Swot (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

A swot is a student able to cram on a subject, learning one specialist competence for one adventure and another one the next. The swot is a mundane version of the medium. A swot does not gain any abilities by supernatural means. Instead he studies really hard, stuffing his mind with new ideas and specialized skills that are only good for a day at a time.

Class Information

This is a medium archetype that burns the midnight oil to gain learned flexibility.

Hit Die: d8.

Class Features

The swot has all the standard medium’s class features, except as noted below.

Spells

A swot uses Intelligence to cast psychic spells from the medium spell list. To learn or cast a spell, a swot must have am Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell’s level. He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time. The saving throw DC against a swot’s spell is equal to 10 + the spell level + the swot’s Intelligence modifier.

Student of the Moment (Ex)

Changing Legend

The one week period to change legends is not a strict limit and is not intended to force the swot to make an uninformed choice of legend. The intention is that the swot should be able to change legends between adventures and be able to pick a legend that seems suitable to the current story and party. It is usually best to let the swot make this decision during or after the adventure's introduction.

Rather than channeling spirits, the swot reads up and practices different subjects. Though strictly mundane, this ability can be used to temporarily access magical abilities. This works as the spirit ability except as noted here. Though still called spirits in the rule text, the result of the swot's studies are not spirits in the supernatural sense.

Instead of holding a seance, the swot used two kinds of study sessions; one daily session of an hour and a longer full-week session best used between adventures. Once per day in a short session, the swot keeps the same spirit as the day before, but can change the specific choices available to mediums channeling that spirit. This also restores the swot's spell slots for the day. In a long session, the swot can change the type of spirit he channels. It is possible for allies to partake and benefit from a short study session in the same manner they could take part in a seance. No touch is needed, but the study materials must be handed around and all participants must be within 10 ft. of the swot for the entire session.

In order to study, the swot needs reading materials and training equipment. He is assumed to collect and create what he needs as he progresses in level, in a way similar to a wizard's spell book. This accumulated material weighs 20 lbs per class level, and might require special travel arrangements at higher level. If the swot loses this material, it must be replaced at a cost of 10 gp per pound of weight.

The studies of the swot do not gain influence over him and he does not risk losing control. This modifies the spirit ability.

Brownie Pool (Ex)

A swot does not use influence. Instead he has a brownie pool with a number of points equal to his Intelligence. When a medium class feature would normally increase a spirit's influence, he instead expends brownie points for the swot. Running out of brownie points has no consequence other than preventing the use of such abilities. Brownie points are restored to the starting value when the swot prepares spells.

If the swot studies a subject to less than the maximum level (refusing to take some spirit powers much like a medium who channels a spirit at less than maximum power), he gains two additional brownie point for each ability he does not take, for that day only.

Master of None (Ex)

At 2nd level, the swot gains a bonus equal to half his class level on all untrained Knowledge skill checks. This replaces taboo.

Lore of Power (Ex)

At 3rd level, the swot reads up two fields of study when he chooses a "spirit" with study of the moment. These skills count as a class skills, and he is treated as if he had an additional number of ranks in each skill equal to half his swot level (to a maximum of his character level).

The following knowledge skills are tied to each legend:

Archmage: Knowledge (arcana, planes).

Champion: Knowledge (history, nature).

Guardian: Knowledge (engineering, nobility).

Hierophant: Knowledge (religion, planes).

Marshal: Knowledge (local, nobility).

Trickster: Knowledge (dungeoneering, local).

This replaces haunt channeler.

Subjective Truth (Ex)

At 5th level, the swot's disparate points of view allow him to defeat magic that detects lies. He detects as speaking the truth to effects such as discern lies, and he can say anything he likes in effects such as zone of truth that force him to speak the truth This replaces location channel.

Cramming (Ex)

At 7th level, the swot can select any one skill during a short study session. That skill count as a class skill, and he is treated as if he had an additional number of ranks in this skill equal to his swot level (to a maximum of his character level). This replaces connection channel.

Well-Known Expert (Ex)

At 9th level, the swot is known as an expert in numerous fields, including areas and topics the swot hasn’t actually taken the time to study. As a result the swot is able to encourage others to discover solutions to difficult problems themselves by asking probing questions, while appearing to give the information himself. The swot gives a bonus of +4 instead of the normal +2 when he successfully uses the aid another action. He also gains a bonus equal to half his class level on Bluff checks to appear knowledgeable. The swot is so trusted as an expert that scholars are inspired to make amazing deductions and intuitive leaps in discussions with him. A creature that has already failed a Knowledge check on a specific subject can attempt one additional check to gain information on the same topic if it receives an aid another bonus from the swot when doing so. This replaces propitiation.

Deep Studies (Ex)

At 19th level, the swot gains two additional brownie points. If he chooses to study a spirit to less than the maximum level, he gains four additional brownie points per ability he forsakes (instead of the usual two).

Lord Scholar (Ex)

At 20th level, a swot becomes a universal scholar, able to fill any and all roles. This works as astral beacon. In addition, the swor's brownie pool doubles in size. This is a modification to astral beacon.

Summary of Changed Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Spirit
• Shared Seance
• Haunt Channeler
• Location Channel
• Connection Channel
• Ask The Spirits
• Astral Journey
• Spacious Soul

Feats

Extra Brownie Points

You have an even greater capacity for study.

Prerequisite Brownie points class feature.

Benefit You gain two additional brownie points.

Special This feat can be taken multiple times, with stacking benefits.

The text in this article is Open Game Content. It is covered by the Open Game License v1.0a, rather than the Action copyright. To distinguish it, these items will have this notice. If you see any page that contains OGL material and does not show this license statement, please contact one of the Action administrators. Please note that images used in article may have different copyright than the text.