#Starfinder 18 Assault on the Crucible

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Class Feature Friday: Flamewalker Connection (Mystic Connection)

(art by MadSpartan013 on DeviantArt)

They say that fire in the spark of life, and perhaps there is some truth to that. After all, many chemical processes in the body do bounce oxygen around with sugar producing light, heat, and the energy to perform the processes of life and activity.

Whether some mystics find special connection in the pyrophoric processes and how they reflect life, and some may simply choose to specialize in the flame, there are those that take in the role of flamewalkers, invoking fire and heat for both it’s benevolent warming and cooking properties, as well as it’s obvious destructive capabilities.

This is an interesting option, as its one of the few Starfinder options that specialize in a particular element or damage type, but I don’t mind that at all.

I have to imagine that these mystics are common in religions and cultures that revere fire for the many beneficial and destructive aspects it has. Forge gods, hearth gods, destroyer gods, not to mention cultures that view flame as a symbol of advancing civilization, all might give rise to such devotion.

No matter the source, however, these flamewalkers pack a lot of elemental power, so let’s take a look!

The spells of this connection tap into the power of fire, starting with fiery blasts, and leading into trails and walls of flame, clouds of burning ash, and then progress into spells that contact other planes and even travel to them.

At their basic level, these mages can manipulate mundane flame, either snuffing out fires, or causing them to leap from one source to another, potentially continuing burning effects past the initial blaze.

Moving flamewalkers flicker like a heat mirage, making them harder to hit while charging the enemy.

Naturally, they also gain progressively greater forms of fire resistance.

Meanwhile, they can also infuse their weapons with fiery magic when necessary.

Supremely agile, these mystics are able to move and shift in response to blasts of explosive power, helping to maneuver themselves when they manage to roll with the punches with such blows.

Later on, they can also infuse their allies’ weapons with flame en masse, promising fiery punishment to their foes.

Near the zenith of their power, they learn to unleash a conflagration that seems almost to have a mind of it’s own, tendrils of flame seeking out multiple targets and leaving them engulfed in hot flames.

Blasting, area control and denial, buffing allies, defensive buffs, and even transferring flame to other creatures to make better use of/continue a single burning effect after a creature dies… This connection has a little of everything, and I love it. You’ll definitely have some fun with this one if you like packing heat in combat, just remember to diversify your spell selection and recognize that as impressive as it is, the mystic is not a primary blasting caster, so it shouldn’t be your only focus. Also consider the fact they can contact and visit other planes, something that is somewhat rare to do in Starfinder due to the focus on the vastness of space.

Of course, having an elemental specialist connection is fun, but the fact that there is only one is a bit annoying. However, we often say that nature abhors a vacuum, and so do ttrpg enthusiasts with a knack for homebrewing, so if you wanna use this option as a template for other elemental mystics, go right ahead!

Deeply fascinated by the interplay of body heat and their species' activity, Tikvan the urog has made it their life’s work to study the metabolism of their species and how it interplays with other forces, including magic. As such, they taught themselves how to manifest mystical might, having a particular talent for pyromancy and healing.

The twisted dimensions of the starship wreck known to prospectors as The Knot are chock-full of strange entities from whatever reality the ship was lost in before returning to this reality. As such, expedition crews are recommended to come armed, be it with powerful weapons or mighty fire spells, for undershrikes are hardly the worst of what The Knot has to offer.

The Temple of the First Flame is host to a belief system that treats fire as the greatest element, citing the creation of the universe as a great explosion of energy. There, one can receive training on everything from photon-focused solarian arts to pyromancy and scientific research into chemical reactions and nuclear fusion.