Discipline: Purifier

Purifiers dedicate themselves to healing the scars left on the world by the Horrors, the Scourge, and any others who would defile its beauty. Willing to go to extremes to express the Obsidiman race's love of nature and the earth, purifiers tend to avoid heavily populated areas, preferring areas unmarred by habitation. Some Name-giver races call purifiers nature's avengers, though this label owes more to fanciful exaggeration than fact.

Though they act with extreme aggression against any who they believe to have defiled the natural order, in all other aspects most purifiers very closely resemble other Obsidimen. Only when the see the earth harmed in some way do they give in to their righteous rage, showing an even more intense anger than a typical Obsidiman at a slur against his Liferock.

Important Attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Toughness
Racial Restrictions: Obsidimen only
Karma Ritual: The purifier finds a solid object such as a large boulder or cave wall on which to focus, then chants to put himself into a trance. During the next half hour, the purifier conjures mental images of the unjustified pain and suffering he has witnessed during his lifetime. As he remembers these things, he strikes the solid object with his bare fists, slowly increasing the tempo of the pounding until his hands move faster than the eye can follow. He ends the ritual by reaffirming his oath to protect the world and fight for its renewal.

Half-Magic: Purifiers can use half-magic for tasks related to maintaining their own body against the effects of exposure (TOU), for recognizing the effects of horrors on terrain and natural features (PER), and for noticing and identifying the marks and consequences of horror or industrial taint in a region (PER).

Novice Talent Options: Anticipate Blow, Avoid Blow, Awareness, Creature Analysis, Crushing Blow, Danger Sense, Fireblood, Stealthy Stride, Steely Stare, Wood Skin

First Circle
Durability: 7
Astral Sight, Battle Shout, Body Control*, Thread Weaving (Purity Weaving), Unarmed Combat

Second Circle
Mystic Armor: The adept adds +1 to his Mystic Armor.
Discipline Talent: Suppress Curse

Third Circle
Karma: The adept may spend a Karma point on any test to remove or resist taint, or reinforce his own body (but not on recovery tests).
Discipline Talent: Temper Flesh

Fourth Circle
Defense: The adept gains +1 physical defense.
Discipline Talent: Earth Skin

Journeyman Talent Options: Blood Share, Fire Heal, Iron Constitution, Life Check, Lion Heart, Momentum Attack, Mystic Pursuit, Safe Path, Swift Kick, Waterfall Slam

Fifth Circle
Focused Strike: At a cost of 2 points of Strain, the purifier may focus all his energy into a powerful strike. When the purifier makes a successful attack using his Unarmed Combat talent he may add his Willpower step to his Damage step for the Damage Test. The purifier may not use this ability when attacking with a weapon, or in consecutive combat rounds.
Karma: The purifier may spend a Karma on recovery tests.
Discipline Talent: Elemental Tongues

Sixth Circle
Defense: The adept adds +2 to his physical defense.
Discipline Talent: Second Attack

Seventh Circle
Mystic Armor: The adept adds +2 to his Mystic Armor.
Discipline Talent: Steel Thought

Eighth Circle
Defense: The adept adds +3 to his Physical Defense.
Discipline Talent: Elemental Hold

Body Control
Step: Rank + STR Action: Simple
Strain: 1 Skill Use: No
Focusing magic into the body, an Obsidiman uses this talent to harden his stony flesh to temporary rigidity. Before he strikes, the Adept uses Body control which hardens his skin to a polished shine. The Body Control step replaces the Strength step for Unarmed Combat damage tests for a number of rounds equal to the talent ranks. In addition, the adept gains Mystic and Physical armor equal to the talent ranks or the next attack that strikes him and deals damage against either of those armor types. If the blow deals a wound, the Body Control armor bonus lasts through an additional strike. This can continue through a number of wounds equal to the Body Control rank.

Behind the Scenes:

For a different take on the Purifier, see Panda's version.

body control is an interesting talent but it has issues that make it less effective.

1. claw shape main benefit over 1h weapons is you can spend karma on it while body control has this ability it's on an obsidiman which have a very small karma pool negating the whole ability.
   
2. the lack of a +x damage is crippling every other party member will be doing more damage. broadsword is +5 unforged, so a human will have an initial damage step. This alone should make Crushing blow a Discipline talent(rank 2?)
   
3. having 2 talents for damage would give 2 karma to add its main problem is back to the tiny obsidiman karma pool
   
4. Elemental hold is a weird talent for this class and should not be an 8th circle ability. It would be better if it was an Optional Talent
   
5. beastmasters get claw frenzy at 8th, purifiers get an elemental hold?
   
6. most classes get the ability to spend 1 karma on attack tests at 5th circle
   
7. elemental tongues is an odd one but can fit for an obsidiman. But I would make it an optional swapping for another talent.
   
8. 8th circle should have a unique ability for your purifier.
   
9. for a fighter class spending karma on a recovery test should come sooner
   
10. The extra armor for body control is something I would like to see tested and what the end factor. It definitely makes the obsidiman a lot more tanky
    

Generally, with optional Talents, it usually splits a discipline into 1 of 2 roles.
what are those roles? and optional talents to go with it


For a more Tanky role perhaps optional talents such as
[list]
[*]distract
[*]taunt
[*]maneuver (journeyman?)
[*]I don't see a lot of talents that are related to his half magic, its mostly warrior related and nothing that isn't to do with combat. some of the combat talents should be replaced with purifier specific talents that are strictly non-combat related, moving the skills replaced as talent options.

here is my op ed

emeketos wrote:

body control is an interesting talent but it has issues that make it less effective.

1. claw shape main benefit over 1h weapons is you can spend karma on it while body control has this ability it's on an obsidiman which have a very small karma pool negating the whole ability.

This isn't meant to have a benefit OVER anything. It is meant to be another way of doing things, one focused on resilience and defense as is the hallmark of the discipline.

Quote :

the lack of a +x damage is crippling every other party member will be doing more damage. broadsword is +5 unforged, so a human will have an initial damage step. This alone should make Crushing blow a Discipline talent(rank 2?)

It is not fundamental to the discipline to deal damage. You think the windling troubador does more damage than the Purifier? Please explain how.

Quote :

having 2 talents for damage would give 2 karma to add its main problem is back to the tiny obsidiman karma pool

Meanwhile Wood Skin, Fire Blood, Fire Heal, and Crushing Blow guarantee a higher damage step than normal. Crushing blow is a JOURNEYMAN talent given to purifiers as an option early on to allow them to deal more damage. I should probably put it back into Journeyman talents, you're right.

Quote :

Elemental hold is a weird talent for this class and should not be an 8th circle ability. It would be better if it was an Optional Talent

beastmasters get claw frenzy at 8th, purifiers get an elemental hold?

elemental tongues is an odd one but can fit for an obsidiman. But I would make it an optional swapping for another talent.

The Purifier walks the line between elemental creature, unarmed combatant of the physical world, and sentinel bulwark against the horrors and other monstrosities from Astral Space that curse and desecrate. With Elemental Hold the mastery of Journeyman abilities means the Purifier never again fears elemental who are akin to his own spirit. He can instead communicate with them. This is very much in keeping with the spirit and the power of the discipline. I could make it a discipline option, and separate the attack priorities from the mystic and control priorities, but some of these abilities need to be gated. I already stepped way outside the comfortable bounds to give Crushing Blow up front. I'm revisiting this casually and with play I may move the talent to a free talent, possibly at 5th Circle? Or possibly into an optional.

Quote :

most classes get the ability to spend 1 karma on attack tests at 5th circle

I know. This discipline is about resistance, not assault.

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8th circle should have a unique ability for your purifier.

Why? See Warrior, All Spellcasters, Swordmaster, Sky Raider...

Quote :

for a fighter class spending karma on a recovery test should come sooner

The extra armor for body control is something I would like to see tested and what the end factor. It definitely makes the obsidiman a lot more tanky

I wanted to move the karma ability to recovery but the one that can be used on Fireblood and Temper rituals should be good enough.

Quote :

Generally, with optional Talents, it usually splits a discipline into 1 of 2 roles.
what are those roles? and optional talents to go with it.

Information or Attack.

Quote :

For a more Tanky role perhaps optional talents such as
[list]
[*]distract
[*]taunt
[*]maneuver (journeyman?)
[*]I don't see a lot of talents that are related to his half magic, its mostly warrior related and nothing that isn't to do with combat. some of the combat talents should be replaced with purifier specific talents that are strictly non-combat related, moving the skills replaced as talent options.

Considering these!