Happy Halloween! It's time for October/November's Class Preview! This is our series of blogs where we discuss our Classes and their design intentions. With each blog the Class' updated Playbook is going to be released so the Slayer, a new Class that acts as a half caster of our Pactbound Class, has received updates! As a Note: I updated the other previously released Classes with some minor changes based on feedback and some slight changes to stat generation to reduce the chances of huge discrepancies with rolled for stats, it is very much experimental so please let us know if it is not working. 

Slayer

Slayers are those who through a dangerous ritual, absorb a portion of a supernatural creature's essence, permanently bonding the Slayer to the entities they are sworn to hunt, though cursing them to constantly battle the calls of the darkness that has merged with their soul. Slayers are another Half Caster Class which means they share some aspects with the formally mentioned Lore Master Class. 

Core Aspects: This Class has a d10 Hit Die, can use all Weapons, Armour, and Shields as well as Training in Harvester's Tools, Herbalism Kits, and another Artisan Tool of your choice.

Unique Aspects: All Classes gain a unique Inspired action and Mark of Fate effect. For the Slayers this allows you to spend a Mark of Fate to replenish your Hit Dice. While your Inspired action, lets you expend a Hit Die to recover HP.

Trait of Power

At Level 1 you define the nature of your Character, this is common for all the half casters letting you choose a Trait you gain your abilities from, including what Trait you use for Weapon and Unarmed Strike Attack and Damage Rolls. For the Slayer they may choose either Knowledge, Intuition, or Determination. Slayers can also use their Trait of Power for Initiative Tests. This Feature allows the Slayer to also gain some Cantrips.

Channelling the Darkness

This Feature works like the Eternalist's Channel Faith Feature though for Slayer your Channelling the Darkness actions are a version that lets you sense supernatural entities nearby and another to imbue your Weapons or Unarmed Strikes with the Damage Type associate with your Order. All Channelling the Darkness actions, do not have a limited number of uses, instead you note how many times you use each action, once you have used them more than half your SB times you have to make a Resist Test (covered below). This is reduced by 1 on a SHort Rest or entirely on a Long Rest.

Slayer's Order

With this Feature you pick an Order, which reflects the kind of entity you draw your power from. This Feature unlocks further Tiers at levels 6, 10, and 14. As covered in the Arcanist Class preview, one difference to note from level 6 onwards is you can choose to either progress through a subclass's 4 tiers or to pick up the first tier of a different subclass. 

This Subclass has a number of important aspects that determine effects for other Features of this Class. Each Order has a Nemesis Entity Type, which demines the kind of Entity your are bonded with and try to Hunt, an Associated Damage Type which your Features will make use of. They also have a Template you gain access to to reflect your changed nature and a unique effect for failing a Resist Test. This Test is made when you are having to keep control of the lingering aspects of the entity you bonded with when you became a Slayer. It is a Focus Skill Roll using your Trait of Power, whose TG equals 8 + your SB + your Trait of Power. On a failed Test, an immediate effect occurs and must be resolved before anything else happens, and a roleplay effect listed in your Order occurs for the stated Duration, also for the Duration of the roleplay effect a Flawed Concept which your create when you gain this Feature to reflect how your Inner Darkness effects you can be Invoked for free by the GG whilst a strong emotion tied to your Inner Darkness (you can determine this ) is occurring. Note whenever the Flawed Concept tied to your Inner Darkness in invoked you must make a Resist Test.

Experienced Hunter

Now at 2nd Level, this Feature grants you two Fighting Style Feats, Weapon Focus Properties of one Weapon Group, and grants you bonuses to Tracking entities Marked by you and once per Turn dealing additional Entropic damage to entities Marked by you.

Tools of the Enemy

This Feature has mirrors with each of the half casters, letting you pick one of three Features to gain, for Slayers this is Bound Weapon, Haema Goetia, or Spellcasting. The option chosen will find itself being upgraded as the Class progresses, with each one focused around a key playstyle of the Class. A Character can gain a second option through specific Subclass choices.

Bound Weapon, grants you a Sentient magical Weapon made from a bound entity with your Nemesis Entity Type. Haema Goetia grants a limited form of spellcasting fuelled by your blood shown here by using your Hit Dice. Spellcasting grants you the ability to cast Spells of 1st-Circle and above in the same manner as a Pactbound. 

Malisons of Darkness

At Level 3 you pick three Malisons of Darkness, these are Curses you can inflict upon a foe, often gaining additional powers if it is against a foe Marked by you, as you gain Levels in this Class you can Learn more and change which ones you have Learnt. You also with this Feature gain the ability to inflict a Death Malison should you fall which are more powerful acts of spite against your foes  

Feats

This Feature is first gained at level 4 with further unlocks at levels 8, 12, 16, and 19. Importantly each time you would gain this Feature you can increase one Trait's value by 1 AND gain a Feat. 

Camping Expertise

This Feature at Level 5 grants you a number of benefits when making camp to assist in survival scenarios or when trying to hide your position from opponents. This also allows you to recover Hit Dice.

Embody the Darkness

This Feature grants you Resistance against your Order's Associated Damage Type, bonuses against mental effects, and the Enshroud action, where your form shifts to show some of the Darkness Within, each Order grants additional bonuses listed in the Order description whilst under the effects of this action.

Multiattack

This is the Extra Attack Feature.

Mutated Body

From 7th level, this grants you an additional Template Feature from your Order, alongside letting you use your Trait of Power instead of physical Trait for certain Tests. It also grants bonus AP and to your Walking speed.

Strengthened Tool

This Feature focuses on enhancing your chosen Tools of the Enemy Feature.

At Higher Levels

From here on many Features grant you further upgrades to your Tools of the Enemy Feature, grants you improvements to information gathering, manoeuvrability, your form, and survivability. 

Slayer Orders

There are a number of Orders that a Slayer can gain access to. 

Order of the Abomination Slayer

This Order draws powers from monstrous creations of scientific and magical study. It focuses on warping your body to draw strength from slain enemies and grants you the Haema Goetia Feature and allows you to use your vital essences to produce Alchemical Ingredients.

Order of the Cryptid Slayer

This Order draws powers from a loose category of monsters that leads to changes in your form. It focuses on warping your body to gain the supernatural abilities of your Cryptid for a limited time. It is an incredibly customisable subclass and I cannot wait to see what strange creatures people make using this subclass!

Order of the Dragon Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Dragon. It focuses on lashing out with forceful repeated strikes as your anger and rage drives you to unleash your hatred upon your foes as well as some defensive Features specifically for fighting flying entities.

Order of the Eternal Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Demi-Eternal. It focuses on infiltrating organised faiths and fighting and resisting the powers of Eternals and their followers, even stealing the power of faith to fuel their own unique abilities, a wicked mockery of the powers of the faithful.

Order of the Fae Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Fae. It focuses on using and manipulating illusion magic, social intrigue, and disrupting magic and the Fae through Iron Implants. 

Order of the Ghost Slayer

This Order draws powers from an Incorporeal Undead. It focuses on Rituals, and empowering your Slayer Class Features especially the Enshroud action. This one is very good for those wanting to just focus on learning the core Features of the Class rather than the modified playstyle of the Subclass. 

Order of the Giant Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Giant. It focuses on altering your form to grow in size and power, controlling the field as you forcibly move or knock Prone your foes, and increasing your durability.

Order of the Mage Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Spellcaster or arcane entity. It focuses on nullifying and breaking spells, overcoming magical defences, and generally a heavily offensive focused subclass.

Order of the Masked Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Masked Evil. It focuses on gaining fiendish abilities and grants you the Bound Weapon Feature, turning such Weapons into brutal weapons of destruction.

Order of the Nightmare Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Creature of Nightmare. It focuses on brutal ambush tactics and tracking your foes even across the Realms of Dreams.

Order of the Outsider Slayer

This Order draws powers from an Outsider. It focuses on gaining psionic fuelled abilities and warding your mind against the horrors from outside reality, and grants you the Spellcasting Feature, allowing you to manifest psionic powers.

Order of the Primordial Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Primordial. It focuses on gaining the ability to see and manipulate the strands of fate, and grants you the Spellcasting Feature, allowing you to boost your elemental spellcasting.

Order of the Selenthrope Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Selethrope. It focuses on enhancing the Template Features provided by the Were-Touched Template to grat you even more power whilst transformed.

Order of the Vampire Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Vampire. It focuses on granting you many abilities associated with vampires from enhanced strength to the ability to transform into an animal. 

Order of the Void Slayer

This Order draws powers from a Voidborn a mysterious entity that you and your GG will have a chance to define. It focuses on gaining a Companion, a Glutenous Aspect of the Voidborn parasitically attached to your soul, as well as improving your Enshroud action.

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So that is the Slayer I hope people find this Class interesting and feel free to ask questions or give feedback! The draft document has been updated to reflect the above. Hopefully it gives you a sign of where we are taking this game!

What's Next

So originally the plan was for December we would release the Psion Class, however whilst working on it I realised the spells update really needed releasing. As such the next few updates will be with the Core Rules document as we try to sort out spells, powers, and rites. If we can also sort the Psion Class we will release it but there is no guarantee.