Broken Chain
Source War of Immortals pg. 122Wherever tyrants abuse their power, rebels soon follow, fighting against their oppression in disorganized and sporadic outbursts, often easily quashed by the tyrant, whose power grows yet stronger. But on rare occasions, one among the ranks of the rebels rises above and beyond to meet the tyrant at their level and lights the spark of an unstoppable revolutionary passion among their people, leading them to outmaneuver and eventually overpower their oppressor. Even should they fall at the hands of the tyrant’s forces, their martyrdom will inflame the movement, inspiring another to take on the mantle, for a broken chain’s greatest power is their bond to their movement.
Some bards yet tell tales of broken chains who, unwilling to give up the fight against a tyrant, broke the bonds which destiny had over their mortality, and quite literally came back to life in the body of another fervent follower of the cause. A few who have claimed the mantle of broken chain whisper to their closest friends that they have prevented a terrible death from occurring by somehow turning back the hands of time; witnessing this event has haunted their nightmares ever since, and they worry that they have somehow incurred the wrath of fate itself.
The five-winged
angel Thais,
Cayden Cailean’s herald, embodies freedom and courage. She has gone as far as to fight the ruler of nine Hells,
Asmodeus, to liberate one thousand innocent souls who were tricked into the clutches of hell by a vaguely worded diabolical contract. In the process, she paid a personal sacrifice: the loss of one of her feathery wings.
In Galt, the poets and philosophers
Darl Jubannich (inspirational male human poet) and
Hosetter (deceased male aiuvarin philosopher) led the people to revolt and fight against House Thrune, eventually forming the Revolutionary Council to rule the newly independent nation of Galt. Little did they know their lofty ideals would be turned against them when the council executed Hosetter with one of their final blade guillotines, trapping the philosopher’s soul. Fearing for his own life, Jubannich fled the country.
In Ravounel, a mysterious group of champions of the people called the Silver Ravens overthrew Barzillai Thrune to establish the new country, independent from Cheliax. Many claim they were aided by a band of adventurers whose names have never been discovered, but whose contributions were vital to the cause.
The Bright Lions of Mzali, lead by the devout
Sihar (revolutionary female human fighter), wage a cloak-anddagger war of attrition against the forces of the tyrannical God-King
Walkena. Sihar has also revived the worship of the
Old Sun Gods, a trio of deities once forgotten.
Any of these individuals may be considered broken chains, destined to bring low a powerful tyrant or system of oppression and light a flame of liberty that will reverberate across history.
Which oppressive regime or ruler you will bring down is up to you. Leading your roused band of rebels, no unjust bond will survive for long, and evil despots across the land will quake in their boots at your passionate fury’s advance. They will send spycatchers against your infiltrated saboteurs, deadly assassins to assail your key allies, and even the full might of a nation’s army. You must heed the call to lead your movement against these threats and be brave enough to take on as much of the burden of danger as you can. Inspire your followers, protect them from harm, and lead them to freedom.
Click here for more rules on using this archetype.Uncommon Destiny Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 123Archetype Broken Chain
Your Calling was sparked by your outrage at tyrants, after having witnessed a brutal act of oppression that you could no longer abide. You may spend a Mythic Point when you attempt an
Escape or
Force Open check to do so at mythic proficiency. Additionally, you gain the Ultimatum of Liberation action (see below), but you also gain the anathema, “You must not use Ultimatum of Liberation on a creature you don’t believe to be oppressing others or who has conceded their power”. If you break this anathema, you lose access to abilities granted by this archetype until you atone or make amends.
Your GM has final say about what constitutes oppression, which can be a difficult and sometimes nebulous concept. In general, oppression is the cruel and unjust use of authority or power. Some examples include performing acts of violence against those without power, removing an individual’s agency through mind control magic, and engaging in organized mistreatment or exploitation of others. When the members of a royal guard assault a beggar just to get him off the street, that is oppression. When a tax collector levies higher charges against the less fortunate because it’s the law, they are participating in a system of oppression.
Ultimatum of Liberation [one-action] (
auditory,
linguistic,
mental,
mythic)
Frequency once per day;
Effect You proclaim an ultimatum against a creature you believe is oppressing others and all who follow their orders. All other creatures (including you) who hear your ultimatum, or learn about it later on, are emboldened by your words for 1 day, and gain a +2 status bonus to their Will saving throws against effects produced by the oppressing creature and their allies, which increases to +3 if they are within 30 feet of you. Additionally, the first time each day that creature and each of its allies comes within 30 feet of you, they must succeed on a Will save against your class DC or spell DC (whichever is higher) or become
frightened 1 (frightened 2 on a critical failure). This second effect has the
emotion,
fear, and
mental traits. The oppressing creature may end all the effects as a free action by truthfully agreeing to permanently end their oppression. Otherwise, your Ultimatum of Liberation has no duration, though you can have only one Ultimatum of Liberation active at a time. If you pronounce a second Ultimatum of Liberation, the effects of the first one end.
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 123Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
You have experience in undertaking direct action and know how to protect the identity and health of you and your allies when doing so. During your
daily preparations, you can select a number of targets equal to half your level. You disguise the targets to hide their identities, which gives them a +4 status bonus to
Deception checks to prevent others from seeing through their disguises, and lets them add their level even if untrained. Additionally, the disguises also protect from smoke, fumes, and inhaled substances, giving the targets a +3 status bonus to saving throws against them. The targets can quickly doff or don their disguises with a two-action activity.
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 123Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Sometimes people with no underlying quarrel have been fighting each other simply out of spite. You come to break that vicious cycle of hate. You gain the
Legendary Negotiation skill feat, even if you would not normally qualify. Additionally, whenever you attempt a
Diplomacy check, you may spend a
Mythic Point to do so at mythic proficiency.
Flourish Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 123Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain DedicationRequirements An enemy has you
grabbed or
restrained.
Your retribution against one who would detain you is swift and dangerous. Make a melee
Strike against the creature who has you
grabbed or
restrained. You can still make this attack even if you are restrained, though not if you are wielding a two-handed weapon. Unless your Strike is a critical failure, you can then attempt a check to
Escape. If the creature who has you grabbed or restrained is the target of your
Ultimatum of Liberation, you gain a +2 circumstance bonus to this check. Both the Strike and the Escape count toward your multiple attack penalty, but it doesn’t increase until you’ve made both rolls.
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 123Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
You learn the
freedom ritual. If you spend an additional
Mythic Point while casting it, you reduce its casting time to 1 hour, and both the primary and secondary casters attempt their corresponding skill checks at mythic proficiency. If you would critically fail the ritual, you fail instead. Additionally, you gain the
unimpeded stride and
word of freedom domain spells. These are focus spells, granting you a focus pool of 2 Focus Points or expanding that pool if you already have one. You can Refocus while you meditate on the concepts of freedom and liberty. (For more on focus spells, see
here.)
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Thanks to your powerful speeches, your movement finds allies in all sectors of society and even across enemy lines, all eager to help you accomplish your goals. If you spend a
Mythic Point when you use
Ultimatum of Liberation, you can ask four questions related to that creature, as if you succeeded at four
Recall Knowledge checks. This information comes to you over the course of the next 1 to 2 hours, representing tidbits of information you glean from local supporters. After receiving this information, the first time you roll
Initiative in an encounter with the target of your
Ultimatum of Liberation or their allies, you and all your allies can make your Initiative check with mythic proficiency.
Healing Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainFrequency once per day
Prerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Seeing your allies falter, you fill their hearts with your unbreakable hope, rousing them to stay in the fight. All allies within 60 feet that are
dying, or
unconscious and
wounded, are healed a number of Hit Points equal to three times your level. Then, all allies within 60 feet that are
prone may stand up as a free action that does not provoke reactions.
Auditory Emotion Linguistic Mental Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainFrequency once per day
Prerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Not all who oppress are irredeemable, and given encouragement and some time, they will abandon their cause and join your fight against the very system they used to uphold. If your next action is to issue an
Ultimatum of Liberation, you may have up to 10 targets who can hear you attempt a Will save against your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher. You can cause any changes in attitude to last longer than the current social interaction by spending at least 10 minutes speaking with the affected targets earnestly about your cause.
Success The target is unaffected.
Failure The target’s attitude toward you improves by one step.
Critical Failure The target’s attitude toward you improves by two steps.
Auditory Mythic Sonic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainFrequency once per hour
Prerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
You let loose a yell of unbridled passion, which fuels your allies, and pounds against your foes. Allies within 60 feet who can hear you gain a +2 status bonus to attack rolls, Perception checks, saving throws, and skill checks for 1 minute. Additionally, foes within 30 feet of you take 16d4
sonic damage (
basic Fortitude save against your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher). This sonic damage increases by 1d4 at 17th level and every level thereafter.
Auditory Linguistic Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain DedicationTrigger An ally gains the
grabbed or
restrained condition.
You rouse rebellion in the hearts of your allies, inspiring them to break free of their bonds. The triggering ally can make a check to
Escape at mythic proficiency.
Auditory Linguistic Mental Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
You peer into the eyes of a target of your
Ultimatum of Liberation, as you say aloud the names of their victims, searing them into the oppressor’s mind, cursing them to feel their victims’ pain. The target takes 12d6 mental damage (
basic Will save against your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher). If the target fails or critically fails this check, they also take 2d6
persistent mental damage. For the next hour, when the target stops taking this persistent damage, you or one of your allies can mention a victim’s name as a single action to the target, forcing them to succeed at another Will save or begin taking the persistent damage again. This is a
curse effect. Once you use Remember Their Names on a target, the target is immune to it for 24 hours.
Stand Firm [one-action] Feat 16
Auditory Linguistic Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 124Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Your words help your ally shake off unease and terror. You shout a bolstering comment at an ally within 30 feet of you who has the
fleeing or
frightened condition and can hear you. That ally reduces the value of their frightened condition by 2 (to a minimum of 0). If they are fleeing, they can immediately attempt a new saving throw against the effect that caused the condition. If that save is a failure, but not a critical failure, the ally needs to spend one fewer action on their turn to escape the source of the fleeing condition. This allows that ally to
Strike or
Cast a one-action Spell that doesn’t necessarily get them further away from the source, but the ally still has the fleeing condition and can’t
Delay or
Ready as usual. If the ally is under an effect that reduces the number of actions they have on their turn, they don’t gain this benefit on a failed saving throw. Once you use Stand Firm on an ally, that ally is immune to it until the beginning of your next turn.
Death Incapacitation Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 125Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain DedicationRequirements A creature has been the target of your
Ultimatum of Liberation for at least 1 minute
You have given a despot enough time to think, and now is the time for them to forfeit their control or die. Spend a
Mythic Point and make a Strike at mythic proficiency against the required creature. If you succeed and deal damage, the target must succeed on a Fortitude save against your class DC or spell DC (whichever is higher) or die. If the target succeeds, they are immune to this ability for 24 hours.
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 125Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
You have tied yourself so absolutely to the cause of liberty that your very existence is an act of rebellion. You ignore any
mental effects without the
fear trait that would rob you of your agency (for example, on a failed save against
charm you would still be able to take hostile actions, and against
laughing fit you would still be able to take reactions but would remain
slowed, but on a critical failure against fear you would still be fleeing because it’s a fear effect). Additionally, you are
immune to effects that would imprison your soul (such as
seize soul, or a
final blade).
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 125Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
You can feel the sorrow, pain, and rage of those fallen to oppression, peering from just behind the veil of death, and you can bring them forth to exact their revenge. You can cast either a 9th-rank
invoke spirits or
wails of the damned once per day as an innate
occult spell. For either spell, use your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher.
Concentrate Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 125Archetype Broken ChainFrequency once per month
Prerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Something terrible has happened. A beloved ally has fallen, a last stand has failed, or a tyrant has beaten you to a crucial goal. Whatever it is, your heart sinks. How can this be? No, this can’t be. You spend a
Mythic Point to alter reality as if you got a success (but not a critical success) with the
wish ritual. You must choose to completely undo the effects of a past action or set of actions that occurred within the past week to lead to the undesirable outcome. This will bring serious consequences back to haunt you some day. Altering the rhythm of causality is likely to draw the attention of certain
aeons.
Fey norns won’t be too happy with you fraying their precious threads of fate either. Deities whose domains include
change,
fate,
freedom,
time, or
tyranny are likely to start keeping tabs on you, if they haven’t already, and send their agents to meddle in your affairs.
Mythic Source War of Immortals pg. 125Archetype Broken ChainPrerequisites Broken Chain Dedication
Those who would destroy you instead transform you into a powerful yet formless entity. If you would be killed while you have an
Ultimatum of Liberation active, you (along with your equipment) become an ideaform.
As an ideaform, you are
invisible and
incorporeal. You have only 1 Hit Point and can’t gain more, but you are
immune to all damage; if your
dying or
doomed condition would increase to a high enough value to kill you, it does not increase, and you are immune to any effect that would instantly kill or destroy you. You are immune to the
unconscious condition, yet can take only purely
mental actions. You can communicate telepathically with your allies at unlimited range, and gain two extra reactions at the start of each of your turns. Additionally, you can
Aid allies through nothing but telepathic advice, without having to spend an action to prepare first, and can spend a Mythic Point to do so at mythic proficiency. Any circumstance bonus you grant through Aiding is increased by 1.
Before an hour passes while being an ideaform, you must choose a willing follower of your cause to fuse with and cease to be an ideaform. Use your level, their
ancestry,
heritage, and
ancestry feats, and work with your GM to choose which combination of class, attribute modifiers, skills, and feats would make a good representation of this fusion. This new character has all your previous equipment. If you do not fuse with a follower after an hour of being an ideaform, you cease to be an ideaform and die; the equipment you had at the time of your original death also ceases to exist.