Earthly Aptitude
You possess a deep understanding of the natural world, and how it can be shaped, refined, and corrupted.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (dungeoneering) 3 ranks, Knowledge (engineering) 3 ranks, Knowledge (geography) 3 ranks, or Knowledge (nature) 3 ranks; Study sphere.
Benefit: You are always aware of any changes of weather around you, and you can spend 1 minute to automatically predict the natural weather within the area for the next 24 hours.
Additionally, whenever you come within 10 feet of a weakened or dangerous structure, a secret door or similar hidden opening, you receive an immediate Knowledge skill check associated with the surface or structure to notice the detail (as if using Perception). This check should be made in secret by the GM.
You add the following methods of gaining a notion to your theories:
- The subject of your theory suffers damage from or fails a saving throw against a hazard that is naturally occuring (brambles, mundane weather), including any natural feature that is used as a hazard (such as cutting down a tree to collapse onto a creature, creating a makeshift trap out of nature, etc.).
- Whenever an attack originating from the subject of your theory misses you while you are benefiting from cover or improved cover. This cover cannot be something that is suddenly created, used or placed, such as using a tower shield, the cover function from the Artifice sphere, or some spells.
- You may only apply this notion to an active research topic. You identify a natural phenomenon or structure of incredible significance or power.
You add the following breakthroughs to your theories:
- Breakthrough: You can spend 1 notion as a swift action to make a square within your reach difficult terrain against the subject of your theory for 1 minute.
- Breakthrough: While in a natural environment, you can spend 2 notions as a swift action to grant yourself concealment against the subject of your theory until the end of your next turn; you can spend 3 additional notions when using this breakthrough to improve this to total concealment.
Mystical Aptitude
You are well-informed on many phenomena, the essence and functions of the planes, and the foundations of arcana.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (arcana) 3 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 3 ranks, or Knowledge (religion) 3 ranks; Study sphere.
Benefit: You can begin a theory as a free action whenever you successfully identify the magical technique of a creature or identify an extraplanar creature’s planar origin. If you do so, the theory begins with one notion.
You add the following methods of gaining a notion to your theories:
- You or an ally successfully find a loophole (new skill use) in an effect originating from the subject of your theory, as long as a creature successfully ends the effect on themselves.
- The subject of your theory uses or is successfully affected by a spell, supernatural, or spell-like ability that has an alignment descriptor or relies on alignment in some way (such as a paladin’s smite evil ability).
You add the following breakthroughs to your theories:
- Breakthrough: You can spend any amount of notions as a free action that can be taken outside of your turn to gain an equivalent insight bonus to a single concentration, Spellcraft, or Use Magic Device check, or on a caster level check to overcome a creature’s spell resistance.
- Breakthrough: You can spend 4 notions as an immediate action whenever a creature within medium range is killed or banished to its home plane to make it difficult for them to return. In order to return the creature to life or to the plane it was banished from, the caster attempting to return them must succeed on a caster level check against a DC equal to 11 + your ranks in the Study sphere’s associated skill. You can reveal a plan as part of using this ability to reduce the notion cost of this breakthrough by 2.
Societal Aptitude
You have an intimate understanding of the many ways society can take shape, the ways that communities function, and the - sometimes unreliable - importance of history.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (local) 3 ranks, Knowledge (nobility) 3 ranks, Knowledge (geography) 3 ranks, or Knowledge (history) 3 ranks; Study sphere.
Benefit: Whenever you fail a Knowledge, Lore, or similar skill check to recall information, you instead recall a place, faction, or person that does know the information, as long as such a source could be discovered with a successful check to recall or gather information of 15 + the skill modifier of the associated skill or less.
The source learned is typically the one that is the easiest or closest (chosen when you use this talent) for you to reach. Additionally, you reduce the notion cost to outwit the subject of your theory using notions by 1–and doing so is treated as a breakthrough.
You add the following methods of gaining a notion to your theories:
- You successfully identify a class feature or feat as it is being used by the theorized creature.
- You successfully outwit the subject of your theory.
- You may only apply this notion to an active research topic, and only once per day. You succeed a Knowledge (local), Knowledge (nobility), Knowledge (geography), or Knowledge (history) check that has a DC higher than 15 + your character level.
You add the following breakthrough to your theories:
- Breakthrough: You can spend 1 notion to learn a minor motivation from the chosen creature, or a minor motivation that may be typically shared by those who attend the chosen event. You can spend an additional 2 notions (3 notions in total) to instead learn a major motivation.
Speculative Analysis
Prerequisite: Investigation sphere, Study sphere.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully use the analyze Investigation sphere ability, you can begin a theory on the analyzed target as a free action. If the analyze attempt gains a detailed analysis, the theory starts with one notion.
Additionally, you gain a +1 insight bonus to analyze skill checks made against the subject of your theory for every notion the theory possesses.
Tactical Hypothesis (Champion)
Prerequisites: Scout sphere, Study sphere.
Benefit: Whenever you successfully scout a creature as at least a swift action, you may begin a theory started by recalling information on that creature as a free action rather than an immediate action.