Essa Subclass — Fighter

Covenant

Melee / Force Manipulation

The blade found you. You didn't choose this. But you chose to stay.

Hit Died10
PrimarySTR (CON for Feedback Saves)
SavesSTR, CON
ResourceVials + Reserve
RigAetherBlade
Armor
All armor, shields
Weapons
Simple, martial (AetherBlade is the weapon)
Key Mechanic
Internal Reserve
Rule Break

Internal Reserve: The AetherBlade generates free EP per Short Rest that powers T1 Techniques with no vial and no Feedback Save. You can fire Pulse Strike, Barrier, Leap, and Disarm all day without burning a single vial.

Archetype: Bonded magic blade carrier

You carry an AetherBlade — Essa-forged magic steel that only resonates with one in a hundred thousand people. The blade generates its own EP. You are never fully out of fuel. Between vials, between rests, the blade keeps giving. Force manipulation flows through the steel the same way the cutting edge does. The Empire declared this discipline contraband. Being Covenant is not a career. It's a status.

AetherBlade bonding was declared illegal after the Pulse Wars — too hard to track, invisible to standard Rig licensing. The Citadel of Essa-forged steel was destroyed. Blades that survived are scattered. Most carriers don't know what they have until the resonance starts. The Empire's preferred response to discovery is containment.

Covenant — Shatterds Sourcebook
Key Mechanic: Internal Reserve
The AetherBlade generates EP per Short Rest without burning a vial. T1 Techniques only (base effect, no enhancements). No Feedback Save on Internal Reserve activations. Recharges on Short Rest. For enhanced Techniques, burn a standard vial.

Essa Interaction

No Burn Buffer — the AetherBlade is not a Rig and does not absorb Burn. External vial activations follow standard Feedback Save rules. Internal Reserve activations produce no Feedback Save and generate no Burn. The blade's Force Edge deals bonus force damage on every hit (no vial).

Class Features

Techniques

Character Level34/6 unlocked
Showing 4 of 6 techniques

Level Progression

LevelFeaturesChannel SlotsBlade Forge TierInternal Reserve
3AetherBlade, Internal Reserve, Pulse Strike, Barrier, Leap, Fear2T12 EP/SR
5Iron Overcharge, Step, Phase, Blade Tier 23T23 EP/SR
7Bleed, Lift, Bond Deepening3T23 EP/SR
9Blade Tier 34T34 EP/SR
10Hold, Disarm, Rig Resonance4T34 EP/SR
13Blade Tier 45T45 EP/SR
15Chain, Bind Threshold5T45 EP/SR
17Blade Tier 56T56 EP/SR
18Blade Ascendance, Apex Calibration6T512 EP/SR

All Subclasses

Essa KnightEdge KnightHexslingerTetherboundWarrantCovenantIronhandRawcasterThe StillMachinistOathboundBurnboundCipherboundWildboundCantboundDoctrine of the VanguardDoctrine of the WardenDoctrine of the Veil
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