does not inflict any negative levels. These negative levels dissipate naturally after a night’s rest, or may be removed before then by means of restoration or other appropriate curative magics.

Physical shock roll & resurrection sickness

A character returning from the dead must make a physical shock roll. This is a d20 roll with the following modifiers (cumulative):

• +2 if the spell being used to return the character to life is resurrection, wish, or miracle; +4 if the spell being used is true resurrection
• the caster level at which the spell being used to return the character to life is being cast, minus 20 (so −3 if cast at CL 17th, +2 if cast at CL 22nd, etc.)
• −2 if the character died by being instantly destroyed by mundane means (e.g. by taking massive damage, etc.), or if the character’s body was destroyed after death by mundane means (e.g. by burning)
• −5 if the character was slain by death magic, if the character was destroyed by disintegration or other magical means of complete destruction, or if the character’s body was consumed by charnel fire after death
• the character’s Constitution modifier (not taking gear or other magical bonuses into account)
• −2 if the resurrection spell is not being cast in a temple appropriate to the caster’s faith

The result of the physical shock roll determines the severity of resurrection sickness that the character suffers. Resurrection sickness has the effects of a physical disease, though it cannot be removed by means of remove disease, nor cured by any other magic; only natural recovery serves to remove its effects. The physical shock roll result gives the step on the disease track at which a character starts after being returned to life:

Roll Result	Effect
0 or less	The resurrection spell fails. The character is not brought back to life. (Further attempts may be made, if desired; any material components, spell slots, etc. are consumed, however.)
1–5	The character is comatose.
6–10	The character is bedridden.
11–15	The character is disabled.
16–20	The character is impaired. (The DC for the Fortitude save to avoid nausea is 20; the same modifiers apply to this save as to the physical shock roll.)
21 or higher	The character is weakened.

It takes one week to advance one step toward healthy on the disease track for resurrection sickness (there is no latent/carrier step). The recovery time may be cut in half by use of the Heal skill (“long-term care”). Complete bed rest is required in any case; the character may not engage in any strenuous activity whatever during his recovery.

Note: Neither reincarnate nor revivify require the subject to make a physical shock roll, and a character returned to life by either of these spells suffers no resurrection sickness.

Aging

An epic character who is returned to life must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 30) or immediately age by 10 years. (This saving throw is made without the benefit of bonuses from equipment or other magical effects.) If this causes the character to advance to the next age category, he incurs that age category’s associated physical penalties (to ability scores and perception skills), but not the mental bonuses. (If the character’s new age puts him into the venerable age category, the DM now (secretly) calculates the character’s maximum age.) If the character’s new age is equal to or greater than his maximum age, he dies of natural causes within the year (and cannot be returned to life except via the reincarnate spell), unless the aging is reversed (see below).

This rapid aging may be reversed with a wish or miracle spell (using either spell in this way requires the expenditure of 5,000 XP); a separate casting is required for every 10 years of rapid aging to be reversed. However, reversing rapid aging in this way forces the character to make a mental shock roll (in addition to any such roll made when returning to life) and suffer appropriate amounts of drift.

Mental shock roll & drift

A character returning from the dead (or one who has his rapid aging reversed by magic) must make a mental shock roll. This is a d20 roll with the following modifiers (cumulative):

1. −1 per day since death, maximum −7
2. −1 per month since death, maximum −7
3. −1 per 10 years since death, maximum −7
4. −5 if the character has been turned into an undead creature and then destroyed
5. −2 if being resurrected on a different plane from the plane where the character died
6. −2 if the character died on a different plane from his home plane
7. −5 if the character was slain by something of which he has a phobia
8. the character’s Wisdom modifier (not taking gear or other magical bonuses into account)
9. one-half of any permanent (class- or feat-based) modifiers the character has to saves against mind-affecting spells and effects
10. any permanent modifiers the character has to Will saves (such as from the Disciplined or Iron Will feats)

(Note: When making a mental shock roll due to reversal of rapid aging, modifiers i through vii do not apply.)

The result of the mental shock roll is subtracted from 20; the resulting number is the number of points of drift that the character gains (see Drift]], below). (The minimum number of points of drift a character can gain is zero; getting a negative result does not cause the character to lose points of drift.)

Drift

Drift is a new game mechanic, which epic characters must deal with.

What is drift?

Drift is disconnection—emotional and conceptual—from the normal world of ordinary people. Drift is loss of humanity, the shifting of a character’s mindset and worldview to one that is less and less recognizably human. It is the consequence of coming to face the infinite, of exposure to (and understanding of) the true workings of the cosmos, of seeing the veil of normality fall away from the world to reveal the mechanisms that underlie existence. A character with high drift has a substantially altered psyche (though it rarely seems that way to himself), and his mind relates to the universe very differently than do the minds of normal people.

Most adventurers (and certainly all player characters) experience some amount of drift even at lower levels, but it is minor, and manifests as little more than slightly or occasionally unusual and eccentric behavior (and is the reason why adventurers are usually seen as somewhat odd); pre-epic characters generally need not track drift in mechanical terms. Epic characters, however, are almost guaranteed to experience significant (and ever-increasing) amounts of drift, and if they’re not careful, they very quickly lose any resemblance to normal humans, and become as alien in outlook as any outsider or aberration.

Drift is not insanity (at least, game-mechanically speaking). No matter how many points of drift a character gains, he remains, objectively speaking, rational, and does not lose control of his actions (manifestations of a phobia are exceptions to this). Of course, the changes associated with drift often cause a character to be perceived by normal people as quite eccentric at best and horrifyingly insane at worst.

Drift is rarely talked about in any systematic fashion, even among scholars of the arcane. By the time a character is powerful (high level) enough to experience substantial amounts of drift—enough to have firsthand experience with the phenomenon—and to interact with other characters who have done likewise, the shifts in his mindset usually mean that he no longer perceives most drift-related changes as particularly extraordinary (indeed, it often seems to high- or epic-level adventurers that it is ordinary people who are abnormal, irrational, or downright mad). Lesser characters, in the rare cases that they interact closely with those whose adventures are of the sort to cause drift, usually write off the effects of drift as the eccentricity of the powerful (and they are, in a sense, not entirely wrong).

Gaining drift

All human characters have zero drift by default (although a character who reaches epic level often has some amount of drift immediately, which was not tracked previously but now gains mechanical relevance; this is calculated retroactively by the DM).

There is no upper limit on the amount of drift a character may have. While it is possible to partially reverse gains of drift (see Recovery, below), in the long run, drift increase is monotonic; a return to the ordinary is simply impossible.

There are several sorts of circumstances which cause a character to gain drift.

Resurrection

Dying and returning to life is an experience that exposes a character’s mind and soul to the workings of reality in ways that few other things can. Death itself does not cause drift, as the transition to an appropriate afterlife serves to protect a soul from directly facing the infinite; being wrenched back to mortality, however, is a massive break from the ordinary, and drift is the result. (See Death & Resurrection, above, for details.)

Along with resurrection, the reversal of aging also causes drift. (Again, see Death & Resurrection for details.)

Time travel & similar phenomena

Perception of time is fundamental to the human experience of reality. Experiencing time in a nonlinear fashion, moving through the time stream at unusual speeds, and other distortions of temporal experience cause drift.

(The amount of drift gained by a character in such a case varies.)

Encounters with profoundly alien creatures

Some creatures (such as spell weavers) are so inhuman in outlook that a human cannot understand them without being altered himself (and this may even apply to their works, such as artifacts, writings, magic, etc.). Note that merely encountering such creatures or their creations is generally not enough to cause drift; a character who merely handles a spell weaver device, for example—dealing with it as with an un-analyzed brute fact—does not gain drift. It is comprehension, insight into the alien system, that alters a character’s mind. (However, a sufficiently intense direct experience—such as visiting a truly alien civilization—may cause drift even without comprehension, by opening a character’s mind to new, starkly foreign possibilities of existence.)

It is important to emphasize that neither horror, nor great power, nor repulsiveness, nor evil are the qualities that cause a being to induce drift in humans. Demons, vampires, and other creatures of whom scary tales are told to children, though they be mighty and terrible, nevertheless do not cause drift in those who encounter them, as they are all too easy for ordinary humans to imagine and even to understand. Generally speaking, no beings that have a prominent place in myths or folk tales ever cause drift.

(The amount of drift gained by a character in such a case varies.)

Travel to the Shadow Realm

The nature of the Shadow Realm?, with its shifting manifolds of possibilities taking the place of a single definite reality, is at odds with the normal human conception of reality. Merely being in the Shadow Realm for short stretches of time may not induce drift (although in some cases even that suffices), but interacting with shadow doubles of people and places that a character is familiar with certainly causes drift, as does exposure to certain other particularly strange aspects of that realm.

Using the shadow walk spell or similar methods of Shadow-travel never causes drift, as the path of shadow-stuff the spell creates serves to insulate travelers from the Shadow Realm’s strange nature. Likewise, the ordinary use of Shadow magic (as in the casting of shadow conjuration and similar spells) does not induce drift.

(The amount of drift gained by a character in such a case varies.)

Knowledge

Certain sorts of knowledge open one’s mind to so greatly increased an understanding of reality that they fundamentally alter how a character sees the world. For every 5 ranks a character gains in Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (the planes), and for every 10 ranks a character gains in Knowledge (religion), he gains 2 points of drift.

Divination

The casting of divination spells (and the use of similar effects, even if originating from magic items, etc.) that produce knowledge ex nihilo (such as divination, commune, or contact other plane) has a 10% chance per spell level of causing 2 points of drift.

Other circumstances

It’s impossible to list all circumstances which may cause a character to experience drift. In general, gaining knowledge and understanding about the workings of reality, and coming face to face with what is Beyond (beyond imagining, beyond the normal, beyond myth and story), opens a character’s mind—and alters it irrevocably.

Recovery

It is possible for a character to partially reverse recently gained drift. Doing so requires the character to spend time living in a natural environment (on his home plane, preferably in his homeland or in a region of similar climate), in a settlement no larger than a small town, among ordinary people of his kind. The character may engage in physical activity—indeed, some characters find that strenuous physical labor helps their recovery—but he may not study arcane lore, do any but the simplest magic, interact with strange monsters, and must otherwise wall himself off from the unusual. He may not adventure in any significant way.

It takes a week to recover 2 points of drift in this way. The maximum amount of drift that may be reversed in the course of any such “retreat” is 10 points of drift, or one-half the amount of drift gained by the character over the course of the previous month (whichever is less).

Effects of drift

Alienation

The primary effect of drift is alienation—the inability to relate to ordinary people. A character with a high amount of drift loses the ability to understand the mindset of normal humans, and this has a drastic effect on his every attempt at social interaction. To the highly-drifted character, normal people seem irrational, their values arbitrary, and their behavior bizarre. Interacting with ordinary humans is an increasingly frustrating experience for the character (since his own outlook and behavior never seems abnormal to himself; it’s the normal people who seem more and more weird). The character, in turn, appears to normal people to be eccentric, alien, or frightening, and his inability to understand the concerns and views of "normal" people makes conversations with the character disturbing for ordinary folks, inducing a sense of vertigo that’s difficult to shake off.

Alienation imposes a penalty to certain “social” skills, as detailed below. This penalty is equal to the character’s drift score divided by 5. (At the DM’s discretion, the alienation penalty may be halved when the character is interacting with adventurers, monsters, or other extraordinary people and creatures, and in some cases—such as when the character deals with beings of equal power to himself—it may be waived altogether.)

The alienation penalty applies to the following skills:

• Bluff: The alienation penalty applies to Bluff checks made to convince a person to trust the character, checks made to convince a person to accept a convenient or favorable lie, and similar uses of Bluff where the aim is for the target(s) to accept that “everything’s fine”. Other uses of the Bluff skill (feinting in combat, creating a diversion to hide, delivering a secret message, concealing deception from a suspicious interlocutor, etc.) do not incur the alienation penalty.
• Diplomacy: All uses of the Diplomacy skill incur the alienation penalty.
• Sense Motive: All uses of the Sense Motive skill except “discern secret message” incur the alienation penalty.
• Gather Information: All uses of the Gather Information skill incur the alienation penalty, but only one-half the usual penalty is applied.

In addition to affecting skill use, the alienation penalty is also taken into account when the DM determines ordinary people’s (that is, most NPCs’) initial impressions and reactions to the character. A character with a substantial alienation penalty will be perceived as odd, frightening, dangerous, or insane. (Use of the Sense Motive (to perceive and understand people’s reactions), Diplomacy (to influence attitudes) and Gather Information (to better adapt to local norms) skills can ameliorate such effects, of course.)

When a character has gained a very large amount of drift, and his alienation penalty has become significant, the character finds it very difficult or even impossible to function in normal human society. Such a character typically works through intermediaries when he must work his plans upon ordinary people; or he may withdraw from human society entirely, going off on strange quests that are incomprehensible to lesser beings.

Special drift effects

In addition to alienation, characters who experience drift undergo a variety of psychological shifts. Some possible drift effects are listed below. (Other effects are possible, though these are the most “common”—if the term can even be applied to epic characters.) When a character gains a new drift effect, the DM may roll randomly to determine the effect gained, or may simply select an effect appropriate to the circumstance which caused the character to gain drift. (Drift effects gained as a result of resurrection are usually rolled randomly.)

A character gains one drift effect for every 20 points of drift that he has. Possible drift effects include the following:

Daimones

The ego cleaves off parts of itself, which take on mental lives of their own. These manifest as vivid hallucinations of people the character knows (or even as alternate versions of himself), with whom the character may converse. To the character, daimones may seem at times like expressions of his own viewpoints and opinions (making a conversation with them little different from an ordinary internal dialogue), while at other times what they say surprises the character, as if the daimone were an entirely independent entity with its own, separate, beliefs and perspectives. In some cases, a daimone may take the form of one of the character’s friends or allies (or sometimes even one of his enemies!); the character’s mind “simulates” the friend’s personality and views, allowing him to get the friend’s guidance even without the friend being present. Characters who have gotten used to their daimones may sometimes have difficulty remembering which of their conversations with their friends was real and which was merely carried on with the hallucinated versions.

Though daimones are every bit as real, perceptually, as flesh-and-blood people, their manifestation never interferes with the character’s performance in combat, nor (usually) in any other task. The character’s increasing propensity to carry on conversations with (what seems to onlookers to be) empty space makes him appear to be quite mad, however. (The character may at first avoid interacting with his daimones when other people are around, but the habit of concealing daimones soon weakens and fades.)

A side effect of the manifestation of daimones is that the character becomes less susceptible to possession, domination, and other mental attack forms that subvert the ego. (To be precise, it is not the character’s resistance to such attacks, per se, that is altered; rather, his daimones enable him to more easily shrug off such subversion—even in cases where doing so would normally be impossible.) The degree of this reduced susceptibility varies in proportion to how much the character has engaged with his daimones, how much he has treated them as if they were independent entities, rather than only convenient and temporary mental mirrors in which the thoughts of his own unitary ego may be reflected.

Phobias

Highly-drifted characters have little fear of that which ordinary people find horrifying, but they sometimes develop phobias—irrational, paralyzing fear of some (often innocuous) object or situation. The object of a phobia may be anything, but for epic characters it is rarely anything so ordinary as “spiders” or “heights”; wind, stars, mirrors, children, crystals, and poison are but a few examples of possible objects of an epic character’s phobia.

The character finds even discussing the object of his phobia to be disturbing, which sometimes results in him becoming visibly discomfited by conversations on (what seem to other people to be) innocuous topics—and makes the character seem inconstant and unpredictable in affect and mood.

When in the presence of the object of his phobia, the character is automatically shaken. He must make a successful Will save (DC 20) when he comes into the feared thing’s presence (or when it is brought into his presence), with a –5 penalty on the save if the encounter with the phobia object is sudden and unexpected. Failure means that the character is incapable of coming into (or remaining in) the phobia object’s presence; if avoidance is impossible, the character is paralyzed with fear as long as he remains in proximity to the object of his fear. Remove fear or calm emotions serves to suppress the fear reaction, but nothing else does; magic such as mind blank is no aid against an attack of phobia, as the fear is not caused by any mental assault, but comes from within the depths of the character’s own mind.

A side effect of manifestation of a phobia is that the character ceases to be moved by things that ordinary people find terrifying. For every phobia a character develops as a result of drift, he gains a +4 bonus on saving throws against fear that is caused by the horrifying qualities of some creature or phenomenon (such as the phantasmal terror spell or a krenshar’s scare ability), though not against magic that simply induces fear in the mind, (such as the fear spell).

Depersonalization

The character experiences a sense of detachment from the self. He no longer feels that he inhabits his body and mind, but rather feels like an observer, watching himself say and do things; his actions, and his own existence, seem unreal.

Note that depersonalization does not mean that, in game terms, the character is not in control of his actions. It is an experiential phenomenon, not an actual loss of agency. Likewise, the character is still able to sense reality normally; he just does not experience those sensations and perceptions as belonging to himself.

The effects of depersonalization may wax and wane in their intensity over days or weeks; they may manifest more strongly in some situations than others. In behavioral terms, the character appears stoic and aloof, almost uninterested in what happens to himself. While he retains his goals, motivations, views, and beliefs, the character may come to see those goals and motivations as belonging to someone else, and feels as if he’s only observing and reporting on them.

A side effect of depersonalization is that the character becomes somewhat more susceptible to possession, domination, and other mental attack forms that subvert the ego. On the other hand, the character becomes nearly immune to spells and effects that alter his emotions.

Derealization

Similarly to depersonalization, the character experiences a sense that the world he inhabits is unreal. He may feel that his surroundings are static, predictable, “two-dimensional”, or illusory. To some characters, it may seem like they are viewing the world around them through a crystal ball or similar effect. In other cases, the character may feel as if he is walking through a waking dream, and that all the people around him are only dream images, with no life of their own, who act and speak only because he expects them to do so.

Derealization has no effect on perception abilities or similar game mechanics; the character’s ability to perceive sensory stimuli is unchanged—only his reactions to them are altered.

As with depersonalization, the degree of derealization that the character experiences may vary over the course of days or weeks. Some situations may trigger it more strongly than others: for some characters, familiar surroundings seem more “real”, whereas for others, paradoxically, it’s the strange and unfamiliar that seems tangible, while the places he knows best seem like painted backdrops.

A side effect of derealization is that the character becomes less capable of seeing through illusions of all kinds; they seem no more or less real than do “real” things. On the other hand, the character becomes nearly immune to the effects of experiences that induce nausea, horror, or similar “gut” reactions in normal people (the nauseating effect of the blood rain created by a crimson skies of Avernus spell, for example, or the sight of a spirrax’s putrid form).

Unconscious perception

The character loses the ability to consciously perceive sensory input from one of his senses (most commonly vision or hearing).

Note that the character does not actually lose visual (or auditory) acuity; he can sense as well as he could before—but is no longer conscious of doing so. Sense data are available to the character’s unconscious mind, and if he queries his awareness, he finds that he simply “knows”, in what feels like an intuitive fashion, what would normally be consciously perceived: the character with unconscious vision feels as if he “knows” what objects, creatures, etc. are within his field of vision, the character with unconscious hearing “knows” what other people are saying to him or what sounds are being made, etc. This “knowledge” feels unreliable, as if it comes from a gut feeling that has no apparent source, but the character may soon learn to give it credence.

Unconscious perception has surprisingly little effect either in daily life or in combat. Though the character sincerely believes that he is blind (or deaf, etc.), and has no conscious sensory experience in the affected modality, he nonetheless behaves as if he can see (or hear, etc.) just fine—he doesn’t walk into doors, can interact with objects as normal, etc. (Thinking about his lack of perception may temporarily throw the character off—just as thinking about breathing may temporarily cause a person to have to consciously inhale and exhale—but otherwise, the intuitive “knowledge” of sense data serves the character as well as normal perception does.) Likewise, the character can engage in combat without impairment, can target “unseen” opponents (but not, of course, actually invisible ones) with spells, etc.

A side effect of unconscious perception is that the character no longer has any “gut-level”, emotional reactions to stimuli in the affected sensory modality. The most relevant consequence of this for most adventurers is that the character loses the ability to instantly discern when something is out of the ordinary (when something’s out of place, looks different, sounds unusual, etc.). Perhaps even more existentially disturbing (though less practically relevant) is that the character no longer has aesthetic reactions to sense input—a character with unconscious vision no longer finds any sights beautiful, while a character with unconscious hearing is unmoved by music or song. (This is only disturbing to others, of course; the character himself finds nothing unusual or worrying about his condition.) One advantage of this side effect is that the character can no longer be affected by pattern-type illusions, a bard’s fascinating performance, a command spell, or any other effects that depends on perception of sensory stimuli.

Externalization

The character’s mind segments, splintering off parts of his declarative memory and understanding. Though the character’s ego remains as unitary as before, large chunks of his recollection of events, factual knowledge, and even intellectual skills no longer seem to be contained within his own mind.

The segmented mental domains are not gone, however. They remain intact, though the character is no longer automatically aware of their contents, and does not feel them to be a part of himself; he can query the segmented domains, however, and answers come forth, as if provided by solicitous librarians of the psyche. The character may perceive these responses as sudden recollection, as spoken words within his mind, as intrusive thoughts that wind themselves forcibly into the flow of his consciousness, or in a variety of other ways. What’s more, the segmented domains are not inert; the character’s faculties are active within them, though they are shielded from conscious introspection. Intuitions and analyses may spring from those mental domains, and manifest as prophetic voices or unexplained flashes of insight.

As the character has no direct access to the segmented mental domains, he is incapable of perceiving contradictions, inconsistencies, or other anomalies within (or between) their contents. This has the side effect of protecting the contents and output of the segmented domains from biases, cognitive dissonance, and the myriad other distortions which an ordinary mind applies to the knowledge contained within it in order to prevent itself from going mad. Externalization strips away such distortions (as they are no longer needed), allowing the character to acquire knowledge and understanding far in excess of what an ordinary person’s mind could endure.

Interactions with a character whose mind has undergone significant externalization is often puzzling and bizarre. The character does not appear to know what he knows; his memories are not cohesive, but disjointed; he does not seem to synthesize understanding from knowledge that he clearly has. (As with other drift effects, the character himself finds nothing particularly unusual about his mental reality.)

Additional effects

Shielded mind

A side effect of drift is that a highly-drifted character’s mind is difficult and even dangerous to directly interact with. Anyone who attempts to read the character’s mind, or to communicate telepathically with the character, must succeed at a Will save (DC equal to 10, with the character’s alienation penalty added as a bonus to the save DC); failure means that the attempt at telepathic contact fails, and the caster is stunned for 1d6 rounds, then confused (as the spell) for 1d6 days. Failing the save by 5 or more causes the caster to go permanently insane. Even if the save is successful (or if the character allows the contact), the caster is shaken for as many minutes as the number of rounds spent in contact with the character’s mind.

The character may choose to consciously allow the telepathic or magical contact, though even then the experience is disturbing for any human (and even for most nonhumans).