Ironhand
No vials. No Rig. No registration. Just a body that learned to hit wrong.
Archetype: Physical force discipline — no Essa, no hardware
Ironhand is a discipline — a physical and mechanical school of technique so refined it produces Essa-equivalent output without any Essa at all. The Empire has no regulatory framework for you. No Rig means no license. No license means no category. You exist in a gap in their paperwork. Your fuel is Momentum, generated by removing threats from the battlefield. No vials. No Feedback Save. No Burn Track (normally).
In the World
Ironhand training traces to pre-Pulse Wars combat schools that predated Rig technology. The force that comes off the hands is not magic — it is the accumulated consequence of training that most people could not survive. An Empire analyst flagging Ironhand output would file it as "anomalous martial output" and request a follow-up investigation that would find nothing licensable.
Key Mechanic: Momentum Pool
Momentum generates by removing threats: +2 when you drop a creature to 0 HP, +1 when you incapacitate, +1 when you take damage ≥ your CON mod. Techniques cost 1–3 Momentum depending on EP tier. No vials. No Feedback Save. No Burn (normally). Max 6 Momentum at L3–8, 8 at L9–14, 10 at L15+. Resets each combat.
Essa Interaction
No Essa. No Rig. No Feedback Save. No Burn Track under normal conditions. Emergency Activation lets you fire Techniques when Momentum is empty — costs 1 Burn directly. Iron Body provides force resistance in place of Rig Current. Invisible to Suppression Grid.
Techniques
Resistance to force damage. 1d6 unarmed strikes. Invisible to Essa sensing. No Rig Current substitute — the body is the hardware.
Weapon attack. Hit: EP × 1d8 force (1d10 at Level 10). No Feedback Save. Enhancement costs +1 Momentum per EP.
Reduce incoming damage by 2d10. Excess reduction becomes temp HP. No Feedback Save.
Launch EP × 15 ft. No opportunity attacks. Land adjacent: advantage on next attack.
Move through solid matter until start of next turn. Cannot end inside solid matter.
Full output. Hit: 3d8 × 3 force. Miss: 3d8 force (no save). No Burn at Level 10 via Perfect Form.
Class Features
Level Progression
| Level | Features | Momentum Max | Unarmed Die |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Iron Body, Momentum Pool, No Vials, Pulse Strike, Leap, Absorb, Disarm | 6 | 1d6 |
| 5 | Iron Overcharge, Dash, Phase, Momentum Escalation | 6 | 1d6 |
| 7 | Overload, Root, Throw | 6 | 1d8 |
| 9 | Momentum Surge | 8 | 1d8 |
| 10 | Slow, Reinforce, Perfect Form | 8 | 1d8 |
| 13 | Momentum Overflow | 8 | 1d10 |
| 15 | Iron Threshold | 10 | 1d10 |
| 18 | Iron Apex, Unstoppable | 12 | 1d10 |