Classes

This chapter describes classes and class variants that are unique to the Hyperion Voyages campaign setting, although they don’t have to be used in just this setting. For example, the psithief is a new class which is essentially a straight conversion of the spellthief to psionics. There are also improved classes that are given more abilities for fluff or balancing. It’s highly recommended that you enforce these class improvements in a Hyperion Voyages campaign.

Here’s a document with every available base class in the game, along with short descriptions and links to resources for each class.

New Classes

Psithief	A psionic counterpart to the spellthief.
Psychic Adept	This psionic NPC class is a dabbler like the magewright and adept.
Witch	An arcane philosopher counterpart to the druid, with a unique familiar companion.

Class Changes

Improved Bard	The bard becomes more about expending bardic music to cast.
Improved Battle Dancer and Improved Monk	These classes become competent melee debuffers.
Improved Divine Mind	Inspired by the Diablo 2 paladin, this class gains a number of aura improvements.
Improved Factotum	This powerful mundane class gains psionic abilities and clarifications.
Improved Mystic	This non-theist cleric class gains bonus domain feats and limited turning ability.
Improved Samurai	This more-historically-accurate samurai is a dedicated horseback archer.
Improved Shadowcaster	The shadow mage becomes able to recover their abilities very quickly and without needing rest.
Improved Sorcerer	The sorcerer gains access to all metamagic for which he qualifies.
Improved Soulknife	This class gains rudimentary manifesting abilities and a psionic connection to his mindblade.
Mundane Characters Gestalt	Classes that don’t get prestige class progression gestalt (merge together).
Spell Points	All spellcasters use a MP-like system that allows them to run in extremely-time-sensitive settings like this one.
Infusion Points	Artificers and Psionic Artificers use a MP-like system that allows them to run in extremely-time-sensitive settings like this one.

GM’s Note: There are a large number of other miscellaneous class fixes.

Alternative Class Features

Each character class has defining mechanical and roleplaying characteristics, while feats, skills, spells, and other choices provide ways to customize a character within that basic framework. Alternative class features replace class features of the original class description, changing its very nature.
Although this section is called “Alternative Class Features”, it also covers alternative racial features.

Each alternative feature presented here provides a new theme for that particular class or race that helps grant benefits unique to this futuristic setting. Normally, you can only take these features at the first level in which you would gain that instance of this feature. For example, a rogue might take Trapfinding at their first Rogue level, but at a later level cannot lose that trapfinding feature later to gain Signal Finding. However, they could lose a different instance of the Trapfinding feature that they gain from another source to gain Signal Finding at that time. If a character has already passed the level at which the alternative feature is available, you can use the retraining option described on page 192 of Player’s Handbook II to acquire it retroactively.

Holocunning	Replaces Stonecunning	Some Hyperions are trained to recognize holograms easier.
Hyperion Collegiate	Replaces some or all of any bonus or learned languages	Some Hyperions had a specialized college education.
Hyperion Schooling	Replaces some or all of any racial bonuses to craft or appraise	Some Hyperions are raised with extra training in Hypertechnology.
Hyperion Talent	Replaces nothing; see text	Seemingly-mundane Hyperions may have a small spark of psionic power.
Hypertech Empathy	Replaces Wild Empathy	Some Hyperions connect with hypertechnology on an empathetic level.
Luddite	Replaces Illiteracy	Some Hyperions are really bad at Hypertechnology.
Signalfinding	Replaces Trapfinding	You’re adept at locating and identifying Hypertooth Interfaces and Cyberspace Access Points.

Click here for the list of full descriptions…

Other Class Variants

All class variants described in Unearthed Arcana are allowed except for the Planar Banishment variant and “Generic Classes” (since Generic Classes are far too underpowered to be worth it normally, and they’re already used for cyberspace). Here’s a list of some allowed variants that aren’t in the SRD or otherwise described in another section.

Artificer Variant: Psionic
Barbarian Variants: Ferocity, Berserker Strength
Druid Variants: Shapeshift
Fighter Variants: Alternate Fighters
Monk Variants: Invisible Fist, Wild Monk, Chaos Monk
Paladin Variants: Alignment Variants
Ranger Variants: Mystic Ranger, Wild Shape Ranger
Sorcerer Variants: Divine Companion, Divine Sorcery, Domain Access
Spellthief Variants: Trickster, Spellskill
Wizard Variants: Wizard of the Sun and Moon, Filidh, Anagakok