Mutants of the Eclipse Part XI – The Paragon

   To continue with Mutants in Eclipse, here are the power packages for Class I through Class V Paragons – that is, at +1 though +5 ECL modifiers. As usual, their powers are built using Unlimited-Use Use-Activated Innate Enchantments – at an effective “Cost” of (Spell Level x Casting Level x 2000 GP x Modifiers).

   Paragons aren’t overtly superhuman – but they are just naturally quite disgustingly good at pretty much everything. When the pilot suffers a heart attack, the master chef needs a stand in, or the piece of exotic equipment needs to be repaired and operated, the blasted Paragon will do just as well as the guy who has been practicing for a year. When woken from a nap without a briefing or any preparation whatsoever.

   Paragons will never be able to lift trucks, mow down small armies with their mighty energy bolts, fly, or do any of those spectacular things that other mutants do. That doesn’t stop them; there are a lot of times when knowing what to do is more important than having a lot of raw power.

   Still, while it’s hard to get much more generally applicable than basically “being expert at anything and everything”, it doesn’t necessarily cut it in a battle of superhumans. Thus Paragons tend to carry and use a lot of weapons and other gadgets – the classic super-spy operative or super-mercenary. Fortunately for them, most Paragons can instinctively use pretty much any item ever made without instruction; after all, how things are used is just SO obvious.

   The Class-I Paragon gets:

• Universal Expertise: +4 Competence Bonus to All Skills (Skill Mastery from The Practical Enchanter, Spell Level Two x Caster Level Three x 2000 GP for Unlimited-Use Use-Activated x .7 Personal Use Only = 8400 GP).

   All their remaining powers are (Spell Level One x Caster Level One x 2000 GP for Unlimited-Use Use-Activated x .7 Personal Use Only = 1400 GP). Most of the spells involved can be found in The Practical Enchanter.

• +2 Charisma.
• +2 Constitution.
• +2 Dexterity.
• +2 Intelligence.
• +2 Strength.
• +2 Wisdom. All variants on Enhance Attribute.
• Healthy as a Horse: Immortal Vigor I, +(12 + 2 x Con Mod) HP.
• Inspiring Word: +1 Morale bonus to attacks, checks, damage, and saves.
• Personal Haste: +30′ Move, +1 attack at full BAB when making a full attack.

   Choice of eight Minor Abilities from among:

1. Aura of Favor: +1 Luck Bonus on Attacks and Damage (from The Practical Enchanter).
2. Fortunes Favor: +2 Luck bonus to all Skill and Attribute Checks (from The Practical Enchanter).
3. Inner Grace: +1 Competence Bonus to all Saving Throws. (Sidestep, from The Practical Enchanter).
4. Intuition: True Strike, True Skill, True Save, and True Dodge once per day each. Note that this cannot be affected by the Epic Paragon ability, below.
5. Low-Light Vision. See twice as far as a normal human in low-light conditions.
6. Martial Arts: The user’s hands and feet are as effective as a +2 Hand Axe.
7. Martial Mastery: +4 Competence Bonus to BAB with Unarmed Strikes (or with another specific weapon) (Weapon Mastery, from The Practical Enchanter).
8. Natural Expertise: Is considered proficient with any piece of equipment he or she picks up.
9. Rock-Hard Fists: 1d8 Crit 20/x2 Fists as Natural Weapons. May make a full attack using both at full BAB.
10. Rugged Metabolism (Fast Healing I – for 18 Rounds – 2/Day, Relieve Illness 1/Day, Relieve Poison 1/Day, and Lesser Restoration 1/Day. From the Hedge Wizardry list on this site and The Practical Enchanter).
11. Scent: The user gets the Scent ability.
12. Serpents Strike: Gain one additional attack at your full BAB which may be taken off-action.
13. Sure Step: The user gains a +10 enhancement bonus on Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble and retains his or her Dexterity bonus to AC when balancing or climbing for one minute per level of the caster.
14. Tough as Nails: Convert the first five points of damage from any attack to nonlethal damage.
15. Ward of Heaven: +1 Luck Bonus on Armor Class and Saving Throws (from The Practical Enchanter).
16. Weapons Mastery: +2 Competence Bonus to BAB with a particular group of weapons (from The Practical Enchanter).
17. Will of Lions: +1 Resistance Bonus to all Saving Throws. (Warding Rune, from The Practical Enchanter).

   Class-II through Class-V Paragons:

• Add any one additional Minor Ability from the Class-I Paragon List.
• Epic Paragon: Double the effect of any five of the character’s Innate Enchantments, including the Universal Expertise ability. (Add Metamagic/Amplify +4 to a spell of up to level three, Spell Level Five x Caster Level Nine x 2000 GP for Unlimited-Use Use-Activated x .7 Personal Use Only x .8 Abilities to be amplified are fixed once selected x .6 Five abilities only = 30,240 GP). Note that this cannot be applied to a particular ability more than once. At Paragon V, it will be being applied to twenty abilities out of the twenty-two the character will have.