Heroic Talents

Heroic talents are talent trees that work like normal talent trees available to base classes, except they are available to any character that has Hero Points, regardless of their class.

BIONIC AUGMENTATION TALENT TREE

Whether by design or accident, you found yourself in need of cybernetic replacement limbs. This talent tree helps you utilize them to their full potential.

Special: Each talent a character has from this tree imposes a -2 cumulative penalty to their Magery checks, as it represents an abandonment of their natural form and a move towards the artificial.

Augmented Strike: As a Swift action, you may add one die to your melee damage rolls until the end of the turn.
- Prerequistes: Cybernetic arm or arms
Concealed Weapon: Choose one weapon you own, that is made for creatures your size or smaller (so a human could choose a slugthrower pistol, since it is a medium weapon). That weapon is stored inside your cybernetic limb or body part. Thanks to mechanical assistance, you may draw this weapon as a Swift action (or a Free action if you have the Quick Draw feat) and you may re-roll any Stealth or Deception check to conceal this weapon, keeping the higher of the two results.
- Prerequisites: Any one cybernetic limb or body part
Servo Assisted Leap: As a Swift action, you may add a bonus equal to your Heroic Level to your Jump checks.
- Prerequisites: Cybernetic leg or legs
Targeting Optics: As a Swift action, you may add a +1 bonus to your ranged attack rolls and ignore the penalties for attacking at close range until the end of turn.
- Prerequisites: Any eye or it’s analog for your species as a cybernetic replacement. (CEC Nanoaugmentations of the Eye count (but not HUD, since that’s not actually an augmentation of the eye))

EPIC TALENT TREE

SPECIAL: These talents all require you to be level 21 or higher to take.

Attribute Increase: One of your attributes permanently increases by +2.
- Special: This talent may be taken more than once. Each time it is taken, you may choose to have it apply to the same attribute or to a different one. It’s effects stack.
Epic Cleave: Whenever you trigger your Cleave feat, you may move a distance up to your base speed before taking your next attack. You may not move more than your base speed in this way in a given turn.
- Prerequisites: Cleave, Great Cleave
Epic Defense: Once per encounter as a reaction, you may force an opponent to reroll an attack or check that successfully targets one of your defenses. You must choose to use this ability before any damage is rolled or degree of success determined outside of the initial d20 roll.
Epic Skill Focus: Choose a skill. Checks you make with that skill gain a +5 bonus. This bonus stacks with that from the Skill Focus feat.
- Prerequisites: Skill Focus in the chosen skill
- Special: You may select this talent multiple times, applying each selection to a different skill.
Inherent Power: Chose one Force Formula, Nanite Ability, Power, Spell you have in a suite. That Force Formula, Nanite Ability, Power, or Spell is now an inherent ability for you, and you may use it at-will. It is no longer expended when you use it.
- Prerequisites: Force Formula Training (Chosen Force Formula) OR NMS Training (Chosen Nanite Ability) OR Psionic Training (Chosen Power) OR Magery Training (Chosen Spell), Skill Focus (Force Control) OR Skill Focus (Nanite Control) OR Skill Focus (Psionics) OR Skill Focus (Magery)
- Special: This talent may be taken more than once. Each time it is taken, you must select a new thing.
Instinctive Defense: You may use the Block and Deflect talents from the CEC Nanotech talents to defend yourself, even if you are not aware of the source of the attack.
- Prerequisites: Block, Deflect
Nexus: Whenever you spend a Hero Point to effect an attack roll or check, if any one of the dice rolled comes up a 6, you immediately gain a Hero Point to replace the one you spent.
Quadruple Attack: Chose one weapon. Whenever you take the Full Attack action with the chosen weapon, you may make 3 additional attacks. These attacks and each attack you make until the start of your next turn, takes a -15 penalty as you’re sacrificing accuracy for speed.
- Prerequisites: Triple Attack with the chosen weapon.

EVOLUTIONARY TALENT TREE

You have expanded your control over your shapeshifting to allow you to introduce elements of other species into any of your forms. These talents only apply when you are not in your Mode 1 form. This talent tree is only available to Yoitsuni who possess the Adaptive Shapeshifter feat.

Ambush: Whenever you attack a flat-footed enemy with a natural attack, you deal an extra die of damage. This talent may be taken more than once, each time it is taken adds another die of damage.
Attribute Increase: Each time you assume a form you can increase the physical attribute modifiers (STR, DEX, CON) of that form by +2. You can take this talent multiple times. You can choose to apply multiple +2s to the same attribute or spread them out among the three attributes – however they must be distributed in increments of 2.
Fast Healing: You gain Fast Healing 2. This talent may be taken a second time to increase the Fast Healing to 5.
Scent: You gain the Scent ability. (Scent: You have a keen sense of smell. At close range (within 10 squares), you ignore concealment and cover for the purposes of Perception checks, and you take no penalty from poor visibility when tracking (see Survival skill).
Swift: You increase your base speed by 2 squares. This talent can be taken multiple times, it’s effect stack. ‘Base Speed’ is defined as the highest speed that a given form naturally possesses.

LINEAGE TALENT TREE

You lead a privileged life and reap the benefit of an upbringing beyond most people.

Connections: You are able to obtain licensed, restricted, military, or illegal equipment without having to pay a licensing fee or endure a background check, provided the total cost of the desired equipment is equal to or less than your character level x 1,000 credits. In addition, when obtaining equipment or services through the black market, you reduce the black market cost multiplier by 1. See Restrictions and Licensing (Equipment section) for details.
Educated: Thanks to your well-rounded education, you may make any Knowledge check untrained.
Engineer: You are trained in the Mechanics skill. Additionally, when installing new systems into a vehicle, the efficiency of your designs reduces the time it takes to install the system by 25%.
- Prerequisites: Educated, trained in the Knowledge (technology) skill.
Five Star Service: You are known around the world as a connoisseur of the high life. You have a standing account with the foremost hotels, casinos, airlines, and other travel accommodations. You are never refused at the door of these establishments, and may use their services without spending any credits. When gambling or shopping, your credit is equal to 50,000 credits, plus or minus 5,000 times your Charisma modifier. You may attempt to increase this credit limit by making an opposed Deception check against the establishment’s financial director (a casino’s floor manager, a hotel’s general manager, etc.). Every point your roll beats the director’s roll by increases your credit limit by 5,000 credits. A natural 20 increases your limit by 50,000 credits. Be careful, however — a natural 1 cuts your standard credit limit in half. You are still responsible for repaying any money you spend on credit — this talent merely establishes your practical ceiling at each establishment.
Also, should you visit areas where five-star accommodations are unavailable, your deportment grants you an opposed Deception or Persuasion check (depending on the approach you prefer) against the person in charge of the finest rooms, clubs, and travel arrangements available to convince them to allow you to stay, fly, or gamble with their services as described above. Credit limits at lesser establishments begin at 5,000 credits per star, plus 500 times your Charisma modifier (e.g. success with your Deception or Persuasion check at a two-star casino would earn you a starting credit limit of 11,000 credits if you have a Charisma modifier of +2). Credit increases are gained in 500 credit increments, and a natural 20 increases your limit by 2,000 credits per star.
- Prerequisites: Wealth
Influential Friends: You have influential contacts within a certain organization, planet, or region who can provide concrete information to you on certain subjects. Once per day, you can have one of those contacts make a skill check on your behalf. The contact always takes 20 on the skill check (even if the skill would normally not allow taking 20) and has a skill modifier equal to 5 + one-half your heroic level. Contacting your influential allies and receiving the benefit of the skill check takes a minimum number of minutes equal to 10x the skill check result, not including the time it actually takes to contact the ally.
- Prerequisite: Connections.
Personal Staff: You have a small network of servants, assistants, and aides you may call upon in non-combat situations. You gain a number of non-combatant minions (butlers, secretaries, cooks, drivers, etc) equal to your Charisma modifier +2. You may fire and replace them, and they are considered to be helpful to their employer.
- Prerequisites: Wealth
Powerful Friends: You have a powerful contact who has an extended sphere of Influence. The contact could be an Alliance Senator, a high-level military officer, a regional governor, an infamous crime lord, or another person of similar significance. Once per encounter, you can invoke the name or office of your powerful friend and take 20 on one Persuasion check with no increase in the time needed to make the check. Whether or not you can use this talent on a given target is up to the GM’s discretion.
- Prerequisite: Connections, Influential Friends.
Spontaneous Skill: Sometimes you surprise others with your skill. Once per day, you may make an untrained skill check as though you were trained in the skill. Exception: You cannot use this talent to make an untrained Magery, Nanite Control, or Psionics checks as though you were trained in the skills unless you have the appropriate feat. You can select this talent multiple times; each time you do, you use it one additional time per day.
- Prerequisite: Educated.
Wealth: Each time you gain a level (Including the level at which you select this talent), you receive an amount of credits equal to 2,500 x your character level, but levels of Corporate Agent and Expert count as 2 levels for the purpose of this talent. You can spend these credits as you see fit. The credits appear in a civilized, accessible location of your choice or in your private bank account. A character with this talent gains an Excellent quality financial service provider dedicated towards building their portfolio – however, unlike a financial service provider paid for during the course of play, this provider is not considered to be taking any of the income as a fee. This portfolio starts play with 100,000 credits in it, and it can be liquidated as normal whenever the character chooses to do so. Additional credits can be placed into this portfolio as normal. Credits gained from the Wealth talent can be added to the portfolio during creation.

LOYAL PROTECTOR TALENT TREE

As a result of your station, occupation, or even just your natural charisma, you can attract one or more faithful followers who protect you from harm.

Inspire Loyalty: You gain a single follower. Choose either the aggressive, defensive, or utility follower template for your follower, generating the follower’s statistics based on the rules for Followers. This follower gains one Armor Proficiency feat of your choice and becomes trained in the Perception skill. The follower must meet the prerequisites for the Armor Proficiency feat you select. You can select this talent multiple times. Each time you do, you gain one additional follower (maximum of 3 followers).
Protector Actions: You and your followers have learned to work together to great effort, ensuring that you remain safe while allowing them to do their duty. You can use any of the following actions on your turn.

Bodyguard: As a standard action, you can make a melee or ranged attack against a target within range. Until the end of your next turn, if that target damages you with an attack, spell, power, nanite ability, incantation, or nanospell, as a reaction you can choose to redirect the attack, spell, power, nanite ability, incantation, or nanospell, to an adjacent follower; the attack, spell, power, nanite ability, incantation, or nanospell is resolved against that ally as normal.
Diversion Attack: As a standard action, you can make a melee or ranged attack against a target within range. If that target attacks you or one of your allies before the beginning of your next turn, you can move one of your followers up to its speed directly toward that target.
The Best Defense: As a standard action, you can make a melee or ranged attack against a target within range. For each of your followers armed with a ranged weapon and having line of sight to the target, that target takes a -1 penalty on attack rolls until the beginning of your next turn.

Prerequisite: Inspire Loyalty.

Punishing Protection: As a reaction to you being damaged by an attack, spell, power, nanite ability, incantation, or nanospell, one of your followers can make an immediate melee or ranged attack against the target that attacked you. Until the beginning of your next turn, any time you are damaged by an attack, spell, power, nanite ability, incantation, or nanospell, another of your followers can attack that attacking target. This ability can be used once per encounter.

Prerequisites: Inspire Loyalty, Base Attack Bonus +5.

Undying Loyalty: Each of your followers gains the Toughness feat.
- Prerequisite: Inspire Loyalty.

RECONNAISSANCE TALENT TREE

You have learned to work in concert with a team to provide the best reconnaissance and cover as much ground as possible.

Close-Combat Assault: Each of your followers gains the Point Blank Shot feat.
- Prerequisite: Reconnaissance Team Leader.
Get Into Position: As a move action, you can cause one of your followers to move up to his or her speed +2 squares.
- Prerequisite: Reconnaissance Team Leader, base attack bonus +5.
Reconnaissance Actions: You and your reconnaissance team have learned to work together as a cohesive unit and have an established set of tactics, which you have practiced to perfection. You can use any of the following actions on your turn.

Forward Scouting: As a standard action, you can make a melee or ranged attack against a target in range. For each of your followers armed with a ranged weapon who has line of sight to your target, you can grant one ally a +2 insight bonus on attack rolls against your target until the beginning of your next turn. Thus, if you have multiple armed followers within line of sight to the target, you can grant the +2 bonus to multiple allies.
Group Sniping: As a standard action, you can make a melee or ranged attack against a target in range. For each of your followers armed with a ranged weapon who has line of sight to your target, you and each of your followers gains a +1 circumstance bonus to Stealth checks until the end of your next turn.
Sweep the Area: As a standard action, you can make a melee or ranged attack against a target in range. For each of your followers armed with a ranged weapon who has line of sight to your target, you and each of your followers gain a +1 circumstance bonus on Perception checks until the end of your next turn.

Prerequisites: Reconnaissance Team Leader.

Reconnaissance Team Leader: You gain a single follower. Choose either the aggressive, defensive, or utility follower template for your follower, generating the follower’s statistics based on the rules for Followers. This follower gains the Skill Training feat for the Perception and Stealth skills. Additionally, whenever you use the Stealth skill, all your followers can make Stealth checks as part of the same action if they are able to. You can select this talent multiple times. Each time you do, you gain one additional follower (maximum of three followers).

RECRUITER TALENT TREE

You have learned that many enemies can be considered potential allies instead. You can recognize the telltale signs of a potential ally, and, rather than killing your enemy, you can bring them over to your side. Defeat Means Friendship.

Bolstered Numbers: Whenever you use Recruit Enemy on a target, you and all allies within line of sight gain a +2 morale bonus to attack rolls until the end of the encounter.
- Prerequisite: Recruit Enemy
Noble Sacrifice: Whenever you successfully use Recruit Enemy on a target, if that target is reduced to 0 hit points or moved to the bottom of the condition track, as a reaction you can grant yourself and all allies within line of sight a number of bonus hit points equal to 10 + your class level. Damage is subtracted from bonus hit points first, and any bonus hit points remaining at the end of the encounter are lost. Bonus hit points do not stack. No bonus hit points may be granted if you or an ally reduce the target to 0 hit points or move it to the bottom of the condition track.
- Prerequisite: Recruit Enemy
Recruit Enemy: Once per encounter when you deal damage to a living creature that is equal to or greater than the target’s current hit points and the target’s damage threshold (that is, when you deal enough damage to kill the target), you can use this talent. Make a Persuasion check against the target’s Will Defense; if your result equals or exceeds the target’s Will Defense, instead of dealing full damage, you deal half damage to the target and move it -1 step on the condition track. In addition, the target becomes your ally, and its attitude toward you immediately shifts to friendly. The target fights on your side until the end of the encounter, at which point it departs (or, if the GM wishes, the target might become your ally permanently and join your party). Anyone hostile to you becomes hostile to the target.
This is a mind-affecting effect. If the target is of a higher level than you, it gains a +5 bonus to its Will Defense. Enemies that cannot be bribed, blackmailed, or seduced (such as Low Dwellers) are immune to this effect. The target of this talent must be able to understand you, therefore you must share a common language.
- Prerequisites: CHA 14+, Trained in Persuasion
Stay in the Fight: If you successfully use Recruit Enemy on a target and that target can catch a second wind, the target can do so immediately as a reaction.
- Prerequisite: Recruit Enemy
Team Recruiting: You can use your Recruit Enemy talent whenever you or an ally would deal enough damage to kill a target, instead of only when you do.
- Prerequisite: Recruit Enemy

SQUAD LEADER TALENT TREE

You are a capable military leader who can issue orders to a squad of soldiers with poise and efficiency.

Commanding Officer: You gain a single follower. Choose either the aggressive, defensive, or utility follower template for your follower, generating the follower’s statistics based on the rules for Followers. This follower gains one Armor Proficiency feat of your choice and Weapon Proficiency (rifles), in addition to those provided by the follower templates. The follower must meet the prerequisites for the Armor Proficiency feat you select. You can select this talent multiple times. Each time you do, you gain one additional follower (maximum of three followers).
Coordinate Tactics: Each of your followers gains the Coordinated Attack feat, provided he meets the prerequisite. If your follower later meets the prerequisite for the feat, he gains the feat at that time.
- Prerequisite: Commanding Officer.
Fire at Will: As a full-round action, you and one of your followers can make a ranged attack against one target (each) in line of sight. You each take a -5 penalty to your attack rolls.
- Prerequisite: Commanding Officer, base attack bonus +5.
Squad Actions: You and your squad have learned to work together as a team, and have an established set of tactics that you have practiced to perfection. You can use any of the following actions on your turn.

Autofire Barrage: As a standard action, you can make an autofire attack against legal target spaces. For each of your followers who is armed with a ranged weapon set on autofire and has line of sight to the area targeted by your autofire, you can designate one additional square as targeted by your autofire (that square must be adjacent to your original target area).
Open Fire: As a standard action, make a ranged attack against a single target. For each of your followers who is armed with a ranged weapon and has line of sight to the target, add +2 to your damage roll on a successful hit.
Painted Target: As a standard action, make a ranged attack against a single target. You gain a competence bonus on your attack roll equal to the number of your followers who are armed with a ranged weapon and have line of sight to the target. Thus, if you have three armed followers within line of sight to the target, you gain a +3 competence bonus on your attack roll.

Prerequisite: Commanding Officer.

WEAPON MASTERY TALENT TREE

Adaptable Mastery: By familiarizing yourself with a new weapon, you may benefit from your previous training with another weapon. To use this ability, you must spend at least an hour training with the new weapon. At the end of this period, you may choose any number of feats and talents you have that directly apply to the use of one weapon you are proficient with. Those feats and talents now apply to the use of the weapon you trained with (and all weapons that share a proficiency group with that weapon) and no longer apply to the old weapon. This effect lasts until you spend an hour to train with another weapon. Alternatively, you may decide to have your feats and talents return to their original configuration (before the original application of this talent) when you wake up on a given morning, no matter how they were applied previously. Training with a ranged weapon consumes ammunition at the GM’s discretion.
- Prerequisite: Tools of the Trade
Tools of the Trade: Once per day as a Swift action, you may choose to transform your talent for wielding one weapon into skill with another. You may apply any feats or talents you have regarding one specific weapon (such as Weapon Focus, Double Attack, Multi-Attack Proficiency, etc) to another weapon of the same general type (Ranged or Melee) until the end of the current encounter. You must be proficient with the chosen weapon for this ability to work. For example, a character with Devastating Attack (Rifles), Double Attack (Rifles) and Weapon Specialization (Rifles) could transfer those feats to a Pistol or Heavy Weapon (making them Devastating Attack (Pistols) or Double Attack (Heavy Weapons) until the end of the encounter, assuming she was proficient in the use of those weapons.
- Special: This talent may be taken more than once. Each time it is taken, you may use this ability one additional time each day.

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