.The Cerebral Rager
A Preview of Mindscapes: A Psion's Guide

Secret furies shake the mental depths of every living creature—some more, some less. A few learn to harness that secret rage in shackles of pure will. Whereas others suppress their rages, lest their impartiality falter, the cerebral rager directs his white-hot anger through specially forged mental pathways. Pumping their emotions to a peak, the cerebral rager bleeds energy directly into his psionic abilities. Those who would risk the cerebral rager’s ire must beware the consequences.

The qualifying requirements for this prestige class virtually assure that multiclassed barbarian/psions or barbarian/psychic warriors take up the cerebral rager class.

Cerebral ragers are sometimes strangely restrained—they bottle up all their emotions to fuel their power. They sometimes act as leaders, envoys, or heads of small companies. Because their rages live inside, they can interact with the world on a seemingly cold and calculating basis. When they do make an exterior display of their towering anger, it is all the more effective for its rarity. Other cerebral ragers dress and behave boisterously and allow some of their nature to slip into their demeanor. Few can tolerate these outsiders because nobody knows when they will blow up next.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements
To qualify to become a cerebral rager, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Alignment: Any nonlawful
Concentration: 2 ranks
Intimidate: 4 ranks
Knowledge (psionics): 7 ranks
Stabilize Self: 2 ranks
Special: Able to rage as a barbarian at least once per day
Manifesting: Able to manifest the talent far punch and the 1st-level power biofeedback

Class Skills
The cerebral rager’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (any) (Int), Psicraft (Int), Remote View (Int, exclusive skill), Sense Motive (Wis), and Stabilize Self (Con). See Chapter Four: Skills in the Player’s Handbook and Chapter Two: Skills in the Psionics Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the cerebral rager.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Cerebral ragers gain no additional proficiency in any weapon or armor.

Effective Manifester Level: At every level indicated on the table for the prestige class, the character gains new power points per day and access to discovered powers as if he had also gained a level in the psionic class he belonged to before adding the prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (such as bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, mode check bonuses, hit points beyond those he receives from the prestige class, and so on). He does gain the following benefits: an increased effective level of psionic manifestation, additional power points, effective additional levels for psicrystal powers, and additional free manifestations of 0-level powers. If a character had more than one psionic class before becoming a member of this prestige class, he must decide to which class he adds the new level for purposes of determining effective manifester level.

For example, a 1st-level barbarian/6th-level psion/6th-level cerebral rager has a character level of 13 and a manifester level of 10. So, powers he manifests that have level-dependent parameters are manifested as if the character were 10th level.

Cerebral Rage (Ex): When necessary, a cerebral rager can ignite his inner fury. In a cerebral rage, the character gains mental strength and single-minded fortitude but becomes reckless and less able to see reason. He temporarily gains +4 to his key ability score, and a +2 morale bonus on Fortitude saves, but he also suffers a –2 penalty on Will saves. The increase to his key ability score does not last long enough to increase his power point total, but he does gain more power points temporarily as described below. Cerebral rage and barbarian rage cannot be used simultaneously.

Cerebral rage increases the character’s power points by 2 points per effective manifester level, but these power points go away at the end of the rage. If this would bring him to negative power points, his power point total is set at 0. While raging, a cerebral rager can use skills that require patience and concentration, because his rage is shackled to his will.

A fit of cerebral rage lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) key ability modifier. The character can prematurely end the rage voluntarily. At the end of the rage, the cerebral rager is mentally fatigued (–2 to his key ability score) for the duration of that encounter—unless the cerebral rager is 10th level, when this limitation no longer applies. The cerebral rager can fly into a rage only once per encounter and only a certain number of times per day (determined by level).

Beginning at 4th level, the character can burn his two daily uses of cerebral rage simultaneously. This pumps the character’s key ability score by +6, gives him a +4 bonus on his Fortitude saves, and increases his power points by 3 points per effective manifester level. (The Will save penalty remains at –2.) At 7th level, the character could burn all three of his daily cerebral rages to increase his key ability score by +8, give him a +6 bonus on his Fortitude saves, and increase his power points by 4 points per effective manifester level. (The Will save penalty remains at –2.)

Lesser Killing Look (Sp): Once per day, starting at 2nd level, a portion of the cerebral rager’s hate seeps out in the form of a lesser killing look. He can choose to ground his lesser killing look into the dirt or gaze harmlessly into the sky, but he can’t stop it from occurring sometime within a 24-hour period, though he can choose the time for the discharge. If he directs the lesser killing look at a person or object within 30 feet, he makes a gaze attack (see the DMG for more information on the gaze attack). The target that meets his gaze (an opponent always meets the rager’s gaze unless actively attempting otherwise) must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC = 13 + the character’s key ability score) or take 7d6 points of damage as the full weight of rage flashes from the rager’s eyes. The target takes half damage on a successful saving throw.

Hate (Ex): Beginning at 3rd level, as a free action, a cerebral rager can designate one opponent as the focus of his hate. He thereby receives a +1 morale bonus on damage (melee, ranged, power, or spell) from a successful attack that normally damages that opponent as a primary effect.

Glare (Ex): At 5th level and up, a cerebral rager gains a +6 morale bonus on his Intimidate checks.

Abhor (Ex): Beginning at 6th level, as a free action, a cerebral rager can designate one opponent as the focus of his abhorrence. He thereby receives a +2 morale bonus on damage (melee, ranged, power, or spell) from a successful attack that normally damages that opponent as a primary effect. Abhor overlaps the bonus granted by hate; it does not stack.

Killing Look (Sp): Starting at 8th level, once per day a portion of the cerebral rager’s hate seeps out in the form of a killing look. He can choose to ground his killing look into the dirt or gaze harmlessly into the sky, but he can’t stop it from occurring sometime within a 24-hour period, though he can choose the time for the discharge. If he directs the killing look at a person or object with 30 feet, he makes a gaze attack (see the DMG for more information on the gaze attack). A target that meets his gaze (an opponent always meets the rager’s gaze unless actively attempting otherwise) must make a successful Fortitude saving throw (DC = 16 + the character’s key ability score) or take 13d6 points of damage as the full weight of rage flashes from the rager’s eyes. The target takes half damage on a successful saving throw.

Despise (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, as a free action, a cerebral rager can designate one opponent as the focus of his despising. He thereby receives a +3 morale bonus on damage (melee, ranged, power, or spell) from a successful attack that normally damages that opponent as a primary effect. Despise overlaps the bonus granted by hate and abhor; it does not stack.

Nimbus of Fury (Sp): At 10th level, the cerebral rager can manifest his fury as a nimbus of raging psionic energy for one hour per day. The nimbus surrounds and coats the character in brilliant red light, which flickers almost like fire. While manifesting his nimbus, he gains benefits as if in a constant cerebral rage (see above). His flashing eyes contain an even deeper threat to those he despises. While he maintains a power point reserve of 27+, he can use his killing look every 5 rounds (for instance, he can use it on the first round of combat and then on the sixth round).

Cerebral Rager

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"The Cerebral Rager" preview ©2003 Bruce R. Cordell. All rights reserved.