Due to some creative exploitation of background details by the players in my current Pathfinder first edition game, I currently have Hellknights on the brain. So, I dedicate this post to my PCs: Kafkefoni, Naal, Stump, Tadashi, and Windy.

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New Feat

Akasha-Imbued Mask[Akashic]

You have a special bond with the most recognizable tool of the Hell Knight’s signifers.

Prerequisites: Must have an essence pool, and either swear allegiance to a single Hell Knight order or have the Hell Knight Ancestry trait.

Benefit: You gain the ability to invest a signifer mask you are wearing with essence as if it were a veil. For each point of essence invested in your mask you gain a +1 insight bonus on Sense Motive checks and on saving throws against spells and abilities that rely on visual effects. If there are at least 3 points of essence invested in your signifer mask you are treated as having the Hell Knight signifer prestige class for the purpose of seeing through it.

Additionally, If you have the ability to bind veils to the head chakra, while wearing a signifer mask you can take a point of essence burn to cast confess as a spell-like ability a number of times per day per day equal your Wisdom or veilweaving modifier, whichever is higher (minimum 1).

You gain 1 point of essence.

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New Constellations

Constellations are an Akashic offshoot largely belonging to the Zodiac Class found in Classes of the Lost Spheres: Zodiac^{(affiliate link)}from Lost Spheres Publishing. If you haven’t had a look at the Zodiac class and the idea of wielding the power of the constellations themselves appeals to you, I highly recommend you give the class a look.

“I find this ability to manifest the might of the stars to be… not inherently objectionable. Order underpins its source and the energies involved are known to me. That said, any person using this art to call upon the strength of our orders who is not our brother or sister in arms, should be brought to me for immediate questioning.”

— Paravicar Antares Vash, Order of the Pyre

 

The Hell Knight 

Zodiacs choosing the Hell Knight must replace another constellation with it. This choice may be made whenever the zodiac first chooses a cosmology or adapts to a new one.

Disciplined and unyielding, the Hell Knight calls anyone who seeks to spread order their brother or sister in arms. 

Element: Earth

Manifestations: Armor, Champion, 

Armor (Essence cost 2): You gain the ability to manifest the Hell Knight as a masterwork suit of Hell Knight plate that instantly forms around you or a touched willing creature. For every two zodiac levels you possess, this armor gains a +1 enhancement bonus. As long as the armor has at least a +1 enhancement bonus, these bonuses can be used to add magical armor properties to the armor, consuming an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier. These bonuses and properties are decided when the armor is manifested and cannot be changed until the next time the zodiac manifests the armor.

Essence: Investing at least one point of essence into the Hell Knight’s armor allows the wearer to select a single Hell Knight order and the armor takes on an appearance suitable for the selected order. Once selected this choice can not be changed until the next time the zodiac manifests the armor. The wearer gains proficiency in all of the selected Hell Knight order’s favored weapons. For each additional point of essence invested, when the wearer wields one of the selected order’s favored weapons that weapon gains a +1 enhancement bonus; as long as the weapon has at least a +1 enhancement bonus, these bonuses can be used to add magical weapon properties to the weapon, consuming an amount of bonus equal to the property’s base price modifier.

Champion (Essence cost 5): You gain the ability to manifest the Hell Knight constellation in the form of a human fighter with the Armiger archetype whose class level is equal to your zodiac level -3 (minimum 1). The Hell Knight can gain levels in the Hell Knight prestige class if they meet the requirements. In addition to weapons and equipment appropriate to an NPC of its class level, the Hell Knight always appears in a suit of magical Hell Knight Plate with an enhancement bonus equal to half your zodiac level (minimum 1). All equipment the Hell Knight appears with disappears as soon as the Hell Knight is dismissed for any reason. Any enhancement bonuses in excess of +5 must be spent on armor special abilities. 

Essence: For each point of essence invested in the champion form of the Hell Knight , it gains a +1 insight bonus to Will saves and on attack and damage rolls. 

 

The Signifer

Zodiacs choosing the Signifer must replace another constellation with it. This choice may be made whenever the zodiac first chooses a cosmology or adapts to a new one.

Collected and imperious, the Signifer is an ally and mentor to all who would wield the fires of creation to emblazon order upon the world.

Element: Fire

Manifestations: Champion, Equipment

Champion (Essence cost 5): You gain the ability to manifest the Signifer constellation in the form of a tiefling vizier whose class level is equal to your zodiac level -3 (minimum 1). The Signifer can gain levels in the Hell Knight signifer* prestige class if they meet the requirements. One of the Signifer’s shaped veils is always a veil from the Reliquaries of Infernal Law set and they must choose Akasha-Imbued Mask as their first level feat, qualifying as if the Signifer had sworn to an order of the zodiac’s choice. In addition to armor and equipment appropriate to an NPC of its class level, the Signifer always appears with a signifer mask indicative of their order and is treated as having the Hell Knight signifer prestige class for the purposes of seeing normally through this mask. All equipment the Signifer appears with disappears as soon as the Signifer is dismissed for any reason. 

Essence: For each point of essence invested in the champion form of the Signifer, it gains a +1 insight bonus on attack and damage rolls, and increases the saving throw DCs of all of its veils by 1.

Equipment (Essence cost 2): You gain the ability to manifest the Signifer as a featureless, eyeless, iron mask that does not impede the wearer’s vision, which can be worn in the head slot. The wearer of this mask gains the telepathy universal monster ability with a range of 100 feet, or increases the range of their existing telepathy by 50 feet. If the wearer has levels in the Hell Knight signifer prestige class they can treat the equipment form of the Signifer as a signifer mask for any feats and effects that require it. 

Essence: For each point of essence invested in the equipment form of the Signifer, the wearer gains a +2 insight bonus to Perception and Sense Motive checks.

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Notes:

The back and forth between Hellknight and Hell Knight, is intentional. The first spelling is the proper one and the second reflects the System Reference Document’s spelling.

 * The Signifer constellation mentions that its champion form can take levels in the Hell Knight signifer prestige class, if they meet the requirements. Normally, this is an very difficult proposition as that prestige class is not Akashic friendly. “Hellknights Part 2“,  details a more inclusive/3rd party friendly version of the Hell Knight Signifer prestige class.