The ability of a society mind to join members into a worldthought network serves to unite disjointed minds into a single collective, allowing the society mind to share abilities over the network as needed or desired. Some individuals have learned to do this to another’s network, harnessing the power of another’s worldthought network. These initiates of the worldthought are often actively sought out by society minds to have as members of their own worldthought networks.
Becoming an Initiate of the Worldthought
An unusual path for most, becoming an initiate of the worldthought can seem an unusual choice. Exclusively for those who have been a part of a worldthought network, the mantle of the initiate of the worldthought suits a broad spectrum of individuals; indeed, psions, psychic warriors, even some soulknives and rogues with psionic ability might choose to learn the way of the initiate of the worldthought, if they are almost always a member of a worldthought network.
Entry Requirements:
To qualify to become an initiate of the worldthought, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Base Attack: +3.
Skills: Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks, Psicraft 4 ranks.
Feats: Detect Network
Psionics: Power point reserve.
Special: Must have been a member of a worldthought network for at least six months.
GAME RULE INFORMATION
Hit Die: d6
Class Skills:
The initiate of the worldthought’s class skills are Bluff, Concentration, Craft (any), Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge (psionics), Psicraft, and Sense Motive. Skill Points per Level: (4 + INT)
Class Features:
The initiate of the worldthought specializes in ways to augment and manipulate a worldthought network without causing a disruption in the connection. All of the following are class features of the initiate of the worldthought.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Initiates of the worldthought gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.
Manifesting: At every level indicated, the character gains additional power points per day and access to new powers as if she had also gained a level in whatever manifesting class she belonged to before she added the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (bonus feats, metapsionic or item creation feats, and so on). This essentially means that she adds the level of initiate of the worldthought to the level of whatever manifesting class the character has, and then determines power points per day, powers known, and manifester level accordingly.
If a character had more than one manifesting class before she became an initiate of the worldthought, she must decide to which class she adds the new level of initiate of the worldthought for the purpose of determining power points per day, powers known, and manifester level.
Harmonic Member (Su): An initiate of the worldthought’s mere presence within a worldthought network improves the network. An initiate of the worldthought does not count against the total number of members a worldthought network may contain. In addition, so long as the initiate of the worldthought is in the worldthought network, the creator of the network gains the Sheltered Soul feat.
Worldthought Powers (Su): An initiate of the worldthought is aware of the status of a network she is a part of and can, roughly, sense the presence of each member, although beyond telling if such a creature is still a member, this has no mechanical benefit. An initiate of the worldthought can manifest certain powers through the worldthought network. If a psionic power specifies one or more willing targets (or is harmless) and has a range greater than personal, she can manifest this power on a member of her network regardless of the range of the actual power. All other non-range restrictions still apply. She may also manifest any power with the Network descriptor this way, regardless of their actual ranges or targets. If she is capable of casting spells, any compatible spell with a range greater than touch can also be used through the network.
Anchor Network (Su): At 2nd level, an initiate of the worldthought is able to support a worldthought network should something happen to its creator. If the creator of a worldthought network is no longer able to sustain the network (e.g. by running out of power points, dying, etc.) the initiate of the worldthought automatically maintains it. So long as the initiate of the worldthought has a power point reserve, the network does not collapse. The initiate does not gain any additional ability to manipulate the network, and the range of the network becomes centered on her. If the network members were able to use cooperative healing and telepathy through the network, they are able to do so while the initiate of the worldthought maintains it. The total number of members the network may support remains what it was when the creator of the network maintained it (plus the initiate of the worldthought’s shared burden ability; see below); no new members may be added to the network while the initiate is maintaining it (unless she uses the expand network ability; see below). Once the original creator of the network is able to sustain the network again, they may automatically do so as a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity once they are within network range of the initiate of the worldthought.
Shared Burden (Su): More talented initiates of the worldthought have discovered how to aid the director of the network. Starting at 2nd level, any worldthought network of which the initiate of the worldthought is a member can have a number of additional members equal to the initiate of the worldthought’s Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).
Expand Network (Su): At 3rd level, an initiate of the worldthought is able to add members to her worldthought network on behalf of its creator. As a standard action, the initiate of the worldthought may add a willing creature within line of sight to any network she is a part of; the target is treated in all ways as a normal member of the worldthought network from then on. If the initiate of the worldthought is a member of multiple worldthought networks, she must choose which network to add the creature to when using this power. The network’s creator is automatically aware of when the initiate of the worldthought adds a member in this way.
Echo of the Worldthought (Su): Once an initiate of the worldthought has achieved 3rd level, she is able to form a type of “satellite network,” separate from any worldthought network she may already be a part of. The satellite network functions exactly as a 3rd-level society mind’s worldthought network class ability, and the initiate is treated as having the cooperative healing and telepathy class abilities as a society mind for their satellite network. The range of this network is 30 feet from the initiate of the worldthought, and it may only have up to three members (not counting the initiate of the worldthought herself, who is always considered to be a member of her own satellite network); she may not use her share burden ability to add more members to her satellite network.
