Starlit Sentinel

Rare

Though the zodiac is known throughout Tian Xia for subtly watching over the continent, sometimes the 12 constellations find more direct action necessary. When a grave threat arises, a zodiac constellation might shine on an everyday student or worker, granting them the power to transform into a powerful alter ego to repel those threats. Though most of these starlit sentinels act covertly when the world is asleep, some become well known either as urban legends or outright celebrities, though usually only as their alter ego. Some might find themselves pulled between the dual pressures of an unassuming civilian identity working in a market by day, and the defender of that same market from rampaging oni or qi-stealing jiang-shi under the light of the stars. Due to a quartet of well-known female sentinels operating out of Goka, many have come to believe that the zodiac chooses only girls as its champions, but the heavens care little for such mortal concerns and are equally likely to grant their power to those of any gender. Starlit sentinels are rare, even in Tian Xia, and individual sentinels are unique; a new sentinel empowered by a given constellation won't awaken as long as the previous sentinel of that constellation is active.

Starlit Sentinel DedicationFeat 2

Rare
archetype
dedication

You've been chosen by one of the constellations of the Tian Xia zodiac. You gain a transformation seal: a mundane-seeming item of light Bulk, such as a ring, brooch, or key, that has the arcane trait. If your seal is ever lost or destroyed, you can gain a replacement by spending 1 week of downtime in introspection to reconnect with your constellation. You, and only you, can transform into your sentinel form by Activating the seal.

Activate—Starlit Transformation 1 (arcane)

Frequency once per hour

Effect Light swirls around you, transforming your armor, clothing, and a single weapon in your possession into a specific alternate outfit. While your equipment might look dramatically different, it functions as normal. If someone attempts to discern your identity, they must use a Seek action to attempt a Perception check against your Deception DC, as if you were using the Impersonate action. Your Deception DC against such attempts is 20 + your proficiency modifier instead of the normal DC. Unlike with Impersonate, you don't have to attempt a Deception check to interact with someone to conceal your identity—a check happens only if someone else specifically tries to uncover it. You remain in your sentinel form for 10 minutes or until you use Starlit Transformation again to change back to your normal form.

While you're in sentinel form, your transformed weapon shines with starlight and gains a +1 status bonus to damage rolls with the weapon. You can fling bolts of starlight from your weapon with a Strike action, using your melee attack modifier with the weapon. These bolts deal 1d4 force damage, have a range of 60 feet, are affected by your weapon runes, and have the arcane and force traits.