Some choose to lead by giving their all to others, so that they will have the strength to move forward themselves. Others choose to turn their strength inward, using it to push back the wilderness and darkness that would threaten their people. These few, clad in akasha and steel, are known as the Batal.
| Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Martial Arts | Veilweaving | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Known | Readied | Stances | Veils | Essence | ||||||
| 1st | +0 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Crossroads, batal's mandate, medals of war | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2nd | +1 | +3 | +0 | +3 | House of servants | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3rd | +1 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Chakra bind (Hands), heraldry | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 4th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Warrior of the court | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 5th | +2 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Chakra bind (Feet), heraldry | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 6th | +3 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Indomitable | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 7th | +3 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Chakra bind (Head), heraldry | 9 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| 8th | +4 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Warrior of the court | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| 9th | +4 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Chakra bind (Wrists), heraldry | 10 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| 10th | +5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Regality | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 11th | +5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Chakra bind (Shoulders), heraldry | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 12th | +6/+1 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Divine mandate (+2), warrior of the court | 11 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 12 |
| 13th | +6/+1 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Chakra bind (Headband), heraldry | 12 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 13 |
| 14th | +7/+2 | +9 | +4 | +9 | Symbol of authority | 12 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 14 |
| 15th | +7/+2 | +9 | +5 | +9 | Chakra bind (Neck), heraldry | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 15 |
| 16th | +8/+3 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Warrior of the court | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 16 |
| 17th | +8/+3 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Chakra bind (Belt), heraldry | 14 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 17 |
| 18th | +9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Divine mandate (+4) | 14 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 18 |
| 19th | +9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Chakra bind (Chest), heraldry | 15 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
| 20th | +10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 | Chakra bind (Body), earthbound immortal | 16 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level): Academics, Arcane Lore, Arms Lore, Deception, Handle Animal, Heal, Insight, Intimidate, Linguistics, Perception, Perform, Persuasion, and Profession
Starting Wealth: Rich (4d6 × 10 gp, Average 140 gp)
Class Features
A Batal does not gain the Royal Mandate, Vassalage, and Expaned Demesne class features.
Class Skills
The batal gains 2 fewer skill points per level.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
A batal gains proficiency with medium and heavy armor and with any exotic weapons belonging to her known weapon groups.
Martial Arts
A batal uses martial arts exactly as a rajah, except as follows.
Maneuvers
Recovering Maneuvers
In order for the batal to recover maneuvers, she must tap into her akashic power by using her batal’s mandate class feature. When she does, she recovers a number of expended maneuvers equal to her rajah initiation modifier (minimum 2). Alternately, the batal may concentrate on the akasha that flows through her and recover a single maneuver as a standard action.
Veilweaving
The maximum number of veils a batal can weave is reduced by one.
She also gains Narcissism as a bonus feat. This allows the batal to remove the title descriptor from veils that she weaves, treating them as normal veils. She counts as the entitled creature for all effects of that veil.
Batal’s Mandate
As a full-round action, the batal may create a flame of raw akasha to strike her enemies at a distance up to close range (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 veilweaver levels). This is a ranged touch attack that deals 1d6 points of damage for each maneuver the batal has expended (to a maximum number of dice equal to her batal level), plus her initiation modifier. This damage comes from an akashic pulse of power, and as such is not reduced by damage reduction, hardness, resistances, or immunities.
A batal may use her initiation modifier in place of her Dexterity modifier when making this ranged touch attack. This ranged touch attack does not provoke attacks of opportunity.
When the batal deals damage with this attack, she may grant an ally within close range (including herself) temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt. These temporary hit points lasts for 1 minute or until used and stack with other temporary hit points granted by the batal.
| Maneuvers Expended | Required Action |
|---|---|
| 0–1 | Full-Round |
| 2–3 | Standard |
| 4–5 | Move |
| 6–7 | Swift |
| 8+ | Free |
The use of this power becomes quicker as the batal gains momentum from the flow of battle. By default, batal’s mandate is a full-round action, but this time decreases by one step for every two batal maneuvers the batal has initiated since she rolled initiative or since she last used this ability, whichever was most recent. Steps progress in the following order: full-round action, standard action, move action, swift action, and free action. Maneuvers expended for the sake of other abilities (such as the Riven Hourglass Eternity feat) do not count towards reducing the action cost of this class feature.
Finally, when the batal uses this ability, she may reallocate her essence and recover maneuvers as described above as a free action.
This replaces Royal Mandate.
Crossroads
At 1st level, the batal chooses one of the following benefits. Once this choice is made, it cannot later be changed.
Sword of the Sky Sovereign
The batal gains the Radiant Progression feat as a bonus feat at 1st level, even if she does not meet the feat requirements. At second level, whenever the batal initiates a boost, she gains one temporary essence for 1 round that she may immediately invest into any of her receptacles, respecting essence limits. She may invest this essence into the boost she just used, gaining the benefits as if she initiated the boost with that amount of essence invested into it.
At 6th level and every 6 levels thereafter, this ability grants 1 additional point of essence each time it is used.
Sword of the Sun King
The batal gains a bonus combat or akashic feat at 1st level. At second level, when the batal initiates a strike that includes an attack, she can create a 30-foot line or 15-foot cone of light and fire through the target. Opponents within the affected area must succeed at a Reflex save or take 1d6 points of damage per even-numbered class level. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the batal’s class level + her initiation modifier. This damage comes from an akashic pulse of power, and as such is not reduced by damage reduction, hardness, resistances, or immunities. The target of the initial attack does not take this damage, even if they are within the area.
Sword of the Moon Queen
While wearing medium or heavy armor, the batal does not incur movement speed penalties from her armor. At second level, whenever the batal initiates a counter, she gains a +2 bonus to her armor class and +1 bonus on all of her saves until the start of her next turn. At 6th level and every 6 levels thereafter, the bonus to her armor class increases by 2 and the bonus on her saves increases by 1.
Additionally, the batal gains 2 additional hit points at each batal level. If she chose batal as her very first character level, she instead gains 4 additional hit points for that level.
This ability alters the Crossroads class feature.
Medals of War
The batal gains a bonus on attack rolls and CMD equal to one-half her veilweaving level (rounding up). If the batal already gains a bonus to attack based off her veilweaver level or substitutes her veilweaver level for her base attack bonus, the batal only takes the highest value.
In addition, a batal may use her class level in place of her base attack bonus for the purposes of meeting requirements and prerequisites.
This ability replaces Vassalage.