Studio M compilation for January 21

Introduction So, Hall Kennette is a prolific author that has been kind of focusing on Akashic magic supplements. He has a Patreon where he publishes his designs, and he compiles this material monthly normally with a thematic motif. This is the result.

What’s inside?: In this expansion-themed supplement, we get 25 pages for x buck, which includes:

-15 racial traits: These include all the core races, orcs, and the seven “common” planetouched races. All of the races gain the akashic subtype (which gives low-light vision and immunity to magical sleep), a point of essence, and a special veil that doesn’t interfere with veils shaped or slots. Each race gets access to a specific veil, except for half-orcs and half-elves, who can choose between their parents’ choices, aasimars, who can choose from ANY veil from the Angelic Arments veil set, and tieflings, who can choose from two 10-veil sets! There has always been a power difference between races, but the core races pay dearly for their veils, while the elemental races pay just with their affinity and spell-like ability, and aasies and tieffies pay with their resistances and spell-like ability. In my opinion, I would have preffered a unique akashic ability that functioned as an essence receptacle, and there is the situation where aasimars and tieflings can shape 2 veil weapons, which can be problematic especially if you use the Enhanced weapon descriptor as is.

-4 archetypes: Abyss Wielder Antipaladin gets a weird alignment option (Lawful Neutral… ok? I thought it was called Abyss wielder), get a different code of conduct, and loose smite good, channel energy, fiendish boon, aura of vengeance and unholy champion. In return, they get up to 15 essence, and they get to shape specific veils (Balor’s Whip, Iron Crown, Pit Fiend’s Shroud, Demon Lord’s Hunger) at certain levels and also bind them (but not other veils shaped in that slot), AND . I really liked this archetype in all but the name (which suggest chaos and evil instead of only evil… unholy perhaps?), but I would have gotten rid of spells instead of some other abilities.

Unicorn Rider Cavalier lose mount, expert trainer, banner, and greater banner, and their charge abilities are modified, all in exchange for up to 10 essence and the ability to shape the Sparkling Alicorn and the Unicorn Barding. Like all veil-specialist classes, they get some unique tricks with them. They get to bind the Unicorn’s Barding to the body slot at 12th level… no other class can do that except for the Daevic, who must pay HP to use it that early. AND I checked the ability and it is strong, so I would just let them bind it later at least 15th. A great archetype that just needs a balance check IMHO.

Lightwielder Paladin seems at first a mirror of their Antipaladin brethren, but while they get similar exchanges, they instead get really good with the Banelight Vortices veil. They also get to shape White Rider’s Sash and Luminosity of the Lurker in Light, but their main ability is still the vortices. A great veil specialist option!

Shadow Shaper rogues (normal or unchained) lose some rogue talents, sneak attack dice and trap/danger sense for up to 15 essence and the ability to shape souped-up Darkwalker Hood, Darkholds, Cloak of Darkness and Voidwalkers. I don’t know about this one, since it kind of steps in the Eclipse’s shoes more that I would like, but it is cool though.

-2 Prestige Classes: Ringbearers are ring veil specialists. The requirements are few and easy to get even for non-veilweavers. During their 10 levels, these guys get up to 15 essence, 6 ring veils shaped, and a couple of abilities to really bust the ring veils, with one having up to 10 essence if my math is correct. A cool, focused class perfect for viziers but open to other classes.

The Bloodfuser would be the blood veil specialist. It has a stronger chassis but a bit weaker bloodweaving, or was it bloodshaping? This ability has different names in the class table and description. Apart from their blood veil abilities, they are also masters of the Blood Infusion magic item, being able to craft up to 5 free doses per day. A nice class but not as iconic as the previous one, although its cap, being able to “share” a blood veil, is really cool.

-2 magic items: Catalized Rings are ring veils made physical and infused with up to 10 essence and either bound or unbound. They occupy your ring magic item AND veil slot, even if you can normally shape ring veils. They are powerful and costly.

Infused Blood are potions that give you blood veil effects for 1 hour plus another one for each effective essence, again up to 10 and either bound or not. The greater the essence, the greater the cost, and full powered potion costs 14,000! Great for foes to have already imbibed LOL! Anyway, another cool item.

-3 feats: Binding of the Bands lets core races plus orcs the ability to bind their racial veil gotten from the alternate traits at the beginning of the book. Shape Minor Veil and Minor Veil Mastery deal with the cantrip-like abilities found later in the book.

-16 veils: We start with 5 ring veils, then 5 blood veils, then a set of six race-themed ones.

The ring veils presented are powerful and include teleportation, a Lifechannel Ring that works exactly like its dark counterpart from Akashic Mysteries but with healing energy, mirror image/simulacrum-like illusions, crowd-controlling via tentacles of force, and a shield-spell like veil that compliments another one from the original book.

The blood veils include a lycanthropic one (which strangely enough give you two primary claw attacks and 1 primary bite attack, with no damage mentioned), a haste-like one (a bit powerful at base effect), a very cool one that lets you sense your own blood, another that transforms your blood into shadowstuff weapons/monsters (cool and usable by top-level eclipses too) and one that lets you create lances made by your own blood to attack at range and becomes more powerful if you are bleeding.

The Gifts of the Bearer is a 6 veil set that kind of gives a Lord of the Rings vibe. The human one lets you survive easily and when bound even in another plane or planet, the dwarven one makes you a crafting extraordinaire that can repair even veils and also dabble in item creation. The orc one makes you a destruction extraordinaire and can sunder even spells! The elven one lets you counter and even rebound spells and veil effects a very few times per day (I would increase the uses when bound since as it is you will only be able to do it two times per day and three or four at most at very high levels). The Halfling one makes you, and your fellows when bound, incredibly lucky (AKA rerolls), and finally the gnome one lets you teleport and leave an illusory double behind.

All in all cool, welcome additions to the daevic and vizier classes, since to my knowledge they haven’t received any blood or ring veils since the original book.

-12 minor veils: Minor veils is a small, cantrip-like expansion to the abilities of true veilweavers (those getting veilweaving abilities from their original classes and not via feats or archetypes). Basically you get to shape two minor veils from among all twelve (no minor veil is class specific), and their effects kind of mirror cantrips. They aren’t shaped in slots and so can’t be bound to chakras, but they can be invested with essence and some of them can become powerful with a lot of essence invested. I really liked this expansion to base veilweavers, since most of them get to shape only one veil at first level, and giving them two cantrip veils will prepare their essence reallocation skills for what comes at higher levels.

Of Note: The racial abilities are arguably ok, since having a racial ability that can become more powerful at higher levels is very uncommon, but again, why have them if they are not useful at all levels? The archetypes are really cool, but I would have preferred them to maintain more of their class features and lose vancian spellcasting. The prestige classes are cool, focused and powerful. And the veils, normal and minor, are more than welcome additions to the options of veilweavers.

Anything wrong?: I noticed some editing mistakes, many more than in the previous book, but nothing that prevents the enjoyment or utility of it. The base abilities of some the veils are kind of strong, especially the blood ones, but then they don’t scale that well with essence. The aasimar and tiefling become even more busted with some creative racial veil selection.

What I want: some more veilweaving archetypes for cool classes like the inquisitor and investigator, exchanging their magic for veilweaving.

What cool things did this inspire?: a vampire baddie daevic or bloodfuser with some of the cool blood veils is a must, and an orc warchief that uses the optional racial ability to sunder spells would rock!

Do I recommend it?: Yeah! Unlike the previous one, this compilation is directed to expand two of the original akashic classes and the core races, and while I have my doubts on the power level of some of the veils, I can fully recommend this one, giving it the full five star-shaped rings.