Not long ago, the Mind's Eye brought you a variant of the pyrokineticist known as the kineticist. This variant allowed you to select an energy type that the class specialized in. The new version of the pyro has changed focus and is now a combat-heavy class, forgoing any ability to manifest powers. So rather than try to do a conversion or update of the Mind's Eye kineticist, I decided to focus on the pyrokineticist in the Expanded Psionics Handbook.

Naming the Prestige Class

The basic prestige class is known as a pyrokineticist or "pyro," and it focuses on fire; each type of energy that a prestige class could focus on can have a different name to give it the appropriate flavor. Although acid has been removed as an energy type, I have included it for those people who are playing an existing acetokineticist and have a DM that will allow the conversion.

Requirements

The "special" entry under requirements for the prestige class should be changed to allow entry to the various versions of the prestige class. If a player can come up with a compelling reason that shows his character is obsessed with a specific energy, DMs should consider allowing entry to the prestige class. A character need not have used the specific energy type to qualify.

Special: Must have damaged or destroyed a structure or object by the use of a power of the chosen energy focus just to see what would happen or must have survived a traumatic experience such as being trapped in a burning building where someone close to the character died.

Effects

After we have selected the type of energy to focus on and once we have fulfilled the requirements of the prestige class, we can work with the DM to alter the fire effects. The names of the individual abilities should be modified to match the appropriate type. For instance the fire lash would be a cold lash or frost lash for the cryo.

Abilities that deal damage have the type of damage they do changed to match their new energy type. Also, abilities that grant protection from an energy type now grant it from the chosen energy type.

The visible display of the abilities should be modified as follows. The associated color changes (acid/green, cold/blue, electricity/purple, fire/orange or red, sonic/yellow or silvery white). They may also have additional effects such as burning flames for fire, mist or ice shards for cold, billowing mist and sizzling for acid, a low-pitched hum and rippled air effect for sonic, and arcs of electricity and a crackling sound for electricity. For example, an electricity nimbus would be a swirling purple field with crackling arcs of electricity. The changed displays should be worked out with your DM.

Optional Damage Rules

Because different energy damage types deal damage differently and because the number of available creatures with appropriate resistances varies from campaign to campaign, most DMs need to determine whether they wish to alter the damage dealt by the different energy types. Changes to damage dealt by the special abilities of the prestige class are as follows.

* Minimum of 1 point per die of damage.
** Damage dice are reduced one die type, d6 becomes d4, d8 becomes d6.

About the Authors

Mark A. Jindra has been a fan of Dungeons & Dragons for the past 25 years and has organized RPGA Network events for many conventions and game days, including Origins and Winter Fantasy. In 1998 he landed his dream job as a web developer for Wizards of the Coast and is currently the developer of the D&D website. Mark has authored or coauthored various tournaments for the RPGA Network, and he also coauthors the monthly Mind's Eye feature on the Wizards of the Coast website.

Scott Brocius has been "kicking around" with the D&D game since being introduced to it 1980. He has been an RPGA member for several years and has helped organize and run RPGA events for several conventions, including Origins. The new edition of D&D has renewed his love for and interest in the game. Scott also coauthors the monthly Mind's Eye feature on the Wizards of the Coast website.