Essa Knight
The standard. Burn a vial every round, hit harder than anything at the table.
Archetype: Gauntlet-bonded weapons platform
The Essa Knight is the flagship subclass — an armored fighter with a Gauntlet Rig bonded to the weapon arm. Every round you burn a vial and hit harder than anything else at the table. Cheap T1 Glow for standard output, higher tiers when you need to end something. Between Essa strikes the Rig is always on, adding force damage to every swing.
In the World
The Essa Knight doctrine emerged from post-Pulse Wars reconstruction Rig trials. The bond between a well-calibrated Gauntlet and a practitioner who knows how to use it is one of the most reliable force outputs the Shatterds has ever produced. Empire licensed, widely feared, and available at 25 gp per round of ammunition.
Key Mechanic: Vial + Feedback Save
Burn one vial per Technique activation. Vial tier sets EP output. At end of turn make a CON Feedback Save (DC 8 + EP + ½ PB). Failure: 1d6 force per EP + 1 Burn. The Gauntlet's Burn Buffer absorbs Burn before it reaches you.
Essa Interaction
Standard Essa interaction. Rig Current provides free +CON mod force on every weapon attack. Iron Overcharge adds +1d6 free once per turn at Level 5. Pulse Strike can replace any attack in the Extra Attack chain — not just the first one.
Techniques
Every weapon attack deals +CON modifier bonus force damage. Minimum +1. No vial. No Feedback Save.
Weapon attack. Hit: +EP × 1d8 force. Rule Break: replaces any attack in Extra Attack chain. Enhancement options add push, knock prone, and more dice.
Force barrier with EP × 8 + CON HP. Lasts until destroyed or start of next turn. Use proactively or reactively when hit.
Reduce incoming damage by EP × 1d10. Excess reduction becomes temporary HP.
Launch EP × 15 ft. No opportunity attacks. Land adjacent to target: advantage on next attack this turn.
One attack. PB Cap does not apply. Hit: EP × 3d8 force. Miss: EP × 1d8. Costs 1 Burn (Buffer absorbs first). No Feedback Save.
Class Features
Level Progression
| Level | Features | Channel Slots | Rig Tier | Burn Buffer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Gauntlet Rig, Rig Current, Pulse Strike, Burst, Barrier, Absorb, Scan | 2 | T1 | 1/SR |
| 4 | ASI | 2 | T1 | 1/SR |
| 5 | Iron Overcharge, Leap, Push, Rig Tier 2 | 3 | T2 | 1/SR |
| 7 | Enhanced Dampener, Overdrive, Overload | 3 | T2 | 1/SR |
| 9 | Rig Tier 3 | 4 | T3 | 2/SR |
| 10 | Chain, Rig Resonance | 4 | T3 | 2/SR |
| 13 | Rig Tier 4 | 5 | T4 | 3/SR |
| 15 | Burn Threshold, Rig Overclock | 5 | T4 | 3/SR |
| 17 | Rig Tier 5 | 6 | T5 | 4/SR |
| 18 | Total Discharge, Apex Calibration | 6 | T5 | 4/SR |