In dire times, fate itself intercedes on behalf of the earthly realm and empowers a scion. These chosen ones serve as the first and last line of defense against otherworldly evils. Fate works in mysterious ways and empowers each henshin hero with abilities befitting the particular battle they must face. Henshin heroes are tenacious warriors who channel powers beyond their ken and are backed up by formidable martial training. A henshin hero’s power is greatest in the face of adversity and the mounting tension of the moment allows them to transcend their mortal limits and bring battles to a dramatic end with a single decisive strike.
The origin of each henshin hero is unique. Some have their power thrust upon them unwillingly by the forces of darkness, while others ready their mind and bodies for decades in hopes of being given the chance to fulfil an ancient prophecy.
Role: Henshin heroes are skilled combatants able to excel at any sort of combat with ease, however their true power is their ability to morph into a new, more powerful form and even up the score.
Alignment: any
Hit Dice: d10
Starting Wealth: 3d6 × 10 gp (average 105 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.
Class Skills: The henshin hero’s class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Escape Artist (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Swim (Str), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier
Class Features[]
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +1 | +2 | +0 | +2 | Finishing move +1d6, motif, strong start, transformation, transformation trinket, tension |
| 2nd | +2 | +3 | +0 | +3 | Hero power |
| 3rd | +3 | +3 | +1 | +3 | Finishing move +2d6 |
| 4th | +4 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Hero power |
| 5th | +5 | +4 | +1 | +4 | Finishing move +3d6, motif |
| 6th | +6/+1 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Hero power |
| 7th | +7/+2 | +5 | +2 | +5 | Finishing move +4d6 |
| 8th | +8/+3 | +6 | +2 | +6 | Hero power |
| 9th | +9/+4 | +6 | +3 | +6 | Finishing move +5d6 |
| 10th | +10/+5 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Hero power, motif |
| 11th | +11/+6/+1 | +7 | +3 | +7 | Finishing move +6d6 |
| 12th | +12/+7/+2 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Hero power |
| 13th | +13/+8/+3 | +8 | +4 | +8 | Finishing move +7d6 |
| 14th | +14/+9/+4 | +9 | +4 | +9 | Hero power |
| 15th | +15/+10/+5 | +9 | +5 | +9 | Finishing move +8d6, motif |
| 16th | +16/+11/+6/+1 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Hero power |
| 17th | +17/+12/+7/+2 | +10 | +5 | +10 | Finishing move +9d6 |
| 18th | +18/+13/+8/+3 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Hero power |
| 19th | +19/+14/+9/+4 | +11 | +6 | +11 | Finishing move +10d6 |
| 20th | +20/+15/+10/+5 | +12 | +6 | +12 | Hero power, motif |
The following are the class features of the henshin hero.
Weapon And Armor Proficiency[]
The henshin hero is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor, but not with shields.
Transformation Trinket (Su)[]
At 1st level the henshin hero has been given, discovered, created, or had forced upon him a transformation trinket. This item can be a belt, a weapon, a bracelet or some other object that he can carry on his person. A henshin hero can add additional magic abilities to his transformation trinket as if he had the required item creation feats so long as he meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a henshin hero with a Japanese school uniform must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to it(see Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat). The supernatural abilities of a transformation trinket, including any magic abilities added to the object, only function for the henshin hero who owns it. If he dies, or the item is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork item of the appropriate type.
If a transformation trinket is damaged or destroyed the henshin hero cannot use his transformation class feature. His transformation trinket is restored to full hit points the next time the henshin hero regains all of his rounds of the transformation class feature. If the transformation trinket is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced with a special ritual that costs 200 gp per henshin hero level plus the cost of the item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enhancements of the previous transformation trinket.
Transformation (Su)[]
The most renowned ability of the henshin hero is the ability to conjure a suit of armor whose bulwark is as strong as his spirit! At 1st level, so long as he has his transformation trinket in hand, the henshin hero may conjure this armor as a standard action. This armor is treated as light armor in all ways and has no armor check penalty, arcane spell failure chance, movement speed reduction, or maximum Dexterity bonus. This armor replaces any armor the henshin hero is currently wearing and grants an armor bonus to AC equal to his Charisma modifier. At 5th level this armor gains a +1 enhancement bonus to AC, this increases by an additional +1 every 3 levels thereafter, to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. The henshin hero may remain transformed for a number of rounds per day equal to 4 + his Charisma modifier. At each level after 1st, he can remain transformed for 2 additional rounds. Temporary increases to Charisma, such as those gained from spells like eagle’s splendor, do not increase the total number of rounds that a henshin hero can remain transformed per day. These rounds need not be consecutive but must be used in at least one round increments.
Tension (Su)[]
As the din of battle resounds, so too does the henshin hero grow in power. At first level the henshin hero gains a pool of tension- supernatural power that he can use to devastate his foes. This pool has no points in it by default, instead he gains points under the following conditions.
- The henshin hero gains a point of tension when he uses his transformation class feature.
- At the start of each turn that he remains transformed he gains 1 point of tension.
- Each time he reduces a foe to 0 or fewer hitpoints, or renders a foe unconscious via nonlethal damage with his finishing move he gains an amount of tension equal to 1/4 the creature’s HD (minimum 1).
The henshin hero may spend points of tension to modify his finishing move in the following ways:
- He may spend 1 point to increase the damage dealt by his finishing move by 1d6, at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter the henshin hero may spend an additional point to increase this damage by an extra 1d6. If the henshin hero has an ability that allows him to roll a different sort of die for his finishing move then dice added with this ability are instead of that size.
- He may spend 1 point to gain a +1 competence bonus on the attack roll for his finishing move, at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter this bonus improves by +1. In addition at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter the henshin hero may spend an additional point to increase this bonus by an additional +1, this bonus stacks with the bonus from his strong start class feature.
A henshin hero’s tension pool can hold an amount of tension equal to 2 + 1/2 his henshin hero level, points above this maximum are lost.
If the henshin hero uses his finishing move or ends his transformation class feature, then any unspent tension is lost.
Strong Start (Su)[]
When the henshin hero uses his transformation class feature he gains a +1 competence bonus on attack rolls, this bonus increases by +1 at 4th level and every 4 levels thereafter. At the end of his next turn after enacting his transformation ability, and each round thereafter this bonus is reduced by 1. This bonus is restored to its full value each time the henshin hero uses his finishing move class feature. In addition he may also spend one point of tension as a free action to restore this bonus to its full value.
Finishing Move (Su)[]
Even the greenest henshin hero can strike a mighty blow against those who would oppose him. At 1st level, while transformed, the henshin hero may spend a swift or immediate action before an attack to empower it with destructive energy. This attack deals an additional 1d6 points of extra damage. At 3rd level and every 2 levels thereafter the amount of damage dealt increases by 1d6. This damage ignores damage reduction and isn’t multiplied on a critical hit.
Motif (Su)[]
Each henshin hero possesses a motif, a theme from which he draws his powers. While this typically determines the aesthetic details of the armor summoned by his transformation class feature, it also grants him a suite of abilities related to his motif. Each motif grants the henshin hero a signature move, an ability that allows him to expend tension on his finishing move and motif powers, special powers that allow him to fortify his defenses or harry his foes.
Hero Powers[]
Starting at 2nd level, as the henshin hero grows in power he gains new ways to strike down his foes. Hero powers marked with an asterisk* add effects during the round that the henshin hero uses his transformation class feature or modify how that class feature works. Only one of these powers can be used when he transforms.
(Henshin Hero Powers can be found here)
Favored Class Options[]
- Arma: While transformed your wielder may execute a 1d6 finishing move with you. Each time you select this bonus the amount of d6 increases by +1/2.
- Elf: Increase the total size of your tension pool by +1/4.
- Grippli: 1/6 to Armor bonus granted by the transformation class feature.
- Human: +1/5 of a new hero power
- Tiefling: 1/2 to finishing move damage when used against outsiders with an alignment two steps away from yours on the good/evil axis.