Essa Subclass — Fighter

Rawcaster

Striker — High Risk/High Output

No Rig. No training. It just started one day and hasn't stopped.

Archetype: Unregistered natural channeler

Essa emerged in you without warning. No Rig, no academy, no license. The ability showed up on its own and the Empire has no clean category for it. You hit hard and dangerously — no Burn Buffer means every failed save lands directly. The Feedback DC is higher than everyone else. And when you roll a natural 1, you don't just fail. Something else happens.

In the World

The Empire classifies this as Unregistered Natural Channeling. The paperwork says containment is the preferred response. Raw channeling without hardware routing is flagged as irregular emissions — the Suppression Grid can read you, it just cannot categorize what it's reading. Rawcasters who survive long enough either get very good at CON saves or very good at reading Wild Surge results.

Key Mechanic: Wild Surge (Natural 1)

Rawcaster Feedback DC is 10 + EP + ½ PB (standard is 8). No Burn Buffer — all Burn is direct. On a natural 1 Feedback Save, roll 1d10 on the Wild Surge table instead of normal failure: results range from Collapse Surge and Backfire (1–4) to spectacular effects (5–7) to better-than-success (8–10).

Essa Interaction

Hard DC modifier: +2 base on all Feedback Saves. No Burn Buffer. No Rig Current — replaced by Iron Skin (force resistance) at Level 5. Channel Slots available from Level 5. Irregular Essa emissions are detectable by Suppression Grid but not classifiable.

Techniques

Character Level33/6 unlocked

Showing 3 of 6 techniques

S1StrikeL3

Pulse Strike

1 vial (any tier) — Feedback DC 10+EP+½PB

Weapon attack. Hit: +EP × 1d8 force. Feedback DC is 2 higher than standard — T1 is DC 11, not 9.

S2StrikeL3

Burst

1 vial (T2 min) — Feedback DC 10+EP+½PB

EP × 10 ft sphere or 15 ft cone from your position. DEX save or EP × 2d6 force + push 10 ft.

D5DefenseL3

Shell

1 vial (T3 min), Concentration

Immunity to all damage for 1 round. On expiration: Feedback Save at DC 12 + EP. Reserved for emergency survival.

S6StrikeL5🔒 locked

Detonation

1 vial (T3 min) + automatic ½EP Burn

You are the center. EP × 15 ft radius. EP × 2d10 force to all creatures except you. Only Rawcasters can access this.

D3DefenseL5🔒 locked

Redirect

1 vial (T2 min) + 1 Channel Slot (Reaction)

Catch a ranged attack, return it to sender via CON attack roll. Enhancement adds force damage.

S4StrikeL10🔒 locked

Overload

1 vial (T3 min) + automatic 2 Burn direct

PB Cap off. Hit: EP × 3d8 force. Miss: EP × 1d8. 2 Burn direct — no Buffer. Maximum risk, maximum output.

Class Features

Raw ChannelLevel 3

No Rig. No Burn Buffer. No Modification Slots. No Rig Current. Irregular Essa emissions — readable by Suppression Grid but not classifiable.

Hard DCLevel 3

Rawcaster Feedback DC = 10 + EP + ½ PB. Standard is 8. Every vial burned is a real risk.

Wild Surge (Rule Break)Level 3

On a natural 1 Feedback Save, roll 1d10: 1 Collapse Surge, 2 Backfire, 3 Force Vomit, 4 Burnout, 5 Overclock, 6 Phase Crack, 7 Feedback Expulsion, 8 Surge Lock, 9 Resonance Echo, 10 Clean Surge.

Iron SkinLevel 5

Resistance to force damage (always on, replaces Rig Current). +1d6 bonus force on one attack or Strike Technique per turn (replaces Iron Overcharge).

DetonationLevel 5

Action. T3 min. EP × 15 ft radius centered on you. All creatures (not you) make DEX save or take EP × 2d10 force + knocked prone. Automatic cost: ½ EP (round up) Burn direct. No Feedback Save.

Surge ResistanceLevel 7

Wild Surge results 1 and 2 no longer apply — treated as result 3. May reroll a Wild Surge once per SR.

Surge EscalationLevel 10

For each Burn level carried, Wild Surge shifts one step toward results 8–10. At Burn 3, results 1–3 impossible. Result 10 now also grants advantage on next Feedback Save.

Burn ThroughLevel 15

No collapse at Burn 4. Instead: Speed 0, no Actions (reactions still allowed), all saves at disadvantage. Collapse at Burn 5. Second Wind removes 1 Burn.

Total RawcastLevel 18

1/LR. Detonation at T5 equivalent (EP = PB + 3), PB Cap off. EP × 2d12 force in EP × 15 ft. Cost: 3 Burn direct. Wild Surge table rolled regardless of result.

Apex SurgeLevel 18

Wild Surge minimum shifted to result 5. Result 10 additionally grants Overclock. Feedback DC returns to standard 8 + EP + ½ PB once per SR (your choice of activation).

Level Progression

Level	Features	Channel Slots	Feedback DC (T1)
3	Raw Channel, Wild Surge, Hard DC, Pulse Strike, Burst, Shell, Push	2	DC 11
5	Iron Skin, Detonation, Redirect, Channel Slots (3)	3	DC 11
7	Suppress, Leap, Surge Resistance	3	DC 11
9	Channel Slots (4)	4	DC 11
10	Bind, Overload, Surge Escalation	4	DC 11
13	Channel Slots (5)	5	DC 11
15	Cascade, Burn Through	5	DC 11
17	Channel Slots (6)	6	DC 11
18	Total Rawcast, Apex Surge	6	DC 11 (1/SR: DC 9)

fighteressa subclassno rigvialshigh riskunlicensed