Archives of Nethys
There are places in the world where the essences of magic coalesce and build on each other, creating churning wells of power and streams of the energies. These forces can make up the fabric of the planes or produce entropic fields where magic is simply nullified, consumed before it can be brought into being. Your body is one such place for these powers. Whether by exposure to magical radiation, experimentation, happenstance of birth, or intense training, the essences of magic have warped themselves around you, creating in you a living nexus of power. You have trained yourself to sense with your very being the thrum and pulse of energy that permeates all things. As you absorb the magical energy around you, your soul filters it into pure potential. This power, however, cannot be held for long, as it urges to be released. For others, magic is a formula to be memorized or the will of a deity channeled through them. For you, magic is as easy as breathing.
On Golarion, the accidental transformation into a living nexus usually occurs in places where magic is wild and unpredictable, often suffusing the very air people breathe. Certain parts of the Mana Wastes fit this criteria as the ancient conflict between Geb and Nex scarred this once-beautiful land with stray bolts of energy and clouds of magical radiation. While not many settlements exist in the Mana Wastes outside of Alkenstar, adventurers undertaking explorations into the wastelands have been known to return with the uncanny ability to absorb any magic around them and control it as a living nexus.
Living Nexus Dedication Feat 2
Uncommon Archetype Dedication Source Impossible Magic pg. 96
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites trained in martial weapons; trained in Arcana; trained in Nature; trained in Occultism, or Religion
Whether through happenstance or hours of rigorous training, you have discovered within yourself the ability to breathe in the magic around you.
You have an invisible, internal nexus of energy and have learned how to control your absorption of others’ magical energy and store it in this internal nexus. You gain the Absorb Magic reaction and the Overflowing Blade action. The DC for an ability gained via this archetype is either your class DC or spell DC, whichever is higher, and is called your nexus DC.
Absorb Magic [reaction] (concentrate, magical) Requirements You are not overflowing; Trigger Another creature within 30 feet Casts a Spell or uses an action, activity, or reaction with the arcane, divine, magical, occult, or primal trait; Effect You breathe in a small fraction of the magic produced by the triggering effect, storing it in your internal nexus. You become overflowing. You remain overflowing for up to 1 minute before the stored magical energy fades. While overflowing, you gain a +1 status bonus to saving throws against effects with the arcane, divine, magical, occult, and primal traits. This bonus becomes +2 at 15th level.
Overflowing Blade [one-action] (concentrate, force, magical) Requirements You are overflowing; Effect You conduct the magic in your internal nexus to coat your weapon or unarmed strike, empowering it with magical energy for a devastating attack. Make a melee Strike. If the Strike hits, you deal an additional 1d4 force damage. At 10th level, the additional damage increases to 2d4 force damage. At 18th level, the additional damage increases to 3d4 force damage. You are no longer overflowing.
Inspired Memory Feat 3
Archetype Skill Source Impossible Magic pg. 96
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
A memory of each spell you have absorbed remains within your soul. You gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge about creatures whose magic you have absorbed within the last minute. Additionally, you gain a +1 circumstance bonus to Learn a Spell that you have absorbed within the last week.
Aether Blast [one-action] Feat 4
Archetype Concentrate Force Magical Manipulate Source Impossible Magic pg. 96
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Requirements You are overflowing.
You channel some of the raw magical energy in your internal nexus into a devastating blast. You direct the blast at one creature within 30 feet, dealing 1d12 force damage with a basic Reflex save against your nexus DC. The force damage increases by 1d12 at 8th level and every 4 levels thereafter. You are no longer overflowing.
The Taste of Magic Feat 4
Archetype Magical Source Impossible Magic pg. 96
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Each working of magic has a unique scent and frequency of vibration. You have trained yourself to recognize the minute differences in magics, as if distinguishing between different odors. You gain scent as an imprecise sense with a range of 30 feet. This scent can only detect creatures, items, and effects that are currently under the effect of a spell or have the arcane, divine, magical, occult, or primal trait. In addition, you may use Arcana, Occultism, Nature, or Religion instead of Survival to Track creatures you could sense with this ability.
Flexible Nexus Feat 6
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
In bending the basic essences of magic around yourself, you have seen the ways they connect and flow into each other, changing from one to the next. Each time you use an ability granted by the Living Nexus archetype that deals force damage, you may change the damage type from force to mental, spirit, vitality, or void. The altered ability loses the force trait and gains the trait of the new damage type.
Harness Natural Magic [free-action] Feat 6
Archetype Concentrate Magical Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Frequency once per 10 minutes
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Trigger Your turn begins.
Although it’s often faint, you can sense the presence of magic all around you. Your internal nexus takes in that magic as easy as breathing. You become overflowing as if you have Absorbed Magic.
Surging Smash [two-actions] Feat 6
Archetype Concentrate Force Magical Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Requirements You are overflowing.
Lashing forward, your weapon becomes an extension of your nexus, washing your enemies in a torrent of magical fury. Make a melee Strike. Regardless of the result, you create a 30- foot cone of magical energy dealing 3d6 force damage with a basic Fortitude save against your nexus DC. You choose the cone’s direction, but its first square must be a square in the target of your strike’s space. A creature that critically fails the save is also knocked prone. The force damage increases by 1d6 at 8th level and every 2 levels thereafter. You are no longer overflowing.
Aether Beam [two-actions] Feat 8
Archetype Concentrate Force Magical Manipulate Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Requirements You are overflowing.
You can open your internal nexus, unleashing a destructive beam of magical energy that emanates from your hand, eyes, or chest. You fire a beam that deals 6d6 force damage in a 60- foot line and pushes back anyone who stands within. Each creature in the area must attempt a basic Reflex save against your nexus DC. A creature that fails is also pushed back 10 feet (20 feet on a critical failure). The damage increases by 2d6 at 10th level and every 2 levels thereafter. You are no longer overflowing.
Healing Nexus [one-action] Feat 8
Archetype Concentrate Healing Magical Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Frequency once per 10 minutes
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Requirements You are overflowing.
You metabolize some of the magic you absorb into your internal nexus to stitch together any wounds on the rest of your body. You heal 30 Hit Points. At 10th level and every 2 levels thereafter, the amount of healing increases by 5. You are no longer overflowing.
Null Field [one-action] Feat 10
Archetype Concentrate Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Requirements You are overflowing and have taken energy damage within the last minute.
You understand the frequency of energies that have damaged you and can extend the magical network of power in your internal nexus to diffuse incoming attacks. Choose one type of energy damage you have taken within the last minute. You gain resistance to that energy type equal to half your level for 1 minute.
Steal Magic's Breath [reaction] Feat 12
Archetype Concentrate Magical Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Frequency once per day
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
Trigger You are the target or within the area of a damaging spell or ability with the arcane, divine, magical, occult, or primal trait.
Requirements You are not overflowing.
Your internal nexus has grown to an immense size and can absorb workings of magic even as they form, sometimes even swallowing them entirely. You become overflowing as if you had Absorbed Magic. Additionally, you reduce the amount of damage the triggering spell or ability deals by 6d6 for all creatures targeted by the spell or ability. This reduction is applied before any weaknesses or resistances are taken into account. If you completely mitigate the damage to a creature, the triggering spell or ability has no effect on them.
The amount of damage reduced increases by 1d6 at 14th level and every 2 levels thereafter.
Quick Absorption Feat 14
Archetype Source Impossible Magic pg. 97
Archetype Living Nexus
Prerequisites Living Nexus Dedication
After so much exposure to the myriad forms of magical energy, you absorb magic almost instinctively. At the start of each of your turns, you gain an additional reaction that can only be used to Absorb Magic.
Shelyn's Corner
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